They say nirvana is in the middle path.
I’ve been my fastest self at 137lbs but could only bench about my body weight.
And I’ve been my strongest self that could bench 335 and pull 535lbs but couldn’t run very far or fast.
Now I’m in search of my balanced “nirvanic” self that isn’t as strong or fast as I used to be but has learned the beauty of being balanced right in the middle of the two.
My friend George over at @ultra225project is on the same path and is loving it so much he started a club for those who want to join us on the pursuit. You even get a patch if you can pull off the feat which is simple and this: start a 24 hour countdown timer then bench 225 lbs and finish a 50k run (or race) before the timer runs out.
This was my “side hustle” during my past Flower Moon Spiritual Pilgrimage. I ended up finishing the route to Brahma Temple in the Grand Canyon with about 10 minutes to spare. I wouldn’t have made it if my friend @chrisjfish hadn’t wanted to play my favorite game to play in the Canyon (cat and mouse).
Let’s see how many patches George gives out this year. And just maybe, we can find nirvana chasing it.
Full Moon Spirtual Pilgrimage
7. Do you see it? Do you know? It’s a perfect number and a reflection of the Holy Spirit. It’s represents Gods work at play.
Ryan and I set out for what he likes to calls a spiritual pilgrimage under the full moon a few nights ago. A movement that I will continue to adopt throughout my life and how I choose to live it. Our intentions were to go out and be one with the divine under the beauty of all creation, to spread and give our love back to God and to choose to see God in everything.
We expressed this in a way of communion through mutual suffering of our physical bodies in a practice we enjoy ever so much as we continue to revisit that sacred place time and time again. Moving through spaces and playing like children even when things get tough and searching deep within to harness the spirit and to seek.
The journey brought us to Brahma Temple inside of the Grand Canyon and came to closure on the Summit of Humphreys, the highest point in Arizona while doing this fully human powered with running, cycling and even stillness in places of importance.
I believe our paths crossed due to divine appointment and am full of joy to be able to share a piece of this journey with a special soul. Thanks Ryan.
This was also shared with three other incredibly special souls, @erin_ton7 who came out for Brahma Temple and through that became the fastest woman to run the route, @santiguerrerog_ who hopped in as Swiss Santi supporting the team while documenting the journey and a new friend @justioustos who showed up late at night to finish out the pilgrimage. Thank you guys.
Be here now! Always. Wherever you are, be there.
PS: We weighed ourselves pre-Brahma to see how much water weight we would loose while traveling mega light in the canyon.. I lost 12lbs in 12 hours ha!
To the top!
📸: @santiguerrerog_
chris and ryan’s full moon spiritual pilgrimage
had the privilege of documenting/crewing ryan and chris on their full moon adventure. lucky enough to calm these two friends, and also huge inspirations.
a run in the sanctuary, a long bike ride and a mountain. sounds like a pretty good day. like in any good outing: some things went exactly as planned and some did not.
some of my personal highlights: the full moon, getting woken up by a summit facetime, good amount of hours in the sanctuary, a great ice cream cone handoff, a scorpion popsicle, one of the best gas station sunsets i’ve ever seen, and getting too see the boys go through it!
i’ll let each of them speak more on their individual experiences, but if i took anything from chasing these two for a full day - beauty is everywhere, you just have to look and see it.
#1 thing you can do to stay injury free— improve your mechanics.
If you’ve read my book, you know how key this was to getting out of the injury cycle. But I needed a tool that better tracked my progress. I helped build Run Freely 3D along with @ryanhall3 and Olympic high jumper @amyacuff to help give you the form coaching that I benefited from.
Run Freely 3D uses 3D video technology to capture and measure your form, and then gives you cues and exercises to improve it. It’s amazing how adaptable the body is and how little it takes to make progress. And there’s nothing like the feeling of your stride being smooth and powerful and like “there it is!”
Check it out at the link in my profile and in the App Store!
a run in the canyon
chased chris, erin, ryan, and alicia on a “short” run in the grand canyon. started on the bright angel trail, hoped on the tonto, then descended on south kaibab to the river, and finished with going up south kaibab to the south rim.
i get why ryan calls it the sanctuary, it’s a special place with so much energy and beauty. it was chris and i’s first time in the canyon, safe to say we’ll be back.
stoked to have shared the sanctuary with some great people!
@ryanhall3 went from a 2:04 marathoner to a completely different kind of athlete. In this conversation, we dive into strength training for runners, trail running, mindset, and why staying relaxed might be the most important skill for performance.
“I didn’t get sore because I was lifting heavy. That was the least beat up I’ve ever been coming out of the canyon.”
Ryan shares how his training has evolved, from chasing speed to adventuring, building strength, and longevity.
This is from our full conversation on The Extramilest Show podcast. Watch it on YouTube via the link in my bio @florisgierman or listen on any podcast platform.
#running #ryanhall #strengthtraining #trailrunning #ultrarunning
This run became something much bigger than a 50K. Running the Grand Canyon with Ryan Hall alongside friends from @believeintherun , @mounttocoast and @pathprojects … humbling, epic, and one I won’t forget.
Long miles. Relentless heat. Big climbs. And a few cold river and waterfall plunges to survive it all.
South Kaibab → Phantom Ranch → Ribbon Falls → back out.
Full video on YouTube, link in bio @Florisgierman
#grandcanyon #ultrarunning #trailrunning #ryanhall
📸 @dhash
I’ve dropped into the Grand Canyon sixteen times in the last 16 weeks and it just keeps getting sweeter and sweeter, which is why I call it “the Sanctuary.”
To me, one aspect of God is ever changing, ever new bliss, so it’s no surprise in the Sanctuary that bliss is just as sweet the sixteenth time as the first.
Love these shots from @dhash from my most recent voyage down to Ribbon Falls with some new friends. Amazing waterfalls. Can’t believe how many times I ran past there without checking them out.
Just to satisfy my own curiosity I’ve been doing all my running, milling, erging, and a little bit of lifting at 15k-17k feet in the 9 days between rounds 9 and 10 of my mad science experiment on Grand Canyon’s South Kaibab trail. Being doing a lot of getting it wrong, a little bit of getting it right, and a ton of tweaking the experiment as I go. Goal is to go sub 70 before I turn my attention to my longer spiritual pilgrimages this summer in and around Crested Butte. Hoping getting super high might give me a few minutes this Wednesday in the Sanctuary.
Curiosity is humanities super power.
Been enjoying The Sanctuary too much these days! Anyone else been seeing Andean Condors in the Canyon?
Haha, having a little fun with AI here. One can dream can’t they?
Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from one of my top five favorite movies, Rudy: “having dreams is what makes life tolerable.” Never stop dreaming my friends.
🍷🏃♀️ Wine Country Running Camp 🏃♂️🍷
Join @sarahall3 and @saraslattery and I for an unforgettable 4-day / 3-night all-inclusive running camp in the heart of Wine Country— Santa Rosa, CA —-Sara Hall’s hometown! I’ve loved exploring these trails over the years and looking forward to showing you.
Link 🔗 is in bio!
✨ What to expect:
• Scenic guided runs through beautiful wine country
• Coaching + wisdom from some of the best in the sport
• An atmosphere focused on joy, longevity, and loving the run
• Incredible food, wine tastings, and unforgettable group dinners
• Meaningful connection with runners of all levels
🏁 Each camper gets VIP entry to the @santarosamarathon , Half Marathon, 10K, or 5K—plus seamless race-day support.
🎁 Every runner receives a curated swag bag + autographed copies of 📚
How She Did It, For the Love of the Grind, and Run the Mile You’re In.
This is more than a running camp.
It’s a chance to train with purpose, celebrate the run, and leave inspired—inside and out.
📍 Spots are limited. Come have an incredible running weekend in beautiful wine country!
What’s Included:
• 4 days / 3 nights all-inclusive stay at the beautiful Flamingo Resort and Spa
• VIP entry to the Santa Rosa Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, or 5K
• Hosted by American record holders Sara Hall & Ryan Hall and Sara Slattery
• Guided Wine Country runs led by elite athletes and coaches (all paces welcome)
• Expert coaching, inspiration, and mentorship throughout the retreat
• Unique, curated group dinners highlighting the best of the region
•Exclusive swag bag filled with ourfavorite things
• Autographed copies of How She Did It, For The Love of the Grind, and Run The Mile You’re In
• Meaningful connection with fellow runners in an intimate group setting
• Race weekend support from start line to celebration
•The camp will benefit the Up and Running Again running program helping the unhoused of Santa Rosa
