For years, I have ignored negative comments regarding speed records. But, today I feel compelled to speak up for myself and for others that might receive similar feedback. I ran/hiked The
Camino de Santiago in 2011 for the Fastest Known Time (FKT). I continue to read several remarks such as “What a shame! That's tragic! or It’s a pilgrimage trail and what could she have possibly seen running it?”
My pilgrimage consisted of nine days on a trail by myself, encountering only three other pilgrims the entire way, up and down mountain ranges in snowstorms, through ice, sleet, freezing rain, and I ran/hiked every single step in solitude. This pilgrimage of mine not only tested my limits, but also allowed me to contemplate my life (past, present, and future) in complete silence, humbled by the hard days, the climate and the terrain. I saw storms, cathedrals, vineyards, and animals (wild and domestic). I saw the trail lit only by the moonlight. I saw the gently falling snow on a quiet morning. I saw each town at the moment before the rooster crowed as I was the only one hobbling down its streets in the early morning hours. I saw graffiti saying “Dónde están tus suenos? Vivelos antes de morir” (Where are your dreams. Live them before you die.)… and so I did. I saw myself humbled by all of God’s beauty in a country that mesmerized me. It was my cross to carry, my pain to endure, my choice. It was just me, the trail, and the elements. It was how I chose to journey, and it was good.
I am a working mom of three kids with a current reality of not being able to spend weeks away from home like most people that do these long trail adventures. My point is that we all have our journey that we choose. Some may walk. Some may run. Some may want the company of others. Some may want solitude. Some may want summer heat while others prefer the snows of winter. Why judge each other’s journey and the choices we make as to why we journey the way we do? We all have our own purpose, our own demands of life, and our own pace. Let’s not judge one another. Just be kind and respect the journey for the journey’s sake.