“And we have all heard about the food the Spartans eat at their public meals. Once, when the tyrant Dionysius was dining with them, he remarked that he did not care for that famous black broth which was their principle dish.
”No wonder you don’t”, said the cook, “because you haven’t got the seasoning”. “What’s that?”, asked Dionysus. “Hard hunting, sweating, a sprint down to the river Eurotas, hunger, thirst. Those are the things Spartans use to season their banquets.” (Cicero, On the Good Life, pg. 103-104) Almost every weekend for me includes a long run. This is an old habit that started while I was an athlete with the University of Wyoming Nordic Ski Team that is always the best part of my week. My long runs are generally over an hour (up to 6 hours) and are usually designated “an adventure” because they are my chance to explore places I have never been before. I love long runs because of their rhythm- preparation, execution, recovery. Preparation: I gather the things I will need: my water bladder and tiny backpack, my running shoes and special socks, granola bars, sunscreen. Lately this list includes some cold-weather gear like a hat, gloves, and coat, but I am still surprised every time that the pile of necessities is so small. While on the ski team, the list was a bit longer. Add electrolyte-rich fluids and a heart rate monitor. As well as the things that I always know I should take, but end up forgetting like the first aid kit, paper map, and toilet paper. Execution: I love the feeling of arriving at the trailhead where we will start. There are no spectators or anxious nerves like there are on race days. No one knows why I am there or what I am about to do. I wander around, finding the trail and take photos of the trail map just in case. Then I set off. My body feels really bad for about 30 minutes, but by 40 minutes, my stride has completely changed. My chest is puffed into a strong holding position, my arms glide next to my torso, and I am relaxed. The pattern of step, step, step breathe is addicting and there is always so much to see. That’s when the thinking happens. Things I didn’t even know were on my mind suddenly bubble sort to the front. I have good ideas, I have bad ideas. I go through cycles of elation and embarrassment as I recap the week. By the end, I’ve worked through a lot of tension and managed to exhaust my body. Recovery: At the end of the run, I bask in the endorphin high and take the time to fully appreciate the day, the place, myself. Throughout the day, my body and mind recover from the exertion. The peace that comes from my long run usually lasts a few days and lets me dive back into school work with vigor. What I have been struggling with lately is maintaining a physical program throughout the week. It was so easy when I was part of a team that had regular meeting times and expectations. But now, when it is just me there are a lot of doubts. No training partners, no fixed schedule, no competitions to train for. This is an issue faced by most of my teammates from UWYO and this fall, our coaches motivated us all to develop a platform to maintain the team environment even far from one another. It is difficult for me to explain how innovative this idea is, and I have yet to see how well it actually works. What I do know is that the lowest participation rates in our sport are the age groups just out of college. When people are in the prime of their physical ability, they lack a platform for staying engaged in the sport. We are actively working on ways to fight against this trend. While it is easy for me to say that I do not have time to workout each day because I am in a demanding PhD program, I know that it is not true and that my academics will suffer as I lose the mind-body balance that has been crucial to my happiness for the last 21 years of education. This is something we teach the younger athletes at the high school training camp each spring when their parents tell them that they should “focus on academics”. This tradeoff approach does not work for me, I need challenges in both mind and body to season my broth.
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AuthorSierra is a graduate student in the Barger Lab at CU Boulder studying microbial ecology for dryland restoration. Archives
August 2023
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