What's next?

That’s the inevitable question that comes up after finishing a big event – what’s next? Sometimes it’s in our own heads, more often it’s from friends.

So first off – what’s next is RECOVERY. It would be good to be able to walk normally again, to be able to go up and down stairs without leaning heavily on the railing (or taking the elevator), even to just be able to run a few steps.

I used to be in a place where very soon after finishing a big event, the question of ‘what’s next?’ would pop into my head. I seem to be past that stage now. Still I know for many people it an can an unquenchable thirst; reaching one milestone and immediately wondering and chasing what the next one will be. It’s also not uncommon for some people to fall into a depressive mood for a while after finishing a big event. After all, they’ve spent months and months preparing and getting ready for an event, with so much focus on it, and then suddenly it’s over and no next thing to focus on. What’s next becomes the obvious question.

For me, I can certainly think of many possibilities – running a marathon with not such a fast time goal, running an ultramarathon, even shooting for that sub-3 hour marathon, or running faster in shorter events. This marathon was about as perfect as I could imagine, so if I never ran another marathon, I’d be thrilled with this one. At some point I will likely pick one to consider and maybe even do (probably the ultramarathon).

For now though, I am going to relish the experience and aftermath of this marathon. For now, I’m going to relax and recover, and then go out and enjoy all the Boulder trails just to enjoy the trails, to dance with the dirt, be outside, celebrate the body – and do it with no goals in mind whatsoever. That’s what’s next.

10,000 Feet

Most of today's run was above 10,000 feet on the beautiful Sourdough Trail. The group met at the south end near the Rainbow Lakes campground and headed north to Brainerd and then back. I've done a few high-elevation runs this year (about 7000 feet), but this was the first really biggie.

What I really liked above today's run was that almost all of it was runnable. I much prefer to keep an easy steady pace on an uphill that to be begging for up and having to walk up a steep grade. I also appreciated the cool air at that height which makes for some very pleasant running.

Having lived in Boulder for more than 5 years I was used to the mile-high elevation in Boulder and even fairly comfortable up to around 7000 feet. The race at Golden Gate State Park and today's run offer a truly different perspective on running and the need to slow down.

It was very obvious from the start in the parking lot that oxygen was in short supply. You are immediately confronted with the need to slow down and find the balance between oxygen to the legs and oxygen to the brain. Of course we usually want to run faster which means more oxygen to the legs so they can do what they do best. It doesn't take long after that before you caught a toe on a rock and manage an unsightly twist before regaining balance. What just happened? Well with all that oxygen going to the legs, the brain didn't have enough to pay attention.

I love running on trails and part of that is the required awareness and attention on staying upright, finding the perfect landing spot on each step to keep balance and forward movement. Some of the awareness is clearly in the realm of grace and cooperating with the energy of nature and the trail to guide you. Still there is some human attention needed as well, that's where the brain and oxygen come in.

What a joy today to explore and completely enjoy a new trail - all the while finding that balance of oxygen deployment on every part of the trail.

Dancing With the Dirt Rating Today - 9 out of 10!