Off the Grid

The last weekend I was able to get away. From everything. It was Lake Powell, the sun was high and it was hot. So my phone probably would have melted anyway. Either way, I left in the car. The trip was out of nowhere, but it was just what the doctor ordered. I wondered about my texts, emails, insta and fbook for the first half hour but then stopped. This was a huge blessing. There were night clouds that looked like aliens and cats while we discussed the theology and the inevitable marriage of two that were on our trip (I'll let you figure that one out). There were "interesting" petrogliphs above a house called defiance that looked like they had been painted yesterday but have been here for centuries. Got some air wakeboarding being instructed by a friend Chids, (this being my second time up ever) with Cousin throwing some ill beats down on the boat stereo that matched that feeling exactly. We flew a kite with nothing but the light of the moon but we got it up after a bunch of tries. It was spooky the way it kinda floated out there like a demon. Who needs late night ghost stories right? I took a dip about 10 times a day, most likely cause I was turning firehouse red (Jess could tell you that. Anyone could really.) but more likely cause I love the water. Me and Allison started each morning of the trip with a mild half mile swim. I jumped off some pretty tall cliffs because that IS my favorite thing about the Lake. I didn't wear a life jacket but that makes the plunge that much more thrilling. I miss the ocean so this was the closest thing (literally and figuratively). Most importantly, Chids' mom provided all of us with enough brats and uncrustables to feed us forever.

Those that know me, know that I love my phone and its access to unlimited information.  I usually have it glued to my hand. One thing we discussed at night was that we live for these moments. Disconnected from the world. One even suggested that the world could be over and it could be just us here one the lake. As ominous as that might sound, I feel that we need to remind ourselves to stop and smell...well there weren't any roses down at Powell, and we ate nothing but cheese, burritos, and bratwursts but you get the picture.

This new perspective was much warranted.

Runningsmile

Just put my name in for the St. George Marathon this morning. As I listen to conference, I'm already thinking about self-improvement. So this fits. Let me tell you first and foremost I am not a runner. I've never been. I run a lot though. I feel like the things that push us the most are the things we should strive for. If it's easy its not worth it - vice versa - if it's worth it, it's gonna be fierce. Fierceness is what will get us through the race but it's more than that. When I run I think smile. Not miles. Switch the s. The mechanics of the running provide us an opportunity to think. Get in your head. You can do one of two things. You can think about the 6 in. in before your front foot. Or you can think smile. You can look at a the stoplight, the hill, the turn maybe even the next runner (for the kill) to keep your self looking forward and smiling at the opportunities that lie ahead. It's boundless.

I ran something called the Frigid 5k this early this year, named such because afterward everyone plunges into icy Utah Lake. What we found out the night before and in the morning was that it was snowing/raining solid and that we had to run the race wet. This was crazy, but I ended up getting a PR for a 5k with that race. Perhaps it was the challenge posed by the elements that caused me to think smile and work harder. Who knows. I just know that it suprised me how well I did but I thought smile.

This is why the Tarahumara runners can run for hundreds of miles. Long ago they built their small mountain community around the infinite run.  They even run in sandals. I understand that many have ailments and handicaps that keep them from running or running long without pain, but you would be surprised who still runs: crutches, prosthetic athletic legs etc... Regardless, whatever your athletic challenge, meet it. It will try you in ways everyday life never can. When you forget to run, or can't run, think of the next time you can. I run. and swim. You might dance, lift weights, power-walk, do water aerobics. Whatever that challenge is, think smile.

“That was the real secret of the Tarahumara: they'd never forgotten what it felt like to love running. They remembered that running was mankind's first fine art, our original act of inspired creation."
                      ― Christopher McDougall, Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen