Ruth Stodghill, Peak to Peak.

As anyone who knows me well can tell you, I am a distance running fanatic.

I turned 40 this year. For many people, this is a somber time, a time to mourn one’s lost youth and start preparing for the rocking chair. For me, turning 40 is fantastic - it means I am in the 40-49 year-old category in most races - I can win more medals, or ‘bling,’ against ladies older than myself instead of trying to beat young whippersnappers. To celebrate turning 40, I set out on a quest: to run one long-distance race every month during the year 2017.

Could I pick just easy races? Oh, no. I had to become a daredevil, signing up for running events meant to challenge one’s physical and emotional stamina. Notice, I didn’t say mental abilities - by picking really hard distance running races, I have proven on multiple occasions that I’m no longer the sharpest tool in the shed.

So, on September 9, 2017, I participated in the hardest run of my life: the Imogene Pass Run. Here’s the details of the race, for those who may not know: the run course is 17.1 miles long, starting in Ouray, Colorado at an elevation of 7,810 feet. Runners travel a combination of jeep roads/original mule trails up and over Imogene Pass, at a maximum elevation of 13,120 feet, before descending into Telluride at an elevation of 8,820 feet.

Here’s the Top Ten Life-Lessons I Learned on Imogene Pass:

10. Get to the bathroom line early. Imagine 1,100 runners, all lined up in front of 10 porta-potties, desperately trying to take care of business ten minutes before the start of the event. The REAL race wasn’t over Imogene Pass - it was to get through the potty line. Sometimes, it pays to plan ahead and get in line early, if life circumstances allow.

9. Eat often. In life, we often glance over things as necessary as feeding ourselves, physically or emotionally, in order to take care of more pressing matters, like work, family obligations, and the like, but I couldn’t cross over Imogene Pass without downing a gel or fruit snack at least every 30 minutes; I would have passed out at mile 8 in a low blood-sugar coma. In life, we aren’t going to have the energy left to enjoy our accomplishments unless we nurture our bodies and souls along the way.

8. Don’t just stare at the feet of the person in front of you. As I ran, jogged, walked, and literally crawled my way over Imogene Pass, I often fell into the trap of looking at the next five steps ahead of me, looking for strong footholds on which to put my feet or, at best, contemplating the relative fashion sense or lack thereof of the runners around me. When I looked up, I mean really looked, I was astounded at the breathtaking peaks and tranquil valleys surrounding me. Sometimes we become blinded by slogging through work and obligations each day, and forget to look at and appreciate the beautiful, amazing things and people around us.

7. Talk to the old man in cowboy boots. When I first saw this gentleman walking along the trail in cowboy hat, jeans, and boots, I assumed he must be a volunteer. After striking up a conversation, we discovered he was actually a runner; at the age of 70, he said that this was his fourth time making the trek over the pass this summer. He’d crossed three other times to practice, to make sure he still had it in him. He was amazing. Take the time to talk to people around you, instead of assuming you already know their story. You might discover something incredible.

6. Telling a joke is worth the breath it takes to tell the punchline. It’s hard to talk when you’re literally climbing a mountain. You’re miserable. Everyone around you is miserable, but go ahead. Tell that joke. It will make the misery bearable for not just yourself, but everyone else around you.

5. Don’t cry at 13,000 feet. After grinding through an uphill trail for two miles in which we climbed 2,000 feet in elevation at roughly a 20% grade or more, reaching the summit felt fantastic. Amazing. I felt like a superhero. It was emotional. I started to cry. I quickly realized that it’s hard to cry at 13,000 feet because there’s not enough air. I decided passing out isn’t a good look, and saved the cry for the finish line.

4. Run with a buddy. For this race, I brought my running buddy, Jeff. I stayed with him through the uphills when his lungs wanted to explode. He stayed with me as I baby-stepped my way along the downhills. Through the ups and downs of life, things are always easier if we have a buddy we can rely on to help us through the tough spots.

3. Sometimes a 30-minute mile is a win. No one can run a 4-minute mile at 13,000 feet unless they are immortal. Don’t hold yourself to someone else’s standards of greatness. On Imogene Pass, a 30-minute mile can be a blistering fast pace. Let yourself celebrate your victories.

2. The last mile to the summit should be in Dante’s Inferno. Imagine it: a line of athletes, a mile long, snaking their way up the summit of Imogene Pass, fighting for every breath as they climb. At times, your vision blurs or slips into black-and-white as your brain and lungs burn for air. Above you, you can see the summit, like a vision of heaven - but it feels like you will never get there. A man at the top booms down over a loudspeaker: “Don’t stop! Keep moving!” You need to stop and breathe - but will he call you out over that blasted loudspeaker? “You! The girl in the pink half a mile below me! Don’t you dare stop! MOVE!” How embarrassing. So, you struggle on. Yes, this is a special kind of torture.

1. To the brave go the spoils. Waiting for the race to start, I was terrified. After the race was over, I realized - I am one of the lucky ones. I have done something terrifying. I pushed myself beyond what I thought were my physical limits. I tripped and fell, bloodying myself along the way, but every inch of it was worth it because I was rewarded with visions of nature’s beauty most people only see on postcards. And it means something to get to see them in real life. After having worked for them. Bled for them. Thank you, Imogene.

Bio: Ruth Stodghill has written as a freelance correspondent and columnist for The Trinidad Chronicle-News for four years. Ruth also teaches English in the remote mountain school district of Primero and English Composition and literature courses for Trinidad State Junior College. When not writing or teaching, Ruth is an avid distance runner, having competed in hundreds of races ranging from 5K’s to ultramarathons.