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"Daily Adventures" - 5 new articles

1. Discipline, Dreams and the Benefits of Failure
2. Recofit Compression Calf Tights Review
3. Sunday Skate Ski
4. Thou Mayest
5. Brain Sundries
6. More Recent Articles
7. Search Daily Adventures

Discipline, Dreams and the Benefits of Failure

Perhaps, as faithful readers, you may recall a post from about this time last year—a post in which I declared my intent to write a book. First, I’d like to thank all of you for not asking how it’s going. Seriously.

Writing actually went reasonably well through the spring, although I would not say I was exactly flying through the pages. Then summer hit, and just when you’d think a teacher would have plenty of time for things like writing, it all seemed to disappear. (Time, that is.) Then, in August, my computer crashed, and all of my characters and plots and themes remained incarcerated inside a broken hard drive until just last week.

While they’re all celebrating the reappearance of their freedom in my new laptop, I have suddenly found myself without excuse for my continued shunning of their existence. There’s no reason not to keep writing now. Uh oh.

One of the things I have done during the last year, in an attempt to learn exactly how one does go about writing a novel, is to explore the world of author and writing blogs. I discovered that there are endless blogs out there about writing and publishing, and many of them are quite excellent. I adore reading these blogs! I have wondered in fact, if I don’t like reading about writing better than the actual act of writing itself.

One of the blogs I frequent is by author Alan Gratz, and I was recently quite taken with his post about “Goals, Discipline and Dr. Who.” Goals are something I can dwell on for endless hours, and discipline is a trait that I sorely lack but constantly strive to develop. (I know nothing at all about Dr. Who, but that turned out to be fairly inconsequential in terms of grasping the meat of the blog post.)

The biggest point I got from Alan’s post was something with which I closely identify. I have so many goals and plans for my life, that I have a hard time sticking to just a few and seeing them through. I am the queen of a million unfinished projects. Whether it’s knitting projects, new guitar songs, plans for the house, or the half-written writing pieces littering the folders on my computer, I think I have adult-onset ADD.

Alan shared his tips for narrowing his own goals, then having the discipline to stick with them. When he does school visits, he tells the kids to just “finish something.” And that, my friends, is exactly what I struggle with: finishing.

You may think this is silly. You may think I am this terribly disciplined ultrarunner. I’ll tell you a secret though: I am a lazy, undisciplined ultrarunner. I never run more than 65 miles a week, and I don’t even reach that distance for very many weeks in a row. I have no compunction about changing, or even cutting, a workout if need be. (I like to think of myself as “flexible,” but I'm pretty sure my high school guidance counselor termed it “undisciplined.”) Still, running is the one area where I feel relatively satisfied with the goals I set and achieve. It’s the rest of my life where I tend to run an inch deep and a mile wide.

Alan went on to share his actual goals for the next five years. I am not nearly so brave, but I will tell you that after reading his post, I do have big plans to finish something. I know that perhaps some things have to give, if I want to have real success at anything. The hard part will be deciding what exactly has to give, and then letting it go. (I’m thinking laundry and dishes should be first. I can totally let those go.)

It was shortly after these revelations that I came upon Andrew in our living room, watching a video online of an attractive woman with a British accent.

“Ooh,” my eyes widened, “J.K. Rowling!” I immediately snuggled in next to him on the sofa to watch.

She was giving the commencement address to the graduating class of 2008 at Harvard University. I wonder if it was perhaps my state-of-mind at that particular moment, but I felt quite certain that she was not, in fact, speaking to several hundred bright, well-educated 21-year-olds, but rather that she was looking out through the computer screen and speaking directly to me. From me, her words evoked both tears and laughter while I sat mesmerized, listening. And this seems to be typical of our relationship. She reaffirmed my faith in her total brilliance.

The title of her speech was “The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination.” If you watch the video below (which I strongly encourage you to do—it’s 20 minutes, but so worth your time!) you’ll see exactly how her words relate to my own thoughts here. In case you don’t have time to watch it, here is a quote from her speech that discusses one of its two central themes:


"So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had already been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.

You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default."


Jo Rowling found the discipline to focus on her life’s work after everything else had been stripped away. It gave her the clarity to see who she truly was.

I certainly hope that I will not have to experience her level of failure in order to achieve my goals in life, although, I don’t actually aspire to achieve her level of success either. I have to agree though, that living too cautiously is failure by default.

J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.

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Recofit Compression Calf Tights Review

As my friends indicated, and a little internet research immediately confirmed, compression tights/hose have been at use in the medical industry for years. They are recommended for minor to serious leg swelling in order to help prevent deep vein thrombosis. They are worn by post-op patients, pregnant women and many people who just spend a lot of time on their feet. Hmm, time on their feet? The benefits to the ultrarunner were becoming quite obvious to me at this point.

I thought of it this way: What do we do when treating minor injuries? RICE, right? (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) And don’t we do these things as well to aid recovery, even if uninjured? I know I’m a fan of putting my feet up the wall for 20 minutes or more after a long run. If I was smart, I’d climb into a bathtub full of ice after a pounding workout, like many of you do. (I do this occasionally, but it takes WAY more self-discipline than I normally have.) And I’ve certainly been known to engage in the “rest” portion of the equation quite happily. So why not compression as a recovery aid too, right?

Elevation + Compression = Recovery!

The RecoFIT (which stands for Recovery Fitness) line was developed by Bolder, CO runner Susan Eastman Walton as an answer to her own shin splints and aches endured from running. As she puts it, “RecoFIT Compression Components are the result of whining, and I’m the whiner!” They offer calf sleeves and arm sleeves, and I was lucky enough to test out a pair of the calf sleeves.

The calf tights feature a gradient compression and Resistex carbon yarn. I had to look up Resistex myself to find out what that was all about, and the product website gave some intriguing information. Resistex carbon yarn is a continuous filament made of conductive material based on active carbon and textile fibers. The fibers have an antistatic and dissipative effect and protect from electrical interference. Is this helpful for an athlete or a person in general? I’m really not sure. But, here’s where it gets really interesting: The Resistex site also claims results from athlete-testing with the fabric show a lower temperature variation in the body, a decreased oxygen need, lower respiratory rate, lower heart rate, and decreased lactic acid concentration. So, there you go.

Miracle fabrics or not, I found that I loved my RecoFit calf sleeves! They have a wide range of sizes so that you can get an accurate fit. They are left and right specific for maximum compression benefit, and the flatlock seams don’t rub.

I mostly wore them after long runs or races to aid in recovery. I found they were so comfortable that I not only enjoyed wearing them, but I happily slept in them at night. (My husband thought this was weird, but I’ve long since gotten used to his quizzical responses to my behavior.) It sounds silly, I know, but I sort of felt like I was getting a gentle hug on my legs. Very comforting.

I finally decided to wear them in a race when it was time to hit the roads. I hadn’t done much road running all season, so I put these on for the Lake Tahoe Marathon in hopes of staving off some of the pounding that roads always put on my legs. They turned out to be the subject of much conversation during the race. (So, ladies, if you’re looking for an excuse to talk to the cute runner next to you, you might consider wearing some of these to your next race.) It seemed like everyone had a comment or question about them! The best feedback I could give fellow runners during the race was that they made me feel “springy.” And in case you’re unsure, I can tell you that springy is great way to feel in a road marathon!

I definitely felt good in these both during and after the race. I couldn’t really come up with any scientific way to determine how much they aided in recovery, but I can tell you that I loved wearing them and I definitely felt like they helped ease some of the seemingly-permanent knots in my calves. I didn’t have any soreness after the marathon. I also wore them during the Helen Klein 50M (which is all paved), and a number of days following the race in order to help recovery.

Crossing the line in RecoFITs at Helen Klein 50

Something else I found to be impressive was the versatility of the fabric. They added warmth on cold days, but they never made me feel overheated while running on hot days. They fit well, and since they were sleeves instead of socks, I could wear my preferred socks while running.

As you may have realized, I have become a compression clothing convert. I think the calf sleeves probably offer the most versatility (over compression socks or full-length tights), but I see the benefits of all these components for runners or other athletes. Since they aid in recovery, I can especially see the benefit for stage-races, or anyone doing multiple races close together. If you haven’t tried compression sleeves yet, I strongly suggest giving them a shot!

Product generously provided by Wilderness Running Company

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Sunday Skate Ski

View from the summit: Castle Peak

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Thou Mayest

As I sink back into the sofa, fire crackling in the woodstove and the Be Good Tanyas purring plaintively from the speakers, I watch through the window as the snow comes down relentlessly in fat, wet, El-Nino-variety flakes. I find there is finally room in my museum of thoughts to carve out a reflection of the past year. I’m sweeping aside a stack of other obligations in order to tackle this one, but I know my year will go forward with more clarity once I’ve exhumed these thoughts from the archives and made some sense out of them
.
The races of 2009 were planned largely in an answer to my reaction to ‘08’s TRT 100. I had a hard time bouncing back mentally from that one, so ’09 was put together largely with the intention of keeping things fun. And the irony of this year’s return to that race is not lost on me. It's a conscious choice. I have things I want so desperately for myself, but running sometimes seems the area where I can most easily channel my desires and excitement, my frustrations, my passions. I’ll be taking some of the lessons of 2009 to help me get through this year successfully. I chose a lot of new races last year, a variety of distances, and selected just a couple of goal races. I think it worked out well for me, and I would say “fun” is the best word I can choose to describe what turned out to be a successful season. This, too, was a conscious choice, and I had fun like you wouldn’t believe!

I made a deliberate effort to get back to some of the swifter running that training for a 100 had sapped from my regimen. Although I identify myself as primarily a trail runner, I chose some road races in order to find my speed again. I love running fast, and I definitely enjoyed some of my shorter, faster races this year. Surf City was a great start to the year, where I ran my 3rd fastest time ever in the marathon on some pretty soft training. It was a nice confidence-booster. I ran regular track workouts to increase my speed, and was thoroughly reminded of how much I love the track. (An ultra-runner who loves the track—what is up with that?) Come summer, I also joined some Truckee locals for weekly speed sessions on trail. These workouts were intense, and really pushed me. I loved them! All of these elements contributed to a speedier season at all distances for me.

As far as fun races go, it’s hard to say they weren’t all fun, but a few stand out for me. TRT 50M gets top honors for both fun and performance for me. Isn’t it nice when things work out that way? It was just a beautiful day, I paced things perfectly, and I enjoyed every minute of it. The Emerald Bay Trail Run was another standout. Short, fast and incredibly scenic: perfection in a one-hour run. Lastly, and somewhat surprisingly, Diablo also makes this "most fun" list. I’ll credit Sean for this one. Sharing such a huge challenge with someone makes for a bonding experience, and running all day with Sean in such a beautiful setting was pretty special.


For my best performances of the year, two races come to mind. I’ve already mentioned TRT 50. What else can I possibly say about this day? I’ve been lured back to the 100, so I guess that tells all. My other best performance, I think, was at the Tahoe Marathon. I guess the hometown races were good to me this year. It’s kind of surprising for the marathon, because it wasn’t a big goal race at all. I didn’t taper, and in fact, had been training quite hard during the preceding weeks. I was sick, and I had even spent time in the hospital the day before the race for tests regarding some mysterious pain which still plagued me on race morning. Nothing was setting the stage for a good day here, and I nearly didn’t show up at the starting line. Perhaps it was because of the complete lack of expectations on my part that I ran smart—easy in the early miles—enabling me to push things in the last ten miles and hold on to the win.

I managed wins at seven races, the vast majority of which came in the fall, when I was in peak condition. (Auburn Trails 50K, Burton Creek Marathon, Emerald Bay Trail Run, Tahoe Marathon, Jenkinson Lake Trail Run, Helen Klein 50M, and Donner Lake Turkey Trot all constituted wins.) I don’t necessarily hold that much value in winning because that kind of thing is frequently dependent on things outside of my control, (such as who shows up, and whether or not she has a good day). Nonetheless, to win this many races was a new thing for me, and an interesting one at that. Now, whenever my name appears in the local paper, it is followed by the words “winner of the 2009 Lake Tahoe Marathon,” which feels kind of funny to me. Not to mention the notoriety brought by appearing, arms raised, breaking the tape, on the front page of your local paper. It’s a collision of worlds wherein suddenly everyone in your non-running life is congratulating you, and you want to say “Um, that was just a marathon, and, seriously, no big deal.” But instead, you smile, with a sheepish nod, and say “Thanks,” because you don’t want to sound like an ungrateful snob. I’m not complaining. Not at all! But I’m also not sure it’s something that needs to continue. I’m not sure I’m interested in seeing myself as anything beyond your average runner.

Far and away, my most treasured days of the year were simply long days out on the trail. I created some adventures of my own when I discovered that I could connect the trail that leads from my backyard, through the Tahoe National Forest, to the Donner Lake Rim Trail, which in turn connects to both the Hole in the Ground Trail and the PCT, allowing for infinite possibilities. Cap and I had many a long day of fun and exploration together, reveling in the joys that are living in Tahoe. Other highlights in this arena were the Carson to Ebetts run on the PCT, and of course, Pure Zion. I learned that events don’t have to be races in order to be rewarding, adventurous days of running with friends. And with that knowledge, I’ve already got some similar plans, and ideas for plans, for 2010.

I attribute the success of the year to my big goal of keeping it fun. After TRT, I ran with no training plan at all, but somehow managed to get in not only plenty of miles, but plenty of high quality miles. I was simply in love with running, and the places and people it involved. I plan to continue that love affair in the months ahead.








It is true, also, that I have hopes and dreams for my future that deeply transcend running. They may even be in direct conflict with running. I do my best, but it is a difficult lesson for me that I cannot control all that unfolds in my life—one of those lessons learned again and again. It would be too easy, however, to say that things happen for a reason, and give up control. I won’t choose that path, either. Running feeds my soul, and feeding the soul of a life lived deliberately, with passion—that is my choice. I do believe, strongly, that my choices are my own. Mistakes and triumphs, dreams both noble and futile, are mine to pursue. “…the way is open.”

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Brain Sundries

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