September 27, 2016

What's a High Without a Low?


Ever found yourself wondering what your next ultra event is going to be but can only brood about not finishing your last (3 mile) run?

I've come to realize brooding is a big part of running ultras. It's all part of the highs and lows we face when we're in the elements. Anyway, who's really high when they are never low?

Listen to the running gods my friends. They will show you the way.

Images of Runners Who Didn't Listen
Keeping my ear to the ground...







September 17, 2016

Visions. Grandeur. And The Tahahumara.


A few weeks ago, with visions of grandeur and a renewed sense of purpose, I sat down and laid out a new training plan for myself. Oh the possibilities! The images came flooding into my cranium. They were like a wave of morphine enveloping an addict. I pictured myself waltzing up the most gut wrenching climbs. Weightless and stealthy, like a Tahahumara Indian out of Born to Run. Yes, with the right training program, I chanted to myself, I can mold my body into anything and break new barriers I never thought possible!

Funny thing is, all this was in my head. And my head hadn’t consulted with my body. When it did, after doing a couple long runs, there was, well, a little push back. It’s not like these visions were naïve, or foolish, like my body is saying, just a little premature, like the “I” is saying.

I don’t know what is worse. Having visions of grandeur with not quite enough to back them up, or just not giving a shit about the possibilities that lie ahead. I know what I believe.

What do you believe?

P.S. This question isn't just about running.