Scott Jurek--Ultrarunning Machine

I first heard about Scott Jurek while reading Born to Run--a book written by Christopher McDougall about the Tarahumara running tribe and as a call for minimalist, meditation-based running. He speaks about handling discomfort mindfully--using breath, awareness, and just keeping on until "those little glimpses of flow, or easy movement" carry you away. This feeling of freedom, of pure bliss, of being able to go forever while the fountain of endorphins trickle down your scalp-- disengaged from modern day mental clutter and boiled down to just one foot in front of the other, despite the immense pain and your muscles screaming at you to stop--this is why I fell in love with distance running. Hopefully I can take in some of Scott's wisdom, as well as stay focused on the reasons I got involved, and apply it to my race in one week! First marathon here we come.
 


 These are some of my favorite quotes:

"You're tapping into that primitive, body function survival things going on. And also, there are times when I'm running and even though I've been in discomfort for 20,30,40 miles, sometimes it just feels like I'm floating and that I can run, you know, forever. And those little glimpses of like, flow, or just, I guess ease of movement is what I think a lot of people are searching for with endurance sports."

"Discomfort and adversity are somethings that life, is really full of. I've learned a lot from the ultrarunning sport that I can apply to my life because...there are plenty of times when I'm out running when it hurts just as much as everyone else. And it's about accepting that as part of the journey. In order to get to the top of the mountain, the discomfort and the fatigue and the struggle is part of it and I think, once you appreciate it, you don't try to avoid it."

Three Sisters: 50 miles, 3 nights, 4 burly humans

I woke up at dawn today, still in sync with mother nature's rhythm from the backcountry. I hobbled down the stairs to make my coffee and greet my garden. My feet look like I dipped them in a pot of hot acid (fucking blisters) and my mind is on stimulation overload from all the man-made hustle. It's amazing what a few days 'unplugged' will do for the mind.

A 50 mile loop in 4 days around the base of three magnificent volcanoes in the Three Sisters Wilderness in central Oregon. The four of us set off on the first day from Portland. 6am! We planned the night before. 9:30 rolls around and I'm having my second french press coffee and a bagel, waiting for the crew to get their shit in order.

Due to inevitable miscommunications and obvious coffee breaks, we hit the trailhead around 3pm--needing to huck 12+ miles before sundown. Heads down we trucked into the 'burnzone' on the east side of las hermanas. Apparently there was a huge fire here last year, so all the water-sources marked on my trusty map had dried up. We were in a pickle, cruisin at 20min miles, takin no breaks, trudging and trudging trying to find a creek to camp by. To no avail--we set up camp in the dark in a pile of ash and nibbled on cold pop-tarts before collapsing into our tents.

 

 Dawn brought a new light. Although we were all itchin for some coffee...we ate a few power-bars, rolled a few spliffs and set off at first light--ready to charge 15+ miles and get the fuck out of this burnzone.

 3pm: We had hot lunch at Green Lakes--oriental flavored top-ramen and three cups of coffee. We all took a nap under the alpine sun and soaked our feet in the glacier melt. It was glorious. Only 5 more miles to go for the day!

 I don't even remember setting up camp that night at Moraine Lake because I was so delirious from blister pain and pure exhaustion. Me and Jesse fell asleep giggling with altitude-fuzzied brains before sundown. I woke up to this scene--the pup Isabel tryin to play fetch and the South Sister basking in her morning alpine glow.

 We joined with the Pacific Crest Trail this morning and wove our way through Doug-Fir forests and alpine meadows. Each of us in the groove of truckin, chattin, eatin, and laughing. I love the way the wilderness sluffs off pretense and rubs people into a clan of sorts.

We cut out early and set up camp at Reese Lake because it was too good to be true. All alone at this crystal clear lake with the South Sister towering over-us--her crater echoing power. We laid in the meadows reading, swam in the lake, built a fire, and gazed at the stars.

 Dawn on our last morning. We knew it was gonna be a tough day because we didn't meet our expected mileage the day before. 6am. 13 miles togo. 4 humans and a pup in rough shape--held together by spliffs, advil, and duct tape. We set off in silence for the last, most beautiful leg of our trip.

Jesse feelin it ALL

 At the top of Opie Pass. These volcanoes make for such desolate landscapes. I felt like I was knocking on the gates of Mordor trudging up those switchbacks.

Las Hermanas

The North and Middle Sisters

Map questin

  We all felt like we had tested our limits with this hike. I love the feeling of getting my ass kicked by mother nature. Placing one foot in front of the other up and down mountain passes, through pain, sunshine, and rain is humbling---it quiets the soul from all the menial bullshit of day-to-day life. It puts in perspective the reality we humans create and prioritize beyond the power of nature.