"Anyone can run 50 miles," I said to a small group of people at breakfast. I said it knowing that obviously not anyone can run fifty miles, but rather to illustrate a point. My point was that my running is not amazing in the few truly long distance runs I have done, but rather they are experiences in the wilderness that are obtainable to those who want them.
My breakfast comment met some resistance, the usual, "I can't" response is the easiest to deal with. I told the group, "that is your first problem, you have already decided without trying." I know I am being a bit of a smartmouth when I say these things, but the point has to be made. "How far do you run right now," I ask?
"Say one usually runs five miles," I continue, "when you finish that, run it again, until you have run it ten times, 50 miles." This attitude convinces few people, but there are two points to be made. First, thinking about 50 miles is really hard, but thinking about increments getting there, those are each manageable. I do not think anyone can truly set off to cover a great distance, those people will probably never see that they are making progress. Rather, the success at covering great distances comes to those who pursue the next bend in the trail.
I find road running to be drudgery. I am not a snob about this, I just lack the motivation to plod along the pavement, in pursuit of a distance, a pace, or a time. I run on trails to experience a new place, or something new in my own mind. In my pursuit of running great trails though, I, at some point, had to start by forgetting everything anyone ever tried to teach me about running.
My first marathon I ran while in high school, and I did it more or less off the couch. I do not want to gloat, some people can do things off the couch, and some cannot, I count myself among the lucky. Regardless, no one claims that running a marathon off the couch is possible, thus my point is simply that I was apparently never very good at listening to stories about what I can and cannot, or should and should not do. This, is the second lesson in my pursuit of running.
How most people learned to run was by doing laps around a track or gymnasium, while a whistle-weilding adult in a track suit told you to go faster. It was about going nowhere as fast as you could. This form of running is purified to it essential elements on the treadmill. Pace, distance, and television show re-runs are all that matter in the fitness running of conveyor belt health. Instead of a race to nowhere, why not an experience in going somewhere?
The runner will soon forget about pace, time, and racing. Meet your run where your running is. Walking hills is often sensible, not shameful, because there may be another hill just out of sight. Stopping to enjoy the scenery, chatting with friends, or simply catching your breath is part of the journey. Forget trite running rules, and instead dream of the best places to run.
In pursuit of the best places to run, I have compiled a list of trails and destinations. These dreams of better runs of the future power me through painful runs of the present. Memories of past great runs, create dreams, and a running euphoria that makes present runs better than previous runs. Running for the journey creates a cycle of better and better runs!
Using a week of free time, Sarah and I are currently doing some reconnaissance travelling and running to investigate a long held dream destination, Switzerland. In this land of mountains, trails, and easy to use civilization, the potential for trail running seems to exceed what I had hoped. With just a week, I will walk away from this trip not with an understanding of Swiss culture, the secret sights of Switzerland, or really having even "been to" any place in this country. I will walk away from this with 13 miles of sun-scorched views of the Matterhorn, trail maps to plan a proper running trip, and dreams and memories for when the next bend in the trail seems like a little too far to go.
(Pictures and stories of Switzerland soon to come!)
My breakfast comment met some resistance, the usual, "I can't" response is the easiest to deal with. I told the group, "that is your first problem, you have already decided without trying." I know I am being a bit of a smartmouth when I say these things, but the point has to be made. "How far do you run right now," I ask?
"Say one usually runs five miles," I continue, "when you finish that, run it again, until you have run it ten times, 50 miles." This attitude convinces few people, but there are two points to be made. First, thinking about 50 miles is really hard, but thinking about increments getting there, those are each manageable. I do not think anyone can truly set off to cover a great distance, those people will probably never see that they are making progress. Rather, the success at covering great distances comes to those who pursue the next bend in the trail.
I find road running to be drudgery. I am not a snob about this, I just lack the motivation to plod along the pavement, in pursuit of a distance, a pace, or a time. I run on trails to experience a new place, or something new in my own mind. In my pursuit of running great trails though, I, at some point, had to start by forgetting everything anyone ever tried to teach me about running.
My first marathon I ran while in high school, and I did it more or less off the couch. I do not want to gloat, some people can do things off the couch, and some cannot, I count myself among the lucky. Regardless, no one claims that running a marathon off the couch is possible, thus my point is simply that I was apparently never very good at listening to stories about what I can and cannot, or should and should not do. This, is the second lesson in my pursuit of running.
How most people learned to run was by doing laps around a track or gymnasium, while a whistle-weilding adult in a track suit told you to go faster. It was about going nowhere as fast as you could. This form of running is purified to it essential elements on the treadmill. Pace, distance, and television show re-runs are all that matter in the fitness running of conveyor belt health. Instead of a race to nowhere, why not an experience in going somewhere?
The runner will soon forget about pace, time, and racing. Meet your run where your running is. Walking hills is often sensible, not shameful, because there may be another hill just out of sight. Stopping to enjoy the scenery, chatting with friends, or simply catching your breath is part of the journey. Forget trite running rules, and instead dream of the best places to run.
In pursuit of the best places to run, I have compiled a list of trails and destinations. These dreams of better runs of the future power me through painful runs of the present. Memories of past great runs, create dreams, and a running euphoria that makes present runs better than previous runs. Running for the journey creates a cycle of better and better runs!
Using a week of free time, Sarah and I are currently doing some reconnaissance travelling and running to investigate a long held dream destination, Switzerland. In this land of mountains, trails, and easy to use civilization, the potential for trail running seems to exceed what I had hoped. With just a week, I will walk away from this trip not with an understanding of Swiss culture, the secret sights of Switzerland, or really having even "been to" any place in this country. I will walk away from this with 13 miles of sun-scorched views of the Matterhorn, trail maps to plan a proper running trip, and dreams and memories for when the next bend in the trail seems like a little too far to go.
(Pictures and stories of Switzerland soon to come!)
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