Mind

I wanted to jot down an idea about running and awareness before I lost it once again in the haze of my brain . . .

Perhaps I want to call this concept, the "emptiness" of consciousness.  There are a few races (and of course training runs) in which my mind has been able to become more intimately connected to my body and escaped for at least a period of time the narrative of individual consciousness.  It's almost like in the sensation of running (and realization of breath) my mind becomes temporarily aware of the whole.  I remember experiencing this almost accidentally during the Salt Lake City marathon a few years ago, but the point of this entry is to explain the purposefulness of finding that (dare I say) zen kinda place during El Vaquero over the past weekend.

Early on in the race, I was way too inside my own head and wasn't letting myself enjoy the race as much as I wanted.  In fact part of the spinning going on inside my head focused on the question: Why am I not enjoying this race more?  I could see how beautiful everything was and wanted to enjoy it completely, but instead I was focusing on the miles ahead, the competition around me, the training both behind and in front of me, and finally the struggle of climbing and descending.  If I couldn't get out of the "race" and into the experience of the mountains, why in the world was I here?  Might as well be at home on the couch, or running on a treadmill somewhere . . .

Finally, I decided I wanted to experience the race differently and made a conscious decision to shut everything else out and simply focus on each step as it took place -- not the next step, this step.  Well, not really each step, rather it was as if I focused on each breath.  The inhale-exhale relationship of each breath became my necessary focus point.  Lacking discipline, flexibility, and belief I am pathetic at things like yoga; however, I found myself swallowed up at this point in the race by the process of breathing (a concept I recall from my very limited, sporadic, half-hearted attempts at things like yoga.  And through the act of consciously breathing, I discovered a wild awareness of the race going on around me.  It was almost like I found myself running (and only running).  There was nothing else going on in my consciousness.  I wasn't daydreaming.  I wasn't contemplating.  I wasn't analyzing.  I wasn't rejoicing.  I wasn't complaining.  I was simply running.

And through the act of running, I was experiencing the trail, the mountains, and ironically enough the race.

Don't get me wrong this section of the race didn't last forever -- can't really say when I went in and out of awareness -- but even when the feeling faded away there was a piece/peace remaining.

El Vaquero Loco - 50km

Quick Results - 3rd place in just under 6 hours.

GREAT RUN! What a beautiful course! Wildflowers were in full color and the mountain scenery was world class awesome.  I am not sure if I can remember a race with so much high quality running and so little in the way of junk running . . . this was the first time I had really done much more than travel through Wyoming's Star Valley and this gave me an entirely new appreciation for the area.  It is definitely spectacular.

I felt like I had a good day out on the trails in terms of actually running, but what really stands out for me is how beautiful the whole day was -- waterfalls, snowfields, creeks, springs, mountains, lakes, glaciated valleys, and cool single track.  Not sure it gets much better.  Oh, yeah, on top of everything else the course was mostly runnable despite having almost 9,000 feet of climbing.  Good times!

Grandeur Peak Sunset Run

Glancing back on the way to the summit - went up and down from Rattlesnake Gulch via Church Fork.

                                       

Actually made the summit on time (well I had to hang out for a moment or two).

The descent.