Nov 7 to Nov 10, 2024
Learn simple yet powerful running and mindfulness practices to better manage stress and avoid burnout as you pursue your goals, whether athletic, professional, artistic or personal
Immerse yourself in a unique landscape for the four-day, three night, all-inclusive Sonoran Desert Trail Running Retreat designed just for women leaders who love to run as part of their self-care and stress management. Master the art of stress resilience through mindful running. Your retreat leader will lead you through a series of on-trail exercises that make the practice of mindful running tangible and immediately applicable to you running style.
You’ll come home from this retreat equipped with a simple yet powerful set of practices you can incorporate into your running and mindfulness practices to better manage stress and avoid burnout as you pursue your goals, athletics, professional, artistic or personal.
From the moment you arrive at the JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa, you’ll feel yourself start to unwind and slow down. The Starr Pass Resort’s luxury accommodations are inspired by nature and designed to promote relaxation and restoration, making it the ideal base for this retreat.
We’ve selected trails that best showcase the Sonoran Desert’s impeccable beauty, rewarding singletrack trails and unique features, such as giant saguaro cacti. You’ll cruise along soft, sandy trails that meander through gently rolling hills. While it’s not necessary to have trail running experience to participate in this retreat, you should be able to comfortably run at least 8 or so miles on the road and feel comfortable on ground that is uneven, at times rocky. The time on trail ranges from about one to 3 hours, including photo stops, water breaks and such. The pace is relaxed and social, so you don’t have to be fast!
Each morning on the Salud Terrace the resort offers a traditional Native American ceremony and unique Sonoran Desert experience.
The ancient people accomplished a higher perspective via the warming sunrise, the Native American Flute, burning a sage prayer tie and an eagle feather blessing. Begin each day by reflecting on the connection we all have with nature and each other, finding focus and creating lasting memories. In a ritual that is centuries old, you will have the opportunity to make your intentions known to the universe through the traditional burning of sage. Experience this morning ritual and discover "Mitakuye Oyasin".
Indulge in treatments at the resort's spa that combine the latest beauty and health technology with the ancient healing techniques and traditions inspired by the indigenous people of the region, using the healing properties of the revered Saguaro cactus, also known as Hashani. Join those who have found healing in the lush Sonoran Desert for centuries. The spa offers relaxing treatments such as body wraps, facials, eye treatments, massages, manicures, and pedicures.
The host specializes in trail running- and wellness-based travel experiences that support women’s overall health and well-being. Our programs feature mindful running techniques that help women run better while maximizing running’s stress-reducing effects on the body and mind. Set in some of the world’s most inspiring natural destinations known to runners, each itinerary is an immersion in nature and wellness experiences such as yoga, hot springs, or spa.
We include the specific elements you need to have a wonderful retreat and leave out anything that doesn’t support that mission.
We are about experiencing running as a means to cultivate mental and physical health and well-being. While our purpose is to provide transformational travel experiences for runners like you, our mission is to offer you the time and space to clear your mind and focus on breathing deeply, connect with nature, dial down stress, and release endorphins so that you can relish in the joy and inspiration running brings.
No one succeeds in isolation, which is why the empowering community and connections that women find through our retreats are such a gift. Time after time, we hear the most heartwarming stories of the friendships that were made on our retreats, and why so many women come back year after year (sometimes even multiple times a year!) to run with us in a new location and often with women they’d met before.
When you travel with us, you are choosing to:
🏃♀️ connect deeper with yourself because no matter how long you’ve been on this planet, there’s always more to discover about who you truly are. We offer things like travel journals for writing and sharing circles during the retreat that support your inner as well as outer journey.
🏃♀️ experiment with mindful running principles that make you a better, more playful runner because there’s nothing like taking yourself too seriously to stifle motivation. Our retreat leaders provide mindful running exercises and tips you can use on an off the trail to run and live more mindfully.
🏃♀️ be open to connecting with other like-minded women because meeting new people is less scary than you might think. You’ll meet women who value running as part of a health lifestyle as we all as a sport. It’s amazing how quickly retreat groups bond after the very first run together!
🏃♀️ receive support, even when you don’t necessarily think you need it, but are so grateful you did when you realize how great it feels. In addition to the company of our professional running guides and expert retreat leaders, we highly encourage peer support to give you what to need to feel comfortable in this group.
🏃♀️ experience the mental health benefits to running that having nothing to do with your last race result or next goal. Our retreat leaders help you replace expectations and performance pressure with intentions and a focus on simply having fun.
🏃♀️ be intentional with the words you choose to express yourself, promising to be authentic and forget about trying to be anything you’re not. Intentions are rooted in values, and there’s no better opportunity to reflect on your values than when you’re traveling.
🏃♀️ make peace with the runner you are today, knowing that you belong here because runners come in all shapes and sizes and that’s okay. Since this isn’t a training camp, we’re not focused on where the future, but rather, rooted in the present moment, since that’s where the magic happens.
🏃♀️ give up the need to control everything going on around you because that’s the only way to find peace, restore your energy and find true joy. Our expert travel planners have worked out the logistics, and our professional guides scouted the routes, which means you can relax and let go.
🏃♀️ trust us to take you on a journey that has the potential to be deeply transformational and profoundly meaningful in a way that is entirely unique to you. Our retreat leaders understand that getting vulnerable can be scary, so they’re prepared to hold the space you need to have your experience at your own pace.
🏃♀️ forget about comparing yourself to others, either in terms of pace, speed, accomplishments, age or any other way, and focus instead on what you share in common. This is what we mean by community; you don’t have to “qualify” to be here, you show that you belong here by simply being you.
. . . and so much more.