a summer of trail runs of sunrises and wildflowers cool mornings paired with the first touch of pink on the peaks countless lakes and high alpine swims mountain passes good company and some of my favorite miles I've ever run
f
or two months this summer, every single Sun-
mountain passes, the altitude and the hours of move-
day run was a trail run above 10,000 feet,
ment would prep me well for future marathons. But may-
between 15 and 26 miles and had an average
be more importantly, these runs transformed my mind.
elevation gain of 3,000 feet. These runs have
all been part of my buildup for the Chicago Marathon, a
They provided hours of calm engagement with the
flat, road race at sea level. I didn't seek out these stats. I
land, mountains, lakes, dirt, wildflowers and others on
just wanted to be deeper in the hills, to see some lakes
the trail. These Sunday runs in the mountains became
I've dreamt of and embrace the land a little more con-
sacred. To find myself deep among the vistas I've gazed
sciously.
at for years, surrounded by an expanding world, feeling so grateful for these views and experiences brought a
I live in the Eastern Sierra, one of the most epic stretch-
peace and contentedness unlike any other.
es of Earth I've come across. The ease of access to these types of trails is unparalleled, so I made it a priority
How did this all play out in the Chicago Marathon? I ran
to take full advantage of that this past season.
a personal best time by four minutes. There may be a million other factors, and correlation doesn't necessar-
In the last three-and-a-half years living and training here,
ily prove causation, but I believe in these runs and the
I’ve had some extremely profound experiences spend-
power of these landscapes. I know they have a positive
ing time deeper in the mountains. My connection to
influence on my being and what I'm capable of.
this place has the most beautiful impact on my being. After back-to-back 10-mile runs to Meysan Lake out of
I keep coming back to a quote by Rebecca Solnit,
Whitney Portal near Lone Pine, California, back in June,
one of my favorite authors: “Mountaineering is always
I knew these mountain runs were going to be a crucial
spoken of as though summiting is conquest, but as you
component to my fall marathon buildup.
get higher, the world gets bigger, and you feel smaller in proportion to it, overwhelmed and liberated by how
One big run I've dreamt of since moving to this area
much space is around you, how much room to wander,
was always on the horizon—a 26.2-mile trail run from
how much unknown.”
Mammoth Lakes, California, to Yosemite National Park. It’s an unsanctioned marathon in the mountains, and in
When our world expands, what our minds know also
July, we completed it.
expands, which means what we are capable of expands, too. So here's to the mountains, which I'll continue to call
These trail runs were, of course, incredible physical
both home and training ground for years to come, and
training. I knew the big miles on the trail, the sheer
to creating more moments like these, more moments of
exhaustion of ascending the countless switchbacks of
profound beauty and the exploration of possibility.
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