I saw these videos the other day, and immediately thought of the resolutions I had set this year. One of my major goals is to enjoy nature more, not just get outside. I’m outside all the time. Biking to work (and trying not to get run over), walking or biking to run errands, etc. But there is a difference between being outside surrounded by steel and concrete, and being one with nature. The later is much more enjoyable
As I reflected on the two previous years, and the things that have made me happy recently (often despite some pretty crazy circumstances), it became pretty obvious. I rediscovered the love of running in Romania – running the Black Sea coast, the hills and forests of Transylvania, parks in Bucuresti, various countrysides and the shores of the Danube Delta. Then I came home and kept that going along the beach with Raven. Last year I had some pretty epic runs discovering caves in Bermuda, along Baltic Beaches at sunset and various other places. I ran my first couple trail races – and loved them. Running used to be my time to connect with myself, but this opened up a whole new world. Now when I run body and mind become one – with the world, not just with themselves. I get lost in the beauty of nature, and every step immerses me further
So I set goals with that in mind: To explore some of the national parks here at home in the US. So far I’ve only ever been to Everglades, and that very briefly. To go camping, to run more trails. To travel more for natural adventure and less for cities. To race more off-road. I even set the ambitious goal of winning my age group in TWO different XTERRA regions! FL would require a couple Tampa trips, and AZ is loaded with parks and natural splendor. This would be an fantastic year
Well, before it even started these goals all took a significant hit. A painful and nearly fatal hit. That mini cooper that hit me on Dec 17th did a whole lot more damage than I originally thought. I didn’t remember hitting my head, but when the headaches hadn’t gone away weeks later, I decided to take a look at my bike helmet. Sure enough: it was cracked right in the front, near where I had a small scratch on my face. Obviously I had hit my head, and blacked out briefly (long enough to not remember hitting my head). Obviously head trauma (and resulting concussion) was a significant result of this crash. Hopefully one that would eventually heal completely
I had been considering a couple races that first weekend of the year, but these were now no longer an option. Also at risk was my first planned trip (and milestone for that XTERRA goal). January 10 – XTERRA White Tanks 20K. I had been quite excited for this trip. Now it was questionable
In the end, I felt good enough (barely) to fly to AZ. I had to give myself conscious permission to not start the race, or not finish, if my body indicated that was appropriate. I also had to force myself to ease up, and not push too hard. I’m competitive when I race – that totally sucked! Knowing that I could, and normally would, be pushing harder and running faster… yet for reasons outside of my control having to tame myself… it put a major damper on the race. I still placed third in my age group, but unfortunately based on XTERRA scoring rules that eliminated me from contention for the AG regional title. I’m still glad I went (and likely will still go back for the series finale in March [health permitting]), but just like that one of my goals for the year was shot
I also had to ease up on everything else during the trip. Normally when I travel, I move at 1,000 miles a minute. Trying to fit in everything possible in. This time my agenda was sleep and rest as much as possible. So thank you to my host Tomer for putting up with that. Next time I’m out in AZ I’ll have to make up for lost time – and there most certainly will be a next time. Running those trails in Arizona was an incredible experience and was certainly a mental and emotional boost at a critical time. I can’t wait to go back and do it again when my health allows me to truly enjoy it
So take a moment and consider if Nature is right for you as well