Pain Vaults

Pain vaults. Every single person on this planet has one. Some can hold more pain than others… but nonetheless… these majestic vaults exist. Follow me on the journey into my pain vault...

My pain vault is in an undisclosed location so don’t bother trying to locate it on your own. The vault itself is a lot like Riche Rich’s vault… MASSIVE and located on the side of a mountain… only mine doesn’t have a huge sculpted portrait of my face on the outside. It’s a long haul up to the entrance, so I don’t visit that often… usually only once a month. I do make small daily deposits though. There is a specific currency accepted by my vault, and it usually comes in forms of runs and workouts. It does accept other forms of currency… music, happiness, memories, etc... because one cannot live on runs and workouts alone. These deposits are necessary to ensure I’m ready when it’s time to cash out for some good clean fun.

To this day, it’s sometimes hard to find the entrance to my own damn vault. For it’s nothing fancy… usually covered in mud, dirt and the occasional trace of blood… but you’ll definitely know it when you get there.

Upon entering the vault you will notice the lighting. It’s usually pretty dim and gloomy through the initial hallway, but don’t you worry your pretty little head… it gets brighter as you go. It’s relatively quiet through this long, winding hallway. Your heartbeat is usually the only company you will share but if you listen carefully… you can hear a few loose demons whispering in the shadows. Pay no mind to these devils… they’re more talk than anything. It is, however, extremely important to acknowledge these pesky little entities. If you don’t at least acknowledge their presence… they’ll bite down on your heel and won’t let go until it bleeds. It’s best just to give a little smirk, stay focused and move silently past. More times than not, you can pass through without causing much of a stir.

The hallway is looooooooooooooooooooong and painful so don’t lose faith. If you stay resilient, you will eventually make it into the main chamber. Ladies and gentlemen… the room you’ve all have been waiting for. The room where all the deposits are stored! It’s time to enjoy that hard earned work… 

WAZAM!!!!!

You bust through the door entering into a most glorious room! A room full of laughter, music, singing, and memories! By this time you’re probably hurting pretty bad. Enjoy it! Embrace the suck! 

This moment… right now… is the reason you’ve been saving up these deposits! You know you have the reserve to push forward… so go!! Enjoy your riches!!!!

Now some bad news...

There is one teeny weenie section that remains dark. A small shadow is cast in the far corner. I hate this part of my pain vault. In the shadows lies a chest bound by chains...

This chest holds a special type of pain… a bad and evil pain. INJURY. This pain is not a welcomed visitor in my vault. Most of the time, security is on top of their game and they keep this nasty trespasser out… but sometimes he sneaks in and camps out in the chest.

This evil chest has had its share of deposits. From the big stuff like dislocated shoulders, ITB issues, stress fractures… to smaller items such as lacerations, bumps, and bruises… and everything else in between. This chest has been filled from time to time… but for the most part remains empty and covered in cob webs.

By the grace of God, this chest has been basically empty for the past few years. However… a deposit has been made in the form of plantar fasciitis. It’s not a bad case… but backing off from laying down serious miles is needed. A few short years ago… back when I was young, dumb and full of stupidity… I would have tossed caution to the wind and worked through the pain. Luckily my wandering mentor, Kaepora Gaebora, was kind enough to share some of his worldly wisdom with me…

He’s told of great and wondrous adventures from his travels across the land and has given me insight to what it takes to do these epic escapades. One must be healthy to pursue great adventures…

So I rest. I wait to withdraw from that evil chest in the corner. I will still make deposits into the pain vault… for now it's less miles on my run/hikes, possibly venture into other areas of endurance… probably write more than usual...hell, may even pick up the old Gibson and write a new song.

Thank you for visiting my pain vault with me. I would love to visit yours sometime. But until then… keep making those deposits… I promise they’ll be worth it.

Cheers to the weekend!

Till tomorrow…

ps: I'm a huge Legand of Zelda nerd... My wife compares me to Link because of all my solo adventures... but if you got the Zelda references mixed into the above ramblings... consider yourself a life long friend. 

 

Hook, Line, Sinker

So I felt disappointment for the first time in my entire life about a week ago... I felt caught in an intense emotional fog...

I've thrown around the idea of completing a 100 miler for a while now. Last year was all about pushing the limits and finding myself as a runner. Coming into this year that was the goal... to complete a 100 mile race. So when Mr. John Gregg said... "throw your name in!" (referring to the Wasatch lottery)... I did.

I would like to personally blame this man for this feeling of disappointment... my first feeling of disappointment. Ok... maybe not the first time... and maybe blaming him is a little harsh (considering Wasatch wasn't even on the radar for me...)

Of course I'm just playing. John Gregg is a great runner, great husband (please... correct me if I'm wrong Katie)... and all around awesome guy.

After patiently waiting for the lottery drawing I was a little disappointed when I didn't see my name. Well I did see my last name... they just had the wrong first name in front of "Andrews." Even more disappointing was the fact I passed on the Thunder Rock 100 signup because of the off chance that I did get into Wasatch... I couldn't pay two pricey entry fees within a week of each other. Luckily I was about 4 miles from my car when I found out the terrible, terrible news. The next mile was a pity party, but as soon as I started scampering down the summit of Shackleford at sunset... it all went away. All was right with the world again.

Still, I was hooked. I took the bait. I swallowed the 100 mile lure and was slowly being reeled in... it's just sooooo shiny and sparkly and pretty...

So I made a training plan. After putting it together, I slumped back in my chair. Depressing. This looks miserable. Ugh. I haven't made a training plan in well over a year. Why? Because a piece of paper should not determine my efforts for the day. Last year I ran by how I felt on any particular day. Sure... I threw down long runs when I knew I needed them, but if Saturday wasn't the day for a 30 mile run... maybe Sunday was. Not having a plan works best for me. Earlier last week I was 100% ready to sign up for one in May... that is until this weekend.

After clocking out of work on Friday I headed straight to the state park to follow the plan...

 

For the first hour I ran hard. Killing every climb... destroying every downhill... but it just wasn't fun. It felt like work. I started the climb up Shackleford as the sun was setting. I hit the summit and started chasing the sunset. Boom. Fun again. My mind was so far from that 100 mile training plan it was ridiculous. The next thing I knew... my headlamp was on and it was dark. After being horribly defeated by the deer I was attempting to race... I was back at my car. Dang that felt good!

When my alarm went off Saturday morning... I wasn't all too anxious to get out of bed. That stupid training plan kept popping in my head. "SHUT UP!!! I know I have to go run!!" Any other Saturday I would have hopped right out of bed and been on the trails before sunrise. I started making every excuse I could think of... and then... "BEEP!" My phone went off. Sunny (my snowpacolpyse host mom) texted me asking if I wanted to run. "Yes!" After white iced, rainbow sprinkle donuts and coffee, an unsuccessful shoe shopping experience, Mexican and margaritas with Kati, Erik, and a "I asked for no salt" diva (yes... I went there Sarah Anna) .... Sunny and I hit the trails. A solid +2hr run... the kind of running I absolutely love.

After cleaning up... it was time for guitars, brews, and bros!! Loooooong night of great music, great beers, and great company!

When my alarm went off Sunday morning... I was NOT happy. Ugh. High Gravity... you got me. Not feeling up to par... I lounged around the house and watched the Canadian high school sitcom drama "Degrassi" and some stalker show (she puts up with my running... I put up with her shows... fair trade).

I finally got up and out to the trails. Perfect. Exactly what I needed. I couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable afternoon. The weather was amazing, people were out in the woods hiking with their dogs, every one looked so happy...

 

 

"Is it because it's the next big thing? Life is too short to waste half a year on something that you aren't 100% on... and who said anything about boundaries? There are no boundaries with or without a 100 under your feet."

Sometimes you just need to hear it from someone else before it sinks in. Thank you...

The only race that I'm 100% sure that I'm doing is late in the summer and I'm super stoked about it! It's going to be a blast! And I think that's exactly what racing should be... FUN! I'll of course sign up for races as the year progresses... and I've got a good amount of self supported fun runs planned (God willing the first in a few weeks)... but for now... I'm at peace and enjoying running too much to worry about the next big thing to cross off the list.

I'm still carrying around that sparkly fishing lure... but the line has been cut. I'm no longer being drug up to the surface. I've been set free... for now (dun dun dun). Maybe I'll check off that 100 miler this year... maybe not... but what's the rush? This is an endurance thing right?

Till tomorrow...