farotrails

[farotrails]

curiosity, or why Doug Tallamy needs to be required reading

I.

I'm a firm believer that environmental advocacy should include personal shifts in our own ethics and actions. (It doesn't help that science isn't considered important even when it's the explanation of foundational structure for every living thing.) The shift starting at home is explained pretty eloquently (more than me!) by Doug in his first two books Bringing Nature Home (2007) and Nature's Best Hope (2016). Kill your fuckin' lawn, and learn about the interconnectedness of every single living thing in your fuckin' lawn. Those books are a great entry to the movement and are a genuinely fun read. Motherfuckers just don't consider that the 1 3/8" uniform grass blades and their one invasive yew bush are actively harming the environment and climate that the motherfuckers may otherwise support. Pervasive ignorance, or (more politely) unawareness, or (the big one, IMO) lack of curiosity.

II.

Go step outside and take a look for two minutes. And don't just glaze over. Actually observe your surroundings, for two minutes.

What does this grass do for surrounding organisms? What was the context of its evolution? Why is it here, in this spot, right now? Now zoom in, or out, or pan sideways. There's another living thing right there, with the same set of questions and likely a completely different trajectory and set of pressures that delivered the beetle, or planthopper, or turtle, or polar bear to the place you're observing it now. Get into the habit of asking those questions and being curious (there it is again) about researching the answers. You won't always find those answers (shouts out fungi, I'm just now finding out how spore prints can be a diagnostic characteristic) and that's okay. It's still supporting scientific literacy and the knock-on effects of being Smart, and putting you in a position to be empathetic to the natural world that humans so viciously take for granted.

III.

I'm currently killing my god damn lawn. Big ass mulch pile and planning out hardscaping. And the whole way I'm observing insects, birds, mushrooms, all sorts of plants, mollusks, and even a handful of herps. Each of the native organisms has a reason for evolving into this system, and as a landowner (shouts out privilege and also Indiana for being cheap as shit) I have a very serious responsibility to support the non-human organisms that evolved into the space I'm occupying.

Now that sounds pretty bleak, and it may be in some circumstances, but it also feels really fuckin' good to see nature thrive in a plot where it previously hadn't. I live pretty rurally, on a karst ridgeline surrounded by a forest of oak, beech, maple, and at least one aspen. In this space I've found a real love for amphibians and especially Plethodontidae salamanders.

Indiana has the most polluted waterways per some-metric-of-water-flowage-that-I-don't-want-to-research-again in the country. The lovely little Plethodontidae family don't have lungs; these cute fuckers breath by absorbing oxygen via wet skin. Think about that system in the context of huge polluted, like can't catch and eat more than one fish a month because of PCB contamination polluted, and these dudes are thriving in pockets. Plethodon dorsalis, the Northern Zig-Zag Salamander seen above, is an especially good litmus. They're mostly restricted to the forests surrounding fairly isolated mountain flows of the Smokies and southern Appalachians. Those waterways contributing to zig-zag ecosystems are notable for being home for endemic evolutionary cases - species that exist solely in one little hole in one little stream. Plethodon dorsalis is terrestrial and not restricted to just those waterways, but their prevalence in central and eastern Tennessee makes presence in south-central Indiana (the northwestern edge of their range) a welcome oddity, and a sign that the conditions can be improved well-enough where breathing isn't instantly poisoning these tiny buddies.

IV.

This was all an excuse to ramble about salamanders, and stewardship, and getting outdoors and fucking looking. Learn about your surroundings. It might turn into a lifelong interest, or hobby, or even contribute to groundbreaking research that can support an entire ecosystem. It all comes down to curiosity first and foremost. Leaning in, asking why, and finding out the answers. And becoming a more compassionate person along the way.

[farotrails]

Tecumseh Trail Challenge 50k race report

Tecumseh Trail Challenge 50k. Yellowwood State Forest, IN. Oct 19 2024. 7:41:09. Strava link.

the training block leading up to the race was less than ideal. maintenance miles at about 30/week, some dedicated hills, a few multi-hour runs. the real gains came with the mental training: ditching headphones and learning to listen to the wilderness, not getting frustrated with low effort low pace low fun long runs. everything over 21 miles was unexplored going into the race, and i wanted to maintain the curiosity that got me to that point. life got busy and the physical side was going to have to come down to base fitness from a couple years of consistent running.

flat cola rules and was the real mvp. everything was going stellar; perfect; unbridled by pain and suffering for the first 16 miles. pace was consistent, effort was similar (but creeping up as the miles ticked by), and importantly i was still eating.

not that anything was really expected beyond finishing at all, but it would have been really hard to anticipate how the race would affect me from mile 21 onward. the aid at mile 21 (dam 1) came into view, and instantly all appetite disappeared. i was still in good spirits, but food didn't sound good at all. i had a few chips and a slice of orange, refilled my water, and headed out for the next 5 mile section.

that's where the real sufferfest started. knee inflammation made uphill running slow and the climbing hr made it less economical than the nearly-as-slow hike. downhills were still happening but getting worse. "oh well, we're getting by, i signed up for this and knew some parts would be rough."

dam 2 at mile 26. i came in completely blown up, filled up my water, had a quarter piece of pbj and took off without a word. the marathon mark came and went with a sigh as i started jogging off towards a creek crossing and the last 5 miles.

this section was mostly a trial of power hiking, or death marching, or stubbornly aching towards the finish. mixed with moments of brilliant inspiration and shaky running. the full scope of this endeavor came into view as i retreated further into my own head. a modest 250 foot high / 0.1 mile long climb marked mile 28. i mutter "fuck" and keep my cadence without a second thought.

this was the breakthrough moment. my "why" had always been that i think my fitness can get me through an ultra, i love being outdoors running these trails, and i'm curious what running that long in a supported environment would feel like. the expectation of ayahuasca-tripping-tech-bro mind expansion was a rumor. and still is (pranked ya). but what that trudge taught me is that my conviction in the face of suffering was unwavering. that the pain i felt, now scraping the bottom of the barrel for "acceptable caloric and carb intake" as I slowly jog into and out of mile 29 aid (margaritaville) without consideration of the wares, wasn't going to stand in the way of this goal.

and if this was possible in an athletic pursuit where a dnf would be disappointing but without a real consequence, why could it not be possible in other situations that actually matter? i forced a smile. full coherent thoughts weren't happening but the satisfaction of movement broke through. i caught up to two other runners at mile 30 and listened as they made conversation and i explored my own human ability to make sounds with my mouth. but together we ran it in.

two beers and a cookie later brain function was returning around a fire. the reflection on this accomplishment started. i think it has made me more calm, more aware, more trusting of my intuition, and more confident in situations requiring tenacity. the hay was in the barn, the training had been done, but those last 5 miles were not something i think i could have trained for. they just had to be experienced and dealt with. the marathon was relatively easy. and then it got very very hard. and i can't wait for my next one.

epilogue: MoMoFo 100k in June. also going to look for a 50k in spring to fill in the gap, hang out with really fit people, and see what about the experience changes in the face of a looming 100k race. i love this sport. i love that the barrier to entry is a pair of shoes and the courage to commit to the training and hold on. and i love how participation can lead to soul crushing lows and life defining highs and unwavering determination to get this shit done. it reinforced that this is a lifetime journey.

when i started training for my first half marathon a few years ago, i had wrote the distance off with "i don't need to do that, i'm comfortable running 10ks." but then started the "why not run a half marathon." and then "why not run on trails in the forest." and then "why not train for an ultra." i couldn't answer that why not, and i still can't, and i hope i never can. stay curious.