Running Up and Stumbling Down a Mountain

The author has expanded the simple concept of the race report into a brief biographical tale of a man and his growing affection for his elderly mother-in-law, and how that facet of his life blended together with the importance he places on running. The concept of running as a form of mobile meditation, as well as the grander idea that body feeds the mind, is explored in the story of how he sought to seek a balance with family, work, and running at the level of a lifestyle choice. His choice of shifting from a road runner and racer to attempting the technicality of trail running is the element of the journey of self-challenge that all runners contemplate to some degree. Distance runners and endurance athletes of all types will find common ground with the stories of training and race preparation, both the good as well as the bad and the ugly. As the title infers there are potential pitfalls waiting out there for the unwary and unprepared, and the author has done an honest job of sharing with us where he went wrong as well as the small triumphs of his achievements. In the process of doing so he offers us a descriptive look at trail running one of America's more well-known mountains.