Dear Taper....

Dear Taper,

I can't quite remember how you came up with your name. Was it decided like my sister's in the hospital over a game of cribbage? Or did your parents, play rock, paper, scissors and the winner got to choose? In either event, you were different from the beginning. Instead of running with your friends, fartlek, tempo and LSD out on the playgrounds, you decided it was better to chill. "Come and play, with us" , they shouted and you thought them fools to expend all their energy. You were like a squirrel storing nuts for the winter. You were storing energy for that BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) or "A" race.


As you grew up, you positioned yourself in the middle between Training and Racing and completed the triangle of a runner's cycle. Recovery? Who needs that? You, were more important and worked on your craft. A bit like Hamlet, you began whispering in the ears of runners:

"I essentially am not in madness,
But mad in craft."
(III. iv. 187-8.)

The craft you stated, was that if you followed me, cutting back on mileage, but not necessarily intensity, and allowing the body to rest and rebuild, you, the runner, would be at your best you said. That climb up the mountain to achieve your BHAG or "A" race although still difficult, would not be as perilous.

However, maybe it was like the story that gets told to one person, but by the time it gets to the 10th, the intent and originality is skewed and nowhere near the original meaning. This is what I believe has happened to you, Taper. Somewhere, somehow your ideas got misinterpreted and a whole sub culture began a rapid ascent to the top.

Instead of enjoying and savoring that which is you and part of the process, people began freaking out. They mistook the decrease in mileage as a sign that they were losing fitness. They looked at the extra time on their hands from not training and began letting thoughts of self doubt, "Why didn't I hit this workout as hard? " and "Am I really ready?" creep in. They begin avoiding everyone and everything fearing sickness or injury. I know this was not your intent, and I too admit to in the past to falling into this trap. But, no longer will this be.

I have come to understand Taper, that you have a purpose. There is a craft to your "madness". Like any journey, there will be peaks and valleys. At the peak of our training, we must allow a little bit of a slide into the valley before the push up to the top. The slide, yes you Taper, allows us to build momentum necessary to make it to the top and achieve our BHAG . You are not something to fear or freak out about, but rather something to embrace.

Someone once said, "with great power, comes great responsibility." So Taper, I hope you find time to reflect as you sit on the sideline watching speed work, intervals, and the others run about and seek to restore your true intent.

Sincerely,

Dawg

Sesame Noodles

As a family on the go, it is easy to get be in such a hurry that convenience over a healthier option makes it's way to the dinner table. With both the wife and I in the midst of marathon training, we have made a much more conscious effort to provide healthier and more nutritious options for the family. Enter, Time for Dinner, Strategies, Inspiration, and Recipes for Family Meals Every Night of the Week.

One of the things my wife and I like about the book besides the fact that the meals are really easy to put together (note: 30 min meals on the Food Network, really take more than 30 minutes to make), is that there is almost an option for each person to customize each meal.

Sesame noodles with extras

Ingredients:

1 1lb box udon noodles or fettuccine
1 cup shredded carrots
1 hothouse cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1 bunch scallions ( whites and greens) chopped
1 handful snow peas, chopped
1 handful peanuts, chopped
1 handful cilantro, chopped
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
1/2 cup bottle Asian sesame dressing ( such as Annie's Natural)
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare the pasta according to the pasta direction

2. Arrange the carrots, cukes, scallions, snow peas, peanuts, cilantro, and chicken in individual bowls

3. In a blender, mix the dressing with the peanut butter. Toss the noodles with the peanut sauce, or pour it into it's own individual bowl.

4. Serve everyone a bowl of noodles and have them customize their own meals.




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Chasing the Unicorn

Much was made this week when the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A), revised the qualifications to run the Boston Marathon. Starting in 2012, there will be a rolling registration process and in 2013, new qualifying standards lower every age group/gender by 5 minutes. These changes while not out of left field, clearly caused much dialogue on various social media sites expressing discontent and outrage over how could the "Unicorn" go and change times like that? Simple, it's their race.

How could they go and change the times and registration like that? Over the past couple of years, the registration has closed earlier and earlier with the 2011 edition closing within 8 hours. Of note, approximately only 10% of people who run marathons actually run a time that is a BQ. Discussion ensued over why is there only 80% allotted for people who have actually "BQ'ed" and 20% for charity runners. Why don't they shrink the number of charity runners and let more people who "earned" it run? Simply put, it's their race.

When the news hit, I sent text messages to my neighbor who ran his first two marathons last year and missed a BQ by 16 seconds in his first under the old standards (note: the 59 second buffer will no longer be extended) and a minute plus on his second. It was required that we have pizza and beer that night as the kids played to discuss. As he put it to me, "Five minutes is a lot of time in a marathon" and his wife who has run one Boston (2010) and qualified for another( at Boston) but deferred in 2011 said "What if that was my only chance" in response to the rolling registration based on how much faster than the BQ you were.

Yes, I have had the opportunity to both see the start of the Boston Marathon as a child and run it last year. Yes, it is a cool experience and I have stated that I would like to go back again. But was it any cooler for me than running on the Appalachian Trail last year, or getting a chance to plan and run my own little adventure in the Rockies? If I put it in perspective, I don't think so. In both of the latter cases, I made the choices on where and how long to run. I decided what the qualifications needed to be and what the cut off times were.

The people that made the changes made it on the basis of what they felt they needed to to do keep the "Unicorn" not in the rear view mirror of runners, but just in front of the headlights so they keep chasing. People will grumble for a bit and may have to shift their racing plans a bit, but for those that are truly committed to capturing the "Unicorn" the chase will continue. For others that thought they had a chance with the old qualifying times, there is a fork in the road.

Simply put it is their race. Which race are you going run?

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Zen and Running

Before there were gels, GPS watches, and mp3 players there was running. Before a "barefoot running" craze, moisture wicking fabrics, and entering your name into a lottery hoping to get into a race you wanted to run, there was running. Now I am as guilty as anyone when I load up for a long run with a GPS, iPod, hydration system, phone, etc to get through the miles. But I remember when I first started with nothing but my shoes and my lungs. There was a simplicity to it.

Enter Fred Rohe, and his book, Zen and Running ( click here for PDF version). In this flowing dialogue which reads more like a poem than a book, Fred shares his thoughts on running. Here is just a sample.

You decide what rules you want to play by.

There is one principle useful to all who run: Run erect as possible

Don't overdo it,
Under do it.
You aren't running because
Your in a hurry to get somewhere

Every time you run
You create the quality of your own experience

You will find your dancing run doesn't tire you but energizes you.

The point of your running is to help you become healthy, happy, and wholly you.

You are not running for some future reward, the real reward is now!

Let's let our running be real.

With all of our technology is our running like that at all? Could you forgo all the "extras" and just run to run without regards to time, pace, distance? What might that look and feel like?

Super 5k

Today marked the return to a distance that I ran I high school, the 5k. Without serious training, I somehow managed to run an 18:51 back then which was good enough to be varsity at my school, but left middle to back on the pack at invitationals and nowhere near a time that would qualify for a regional or more. I ran what I deserved given my lack of seriousness. It's always easier to say...I wish I had...after the fact. Nevertheless, the time still stands as my PB or PR (which one is is really?) and it is one that I have put down as a goal to break this year.

Despite getting over a nagging cold and a calf muscle strain, I was still looking forward to the Super 5k to set a time for the year and get out there and attempt to "race it". To feel fast, I donned the Brooks Singlet over a long sleeve tech and fleece pullover.

The temp was a brisk 25 degrees with a nice windchill of 18. Roads were wet and sloppy from the fresh fallen powder the night before and made for some interesting traction points along the way.

Onto the race. I am really making a concerted effort this year to do things right in terms of warmup, race smart, and cooldown to achieve the best results. Step one: run easy for 20 minutes with several striders to warm up. Step two: attempt to run even splits instead of going out in a blaze of glory as has been the pattern. I didn't do to bad here averaging: 6:25, 6:28, 6:33 with a finishing time of 20:10. Step three: deposit most awesome pint glass to be filled with a frothy cowboy pop and run/walk as recovery.



Mission accomplished for the day. So here's to the snow melting, the temperature rising, and faster feet!

Human Contact

They say that those can’t teach. Wrong. Each and every one of us is capable of teaching someone, something. Recently, one of my students has taught me a powerful lesson about HUMAN CONTACT.

You see, this student had an accident. An honest accident that has resulted in a much longer hospital stay than imagined. Now, just for a moment let me tell you that as an administrator that this student and I have had a tenuous one at that relationship when it came to our HUMAN CONTACT. As he was struggling to find his way, I was there to h correct and redirect his choices and that meant that initially more times than not that we did not see eye to eye. However, that being said, over time our HUMAN CONTACT has become more positive and he was headed down the right path thanks to the not only the choices he has made but from the many other positive HUMAN CONTACTS with the staff.

When I was notified via the blinking LED on my Blackberry, an electronic device that seeks to eliminate the need for HUMAN CONTACT, I made a point to stop in and see him at the hospital. Stopping in to see him was the right thing to do in my opinion and I have continued to stop in and see him everyday. Why, you might ask? Simply put, he needs HUMAN CONTACT. This has nothing to do with classwork, or grades, this simply has to do with showing support for another human being. His family situation being what it is means that he has few visitors at a time when some families might find it a rallying point. However, this is not a judgment on his family, because they are coping with the situation that they know best.

The whole idea of HUMAN CONTACT is at a cross roads. Take a look around or go to any coffee shop. You will find a vast majority of people devoid of any real HUMAN CONTACT. They are hunched over their keyboards, or squinting and feverishly checking their smart phones for the latest update via email, Twitter, Face book, etc. Some sort of validation of their own well being. See….someone recognizes my thoughts or likes what I have to say! It’s easy to get lost in a sort of virtual reality. I will admit myself to falling victim to this pattern even when I should be paying more attention while with my family.

However, it doesn’t have to be like that and this student unknowingly has taught me a lesson about the value of HUMAN CONTACT. Lift your head up from that keyboard, put away that smart phone and engage in HUMAN CONTACT. We all know how to do it.

Running on "E"

Running on "E". Emotion. It's something that I have done with running from the first time I laced up as an 11 year old amidst the dissolution of my parents marriage. I needed running then to take the jumbled emotions and give them a place to spill out to make sense of my world. Some of my most memorable runs have been one that have been fueled by emotion even before I have hit the road. They have not been the ones where I have hit a mileage or time mark and fallen into that "runners high" that carry you through the run. Rather, I have been "high", fueled by emotion before the start of the run in hopes to let it all spill out. I have laughed, cried, and tried to make sense of it all when my emotions have poured onto the road. During those runs, I have run as fast or slow and as long and short as I have needed to to wring out those emotions. I finish those runs completely spent emotionally. It's a different kind of hurt.

So what does that have to do me with me now? Surely I would have grown out of that stage? Isn't there an old saying out there that you get wiser through the years?

In some respects, yes, I have gotten wiser. My reactions to things are not as knee jerky as in the past, but from time to time I have returned to the road for a run where the cup needs to runneth over. And runneth over my cup did last week after a particularly rough patch at work. Yes, it was my choice to let it get to me like that, but when I got home I needed to let my legs feel the road and emotions needed to spill. Interestingly, I had a dialogue with myself when I had looked at the "training plan" and saw that it was an "easy" run. That was not what my body needed. So I compromised. I mixed it up where I ran slow to warm up and then hit it hard. Running at a speed for me right now is near my puke threshold, but nowhere near as fast as I have run in the past. But it felt good. The emotions, thoughts, fell out and I felt spent at the end. I felt renewed.

What did not renew, were my legs from that effort and the next morning, I stupidly did a hill session on the treadmill leaving my calf and heel screaming at me. Several days of easy running, massage, stretching and a battle with some cold/virus have given me time to think. It was the first of many collisions that I believe running on E and the "training plan" will have on this new journey as I have made this choice to follow a plan to see how far and fast I can run. A plan is just that a plan, and although I want success during and at the end of the plan, the long view is one I must take into account. From where and when I started there may be not enough of a buildup to get my body in the shape needed to run a BQ in the spring. However, I also am cognizant of the fact that I sometimes must also run on "E". Its who I am.

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Endurance

During the cold and dark season of winter, there are times when I actually listen to that little voice in my head and stay inside to do a workout. Rather than stupidly slog it out in unsafe conditions I can turn to the treadmill or bike trainer to get my fix in.


While running outside, I might lose myself in some podcasts, inside, I need something more to occupy my time. Recently, I ran across this little gem.



Endurance (1999) is based on arguably one of the greatest distance runner of all time Haile Gebrselassie as it loosely follows his life from that of a young boy who ran because there were no other means of transportation to the 1996 Olympic Games where he wins the 10,000 meters. If you are looking for training tips, there are none unless you gleam from the movie that he has been running since he has a boy. What you will get is motivation from a man who despite naysayers and odds, continued to believe in himself and never gave up. That in of itself is enough to help turn the cranks or drive the belt of the treadmill in the winter.

I know I can

I know I can
I know I can
Be what I wanna be
Be what I wanna be
If I work hard at it
I'll be where I wanna be
I'll be where I wanna be


Nas - I know I can

2010 was a strange and winding road in my relationship with running. From the cheers of the crowd on Bolyston street at the Boston Marathon to a wooden mile post at the Burning River 100 where I dropped out, running taught me some important life lessons as I move forward.

1. You have to be fully committed to your goal.

Whatever the goal, you have to have the willingness to see it through or you will fail. It doesn't matter if you have previously met the goal before and are trying to better it,because that doesn't lessen your chances of not failing if you try again. Neither does just saying that you are going to do something make it that you will. You must commit to the training or the process both physically and mentally. Sometimes it will be the mental challenge that will determine the rate of your success.

I firmly believe that your ability to finish is determined long before race day. You can't be at the starting line and hope to find "it" that day. "It" was found long ago out on the training runs. Race day is really a celebration of that training. It is icing on the cake.

2. Running with old people is cool.

Getting a chance to run with my dad again were some of my favorite runs this year. To watch him restart his running career again and get the chance to run a couple of races again proved to me that it doesn't matter your age, size, or shape that running can rejuvenate you. It can make you feel like a kid again. It can bring back together a father and son whose roads had taken them down different roads.


3. The fire can be relit

My relationship being with running being what it has been over the years has sometimes lent itself to just being one of obligation. There wasn't any real goal or destination in mind just daily forward motion. For me, that is really ok. I need running as much as I need my daily cup of java. Its not an option, it is a necessity. Sometimes, the simple act of moving forward will lead me down the path back to desire, back to fire, and focusing on a goal.

I wouldn't call the time I spent during the latter part of this year a funk at all, because I never saw it as that. I knew I didn't have a goal to focus on and knew that if i just kept running, that I would find it. Find it, I have and like Nas said in his song " I know I can."


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Clean Slate

In less than 2 days, a clean slate awaits. 2011. How will you define the year? Where will you set the bar? For me, the challenges are below in what is a new move in that I am writing them down and have committed to following a plan.

1. Another Boston Marathon qualifier (3:15 or better)

2. Better my 18:51 5k time set in high school cross country

3. Sub 40 min 10k

4. Complete a duathlon or triathlon


What about you?

Ball Clacking Factor

With ole man winter rearing his ugly head and sending bone chilling, mind numbing, icy, deep snow to at least the Midwest where I reside, there is a certain condition that running men should be aware of: the BCF ( Ball Clacking Factor).

That's right: Ball Clacking Factor. Don't pretend like its not something that hasn't crossed your mind before. As the temperature dips, and you consider layering choices, your first thoughts immediately turn to the important parts: head, hands, and the twigs and berries, or the boys. Yup, you gotta make sure they are adequately protected because if any or all of them get frost bitten or worse, you my friend are in a world of hurt. And by hurt more than the average drop kick to the sack pain.

In order to gauge the extreme level of danger you may be in relation to the BCF, I offer up a few levels of discomfort for you to consider.

Level 1 - its cold out, but not that cold. You may experience minimal shrinkage at the thought of heading out.

Level 2 - as your running your thinking "is it chafing or are the boys trying to tell me something? as they snuggle together for warmth.

Level 3 - Its like some one finger flicked the top of your twig. Sounds mildly discomforting doesn't it? Yup, the first twinges of hypothermia may be setting in. Hope there is a tailwind on the way home to minimize damage.

Level 4 - basically at this level, one nad has crawled up looking for somewhere one to burrow into. Ever consider windproof briefs?

Level 5 - this is what Goose would refer to as the "Danger Zone". If you weren't already sterile you just might be after this run. The boys have headed for higher ground and a hot shower to reinvigorate and have them drop is not enough.

This has been a Public Service Announcement in the hopes that you do not suffer from the BCF this winter. Stay warm my friends, stay warm.

Thankful

I am thankful for my family
I am thankful that I can run
What more does one man need?

Big Bird 10k - Wings Clipped

If there is one thing I love about my dad is his propensity to just put it out there. Simply put, to tell it like it is. Unabashed and with candor. To say that it has rubbed off on me is an understatement. So I was not surprised in the week leading up to the Roseville Big Bird 10k, that my dad was stating how he was feeling really good and looked to go under 60 minutes. Furthermore, he was confident that we could run down Dirrty Girl and the Ex Navy Seal and avenge the stinging defeat in the 1/2 marathon a few short weeks ago. True, his bruised foot from the hoof of a horse prior to the 1/2 marathon had healed and he no longer had any lingering effects of the cold but more importantly he had been able to string together some solid training and had been texting me all week about how well he had been feeling.




Our arrival at the community center about 90 minutes before the race was met with cold (around 40 degrees) air and a stiff wind. We hung out in the gymnasium and my dad began to lay out an ambitious BHAG for 2011, 2 marathons! His confidence was high and we chatted about potential marathons and I could tell that he really wanted to run a strong race. The goal was simple. Shoot for around 60 minutes and I would pace.

We all huddled in the car prior to the race and it was far colder than the 40 degrees that showed on the car dash.

The early miles seemed to tick off quite easily and we were just a hair over the 10 min pace at 2 miles. By this time though, Dirrty Girl had scampered off and would run an impressive and oh so close PR of 1 hr and 45 seconds.

However, just past the 3 mile mark, an old enemy coupled with the wind, clipped my dad's wings and the hope of a 60 min 10k...weather induced asthma. See the cold weather exacerbates his asthma and he has a difficult time breathing without hitting the inhaler, which of course he forgot in the car. We were reduced to a walk at certain points and he even had to put his hands in front of his mouth to try and warm the air. Nevertheless, he stayed strong and we finished just under the 1 hr 10 min mark.

I could sense the disappointment in his eyes and voice and we reviewed the race on our way home and today even over emails and texts. He stated the heart and the legs were willing, but the weather reared its head and the lungs could not keep pace. A race like yesterday forced him to re-evaluate his current fitness and program and said that maybe a fall marathon in 2011 along with some half marathons would be a more prudent and solid idea. I told him that was a great idea seeing as how it would give him an year of running under his belt before stepping up to the marathon distance.


If there is one thing about my dad I know is that you may try to clip his wings or hold him down, but somehow, someway he is gonna soar. He is a runner with goals of a marathon on the horizon. This is gonna be fun.

Soul Renewal

Chilly Air and cold hands
Head torch lighting the land
Course recon for the fat ass race
Clicking off the miles at sub 10 min pace
Leaves covering a lovely jewel
Forward flow and soul renewal

2nd Annual Lose the Turkey Fat Ass 50k

Well, after an uber successful inagural year in which we had a record turnout of runners, it is back for another year. Really this is just an excuse to not have to go shopping with the masses and to your a** :P

Details:

Lose the Turkey Fat Ass 50k

When: November 27, 2010

Time: 8 am

Where: Kensington Metro Park/Island Lake

Get out there and move your duff to eliminate the stuff consumed on Turkey Day. An easy “fat ass” ultra, with no fee, no aid (maybe), and probably no awards to be given. Mainly on bike paths, with about 13 miles of trail. Wear something hunter orange or really freaking bright to avoid being confused as a deer in the woods. Contact dirtdawg50k@aol.com for more info.

Course:

Begin @ Kensington Metro Park. *Note* There is a daily $5 entry fee if you do not have a permit. Park at the East Boat Launch and head west on the bike path trail. Just before heading over a bridge, there will be a path to your left that goes under I- 96. Follow the path under the freeway and into Island Lake. At the fork just above the short hill go right. Follow the Island Bike Path. Just after the 3 mile marker on the Bike Path there will be a turn off to the left. Follow that an into the Mtn. Bike Trailhead. *Note* There are port a potties located here.

Follow the blue trail head markers and continue on the trail until past the 8 mile marker. There will be a Two Way Direction Sign with a blue arrow pointing forward and a yellow sign turn left. FOLLOW the yellow sign to the left. Continue on the yellow trail until you return to the trailhead parking. Return on the bike path back to Kensington Metro Park and your car. Total Distance to this point approximately: 23 miles. (approximately 13 miles of this are trail)

To complete the 50k distance…do one loop on the Kensington Bike Path (approximate distance 8.5 miles)

For those of you preferring to do a shorter distance less than a 50k and don’t want to get lost, or run trails…you can just run loops around Kensington. Each loop is approximately 8.5 miles. Or run the 23 miles out and back section and stop.

NOTES:

1. There is no fee to run this (ok..except for the daily entry fee to the park. Most times though in the fall, there is never anybody checking the cars for permits)

2. It is HIGHLY ADVISED that you wear something hunter orange or very bright out on the trail section.

3. There is no aid. I might have something set up at the start/finish, and somewhere along the way, but it is a approximately 23 miles for the first loop.

4. You are responsible for your own safety out there. This is merely a loosely organized fun run that just happens to be a wee bit longer than a marathon.

5. Please email me with your interest so that I can begin to take a head count

Kensington Metro Park:

http://www.metroparks.com/global/kensington_map.php

A short video about the course can be found here: @ Just Finish

Notes:

Through the tubes of the internet, Craig (Director of the Paint Creek Ultra) has stepped up and will most likely provide an aid station at Island Lake.

I will most likely be running parts of this course to check the course, measuring it for inaccuracy with my GPS this weekend and will report back with any changes.

There really won't be any results, not sure if I will have any sorts of awards and depending on my mood, and weather, maybe might have some post race grub.

It will be fun, cause it's a run!!

Free Press 1/2 Marathon

It almost never came to be. A horse and a cold almost derailed my dad's plan to run the Free Press 1/2 Marathon. Stepped on by a horse, my dad sent me a picture of his foot which was quite purple a mere 2 weeks before the race. He said it hurt pretty good, but to ensure that it wasn't broken he did actually go get an xray, which showed no broken bones. Whew! With that unfortunate accident sidelining his running, my dad also came down with a serious enough cold to require antibiotics. In total over the last 2 weeks, he said he may have run 9 miles. Talking to him the week of the race, my dad sounded terrible and said the he would have to let the foot dictate the pace.


Despite his ailments, that didn't stop my dad from talking mad smack to Dirrty Girl indicating that the only thing she would need to follow on race day would be the blinking light on the back of his hat as we raced toward the podium. I had to stand between the warring factions pre-race.

After what seemed like an eternity as they rolled the starting waves, my dad and I quickly got into an easy rhythm. However, that rhythm was soon interrupted several times as we made our way to the international crossing ,the Ambassador Bridge, and were reduced to a walk as we were corralled like cattle.
Crossing the bridge, we saw Dirrty Girl and her partner having to make an unplanned pit stop and sought quickly to seize upon the opportunity to put some ground on them. Our lead was short lived as they made up the ground and moved ahead for good in Windsor.

My dad was moving strong throughout the first half of the race, and maintained a steady pace.
Entering back in the U.S. via the Windsor Tunnel, the effects of the cold and the sore foot began to slow our pace. We walked a bit more, but who really cared? I was out with my dad racing again. Something we hadn't done in we figured conservatively 17 years. I played sherpa fetching water at aid stations, reminded him to take in some gels, and checked his general progress as we made our way through the final miles. My sweet women's knee high socks that I had worn kept getting attention from fellow runners and watchers keeping a grin on my dad's face as we made our way through Mexicantown and Corktown.

As we headed up the home stretch towards the finish, I was filled with a lot of emotion. Here we were, father (60) and son (35) getting a chance to finish a 1/2 marathon together despite numerous obstacles. How freaking cool was that??To add to the whole family getting involved, my sister drove down to the finish to capture the moment. She even had "Team Grandpa" shirts made for my nieces.
Despite soundly beating us by about 20 min, I posed with Dirrty Girl who ran a great race in her own right.

Going into this 1/2 marathon, there is no way I could have scripted a more perfect day than the one that turned out yesterday. Sure there are days when you are going to turn the screws and yourself inside out to achieve that a PR, and then there are days like yesterday, where just going for a run with the people you love, respect, admire is all that really matters. Our time of 2 hr 58 min won't go down as PR but it will go down as a memory of a lifetime.

It won't be like this for long.....

Today, I had the opportunity to take both my son and daughter out on a run with me. It took a little coaxing to get my son out the door, but fueled by a homemade cookie, he was ready to lead the way. My daughter, on the other hand needed no coaxing. She quickly grabbed her blankie and ran out towards the weather worn baby jogger demanding to be covered up.

Seems like yesterday, I was propping up my son with blankets so the straps would safely lock him in like an astronaut ready to take flight. Now, we are discussing his homework as a first grader and he was stopping at every street crossing making sure it was safe for me and his sister to keep rolling. I caught myself on several occasions yelling from afar like my dad used to do to me saying "Be careful, put your feet on the pedals".

My daughter urged me to go faster and to catch her brother. She pulled down the visor when the sun hit her directly head on and said she wanted to run when we were still 2 miles from home.

It was only 3 miles, but it seemed much longer. One of those runs and times where you wish you could just bottle it up and go back to over and over again. That is what memories are for. Even though, I know these times won't be like this for long, it is one that I will hold onto.

How Do You Learn?

As my summer came to a close this year, I rounded out my reading with the Training of the Zen Buddhist Monk. While an excellent read on the trial and tribulations that one must undergo to become a Zen Buddhist Monk, the statement that stuck with me the most was this:

"For this is the only way to study Zen. Nothing can ever really be learned until it works through the nerves and muscles. "

Running for me has proven to be my learning ground. More than hours spent in the universities and libraries earning a degree to obtain a job, it is out on the roads where I have learned the most. Don't get me wrong, I love listening to lectures, working in groups, reading, writing, etc. Sitting is not the way in which I learn.

However, I have learned more about my limits, my passions, my desires, my wants and needs when everything else is just stripped away and it is me and the road ahead. It is in motion, that my mind and body can catch up at the same speed and can work through the internal chatter of my mind, listen to body, and make sense of the world around me. It is in motion, that those thoughts, opinions, etc can work through the entire body rather than just through my head.

How is it that you learn best?

Running with my dad

It had to be on his terms. It had to be because he had a goal. It had to be because he wanted it more than I did. That in a nutshell, is how my dad has come back to running.

Back in January of 2009, my dad had said he wanted to get back into running and could I come up with a plan? Sure, I could! Got a goal? He said well maybe a ½ marathon and maybe a marathon? What time do I need to run in a marathon to qualify for Boston? My mind immediately drifted back to my junior high and high school days when my dad and I would run and race together. Back to a time when I would call him at work after a run and let him know to the second how fast and how far I had run. I remember the training runs where my dad would effortlessly glide away from me and show me that there was much to learn about how to run. Well now it was going to be my turn. I would turn the screws to him when the time saw fit. You know, give it back to the old man a little bit. It didn’t happen.

Even after getting some new shoes and gear, the early motivation waned away last year. I never asked why, but I couldn’t make him get out there on the road.

Fast forward to about two months ago, when my dad said he wanted to run the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon this year. He is turning 60 and wanted to do something. Could he do it? Absolutely! If there is one thing I know about my dad is that when it is something he wants, he will get it done. Put a brick wall in front of him…he is going through it. I wrote up another plan working within his busy travel schedule for business and added plenty of rest days and some cross training.

It didn’t hit me until his long run of 8 miles this weekend but my dad and I have traded places in some respects. It was not about the time for a distance, the pace, or me giving it back to the old man. Nope, it’s about trading text messages about how his run went in another city, where can he find some hills to run, and when can we run together again. It’s about sharing a banana and giving me a new Power Bar to try after a long run.

I realize now, that my time with my dad out on the road for a run is something special and not to be taken for granted as I did years ago. Some father’s and sons might go fishing, hunting, or throw back a couple of cowboy pops to maintain their relationship when life takes them down different paths. Running has been the road that has led my dad and I back down for another chance to move forward for a few more miles.

Happy DNF

Simply put, I did not finish the 2010 Burning River 100 mile endurance run. My BHAG for the year was not achieved, the goal not met, but in all honesty it was the happiest DNF that I have ever had. My only other DNF was my first 50 miler at Dances with Dirt in Hell, Michigan when I got so lost (adding approximately 5 miles) before the 50k checkpoint that I was unhappy and stopped.

I knew going into Burning River that my goal was to simply keep moving forward. That motto, learned after my DNF @ DWD had proved successful along with the attitude that my running has to be fun.

Driving down the day before the race by myself, gave my mind plenty of opportunity to run through it's normal checklist of pre-race jitters: Why are you doing this? A hundred miles...how about just 50? Dude, you are gonna feel like road kill come Monday. I knew it was best to just let my mind run with the thoughts for the moment and after a quick nap and the arrival of my crew, I was good to go.

My crew, amazingly all listeners of the podcast, had volunteered their own time and money to travel from California and Alabama respectively to help me with this selfish journey. The pre race dinner centered around drop bags, nutrition, and the speech that come hell or high water that I am going to go through some bad patches, but you shove me out of the aid station were all gone over, but no one mentioned about this being fun.

Fun? Fun is subjective. For me, ultras are about spending the day away from the speed of everyday life and getting into a flow. You are reduced to the movement of your two feet and the span of the open road or trail. There are no other responsibilities other than to keep moving froward. After a period of time, and it varies on most runs, I normally slip into a rhythm and although the run might be hard, I am having fun.

Come race morning, I was feeling ready to go. The weather was going to be ideal (low 80's, next to no humidity, cloudy skies) and my buddy Kevin and I agreed to stick to a run 5 min/walk 5 min pattern for as long as we could maintain. Miles on the open road seemed to float by easily but by about mile 18 I was just there. I wasn't feeling great, I wasn't feeling bad, and I certainly wasn't into any flow. I had to start my running a bit earlier before the next interval because Kevin was running so strong, but no big deal.

Then it happened. Somewhere after the 33 mile mark, I had started to slow and told Kevin to go on, and I was alone for the first time in the day and started to evaluate. My ITB (nicknamed Irene) that had caused me to cut mileage for about 3 weeks? Not bad at all. In fact, it had warmed up nicely and was feeling good. Tammy the Hammy which had bothered me after Boston...not even there. Energy? not bad. Stomach? a bit full but just walk and it will feel better. Having fun? That's when it became real. I know ultras have highs and lows, and maybe I was at a low spot, but you know what, I wasn't having fun.

Being present in the moment, I told myself that I wasn't having fun that was gonna be it for the day. As fellow runners ran by and asked if I was ok, I told them that I was trying to reset my fun button. Most offered kind words of encouragement, but it has to come from within. I know I had people who had come a long way to help me out, but if I wasn't being honest with myself then surely they would be able to see that.

As I rolled into the 39.6 mile aid station, I told my crew that was it. I was done. I couldn't reset the fun button. Dutifully, they went thru all the things we had talked about in terms of not letting me sit to long, etc, but that was it. They went so far as to even call my wife who was in Chicago to try and get me back on the trail, saying I would regret it later, but I told her I would be ok with it. When that didn't work, they made me take my glasses off and look them in the eye and tell them I was done. So after 8 hours and 40 minutes, that was it, my day of selfish forward movement was over. A DNF in the books.

However, that was not the end of the day for me at Burning River. The crew dropped me off at the hotel for a hot shower, some food, and a short rest, and turned their attention to helping get my friend Kevin to the finish line. I have said in the past that this community of runners is nothing short of amazing, and that day proved it right there. After a brief respite, I was like brand new, and wanted back in the game to help my friend finish. I met the rest of the crew out at Happy Days and spent the next 45 miles helping out. My fun button had been reset and I was happy.

I hooted and hollered as I saw fellow runners come in and met Kevin at each aid station to help out with his needs. Seeing the race as a crew member was just as much fun and just as exhausting in some respects as running the race. The opportunity even presented itself for me to run the last 8 miles with Kevin to the finish which was pretty special.

Am I disappointed that I didn't reach my BHAG? Absolutely not.Ultras for me have always taught me a lesson about myself that I have been able to carry over to the real world. With last year's finish of the Burning River 100, it was that I can do so much more than I think I can. Don't ask me why I had to cover 100 miles to figure it out, but there it was. This year's Burning River taught me that if I am brutally honest with myself then I can be happy with the decision and have no regrets. Again, something that I was only able to answer out there on the trails. I was unhappy running, but happy helping a good friend finish his first 100 miler. I got a chance to meet some amazing people from across the country and hang out with them. A happy DNF.