The Mountainist

In case you don't suck enough at running, I'm here to help you. I'm nice like that.
1. Eat crap. Who needs chlorophyll, iron, or protein? We got carbs! Saturated fats! MSG! GMOS! Wahoo! Don't fotget the BVO that is in gatorade. Yum Yum.
2. Have fun. Never push your limits, I mean, it's supposed to be stress-relieving right? 3. Ok, having fun it over-rated. Every time you run your 2 mile loop around your suburb, try to PR it. The whole rest day, fartlek, tempo run thing can just be combined into try hard every day. Get upset every time you run your loop 5 seconds slower.
4. Decide to try fueling while running. Slurp down electrolyte flavored semen packets. Throw up a little in your mouth, ignore your GI when it gets pissy with you since it does not approve of the type of sodium used in the packet, and smile. Hey, it's convenient!
5. Believe urban legends. Pickle juice works better than salt tabs. Eating lots of carbs and grains right before a long race won'…

As some of you know, I have been completely out of the running game for over 2 1/2 weeks with a bad bout of pneumonia. It was terrible. I laid on the couch for 10 days, drinking honey, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper and watching more TV than I usually do in a year. My kids somehow survived.

That step away for two weeks offered a new perspective. I had a similar experience with perspective for climbing after tearing ligaments in my ankle on a bad bouldering fall, which resulted in no climbing for 4 weeks. I would sit on the rowing machine for hours trying to condition my upper body and cardiovascular system. I'd spend even more time at the bouldering gym, sitting in the chairs, watching other climbers. All that time spent observing technique, listening to my body, and re-evaluating what I wanted and how to do it enabled me to come back climbing harder projects than I did before my injury, despite my atrophied muscles.

While I don't anticipate magically running 5 minute miles r…

Fear. It is quickly evident in rock climbing when fear holds back the climbers ability. Their leg shakes. They double check their last gear placement. They "shake out" and assess the situation. They call out to the belayer to "watch them." On rare occasions you'll catch them singing, praying, or making loud breathing noises that would rival any yoga room.

Then, one of two things happen: either they accept the fear and glide upwards; or they fight it, sometimes flailing sometimes still making up to the top, but full of effort and strain. It becomes a battle instead of a dance.

There's a reason that fear is one of the hottest topics in climbing. It's what makes the toughest climbers the most bada$$. Accepting fear makes them excel. Once the fear is addressed and accepted, it enables the climber to live entirely in the moment, the most beautiful and freeing feeling... a feeling so beautiful it encourages untalented climbers, like myself, to enjoy free soloin…

Fear. It is quickly evident in rock climbing when fear holds back the climbers ability. Their leg shakes. They double check their last gear placement. They "shake out" and assess the situation. They call out to the belayer to "watch them." On rare occasions you'll catch them singing, praying, or making loud breathing noises that would rival any yoga room.

Then, one of two things happen: either they accept the fear and glide upwards; or they fight it, sometimes flailing sometimes still making up to the top, but full of effort and strain. It becomes a battle instead of a dance.

There's a reason that fear is one of the hottest topics in climbing. It's what makes the toughest climbers the most bada$$. Accepting fear makes them excel. Once the fear is addressed and accepted, it enables the climber to live entirely in the moment, the most beautiful and freeing feeling... a feeling so beautiful it encourages untalented climbers, like myself, to enjoy free solo…