我心目中的母親──越野跑者歐明婕口中的Anita Ortiz

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1937

本文作者:Amelia Ortiz 有個非常好聽的中文名字『歐明婕』,學習中文的她來台灣已有好些時日,溝通無障礙。隸屬於跑山獸團隊的歐明婕在台灣越野跑界非常受歡迎,也同時是許多場越野賽事的冠軍跑者。而她口中的 Anita Ortiz,是美國一級越野跑者,也同時是她的母親。

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It is said that everyone has their fifteen minutes of fame. As a world-class trail, then mountain, and now ultra runner, Anita Ortiz has had her fifteen minutes hundreds of times over, but Anita has always been more than just a runner. As the mother of four children, a schoolteacher, and an avid athlete, Anita has spent all the days of her career masterfully juggling the three parts of her life like a true professional. As her oldest child, my fifteen minutes of fame are those I have gathered by growing up with this incredibly strong and powerful woman for a mother.

有句話是這麼說的:人人皆有轉瞬即逝的名氣。對於世界級極限越野、越野跑者Anita Ortiz而言,這種獲得名氣的機會實在太多了,不過,Anita Ortiz可不只是一般的跑者。身兼數職的她不只是四個小孩的媽媽,也是學校教師,更是運動狂熱者──Anita Ortiz將這三種角色扮演得淋漓盡致。我是Anita Ortiz的長女,能由如此強大的母親撫養長大,就是我的名氣。

Being my mother’s daughter meant that from a very early age my childhood was closely integrated with the trail running scene. As children, my siblings and I practically grew up at races. Since my earliest memories, the four of us would spend every weekend at a race watching my mom run, or rather being watched by others while my mom ran. When we were very little, we would cheer for her at the finish line and as we got older we were put to work “volunteering” handing out water at aid stations. As a young kid at weekly races, people would always say to me, “you’re going to be just like your mom one day!” and of course watching my mom finish each race with expert ability, I was proud of their assumptions that I would one day be just like her. However, as I got older it was something that I fought tooth and nail to resist.

作為Anita Ortiz的女兒,代表我從小就與越野有深刻淵源,兄弟姊妹基本上就是在賽事中長大的。自有記憶以來,我們四個每週末都會去看媽媽比賽,更確切地說,是在媽媽比賽時,被其他觀眾看著長大的。還很小的時候,我們就會在終點線等著為她加油;長大一點,就被丟去補給站當志工,發水給選手們了。每週都參與這些賽事,大家總會說:「有天你也會像你媽媽一樣厲害!」當然,我可是專門看著媽媽穿越每條終點線的人,當人們這麼說時我總心懷驕傲。不過顯然長大後的我,並沒能像媽媽一樣厲害。

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There is a lot of pressure in having someone who runs upwards of 25 miles a day for a parent, and as a teenager I felt that pressure quite strongly. In middle school, I saw my mother’s dedication and intense determination and felt that I had to rise beyond such levels of persistence and reach perfection in all areas of my life. I felt this pressure in my academic and athletic life, so the last thing I wanted to do was venture to try running where I might fall short of following in her footsteps. When people asked me if I was soon going to start running and be just like my mom, my response was frustrated indignation rather than pride.

母親一天能跑超過25英里,對我而言其實挺有壓力的,尤其是青少年時期特別有感。念中學時看著媽媽的決心與戰績,覺得自己人生中無論是毅力或其他事情都很難超越她。求學與運動生涯期間,這份壓力一直存在,所以我一直想要放手一搏,儘管有可能功虧一簣,但仍想試著跑過媽媽跑過的路。以前大家問我什麼時候要開始和媽媽一樣越野山林時,我氣餒的心情總多於自豪。

But as nature would have it, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. When I first started running, I did it by myself and for myself. Struggling with teenage depression like many middle school students, one day I decided to go out for a run. I ran loops on a trail nearby our house. Soon it became a habit, and I would get up early in the mornings as the sun had just barely shed light on our little town, and I would go out into the cool crisp air of Colorado mornings for some endorphins and the smell of pine trees in the wind. My mom never pushed me to run. When I joined the high school cross-country team, she did not even come to watch my first race, as I asked her not to. She never wanted to force the pressure of her success upon us. She merely set us up with the tools for healthy lifestyles.

不過有其母必有其女,在開始時,我只為自己而跑。和同齡的大家一樣,我也有青春期抑鬱現象。在心情掙扎下,有天我決定邁出步伐,沿著自家附近的小徑跑步。跑步很快就成了我的興趣,我喜歡早起,趁著太陽剛剛露臉,陽光輕灑小鎮時跑步;也喜歡科羅拉多早晨的清新空氣,風中總是混著芬多精與松木的味道。跑步的這條路上,媽媽從未推我一把;高中時參加了越野跑隊,她甚至沒來看我的第一場比賽(雖然是我叫她不要來的)──她從來沒想要把自己的成功加諸在我們的身上。她唯一要求是希望我們的生活要健康。

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When I decided I did want to run, I did so because from an early age she had taught us a love for nature, bringing us on lots of hikes and bike rides and thus I knew the healing power nature can have on the human heart. When I decided to run, I knew where to go because she had made sure that we were familiar with our natural surroundings, taking us up to play in the streams in the mountains behind our house. When I decided to run, I did so because she had shown me that persisting in something that is challenging for you can bring one ultimate happiness and fulfillment.

之所以決定要跑步,是因為媽媽在我們很小時,教導我們大自然的愛,常常帶我們去健行、騎腳踏車,因此我很清楚大自然治癒人心的力量。當我真的開始跑步,一切都順應而生,因為她早就讓我們對周遭環境熟透了,我知道該怎麼做。當我真的開始跑步,是因為她以身作則,示範了何謂堅持,也就是能帶給自己極大快樂與成就感的事情。

Of course my mother is intense. Magazine articles over the years have called her the “tiny blonde with the intense stare” and the “pitbull who intimidates her opponents.”[1]  And of course I have my own stories that show this side of her.  When I finally did start running, she took me out on a long run on a hot day in the middle of the Colorado desert. When I felt like I could not take another step, I complained to her for bringing me out on the run and refused to move any further.However, being the tough woman that she is, she did not wait to hear my childish complaints, instead she simply asked, “well what are you going to do, die out here?” and kept running, leaving me to realize the truth of her response… I could either run back to water and shade or stay there in the hot sun forever.

我媽媽真的很厲害。幾年來雜誌文章都稱她為「眼神灼熱的嬌小金髮女」、「恫嚇對手的彼特犬」。當然,我也有些這類的故事。在我終於開始跑步後,她就在大熱天帶我去跑了科羅拉多沙漠,而且跑了很久。當時感覺自己難以再跨出一步,我向她抱怨為什麼要帶我來這裡,而且拒絕再跑下去。但強勢如她,怎麼可能會把我的任性抱怨給聽進去,她只說:「那你想怎麼辦?死在這嗎?」就接著跑下去了,留我一個人在那意識到她說的是事實……,我要嘛跑回去喝水、遮蔭,要嘛永遠待在這炙熱的太陽下。

But that story just like all the others that have been told about her in articles in the past see my mother in one dimension. They see her as a fiery competitor and a merciless opponent.

其實這故事中的媽媽,就像過去雜誌報導的形象一樣,外人看見的她,是強大的競爭者,是無情的對手。

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Of course there is still pressure to be felt, especially as a runner, but if I look behind the completely staged mud splotches at the face on the magazine cover,[1] at the end of the day, she’s my mom and I have so much to be thankful for. My mother was always a very caring and kind parent, but running allows me to get to know her in a way that continues to draw our relationship closer and closer. The fierce competitor is also a fierce laugher and loves more than a few good jokes along the trail. My mother and I regularly spend at least half of our runs together laughing until our abs can no longer take the stress of running and giggling at the same time. My mom and I have our deepest conversations while traveling through beautiful forests and over mountains together at speed. She has taught me to be a humble winner and a graceful loser. She has taught me to tread lightly on the earth, regularly carrying trash that was left behind by others down off the mountains. She has taught me to enjoy natural beauty and find importance in the simple things in life.

當然還是會感到壓力,但如果完全只注意雜誌封面上的臉龐,她就是我媽媽,我很感激的媽媽。她是那種貼心又慈祥的媽媽,而跑步才是使我們關係更加親密的關鍵。這位強大的競爭者,同時也是一路上笑得最大聲的陪伴者。我和媽媽的跑步時間,通常有一半都在笑聲中度過,直到我們的腹部無力。共同旅行美麗森林、跨越山野的時候,我和媽媽有最深摯的談話。她教導我當個謙卑的贏家,輸的時候也要優雅;她也教我要好好對待地球,把其他登山客遺留的垃圾給帶走;她更教我享受大自然的美麗,並找到生活中重要的小事。

People often ask me for my favorite memory of running with my mom, but that’s not how trail running or life-long relationships work. There is no one moment that stands out from all the rest. It is the enjoyment of the little things, the rituals, places, and spaces that make such experiences so special. My favorite places on earth are the places she has taken me. Places high up in the Colorado Rockies in meadows and aspen groves mostly untouched by humans that cannot be reached by any other means than by the steady ritual of placing one foot in front of another in a running stride. These places are why I love running and they are the places I go back to when life throws its various obstacles in my path. Getting to these spots through sweat and sometimes tears so that we can share such special moments has built a relationship between my mom and I that is incredibly strong.

常常被問到與媽媽跑步的記憶中最喜歡的是哪段,但越野跑或是一段關係中,其實沒有任何一刻是特別突出的,重點是小事情帶來的快樂──方式、地點、空間,任何一點微小經驗都很特別。我最愛之處,就是她帶我去過的地方。她帶我去過洛磯山脈上的牧場,還有鮮少人經過的白楊林,我們的共同傳統,都是這些他人無法取代的體驗。這些地方是我熱愛跑步的原因,也是人生道路上每每遇到困難時,會想回歸之地。我和媽媽建立起如此堅固的情感,就是因為分享了這些特別時刻──帶著汗水,有時帶著眼淚的旅途。

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She was once quoted as saying: “ Everyday I stop halfway through my run for five minutes, look around, and enjoy the surroundings. I’m reminded of why I do it and why I love it so much.” For me, the reason I love it so much, running that is, is because of the beautiful places and spaces that I get to share with my mom.

媽媽曾經說過:「每天跑到一半時,我會停下五分鐘,看看四周、感受周遭,好提醒自己為什麼要跑步,以及為什麼這麼熱愛跑步。」我愛死這段話了,對我來說,熱愛跑步的原因是和媽媽共同擁有了美麗回憶。

Since coming to Taiwan, I have discovered so many of these beautiful spaces, lush forests, thick overflowing jungles, emerald green mountains. Now that I have ventured here to this beautiful island on my own, I have places that I have discovered all on my own. Although the time will be short when Taiwan holds so many treasures to be seen, so many trails to be explored, I hope I will be able to share some of these special places I have discovered with my mom, just as she has shared her places with me.

自從來到台灣,我探索了許多美麗秘境,包含茂密的山林,豐富且濃密的叢林以及一眼望去盡是翠綠的山脈。透過一次次謙卑地美麗山林探險,從山林中我找到心靈的歸屬地。儘管在台灣居住的時間並不長,但我走過視野所及的美好景象,也認識了豐富的人事物、也期待著那些尚待尋覓的荒野秘境。我真心希望能與我的母親共享那些美好,正如她與我共享她心目中的美麗山林。

 

5月1日(母親節前一周) Anita Ortiz將來台北分享講座,喜愛越野大自然的朋友和母親們,千萬不要錯過這位當代越野傳奇的分享!

Don1Don獨家售票:馬上報名

日期時間:5月1日(日)下午 14:00-16:30  (13:30開始入場)

講座主題:越野跑者的訓練 • 母親、教師、跑者三種角色的平衡

講座地點:台大校總區博雅教學館一樓103教室

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