"Up" - A review of Sally McRae's NC Trail Running Camp
Up.
A direction toward a higher place or position. A term that's used frequently in the trail running world...
Pick your feet up...
Keep your head up...
Keep your heart up...
That first statement would be the necessary mantra to avoid catastrophic injury on the trails during my time recently in the NC mountains at Sally McRae's trail running camp (when it didn't happen, I felt the reason for this mantra's purpose, haha). The last statement would be the one that keeps the fire burning for running and for life when it seems the last ember is burning.
It's been almost 3 weeks since I arrived at Camp Grier with butterflies in my stomach at the thought of meeting my trail and ultra running idol, Sally McRae. When I found out my husband had gifted me the opportunity to go to this intimate running camp with Sally for my birthday, I knew I'd not only get to finally meet her (I'd stalked her on Instagram forever and in person when we went to spectate at Western States 2018 - she had paced Lucy Bartholomew that year and I chickened out when I had the chance to say hello... I even put a "Sally quote" into each daily bag at TransRockies for morning inspiration to meditate on), but I'd also get to know her on a more personal level. I loved the idea because her posts were not only the most inspirational on the 'Gram, but also because I knew that beyond her almost 53K following was a real person who goes through struggles just like I do. To hear & learn from her would be so valuable.
And of course, it was! Genuine... that is a word I'd use to describe Sally McRae. You can't fake a laugh like that. She spent the time to get to know each camper on a one-on-one basis, to the point you actually become - gasp! - friends. Me, now friends with Sally McRae, was something that felt so surreal. Before all the "friendship" was established was the meeting. Mariana and I arrived as some of last campers to the camp, but immediately were greeted by Sally who recognized my face and called out my name! Whaaaaaaat?! Haha. We hopped in her minivan and rode up to headquarters, where she personally gave us some Nike Trail Running swag - a pair of shoes and a sweet hat! She took us to our cabin, which was a dorm-style cabin at Camp Grier in Old Fort, NC. On the way to the cabin, she declared, "I can't wait for you to meet everyone!! These people will end up being some of your best friends!!".... 'Ok Sally', I thought, 'how cute.' And even smirked. At Sally. Behind her back of course. 'I'm not here for the other people, I'm here for YOU girl.' I tucked the thought away as we arrived, and some ladies met us at the door and immediately began introducing themselves and helping us with all many bags! They seemed nice enough. Maybe they won't get in the way of me getting to know Sally. Haha!!
We head on down to the main cabin and meet up with the rest of the campers and the other coaches - Brandon, Adam, & Jason. Chelsea would also join us later. We do introductions and are forced to find someone we don't know and tell them facts about ourselves and memorize those facts about your new friend. This chick made a beeline for me, and I thought she seemed really friendly. I learned her name - Karen. We hit it off and I immediately liked Karen :) We were instant friends. 'Ok... maybe I can make a couple friends while getting to know Sally,' I thought to myself.
We went for a group run with a local running group that evening and I fell in step with another girl - Eileen - and I found myself once again finding an instant connection. What in the world! Eileen and Karen remain 2 of the folks in my mind with whom I will seem to always have a heart connection. As the hours and then days passed of running breathtaking (both literally & figuratively) mountain passes, more people grew into my heart like the kudzu that grows on the sides of the mountains and trees there. Jen, Marjorie, Nikki, Kristin, Gail, Lisa, Angela, Lexi, Wanda... no particular order but each amazing in their own unique way. Each sharing their life's story... their dreams, goals, fears... around stoked campfires, amid songs sung (screamed?) in stale vans, with Fireball or beer sometimes coursing through the veins. It's amazing how this group of women inspired each other, cheered each other on, even cried with each other... we women have a reputation for cattiness and competition... but not here. Not at trail running camp. These women are now my trail sisters, along with Sally. She no longer was Sally the celebrity but had become another "sister" to share life with in these 4 days, easily blending into the back row of our newly founded dirt church. And you could tell she was loving it, how (as one of my sisters Marjorie put it) this "mountain minister" brought so many women and men together as one family and would sit back with an immense grin on her face, having orchestrated the whole thing. Even the guys were so fun and hilarious and inspiring (John - the harmonica king and trail dad, Aaron - the hip hop DJ, Magnar - the real runner of us all)! The coaches - Chelsea (her sweet kind demeanor, always cheerful), Jason (his quiet encouragement and exquisite skill), Brandon (his eclectic playlist, exceptional dirt road driving, and golden calves - hahaha), and Jason (his guitar and folksy voice lingering across campfires, his choice of lack of clothing on cold days, his hippie handmade pack, his amazement at the beauty of trails he's run hundreds of times).
Sally took the time each morning to go over not only warm-up tactics and fueling strategies, but life lessons about injury and disappointment. I could write about all that we did and it would be interesting and you'd marvel at the elevation gains, the steep mountainous trails (very few switchbacks!!), the adventurous side of me coming out and trying zip-lining (from what seemed like 100 ft in the air) into a lake, and so much more. But what really struck me - besides the heart connections made that day - was the life lessons we learned. Sally spoke of her injuries she's sustained over the years, and reminded us - if we couldn't run anymore, who would we be? We are still people of value, with or without running. It's about the people that meet us at the aid stations and the finish lines, that meet us for early morning runs together, and those that inspire us to do better, be better. It's about the people, not the podiums. It's about the little things, like picking up your feet when running on technical trails - something we know to do but what we often forget when things get monotonous or tiring. What's the first thing you let go when things get tough or you get tired? Often they are the most important things. If you don't pick your feet up, you'll trip and tumble. I know this firsthand - don't ask ;)
One of the mantras of Sally's, also known as Yellow Runner (that's another story for a different day) is Keep Your Heart Up. Certainly, it's a reminder that if we literally run with our heart up, our shoulders square up instead of hunching and we are less likely for injury to find us on long runs. Everything changes when we have the right heart posture. Just like in everyday life. Things may get dark and hard... if you know me and my family and our story, then you know we've seen our fair share of those times. But ...keep your heart up. Find the right posture - if your heart is up, your head is up. Where your gaze is, your heart follows.
I gained confidence in those 4 days that I can actually run mountains. I gained lifelong friends. I gained a killer playlist on Spotify. And my heart was lifted. Thank you Sally.
"I am a student for life, sometimes learning the same lesson repeatedly. It's okay to feel weak; it's okay if you miss the mark; but it's not okay to give up. Keep going; and remember that the very small circle of people who know ALL of who you are; your highs and your lows; and the preciousness of your dreams... THEY... they are golden. Hold them close and thank them often." -- Sally McRae
A direction toward a higher place or position. A term that's used frequently in the trail running world...
Pick your feet up...
Keep your head up...
Keep your heart up...
That first statement would be the necessary mantra to avoid catastrophic injury on the trails during my time recently in the NC mountains at Sally McRae's trail running camp (when it didn't happen, I felt the reason for this mantra's purpose, haha). The last statement would be the one that keeps the fire burning for running and for life when it seems the last ember is burning.
It's been almost 3 weeks since I arrived at Camp Grier with butterflies in my stomach at the thought of meeting my trail and ultra running idol, Sally McRae. When I found out my husband had gifted me the opportunity to go to this intimate running camp with Sally for my birthday, I knew I'd not only get to finally meet her (I'd stalked her on Instagram forever and in person when we went to spectate at Western States 2018 - she had paced Lucy Bartholomew that year and I chickened out when I had the chance to say hello... I even put a "Sally quote" into each daily bag at TransRockies for morning inspiration to meditate on), but I'd also get to know her on a more personal level. I loved the idea because her posts were not only the most inspirational on the 'Gram, but also because I knew that beyond her almost 53K following was a real person who goes through struggles just like I do. To hear & learn from her would be so valuable.
And of course, it was! Genuine... that is a word I'd use to describe Sally McRae. You can't fake a laugh like that. She spent the time to get to know each camper on a one-on-one basis, to the point you actually become - gasp! - friends. Me, now friends with Sally McRae, was something that felt so surreal. Before all the "friendship" was established was the meeting. Mariana and I arrived as some of last campers to the camp, but immediately were greeted by Sally who recognized my face and called out my name! Whaaaaaaat?! Haha. We hopped in her minivan and rode up to headquarters, where she personally gave us some Nike Trail Running swag - a pair of shoes and a sweet hat! She took us to our cabin, which was a dorm-style cabin at Camp Grier in Old Fort, NC. On the way to the cabin, she declared, "I can't wait for you to meet everyone!! These people will end up being some of your best friends!!".... 'Ok Sally', I thought, 'how cute.' And even smirked. At Sally. Behind her back of course. 'I'm not here for the other people, I'm here for YOU girl.' I tucked the thought away as we arrived, and some ladies met us at the door and immediately began introducing themselves and helping us with all many bags! They seemed nice enough. Maybe they won't get in the way of me getting to know Sally. Haha!!
We head on down to the main cabin and meet up with the rest of the campers and the other coaches - Brandon, Adam, & Jason. Chelsea would also join us later. We do introductions and are forced to find someone we don't know and tell them facts about ourselves and memorize those facts about your new friend. This chick made a beeline for me, and I thought she seemed really friendly. I learned her name - Karen. We hit it off and I immediately liked Karen :) We were instant friends. 'Ok... maybe I can make a couple friends while getting to know Sally,' I thought to myself.
We went for a group run with a local running group that evening and I fell in step with another girl - Eileen - and I found myself once again finding an instant connection. What in the world! Eileen and Karen remain 2 of the folks in my mind with whom I will seem to always have a heart connection. As the hours and then days passed of running breathtaking (both literally & figuratively) mountain passes, more people grew into my heart like the kudzu that grows on the sides of the mountains and trees there. Jen, Marjorie, Nikki, Kristin, Gail, Lisa, Angela, Lexi, Wanda... no particular order but each amazing in their own unique way. Each sharing their life's story... their dreams, goals, fears... around stoked campfires, amid songs sung (screamed?) in stale vans, with Fireball or beer sometimes coursing through the veins. It's amazing how this group of women inspired each other, cheered each other on, even cried with each other... we women have a reputation for cattiness and competition... but not here. Not at trail running camp. These women are now my trail sisters, along with Sally. She no longer was Sally the celebrity but had become another "sister" to share life with in these 4 days, easily blending into the back row of our newly founded dirt church. And you could tell she was loving it, how (as one of my sisters Marjorie put it) this "mountain minister" brought so many women and men together as one family and would sit back with an immense grin on her face, having orchestrated the whole thing. Even the guys were so fun and hilarious and inspiring (John - the harmonica king and trail dad, Aaron - the hip hop DJ, Magnar - the real runner of us all)! The coaches - Chelsea (her sweet kind demeanor, always cheerful), Jason (his quiet encouragement and exquisite skill), Brandon (his eclectic playlist, exceptional dirt road driving, and golden calves - hahaha), and Jason (his guitar and folksy voice lingering across campfires, his choice of lack of clothing on cold days, his hippie handmade pack, his amazement at the beauty of trails he's run hundreds of times).
Sally took the time each morning to go over not only warm-up tactics and fueling strategies, but life lessons about injury and disappointment. I could write about all that we did and it would be interesting and you'd marvel at the elevation gains, the steep mountainous trails (very few switchbacks!!), the adventurous side of me coming out and trying zip-lining (from what seemed like 100 ft in the air) into a lake, and so much more. But what really struck me - besides the heart connections made that day - was the life lessons we learned. Sally spoke of her injuries she's sustained over the years, and reminded us - if we couldn't run anymore, who would we be? We are still people of value, with or without running. It's about the people that meet us at the aid stations and the finish lines, that meet us for early morning runs together, and those that inspire us to do better, be better. It's about the people, not the podiums. It's about the little things, like picking up your feet when running on technical trails - something we know to do but what we often forget when things get monotonous or tiring. What's the first thing you let go when things get tough or you get tired? Often they are the most important things. If you don't pick your feet up, you'll trip and tumble. I know this firsthand - don't ask ;)
One of the mantras of Sally's, also known as Yellow Runner (that's another story for a different day) is Keep Your Heart Up. Certainly, it's a reminder that if we literally run with our heart up, our shoulders square up instead of hunching and we are less likely for injury to find us on long runs. Everything changes when we have the right heart posture. Just like in everyday life. Things may get dark and hard... if you know me and my family and our story, then you know we've seen our fair share of those times. But ...keep your heart up. Find the right posture - if your heart is up, your head is up. Where your gaze is, your heart follows.
I gained confidence in those 4 days that I can actually run mountains. I gained lifelong friends. I gained a killer playlist on Spotify. And my heart was lifted. Thank you Sally.
"I am a student for life, sometimes learning the same lesson repeatedly. It's okay to feel weak; it's okay if you miss the mark; but it's not okay to give up. Keep going; and remember that the very small circle of people who know ALL of who you are; your highs and your lows; and the preciousness of your dreams... THEY... they are golden. Hold them close and thank them often." -- Sally McRae
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