Words of Encouragement for Newer Runners

A poster to the UltraList recently asked for members to provide some words of encouragement in an email that she would forward to friends who are running the Austin marathon and 1/2 marathon.

This is what I wrote:

“You’re tougher than you think you are...and you can do more than you think you can.”  - Ken Chlouber, Leadville 100 Race Director

You are embarked on a voyage of discovery, in which the race will help you figure out some important things about yourself. The physical race will hold a light up to how well you have trained, as well as illuminating how mentally tough you are. Especially if things are not going well you will need to dig deep and will yourself through any tough spots you encounter.

Keep a relaxed, playful attitude about the race; after all, no one is holding a gun to your head, you're doing this for fun. That said, your mindset should be not "if" I finish but "when" I finish. Crossing that finish line may be like nothing else you have ever experienced.


--my signature block deleted--

"I feel my heart pumping hard, I want to think again of dangerous and noble things. I want to be light and frolicsome. I want to be improbable, beautiful and afraid of nothing, as though I had wings." -- Mary Oliver, 'Starlings in Winter'

Life in a Cube Farm

Normal day at work....as I sip some coffee, the guy in the cubicle next to me sneezes.

From somewhere close by I hear "Gesundheit."

To which the sneezer says "Danke schon."

Then I blew coffee out my nose.

Going to the Edge...or, the Unknowable

The North Carolina State Motto is: Esse quam videri (To be, rather than to seem)

This run will be a reality check of what I am, both physically and mentally, rather than what I may seem to be.

I'm not eloquent enough to devise my own quotable quotes. I have to rely on others who have more of a way with words than I do.


Over the years I have collected quotes from various sources dealing with the notion of why we run ultras, and I have been struggling to put my own efforts and motivations into words. I guess for me it boils down to what I feel is a deep-rooted human need--the desire to go to the edge and see what's there. The beauty of this is that you get to define what "the edge" is, and how hard you want to go there.

But nothing is without risk. With that intro, hear what H. L. Menken once wrote:

Penetrating so many secrets, we cease to believe in the unknowable. But there it sits, nevertheless, calmly licking its chops.

 

Facts about North Carolina

 As I continue training for the Umstead 100-Mile Endurance Run on 27 March, I am reminded what a cool state it is.  We vacation there every year at the Outer Banks, and it'll be great to see some of the interior countryside around Raleigh.

Any state whose state flower is the dogwood gets my vote.











(Photo credit http://www.50states.com/flower/northcarolina.htm)

Recreating Massanutten Mojo

My only previous 100 mile trail attempt--and I am proud to say, finish--was in 1998 at the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 Mile Run (Front Royal, VA). That year 100 people started, 67 finished, and I was 51st, so you can see that I am not a front-of-the-pack guy. But I’m determined and stubborn and used that to my advantage in completing that race.

Now here we are some 12 years later and I figured if I ever was going to run a trail 100 again, I’d better do it soon. Thus the background for entering this year’s Umstead 100-Mile Endurance Run on 27 March. As they say, none of us are getting any younger.

In an attempt at self-inspiration, I have begun wearing my buckle from the 1998 race. Normally I don’t go for that sort of look in a belt, but the size and weight make me conscious of it and serves as a constant reminder of what I have on my plate.

Punxsutawney Phil Predicts 6 More Weeks of Winter

Who could have predicted?  Punxsutawney Phil, that's who.

In a prediction that surprises absolutely no one, the rodent says winter will remain.  Duh....although it is a pretty neat trick to see ones's shadow on an overcast day.

(Photo credit http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100202/ap_on_re_us/us_groundhog_day)

Moments after this photo was taken, Phil went berserk and tore off his handler's face hat.  Said Phil, "I hate top hats on a man.  Won't tolerate 'em."

We Have to Do Better

I wonder what the future holds for the Mister Tristans of the world when they reach military age?  We can do better, we have to do better. 



This from Jon Rainwater in today's San Francisco Chronicle:

In the time it takes to read this piece, the troop escalation in Afghanistan will have cost $171,000. This week, President Obama is asking Congress for an additional $33 billion to fund the misguided surge. For the sake of his domestic agenda and our national security, we need an alternative approach in Afghanistan, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should lead the charge.

Conventional wisdom tells us that Americans will not put a price on their security. However, after eight years of dismal results, many Americans struggling to get by are justifiably questioning the expense. After all, how do 100,000 troops in Afghanistan protect us from a Yemeni-trained and Nigerian-born man from London attempting to blow up a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit?

I have spoken with many on Capitol Hill who seem paralyzed by the Afghanistan dilemma. Democrats are loath to contradict a president from their own party. To their credit, some members of Congress, including Speaker Pelosi, have indicated discomfort with an intensifying military strategy. But Congress must not waste years and untold lives as it did under the Bush administration. It needs to stand up now to make the case for a comprehensive diplomacy and development-oriented alternative to a status quo that is squandering lives and undermining our security.

We are stuck in a cycle of violence with no end in sight, even with the troop escalation.  Many military experts believe that more troops on the ground will not create more security but rather simply provide more targets.

30 at 17

That’s 30 miles miles and 17 degrees, respectively.  It's been a harsher winter here in the Keystone State than in several years.  On Saturday I executed the next planned installment of my training for the Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run on March 27.  Got up at 4:15 AM, out the door soon after.  That’s actually my normal alarm time on my regular workdays…somehow seems morally wrong, though, on a Saturday.


Since the wind was minimal, the actual air temp, while in the teens, was not much of a factor. I just dressed in another layer and ran pretty much as usual. And NO, despite conventional “wisdom” to the contrary, I did not freeze my lungs (and I didn’t ruin my knees, either).  Did freeze up my moustache, though.

I started out, predawn, carrying a flashlight. Although the skies were overcast, the nearly-full moon managed to provide some indirect, diffuse illumination, so that I did not need the light to see the road. Combined with my reflective gear, the flashlight was handy and comforting for making sure that passing cars did indeed see me.  Cars passing me on these rural roads around my house were minimal, no more than 1-2 per mile (total of both directions).

Since the Umstead course is eight repeats of a 12.5 mile course, I wanted to simulate that looping to some extent in this run, to see what the psychological effect was about running a medium distance loop, coming in for a short break (5 min) for food & drink, then immediately heading back out again.

My first loop was northeast, through Marion towards New Franklin, on the way crossing Swamp Fox Road (I love that name!). That loop was 16 miles and it was daylight when I arrived back at the house at the end of Loop 1. I came into my unheated garage, chugged a cold coffee and some water, ate a quick bagel with cream cheese, and a handful of peanut M&Ms.

I dropped off my flashlight, reflective sash, and empty water bottle. I changed my gloves to a dry pair (even in the winter, my hands sweat enough to make a pair of gloves noticeably damp), slipped a full bottle of water into my waist pack, and headed back out the door for the 14 mile Loop 2.

This loop was basically to the west. It, too, went uneventfully, and I soon arrived back home. Total elapsed time was 6 hours, not a land speed record by any stretch, but a decent time, which included recurring walking breaks on the steeper uphills.

I was slightly tired at the end of 30 miles, but definitely had miles left in the tank.  This was a good, solid training run for Umstead and a real confidence booster that my training remains on track.