“Take care of yourself.” That’s what my girlfriend Jess said to me before leaving to visit her sister and nephew in California. Now, don’t go jumping to any conclusions. I don’t think her statement was meant to insinuate that I’m incapable of taking care of myself. Jess knows that I am a very independent person. I think what she was getting at was something different.
Just before Jess left, Rod Farvard and I spent a week training together in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado. It was a big, tiring week. On the final day of the trip, Rod and I logged our last big run in Ouray, then rushed off to the Durango airport so Rod could catch his flight back to California.
After dropping Rod off at the airport, Jess and I set our sights on making the long drive back to Colorado Springs. The only problem was that the bus was due for some new brakes. Hence, I found a kind mechanic in Pagosa Springs who agreed to get the job done that day.
Rod Farvard on an outing with Zach in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. All photos courtesy of Zach Miller.
Jess and I dropped the bus off around 4 p.m., and then played the waiting game until about 8 p.m. when the job was complete. While the timing of the repair wasn’t ideal, we were grateful for the help and happy to get back on the road.
Wanting to get back for Sunday morning church, we drove until about 1:30 a.m. before stopping to sleep. The next morning, we awoke around 8 a.m. and rushed off to church. Although, maybe we didn’t rush too much because we did stop for donuts and breakfast burritos along the way.
After church we made our way to the grocery store to grab a few things. It seemed like a good idea, but the store was packed and my brain was far too tired to make efficient decisions. Sensing our fatigue, we planned to take a pre-run nap. It seemed simple enough, but then our stomachs needed food, so we fed them. And the running route needed planning, so I planned it. By the time all of this was done, rain was falling on the roof of the bus and I was feeling excessively tired and frustrated.
Jess toughed it out, skipped the nap, and went straight to running. I, on the other hand, crawled in bed and took a nice, long nap. I awoke feeling a million times better and much more ready to tackle my workout. Though I didn’t start running until nearly 8 p.m., I ran deep into the night and had an awesome run.
The next day I slept in very late, and then drove Jess to the airport. This was when she told me to take care of myself. I think she told me this more because of my capabilities than my incapabilities. While Jess knows that I am very capable of taking care of myself, she also knows that I am very capable of running myself into the ground. Perhaps she just wanted to come back and find me in one (good) piece.
With Jess on her way, I drove to Boulder, and went for an easy run with my friend and teammate Seth Ruhling. The next day I did a chill morning run with my buddy Drew Holmen, and then drove up to Eldora, and ran a nice eight-mile loop that evening. Afterward I ate some good food, then had a long sleep. The next morning, I ate breakfast and headed up to Brainard Lake, not too far away, for a long run.
Refueling with Seth Ruhling.
As I prepped for the run, I tried to set myself up for success. I packed fluids, plenty of snacks, and my filter so I could drink from creeks once my soft flask ran dry. I also packed nearly the entire gear kit required for UTMB as I wanted to practice carrying what I would have with me on race day in a few short weeks.
As I started my run, I made note of the patches of dark clouds kicking around. They weren’t ideal, but I decided I would give it a go and keep a close eye on them. With my eye in the sky, I made it up and over the first pass safely. The body was feeling pretty good, and all was going well, but roughly two hours into the run, I noticed that my filter bottle was missing. It had fallen out of the pocket I had stashed it in. Sure, I had plenty of calories to get me through the run, but the liter of liquid I was sipping on was nearly gone and I had hours to go.
Looking back, it seems ironic. I had done so many things to take care of myself. I ate well, got lots of sleep, and packed all the gear and snacks. Yet, there I was without one of the most important tools for taking care of myself, my water filter.
In the end, it wasn’t a huge deal. It wasn’t a matter of life and death. It was more just a matter of how fast I’d be able to go and how good or bad I would feel. All I could do was work with what I had available to me.
I rationed my remaining fluids. I ate my calories. I dunked my hat in a creek to help me keep cool. I soaked up the rain. When I got back to my bus, I drank lots of fluids, ate two cans of soup, and made two bowls of “fancy” ramen noodles. In time, my spirits lifted, and my energy returned.
Ramen noodles — the dinner of champions.
Looking back, my day without my filter serves as a good reminder to do what Jess told me, to “take care of myself.” But, this reminder isn’t just for me. It’s for all of us. No matter if it’s a race, a training run, or just life in general, we all need to remember to take care of ourselves, and at times, each other, because you never know when someone might lose their filter.
Call for Comments
- Are you guilty of running yourself into the ground sometimes?
- Do you think you could benefit from the occasional reminder to take care of yourself?
