Parallels: Slöyd and Endurance Sport

I forgot sleeping bags. Who does that when they are going camping in the mountains? All of the pre-race nerves that I had leading up to the race completely disappeared once I realized I left our sleeping bags behind (on the shelf in the garage). Talk about a blessing in disguise because it felt great to shake the nerves that were building, from thinking about the 100 miles that lie ahead of me the next day.

Everyday in our Slöyd classroom we talk about mistakes (sometimes they’re about woodworking and sometimes they’re about forgetting sleeping bags). Mistakes aren’t just okay in Slöyd, they are expected and celebrated. They are celebrated because we do our best to encourage children to recognize their mistakes as a critical part of the learning process…we aim to foster a growth-mindset in our students. Sometimes mistakes result in starting a project completely over. That project could have even had multiple days worth of work put into it when it was time to try again. Students learn how to manage mistakes, take ownership of them, and have a positive attitude that sets them up for success in the classroom and in their daily life. It is one thing to say that we learn from our mistakes. It is another to truly experience it.

Getting to the start of a 100 mile ultramarathon takes a great deal of behind the scenes work- similar to the work that happens in the Slöyd classroom before a finished model comes home. Sometimes the work takes multiple mistakes, hours, or even months to accomplish a finished product! I ran a 50 mile trail race in 2021 to even qualify to enter the lottery for the High Lonesome 100 that was going to take place in 2022. It took me thousands of miles to prepare to get to that starting line. I shared well over 1000 of those aforementioned miles with our young boys, as they rode their bikes by my side (or more recently, in front of me). It was in sharing those miles with them that I started to realize that there were possible connections between Slöyd and endurance sport… I saw first hand, the impact both of these experiences had on their character (and my own).

Self-Reliance

Self-reliance is something we strive to help students in Slöyd develop. It isn’t something a person or child just instantly ‘accomplishes’. It takes constant practice to build confidence to truly demonstrate self-reliance. Endurance sport involves a great deal of freedom and risk, which are both essential to developing self-reliance. Racing the High Lonesome 100 inherently came along with the ability to exercise that freedom and risk. Running 100 miles, over technical terrain, at high altitude, over the course of two days worth of sunrises is full of risk. But I had thousands of miles worth of practice to develop the skill sets (both mental and physical) that would set me up for success, especially when things got difficult.

Over 50 miles into my day, I climbed a tough section of the Continental Divide Trail, completely solo, by headlamp. I was wrecked. I had been managing a (long) bout of altitude sickness and developed an inability to adequately fuel for the grueling miles that I had ahead of me. Nevertheless, I was confident that I had what I needed to be successful and safe. I knew I was going to get to that next aid station and that I was going to be a better version of myself when I did. I made it to the next aid station, and I was continuing to sharpen my own self-reliance as I marched along the divide.

Students who participate in Slöyd have a unique chance to hone their own self-reliance skill set. Purposefully, we introduce risk through the use of tools and allow them freedom to explore through the process of completing models. There is risk in injury and in making mistakes. They don’t develop self-reliance and confidence in one session; it takes time and repetition of using the tools at their bench. This is strikingly similar to the build up of time and miles as I prepared to race 100 miles. The self-reliance that comes from each of these experiences is the same, and most importantly is useful in all facets of life.

Love for Labor

We talk regularly with our students about how much fun it is to work hard. Just as often as we talk to our students about the importance of the physical work they are doing, students exclaim to us how much fun they have working. Students get blisters, shed layers as their bodies warm up, and pause to take drinks of water because they are physically laboring. Again, that sounds a lot like training for 1000’s of miles to run 100 miles…

I don’t believe the majority of people love labor the first time they are presented with hard, physical work. It takes repetitive exposure and results before one respects and even enjoys the labor. There were MANY runs or mountain bike rides you may have seen me out on, and the first thought in your head would not have been “she looks like she loves what she is doing!”. I certainly wasn’t always smiling, I fell (really hard a handful of times), and I set absurdly early alarms to wake-up so that I could push my body and mind to its limits. But I have developed a love for the labor because of the positive physical and mental results that come from the hard work.

Perseverance

Over the course of my 26 hours of running High Lonesome, I never once thought about quitting. Although, at times it would have been much easier to simply stop moving forward. Going into this adventure I had planned and carefully calculated out my nutrition plan so that I could fuel my body to cover those 100 miles. Nearly all of that planning went out the window after mile 35, when I struggled to eat or keep calories down. It took nearly 40 miles of trouble shooting (with the help of a great group of people out there supporting me) and perseverance to get to the point where I was able to successfully fuel. Ultimately, I was able to consume enough calories to continue toward the finish line.

Had I not persevered through those rough miles, I wouldn’t have given myself the chance to get to the finish line. Nor would I have had the countless other experiences that positively shaped me along the way. There are undoubtably times when perseverance through a challenge may not be advisable in endurance sports (or every day life), but in most instances working through the challenge is more than worth the delayed gratification- and ultimately the success that comes from seeing something through.

Students in the Slöyd classroom practice perseverance with every cut they they make and every project they complete. Sometimes they make mistakes and sometimes the wood they are working with fails. With continued exposure to physical, tangible challenges presented in the classroom, students whole heartedly learn about the joy of seeing something through, even when it isn’t easy. Tears turn to beaming smiles as students persevere through the many challenges they face in Slöyd.

Over the course of the 26 hours it took me to traverse the High Lonesome course, I had ample time on my hands to think. It was during those hours that I came to the definitive conclusion that there is absolutely a relationship between Slöyd and endurance sport. The philosophy and nature of the two undeniably parallel each other. The character traits that develop and the values that are instilled through these two experiences are what make them so incredible! It is important to offer formative experiences to children at a young age so that they can reap the benefits of these lessons for the rest of their lives.

Although I am looking forward to my future adventures in endurance sport, I am equally as excited about the adventure in refining and growing Slöyd Experience. Without a doubt, more children need to be afforded the unique opportunity to put their hands, bodies, and minds to work through authentic experience…because the values and lifelong lessons that come from it are invaluable.

(Note: All race day pictures are from Mile 90 Photography)