Optimistic Toenails by Marcy Beard

Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 2:19 PM
Toenails are so optimistic, like, "maybe this time I won't get pounded a
million times and die a black death, I should grow back again"

Why? by fred dummar

Why? OK, here goes.

We can tilt at this question. Good stuff for a "taper" week. (-;

Remember you asked...

1 - I've been a Soldier my entire adult life, it defines my character in a way nothing else does.

2- I started out as an enlisted dude (86) then became an officer (90) and ran into a desk about 1997. Coincidentally that would be the first year that I ran an ultra.

3- Suddenly I had been promoted out of being with the lads... no more of lots of things...wearing my rucksack, shooting, jumping out of planes with a purpose, laying in the dirt, being cold, hungry, wet, tired, satisfied with good physical labor in preparation to defend my nation. I could occasionally do those things, and still can...but there is a difference between pretending to be a Combat Soldier and being one. My Heroin was gone...
Leadership by example now had an entirely different spin, and I had no fix to feed the Soldier that still wanted to be taking on new challenges. Who wants to be on the road to becoming the FAT, OLD Colonel that can't hang with the boys? Not Doom that is for sure.

4- I got a call from a friend 6 weeks before the JFK 50 (1997). I would death march it without knowing a thing about ultras. I had found the methadone clinic...

5- I puttered around with ultras for the next few years, mostly as "gut check" exercises to keep me sane, and prove to myself (if no one else) that I could still be on an A-team.

6- Then I ran my first 100 in 2001, one month after 9/11. Now it was even more real. When the chips are down, people are tired, and bullets are flying who wants to be the guy that is gassed out and worthless? When you go to your internal well for more...will there be more? How do you expand your personnel capacity to endure pain, deprivation, cold, self doubt, etc...? I knew ultras were my way. About this time the ever lovely Mrs Doom started running, and ultras also became less selfish. I could do more of them, and enjoy them more...

7- I was off to Iraq and Afghanistan in 03 and 04. I missed Western States in 03 and was grandfathered in for 04. When I ran WS in 04 I did so in memory of a fallen friend. The WS RD even wanted me to talk about my friend the day before the race during the flag raising. It was very cathartic. You can work out some demons on the trails. Ultras were there for me again.

8- A series of staff jobs followed and ultras were always part training, and Soldier ego maintenance, part therapy, and often a way to spend time with my better 3/4. Pacing Susan and other runners became increasingly more important then what I was personally doing.

9- Then came the Ivan factor. My good friend Captain Castro that many of you have met. Suddenly I was presented with a Soldier and a runner who could not do it by himself. He was faster then his guides, eager for a challenge and in need of a mentor. I never claimed to be ready for the job, but I took it. Running with Ivan has done more for me then it does for him. Service to a fellow Soldier in such a tangible way allows both of us to demonstrate our commitment to the Warrior Ethos. While Ivan ensures people understand the meaning of "I will never quit", he provide me the opportunity to "never leave a fallen comrade."

I enjoy a physical challenge, and enjoy the company of like minded folks...But if you'll forgive me this indulgence it is because ultrarunners are more like Soldiers then anybody else.
Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 3:23 PM

I Love Soldiers. I Love being around them, talking to them, enduring hardship with them...seeing them struggle, improve, win... nothing like it.

Ultrarunners are different kinds of Soldiers, fighting different battles, but you're Soldiers just the same.

I Love ultrarunners.

The DNF at the Tahoe 100 gutted me in a way few things have. It was much more then failing to run 100 miles. I let the team down, even if only in my own mind.

Run on friends, though you be the last.

Cheers,
Doom

joe judd on speedwork

In early March, I got an email from Byron Lane, suggesting I do some speed
work. Honestly, I never really thought about it before. I would try to get
faster on my training runs. But, I never went out with the intent of really
pushing my pace for a short time. If you're trying to go 100 miles, speed is
not the main ingredient. Or so I thought. Byron suggested that I should try
some 8:00 - 8:30 minute mile intervals. I thought, "I can't run that fast.
I've never run that fast". Lo and behold, on my first attempt I ran 2
miles at 8:00 and 5 miles at 9:10 pace. I was tired and it was hard. But, I
was amazed!

I've been doing a speed day about once a week. For me, it amounts to mile
repeats. It started out at something like - warm up at 10:00 pace for 2
miles, ramp up for 2-4 miles, then back down for the last one. I don't have
to "push hard" to go fast anymore. But, of course it has gotten much easier
to maintain my quicker pace. Now, after 5 months I've seen some remarkable
improvements. Last weekend I went out for a run on the (gravel, relatively
flat) bike path. I ran 6 miles at 8:00 pace. That is an average, accounting
for my slower start in the first mile. Plus, it felt pretty easy and
relaxed. Overall, my average pace for all of my running miles has decreased
from an average of 10:48/ mile to 9:33/ mile, based on mileage between 40-50
per week. I've gotten my long runs to 20 miles at 10:06 pace.

Will it translate to much more speed, over 100 miles? I don't know how much
yet. But, I was able to break 100 miles in 24 hours at FANS, in June. My
previous best was a 100 mile finish in 26:04 at Heartland. Although, FANS
was definitely an easier course. The big test will happen next month at Lean
Horse.

So, if you're a slow plodder, like I was (and kind of still am), give it a
shot. It feels *so good* to go out and cruise along at a 20% faster pace!
You might just surprise yourself, like I did.

And thanks, Byron!

Joe Judd
Denver & Salida, Co.

aaron goldman on tarahumara

Having just finished reading the excellent book "Born to Run", it brought back
my personal experiences in Copper canyon with the Tarahumara Indians.
My first venture was with a medical group that consisted of 2 nurses, 1
doctor,1 optometrist, 2 dentists and 3 volunteers that served as helpers of
which I was a member. Our first visit was to a remote village where as far as
we knew it was a first visit by outsiders to that community not on a map and
did not know what to expect. we arrived on Friday evening to find nearly 200
Tarahumaras waiting for us at a spot with no drinkable water and no electricity,
Fortunately we brought a generator (that required constant surveillance but
one of the volunteers was a sharpy who kept it running). We worked from
sunrise to sunset for 2 days. I took vitals, helped in the pharmacy handing
out prescriptions as dictated by the drs. Out of the 150 that we had time for,
there were zero cases of high blood pressure, zero with high pulse rates, 80
needing glasses (we used a trial and error method and handed out donated
glasses),120 needing worm pills (good for 30 days but then what), 75 needing
tooth repair, and 25 pregnant women. Infant mortality rates must be one of the
highest in the world. It was a terrible experience to watch a baby die in her
mother's arms because the child refused to breast feed. This woman had walked
20 miles to no avail. I conjecture that the children were so healthy and
outgoing was because they survived their early childhood. Most of the clients
hiked between 5 and 30 miles to come to our clinic. There was no change of
expression among the adults, even one man who had 4 teeth pulled. I did
succeed in getting a laugh when we passed out the 200 bandannas that we
brought. I had a heck of a time tying one on my head before one of the elderly
women came to my rescue, which met with laughter and applause.
Our second visit was to a village of about 1000 but inhabited by mostly
Mexicans. We did not see a single Tarahumara that first day but the second day
there were no Mexicans present and we served roughly half of the Tarahumaras
that showed up. The results were similar.
My second series of visits was to help finish an orphanage built adjacent to a
one room elementary grade school house. The mexican government provided a
school house with a basketball court in various locations in Copper canyon
strictly for the taras. A group from Holland built the foundations for the
orphanage and left a youg woman in her early 20's and her boy friend to spend
one year to finish the job. She knew zilch about carpentry but got help from
some Tarahumaras who helped build a second story, a kitchen, and a nurse's
office. A nurse would make a visit once a week but had no running water or
electricity. There were 20 upstairs rooms plus 2 closets and 2 bathrooms that
needed doors. This required an expert carpenter and my friend and excellent
runner,Dale Goering managed to do the fitting during our weekly stay. There
were eight of us who installed plumbing,painted, put in walls, etc. etc.The
idea for the building came from a neighbor who had 9 orphans living with him
and his wife. He was my age(72 at the time)and recognized as a hero because he
kicked the ball 200 miles over a 40 hour span. Someone told him of my 200
mile run at ATY and when we met he gave me a hug that I will never forget
because Tarahumara do not show emotions much less a stranger. We got along
well as I ate the Tarahumara food (by necessity). A subsequent trip finished
the project when we installed electricity, pumped in water, and got the place
in shape. An opening ceremony that I could not attend but was attended by
the Governor of Chihuahua province took place 2 years ago.
One big highlight for me was to run with a Tarahumara. There was a woman who
lived in a very nice home(relatively speaking)nearby who spent 6 months in the
US learning medicine. She had no prior education and was sent by the Mexican
government to give medical help to the needy. She spoke no English but somehow
we communicated and she told me to show up at 6am the next morning
to go with a runner who knew the trails. It turned out to be a 12 year old
boy whose name was also Arun. We went on a wonderful 2 hour run through the
mountain and he was very kind to keep me in sight the whole time. Afterwards
we treated him to a special breakfast of bacon and eggs that he really enjoyed.
One more note re McDougall's book. When Caballo(aka Micah True) had his
marital difficulties and went to Eastern Maui he hooked up with a guy named
Smitty who got him into running. Turns out that Smitty was a running colleague
of mine in Las Vegas,NV in the early seventies. Smitty never owned a car and
ran from Vegas to Los Angeles to do the Culver City Marathon and then ran
back. He owned a bike but every time I saw him with his bike he was running
along pushing it. He died in Maui , living like a hermit but kept running.
Aaron Goldman

endocrine system/cortisol/fat burning by karl king

> There are multiple ways to skin this cat. Anybody who says there is only way
> is suspect. One can fuel, but do a lot of long runs. One could partially
> fuel. One ( in a hurry ) could use just water and electroltyes on the long
> runs. After about 8 long runs with water only, the body should be adapted
> to the protocol and operate more smoothly. The first few runs with no
> calories would be very miserable when the leg muscle and liver glycogen are
> gone. In such cases, one should slow down to a walk to give the endocrine
> system time to put out what it uses to mobilize body fat. Then a slower
> running pace can be used. One should also realize that running on fat only
> is necessarily slow. Per a given amount of oxygen coming in ( we all have
> our personal limit ), carbs produce 16% more energy than fat. So, if you
> burn only fat, you will be slow, painfully slow compared to what you could
> run on a high carb input.
>
> As for taking certain drinks or supplements to promote fat burning, my
> challenge is this: Marketing BS. Prove it on a scientific basis, not sales
> sweet-talk. I say this because I've seen some literally incredible claims
> for some products that I think were written by people whose strength is in
> promotion, rather than science.
>
> One other thing needs to be said so that people understand well. The
> endocrine system training is to promote the release of cortisol when carb
> stores fall low, and for the enzymes needed to metabolize fat. There is a
> price to be paid for a high cortisol output. If you Google cortisol and
> damage, you'll find plenty of hits. High cortisol levels tear down and age
> the body. Cortisol is more of a survival tool. It is burning the candle at
> both ends. People with chronically high cortisol output can run all day and
> night, but they will eventually look 10 years older than their calendar age.
> Just look for dark, sunken eyes, and skin hanging on the bones.

perfect analogy to ultrarunning

From: Christian Griffith
Date: Sun, Mar 15, 2009 at 1:33 PM
Subject: perfect analogy to ultrarunning
To: Ultrapost List


can you relate?
I just got back into town, and I'm rushing around, my wife's rushing me
around, I gotta buy printer ink, I'm sore, easily aggravated, and thinking
about a million different things a minute ...and all at once.

Car stereo's loud, but I'm not listening. Too consumed with a cross between
suburban living and post-race family responsibility catch-up.

As one of many errands, I''m rushing through the busy technology circle,
headed to Office Max... when...

Ducks.

There's a posse of ducks that live on this lake in the middle of technology
circle, and when it rains, they cruise around looking for food (I think),
oblivious to all the traffic and normal goings-on, and just mosey across the
various busy streets in little groups.

Two ducks were crossing the street.

Just a'takin' their sweet ol' time.

One of 'em bent down and pecked at something on the street, found it
interesting, and decided to continue for awhile.

And there I sat, in my giant, gus-hog Excursion, 35 feet away from a
bustling, 55 mph parkway intersection, and frozen in my tracks until the
ducks decided I was going to continue my day.

That simple, momentary and voluntary powerlessness reminds me of how I feel
when I'm ultrarunning.

The stark contrasts I experience between daily life, and spending 12 hours
running in solid rain, through mounds of mud, with weekend friends, is
pretty damn cool.

Ultrarunning is life's interruption - my time to stop and "smell the roses".

The ducks finally moved, and I resumed life's conveyor belt.


--
Christian Griffith

It's harder than you think / It's not as hard as it sounds

March 8, 2009

> I told him that he couldn't; he replied that he KNOWS that he can walk a 15
> minute mile for an "indefinite" period of time.

I have two canned spiels I deliver to people on the topic
of running or walking long distances. The essence of
spiel one is:

It's harder than you think.

The essence of spiel two is:

It's not as hard as it sounds.

Both are equally true statements for most non ultrarunning
people I talk to.

Which one I deliver depends on who it is I'm talking to, and
what their initial reaction to the news is.

Those who react as the person Ollie describes does get
spiel one, followed by appropriate elucidation.

Others who are completely nonplussed by the idea of running
or walking some long distance or time, so much so that they
conclude that either I'm lying or that I must be some kind of
superathlete (or possibly a nut case), when I am in reality one
of the lowliest of the low, get spiel two.

I don't believe I need to explain to members of this group why
both statements are true.

a unique look at running at night

Marcia Rasmussen

12/17/08

There's one thing I purposely do NOT train for. I don't go bang out a lot of
long runs at night. That's because I really enjoy running at night, and
don't ever want it to become drudgery. When I go to a 100-mile ultra, I look
forward to the nighttime hours as something very special. I love to look at
the stars and watch for meteors. (If you've never watched the Perseids while
running Death Valley, you haven't lived.) If it's a moonlit night, I like to
turn off my lamp. I like to watch for pairs of eyes glowing in the
underbrush and see owls winging along silently overhead. The specialness of
it helps distract me from any pain or boredom I might otherwise feel. So I
guess this is mental training too. In the days and weeks before a 100-miler,
I'm looking forward to the night out. I do enough dark running to test my
night gear, but beyond that, I SAVE IT.