Mindset and Pushing Limits

Alright, so it has been a long time (maybe years…) since I have written on here. A lot has happened over this time and the focus of this page is going to have quite the shift. Although I would like to bring some Peace Corps reflection in here from time to time.

I am going to be focusing more on my current dailys, hobbies, thoughts and plans. It’s the end of summer here in Salt Lake and we are hopefully starting to see the light at the end of this heat tunnel ( I guess that’s desert-life and at least the mountains have been wonderful). Quick life update: I am currently doing the overly-hip #vanlife thing but I like to think of it as a reflection on my modest Peace Corps life- who needs all the extra amenities? Not as easy and glamorous as it may look- the van-life thing when its 100 degrees and you have to find a cat-sitter everyday. That said- I’m loving the simplicity, being mainly off the grid and being able to travel with my house- filled with all my things! In the job world, I am working as a personal trainer at The Front Climbing Club for not only rock climbers but trail runners, mountain sports athletes, skiers/snowboarders, and the general population. In addition, I am an Exercise Specialist at Huntsman Cancer Institute at The University of Utah. I have been spending most of this summer running the mountains and squeezing in some climbing when I can.

OK, enough on the life update, I want to talk about “Mindset and Pushing Limits”.

As my hip is getting strong from my surgery last August, I have dedicated this summer to #pushingpeaks and running short steep races with the Discrete Cirque Series. These races force you to kick it into high gear and has lead to a lot of reflection on why and how I do this.

What powers you through your race?

I have been thinking a lot on what drives me through a race. What helps me to get past the pains or the down moments or the negative thoughts?

So much of endurance sports or pushing your limits comes from the mind. Yeah your training is important but there is more to it. This keeps coming to me, as my training has never been what it should, due to the years of pain before hip surgery and now still on the recovery road.

Why have I had successes? What allows this?

It comes from the brain. I have my parents partially to thank from the early years, for challenging me to push through tough moments and figure things out on my own. It’s important to fail- that is where the learning comes in. Part comes from my Peace Corps experience, going back in time and stepping out of modern society- no electricity, no road, no cell service, no running water.  In Peace Corps I served as a Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Specialist, living in a rural indigenous village in Panama. If there was a problem there was no google or mom and dad to solve it- it all came from the noggin and patience. And part just comes from my pure passion for activity and drive to see what I can do- knowing pain is temporary.  I listened to a podcast recently about the power of not having negative thoughts – even during your runs. So what your foot hurts? So does everyone else- but thinking or speaking about it will only intensify it. This is not something I have mastered yet but has but something that is being incorporated into my thoughts and actions. By not letting yourself think anything is wrong- you can fool the body! How do you think people run 100+ miles? More on how this is going in the future- just some food for thought now!