What’s the easiest way to turn another training day into a fresh adventure? Make the usual unusual. As an example, I’ll draw upon some wisdom from an athlete who is about as far away from a rut as Pluto is from a planet: ultramarathon man Dean Karnazes.
For those of you unfamiliar with Karnazes, he has run through Death Valley in the middle of the summer. He has run 350 miles nonstop. And best of all, he’s still drumming up new challenges for himself.
This is what makes him tick. He’s not a superhuman running robot, capable of conquering absurd distances in world-record time. In fact, he’s just the opposite. My testing of Karnazes showed that he’s as normal a runner that you can find.
So what allows him to achieve these extraordinary accomplishments? One simple fact: He loves adventure. Adventure to Dean is taking his body places he doesn’t think it can go. Adventure to Dean is dreaming up some challenge that was previously “impossible” by most human standards. That’s what keeps him going.
I once heard that you know you’re on an adventure the minute you wish you were home, preferably in bed. That’s a bit extreme, but it does explain, in essence, how to break out and accomplish something extraordinary to you.
You don’t need to run 350 miles to have an adventure. But you need to do something that you find challenging or at least different, i.e., instead of hiking a fourteener, you could climb up and down the stairwell of the tallest building in downtown Denver until you scale 7,000 vertical feet. (I suggest bringing an iPod if you’re going to try.)
Going to a Buffaloes game in Boulder? Ride your bike to the stadium. Set up your bike with lights and do your normal training rides at night. The routes will feel totally new.
As the days grow shorter, run at night, when you’ll be forced to rely more on your sense of feel for the road.
Adventure is equal parts a challenge and a celebration that you have the capacity to try it at all. At Carmichael Training Systems, we train a cancer survivor who bikes 40 miles each way to her dreaded oncologist appointment, because to her just being able to ride a bike is an adventure. After a thumbs up from her doctor, she says the rides home are some of the most satisfying and beautiful and spirited miles she does all month.
Take her cue and add some thrills or twists to your everyday experience. The only regret you can have is turning your back on a memorable adventure.
The adventure kit
Before you set out, here’s a rough idea of what you’ll need:
* A goal that gets your adrenaline going: If the idea makes you a wee bit uncomfortable, you’re on the right track.
* Food and fluid: Whatever you do, make sure you stay well fueled with food and fluids. Trying to make do without either will be an adventure, but guaranteed, it will also be a nightmare.
* Confident and fit: You have to be slightly cocky to pursue an adventure and in moderately good shape to explore your limits. The better trained you are, the more outrageous your adventures can be.
* Gear: Like food and fluids, you can turn any outing into an adventure without the right gear, but it’s more fun if you’re prepared for anything. Your chances of success increase dramatically.
* A friend: If you have a like-minded ally, it could double the adventure and double the sense of accomplishment.
Jason Koop is a coach at Carmichael Training Systems in Colorado Springs. For more info on the latest in training, fitness and nutrition, go to www.trainright.com/newsletter.
