A Walk in the Woods
Since the beginning of December when I began crawling out of my offseason time, one of the things that Hillary and I added to my program was a mid-week hike. 4 hours, on the trails, just walk in the mountains. This came about for a variety of reasons. As I have worked with Hillary now for 7 years (Can you believe I'm now the age she was when she took me as an athlete?? This is WILD to me!) we sometimes can collaborate on my training. I actually hesitated to even write this blog, because I don't want people (aka my athletes!) thinking that now their training plans are open for collaboration :) This has been a LONG time in the making, and collaboration may not even be the right word. As Hillary has been known to say, she is not "a vote", she is "THE vote" - and at the end of the day, whatever she would want me to do, goes. But, that doesn't mean I don't occasionally weigh in, and with ultras on the horizon, back in December we had a pow-wow about what would get me ready for those. I came to her with a pretty experienced ultra running background, but the balance between using that, and keeping me prime for Ironman, is a delicate one. This type of meeting of the minds between us is one of the things I like most about working with Hillary!
I really felt that a day with a long hike would go a long way for getting me ready for the ultras I had coming up. Rather than try to do this with a weighted pack and risk over-doing it, we opted for a simple hike after a hard treadmill class and a shakeout swim that I'd do beforehand. I had been doing plenty of trail running in the last few years, but not like I used to. When I came to Hillary, I was a trail runner - not a triathlete. And while I love so much about the transformation that has taken place, there was a part of me that was lost in it. And that was the ability to just walk in the woods. I had always felt at home in the mountains, and over the last few years, I lost the comfort they brought when I'd be alone in the woods. Instead, it was like going back to high school - things are familiar, yet awkward. You know where everything is, but you feel a little lost.
And while so much of ultra running comes down to strength and fitness, I do believe there is another element at play there. I feel that those who are truly comfortable on the trails gain a sense of the sport that many others do not. It's raw and it's hard to describe, but when you spend a lot of time walking, or running, in the woods, you become a different kind of runner. You don't live by your garmin....instead you simply start to *feel* the miles passing by - sometimes god awfully slow - with your steps in the dirt instead of looking for the tenths to pass with your footsteps beating on pavement. It's a different rhythm, and one that happens over time. The comfort and knack for that rhythm can come and go - feeling the beat of the trails is a skill, no doubt. I wanted to get that back. And, after a couple solid weekend pace runs the last few weeks, I'm feeling really good that we did get that back. It only took walking over 70 miles in the mountains ;)
Aside from that, there was certainly another mental aspect I liked about the hikes. I often see people who do social media "detoxes" over a day, a week, or a month. I've tried that and to be honest, it doesn't work for me. For one, I find a lot of good on social media these days. I've worked really hard over the year to make my followers (and those I follow), my feeds, etc, positive people and things that inspire me and keep me happy. Of course, I use it to get a lot of news - and that often isn't positive. But, that's life. And with the balance I've crafted, I'm actually quite happy on the internet these days, which is great. But I still enjoy a break from staring at the screen (and so do my eyes), and so my hikes are a no-phone zone. Generally I don't get service anyway, so it's super easy to do. I carry it in case of emergency (in the off chance I fall off the mountain in a Verizon service area), but I keep it silent, and out of reach except for the occasional picture. And guess what? I haven't missed anything of importance in that time away!
So you can see why I enjoy my hikes so much. Even if you don't enjoy hiking yourself, you can surely understand why it's so enjoyable for me and many others. I would absolutely love to go on a hiking vacation soon and it's something that I have been planning for a while. I know hiking is one of the best things to do in Banner Elk NC, so maybe that could be somewhere to consider if I'm looking to stay in the States. My dream is to go somewhere like Iceland, where the scenery is beyond words and there are lots of different hikes, and drive across the country exploring. According to Rent.is, driving in Iceland is pretty easy (source: https://www.rent.is/blog/driving-in-iceland/) so it's definitely achievable. I guess it's a case of watch this space.
I do get some questions about safety, and to tell you the truth, I feel safer when I am hiking than in many cities these days! But, I do admit that having Ramona helps with that A TON! So, go adopt a protective pup :) She also provides great conversation on the trail: Never interrupts! I also carry a pocket knife, plenty of food and water to last well beyond the planned time (for both human and dog), a LifeStraw, and a headlamp. If I'm somewhere I'm not super familiar with, I will also bring a hard copy of a map (not just rely on my phone). This is probably overdoing it for where I am hiking, but hey, I'd rather be prepared than make it on the news for looking dumb and under prepared!
With less than a month to go until the first 40 miler on tap, I am looking forward to a brief recovery week from running and hiking with lots of bike miles - I'll be coaching at Hillary & Maik's Tucson camp and let me tell you - that sun can't come soon enough!!