Find Your Purpose Find your Joy-Ikigai

There's a mountain a few miles from my home called Mt. Herman that boasts breathtaking views of endless wilderness to the west and a birds eye view of the city below to the east. After ascending the peak, you can't help but feel completely separated from the hustle of crazy life as cars speed by the interstate miles away. There you are, a top a majestic peak watching the world fly by below-feeling so connected yet disconnected all at once. Sometimes life can feel so similar; almost like we're watching life speed by our very eyes. The days seem long, often filled with a never ending to-do list yet how often do we take a moment to step back, view our life form above the mountain top, reflect on our why, and take inventory of our days? Are we going through the motions, like the cars on the interstate, headed to and fro without a clear destination, or do we have a purpose-a true north.

National Geographic explorer Dan Buettner, led a research study as what he termed Blue Zones to determine what populations of the world live the longest, and where the cause behind their longevity and true quality of life lie. Surprisingly, quality of life was not found in money, power, or status, but rather nine other principles including the concept of ikigai an Okinowan term meaning "purpose". This purpose, a true "why I wake up in the morning", was at the heart of many of these cultures. The beautiful thing is that one's ikigai doesn't have to be grand like cure cancer or solve world hunger but truly as simple as providing for your family, caring for others, or creating something to fill a need. So often the citizens of these blue zones understood that true joy and longevity could only be found when they take the lense off themselves and onto how they can serve. These individual wake up, even if their purpose is something modern culture may deem small, with a direction, a destination, and a why.

For the longest time I've been searching for my why, my ikigai. Some individuals know their purpose as children and spend their life devoting time to accomplishing this goal; other's need life experiences to help shape their purpose. One of my greatest fears is getting to the end of my life having not fulfilled my purpose of being on earth. We're given talents, and interests to be used for our own enjoyment as well as in service to others. For me, I always thought I had to have some grand realization, some awakening moment to truly know my purpose...little did I know it was right in front of me (more to come soon:)

So how can we find our Ikigai and live with a truly meaningful direction?

Take an Internal Inventory:

What are your passions, your values, your interests? Modern culture has programmed us to think we must follow certain patterns in life to be happy. Graduate college, buy a house, commit to a 9-5. Then why do so many of us dread Sunday evening thinking of the week to come? Are we following what we think we must do instead of what we've been called to do? Set aside a few minutes to take inventory and see if your life aligns with your principles. If you don't know your ultimate direction you'll never know the route to take

Practice Your Why

Again, this doesn't have to be grand, but in order to feel fulfilled we must be consistent. Just like running, where you can't learn more about the sport by only running a few times a year, you can't experience purpose if you only follow your why occasionally. Live it boldly, live it loud.

Find a Partner

We were never meant to do life a lone. Surrounding yourself with a community who shares similar values and interests will help you live out your purpose. Whether simply helping to reinforce your mission or to aid in encouragement when the going gets hard, life is better with a community!

The trail ascending Mt. Herman is steep and technical, making the view at the top even more lovely. Could it be true that the trail in pursuit to live out our purpose is indeed very similar to that? Yet knowing we have a destination, a breathtaking view ahead makes it all worthwhile. Do you know your purpose? If not, perhaps set some time aside this holiday season to take inventory, be consistent, and surround yourself with a community. Maybe then we too can live out our ikigai like the blue zone communities, and experience true joy.

A Journey Through October

"Just one more mile". I cannot tell you how many times that thought ran through my head as I made my way through the calendar club challenge. It was simple. Run the miles in the day of the month throughout October (1st=1 mile, 15th=15 miles, 31st=31 miles etc). While the challenge started off incredibly chill, it didn't take long for the mileage to ramp up. I knew the only way I'd be able to mentally get through it was to break the weeks into sections instead of one large task. Here's a little recap and pic from each day:)

Pre first full week (Days 1-3) 6 Miles

We were still on vacation in Montana for the first three days of the month and I was happy to supplement these shorter days with hiking and paddle boarding. I tried my best to enjoy the downtime from training, knowing the mileage wouldn't be this chill for long. It was nice knocking the runs out quickly-not being totally consumed by the challenge yet!

Week 1 (Days 4-10) 49 Miles

The first full week of the challenge had me still significantly below my average weekly mileage so I tried to use the shortened time to run on trails I may not get the chance to visit on the longer days ahead. On any other week I'd feel guilty logging mileage that low, but not this week! I used the extra time to spend quality time with family and catch up on much needed projects. I also made it a point to sleep in as much as possible, as I knew there'd be some early alarms in the near future.

Week 2 (Days 11-17) 98 Miles

In my mind, I consider anything over a half marathon a medium distance long run so to me, this is when the challenge began! Runs were still below or right at two hours making each day seem very manageable. During a normal training cycle it's not rare to hit upwards of 16-18 miles in a day with a double run mixed in so the legs and body felt right in it's comfort zone. By choosing October for the challenge, I knew daylight and weather would be two factors of possible contention. Getting out of bed in dark inclement weather is one thing when you're logging a quick recovery run, but something completely separate for the mental game when you know you'll be out there a while. Despite the chilly weather, at the end of week two I felt strong and excited for the true start of the challenge on week 3.

Week 3 (Days 18-24) 147 Miles

Walking into this attempt I had a feeling week three would be the most challenging. It would be the start of a two week grind of long run after long run. Kal always laughs when I say, "I'm glad my long run is done", because he doesn't get why someone would do something over and over again they can't wait to be done with. I chuckle and say you just have to be a distance runner to understand. No matter how many long runs I do, there's always a little voice in my head that says "are we really running that today?". Week three meant we were close to the finish yet too far to see the finish line. It reminded me of the Bandera 100k I did a few years ago. I was around mile 52, it was dark and cold and sounds of the second to last aid station could be heard for what seemed like hours. Switch back after switch back and it still felt a world away. While my legs still felt pretty fresh during week three I could tell towards days 23 & 24 and I was getting mentally tired of the early mornings and time crunches before work. Yet, despite the mental fatigue I was still optimistic I could finish this challenge strong. I will add, there were a few choice words said every morning as that 4am alarm went off reminding me of the hours of running ahead.

Week 4 (25-31) 196 Miles

Not only did the final week bring 6 consecutive marathon distances or longer, but also frigid single digit temps and inches of fresh snow. With the addition of inclement weather I decided to move my runs indoor to a treadmill. Only issue was, I don't have a treadmill. One run was done on my sister's old treadmill while two others were at my in-laws gym (thank you thank you thank you to them!). I didn't think I'd ever run 25 then 26 then 27 miles on a treadmill back to back and I can't say I feel the need to do that again. These runs were mentally exhausting but physically a nice little break from the hills around town. On day 28 temps made their way back to the 20's & 30's in the early am so I felt comfortable moving things outdoors again. Wind and melting snow would be the next hurdle for days 28 & 29. I had generally been enjoying most runs until day 28 when the wheels started to fall off. Because I was trying to keep the pace very relaxed I was running upwards of 4 hours before work and the physical and mental fatigue was setting in. I decided a change of scenery would be nice for the last two days so I made the hour drive south to spend the weekend with my parents. Running on new paths/trails was a nice mental break and gave me the confidence I could get this done! With a bit of achilles and hamstring pain headed into day 30 I was worried I may not be able to complete the full 30 miles. As I hobbled out the door at 4:30am I told myself to see how one mile felt then take it from there. One mile turned into two turned into three turned into 24 where I then decided to break the mileage up into another 6 mile run later that day. On my second run of the day heels and hamstring felt significantly better-giving me the confidence day 31 would be a success! Early on day 31, as I was lying awake in bed, I was greeted with the sound of barreling winds outside. I had originally planned a trail run around the Pueblo reservoir, but with little to no tree coverage I decided to alter my route, avoiding the headwinds (wind is the worst!). I downloaded an audio book (North by ultra legend Scott Jurek) and made my way to complete the last 50k! The miles ticked off easily and I found myself getting lost in the story. Before I knew it I had made it 25 miles to the park where I would run a 10k around to finish up the day. This park was where I ran my first half marathon race and I found myself reminiscing on the journey from that first 13 miles to where running had led me to today. Three miles, two miles, one mile, done!! While there was no finish line or cheering crowd I still felt that same sense of accomplishment and joy that comes with completing something you didn't think possible.

So, would I do this challenge again? Nope :) But would I recommend it to another runner looking to push themselves outside their comfort zone and test their limits? Heck ya. By far the most challenging aspect was the mental struggle of running so many back to back long runs, but I oddly found myself getting stronger as the challenge went on. Unlike an all out race there's really no downtime required after, just a week of easy running (mainly for a mental reset). With a year full of uncertainty and cancelled races, it was a rewarding experience to challenge myself to go just a bit further each day. 496 miles total putting me almost 200 miles away from my 4,000 mile goal for the year!

Calendar Challenge

Well, it's finally October. To some that means pumpkin spice, flannel, and apple picking, but for me October meant toeing the line of my second 100 miler at Javelina 100- well, that was the original plan anyway. Despite this race actually happening (what??) I decided to withdraw my name from the signup list. Headed into the peak of training I was convinced the race wouldn't happen, but as we got closer and closer it appeared they may actually be able to pull off the event. When I got the final, "It's a go!" email, I was met with excitement and a large serving of dread. This was the email I'd been waiting for all year, so why was I feeling anxiety about moving forward? I took a few days to process where I stood physically and mentally about tackling a 100 miler, and came to the conclusion this was not the year for me. Throughout training I periodically ask myself, "Do you want to actually run this race or do you want to be known as someone who wants to run the race?", and this year, despite the loads of training, I didn't feel that fire to race.

Photos throughout are of our hike on High Line Trail in Glacier National Park last week.

So now what? I've logged over 3,200 miles of running at this point in 2020 and I want to use those miles for something...enter the calendar challenge. It's simple-run the miles in the day of the month. October 4th- 4 miles, October 15th- 15 miles, October 31st-31 miles etc. The first full week has 56 miles, second 105 miles, third 154 miles, and the final 171 miles for a total of 496 miles in the month. Since it's not an official race you could run those miles however you want, but I decided to run them as a single run per day instead of my typical doubles. Right now I'm on day five and I'm trying to mentally take advantage of the easy running-by Halloween I should be ready for a rest day! Unlike a 100 that should be done within a weekend, this challenge will require me to stay mentally and physically engaged for three weeks which will be quite a test for the mind and body. Similar to a race I can plan to expect the unexpected during the higher mileage weeks so I'm trying to be flexible with whatever challenges I face and focus my attention on the things I can control.

Nutrition

Quality and quantity will be the driving factor for my nutrition this month. Making sure I am getting adequate amounts of macro and micronutrients from quality sources will be my main focus. Having almost twenty days of back to back long runs is sure to take a toll on my body so making sure I give it enough nutrients to recover and perform will be quite the challenge in itself. The plan is to incorporate as many easily digestible and nutrient dense foods as possible like spinach/berry smoothies, squashes/sweet potatoes, whole grains, nuts/seeds, and veggies like roasted carrots and beets. I will also be supplementing with B12, Vitamin D, Iron, and Magnesium.

Rest

One of the deciding factors to run all the miles in one run as opposed to splitting into two runs per day was the extra time to rest later in the day. I will be swapping out my usual second daily run with additional dog walks and stability/core work to keep my hips loose and posture strong. Sleep is a vital time for recovery so I'll be aiming for at least 8 hours a night to help my body feel up for the task each day.

Motivation

Ok, this one is a little hard to control, but over the years I've noticed a few things that make getting out the door each day easier. First, tell someone about my goals...so thank you for listening :) Knowing there's someone out there who is counting on me to finish strong always helps when the days get long. Second, focus on community. While there will be many miles run solo this month, there will be some spent with others- especially when motivation is failing me...so thank you to those who join on some early morning runs! Third, writing out the schedule and miles at the beginning of each week. I'm a very visual person and find value in seeing my upcoming workouts so posting them on my desk to mentally prepare for each day is a must. Long distance running is almost more mental than physical and I'll need all the mental help I can get (my family would say the same:)

Here we go!