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| Homemade soup at the finish - what a treat! |
Mmmm. . . that there is a mighty-tasty bowl of tortilla-soup
(with chicken) that the Red Hot 55K / 33K runners were treated to today at the finish-line. The gal who runs
Hidden Cuisine made it for us. I sat perched on a sandstone boulder while I enjoyed replenishing my salt / calories from running in the 33K race. As I chowed and cheered other participants making it to the end of the course, I began to marvel at my shoe-laces. . . they hadn't come undone once during the entire 19 miles of up-&-downy slickrock / sand trail! And all I had to do to learn to weave the laces with such security was read this clever Bill Nye book:
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| Essential 21st Century philosophy. |
Pondering on it blew my mind to some extent. . . that I've been trail-running and racing consistently for five years, and I never knew to make one simple adjustment in how I loop my shoelaces around to keep them secure for the entirety of an outing. Bill Nye addresses proper tying of laces early in the book, and then goes on to discuss his ideas on what other behaviors we can enact to "keep it all together" (taking care of the Earth, combating climate change, staying positive in spite of who's been elected to POTUS, helping one another and our communities, etc). I read the book on flights to-and-from Pennsylvania over Christmas week this past year.
It sparked an optimism in me. . . one I hadn't felt since my college days some 15 years ago. . .
Many of us feel powerless or overwhelmed with the "state-of-the-world" today. We get discouraged by corporate greed, mining operations planned for formerly protected land, the stealthy plague of mental illness, or just the alarm-clock forcing us out of bed on a cold, cloudy day.
This book taught me that there is action we can participate in, and a certain attitude to brandish in these uncertain times where we are flooded with too-much-information and may often find it easier to "turn-off" our minds than use them for the greater-good. It all starts with shoelaces!
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| Along the Red Hot course. |
What I've learned is that no matter how daunting the crises we face seem, if you put on some running shoes (or hop on a bicycle, etc.) and let your body flow freely in The Wild you'll feel light again - free, ready to take on anything & everything.
It starts with our daily habits which, when tuned healthily and lovingly, will super-charge the outlook towards the "Can Do," and eventually actions will follow suit. Even if the Yellowstone Supervolcano is erupting among all-time high greenhouse gases at the dawn of a nuclear winter, you are DOING THE DAMN THING. Maybe your kids will take a spaceship to a colony on another planet. Maybe they've downloaded their consciousness into a cosmos that exists inside of a quantum computer. Or maybe, all the individuals that learned to live each day with intentions focused on growth and care of local & global community amended the harmful behaviors which resulted from consumerism left unchecked for too long.
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| I finished 37 of 232 in the 33K. |
Attempting to "numb the pain" or "wallow in the gloom" won't leave you satisfied at the end of the day, and certainly won't help anyone else live a better life here & now.
I'm sure grateful that trail-running found me and taught me the essential ecstasy of feeling happy from something as organic as putting one foot in front of the other (many times over and over). I'm glad Mad Moose Events throws so many cool races in the Moab region and that runners flock here from all over to "party in the desert." The Red Hot 33K was a blast today, and I was content with my performance (image on left). It ended up being an overcast morning which was perfect for not getting completely beat-down by direct sunlight. I only fell once, but manged to roll through it and avoid injury (except a slightly jammed right index finger. . . but I'm still typing fine :-)
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| :-P |
Moab is an oasis in The Wild West. A place that folks from all over the planet come to play in a big sandbox with their wheels, heels, ropes, and gears. I suggest the Red Hot Race for trail-runners who don't mind a lot of up-and-down and enjoy a plethora of slickrock sections (my kinda stomping ground). The views are gorgeous as the runner traverses from Gemini Bridges over to Poison Spider Mesa. Mad Moose (shout-out to The Ricks Family) did a stellar job on the course markings & aid-stations (as usual), with friendly help from volunteers and local Jeepers (the chocolate-chip pumpkin bread was my favorite race victual - giving me the perfect burst of energy to fly from the final aid-station to the finish).
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| Minutes before the gun goes off for The Red Hot 33K. |
