By Scott Forrester | Contributed
Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner
Adventure can be defined as something that seems awesome before you do it; has you asking the question, “Am I crazy?” when it comes time to do it; and leaves you with the feeling of, “Wow, I did that,” after you finished.
Ask anyone and they probably have a story like this.
Can you think of some of your stories that fit the definition of adventure? If you haven’t had an adventure for a while, what inspires you? What would your hidden superhero crave doing?
Last month I had the privilege of participating in one of the Western States 100 training runs.
It sounded pretty cool when I signed up and, yes, I had the “are you crazy” thoughts before boarding the bus for the 50-minute journey to the start.
It was a beautiful day. If the run had been scheduled for the day before, it might have been questionable if it could be held at all.
The water levels in the American River and in all the streams and creeks above were far above normal. There was water and mud on all but the higher parts of the trail. The trail itself was a river in places. Some of the stream crossings had ropes tied across them for safety. But parts of the trail were smooth and dry and on those portions there was easy running or hiking.
The first part of the run went well until I began to have some problems with my footwear. Then the crew sweeping the trail for flags and markers came up behind me and were very friendly and encouraging, as they stayed with me until the end. The entire event was well organized.
I had chosen to run in my homemade tire huaraches, which usually work quite well for me. But this time there was so much water that the leather laces softened and I had to rethread them twice as the knots wore through on the bottom.
The second time there was not enough length of leather left to tie them securely and I could only manage the next aid station. The time delay had cost me the ability to make the allotted time cut offs, and mandated me dropping out and taking a ride back to the finish line after being about 14 to15 miles into the course.
I was disappointed at not being able to finish, but not too upset as I knew that without being able to repair my sandals properly there was no way I could finish the remaining miles anywhere near the required time.
It had been a beautiful day.
My running was improved by being in the company of the other runners, and there was great food at the end. Pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs and hash browns. I learned a lot.
This experience motivated me to try it again. Next time I will be more prepared for the actual conditions. The company was great, a day in the forest can’t be beat and most of all I was actually on the Western States 100 trail.
Remember the formula, Awesome, oops I am crazy, wow I did it.
