Sarah…love the running commentary. One note about your slight political comment regarding Ukraine. Perhaps the new direction from this administration is a better path forward for Ukraine. For the last three years thousands have died in Ukraine, the country may never recover. Perhaps it’s time to get the war to stop. The previous three years have not moved one inch toward that end. It was time for a change. Perhaps it’s time to trust a new path.
You might look at the today's news where Trump calls Zelinsky a liar and a dictator. This after the administration cozies up to Putin's henchmen in Saudi Arabia all the while Trump and his cronies being enticed at investment opportunities in Russia for our merry band of of corrupted oligarchs. Sorry Sarah, but I couldn't refrain. Great post as usual!!
Not sure if you like memoir, but Steph Catudal's Everything all at Once was beautiful ! And Ina Garten's Be Ready When the Luck Happens was fun... especially if you are a foodie person like me.
Sarah, I love your writing, thank you for this, I’m not sure how the universe aligned that I would find your work right in the peak of a moment when I was struggling with the futility of running, and writing about running, in the midst of so much chaos, but it feels like the antidote I needed for this moment. My non fiction recommendation would be Other Minds by Peter Godfrey-Smith, it’s about octopuses and the evolution of consciousness.
Thank you! I was on a Grand Cyn research kick last summer and read both Sevigny’s book, which I loved, and Fedarko’s Walk in the Park. I did not get to Dead Pool however, even though the author spoke locally. The topic feels so overwhelming, but I know I should read it, and I will because I care about the Colorado River.
Malcolm Gladwell’s new one, Revenge of the Tipping Point, is good fun. Also, one of my very favorite nonfiction books is Helen Garner’s This House of Grief. (Could be the lawyer in me, but I think the story has broader appeal, especially to someone with a journalist background.) Just started Sloane Crosley’s Grief Is for People. Can’t say yet if I recommend it, though the writing so far is beautiful.
Thank you! I periodically check in with your Goodread because you read more than anyone I know! BTW Congrats on your and Zoe's 50K, such a great accomplishment for her and for you as a mom.
Thanks! It is a lot of fun to see her having success in running and, more importantly, enjoying it. I have to confess it’s a little bittersweet to be faced with the reality of how much slower I’ve gotten in comparison, but mostly it’s awesome. Circle of life and all that jazz.
Jim Looney is so rad! One year at Mountainfilm there was a film about an LA postal carrier, Johnnie Jameson, who had run every single LA Marathon, and they had Johnnie and Jim do a panel discussion about running and their USPS jobs. They of course got on like a house on fire. One of my favorite Mountainfilm memories ever.
Darn, I missed that Mountainfilm presentation. This film played at Original Thinkers, yet another cool film/speaker event here. If you come to Mountainfilm this May, let's try to meet up. Thanks for reading my newsletter. I hope you enjoyed the short film ... I feel like I'm copying your Friday Inspiration format with today's newsletter!
Love your posts Sarah...thanks for all you've been sharing. Some nonfiction recommendations I've really liked recently: To the Limit: The Meaning of Endurance from Mexico to the Himalayas; Friday Night Lights; This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage.
Sarah, I'm not trying to be harsh, but you and most/all your readers live in a very different world than many of the rest of us. I'm just wondering if you felt sympathy for the federal employees who lost their job when they did not want to take the covid vaccine. Or enough sympathy for these illegal immigrants to personally house them in your home, front yard, or your community? I don't think it's fair to force other communities, much less privileged than yours, to bear the burden. Do you know that in the Russia-Ukraine war you are supporting, in the name of democracy for Ukraine, that Zelensky cancelled the elections? Doesn't sound democratic to me. I believe both the upper political players for Russia and Ukraine are benefiting financially from this war (as are our own politicians and MIC), and the regular people from both countries are suffering the consequences.
You seem awfully concerned about Musk and his money. Do you worry about how our once lower or middle class now upper-class politicians made their money and spend our taxes?
You say you are for environmental conservation and protection. Were/are you concerned about the Nord Stream pipeline explosion, the East Palestine train derailment, shipping industry, pollution from other countries, or the environmental disasters that result from funding these endless foreign wars? Would you be willing to install a giant solar or wind farm on your property because you care about the environment so much and we need to get away from fossil fuels? Or NIMBY?
I believe we all have more in common than we have different, and so I'd like to encourage you to research beyond the headlines that are fed to you by mainstream media, NPR, PBS, Politico, etc. I've been dabbling in Ground.news and other independent sources. C-SPAN also seems to be publishing raw footage without journalists' commentary, who tend to bias the news. You might see that there are two sides, or more, to every story that ends up on your news feed.
I wish you the best in training and racing this year.
Stephanie, I won’t argue with you because it would take too much time and likely harden our points of view, so I’ll just say, it’s interesting to hear the perspective of those who believe the new administration’s agenda will help our country, promote peace around the globe, and protect the environment more than hurt it, so thank you for sharing even though I disagree.
While the tech support line is open let me add this. You know that link you posted to the chat on the Zoom call last night? The link to an earlier Substack post? On iOS clicking that link in Zoom takes you to the Substack app which then hands off the link to Substack in Safari! And I’m not logged into Substack on Safari so I can’t bookmark restack etc. I tried it more than once. Substack app should know to open a Substack link, right?
Sarah…love the running commentary. One note about your slight political comment regarding Ukraine. Perhaps the new direction from this administration is a better path forward for Ukraine. For the last three years thousands have died in Ukraine, the country may never recover. Perhaps it’s time to get the war to stop. The previous three years have not moved one inch toward that end. It was time for a change. Perhaps it’s time to trust a new path.
Perhaps, and I very much hope the war ends, but so far I cannot trust the new administration and don't trust Putin.
It’s fair to not trust Putin. Just consider that more of the same was not working. It was time to try a different approach.
You might look at the today's news where Trump calls Zelinsky a liar and a dictator. This after the administration cozies up to Putin's henchmen in Saudi Arabia all the while Trump and his cronies being enticed at investment opportunities in Russia for our merry band of of corrupted oligarchs. Sorry Sarah, but I couldn't refrain. Great post as usual!!
Not sure if you like memoir, but Steph Catudal's Everything all at Once was beautiful ! And Ina Garten's Be Ready When the Luck Happens was fun... especially if you are a foodie person like me.
Sarah, I love your writing, thank you for this, I’m not sure how the universe aligned that I would find your work right in the peak of a moment when I was struggling with the futility of running, and writing about running, in the midst of so much chaos, but it feels like the antidote I needed for this moment. My non fiction recommendation would be Other Minds by Peter Godfrey-Smith, it’s about octopuses and the evolution of consciousness.
❤️ thank you, just found your Substack and look forward to reading.
Enjoyed the post! Here are a couple of my favorite recent non-fiction reads (I'm a Colorado River geek):
- Brave the Wild River, by Melissa Sevigny - the story of the two women who were the first botanists to survey the Grand Canyon's plants, in 1938. https://melissasevigny.com/books/brave-the-wild-river/
- Life After Dead Pool: Lake Powell's Last Days and the Rebirth of the Colorado River, by Zak Podmore https://www.torreyhouse.org/life-after-dead-pool
Thank you! I was on a Grand Cyn research kick last summer and read both Sevigny’s book, which I loved, and Fedarko’s Walk in the Park. I did not get to Dead Pool however, even though the author spoke locally. The topic feels so overwhelming, but I know I should read it, and I will because I care about the Colorado River.
Life After Dead Pool is a really fun read, so don't dread it! First time I've read anything but sadness about Glen Canyon.
Malcolm Gladwell’s new one, Revenge of the Tipping Point, is good fun. Also, one of my very favorite nonfiction books is Helen Garner’s This House of Grief. (Could be the lawyer in me, but I think the story has broader appeal, especially to someone with a journalist background.) Just started Sloane Crosley’s Grief Is for People. Can’t say yet if I recommend it, though the writing so far is beautiful.
Thank you! I periodically check in with your Goodread because you read more than anyone I know! BTW Congrats on your and Zoe's 50K, such a great accomplishment for her and for you as a mom.
Thanks! It is a lot of fun to see her having success in running and, more importantly, enjoying it. I have to confess it’s a little bittersweet to be faced with the reality of how much slower I’ve gotten in comparison, but mostly it’s awesome. Circle of life and all that jazz.
Jim Looney is so rad! One year at Mountainfilm there was a film about an LA postal carrier, Johnnie Jameson, who had run every single LA Marathon, and they had Johnnie and Jim do a panel discussion about running and their USPS jobs. They of course got on like a house on fire. One of my favorite Mountainfilm memories ever.
Darn, I missed that Mountainfilm presentation. This film played at Original Thinkers, yet another cool film/speaker event here. If you come to Mountainfilm this May, let's try to meet up. Thanks for reading my newsletter. I hope you enjoyed the short film ... I feel like I'm copying your Friday Inspiration format with today's newsletter!
Non-fiction A Fever in the Heartland. Feels like what's happening today.
Ooh ... that looks good, and intense. Historic nonfiction as a bonus. I put it on my want-to-read list, thank you.
Love your posts Sarah...thanks for all you've been sharing. Some nonfiction recommendations I've really liked recently: To the Limit: The Meaning of Endurance from Mexico to the Himalayas; Friday Night Lights; This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage.
Thank you!
It was ok when Obama cut the budget and jobs were lost:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8vcN-4y1ps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulZ-dIj0tkA
It was ok when Obama said illegal migrants need to come in the proper way if they want to stay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12e6uKM8iZQ
Sarah, I'm not trying to be harsh, but you and most/all your readers live in a very different world than many of the rest of us. I'm just wondering if you felt sympathy for the federal employees who lost their job when they did not want to take the covid vaccine. Or enough sympathy for these illegal immigrants to personally house them in your home, front yard, or your community? I don't think it's fair to force other communities, much less privileged than yours, to bear the burden. Do you know that in the Russia-Ukraine war you are supporting, in the name of democracy for Ukraine, that Zelensky cancelled the elections? Doesn't sound democratic to me. I believe both the upper political players for Russia and Ukraine are benefiting financially from this war (as are our own politicians and MIC), and the regular people from both countries are suffering the consequences.
You seem awfully concerned about Musk and his money. Do you worry about how our once lower or middle class now upper-class politicians made their money and spend our taxes?
You say you are for environmental conservation and protection. Were/are you concerned about the Nord Stream pipeline explosion, the East Palestine train derailment, shipping industry, pollution from other countries, or the environmental disasters that result from funding these endless foreign wars? Would you be willing to install a giant solar or wind farm on your property because you care about the environment so much and we need to get away from fossil fuels? Or NIMBY?
I believe we all have more in common than we have different, and so I'd like to encourage you to research beyond the headlines that are fed to you by mainstream media, NPR, PBS, Politico, etc. I've been dabbling in Ground.news and other independent sources. C-SPAN also seems to be publishing raw footage without journalists' commentary, who tend to bias the news. You might see that there are two sides, or more, to every story that ends up on your news feed.
I wish you the best in training and racing this year.
Sincerely, a former democrat.
#walkaway
Stephanie, I won’t argue with you because it would take too much time and likely harden our points of view, so I’ll just say, it’s interesting to hear the perspective of those who believe the new administration’s agenda will help our country, promote peace around the globe, and protect the environment more than hurt it, so thank you for sharing even though I disagree.
While the tech support line is open let me add this. You know that link you posted to the chat on the Zoom call last night? The link to an earlier Substack post? On iOS clicking that link in Zoom takes you to the Substack app which then hands off the link to Substack in Safari! And I’m not logged into Substack on Safari so I can’t bookmark restack etc. I tried it more than once. Substack app should know to open a Substack link, right?
sorry about that!