Now to someone who’s run a marathon, this may not seem like a huge feat. But it’s all relative. Prior to July 2019, I’d never run more than 3 miles consecutively (and even then only when someone made me. Which is rare) and would have told you that you were crazy if you thought I’d ever run more. Though my interest in trail running had already been piqued by some friends and I’d done it a few times, but usually just the 2-3 miles downhill from the summit of a hike. Aaaand then I read Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins which basically says f*ck your excuses. And I promptly went out and ran 6 miles. And then did it again 2 days later with some friends. Not really sure why that was such a big trigger, but the book does kinda feel like it’s just challenging you to do something crazy - #getcomfortablebeinguncomfortable

I found myself thinking of my dad on those 2 initial runs. I think it’s because one of the memories that stands out is him in these rather embarrassing (to me and the rest of the family) short purple cotton shorts (remember Soffe shorts? Yea, like those) and no shirt running around the soccer fields while my brother and I practiced. So while he probably would have never defined himself as a runner at that point in his life, it was something I saw him do quite often. So I decided that since the anniversary of his death fell on a Saturday this year, I’d “just check” and see if there were any trail races tht day. Enter the Cave Creek Thriller with distance options of 50k, 24k, 11k, and 5k. As I had just proven to myself that 11k wasn’t as challenging for me as I would have previously believed, I spontaneously signed up for the 24k with 3 months to train. One of my best friends who is an actual runner (she’s done the Boston Marathon) talked me through a training plan…which I followed about 70% of. The plan had me running 3 times a week, but I frequently found myself at the Crossfit gym most days and running 2. Maybe. But I was able to work up to the 8.5 mile distance that she suggested for my longest pre-race run (yea, that bit blew my mind as a non-runner. Apparently half the distance is what your pre-race distance goal should be. Who knew.)

Day of the race, I actually wasn’t that nervous, which suprised me. Even on those 7+ mile days, I’d have a little bit of a nausea/excitement mix. I just felt calm. But I also felt this strange presence . Later in the race when I was nearing a mental wall, I realized I felt my dad running beside me - had to take multiple deep breaths to avoid a full breakdown and rather use that energy to drive myself forward. This happened again anytime I got close to that mental wall (most fitness challenges are more of a mental game than physical), and I never actually hit it.

So as with any big challenge we put ourselves through, with some reflection, I came up with the lessons learned:

1. We can accomplish anything we put our mind to. Mindset is KEY.

   Because our mind will come up with 5,328 excuses as to why we shouldn’t do something that we absolutely can. If we allow it, our mind will stop us way before our body will.

   Truly, as I said, it’s always a mental game more than anything, even when it comes to physical challenges. It’s the same whether it’s completing a 24k trail race, a tough Crossfit workout, climbing a 14er (hike to over 14k elevation), studying for the board exams, or even just getting out of bed and putting one foot in front of the other on a day when depression hits - You’ve got this. (If your mind tends to take off into those excuses immediately and stops you in your tracks, I highly recommend listening to the TEDTalk caled the 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins.)

2. Knowing your Why just might be the most important factor

   This is kind of building on #1. It’s what will allow you to keep a mindset of pushing forward, no matter what. And it can (and likely will) be different for different challenges. For this one, it was the memory of my Dad and making him (and myself) proud. For other challenges it has been something as simple as the impact I get to make on others or (in the case of the 14ers I did) just knowing how strong and capable I’ll feel afterwards. But in every instance, especially in this race, my Why is what’s gotten me through. It is completely normal to hit a mental wall that you have to push through on a race like this. And I definitely had multiple times where I started telling myself “Embrace the suck” or singing “Just keep swimming” to myself. But my Why and feeling him running beside me to remind me of it, gave me way more energy and perseverence than I honestly thought I had in me.

3. Strength training might just be the most important part of any sport/activity you want to take on.

   Seriously. Pretty sure research backs me on this, too. In fact, I know I’ve seen multiple good quality research articles that harp on the benefits of strength training for a plethora of sports, or just overall fitness and health. (While I keep up with research and learn techniques and learn the bottom line, I’m not one of those providers that has a file folder of research articles that I can spout from memory). And as someone who’s always been more into strength training versus cardio, I’m admitedly biased towards it. However, in the medical field, we also know that what puts you at risk for injury is a sudden increase in volume that your tissues aren’t yet adept to handle - i.e. you get closer to tissue failure faster because of the increase strain on them. Makes sense, right? Going from 3 trail running miles in a week to 12, by this principle, should have done me in. However, I had a solid baseline strength going in. However, if I were someone who only ran or did other forms of cardio and little to no strength training, to jump into a high volume lifting routine would not go well, likely. I’ve seen this multiple times as a practitioner, as well as injuries from sudden increase in running without that baseline strength. So while this is more like a case study and I’m not necessarily advocating for someone who is relatively strong to suddenly quadruple their running mileage, I do think my story solidifies the fact that strength training is imperitive and beneficial in ALL sports. You may just need to modify the strength training based on the demands of your sport. May do a blog on strength training for trail runners in the new future if anyone’s interested. (Note that while I was training for my race, I still did CrossFit 4 days a week, but I was aiming to maintain my PRs and not at all training to improve strength, as having an imbalance in training that was still biased towards strength would negatively affect my running. And if I were trying to be highly competitive in the run, I would have cut back a little more, but still absolutely incorporated strength training as an adjunct.) Overall, I truly believe that baseline strength is what will allow you to do things like go up in mileage as quickly as I did, travel on a whim, suddenly join an adult softball league, and go on spontaneous hikes without issue.

4. You will have personal growth in ways you couldn’t fathom.

   It’s a little different for every challenge I take on, but for this one, because of all the dad stuff, I became a lot more truly at peace with everything, including things I didn’t even realize I was holding onto. I also gained a lot more confidence. One of the most amazing things about completing any challenge is the sense of accomplishment that comes with it. This boost of confidence allows for my creativity as well, which is always an amazing feeling. And on top of that, I was in the middle of starting a business and struggling with clarity on direction with a few pieces of it. While it wasn’t fully cleared up, I made a LOT of mental headway by the end of the race. (In the past, challenges like this have aso allowed for clarity in the direction of personal relationships as well)

5. We often don’t give ourselves enough credit.

   I am absolutely guilty of this. Even when my friend who was at the finish line told me congrats and boasted about how good my time was, I brushed it off. Do you ever find yourself downplaying your accomplishments or having a hard time accepting praise? I do. And some of that can absolutely be traced back to childhood, as many things can. But there’s also a “social norm” aspect. I’ll be seen as cocky if I accept praise. But others have done so much more. - this dialog sound familiar? The reality is when we accomplish something that was outside our comfort zone and was challenging, it’s a big deal and deserves acknowledgement and praise, especially from yourself! Take time after you accomplish your thing to reflect and really let it sink in.

    

The growth and insight experienced during a physical challenge that gets me out of my comfort zone is why I have been, and plan to continue, to do at least 1 a year. 2019 had 2, this race and completing the Salkantay Trek solo. 2020 the current plan is competing in a figure show, and I’m sure I’ll find at least one more. Suggestions welcome :)

Would LOVE to know what challenge you’re taking on this year! And/or what you’ve done in the past and what you learned!