Seeking the Runner's High: My 2019 Race to the Top of Vermont

I’m seeking a runner’s high, 3,850 feet of height to be exact. That’s the elevation at the top of the Mount Mansfield toll road. The summit of Mount Mansfield (Vermont’s highest mountain) is located at 4,393 feet. However, the toll road begins at the base of the mountain in Stowe and takes you to 3,850 feet, which is still plenty of altitude. Today’s mission is not to drive up the mountain but to ascend it using muscles, not motors. Some will choose to cycle and some will hike, but most (myself included) opt to run.

This is the Race to theTop of Vermont, a race dubbed as; The Hardest Race ANYONE can do. Anyone willing to accept the challenge of climbing the 4.3 mile toll road (with an average incline grade of 12% ) and register before the cap of 800 participants is met can partake in the event.

I participated in this event for the first time in 2018 and enjoyed it tremendously. That’s right! You read that correctly, I got enjoyment from running up a mountain. But, before you call me crazy, read on and you'll find out why.

I’ll admit it did seem like a somewhat daunting challenge, especially when doing it for the first time. So why did I enjoy it so much? Well, first of all there is the beauty of being in the mountains. The elevation combined with nature gives one a fresh perspective on the world. Its beauty is evident and the elevation can make day to day stressors seem small.  Secondly, the feelings of empowerment that accompany completion of such a challenge transitions into everyday life, providing strength and perseverance to deal with the challenges life throws our way. So, here I am back for more.

My goals today are to make it to the top and enjoy the experience with minimal walking. I’d also like to stay within shouting distance of last year’s time of 49 minutes. I haven’t done much in the way of hill training this year, let alone any mountain running, so I’m not anticipating being able to best that time. If, however, I can be within two to three minutes of it I’ll be pleased.

The “30 seconds until the start” announcement is made. As the seconds tick down my excitement goes up. The countdown finally reaches zero. We are off and running! The course starts off with a steep climb of roughly a 12% grade, so avoiding succumbing to the temptation of going out fast is wise. Fortunately, I learned this in advance last year (the hard way) by doing just that. In preparation for the race I did a training run up the mountain; starting too aggresively, I ended up walking before I had even gone one mile.

After about two-tenths of a mile the course transitions from pavement to dirt and levels off significantly. Don’t get me wrong, there is still plenty of elevation to climb (this is a mountain after all) but the incline is more gradual. The course winds its way up and up through switchback after switchback with frequent fluctuation in the percent grade. Our journey takes us through an abundance of wooded areas with occasional clearings providing views of ski trails and ski lifts which rest in solitude as they await the busy winter months. At about two miles we are greeted by a charming mountain chapel.

As the course winds its way further up the mountain I find myself needing to take a walk break at about the 2 ½ mile mark. The break isn’t long (only about 15 seconds) but it provides just enough of a recovery to help me start running again and power myself up and around the next switchback. (I jokingly tell people I signed up for this race because I heard there would be a lot of Switchbacks, which is in reference to the ale brewed in Burlington, VT)

At just over 3 miles the course opens up to stunning views of Mansfield and the surrounding mountains. If I wasn’t running I would say the views were breathtaking, but since I’ve been running on an incline for 30 minutes my breath has already been taken.

The positive imagery of the landscape comes at just the right time as it provides a beautiful distraction from the steepest part of the course directly ahead. After several seconds of taking in the sight of the amazing mountainous landscape to my right I decide I need to face reality. As I turn to look straight ahead the reality is the steep incline that awaits me. I can see about two-tenths of mile of the toll road, which does nothing but go straight up.  I don’t know the specific grade of this portion, but it is well over the twelve percent average. It’s got to be at least in the high teens though since some sections of the course are less than 12 percent. Regardless of the numbers, it’s steep!

I tell myself to make forward progress by any means necessary. There are numerous poles serving various functions along the side of the road in this section. I decide to make them my focal points. Run to the first pole then focus on the next. Like climbing a ladder rung by rung these poles are my short term goals helping me get to the top. I walk 3 times up this steep section but keep each walking segment very short so as to not lose momentum.

Chug, chug, chug I think I can, I think I can…I keep chugging away and moving forward. At last, I reach the top of the steepest section but as the course rounds a corner the climbing continues. I can only see the next turn and nothing more. I know that the course levels off soon, but when?  Chug, chug, chug I think I can, I think I can…

I hear slightly muffled cheering. I’m getting close! Not to the top, but to the point where the incline levels off, which happens to be my favorite spot in the race and occurs at 3.7 miles. It’s not my favorite because of the welcome change in terrain (although this helps) but because of the multitude of emotions I feel and the delight brought to my senses.  A spectacular perspective of the top of Mount Mansfield is visible at this point which shows its contours, ski trails, hiking trails, and rocky ridgeline. The cheering from the spectators, race officials, and volunteers lining the course brings enthusiasm to my tired legs. Knowing that there is only .6 miles until the finish, with the hardest part behind me fills my heart with excitement. All of these factors combine to create a feeling of complete exhilaration!

The final .6 miles finds my running resembling something of a makeshift fartlek run, with my pace varying frequently to correspond with the varying level of power my legs can provide. The road is straight but of course continues to go up with periodic short steeper inclines. The road then makes repeated S-turns with a sharp increase in grade at each one. A musical duo playing guitar and violin provides entertainment at the first turn. I remember them from last year, the finish is around this bend. Ugh! No it’s not!  It’s around the next one, it’s got to be! I can hear it. I can hear cheering. I’m getting close. The road goes straight for a short stretch and then turns to the left. Rounding that left turn I can see the finishing chute. Yes! I gather up the remaining power I have in my legs and kick to the finish, finishing in 51 minutes.

Although I finished 2 minutes slower than last year I was close enough to it to feel satisfied with my performance.  Now it’s time to enjoy the runner’s high. With endorphins aplenty and a spectacular view from the elevation this is a literal and figurative high. 

Recently, I watched the award winning documentary Free Solo about Alex Honnold’s historic climb of El Capitan. There is a scene in which his brain activity is tested and it is discovered that he has practically no activity in his amygdala. The amygdala is the region of the brain which processes fear and sends out signals to trigger the fight or flight response. With this in mind, it makes sense that he excels at the sport of climbing. While he is at heights that would make the average person shutter in fear, his brain is telling his body everything is fine, so he remains calm.

I summited this mountain a different way and for the opposite reason. My amygdala is quite active, and so I run. Running is quite literally the flight response.  It quiets the sensations in the brain which scream that danger is present. Running tells the body the safety is near and all will be okay.  It helps the brain slow down the pace of the thoughts that race through it every day and helps it focus on just being in the moment. 

Being in the mountains has the added benefit of bringing perspective to life. Things that we stress about on a daily basis are often molehills that we are viewing as mountains. Being in the actual mountains brings this fact to light. Too often we become consumed with our day to day tasks. We hustle here and hustle there not paying attention to the beauty that surrounds us. Running to the top of Vermont is also a wonderful reminder of how much beauty we are missing if we don’t look up every once and while.

  

Flowing into Happiness

It’s 8 am. A fresh coat of snow blankets the earth and a light fog fills the air as I begin my standard Sunday long run.Today I’m running with my headphones for some musical inspiration. My musical selection is quite diverse but even with it set to shuffle I feel like my ipod can sometimes read my mind, as it often picks the right song at the right moment. As I tread lightly across the new fallen snow to get a sense of the degree of slipperiness, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata is the first melody that serenades my eardrums.

One might not associate this with a workout song but its cadence is perfect for warming up. And despite being about moonlight it seems to be fitting. Being early in the day on a Sunday the rest of the world seems to still be at rest, providing a similar stillness as the moonlight hours. It’s just me running through a silent snow covered foggy town. The song seems to be the soundtrack for this moment, emphasizing the so called loneliness of the long distance runner.

I love my long runs, they provide me with a form of meditation, an opportunity to get inside my head and clean out the gunk that has accumulated from a hectic work week.

Despite the fact that I’m running while listening to music I am still very much able to clear my head. In fact, exercising to music has been shown to induce a state of ‘flow’ or ‘getting into the zone’.

Flow is the point during an activity in which mind and body work in perfect synch, you are totally in the moment and movements seem to flow without conscious effort. Recent research at Brunel University’s School of Sport and Education showed that music can make the experience of cardiovascular exercise far more positive. Promoting a state of flow is a way in which this happens. Researchers concluded that music and imagery could enhance athletic performance by triggering emotions and cognitions associated with flow.  

While music certainly isn’t required for a flow state, sometimes it helps. Today is one of those days for me. As my strides take me over varied terrain thoughts of my week and daily obligations disappear. The rhythm from assorted melodies on my ipod and my breathing are all I’m aware of. I’m out playing in the snow approaching the day with a childlike enthusiasm.

Not long ago I listened to an NPR episode of the TED Radio Hour in which the subject was Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs. In 1943 Psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed that healthy human beings have a certain number of needs, and that these needs are arranged in a hierarchy, with some needs (such as physiological and safety needs) being more primitive or basic than others (such as social and ego needs). Maslow’s so-called ‘hierarchy of needs’ is often presented as a five-level pyramid, with higher needs coming into focus only once lower, more basic needs are met.

One of the discussions during this TED radio hour episode was with Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (see pronunciation below). The “gist” of this discussion was that after a certain point, increases in material well-being don’t seem to affect happiness. Research shows that people who, regardless of what they are doing, become totally absorbed in the activity (thereby being in a state of flow) tend to be the most truly happy. This explains why I am feeling so at peace and consumed with happiness.


                                        
                                     Mihaly Csikszentmihaly; How do you say that?

His TED talk on the subject is here: http://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow

Recently, while perusing through television channels in search of something that struck my fancy I came across the film “Stick It”, a film in which the main characters are gymnasts. The description of this film from Imdb.com is as follows: 

After a run-in with the law, Haley Graham (Missy Peregrym) is forced to return to the world from which she fled some years ago. Enrolled in an elite gymnastics program run by the legendary Burt Vickerman (Jeff Bridges), Haley's rebellious attitude gives way to something that just might be called team spirit.

This film met with mixed reviews but it had some really interesting cinematography and some memorable scenes. One such scene stands out in my mind because I felt it really exemplified the power of being in a state of flow. Haley (the lead character) had a life that was in turmoil. She came from a broken home, had an unsupportive mother, and was viewed by many as being unable to live up to her potential. As a result she was rebellious.

Despite all this and the negative distractions that go along with them, when on the balance beam in this particular scene she tunes out her surroundings and puts her heart and soul into her routine. She stumbles at one point but doesn’t lose focus. From this point forward is where she achieves 'flow'. She gets right back on the beam, pouring her emotions into her routine using them as fuel to power her to a beautiful and flawless finish. My perception is that while she’s on the beam she feels that all negativity is gone and there is only beauty in each moment as she gracefully expresses herself through her routine.

Perhaps this is what the world needs for greater peace, happiness and an overall healthier state; more flow. We are so consumed by day-to-day tasks that often involve multi-tasking that we don’t take time out to lose ourselves in something, to completely immerse ourselves in one particular action. When we are multi-tasking, we cannot possibly devote all of our attention to one thing.

Flow is also far more likely to occur with mastery. By this I mean the more frequently an activity is done, the more skill you acquire. Skill improvement occurs as a result of an enhanced mind and body connection. Since flow is the point in which mind and body work in perfect synch, this enhanced connection leads to this perfect synchronicity.

Today there is too much of an emphasis on shortcuts. It’s difficult to master something if you are taking shortcuts. Also, it’s important to be persistent and not give up. More and more, people give up too quickly when trying something new. By doing this the meditative state of flow is avoided and the empowering self esteem building sense of accomplishment is bypassed as well.

All of these flow preventing factors can prevent happiness. A lack of happiness often leads to negative thinking which leads to poor health (both physical and mental) and negative actions towards ourselves and others.

Okay so maybe getting in the zone won’t cure all of the world’s problems, but it sure isn’t going to hurt. So my advice to myself and others is to slow down from time to time, take time to immerse yourself in something and work at mastering it. Play an instrument, write a book, do some woodworking, go for a run,... whatever. The activity doesn’t necessarily matter as long as it challenges you enough to require focus. I guarantee the action won't be regretted.