Inspiration Strayed

Inspiration is often found in the most unlikely of places. When I picked up Cheryl Strayed’s book Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail at the insistence of a dear friend, I thought it would be an intriguing tale of high adventure, and nothing more. A gutsy story of how she survived her solo trek along the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), making her way from the Mojave Desert in California, up to the Bridge of the Gods on the border between Oregon and Washington – a journey of over 1,100miles, by foot.  But, I was wrong. I was inspired by her gut-wrenching story – equally moved to laughter, as I was to tears.

The world is a small place, and I am constantly reminded of this each time I meet a new person and find that we often have shared experiences. Cheryl Strayed, despite having never met her in my life, feels like someone with whom I share a common history. As she describes her early life in Minnesota, her trek along the PCT, and finding her eventual home in Portland, Oregon; I can’t help but mentally take off my bright green Saucony Mirage 3’s and don her rugged hiking boots. I have many memories of these places, having lived in both. I amalgamate these memories with hers into what feels like a shared experience. I find myself feeling cocky right along with her when she first starts out on her journey down the PCT – “What was hiking but walking, after all? I can walk! […]I walk all the time” (Strayed, p. 50) and, I run hundreds of miles a month; this journey along the trail would be easy! But then I feel myself fray right along with her, as she encounters both the physical elements of the PCT as well as the haunting memories from her past.

Although Cheryl and I also have a lot of experiences that we don’t have in common, like her use of heroin or growing up in a broken family, there are many things that we have shared.  I myself have climbed Broken Top Mountain, with a gaggle of my best high school friends (Thanks Colleen Godfrey, Lindsay Hallvik, and Mallory Freed for the still cherished memories), and explored the vibrant cities of Minneapolis and Portland. I have skied the mountain slopes of Mt. Bachelor (thank you Heidi Peyton and my lovely husband Cole), run along mountain trails in Southern California (Dennis Barker, or more adoringly D-Dawg, thank you), gazed at the magnificent beauty of Mt. Hood from the windows of Timberline Lodge and felt totally lost in a world that feels too big to comprehend.

 I used to think that as I grew older that life would slow down and I would be able to finally grasp this world that feels too big with my two bare hands. But, actually the opposite is true – each year goes by faster and the world has shrunk. Though creating relationships is not my strong suit due to my introverted harrier nature, I have learned to cherish the ones I have. In this world that continues to shrink, that is where I discover more – I continue to learn. When people meet me, I think I am often perceived as standoffish (Thanks DAD!) – but truly I am introspective. I am listening to what you have to say, because it is how I continue to learn. For example, whenever I am visiting my chiropractor Travis McCathie at Northwestern Health Sciences University, I ask him 101 questions because his mad scientist way of thinking is intriguing to me, and his teacher’s patience allows me to do so. I listen, absorb, and take my Saucony clad body out on a run to mull it over.

As my world continues to whiz by and shrink, each of my relationships new and well seasoned allow me to remember to keep learning and testing myself. It is easy to become complacent, settling for “good enough”, but that is not who I want to be. I want to continue to learn and be alive, strap a pair of Saucony Type A’s to my feet and step to the line to race without fear – testing the limits of my human spirit, forming relationships with people that will let me just sit and listen and ask the occasional question because that is where I find inspiration. Which charmingly, is also the beauty of running – it is a time where I can be introspective with the world around me, listen to what it and my body are telling me. Cheryl Strayed’s novel is one written without holding back and has filled me with inspiration anew. Keep pushing and learning because “It [is] my life – like all lives, mysterious and irrevocable and sacred. So very close, so very present, so very belonging to me” (p. 311).

New Bucket List Item: Hike either the PCT or Appalachian Trail

Is "Green" a Mirage?

There are only a few things that I am truly passionate about. One of them is obvious, and typically the subject of this blog, running. The second is "green" technology. I personally try to live as "green" as I possibly can. A few examples being joining my first CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) with Featherstone Farms, my shampoo and conditioner (Garnier's Pure Clean - both over 94% biodegradable) and I recycle all of my used running shoes so that they can be made into things like rubber tracks and dog beds! These are just a few of the things I have changed in my life to play my part in helping to make our world better and more sustainable now and in the future. Sure. I would love to own a home that is green to the core, with an energy efficient exterior and solar panels to not only power the electrical components of the house, but also the hot water heater. Last summer I got to tour the home of some family friends in Sisters, Oregon and honestly I was green with envy (pun totally intended). It was not only a beautiful home, but the energy company was actually paying them for the surplus energy their home created! For now I will do the little things that I can until one day this dream too is a reality. But is this good enough? Is being "less bad" the best thing for our world?  

This YouTube video is an interview by Bill Moyers of PBS and Daniel Goleman, author of the best-selling book Emotional Interlligence (which I recommend you read if you have time). It is a brief 20 minute discussion of why currently being "green" is a mirage, but it also discuss small steps we can each take to make in impact on our world and -- to paraphrase Ghandi, bumper-sticker style, "Be the change you wish to see in the world".  

National Champions!

An Interview done by Jim Ferstle of Down the Backstretch: Downthebackstrech.blogspot.com

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012

Meghan Peyton Talks About 2012, the USATF XC Club Championships, and 2013

Photo by Gene Niemi

Team USA Minnesota's Meghan Peyton finished off 2012 with a bang.  She led the team to the USATF Club XC team Championship, earned a trip to Scotland, and took a step toward her first goal of 2013.

Down the Backstretch:Winning a National Championships is always nice.  Did you go into USATF Club Nationals confident, hopeful, with or without expectations in regards to the team championship? 

Meghan Peyton: We went into the Championships confident that we could win. We knew that there would be some other strong teams like the Boulder team, but thought that as long as we all had solid races that we could achieve our goal of winning the national title.  

DtB:  Once you got to Lexington and saw the mud, aside from thinking: “This is real cross country,” did the conditions change any of the plans, expectations going into the race?

MP: Personally, the mud didn't change any of my own expectations. The mud was a factor for every runner out there. It being a championship race, I knew that it would take a strong race to place in the top six(she finished fourth), which is what it took to qualify for the USA team going to Scotland.

DtB:  Seems like the team members had different approaches to the race: Jamie took off with the leaders, you and Ladia sort of worked together, McKenzie was trailing behind you two(could she see where you two were or was the course too hilly and twisty for her to see runners ahead of her), and Heather took a tumble.  When did Heather go down and did any of you see or know that Heather fell during the race?  Give us something of a summary of how things unfolded.

MP: The race got out fast, the first mile being the most flat section on the course -- we went through the mile at 5:11 pace. I felt that it was a good pace, putting me near the front but I still felt in control. For the next mile and a half it was just grinding away at the hills and mud. 

There was a little pack of us behind the lead pack pushing each other. We could see the leaders the entire time. At about 2.5 miles the pack started coming back to us, Jamie (Cheever) with them. I knew we would catch up. So on the last downhill before the long climb to the finish I pushed hard so that I would catch up with Jamie. I knew she needed some support because she was in no-woman's land, which is a hard place to be when you are hurting. 

As I caught her I cheered for her telling her "You can do it, come on Jamie". We all needed to finish strong, and I think it was pretty admirable how she had put it out there on the line and, even once her early fast pace caught up to her, Jamie still finished really strong. None of us knew that Heather had fallen until we had all crossed the finish line.  

DtB:  When did you know you won the team title?  Was there a big celebration or a more retrained one?

MP: When we all finished the race we didn't know if we had won or not for about half an hour or so. We knew that Boulder would be our biggest competition, and they had taken first and second place. We didn't know where their other runners had finished, but we did know that Heather had taken an unfortunate spill in the mud, but had the strength to get up and keep running for the team. 

So we waited anxiously for about 30 minutes until they finally posted the results. When the results went up, Lance Elliott (one of our team's board members who was traveling with us and also raced) came running back to our van with the results and said: "We Won!". We were all excited, but Heather was excited most of all...jumping up and down with relief.

DtB:  Are the three of you that qualified planning on taking the trip to Scotland in January?  Did Jamie or McKenzie get spots on the US team because others in front of them aren’t going?

MP: Yes, Ladia, Jon (Peterson, fifth in the men's race), and I are going to Scotland for sure. We think that Jamie(who was seventh) will also likely make the team based on other competitors who said that they will not go, and because she also did well at this year's USA Open Cross Country Championships which took place in February.

DtB:  You’ve had a busy life this Fall with school, helping out with the Augsburg team, and your own running.  How do you juggle all those “balls in the air?”

MP: Very carefully! I don't need any of them falling to the ground. I think the only reason that I am able to juggle all of them is because I have good support groups in each area of my life, and because I'm a planner. I always try and stay ahead of the curve. I did have to start using a paper planner again this year (which I have not done since I graduated college) because my life is going in a lot of different directions.  No day is the same as the day before. A busy life keeps things interesting. 

DtB:  Was 2012 a productive year?  Did you achieve any or all of the goals you set—if you set any—at the beginning of the year?

MP: 2012 for me was a learning year. Anyone who looks at my results from the past year could probably safely assume that I unfortunately didn't achieve the goals that I had set at the beginning of it. From 2008-2011 I had steadily improved -- moving from consistently placing in the teens in races and working my way up to finishing in the top seven at most National Championships.

As with most people in this sport, I had big aspirations for 2012. However, some inexperience with the marathon, and also finding out that I had low B12 and low Iron (both essential for energy production) put those goals out of reach this year. But, I haven't given up. I still have the same big goals -- I've just had to push them out a year or two. 

DtB:  What are the plans, goals of 2013?

MP: My goals for 2013 are to, first of all, continue to improve as an athlete and person. Secondly, I want to represent our country at the World Cross Country Championships, and also want to compete at the World Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In the Fall I plan on competing in a marathon -- maybe one that is near and dear to us all--Twin Cities in Motion's Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon.  

This is where I am- This is where I'm meant to be: Keep it clean, people.

This is where I am- This is where I'm meant to be: Keep it clean, people.: Call me old school, but I think the beautiful and most exciting part of running is that it is an opportunity to see what the untainted human...

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

This post is a follow up to my previous post. If you need another reason to actually sit down and take the time to find what truly makes you happy and define your true calling- watch this video. Yes, I know it is an hour and fifteen minutes long but you will not regret watching one minute of it. I challenge you to just watch the first five minutes, if you are not hooked within that span of time; feel free to turn it off. But if I was a betting woman, I would say you will watch it from start to finish. Enjoy!

Exploring Happiness

This fall I have begun my graduate studies at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, where I will apply myself to the earning of a Master of Arts in Leadership (MAL) degree. I recently had to write the following short essay and I thought I would share it with you all. I think each of us should take some time to explore what it is that makes us happy! 

Over the past week I have learned that happiness is very subjective. Throughout history many different philosophers, including Buddha, Confucius, and Abraham Maslow have written on the topic of happiness. Much research is still being conducted today and one of those theories being test by the U Penn Authentic Happiness Center (2012a) is how the three approaches to happiness: a pleasant life, an engaging life and a meaningful life, all work together in each of our lives. This essay will be an exploration of what role each of these three approaches to happiness plays in my own life.

A pleasant life is the enjoyment of the more superficial parts of our existence. According to the Approaches to Happiness Questionnaire this approach is of the least importance to me. However, it is still an essential part of my overall happiness. I know I would not be as happy in my life without the material things. For instance when Cole and I bought our first house, we were so excited and could not wait to share it with our family and friends. Up until this point we had lived in a 500 square foot apartment, and while we were perfectly content and happy there we were even more excited to have our own home. The first thing Cole did was walk around with a video camera in our new home and post the video to the web for our families to see. But this excitement was fleeting. Now that we have lived here for three years, while we still love our home and it makes us very content, we discuss at least once a week the features of our next home. We get overly excited about the possibilities that it may hold. I know this house will always hold a special place in our hearts, because it was the first, but there will always be the next thing to be excited about too.

The engaging life is by far the most important approach to happiness for me. On the Approaches to Happiness Questionnaire I scored in the 85^th percentile compared to others who had taken the survey. Life is made engaging by putting to use your signature strengths in your work, friendships, love and leisure. Through my involvement in Thomas Morgan’s class, Leading Authentically, I have discovered that my four dependable strengths are that I am disciplined, trustworthy, responsible and optimistic. I have crafted my life in such as way as to put these strengths to good use. In 2010 I gained my official title as a coach at Augsburg, but I had been coaching unofficially for years. I started my coaching experience with my mom. My mom is a supermom, always there for her family even if that meant neglecting her own health. So after 10 years of essentially not exercising at all, she hit an all time high with her weight and was visibly upset with herself about it. So I took my four strengths and extensive knowledge of running and got her to be active again. It was not easy, especially at first. At the time I was in college living 2,000 miles away from her home in Knoxville, Tennessee. So I could not be there every day to see if she got out the door for a run. We started small, alternating between mostly walking and a little running. However, I had to call her on the phone every day to make sure she did her run. Much of the time this phone call would end with a disappointing “no”. But I did not let these small failures curb my enthusiasm or hers. Two years after we started this quest together, she ran her first marathon, of which I ran 17 miles with her. Today, she now runs a few marathons a year and does the training on her own. She has completed six marathons to date with the goal of doing one in every state! It is accomplishments like this that give me everlasting joy and help make my life complete.

The meaningful life is the use of the same strengths that I mentioned above in service of something greater than myself. To me coaching is that something. I believe sports, especially running, are a vehicle to teach people about themselves and society. Sports help with both human and social development. They can contribute to social cohesion and tolerance, as well as be a conduit for physical and socio-economic development. Furthermore, sports – like music and art – are a universal language which can be used for social and economic change by bridging cultural gaps, helping to resolve conflicts and educating people in ways that nothing else can. I believe that by being a coach I can help guide people in a way to make a meaningful impact on their lives both physically and mentally which brings great meaning and fulfillment to my life.

The three approaches to happiness – a pleasant life, a engaging life and a meaningful life – work in unison to make my life happy. While some of these approaches are more important to me than others, without all three being in balance I do not think I would be as happy as I currently am. I feel very lucky to have found a passion that I believe in and the means with which I can share that passion with the world.

U Penn Authentic Happiness. (2012a, September 15). Approaches to happiness questionnaire. Retrieved from http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/results.aspx?id=266&it=0

National Running Day June 6th and Portland Track Festival

Calling all Portlanders and Tualatonians! (Those who live in or around the cities of Portland or Tualatin, Oregon)  Come on over to Lewis and Clark college on Friday the 9^th and Saturday the 10^th to cheer on some great athletes at the Portland Track Festival! Just to name a few of my favorite big names that will be there: Katie McGregor – multiple time National Champion and World Championships participant; and Carrie Tollefson – 2004 Olympian; and me of course!

 I will be running the 10,000m again on Friday night, June 9^th.  The third time this season is going to be the charm – the time of 32:45 is going down!  (Just to recap – the 10K in Boston went well; I ran 33:11 for second place)

I am particularly excited about this race because it will be a homecoming of sorts for me.  I went to high school at Tualatin High School, just 10 miles down the road from the Lewis and Clark College. I have spent many hours running in Tryon Creek State Park which is a great park to run in located right next to the school. I have many nostalgic memories of running with Brent “Mac” MacDermot and Taylor “White Bread” Hallvik , as well as my high school besties Lindsay Hallvik, Mallory Freed, Colleen Godfrey and Amanda Bateman Evans – just to name a few.  Mac and Taylor have already promised to come and cheer, if anyone else wants to join in it would be most appreciated!

When I hit the time of 32:45 (the trials “A” qualifying standard) it is going to be an extremely exciting moment. Not only will it be a confirmation of all the hard work that I have put in, but it will also qualify me for sure for the Olympic Team Trials in Eugene two weeks later – another place I have special memories associated with because I won 6 Oregon State High School Championships titles there. Not to mention all of the history associated with the many running greats who have called Eugene home. Needless to say June is shaping up to be a very exciting month.

ALSO - Don't forget that June 6th is National Running Day. Visit www.runningday.org or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/runningday. Join in on National Running Day as the country takes strides towards leading healthier, fitter lives. Taking part is easy. Just wear your running shoes, grab a friend and go! 

I RUN...because I can't imagine life without it! 

Tell me and the world why you run?!?

I hope to see you all there on the 9^th and down in Eugene for the trials.

Godspeed

~Meghan