Trail Running Lessons for Life (Abridged): A 20 x 20 Presentation

A month ago, I was preparing to give a presentation in Telluride with two other local female mountain athletes: Hilaree Nelson, the phenomenal pro backcountry skier and mountaineer; and Becky Gardner, a pro mountain biker. The event was co-sponsored by the Telluride Mountain Club and Telluride Arts District as part of their “20 by Telluride” series of fast-paced slide presentations.

Presenters are challenged to show 20 slides, each for exactly 20 seconds, which forces the speaker to be extremely succinct. This 20 x 20 format is called “PechaKucha” and has spawned a global storytelling format (read about it here).

I’ve never done a presentation like this, but I was game. I put together 20 PowerPoint slides and scripted paragraphs for each, cutting away to get my talk down to roughly 20 seconds per slide and hoping my story wasn’t as boring as watching paint dry.

The flyer for the event that never happened.

And then, of course, the event got canceled, and I kind of forgot about this project, until the other day when I was running and thinking about character traits developed through ultrarunning that supposedly help with real life. Do they? What happens when life changes so drastically due to the illness, quarantining and financial strain of a pandemic?

I decided to revisit this project, finish it up, and upload it on the PechaKucha.com site. The script is the same as I wrote before the coronavirus hit. Do these lessons still hold up? I think several of them are relevant and helpful for what we’re collectively going through, but you be the judge.

Here’s the presentation with audio recorded, and then the individual slides with a transcript of the talk follows. Or you can view it on the site and share this link if you like. If you listen to the presentation, you’ll hear a few goofs where I lose my place in the script or when my throat catches, but I decided not to re-record it because I figure I’d have a few goofs in a live presentation too, and I’m trying to be less of a perfectionist.

Here you go:

Photo credit: Mark Tanaka

Hi there! I’m an ultrarunner and a running coach, and I’m going to share some life lessons I’ve learned from trail running. I’ve discovered over the past 25 years that the trail is a great teacher, and we can develop character traits on the trail that help in real life. But first, a little about me.

Photo credit (R): courtesy Grand to Grand Ultra

I’m 50 and the mom of two, and I’ve finished more than 90 ultras and marathons, including some of North America’s toughest 100-milers. Last fall I won a 170-mile race called the Grand to Grand Ultra that combines running with camping and requires competitors to carry all our food and gear for a week. So, most people assume I’ve always been sporty and ran in high school and college, but no…

… this is how I looked and acted in college. I had a fondness for 40-ouncers, Camel lights and oversized sweaters that hid my chunky frame. I also had a really cool boyfriend pictured there, and this year we celebrate our 30th anniversary – but that’s another story.

So the first lesson is you can be a late-bloomer and develop a new hobby or skill even if you think you’re not cut out for it! I used to hate running. Then I started running to cope with stress as a graduate student at age 24. I transformed from a pretty dorky looking rookie to someone who could run a 3:05 marathon.

Photo credit (L) Corey Rich, (R) Howie Stern

Eventually I grew less interested in road racing, and much more drawn to the variety and natural beauty of the trail. I ran my first 50K trail race in 2007 and progressed to longer distances on more challenging terrain. So now, let me share some of the lessons I’ve learned from all these miles on the trail….

Photo credit (L) James Richard Kao, (R) Howie Stern

One of main reasons I run trails is to get outside and free myself from devices and distractions. As Anne Lamott once said, “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it, including you.” This time unplugged and surrounded by nature improves my focus, spurs creative thinking and puts me in a better frame of mind to tackle everyday work.

Photo credit: courtesy Grand to Grand Ultra

This photo is from halfway through the Grand to Grand Ultra, and I told myself to just make it to the top of that bluff. Ultrarunners like to say, “Just get to the next aid station,” because doing hard things is more manageable when you break the task into smaller pieces. Trail running reminds me to focus mainly on the mile I’m in and not get overwhelmed by all the miles still to go.

Running ultras on trail also reminds me of the importance of taking care of myself along the way. I’ve learned that I’ll run better in the later miles if I take time at an aid station to eat and rest. So when you’re stressed and at risk of running yourself into the ground, maybe the best thing to do is rest a little while and eat something.

Trail running also develops camaraderie and has taught me the importance of a good crew. These are two good friends who crewed and paced me at the Western States 100 to help me reach my goal of a sub-24-hour finish. In ultras, we value self-reliance, but sometimes you really need the support of others to meet a goal. So when you face a tough challenge, ask for help.

This was a trail race where I felt particularly good, but a voice of self-doubt always pops in my head and asks, should I run ahead of the others? Should I really be a leader? Then I remind myself to go for it, take risks and lean in. Trail running & racing has helped me believe in myself and have a more gutsy response to opportunities in life.

I often act goofy like this in a race, and the truth is, when I look this happy, there’s a chance I’m actually just faking it and dealing with discomfort. Cultivating a positive and optimistic attitude is essential to get through rough patches on the trail. I’ve learned that using humor and pretending to feel positive actually helps me run and feel better.

Likewise, the trail has taught me to be tough, not complain, and get back up when I suffer a painful fall. It’s inevitable that the trail will trip us up occasionally, just as life deals setbacks, and at those times you’ll have a better outcome if you accept the suffering and tell yourself, “It could be worse, and I can handle this.”

The flipside to being tough is to know your limits and stay safe. This is me at mile 60 of the Ouray 100 after I passed out at an aid station with fluid-filled lungs. After I woke up, I tried to keep going but could barely breathe while hiking. The trail is humbling and teaches humility, and none of us is invincible.

Photo credit (R): Howie Stern

One of the keys to success at trail running is adapting to the conditions and keeping a flexible mindset. Sometimes you have to improvise to get up and down a mountain, whether it’s sliding on your butt, or putting on full rain gear and hiking with trekking poles. The trail teaches us to adapt and troubleshoot.

Consistency is another key to success in ultramarathons and in life. You’ve gotta put in the time and effort, and focus on the process of training, to have a successful outcome on race day. In real life, we can become so focused on the outcome that we want to achieve or the goal we want to reach that we overlook the process it takes to actually get there.

And the trail most definitely has taught me to be patient. During long runs, I usually reach a point where I just want to hurry up and be done. But I can’t hurry up because I’m tired. The best way to work through those moments is to accept the circumstances and to have faith that if I keep making progress, even at a snail’s pace, I eventually will finish.

Photo credit (R): Tonya Perme

Obviously I love trail running, but I do flirt with burnout, and therefore I try to enjoy the trail in different ways. One way is combining running with riding. Covering miles with my horse presents a totally different set of challenges. If you feel like you’re stuck in a rut athletically or in life in general, then I encourage you to try new things.

Running trails also has taught me to adjust to changing seasons and has made me more acutely aware of the passage of time, and of my own aging. I’ve been running for a quarter-century, and I hope to run and hike for at least another 25. As I age and slow down, I realize that longevity in the sport and good health matter much more than any podium finish.

Photo credit (L): Keith Facchino

Finally, I’ll share my favorite piece of wisdom from the trail: “Take what the trail gives you.” If the trail becomes steep and gnarly, then hike it. If it’s a smooth ribbon of dirt, then stride out and run hard. Make the most of whatever is in front of you. The trail gives us a gift of opportunity, and we should always run with gratitude.

Thank you so much for this opportunity to share my experiences. If you want any more trail-running insight or coaching advice, I hope you’ll consider getting the book I wrote, called The Trail Runner’s Companion. I also invite you to follow my blog and social media for more trail running advice. Thank you.