Curiosity, Joy, and Experience Drive Ultrarunning Performance and Fulfillment

Key Quotes

"my mom was like you know just figuring out how to run trails and the nutrition and the gear and all of these pieces so she's like we're not done we've got to try another one together and so that led us to this 100k last week it was the havasu 100k in arizona absolutely like the most wonderful day out on the trails with her it was so cool"

Dauwalter describes the experience of running a 100k with her mother, highlighting the collaborative effort and shared enjoyment of the challenge. This illustrates her value for personal connections and shared experiences, even within demanding athletic pursuits.

"the biggest puzzle piece i wanted to play with this summer was the recovery bit physically and mentally um just because of how close the races were stacked together and how i would be fully immersed in recovering a lot of the summer i wanted to focus on that as like what can i learn about recovery from this experience that i can now apply to other things"

Dauwalter explains her primary focus during a demanding summer of racing was understanding and optimizing recovery. She viewed this as a learning opportunity to gather evidence and experiences that could be applied to future challenges.

"for me the filing cabinet is in my brain and um full of folders that basically are full of experiences or problems or speed bumps or you know whatever it is that i've had along the way mostly i think of it during ultras so it'll be like folders of problems that come up during these ultramarathons and so when a problem comes up that's similar i picture like check the filing cabinet what do you already know about this situation what have you tried before what has worked or not worked in the past like what are the facts here"

Dauwalter uses the metaphor of a "filing cabinet" in her brain to describe her systematic approach to problem-solving during ultras. She visualizes accessing past experiences and data to address current challenges factually, rather than emotionally.

"i think i had just heard the pain cave reference before you know like there's the struggle bus or the hurt locker or there's so many terms for this same sort of thing and for some reason i latched onto the idea of this cave and i could really see it in my mind um but i found that visual and that thought to be just really fear based and um not productive feeling and so over the past few years really like the last three or four probably i've uh changed the story to be about arriving at the pain cave and like seizing the opportunity that was that's presented in front of us"

Dauwalter discusses her evolution in how she perceives the "pain cave," a common term for extreme physical discomfort during endurance events. She shifted from viewing it as a place to avoid or merely survive to an opportunity for growth and increased capacity.

"i think joy and intensity can exist together i'm i'm not i don't think like super intense i am like to me it's running you know so and it's running for a long time so in general like there's no need to ever get your pants in a bunch when you're out there for 24 hours if you're you know struggling for a few moments or miles or hours of that that's okay in the big picture"

Dauwalter explains that joy and intensity can coexist, even during prolonged and challenging activities like ultramarathons. She emphasizes maintaining a broad perspective and not overreacting to difficult moments, as they are temporary within the larger experience.

"there's no harm in trying like trying something that's way too hard or sounds way too hard whether you get it or not is not the point it's like we sign up for or we go after these things that um are a few bars higher up than our level that feels comfortable and then it's more about the journey of going after the thing like falling short of it that's okay i don't think uh we should be scared to try things and fail"

Dauwalter encourages individuals to attempt challenging goals, even if they seem overwhelmingly difficult. She posits that the value lies in the process of striving and the experience gained, rather than solely in achieving the outcome, and that fear of failure should not be a deterrent.