Sometimes change comes suddenly. Sometimes you can look back and see all the
steps that have led to the feeling of transition. Sometimes it feels natural, sometimes
abrupt. I’ve noted that just when I think I have life figured out, the universe challenges
me with change.
Through all of life’s transitions and changes, there is a grounding sense for me that
running has been a constant. The process of getting out for a run has shown up in many
shapes and forms, distances and terrains, but it is always there. It is the common thread
through grade school, high school, college, moving 11 times in as many years,
marriage, divorce, and many relationships. It keeps me humbled and pushes me
forward.
Constants are the things that bring us confidence through change. We can look for them
externally, but the most reliable ones come from within. I feel that running bridges the
two. By having the external action, running takes me in. I find comfort in the change of
my breathing rate. The way my legs churn underneath me is unique from the rest of the
day and yet happens so naturally. It is not unlike meditation at times (another constant I
found much later in life). Running on our beautiful Bellingham trails influences my
senses and calms my system. It allows me the mental space to check in, think through,
and gain perspective.
There are not many issues in life that a run cannot solve.
Sometimes it must be a bit longer.
Sometimes thirty minutes does the trick. Being an ultrarunner, it has also taken hours to
find answers. But no matter, getting out for a run proves to be a grounding point and
constant in my life.
To be able to count on this as a reliable constant I also must tend to it and care for it to
keep it sustainable. It is so much more than exercise. Maintaining it as a helpful outlet
and processor helps me prioritize the actions necessary to keep my body able, to then
help my mind: nutrition, recovery, mobility, strength training and sleep. The requirement
for these has increased as I have added years, which at times means less time running
and more maintenance. The importance learned from the miles run.
I feel lucky to have found the movement that continues to speak to my soul so early in
life, to have made a career from it and continue to love it and rely on it for 30+ years.
Changes are inevitable, they are great teachers, and everyone continues to transition in
little and big ways each day. To have a familiar constant, that is as beneficial as running,
to carry and ground me through, is a gift.
Krissy Moehl is a 24 year Ultrarunning veteran who stood on the podium of the world’s
largest events including Ultra Trail Mount Fuji 165km, Hardrock 100 mile, HURT 100
mile, Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc 165km, Western States 100 mile, and held many of the
US iconic FKT records. And the thing she treasures most is the multiple decades
relationship with the sport and the community that surrounds it. She coaches
humans from daily running plans to 200-mile races, and loves helping people create the
lifelong sustainable relationships with running. She wrote the book Running Your First
Ultra, now in its second edition, and has race directed the Chuckanut 50k for 22 years.
