TRAIL
( MIS ) ADVENTURES trail ( mis ) adventures by CARLA LEA FARINA
The uplifting feeling of having new trail ( mis ) adventures to look forward to soon !
Life Lessons on the Trails
After a rough few months , I find myself looking at trail running , and life in general , with a different perspective . And all I want is more trail running !
The thing is , much of the time while running ultras , as with life , you can never fully prepare for everything . There are bound to be those scenarios where things don ’ t go as you had hoped , or predicted , or expected – and for me , learning lessons ( and skills ) along the way is key . And I believe this is done most effectively through sports , particularly through endurance sport .
Character-Building Runs
I have done my fair share of ultra-length trail races , and I hope to do many more , because each race leaves you a slightly different person . I am by no means saying that every race you will have some amazing , life-changing epiphany , but what I am saying is that each race changes you just a bit more , until one day you realise you have developed life skills that many people wish for . Ultra trail running is far more than just running – it ’ s a journey of adventure , of discovery , and of learning . ( And yes , it is quite possibly also an addiction … because you almost always enter another race right after your first post-race beer is finished .)
Images : Courtesy Carla Farina
This column is , for all intents and purposes , a comedy skit where I head off on epic crazy adventures , and because I am me , and I have zero concentration span , zero sense of direction and zero ability to tell my left from my right , something inadvertently goes hopelessly wrong . Not dangerously wrong ( most of the time ), but just comically wrong , meaning I have some hilarious stories ( misadventures ) to share …
At the moment , things have been relatively quiet on the racing front . I have had an epic adventure at the Big Red Barn with Shane Gouldie and his amazing Trail Adventures team , and I have had one or two fun mornings out at Kingskloof , but the problem is that I run here so often , I hardly even get lost anymore . How boringly normal !
Not to worry , though , from the 9th of July there are many crazy adventures on the cards , so it won ’ t be long until the misadventures pile up . But in the meantime , while I can , I thought I might get ever so slightly philosophical and talk a little bit about how running trails – in particular , ultra trails – has taught me some valuable life lessons .
Challenging Times
The past few months – well , since August 2021 – it has felt a bit like life has thrown all it can at me , and while I can ’ t compare these ‘ life challenges ’ I have been through to getting lost in the relatively safe and controlled environment of a race , what I can say is that while you are in these seemingly terrifying ( at the time ) situations and you feel like you are never going to get out of them , you learn how to handle what life has to throw at you .
You learn how to not only hold your head high during times of hardship , but how to do it with dignity and integrity . You learn that 99 percent of the time you come out of the situation a stronger , better person , and you learn how to appreciate where you are at any given moment . For example , when stranded on a rock below a cliff during the Pondo Ultra , in the middle of the freezing night , with no hope in sight , I learnt how much I love running in the daytime , when it was warm and I could see !
I have many epic races coming up , which are bound to be exciting ( and hilarious ) experiences , and I look forward to telling you all about them , but I also look forward to what they can teach me . I look forward to the new friends I will make , and the ‘ old ’ friends I will experience these adventures with . I look forward to seeing new places , and enjoying new experiences . This is what trail running is all about ... The misadventures and hilarious mishaps along the way are merely bonuses that make for entertaining reading .
OK , that ’ s enough philosophising about life for now . I promise to bring back rough and tough adventure and misadventure in the next column , especially since I am signed up for the Ice Queen at Kingdom Trails in July . Somehow , ice plus Carla just equals potential misadventure in my mind , so until then , happy trails everybody !
About the Author
While Carla ’ s ‘ day job ’ is Head Tennis Coach and Director of Tennis at Game Set Match Tennis in Johannesburg , her second love is trail running , which she tackles with an unquenchable thirst for adventure , a never-saydie attitude , and a healthy sense of humour about all the misadventures that befall her on the trails !
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