Shake It Up

How I rediscovered the joy of running and developed a new passion

My love of running had waned.  Quick background: I made a goal of running 40 miles.  I did it.  I made of goal of running a sub 21 5K.  Bonked and failed.  I pushed my body too hard, it revolted.  After, I felt like every run was a struggle.  I kept doing it because it is my fallback exercise. I kept doing it even though I wasn’t really enjoying it. 

What does one do when faced with this situation?  Shake it up.  While I hadn’t planned on everything working out the way it did, I am back to feeling good about my runs while making progress towards a goal at the same time.  When I look back at it, I think I was finally able to get to this point in part because of good reads and good influences e.g. my hubby, The Happy Runner by David and Megan Roche, and Mario Fraioli’s newsletter.  They were positive reminders that you have to find the right reasons for running and that if you aren’t enjoying it, then something should change.   But probably what most influenced my turnaround was that shake-up.  My shake-up came in the form of the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge.

Last spring I saw it. I can’t remember where, but probably Instagram. It was a post with a picture of beautiful vista.  I’m a sucker for a vista.  Below the post it said sixpackofpeaks.  “What’s this?” I think.  Peaks?  Challenge?  Time to check out the website. 

The Social Hiker hosts the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge for several areas around the country. Being a New Englander, the New England challenge seemed the most feasible and appealing to me.  

I originally grew up in Virginia and once we settled in Massachusetts people were always telling me “Oh, you have to get up to the Green Mountains” or the White Mountains or Maine.  I have to admit that I felt that even though it isn’t written anywhere, you can’t get your NE’er badge unless you have been to these places.   But…if I did the challenge, I would finally get to see these classic New England spots. 

The challenge was only six peaks, with a bonus peak of Mount Katahdin.  Signing up in the spring, I would have until October 1 to finish the challenge.  A day trip here, a day trip there.  I’d still be able to take care of my daily duties and be there for my family.  This was totally doable.  I was sold.

In my mind, the best part of this was that I just had to follow the trails and reach the peaks.  I didn’t have to beat anyone.  If I was tired, I could stop and enjoy the sights.  I could stop and enjoy the sites even if I wasn’t tired!  There wasn’t a timer, just a spot at the top of a really really really big hill I had to get to.  It would definitely be a challenge, but it was new and fresh and I was so excited. 

So, I paid the relatively nominal registration fee.  A week or two later I got my leave no trace card, a couple cool stickers and a badge.  Over the next few months I would summit each of the six peaks.  Originally I hadn’t intended to do Katahdin, mostly because it is a five hour drive, but the timing worked out and I went for it. 

I did Mount Greylock first, as it was the closest and one of the easier peaks back in May.  I thought it would be easy enough to fit in the hikes, but the summer was packed with plans and  the next two peaks wouldn’t come until the first week of August. I ended up doing Camel’s Hump and Mount Mansfield in VT on the same day since they were so close to each other.  About three weeks later I did Bear Mountain in CT.  Then, the Friday after Labor Day I did Mount Washington and Mount Lincoln (again, because of the close proximity of the two).  I was done with the challenge, but the I had a chance to go for Katahdin.  So, three weeks later I added it to my list of bagged peaks.

Each hike was challenge, an inspiration and a series of lessons.  I learned a lot about myself.  I went out with the idea that I would push hard, but listen to my body and stop when I needed to.  So, there was some running involved, but there was also hiking, walking, climbing and scrambling.  These are freakin mountains!  “No one expects someone to run to the top and down,” I was able to tell myself.  This idea was the key to my finding running peace. 

If you haven’t summited a mountain before, it is an epic feeling. After hours of heart pounding work, you reach the top to survey the land before you, seeing the edge of the horizon in every direction.  Even when you arrive at the peak to find it engulfed in clouds, to be amongst them feels ethereal and other worldly.  Your heart calms, you feel at peace. And, the best part is that it is literally all downhill from that point. Running downhill, dodging roots and rocks is to be a kid again. It feels glorious!

With each peak I summited, I fell more and more in love with the process.  With the exception of Bear Mountain, the hikes grew more intense in difficulty due to increased distance, elevation gain and terrain. After my hikes I felt so strong and maybe I shouldn’t have felt this way, but I felt accomplished, like “heck ya, I climbed a  freakin mountain.”  And for me at least, this was and is a more fulfilling feeling than running a marathon, or when I did 40 miles. It’s not about the speed, it’s that you did it.  

I also don’t feel a pressure to climb a mountain faster the next time, whereas I know I would feel that way about a race.  If I were to do these again, maybe I do them faster, maybe not.  But truly, I am much more excited about the idea of sharing the experience with others and getting to the top of another peak.

This brings me to another reason why I enjoy it so much.  Hikers are a social group.  Part of it is a safety thing.  You want to share trail conditions, but it’s also in their nature to chat for a bit.  At the same time, there is still plenty of solitude to be had if that’s what you need.  If you start with a group, all you have to do is hang back or go ahead and meet up with your group at a designated point. I did all of my hikes solo, but had tons of conversations with some really cool people.  Appalachian thru hikers, high pointers, peak baggers, first timers, and people who have been doing the same trails every year as a tradition. No matter what, everyone feels the same, sufficiently worked and in awe of what lies before them on the trail. 

Hiking made me stronger.  I was pushing my cardio and the burn was REAL real on my first hikes.  By the last hike there was burn, but it was like an efficient burn – totally sustainable.  When I would run (after my legs had recovered) I felt like it was easier, like when I was a younger runner.  It felt enjoyable, like I could actually zone out and take in the sites.  This is something I haven’t been able to do in a long time.   I think part of it was because my cardio output had improved, but also, I think that I was being realistic about how and when to push my body and accepting my limits.  Not pushing too hard too early made that run later in the week that much better. 

Does hiking make a better runner?  Maybe. For me it definitely did.  The hikes themselves placed a physical demand on my body which improved my overall functions, but that’s something I could get in any number of activities.  In my case, hiking provided an escape from my bad running mindset.  It allowed me to checkout from meeting predetermined standards like minimum paces or trying to run at someone else level. Because it was new and unknown and from the get go I said that I was going to have fun, push myself and listen to my body, it worked.  I am back to being a happy runner again:-). 

Hopefully, I get my New Englander Badge, too. 😁

For more info on the Six Pack of Peaks Challenge, click here.

I’ll be posting hiking reports for peaks in the challenge on my blog with additional pictures in the next week or so.  Stay tuned:-)