YOU CAN’T FAKE IT Which leads me to my next point. I’m convinced there is no better, more supportive, kinder, more inspiring community than Midwest trail runners. I think it’s because we all know how difficult this pursuit is and just what it asks of us. People who spend time in nature are attuned to a side of life that others just can’t relate to. We understand that some days we are running away from something and some days we are blazing a trail forward into the heart of the unknown with steadfast determination. We see how choosing to make ourselves stronger and healthier isn’t just for us, but for everyone around us because we lead by example. No matter what it was that initially drew you to the trail and where you want it to take you, you can’t fake it and it can’t be rushed. You earn every single mile. Your trail sisters and brothers know this because they have lived it, too. It reminds me of a quote on the walls of Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, “Yoga is the practice of dealing with the consequences of being yourself.” Trail running has this beautiful way of coaxing us out of our image-managed shell and into the light of a truer self. With that comes the responsibility of owning who we really are, even when that makes us uncomfortable. After all, trail running and yoga aren’t about staying comfortable, they’re about breaking through. R ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kelly Cirone is a Colorado School of Yoga-educated yoga teacher, trail runner, horticulturist, entrepreneur, ginger-cat keeper, and super wife who lives in Kansas City with her trail running, metal-loving husband, Michael. She teaches Yoga for Athletes at Phys Ed KC on Tuesday evenings, where each class starts out lounging on pillows, talking about races and life with some of the most amazing athletes in the city, and ends with the sweetest yoga nap in the entire world.
hours on end. Of course, we eventually learn this through trail experience, but one of the beauties of yoga is that it is generally practiced in relatively stable and predictable environments like yoga studios, gyms, or even at home. So, as you work on controlling your body in challenging postures while simultaneously controlling your breath, you don’t have to worry about getting run over by mountain bikers, eaten alive by oak mites, or being chased by bad dogs. ACHTUNG, BABY! As trail runners in the rocky, rooty, hilly Midwest, it’s a really good idea to stay focused for the entire run, because if you zone out on singletrack you will fall—a lot… and you’re going to fall anyway, so training your mind on the task at hand is vital. This is yoga! Yoga invites us to experience each moment as it unfolds, to feel the movement of the breath, our constant companion from birth to death, and to stay open and awake even when it’s hard and scary. There can be so many times throughout the day when we coast through on auto-pilot, but the trails just don’t allow this folly. We must discipline our mind to stay the course, just as faithfully as we train our body. In yoga, postures are often held for minutes at a time, which can be so intense. Fidgeting and distracting ourselves only seems to make it last longer. Plus, if you’re lost in a trance of thought when practicing many poses, you’ll fall out of them. Yoga teaches us the power of concentration, and that can directly translate to better performance on our feet. It might even keep you from taking a wrong turn and getting hopelessly lost in the woods. THE ONLY WAY OUT IS THROUGH Running stirs up the B.S., and yoga helps us process it. I don’t know about you, but my first year of trail running
brought up a lot of unresolved issues I had around my sense of strength and powerlessness. For the first several months, I cried my eyes out when I ran further than a 10k. Often, I couldn’t even explain why I was crying—it was just something I had to let out. Reflecting on it now, I think some of it was that as I got stronger, I wept for the part of myself that felt weak and small and scared. As I became my own champion, I grieved the part of myself I outgrew and the limitations I imposed on myself for years. I also cried because running is hard and sometimes it just hurts.
Best of all were the tears of joy and surprise when I tangibly proved to myself that I can do hard things. Of course, more often than that came the lessons in humility that running so cheerfully dishes out. Having practiced yoga for years, it feels natural to express myself through movement, but trail running is an entirely different animal. I’m not fast (or, as my coach will tell you, I’m appropriately paced), I don’t do well in the heat, and I have a real tendency to doubt myself long before I believe I will succeed. These are very helpful things to know about myself. Thank you, trail running, for shining a huge spotlight on those blind spots! Now that I see them, I not only get to know myself better, but I have an opportunity to mindfully work through my fears as they arise. Breathe in, lean in.
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