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Nine lessons and Trails

With the festive season being in full force I thought I’d give the traditional 9 lessons and carols a Trail running re-vamp. So here are 9 very different lessons that I’ve learnt whilst being a Trail runner. They are in no particular order and I hope they resonate with you.


1. Victory is different for everyone


For some runners winning is an absolute as it represents crossing the finishers line first. For others success is quantified by numbers on a watch, or results on a screen. For others success is subjective and is measured by completing a new distance, in a new location or returning to running after a break. For me winning is seldom to do with the numbers on my watch or the place I finish against other runners. This is because on many race days, for me, just showing up is an outright win. This may sound completely bonkers, as I adore trail running, I have so many friends in the Trail running world and I have a pair of good legs that can carry me through most things I throw at them. However the first step out of the front door is the hardest. It terrifies me. I build it up into this outrageously horrifying event that nine times out of ten will make me say ‘I don’t want to go’, ‘I can’t do it’, ‘No-one will care if I’m there or not anyway’. Most event days I have to be pushed to the train station whilst I drag my kit bag like a stroppy teenager. Once I’m at the event that is why I often come across as unconcerned about mile splits or podium finishes. This is because the effort it takes just to show up is a mountain in itself. The lesson learnt is that; the way we define victory is different for us all. What is important is that we don’t diminish another runner’s version of success just because it doesn’t align with our own.



2. We are all struggling


At mile 17 of the Maverick Snowdonia marathon there is a bog that saps your legs, energy and your soul. If you have run this marathon your brow will be beading with sweat just thinking about this bog. It made me curse the name of Maverick race and toy with the idea of moving to road running or a different sport all together, as surely it was a weakness within me that was causing the suffering. No, wrong. Having spoken to many race finishers including the first place finisher, everybody wrestled through that bog. It has become infamous and it is common opinion that that bog is ten fold more difficult than summiting Mount Snowdon itself. The point I want to make is that whilst we are out on our own, inside our own head, with nothing but a bleak Snowdonia wilderness surrounding us, it is easy to believe that we are the only ones finding things hard. This is not the case. The leaders, the back runners and everybody in between will hurt at some point. Keep that perspective and remember the strength you have will ultimately reign triumphant. It’s ok to struggle, it’s ok to have to dig deep, and it doesn’t make you any less of a runner as it happens to us all. Just keeping moving forward, one step in front of the other, be kind to yourself in the knowledge that no one finds it easy all of the time.


Before Maverick Snowdon Marathon 2017 - Before I knew about THAT bog.


3. Being lost is ok


Being lost on the trails is not what I’m talking about here. What I am talking about is feeling that your Trail running life is a complete scramble of tangled confusion. On social media it looks like everybody has their preverbal shit together with; flawless training plans, unspoiled kit, flat lays of race day prep, Tupperware of weekly meals, and pictures of perfectly diced watermelon for their; vegan, gluten free, palm oil free, no refined sugar, low GI index, perfect carb to protein ratio post-run breakfast smoothie. Whilst elsewhere you’re wondering whether to run clockwise or anticlockwise round your favourite route, sitting in a pair of socks with holes at the toes, flailing about on a foam roller with absolutely no idea what the hell you’re doing, spooning peanut butter from the jar with the prospect of having cereal for dinner, again. It’s very easy to feel absolutely lost and the simple thing to do would be to sack it in and proclaim that ‘it’s not for me’. But the lesson is, don’t worry about having the perfect plan, don’t worry about feeling that you don’t have your racing schedule sorted, don’t stress about feeling utterly chaotic. You’ll find away of doing things that work for you and all of a sudden you’ll realise that you were, and have always been exactly where you need to be. The lesson worth remembering is; nobody completely has everything together, despite appearances that run contrary. We are all doing our very best to muddle through. It can be messy, it can be exciting, but no two paths will ever look the same.



4. Comparison is the work of the devil


I say this to people A LOT. Comparison to other runners - ‘ she’s so much faster than me’, ‘ he runs so many more miles than me’- it’s bad for you, it diminishes your own achievements and other runners are of no relevance to your victories, so stop it. Comparison to past tense you - ’I was so much faster last year’, ‘last month I ran 50% more mileage than I did this month’- it’s bad for you, it lessens your present accomplishments and makes you feel a bit pathetic, so stop it. Comparison to future tense you - ‘This time next year I’m going to be so much fitter’, ‘this time next week I’m going to run every day’- whilst it’s good to have ambitions, this constant looking into the future shrinks the things you are achieving right now, it stops you looking at the things you are blessed with in the moment, so stop it. There is no need for this constant comparison. Who really cares what anyone else is doing? Who cares what you did last December? Look at the now, appreciate it for what it is, knowing that whether things are going brilliantly or terribly it won’t stay that way forever.



Don't compare to others, your past or your future. Just run in the now and enjoy it for what it is.

5. The process is infinitely more important than the outcome


This lesson is so important to get your head around. It is something that trail runners generally do very well. When I say process I mean training and when I saw outcome I mean race result. As runners we spend hours on end training for any given goal. We go out in the most horrible weather conditions when our bodies are screaming for sleep and comfort. We run when our legs shriek at us to stop and we continue to run despite our lungs gasping for breath. As tortuous as this sounds, many of us find enjoyment in the process. We look forward to our daily miles and the harmony found in putting your left foot in front of your right. The problem comes when we become so intensely focused on the end goal and finish line that we forget to enjoy the training. For any given marathon the average runner spends around 128 hours of training. The average time taken to run a marathon is 4 hours and the time taken to cross the finish line is approximately 0.4 of a second. If our whole running outlook is geared towards those final 0.4 seconds when we cross that line, we have wasted over 460,000 seconds of training being blind sighted by moving towards that one arbitrary moment. The lesson here is to put more thought into the process. Enjoy the way you develop as a runner and adore the progression you make. Don’t be so focused on that finisher t-shirt that you forget to relish in the daily beauty of your running. The process IS and always must be so much more than the outcome.



6. We’re all in a relationship with Trail Running


This may sound odd but it’s true and it’s a lesson worth learning. I love Trail running, I miss it when I run on roads and I miss it when I have a rest day. Trail running makes me go weak at the knees in more ways than one and gives me all the highs and lows that you would experience in any other relationship. As pathetic as it sounds last year when suffering from an injury I realised that Trail running was also capable of breaking my heart. Being forced to be away from something you love so much is genuinely heart breaking. However just like any relationship there’s always the risk of it becoming obsessive, damaging or stale. I’ve seen the runners who give up every other interest and social engagement at the expense of getting the miles in. It’s a sad state of affairs. I’ve also seen the runners who push their bodies past progressive overload into injury and despair. Looking from the outside it’s fairy easy to spot, but often these runners are wearing rose-tinted Trail running glasses and can’t see the harm they’re putting themselves through. I’ve also seen runners who get so caught up in the racing season and competition that they find no enjoyment from the trails they once held so dear. I guess the lesson here is that we need to treat this precious relationship we are all in with care. Let it develop naturally, take a step back every now and then and most importantly remind yourself why you entered into the relationship in the first place.



7. Now is good


If not now, when? If not me, who? This is a phrase I try to live by and I even have it painted on the top tube of my racing bike. I truly believe that 80% of the reason I have had numerous first place finishes on the trails is because I show up. I also believe that the reason I know in the future I will achieve more is because I will show up. Whilst it often takes a lot of strength and logistics for me to get to events I am yet to miss an event that I said I would be at. We can always find a thousand excuses for not doing something; it’s raining, it’s too cold, it’s too hot, I’m tired, I have work to do, I don’t have clean kit, I should make the bed, I’ve been meaning to sort out my box of yarns…(just me on that one?). But the reality of it is we just need to get on with it. Now is good to do the run you had planned and now is good to enter the race that you think is out of your reach.



8. Trail runners are wonderful


I’m sorry if you live in London where people avoid eye contact like the plague and you would be branded deranged if you were to dare speak to someone else. However a demographic exception to this is Trail runners. Trail runners are supportive of one another, they are inclusive and they are sympathetic. Trail runners are a bread of sportspeople that value compassion over competition and will go out of their way to make you feel part of the gang. There’s no obvious reason as to why Trail runners are like this, maybe it’s just the type of people the sport attracts, or maybe it is a magical property of the trails that brings out the best in human nature. I certainly wasn’t prepared for this wonderful community when I took up the sport and it was a lesson I learnt on my very first race. Other runners wanted to chat and other runner’s supporters became my supporters. I’ve witnessed other runners gave lifts to strangers but they talk like old friends. I frequently see runners who have never previously met sharing hydration and nutrition whilst out on the course as though they were running as a team. Trail runners always; offer advice, stop to check if you’re ok and are genuinely happy to see YOU turn up. They are a wonderful.


Pure joy with Robyn and Jp. I met Robyn by offering her a lift to a race and from there we have a friendship that will outlast the length of our trail running careers.


9. Carrying a jar of peanut butter is not excessive but don’t forget a spoon


A simple and rather self-explanatory lesson. In my course laying bag you’ll find; dry socks, waterproof layers, gloves, a hat, my penknife, a jar of peanut butter and an accompanying spoon. Don’t forget that curved utensil of wonderment. You’re fingers won’t fill the void in quite the same way.



See you on the Trails


E


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