Day 3 of the Raised by Rams vertical challenge – I knew this one would be an easier day.
With two big days completed on the first two days (a cumulative 30 miles and 8,000 ft), I knew I wouldn’t be up for much today.
That, plus I was getting the Covid vaccine (shot #1) earlier that day, so I knew it wasn’t smart to show up for a stressful session afterwards.
I’m glad I had planned out a mellower day because boy did I feel meh. I started the run in a good space, even jogging a bit on the uphill. But by the time I crested the peak for the first time, I was pooped.
As I started the first descent on unstable legs, I knew slow would be the name of the game from now on.
Slow and steady out on a beautiful day in the McDowell Mountains. How awesome is that!
Time to soak in the day for all the magic that was present, while still moving forward aligned with my goal of gaining vert.
Moving forward towards my goal of more vert. That was the name of the game here.
Not necessarily getting in as much as physically possible every single day, but rather, showing up for each day with the body and circumstances that were present, always with the mindset that I would be searching for upward slopes.
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By the morning of Day 4, I was tired. I had three days under my belt and a poor night’s sleep that didn’t leave me feeling my brightest.
That, and my left arm was rather achy from the Covid vaccine I had received the day before.
Still, I had one thought rolling through my mind: How could I get in as much vert as possible for the rest of the week?
I was still in this. I was still excited for how this would all unfold. It just may not have looked that way wrapped up in two blankets curled up on the couch sipping my coffee, feeling heavy and tingly.
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It’s times like this the “why” comes to mind. You, yourself, may be asking it. Couches and naps are nice – I could just spend my free time that way and rest up.
But that wasn’t even a possibility in my brain. I can’t always articulate the “why” and sometimes, there’s no need for it. I had signed up for the challenge knowing my why, so here in moments like this – moments where I’m tired and sore and have already come so far – the only thought coursing through my brain is how I move forward.
How do I move forward today?
That was my next question, and that was the only thing that needed to be addressed. Not a matter of if, but how.
Maybe it would be a short and easy day like yesterday, one in which I went slow and kept it under two hours, yet still managed to scrape out 1700 feet of elevation!
Or, maybe the afternoon would roll around, I would put on my running shoes, and I would have found some energy!
How much fun would that be? Another big day!
That one started to light me up. It didn’t get me bouncing off the couch right away, but I did feel the warmth and light start growing within, beginning to seep up into a smile.
From here, I knew the plan.
I would plan for another big day. I would plan to show up at the trail ready for some real vert.
That would be my next steps: spend the morning acting as if I had a big day on the trails ahead of me.
Once I got to the trail, we’d see what actually needed to take place.
Later that day, I ran up to the top of Thompson Peak, and it was everything I had hoped it would be. Steep, with great views of the valley from the northeast. And steep.
I’d been staring up at Thompson Peak for many years now, but as access to the peak comes from the back side of the McDowells, I had never bothered to make the trek.
As I had covered all other sections of this range at this point, I knew it was time. I would drive all the way around the the back, run the 6 miles of flatter ground to and from the real climb, and finally get to embrace the joy of running straight up and down this peak.
It also made for the last good adventure day of this series. Following this trek, my runs repeated what I had done days before. Nothing overly exciting – but I got the runs in, enjoying my time on the trails in The McDowells.
I stuck with the challenge through day 6.
And by day 7, I was ready for something new. Something even bigger.
But first, I needed to rest.