Welcome to round three of Tales From Another Mother Runner Thursday, where we preview one of the 22 essays and authors in our forthcoming book. While our names are on the cover, the book is a truly celebration of this amazing, badass community: not only does it contain 22 essays from a range of talented writers and mother runners, it has miles of insight, advice, stories, and humor from hundreds of you.
Up today: Marit Fischer, a trail runner in Park City, Utah and mother of Hazel, a five-year-old.
My running history: As a kid, I loved running because I was good at it. No matter my focus sport through school and in my twenties (soccer, basketball, track, fencing, triathlon), I always ran as part of my training, until, in my thirties, everything else lost its allure and running itself became my passion. Specifically, running on trails.
I don’t race anymore. I used to, but I don’t anymore. I don’t feel the need. I don’t require a goal. I don’t want a deadline. Running, for me, is meditation. It’s friend time. It’s free time. It’s fun. I go long because I want to. Because there’s nowhere I’d rather be than in the mountains, on the trails, among the aspens, under the blue. And because there’s nothing I’d rather be doing than running.
My writing history: I write like I run: for the joy of it.
My essay “A Ghost Story”: is a view into the soul connections I’ve experienced through trail running. It’s a peek at the supernatural that comes from simply being open to, and running through, the natural.
Trail running seems to have a spiritual component for you. Can you talk a little about that? I’ve recently left a 20+ career in PR and marketing to become a spiritual regression hypnotherapist and Reiki master. Hypnosis is intense self-focus. It is a form of meditation. Trail running is, for me, just that. The rhythmic breathing and foot fall of running, in the most beautiful of settings, has inspired some of my clearest thoughts and my deepest connections.
Favorite nearby running trail: Park City, with its Mountain Trails Foundation and Basin Recreation, does trails right. There are hundreds of miles of them, which I can access right up the hill from my house. Round Valley is open space that I can connect to easily from the trail out my front door. I can run six miles or 20 there, depending on my mood or the amount of time I have, and I can do it year round. Of all the trails there, the Rambler loop is my favorite.
Favorite meal after a long trail run: Give me a burger. A good one. Thick and juicy and medium rare with garden-grown tomatoes and lettuce, more spicy mustard than ketchup, and a soft bun, ever-so-slightly toasted on the inside. And good salty fries too.
What you carry on your back during a longer trail run: Even my shorter runs are 6-8 miles, so there’s never a time I don’t run with a pack. I carry plain water, salt tabs (4-8 depending on the temps), Ibuprofin (2), lip stuff, a Band-Aid, my phone (for Strava, Spotify if I’m alone, and in case of emergency) and food. (I like ProBar Bolts and Honey Stinger chews and waffles.) Sometimes, I carry one of my daughter’s small toys with me. She gets to pick the creature. Then at some point on my run, in a particularly pretty grove or under a brave sunrise, I’ll take a pic of the two of us together so I can share it with Hazel when I get home.
Next up on your running calendar: My running partner, Cathy, and I like doing long, self-supported runs. We’ve got the Zion Traverse, the Winds Traverse, and the Four Pass Loop on our to-do list. We’re also looking at good, challenging, long routes in Europe for when we both can afford it and take the time. The Haute Route is on the dream list. And so is the Camino de Santiago.
I LOVE THIS ESSAY!! Finally, a die-hard trail runner I can connect with. There are so many trails to explore and my bucket list includes running a trail in New Zealand. I have a couple of articles from years past (specifically about New Zealand and the Italian Dolomites) that I read over and over again just to experience the bliss, clarity and serenity that trail running inspires. Yet, there are so many glorious trails in the U.S. as well. I hope you get to travel to Europe to extend the euphoria of “soul connections” and “running through the natural.” I tend to run alone. There aren’t many female trail runners where I live now compared to the SW with the mountains I long for and miss. I try to return ‘home’ when I can. I get ecstatic when I run into another female trail runner along the mountainous single-track, technical, 8,000 ft elevation trails and we high-five!! I love the solitude, the stillness of nature, the “predictable calm”. I do take pre-cautions as well, and take along snacks and hydration. Thank you, this made my day!!
Hi, jctrail. I love your note. Makes me feel connected. Thank you for posting. And here’s a virtual single track high five. Have an awesome day!
I’ve too love trails- and when I started running in the late 70s, quickly went from road racing to trail running (and sometimes racing). My favorite routes/runs/races are Catalina Island Marathon, Pikes Peak and the Rim to Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon. I received the “triple crown” award here locally in Tucson a LONG time ago for completing/winning Mica Mountain Marathon, Tanque Verde Loop run (50K) and for holding the women’s record on Mt. Wrightson ascent one year. I now live really close to that last trail and plan on making it a part of my running routine as soon as some of the snow melts!
I started mountain biking when I was 50 and love that too! Happy running!
There ARE tons (always have been I guess) of female trail runners in the South West (were you talking about the US?) I hooked up with many lady trail runners in the 80s and still have them as friends!
Hi, Cheryl! I did the R2R2R about ten years ago and loved every minute of it. We did it in late October, Halloween weekend. There was something so fulfilling about starting in the dark, running through the day, and ending in the dark, experiencing the nuance of shadow and light at every step. I’d love to go back and do it again sometime, but there are so many new trails I’d love to run that doing a repeat has not been at the top of my list. I love that you’ve shared that experience. Happy trails to you.
We started in the dark too…but I climbed out at dusk! South to north to south… which direction did you choose? I need to get back up there. It’s been ten years since I’ve been to the Canyon….(wah)
the only trail I ever ran was on an old railroad bed so manmade (does that even count?). I loved being in the nature part more, but the closest trail would be 45 minutes away at least so it’s not really something I could do on a regular basis.
Running can be a type of prayer run but that has to be my focus and most of the time I don’t.
Cheryl, we did South to North and back too. Lovely.
Randi, I hear you. Driving 45 minutes each way to run is more than I would be willing to do on a regular basis as well. I’m aware every day how lucky I am to live where I live, to look out my front windows and see the Wasatch mountains and to get to run up into them whenever I want to. I mentioned the Mountain Trails Foundation in my bio. I can’t say enough good about them. They make our playground possible. I also hear you on setting the intention of a “prayer run.” I talk about this in the essay in the book. Often, a run is a kick-ass, sweat-it-out type deal, or maybe a gripe therapy session, or maybe a grocery list-making endeavor, or how ’bout a “I am a mommy and I get no time for myself and I just need a half hour, please can I just get a half hour, because then everything, and I mean everything will be ok.” Runs are all those things and that is why they are so dang awesome.