peaks

First a haiku…inspired by Pic and a Word Challenge #145. Thank you, Patrick!

Running up and down

Should I welcome the plateau?

I have peaked too soon

And now, some thoughts….

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A serendipitous coincidence occurred while we were hiking the Shirley Canyon Trail: the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run was taking place at Squaw Valley Resort that same weekend. The day before the actual race started, they held the Altra 6k Uphill Challenge and the route crossed the trail we were doing. (Um, running a race before the race? Seriously! These are some hard core runners!!)

I got really excited when I saw people with bib numbers on the trail. Of course I had to be all fan girl and clap and cheer for the runners I saw. It’s the closest I’ve been to seeing real live ultra runners in action and WOW! The grace and strength of their bodies coupled with the confidence of their strides – truly awe inspiring!!

While I probably will never run the Western States 100, I’ve still felt the excitement and anxiety of running such a challenging trail race. Have you ever had to step back and let your “little baby” climb up boulders on his own (or pour his own milk or walk down the hall to his classroom alone on the first day of school) because he is a big kid and wants to do it by himself? I’m pretty sure it’s that same feeling. It reinforces the truth that running (and parenting) is as much a mental activity as it is a physical one.

I’m an “advanced maternal age” runner so I haven’t been as prolific as runners who started earlier in life. I ran my first marathon at aged 40 and finished in 5:59 – one bucket list item checked off! But I haven’t been able to run a “sub-6 hour” marathon since. It’s still one of my running goals but as I get older, I wonder if I should keep it on my “list of things to do”.

Then, I see this: