Keep it Fresh
I find often that my motivation for anything wanes in and out , and often it’ll depend on what’s going on at that moment in life. In 2016-17 I tore the short head tendon of my bicep while training and it was a drastic life change. My identity had largely been built around being a rock climber and it’s affiliated culture. My friends and community were climbers and as such it was difficult to not get to participate in the same activity with them. It shattered a lot of my perceptions about myself and what I thought was significant in life. Thankfully, I’ve been able to make a full recovery and pursue rock climbing. It is a different experience now as I still only have one ‘cep’ or my ‘unicep’ on my left arm. My climbing movement has changed but it has actually improved my technique.
Getting back to the point of this blurb is that acute event forced me to explore other aspects of being outdoors. Prior, I would have never said running or any aerobic activity was fun. My work position at the time exposed me to many climbers as well as other multi disciplined athletes. One of the many great things about the climbing community is that folks do a ton of other activities as well. One such activity that crosses over in the climbing community is trail running. The idea of running through the desert without a crag to stop at seemed quite ridiculous… Turns out I was wrong- it’s awesome! I started out running 3-4 miles on the trail to eventually doing half marathon lengths out in the South Mountain preserve. I was hooked! I decided to enter my first race that took place in Cave Creek. My goal was to simply finish the race. Anything more than that would be a bonus.
Before entering the Cave Creek Thriller race I spent time logging miles in the Usery Regional Park area and South Mountain area. I even decided to run the course a couple weeks before the race just to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into. On the day of the race, I lined up with the other competitors and felt massive waves of anxiety washing over me as I looked at the crowd. My trail running experience had generally been by myself on a weekday afternoon with no other souls to be found (especially during the summer heat). As the countdown began, I could sense all the runners tense up and get ready to pounce at the signal. BUZZ!!!!! The startling sound that we had all been waiting for shot off like a lightning strike. Tucked away in the middle of the packed runners, I was slowly but surely starting to feel my muscles relax and grasp that state-of-flow rhythm. To my surprise I was running with the top 8 runners in the front. I was freaking out! My thoughts blurred as they moved through my mind’s eye. “Can I Keep this pace up? What happens if I redline? Can I make it to an aid station?”
Despite the internal struggle between the thought of stop-and-go, I managed to keep up with the pack. Slowly, I could see our pack starting to dwindle while the four lead runners broke off to keep the faster pace . It’s strange- but I felt the urge to push harder and stay with those lead runners. In my head I could justify just riding out my current pace as I had come for one goal and that was to finish the race. Yet, the nagging thought of “I can try harder” disabled me from staying at the current pace. We hit some long switchback sections of the trail where I had passed the fourth runner. My lungs are burning, leg muscles aching, and yet, in a desperate effort to hang, I’m breathing like a maniac. The front two racers break again from the third runner and I , and now it becomes a team run between me and the third competitor at the same pace. We both acknowledge one another and exchange pleasantries as we made our way down passing many hikers heading upward. We finally hit the last stretch and both make non-verbal suggestions that it’s time to race again. We increased our speed and it was a full sprint downhill. My knees felt like they’d buckle, but I couldn’t help wanting to go faster. The third place runner started to slow down and made a wave for me to pass. All I could think of in this very moment was to keep pushing my body with whatever’s left. My lungs felt like they were melting and my knees were trembling with exhaustion as I finally passed the finish line. I’ve never won anything sports related in my life. The moment of clarity came over me and it crystallized the fact of how thankful I was for getting injured earlier in the year. If I hadn’t had to take a break from climbing then I would have never experienced this process.
I don’t run quite as much anymore due to climbing, family, and work. The trail still beckons me to run across its desert washes and rocky scrambles, but I know it’s not going anywhere. In lieu of running I ended up starting to mountain bike with family friends from my church. It’s been another new pursuit that I can go to when I find my internal inspiration lacking in climbing. I think it’s refreshing to find new ways to actively explore the outdoors. When I’ve been doing one activity for an extended period of time it can become a total lackluster due to routine and rituals. I tend to enjoy my rock climbing even more when I can enjoy other aspects of life as well. I hope this article helps you ‘mix it up’ and get the most out of your outdoor activities.
-Hugo
GraniteGrinder 