By HPRS Staff Columnist Jacob Stevens
“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”
-Albert Einstein
A wise man once told me that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. With that in the forefront of my thought I cannot help thinking about trail running and the purity of the sport. Trail running, in its purest form, is the essence of what it means to be alive. It is a place where you can discover the essence of your being while surrounded by a natural energy that has kept the world moving for millions upon millions of years. It can be intimidating, scary even, but this is a place where you can unapologetically observe your thoughts, your emotions, and really look into the essence of yourself…this is a place where you feel alive…and this is a place we have lost and need to rediscover.
Before the global pandemic caused a worldwide shutdown, I found myself in a place of ritual and routine: train, train specifically, taper, race, recover…rinse, repeat. The buckle/medal/award mantel was growing each and every month like clockwork. Amid the accomplishments and achievements I lost something; I was stuck in a perpetual cycle that although satisfying on one level, left me completely empty on the deepest of levels; this is the level trail running introduced me too and the entire reason for engaging in the activity yet it hadn’t been recognized in months. Enter COVID-19.
With race after race being postponed or cancelled, sometimes even 6 months out, it was time to remember why I was running in the first place; it was time to rediscover the essence of trail running.
This process of essentially rediscovering why we run in the first place is different for everyone. This takes on many shapes and forms or sometimes, not even at all. If there is one thing that we have learned from this pandemic it is that the things that kept us going and kept us running, things that we knew for sure would always be there: races, can quickly and easily be taken away from us. Like many, I ran because I had a race coming up. The race gave me motivation, a goal, a timeline, and, most importantly, a deadline.
Rita Mae Brown famously said, “if it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done” and that is when the majority of my most important decisions are made…the last minute. “Well, I’m 4 weeks out, better get 2 weekends of long runs in”, “race is in 3 weeks I guess I should start eating healthy” or, my favorite, “2 weeks out from the race, suppose it is time to start focusing on yoga and recovery”. The truth of the matter is that I would be much better served by doing these things months leading up to a race rather than weeks. With the deadlines removed, the motivation to get into shape, get the miles in, or eat healthy have all but dissipated for a lot of us.
Then one day on a random run through my local canyon I had an enlightening moment, a visual reminder of why I get out every day and run. The day was cloudy and overcast but as the sun came up it illuminated the single track as if to say, “this is the way you need to go, follow this path.” It is not like I had much choice as the only other way to go would have been to turn around but for some reason everything just clicked.
Running, particularly my time spent outside in nature, does something for me that is hard to explain. It allows me to see things a little bit differently, to work through problems I previously could not figure out, to calm my thoughts and to settle me down; quite simply, running brings everything back into balance. Things seem a lot less complicated after a run, life is just a little bit simpler. Perspective is brought back into focus. Problems and stresses are still there but they are just a little bit easier to deal with or handle. This is why I run, and this is the essence of running for me.
In today’s world, I believe that the one thing that a lot of us have gotten away from is the one thing that can help us out the most: getting outside and simply being. For me this is trail running but it could be riding a bike, walking the dog, rock climbing, kayaking, gardening, or simply sitting outside and being in nature. The key here is to take some time to slow down, do something for yourself, and let your mind take you wherever it wants to go, simply enjoy the experience.
For a lot of us, this does not always work and although it sounds simple and beautiful in theory, sometimes it is just not a reality…and that is okay. Luckily for a lot of us, Human Potential Running Series is set to be the only race series in the world to host its full calendar of events. Amidst the craziness of the state of the world with everything that is going on, there is still racing to look forward to and to plan for…and to implement those self-imposed deadlines that seem to motivate us so well!
So, join us September 16-20 in beautiful Westcliffe, CO for an incredible weekend of racing with distances ranging from 27k to 200 miles! Westcliffe is considered a “dark sky” community meaning it has some of the least amount of light pollution in the nation, essentially, the night sky is absolutely gorgeous and likely something you have never seen before in your life! So inject a little bit of happiness and good vibes back into your lives, get back to racing, and come join a community of runners who simply want to rediscover, or simply experience, the lost essence of trail running!
