Life lately

All photos taken in and around June Lake, CA.

On frolicking

Just another eastside dirt road run.

Almost everything I have ever written for this blog was created in my head while running.

Every time I've been stressed, angry, tired, sad, or my day has been otherwise negatively impacted, I go on a run.

Sweltering heat or the promise of frozen nose hairs rarely discourage a good evening or early morning jaunt.

There is just something about fresh air, breathing hard, beautiful views, and time alone to think.
[Note: I really do have a hard time on treadmills, so I'm not sure if that makes me a hypocrite or not.]

Friends that claim to "hate running" confuse me. I honestly don't understand how people do not connect positively with a good (or even a bad?) run.

While hiking the other day with a friend who is also training for a half marathon, she claimed she also used to hate running until she learned to do it correctly. She uses the five finger running shoes to ensure proper posture and now loves the sport. I asked her if she read Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.

"Nope."

Being on a hike, of course I had to elaborate on the details of this book because a) it is super inspiring and b) we were on a hike, so time was on our side.

Want to be inspired to run ultramarathons (50K, 100K and the like)? Read it.

Born to Run explores endurance athletes, the advent of barefoot running, the Tarahumara running tribe in Mexico, and McDougall's own journey from couch potato to ultra runner.

It is a remarkable book on the topic. I dare you to read it. You will want to run 20 miles immediately afterward.

Of course, my mom gave me this book while I was laid up with a knee injury and could hardly walk, let alone run. I know that having the ability to run taken away from me for large chunks of time makes every run that much more special, but I like that. I like getting back to my car after a long run and thanking my lucky stars (and my body) for such a great experience.

My biggest takeaway from the book, that I remember despite having read the book five years ago is this: the best way to stay healthy and happy while running is to run like a child. Run like it is fun. Run with a smile. Throw your head back and enjoy it. Stop competing, forget "training." Just run because you can. Run because you love it.

Why I am taking a pay cut

So often I read in magazines and blogs geared toward young (and older) women that you should always be looking for a better job, with an increase in pay. Many articles even teach you how to ask for a pay increase. But what happens when you learn that money doesn't have to be priority numero uno?

I’ve gone through several huge job transitions in my relatively young life. Out of college I worked on a newspaper where I loved my job but in 2008, every newspaper in the nation was seeing hardship so my copy editing position wasn’t paying the bills. I worked a great-paying sales job that was challenging for a while, but involved too much time in an office. I then moved my life from Denver to June Lake, CA, a small ski/fishing town in the eastern Sierra – population 650.

I took a job working in an information center and bookstore at an environmental non-profit where my office was a sun-lit store that smelled like organic soaps and books (sidenote: I majored in English and Politics with internships in environmental policy so I wasn’t too far out of my realm). For an entire summer I was re-energized by work instead of dragged down by it. Sure, I took a huge pay decrease, but I had saved so much at my other job that I could deal with the change.

For several more years I managed the bookstore, but I wasn’t being challenged, so I became the Marketing and Sales Director at a resort and spa in the area. I had gone so far in the direction of happiness instead of pay that I found I was working other side jobs to supplement my savings account, so my free time was really lacking, AND I had no money. In reality, my “happy place” wasn’t as sustainable as I had originally planned.

With a pay increase and a job in my chosen field, I was extremely happy for a while. But, I took on other people’s positions as they were let go or left the area. I found myself with a good deal of money, but my entire summer was spent working 12-15 hour days, with very few days off. My husband and I live in the mountains where it is sometimes a tough life shoveling feet of snow in the winter and dealing with an entirely tourism-based economy in the summer. If I don’t get out to hike, bike and run in the summer, there really is no point in living where we do.

So, when the Office Director position at the same non-profit organization was offered to me, I snatched it up. Yes, it is a slight decrease in pay, but it is a huge step up from my previous position managing the bookstore there. I am now going to be challenged professionally, working at an organization that is doing work I believe in, have ample free time to spend with my husband in the outdoors, and the workplace is just happier.

What I have learned is there is a ratio involved in work vs. play. There are a few questions that I am now going to ask myself whenever I consider a job:

•   Am I making enough money that I can work just this job and pay bills with money left over for savings and a bit for spending?
• Am I being taken care of? Does the job provide health, dental, and life insurance? Is there a retirement plan? Often these things can add up to a lot of additional money when looking at a salary.
• What is the workplace environment? When I took the job at the resort a lot of people in our small town were wary of my change. I didn’t understand it at the time, but when people say “Good luck” in a menacing tone, maybe you should rethink your change instead of stubbornly trying to prove them wrong as I did.
• Am I going to have time off to rejuvenate? I’m a workaholic, and if I’m not scheduled for two days off a week, I will sometimes not take them if tasks pile up. After reading several management articles lately, studies show that people are more successful when they have time off. We all sound badass when we say we haven’t had a day off in 2 weeks and haven’t slept in days, but, how productive are you at that stage, really?
• Am I going to be challenged?

Hard work is important. But being happy while working is my definition of success.

Reading: the Walt Longmire series

I grew up without a television.

No, I did not have homeschool hair (no offense to those that do, it's not your fault). My parents just wanted us to read. And talk to each other. And... we were probably too poor to afford one. Not sure.

For reference: homeschool hair

Anyway, the hubby and I now have every online streaming account possible: Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, Netflix... disgusting. It does make the long, cold winter nights go more quickly, however.

Our favorite streaming show (so, not technically TV??) is Longmire. Hands DOWN. I have a secret old-man crush on Walt, mainly because he drives an old Bronco, wields a rifle, and wears a cowboy hat. GAWD. Hot. It is also a really well-done show and Clif likes cowboy law enforcement.

Then came my Kindle. Which talks to Amazon. Which knows that I love Longmire. So it suggested the original book series. And then my husband went to school seven hours away. And then I spent every night last month reading aforementioned series. And drinking wine. And petting my dog - those last two were beside the point.

Reading the series after watching the TV adaptation made me love both versions more. In the TV version, Walt is pretty gruff, but fit and handsome. In the book, he has a beer belly and is far more self-depricating than is ever portrayed on TV.

There are a lot of relationship histories that you also get with the book that are never even touched upon in the TV version - some that add a lot of depth to the characters.

The books are written with a lot of dialog, so sometimes that gets to be almost distracting and choppy. But the author Craig Johnson has some remarkably stunning imagery when describing Wyoming winters, Native American haunts, and characters' flashbacks. I am often thrown off by it because Johnson switches back and forth quite abruptly.

I would recommend, highly, both the book series and the TV series. You'll fall in love, I promise.