Sicily Calling

I WATCH AND I WAIT

The joys of online shopping for new shoes

Running involves movement and travel, some runs are spontaneous while others are planned. No matter how much I crave being out on a run, the biggest impediment to running is holding down a full time job. Some places of employment are lucky enough to have showers to facilitate running to/from work, or even at lunch time. There is an element of mountain running, more so than road running which involves adventure, uncertainty and surprise. Can this mindset be replicated at work in a running related way, even on a small scale? Sometimes I watch and I wait for the clock to strike at my work finish time so I can switch from working time to running time, but this does not bring surprise as the time and place is fixed and known in advance.

I recently ordered new trail shoes online and put my workplace as my delivery address (sshhh…don’t tell my boss!). I found that the uncertainty of which day they would actually arrive made the work mornings immediately more enjoyable, watching and waiting for the postman to arrive. Looking to see if there is a shoebox shaped parcel, and hoping no other colleagues are around if and when the parcel does arrive. I saw a theatre play at the most recent 10 Days in Dublin festival, where the character onstage at one point had purchased a new pair of running shoes, and demonstrated an elaborate ritualistic performance of opening the box, smelling the shoes, removing the paper inside the shoe, putting one shoe on and testing the comfort of it, and repeating the process for the other shoe. When my trail shoes arrived, I found myself replicating a similar shoe-receiving ritual. Afterwards I was struck by thrill of something that may have looked quite strange to anyone who would have watched this performance in real life rather than onstage.

I wasn’t looking at the trail shoes as just external objects, their form which I encountered unwrapping the package brought forth the creative impulse and power of the imagination. Their appeal was not on their outward appearance, but the emotion, feeling and pulsation evoked of my experiences of trail and mountain running. Had I unwrapped two pieces of art that opened my mind in a way that directly touched my soul and set it in motion? I give the final words to Tim Ingold whilst writing about art also reflects my changing moods whilst mountain running: “now confident, now hesitant, now mournful, now quivering with anticipation, and finally exultant“ (2011:206).

Running is a lifestyle choice not just a training session

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Adventures in Urban running?

The most tangible aspect of running is race day. There are many defined aspects including location, start time, distance, route, number of entrants, your finishing time, goodie bag contents, social atmosphere, etc. As enjoyable as races can be, they are typically a once in a while activity. Sessions can be a more regular occurrence and can be fun when feeling fresh, therefore they are usually not more than twice a week. Training can be done everyday but at a different level, intensity and focus. Should we just accept this as limitations, or is there a way to get more out of running on a daily basis without overdoing racing and sessions? A race and a session are very defined events and perhaps the question should be how to break free of the session and adventure into running as a lifestyle choice? Perhaps mountain running could be an alternative which includes the more rich sensory environment of a trail, comparatively engaging our senses to a greater extent that can animate our imagination. If mountain running is the ultimate and you cant always get out into the hills, is there a way to transfer some of the sense of adventure to an urban environment? If we break down mountain running into an activity we could say that it involves desire, which requires unpredictability, adventure, spontaneity. The question becomes more manageable now, how to facilitate these aspects of desire, unpredictability, adventure and spontaneity to running in an urban environment and on a daily basis?

The biggest stumbling block is that some days are busy days, involving responsibilities, commitments and schedules. What if I have a hectic day, where am I going to fit in my training? I could get up very early to run, but that is not always so fun and is that really my only option? If I get creative and introduce some risk, it is much more adventurous to integrate running and commuting. There is the risk of messing up your appearance (aka sweating, via bad weather, etc), having a reckless disregard for standard procedure (avoiding public/private transport, cycling, etc). Creativity involves how you are going to manage the commute. On a bicycle or on public/private transport, it is easy to carry a bag, even a quite sizeable one without much extra effort. Carrying stuff whilst running can be burdensome, therefore there are decisions to be made such as to carry your lunch or carry your wallet to buy lunch. Do I bring spare clothes or carefully choose items that I’ll present myself in when I arrive? More and more workplaces have showers and lockers which can facilitate exercise as a commute, including leaving workplace clothes in work. You may find things can become unnecessary unless it fits into a bumbag and even that can be dispensed with. A phone and debit card can become the bare essentials.

To integrate running as a lifestyle choice it can change your perception, your focus and spending habits in many ways including:

Shrinking the city: Your perception of distance and ability to get around.
Increased desire to be self reliant on your own two feet to get around. This may lead to quoting the following: “No one is your friend but your legs, your legs are your friend”, as told to a young Geronimo (We Shall Remain: Episode 4, 2009)
What you say to yourself: For example if you aimed to train twice a day, before the second run of the day you may find yourself thinking, am I tried? Do I need to rest? You may find this analysis and questioning and uncertainty absence when running is no longer a defined training session. This can free up energy and focus during day for other things in the moment. When it comes time to go home the focus tends to be more action focused such as, I am here and I want to get home, am putting on my shoes and going on my way.
Spending: You may find yourself investing in merino wool running products instead of public transport.
Admiration from others may reinforce using running as commuting!

Race Report: IMRA Dublin Peaks 1st Sept 2013

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When I looked at the IMRA calendar at the start of the year, this was THE race I wanted to do above all others. Only problem was during the entire year a number of non-running issues was significantly limiting my training. So much so, my last mountain running race was 12 months previous. With such limited training, even 2 weeks beforehand I thought I wouldn’t make this race even if it was used as a training run. Until that is, I went on a recce (which was purely a chance for me to run in the hills) 10 days beforehand with Laura and John, and it inspired me to think maybe I could do the Short Course. After a second recce 4 days before, I thought ‘definitely’ I could do the Short Course!

On the day, I had a 30mins cycle to take up a kind carpool offer, which I considered my warm-up. As I figured I’d be running somewhere between 3-4 hours, I thought why make that time running longer with a warm-up? After the Race Director got us underway I found myself struggling a bit going up to Fairy Castle. Seems a 30mins cycle 2 hours before a race isn’t much good as a mountain race warm-up. John had kindly shared his local knowledge to show myself & Laura shortcuts up to Fairy Castle. Although it seemed others knew about those short-cuts too (or maybe just one runner and everyone followed). Halfway up I found myself behind Alan, and I thought ‘perfect’ remembering the IMRA saying ‘if in doubt follow Alan’. Summiting Fairy Castle, Alan has stored his punch-card in a not so easily accessible place so I punched my card first and ran on. Alan very kindly then sprinted back up to me and past me to shade me from the wind…or at least that’s how it seemed, but thanks Alan!

When we got to Tibradden, Alan again had stored his punch card in a not so easily accessible place. So again I punched my card first and I thought if I run on Alan is sure to catch up again. At this point I was joined by Frank, who was making his mind up which way to go after everyone in front of him seemed to ‘just disappear’. I had not recce’d a line directly off Tibradden Cairn to the road, but thought I would take a leap of faith and give it a go anyway. After all, it was such a long way into Tibradden woods and back out what could go wrong? Going directly through the heather off Tibradden cairn, was quick going at first, and when we looked back to see where Alan was, he was no where to be seen. Then we got drawn into the clear-fell (a big no no) which meant a long circular route around. When we eventually crossed the road, and started making our way up the river we had no idea if Alan was ahead of us or behind us. By the time we got to Cruagh we thought we wouldn’t know until we got to Kippure.

The good visibility meant there was no problem finding Cruagh summit, and the path the other side of it. We were quickly on our way to the main road and then the Bog Road check-point for a sup of water. There was no cloud down on Kippure and as I was feeling good I thought ‘how could I not go on to Kippure?’ Long Course it was!. We made good progress on the Bog Road and ascended really well up Kippure, giving a shout to some of the leading runners. Although with lots of early-starters already coming down we weren’t sure who was leading the race. Near the summit we saw Alan on his way back down. This confirmed that we had taken quite a long route off Tibradden…doh!

Got to the summit of Kippure (which was also my first time ever on Kippure) in 1hr 45mins and feeling good and still with Frank, who also gave me a brief history of copper-burning in the area on the way. I found it slow going down Kippure and a bit of tiredness starting coming on. The wind was blowing my hair into my eyes, and I am at the point now I have to decide: haircut or bandanna? When we got back to Nora at the checkpoint, had another sip of water and we were on our way. Managed to overshoot Cruagh…doh! After punching, then lost Frank along the river descent through the trees back to the road. After messing up coming off Tibradden Cairn, there was no way this would happen on the way back and I found a trail through the forest which led directly to the carin. As it was v steep and slow going, it afforded plenty of opportunity for blueberry picking, aka re-fueling.

As I had never run more that 2.5 hours ever (and only once in 2013) tiredness really started to creep in from Tibradden to Fairy Castle. I took the short-cut on the way and it started shredding my shins. Maybe I should wear shin-guards next time? After punching at Fairy Castle I missed the trail between Fairy Castle & Three Rock…doh! On the tarmac road I could feel I’d lost a number of studs in my shoes, a letter of complaint may be forthcoming. Finally & eventually I came in to finish and to a nice round of applause. Fantastic race, great conditions, no idea how far I ran but the time was an hour more than I’d run ever. Although me thinks I need to do a few more recce’s before the next edition, but roll on Powerscourt Ridge!

For Every Runner Who’s Gone Off Course

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The appropriateness of ‘not lost, just exploring’

There is a time and a place for everything. Exploring new trails and routes is part of the adventure of mountain running, but just not when you’re in a race. On a defined course, to step off it brings serious risk. Sometimes you can be off-course for a while without realizing it. If it can be quickly rectified, a minor inconvenience at best. The longer it goes on for the greater the risk it puts on your race participation status, no one wants this kind of breach. Adjusting to the realization can be tricky, as your focus can easily be distracted, such as the uncertainty of what would have happened if I had stayed on course ….if I had made a different directional choice ….if the course had more markings/marshals… if I had done a recce…. In this situation there is so much to lose, such as:

Time.
Placings (sometimes bragging rights).
The chance to be competitive over the full course.
Race entrant status (ie receiving DNF for non-compliance).
Navigation reputation.
Ability to compare this races performance with recent ones.
Often a full weeks wait is required for the next race to ‘get back in the saddle’.

It is potentially the beginning of the end of your race unless it can be rectified and time is of the essence. To get back on course can have two different outcomes:

You’ve run more than the official course (the most common outcome).
You’ve unintentionally run less than the official course. In an effort to get back on course and after rediscovering course markings you realize you’re now ahead of people you haven’t passed during the race. This brings extra risk because the perception of whether this was intentional or not brings very different responses.

Being in non-compliance of the official race route doesn’t just affect your race day. Usually your training has been adjusted the few days prior to the race in order to be competitive. On the day, it is often another week before a ‘get back in the saddle’ race is available, which can potentially stretch the dissatisfaction out for the same period.

If we take a step back and look at it from another perspective. If we love something, love strives us for the other to become familiar, predictable, safe. Mountain running also involves desire, which requires unpredictability, adventure, spontaneity. These feelings energize us, cause us to feel more alive. One of the hazards of mountain running is there is always the chance you’ll go off course. This can be fun in training as you tend not to be lost, just exploring. However in a race, you risk forfeiting your race entrant identity (ie gaining a DNF). This has the added on effect (in addition to the above) of the realization: race entrant fee + DNF = ‘pain of paying‘. Mountain running has this brand of the familiar and the unexpected, a mix which can increase and diversify the experience. The lure and fear of mountain running is an individual dilemma which needs to be managed. A balanced amount of fear is important to respect and engage the course. Too much of it can overwhelm the lure. So far the best advice I’ve heard is from Gerry Brady, “if in doubt, recce”. Sometimes it is not enough to just rock up on the day, the mountains and trails need us to engage with them and get somewhat familiar in advance. My interaction with the mountains is an ongoing relationship. So far it is an affair that has not abated.

The Lure & Fear of Mountain Running: Part 2

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Reframing the Fear and Facilitating the Lure

In our lives there are times we seek safety and times we desire adventure. If we apply this to running, is it reflective on our mood or our environment? Is there such things as safe runs and adventurous runs? We all have familiar training runs that are predictable, safe and potentially dull. Mountain running tends to be viewed as for the more adventurous, it can be unpredictable and involves risk. It is the more predictable and safe road and track running clubs and races that are much more popular numbers-wise in general compared to the minority sport of mountain running. By comparison, are we looking at a choice between safe and predictable versus risk and adventure? Perhaps this is not really an accurate reflection. In terms of a majority choosing safe over adventurous running, is this a general trend or an individual dilemma to be managed? I would like to suggest a reframing to explore a different viewpoint.

It is interesting if we compare track athletes with cross-country athletes who compete over similar distances. Although track athletes run at faster speeds, it is said that cross-country athletes are comparatively less likely to experience pain. In a study by Cioffi, it was concluded that track athletes tend to deplete resources focusing on the pain in contrast to cross-country athletes who receive a much more rich environmental sensory stimulation enabling them to pick and focus on a distracting stimulus.

Many would consider the safe aspect of track and road running as being the predictable environment we run in. If something is known and predictable, safety is presumed. If we consider safety as a construction rather than a given, and inverse our perception that instead of the risk being ‘out here’ but rather inside us. The risk of high intensity and pain of a track or road race is right in front of us in our minds, detached somewhat from the environment.

The more rich sensory environment of a mountain trail, comparatively engages our senses to a greater extent and can animate our imagination. In the inversed perception, the danger is no longer ‘out there’, but within us in how we move and use our bodies in a skilled way to traverse the terrain. This inversed perception changes the focus away from what surface we run on, to our movement and an embodied experience. The more skilled we are in our movement the more the risks are minimised by becoming suitably responsive.

The above indicates the possibility of a split. There is some anecdotal evidence that a lot of people try mountain running briefly and do not pursue it further. There is the possibility they drop out before developing skilled movement. Are they focused on the danger being inside them or ‘out there’? What if there is a synapse for some to cross to perceive accurately the risks, which can motive someone to develop appropriate skills in response. Those who are reluctant may perhaps need to give themselves permission to encourage and facilitate their embodied experience, expression and imagination in order to overcome. If it can be said that the body holds the individuals history, then this split derived from memory can be healed through the body experience through movement. Feed the lure of the mountains by getting out on the trail, not just at races but in training as well and develop skilled movement!

Why Run in the Hills?

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“I drive on her streets
‘Cause she’s my companion
I walk through her hills
‘Cause she knows who I am
She sees my good deeds and
She kisses me windy”

Under The Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers

Growing up, Under The Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is a song that really caught my attention. In fact as a teenager it was one of the first songs I heard that had this effect. Later on when I learnt to play the guitar, this one I eagerly spent a lot of time learning to play it (unfortunately my signing ability, or lack of, does not do it justice -please do not ask me to play it publicly!), I must say that two decades later, the song still holds a certain power over me. It is only more latterly that I have begun to make an attempt to try to understand this effect but in terms of my attraction to running (substitute the words ‘drive’ & ‘walk’ in the lyrics with ‘running’). There is a scene in the music video of Anthony Kiedis running, so you could say I have been ’primed’ to associate this song with running…

Coming from Dublin’s Northside, I use to look out over at the Dublin and Wicklow mountains and see just mountains. Now after a few seasons of IMRA mountain running races I don’t just see a skyline, I see The Sugar Loaf, Seefingan, Scalp, and so forth. These are now all places I have been to and run in and around. I have a more intimate knowledge and experience of being in and traversing these places. Now when I see the shapes of familiar hills, it cues recollections of knowing how to make my way around, which direction to go, I can travel with a sense of purpose, and curiosity to see what has changed, altered or remained the same. The more I run in the hills, the more I feel engaged with the environment. What is it about running in hill races that create stories, aka race reports? They say your identity is what you do, and I have grown into the role of being a hill runner. I don’t feel I own the hills, but these journeys in the hills have created a lot of stories for me.

There is a book by J Edward Chamberland titled ‘If this is your land, where are your stories?’. The title question is one that was posed by Native Indians in British Columbia to Canadian officials who were claiming land for the government. The Gitksan people have a lived experience of their land, and this lived experience can be shared and expressed through stories. The Gitksan could not comprehend officials claiming land without this lived experience. I have stories of my shared experiences (often with up to 200-odd other race entrants) in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains and I have shared some of them in the form of race reports on the IMRA site. I feel a certain, not ownership but association by identity with the shared experiences of events & journeys on the hills. Past race reports can be quite useful to find out what to expect on particular races. Could there be a link here in this idea with Under The Bridge lyrics, particularly the lines quoted above? My conclusion is that I need to research and develop this idea further….

The Lure & Fear of Mountain Running

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Adapted from the Irish Mountain Running Association Yearbook 2012

When I got a lift from a fellow mountain runner to a race recently, we were both talking about the fact that as much as we both love mountain running and mountain races, curiously we were both surprised how long it took us to start doing mountain running. Perhaps mountain running for us is about re-connecting with something we didn’t realise we were disconnected with. Although we didn’t reach any conclusions that day, the following is an attempt to fill in the gaps.

As a child growing up, if there ever was a ‘cowboys and Indians’ game, I always wanted to be the Indian. (The modern version would be ‘supporting the underdog’). I was fascinated by Native Americans and indeed Indigenous peoples around the world. Particular so, stories like how Geronimo could shake off the chasing American Calvary by traversing through the mountains and canyons of Arizona and even into Mexico. After visiting Arizona when I was 18 and then undertaking my undergrad degree in Anthropology, I learnt so much more about non-industrial societies and ways of living. My childhood fascination with mountain running wasn’t re-ignited until I came across Christopher McDougall’s book ‘Born to Run‘. McDougall writes about Mexico’s Tarahumara, who are a related ethnic group to the Apache, and the place that running has in their way of life. Psychologists have recognised that Indigenous people have a much higher level of emotional and spiritual richness than mainstream industrial society. Perhaps this is an indication that my mountain running activities was re-connecting me with something, but I cant quite put my finger on what exactly.

As much as I admire historical figures like Geronimo, Teporame and others, they lived in a different time and society has moved on. I shop in supermarkets and I use things like Facebook just as much as the next person. However, mountain running seems almost like a modern day variant of a lifestyle (or part of a lifestyle) that they lived. Doing a mountain running League for the first time this year, I was involved in 9 out of the 13 races. I found that increasingly my whole week started to revolve around the Wednesday night race. That is, the rest of the week involved getting in a run each day, usually a recovery run. The Monday and Tuesday involved spending time arranging a carpool lift. Tuesday night/Wednesday morning involved a lot of cooking so I had enough food for the day as I usually went from home to work, to an IMRA race, to home and bed. Thursday and Friday usually involved post-race sore legs, and therefore impaired mobility. I found I was being increasingly influenced by this new lifestyle choice, including taking to eating garlic each day in an attempt to minimise midge bites post race.

One of the oblivious questions that come to mind is, if mountain running is so great, why is it not more popular? One of my Anthropology Professors spoke in one lecture that the Inuit are famous for having 11 different words for (types of) snow. However, as the Professor went on, what is much more instructive and interesting is the different words they have for different types of fears, such as fear of polar bear attack, fear of the ice breaking, and so on. Perhaps the minority status of mountain running has something to do with anxiety and fears. The following is my list of 11 different types of mountain running fears (I hope you don’t think I’m an anxious person):

1. Getting to the races
As a non-car owner this can be a challenge in itself. Fear #1 was overcome thanks in large part to the community spirit of other runners offering lifts on a regular basis.

2. Getting out of work on time to get carpool/lift.
There was a few close calls here getting to a few races. Fear #2 was dissipated when I started using some time-off-in-lieu at work on Wednesday afternoons.

3. Getting lost en route to race registration.
I am only just staring to learn the geography of the mountains. Most times en route, I have no idea if we have taken the right/wrong turn, but if we are still driving when it goes less than 30mins to race start time, fear #3 kicks in.

4. The long queue at registration impeding on warm-up time.
Fear #4 is usually a knock-on effect from fear #3, a double whammy.

5. Needing a toilet pitstop post-registration and pre-race….need I say more

6. Getting boxed-in at a narrow/impassable section.
The times that this happened turned out to be blessings in disguise, as it enabled me to have a stronger second half of the race. Experience has dampened fear #6.

7. Getting scratched/impaled by thorny/sharp things.
There was one race in particular I did which during the early part there seemed to be a lot of runners around me eager to overtake early on. As there was barely room for two-abreast, some runners seemed to be jumping into the furze/gorse in attempts to overtake….ouch!

8. Getting lost
In all the mountain running races I did, as a non-front runner fear #8 was minimised as there was always seems to be another runner close enough in sight I could follow. Although I do wonder if my navigation ability (or lack of) could impede any race winning position despite the course markings (I did go off-course in 50% of my 2011 races)!

9. Falling
My rule (from experience) to avoid fear #9 is to always take 2 small steps instead of 1 big one traversing rocky/bumpy sections. Although spending too long admiring the view can be a risk with so many hazards to trip on. The more scenic the race, the more fear #9 comes into effect.

10. The downhill
As a terrible downhiller, I hate them! After doing all the hard work on the uphill putting sizeable gaps into other runners, they just close in and breeze by on the downhill. If there isn’t another uphill or flat section, I won’t see them again until the finish. As mountain running has no Formula 1 type of neutral no-passing zones, can anyone please forward on a copy of ‘Downhilling for Dummies’?

11. Photographers on the course
You’re getting my good side, right?

“My name is Jane and I suffer from Race Rage”

murchubrian

Adventures in mountain running!