Tramps Like Us

The Rocky Mountain Road Runners has a database of about 900 runners and on a fine late summer morning like today, most of them were sprung from their cages running on some trail, path or road.  Today was made for running; cool, dry weather.  My mind recalls the many songs that reference running.  The one that jumps to the top of my list is “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen. 

Christopher McDougall nicked the title for his great book and introduced the world to The Copper Canyon, The Tarahumara and Mikah True.  His book did for ultra-marathons what Jim Fixx’s book did for marathons in the late 1970s.  I read that book before I ever ran a race.  It created an aura about the Boston Marathon. 

The hype over Springsteen’s “Born to Run” was huge.  It took over a year to produce the title song.  Even my parents, die-hard classical music listeners, got caught up in the fray.  They couldn’t tell what all the fuss was about.  Bruce had put out two lousy albums, they said.  By the time the album came out, even I, at 11 years of age, knew who Bruce Springsteen was.  One of my favorite, and rarely played, songs on the album is “Meeting Across the River”.  It is a poignant story of a small time hood getting ready to make a heist.  There is a great trumpet solo by Randy Brecker.

I was close to the epicenter.  I grew up about 40 miles from Asbury Park, Springsteen's stomping ground.  In high school with my swim team buddies, we’d spend the day at Monmouth Beach swimming in the surf, playing arcade games, eating hot dogs and when the sun went down huddled on the beach in the mist.  I recall when "Born to Run" was named New Jersey's "Unofficial Youth Rock Anthem" by the New Jersey State Legislature, something Springsteen always considered ironic because it was about leaving New Jersey.

I saw The Boss in concert twice.  The first time was July 9^th, 1981 at the Brendan Byrne Arena during “The River” tour.  He opened with “Thunder Road”, the first song on the "Born to Run" album.  Years later I saw my own Mary, like a vision, after the Manufacturers Hannover Corporate Challenge, a 3.5 mile running race in Central Park, New York City that attracted about 20,000 runners.  I weighed about 50 lbs more than I do now.  I ate every meal at my desk and liquid carbo-loaded every night.

The second time I saw Springsteen play was on January 26^th, 1985 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.  The crew team was asked to act as security to keep the rabid fans from running onto the stage.  Bruce opened with “Born to Run”, igniting the crowd into a two hour frenzy. 

Today I ran my favorite 13 mile trail loop.  The inch and a half of rain we got Wednesday washed away the loose dirt on the trail, leaving a smooth, hard clay path.  What else was lost in the flood?  I passed a group of four women who were running two abreast.  When they saw me, they ran single file; good etiquette.  I yielded to them.  As I ascended a long hill through a stand of scrub oak, a stream of about 15 mountain bikers barreled down towards me.  I yielded to them.  One of the riders shouted that there was a race coming through; good etiquette. 

A little later I passed a runner of lesser relative ability.  I believe in letting the other person know that they have a friend on the trail and that friendly communication is the key when trail users are yielding to one another.  I gave a courteous, “Hello”, which shows kindness, and moved to the right side of the trail.  He said nothing and yielded nothing; bad etiquette.

The Denver Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon is next week.  I have been resting.  Is it possible to rest too much?  The aches in my legs have receded.  I’m as prepared as I can be.  Soon, all will know if I’ve done enough. 

It’s not about the shoes

In this era of Honey Boo-Boo Child and when Colorado is the least fat state with a 20.9 % obesity rate, here is a story that will make you feel that maybe we can reverse the trend.

There is a woman in my office who, upon discovering that I was a runner, revealed that she is going to be running a marathon in seven weeks.  “Which one” I asked.  “The Boulder Backroads” she replied.  “Oh, that’s a beautiful course, around the reservoir” I said.  She asked if I’d run it before.  “Yes” I said, “three times.”  “Wow, this is my first, first marathon ever.”  She went on to tell me that she was following a Hal Higdon training plan and that she had chosen the Boulder Backroads because the course is mostly dirt roads and her podiatrist said it would be easier on her feet.  She thinks it will take her about five hours to cover the distance.  She had tried to run a marathon last year, but had developed a stress fracture in her foot.  She said running a marathon was a bucket list item for her; kind of a reward.  

Later that day I mentioned her marathon plan to another co-worker who told me the rest of her story.  Three years ago this woman was obese.  She found religion, started eating healthy and exercising.  She endured the gentle teasing of her co-workers about the oatmeal she was eating.  She lost over 100 lbs.  She literally changed her life.  When she wasn’t running or exercising at the gym, she walked.  She set a goal, created a plan, got advice from experts and went to work.  Imagine that; a sensible diet and moderate exercise, the keys to weight loss. 

Often at the start of a marathon the Master of Ceremonies, in an effort to kill time, will ask the crowd if this is their first marathon.  Usually about 2/3rds of the runners will raise their hands.  For many participants that marathon will be their only marathon; an item they can check off their list, like bungee jumping or seeing the Grand Canyon.  For this woman running represented so much more; a life changing goal. 

__________

Crazy Eights

Saturday the Rocky Mountain Road Runners held their monthly Trophy Series race at the Platte River Trailhead Park in Thornton.  The temperature at 6:00 am was 49 degrees; an early taste of fall.  The race was well attended.  I covered the course in just under 53 minutes or about 6:37 / mile. 

As Eric Greene ran past me with a mile to go, I remembered a time when I used to beat him.  Thanks to the magic of the internet, I was able to find results from an RMRR MTS 10 mile race which was held on July 16^th, 2006.  I finished 2^nd in 1:05:06.  Eric finished 11^th in 1:17:26.  The fact that Eric beat me by nearly 24 minutes at the last 20 mile race is irrelevant. 

I call the race Crazy Eights because it was an EIGHT mile run, held on September EIGHTH at 8:00 at the Platte River Trailhead Park which is located at 88^th Street and Colorado Boulevard.  Deep man, very deep.

Humble Pie

My goal has been to be recognized as one of the best marathon runners in Colorado.  This week I achieved that goal.  Colorado Runner Magazine published its list of the top Colorado Marathon and 10K times by age group.  I was ranked second in that list, right behind my friend and training companion Tom Norris.  I am used to finishing behind Tom.  We should figure a way to leverage this exposure into some sponsorship deals. 

Whether I am one of the best marathon runners in Colorado is debatable.  But now I have evidence from a credible source that I’m not a tremendous slouch.  This should lend some authority to my blog.  There were other notables in the list; Tim Gentry (50–54 10K) and Jay Survil (50-54 Marathon).

I had a very interesting conversation with a co-worker this week.  It started out like many conversations you’ve probably had with non-runners who want to talk about running.  This woman told me her husband had just run a race.  I expected her to say 5K, 10K or ½ marathon, but she said “marathon”.  “Excellent” I said.  Then she told me it was his first marathon “wow”, and at 50 years of age “awesome”.  “It takes a real commitment to train for the marathon distance” I said.  Then I asked which marathon he ran.  “Pikes Peak” she said.  “Wow” I said “the full marathon?”  “Yes” she said “up and down”.  In the hierarchy of running races the Pikes Peak Marathon trumps most of my running exploits.  Running three marathons, each two weeks apart, is still my high water mark.

In fact, as I reflect after having just finishing Scott Jurek’s book, running marathons is, well, kind of pedestrian.  It is almost a cliché.  When I tell people I just ran a marathon, I can almost hear them say “Yeah, who hasn’t”.  There was a scene from an episode of The Office where two co-workers are talking about running a 5K.  “I’ve walked two marathons, pretty sure I can handle a 5K” one quips when asked if he will finish.

The last 10K race I ran was about 10 years ago.  It has been much longer since I’ve run a 5K race.  The half marathon seems like a poor cousin to the full distance.  I’ve often asked this rhetorical question; if the marathon was 13.1 miles and there was an event called the double marathon which was 26.2 miles, would I run the 13.1 mile race or the 26.2 mile race?  My one attempt at the ultra distance was a horror show.  People who run ultras are remarkable endurance athletes.  For now the marathon distance is long enough for me. 

I looked through my fitness record to compare my training up to Labor Day this year compared with my training at this time last year.  In 2011 I had run 20 or more miles 20 times.  This year I have run that distance 21 times.  The big difference is that this year I have run longer than 20 miles on only five occasions as compared to 16 runs of over 20 miles last year.  We will see how that impacts my fall marathon performance. 

There are three weeks to go until the Rock ‘N’ Roll – Denver Marathon.  It is time to taper.  It is astounding how much time I have to do other things when I don’t go out for a 10 mile run.  And what to do with all of the extra time?  Well, I have a whole list of chores to do around the yard, which at this point is mostly a pile of dirt.  There is something rewarding about cutting back shrubs, raking up pine needles and cones, fixing broken sprinkler heads and laying down bark.  After all my efforts, it’s still mostly a pile of dirt, but at least it’s a deliberate one. 

That’ll Leave a Mark

It came upon me so quickly, like jumping into a pool of hurt.  I’d diagnose it as overtraining, but looking over my fitness record, I’m not seeing the “over” part of that condition.  Maybe the bar got lowered on my performance and no one included me on the distribution list.  Whatever the explanation, I am beat.  My legs are tired, sore and stiff.

Exhibit A was that 21 mile run a month ago that was 40 seconds per mile slower than my usual long training run.  Exhibit B was the first RMRR fall Marathon Training Series 20 mile race a few weeks ago.  With five miles to go my pace rose a full minute per mile.  Exhibit C was today’s 20 miler.  I have run much faster training runs.  Times and paces are relative and one man’s slow is another man’s fast, so I won’t bore you with specifics. 

Wikipedia, the source of all knowledge, defines overtraining as a physical, behavioral, and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual's exercise exceeds their recovery capacity.  Maybe that is what I’m suffering, but I’m not fully convinced.  It is difficult to identify the issues, but the results are hard for me to accept.  Could it be that I’m slowing down and just need to adjust my expectations and learn to grow slow gracefully?  At every race there are guys who pound the ground far more minutes than I do and they receive my admiration.  Part of being an endurance athlete is being able to endure and pain is part of the gift we share.

There’s the pain of tearing your Labrum; generically called the rotator cuff.  In October 2009 I tripped and stuck my right arm out to catch my fall.  I knew instantly that damage had been done.  I waited six months, until after ski season, to have surgery to repair it. 

There’s the pain of dislocating your shoulder.  I crashed while leading a criterium in 1986 and can still recall the pain of pushing my shoulder back into its socket. 

There’s the pain of breaking a bone.  When I was in eighth grade I broke a bone in my hand while tagging a runner out in a baseball game.  That was on a Thursday evening.  I finished the game, played trumpet in a concert the next night and played another baseball game Saturday morning.  It wasn’t until Saturday afternoon that I had the bone set.  I also broke a bone in my foot in 2008 and ran several miles before being convinced to wear a walking cast.

There’s the pain of a spinal headache where there is not enough cerebrospinal fluid in the brain.  I lost two days of my life from this while I laid on the floor in the fetal position.  Any movement led to a round of vomiting. 

There’s the pain of running the 2005 Boulder Backroads Marathon with a torn hamstring.  I qualified for Boston at that race.  There’s a great photo of the back of my leg, red from the subcutaneous hemorrhaging. 

Then there’s the reality of declining performance.  It is the unspoken part of the trinity; death and taxes.  It is the 800 pound elephant at the refreshment table after races.  Old guys may rule, but they can’t beat Eric Greene in a foot race.  Mandatory retirement for most occupations was eliminated by the EEOC in 1967.  The way I feel right now we should impose it in amateur athletics.  It would give me a way to save face.  My cop out would be ‘sorry guys, I’d love to keep racing, but they have their rules’.  But at what age do we make the cut-off? 

More impressive still is the pain that Scott Jurik describes in his book “Eat & Run”.  Scott is a legend among hard-core runners and has fashioned a lucrative career as an ultramarathoner.  He runs, and wins, grueling races in excess of 100 miles, in a wide array of usually inhospitable environments: Death Valley, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Mexico’s Copper Canyon.  And he does it on a completely plant-based diet.  His story is one of an average Midwestern kid growing up on meat he caught or killed himself who becomes a vegan elite athlete.  The book is part memoir, part training guide, part vegan manifesto.  The inspirational message is that running is less dependent on physical skill than it is on willpower.  The book is far more educational, informative and inspiring than this blog.  Log off now and go buy his book. 

In Defense of Cotton

Lyle Eldon Case of Greenwood Village died in his sleep on August 16^th.  He was 79 years old.  Though I never met him, he had an impact on my life.  If you run along the Highline Canal path, he impacted yours, too.  A Geologist during his professional career, Lyle was responsible for building the tunnel for the Highline Canal path under University Boulevard.  Old-timers will remember what a freak show it used to be at that intersection.  This week’s entry is dedicated to Lyle.

I have a very famous relative named Cotton.  He lived in New England at the turn of the 18^th century and was a socially and politically influential New England Puritan minister and prolific author.  He left no name-bearing descendants.  If he’d had an iPod, he’d have listened to Bach.  He is often remembered for his role in the Salem witch trials.  I am not writing about him.  I am writing about cotton, the fiber. 

The weather has changed.  The temperatures during my early morning runs have been in the 50s this week, 52 on Thursday.  The humidity is steady and below 30%.  The grass in the open spaces is turning yellow, like the color of sweet Vidalia onions.  With this change I have been running in cotton T-shirts instead of technical shirts.  What a great feeling.

Cotton holds water, so it gets wet when you sweat.  I like that feeling.  It reminds me that I am working.  Cotton gets stronger when it gets wet so it almost feels like it is hugging you.

Here are some of the other benefits of cotton:

It is hypoallergenic and dust-mite resistant, which means it is the best choice of material for people who suffer from asthma or allergies, or those who have sensitive skin prone to irritation. 

For people concerned with environmental issues, cotton clothing makes a lot of sense. Cotton is biodegradable and a renewable resource.  During processing, less than 10 percent of it is lost or deemed non-usable.  

Organic cotton clothing is even better: no pesticides are used to grow it, which means fewer chemicals in the environment and less exposure for the people growing it. 

Cotton clothing is inexpensive, durable, and easy to care for.

There are times when I prefer the wicking benefits of technical fabrics, like in races or during the winter or when it is really hot out.  But there is a window when wearing cotton feels better.  Wicking fabric is a term most commonly associated with performance and technical t-shirts.  This style of t-shirts is used most in athletic events because of its ability to breathe and keep the user's skin dry from sweat.  

Wicking is the flow of liquids through porous media.  In t-shirt terms, this translates into the fabric being breathable, allowing sweat to transfer from the wearer's body to the air around them.  This has a few extra benefits to it including being antimicrobial and lightweight.  Wicking material is typically a synthetic fabric such as polyester or a combination of polyester and cotton.  Since wicking fabric is so technical, it does in fact cost more than standard t-shirts.  

The main drawback to technical shirts is odor retention.  There are a lot of nooks and crannies for your bacteria to nest.  The result is a stinky shirt.  The solution is to run the shirt through the dryer.  This kills the bacteria and makes the shirts less stinky.

So I am in the eighth month of this quest.  I am trying to find the meaning of life through running.  I have run on dirt, grass, cement, asphalt, cinder, ground up tires and rock.  I have run in the rain, snow, hail; in blazing dry heat and 80% humidity.  I have run at an hour some people consider the middle of the night and when the sun has been high in the sky.  While I log my miles, I could not tell you how many I have run since January 1^st.  There’ll be time enough for counting when the year is done.  So far I have come up with more questions than answers, but it has been a great trip.  And so, that is why I lace up my shoes and head out the door; one foot in front of the other. 

Totally Random

It is a 50 minute walk from Pittsford to Bushnell’s Basin along the Erie Canal; long enough to contemplate many things.  It takes me 25 minutes to run that same distance.  From that evidence I deduce that I run twice as fast as I walk.  It is an odd dichotomy.  I’m no Ryan Hall, but I run relatively fast compared to other guys in my age group, but I feel ungainly when I walk.  Maybe it’s my long legs.  The effort it takes to swing my legs forward and the time that it takes to stride are so great.  The small electric impulses that leave my brain to contract my muscles and move my joints must be traveling on a very crowded highway.  Maybe I’m over-thinking it.

On this recent trip I walked a fair amount.  The hotel I stayed at was less than a half a mile from an access point to the Erie Canal.  On an early morning run I sensed a presence and looked over my left shoulder.  There were two bucks running just behind me.  The turn of my head startled them and they bolted into the woods.  On two of my runs I saw an old timer like me rowing a single scull on the canal.  If I lived there, I would be that guy.

For several years I have been running many days a week and my grasp of why I run continues to grow.  I find running, whether I am running well or not, deeply satisfying and this blog has been an attempt to express my thoughts.  On days like today where I am completely taxed, running brings more pleasure than easier pursuits. 

Well, that was fast.  My replacement Garmin Forerunner 205 was waiting for me when I got home from my trip to Rochester, NY. 

Today was the first installment of the RMRR’s Fall Marathon Training Series.  The races start and finish at the Westminster City Park.  The course runs on the Big Dry Creek Trail.  It is mostly flat with a few, rolling hills.  The course surface is a combination of smooth dirt path and paved bike path.  Today’s event was cannibalized by yesterday’s Georgetown – Idaho Springs ½ Marathon and there were only about 40 athletes in the 10 and 20 mile races combined.  I felt the effects of a week at sea level.  

I have some family in town this weekend and yesterday we took the cog railway to the top of Pikes Peak.  It was a beautiful, clear day.  It is hard to believe the temperature swing of 50 degrees from the station in Manitou Springs to the top of the mountain. 

The last time I took the train was with my parents on the 4^th of July, 2007.  When we got on the train to make the return trip down the mountain, Matt Carpenter was sitting in the seat next to the conductor.  For those who aren’t familiar, Matt is one of the greatest trail runners of all time.  Among his many running successes he is an 18 time winner on Pikes Peak (6 Ascents, 12 Marathons) and course record holder of both.  He won them both (the Double) in 2001 and 2007.  His web site “Oxygen is Overrated” has a lot of information about the Pikes Peak marathon and other writings on the sport of trail running. The Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon will be held next weekend, having been postponed due to the savage wildfires that swept through the foothills a month ago.

When I saw Matt, he had just run up the mountain and was taking the train down.  He was wearing a long sleeve technical shirt and shorts.  The temperature was in the 30s and he was convulsing from the cold.  I offered him my wind breaker, but he refused.  I couldn’t bear seeing him shiver, so I started to take my jacket off, but he was adamant.  He is much tougher than I am and it shows in his signature line: go out hard, when it hurts speed up!

Acquiring Satellites

Way back in 2006, when GPS watches were starting to appear on the wrists of runners, I made the statement “I’ll get one those when someone wearing one beats me.”  That happened on June 11^th of that year at the Rocky Mountain ½ Marathon when Jay beat me while wearing a Forerunner 201.  I bought a Garmin Forerunner 205 the next day.  It served me very well for six years. 

A month ago it started acting up.  It would turn off if I pressed the mode button or twisted the unit.  Then the battery drained faster than usual.  Then it would stop after about an hour and a half of use.  Then it just stopped working altogether.  At that time I contemplated life without a GPS and decided I needed to get another unit.

What did we do before GPS units?  Remember how you had to wait for the next mile marker to know how fast you ran the last mile?  And what happened?  You went out too fast, but got the news at one mile intervals.  With a GPS you can watch yourself blow up in real time.  What would Frank Shorter have done if he had the benefits of a GPS watch?   

There are more GPS watch options now than in 2006.  Garmin is a pioneer in GPS devices and has about a dozen units in the Forerunner line.  The Forerunner 610 is the most advanced GPS running watch on the market.  It has a full functional touch screen interface that allows for quick navigation of its many features.  Made partially out of metal the watch is both durable, comfortable and professional looking as well as being one of the most advanced GPS watches on the market.

But Garmin has competition. 

Motorola has the MOTOACTV which is a next generation touch screen GPS fitness tracker and smart MP3 Player.  Not only can you track your daily activity, you can also track over 30 metrics on your run, cycle, walk, elliptical trainer, or step machine.  The MOTOACTV can be worn on the wrist, mounded on a bike or worn with an arm band or belt clip.  The MOTOACTV can sync with your iTunes or music library.  The MOTOACTV then works out which music you train best to and collates a playlist for your future sessions.

Nike has created a GPS that is perfect for recreational runners who need something stylish and simple to use.  A great feature of the Nike GPS watch is that you can download 5k, 10k, Half or Full Marathon training plans from Nike straight to the watch.  It will then prompt you to run the required distance that the schedule dictates on the correct days in order to train you up for your desired race distance.

Timex has designed one of the most advanced GPS watch on the market to date.  Not only does it offer a wide range of training metrics but it is also waterproof to 50m and has a large display.  It also offers a powerful on-line training portal for recording and tracking aspects of your fitness such as health and diet as well as your running, cycling and swimming.

Suunto Oy, based in Finland, produces and markets sports precision instruments for Diving, Training and Outdoor sports.  The Suunto Quest is an advanced heart rate monitor that you can hook up to either a GPS pod or a Footpod in order to keep track of your distance.  The best thing about the Suunto Quest is that it tells you exactly how intense your training is and how much recovery time you need after each run.  You can also download training plans to the watch and it will tell you exactly how close to your daily mileage or intensity goal you are during your run.  

I was overwhelmed by all of the choices.  So, I decided to spend the $69 to get my Forerunner refurbished.  I mailed the unit back to Olathe, KS on Friday and the replacement unit should arrive in a couple of weeks, just in time for the final run up to the Denver Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon.  Today I ran 21 miles at about 8:00 per mile and felt like I couldn't take another step.