The Beginner's Mind

I recently posted that wisdom is not a flower to be plucked. It is a mountain, and it must be climbed. The idea here is that it takes time, years even, to gain an awareness of the trail that you tread on.

I still believe this.  However I think there is more to this story. Yes, wisdom is gathered from real life experiences. And there is no substitute for experience. But I also think wisdom can be overrated. I dare say that for everything we gain from wisdom, we also lose something precious from it. Let me explain...

As I lace up my shoes for my very first ultra, my nerves are tense. My heart beats rapidly. Everything around me appears larger than life. The other runners. The glow of the rising sun. Before the race everything is ominous, every little detail surreal. I pin the number on my shorts, I drink a cup of coffee. I fill my water bottles. All these things, so monumental. Then I step to the line. More than anything, with a fresh mind, I think about the unknown...and the possibilities yet to come...  

Fast forward now. I lace up my shoes for my 15^th ultra, my nerves are still tense. Again my heart beats rapidly. Yet everything around me has an air of familiarity. I chat with my fellow ultra runners. I glance at the rising sun. My thoughts are more focused, more disciplined. I check my fluid and salt supplies. I review my nutrition for the day. I know now what is to come. I remind myself of the mountain I’ve climbed to get here.

Zen master Shunryu Suzuke once said that in the beginners mind, there are always possibilities. But in the experts mind, there are few.

Stay fresh my ultra friends. Keep a beginner’s mind. And if your reading this on the eve of your first ultra, don’t forget to stop for just a moment. And remember. 

Training. An Act of Patience.

For those of you who follow this blog, you know I'm a believer in training principles espoused by Phil Maffetone.  The key objective to this type of training is to teach your body to burn fat for fuel. The method to achieve this is built around training at a lower heart rate (180 minus your age +/- your own history). The biggest challenge to this approach is having patience. Patience NOT to go fast when you feel like hammering, patience NOT to sprint up a hill when you know you can and, yes, patience during training runs to let go of the hunger to push your body to the brink.

Of course this approach to training has its critics. The famous British runner Sabastian Coe once said that "...long slow distance produces long slow runners." Emil Zatopek, winner of three gold medals in the 5k, 10k and marathon in the 1952 Olympics was quoted saying "why should I practice running slow...I already know how to run slow. I want to learn to run fast". Zatopek is considered to be one of if not "the" pioneer of interval training.
   

Maffetone's principles are very similar to the training principles taught by the legendary running coach Arthur Lydiard who coached many Olympic champions. The difference being Maffetone (who coached mostly triathletes vs runners) stresses the use of a heart rate monitor. Both approach training with a mindset that the athlete has to build his/her aerobic conditioning before they begin to introduce anaerobic conditioning to the training regimen. The point here is that both the Maffetone and Lydiard methods incorporate anaerobic work. It's just that they don't drool over it like so many of today's athletes do.
   
A friend of mine once said that you can't shoot a cannon from a canoe. What he meant was just that. You can't shoot a cannon (high intensity workouts designed to develop speed) from a canoe (a runner with no base). I know from my own experience that when I start working out on the track doing intervals, several things usually happen. First, I get faster. My turnover becomes quicker, and my cruising speed increases. Second, my body starts to crave sweet things. Sugary, starchy foods. The stuff that it burns when my heart rate gets way up there. Third, I start to notice aches and pains a lot more. Annoying twinges remind me I'm walking on the razors edge between great fitness and the brink of a serious injury.

Mark Allen, the six time Hawaii Ironman champion and student Maffetone, trained up to 38 hours per week during the "push" stages of his season. Allen used intervals to fine tune his training, but not to define his training. When asked about speed training under Maffetone, Allen said...“He looks at the whole picture while most coaches and trainers look at isolated elements even with, for example, speed work. You need it and he prescribed it for me but it is not the only thing you need, just to use one simple example. Certainly there have been many schools of thought about the best method to train...I look at all of them and I still do not think any of them are as good as the basis {Maffetone} uses to determine optimal aerobic heart rate training.”

This year I did zero interval training. Whether that helped or hurt me is a difficult question. I know I could have developed a little more speed if I spent time on the track. But at what cost? I also know that my aerobic training paid some pretty good dividends. I finished six ultras in six months this year, including three 50 mile, one 100k and two 100 mile races, placing top ten in half of these (at 48 years young, mind you).  Many of these races were only three weeks apart so I didn't have a lot of time to recover. I didn't sustain any debilitating injuries (knock on wood). In some of these races I felt stronger in the second half of the race than the first half, passing many other runners in the process.

If you are interested in getting more information on these training concepts, I suggest you read this interview with Mark Allen,  this article on Lydiard's training methods, and this article on the definition of aerobic training by Phil Maffetone.

Like my grandfather used to say.......patience jackass..........patience.

Steve Jobs and The Running Continuum

I never was an Apple fanatic. I never understood the cult-like zeal of Mac mania. Steve Jobs? To me he was just another tech billionaire capitalizing on our materialistic, trend crazed society. But then something changed for me regarding Jobs.

When a friend told me this week that Steve Jobs had died, it wasn't the news that surprised me. It was my reaction to it. So soon,  I remember thinking to myself. A hollow feeling crept into me. Something really big and really important has come to an end. In a moment my thoughts bounced from an image of a gaunt man standing on a stage, to the device he held in his hand, to the hundreds of miles of mountain trails that device accompanied me on as an ultra runner.

Jobs on Dreams

The more I've read about Jobs the more I'm enlightened by his perspective on life. Man, here is a guy who had the world in the palm of his hand. Despite unfathomable wealth, he stayed true to himself by continuing to pursue his passion for work at Apple. Jobs was a big advocate of pursuing your dreams, and finding what you love doing, and not settling until you do.

What I've come to realize is that Steve Jobs wasn't unlike the rest of us. He experienced failure like us. He feared death like we do. But despite these similarities, Jobs was different because he could see things more clearly than most of us. He once said that "...for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today? And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something."

Jobs on Death

Jobs said that "remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

What would Jobs say to us runners? I think I can hear his words now. Do what is in your heart. Don't worry about embarrassment or failure. You have nothing to lose. Let everything else fall away when you step to the line. And when the starting gun goes off, breath deeply and remember.  This could be the last run of your life.

RIP Steve Jobs.

Midwest On My Mind

Columbus Skyline

Today wraps up my midwest trip that took me from California to Chicago, IL, Des Moines, IA, Indianapolis, IN and now Columbus, OH. Five states in five days. The good news is I still got around 4 hours of running in, albet mostly on bone crushing concrete and asphalt. It reminds me of the song by the 80's punk band Fear called "I love Living in The City." I don't mind running in far away places as long as there are funky and/or cool things to look at. This trip had a few.  

Ohio State Capital 

JW

The Face

The Bean

Going Slong

The Osprey I Saw Today

One of my favorite runs is going slong. I walk out the front door with no particular route planned. No particular destination. Just my Nathan, GPS and heart rate monitor. I start running—really, really slow—with nothing to prove other than time on foot. Time to myself. Time to melt. 

Today I did just that. Walked out the front door, and headed south. Toward my old stomping grounds as a kid. I passed through the baseball diamond where I pitched as a little leaguer. Along the coast highway past the place I worked as a buss boy as a young teenager (the Chinese restaurant is gone). Through the park where I take my girls. Then along back bay drive where I’ve run countless miles. Countless being a large number.

Slow, methodical, fat-burning bliss. That is what going slong is all about. Slow and long. Slong. Heart rate always under 140. Am I coming off an injury? No. Am I out of shape? Not really. Then why slong? Its simple. I’m building my base all over again. I’m shifting my protocol slightly by not focusing just on miles, but time. My goal as I enter the next year is to slong 20 hour weeks before I start to tighten the screws for racing. Its a hunch that I have. Focus on base today, recover better when tighten the screws tomorrow.

Coast Highway - Near the old 'Kams' Restaurant

One of the fringe benefits of going slong is that you notice things much more. Like an Osprey perched above your head. Have you ever seen an Osprey? I did today. It was pretty cool. I was taking a pit stop and heard a really loud noise. I looked up and saw it. Perched atop a utility pole. I found out that Ospreys migrate up to 430 kilometers per day. When they migrate, they have a tendency to fly at night. They usually mate for life, and they are unique in that they are found every continent except Antarctica.

Slonging. Try it some time. I think you’ll like it.

Fire Rages Through Ultra Marathon

This is a heads up to the ultra community. Two women are in critical condition after competing in an ultra marathon last weekend that was engulfed by a raging out-of-control brush fire. The race was in a remote location in northwest Australia. It took 5 hours for rescue workers to reach them. Both suffered burns to 80% of their bodies and are fighting for their lives. Click here for more details.  

Finding Steeps

Found this hill the other day. I'm really excited about it. It's a half mile long with 400 feet of elevation gain, all single track. At the top is a panoramic view of California's southland -- Saddleback Mt., the San Gabriels, the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island. It's very difficult to find from the road, and pretty steep, so I don't expect  much foot trafic out there.

Summer is over. Time to get back on the saddle...

Running the 49th Parallel

Marker One - The Start of the Boarder with Canada

Sometimes it is good to just go easy and enjoy the scenery when running. I got to do just that this last weekend while on vacation and in Vancouver, Canada and Point Roberts, Washington. Vancouver is amazing and has an extensive system of bike trails. One thing I learned though is they don't like to share their bike paths with runners in Vancouver! I made the mistake of running the oposite direction on a bike path and was quickly put in my place when a cyclist yelled at me like a traffic cop.

Random Sunflower Growing Out of the Rocks on Beach

Point Roberts was a little more laid back. A funky little place in US territory, "the Point" is only accessible on land through Canada.  What was really cool about running here was running along the 49th parallel. Cal C and I ran down Roosevelt Avenue which stretched several miles along the Canadian boarder. The only thing separating us from Canada were people's back yards. I also got to run along rock and drift wood covered beaches for several miles. All in all a great time away with the family!  

Orca in the Straight of Georgia off Pt. Roberts

Not a Flower for me to Pluck

While taking what I believe is a well deserved break from running, my mind wonders more than what I'm accustomed to lately. Heck, it's only been a little more than two weeks since I crossed the finish line of my sixth race this year, but it seems longer. Some have asked me what I have planned next. This is a great question but its not (yet) worthy of a response. I'm simply trying to absorb some things from my experiences since January. Six races totaling 412 miles with a total elevation gain of 74,623 feet. To put this in mountain climbing perspective, that’s enough to scale Mt. Everest 2 ½ times.

As I reflect on the last six months, and even the last four years, I discover things that I take for granted now as a runner that I had no knowledge of before I started running ultras. I'm also keenly aware there is so much I still don't know, and may never know, but hope to learn one day. As long as I remain willing.

We live in a saturated society. Information gained with the push of a button. Billions of facts and figures at our fingertips. But are we wiser for it? Are we better because of it? Most of us seek knowledge. Questions asked are readily answered. But do these answers bring wisdom?

The answer to this question is no. Because unlike knowledge, wisdom is not found through a push of a button. Or the turn of a page. It is found on the hard road taken toward the goal you put down on a piece of paper. The commitment you make to yourself that you didn’t ever think you could make, but do, and then you deliver on it.

It starts with small steps. A progression, from questions to commitments. And moves from answers to awareness. And it reminds me of a quote that I heard that goes something like this...

"You think wisdom is a flower for you to pluck. It is a mountain, and it must be climbed.”


          Kwai Chang Caine

My Article Published in the OC Register

My Pacers Bino and Chris

Yesterday The Orange County Register published an article I wrote about my experience leading up to and running the Angeles Crest 100 mile endurance run. Click here to read. Enjoy!

AC 100 - Being Drawn Back In

“The Mountains are Calling. And I Must Go” 
                          John Muir

Before the start with Bad Rat Tracy M. 

There is so much more I have yet to learn about this sport. So much! And I’m beginning to realize it's what I’m learning that keeps drawing me back into it. Even after deciding to move on with other priorities in my life. I’m drawn back in.

Entering aid station somewhere between mile 25 and 50.

Last weekend was a perfect example. Because last weekend should not have happened, if not for a fate-filled phone call I received but didn’t take, and ultimately couldn’t deny. I’m talking about Angeles Crest 100 miler here, the race I chose not to do, then changed my mind only to line up with all the other nut jobs at the starting line at 5 a.m. Saturday morning  July 23rd.
 
Its been said that wisdom is learning what to overlook. If you think about it, one has to deduce that the opposite must also be true. After all, how could you know what to overlook if you didn’t know what not to overlook?

negotiating hydro pack while conferring with crew

My plan at AC 100 was first and foremost to finish the race. Why? What I’m learning about this sport is you have to have respect. Respect for the mountain you run on. This I try not to overlook. To go into a 100 mile race with a goal time, if you have never run those mountains, is to not respect the mountains. I don’t believe in this approach and I’ve seen a lot of people who get chewed up and spit out up there who try otherwise. Other than getting lost on a training run, I had never run in the San Gabriels before Angeles Crest 100 mile and I wasn’t about to go in guns blazing.   
 
There were quite of few learning granules I picked up running AC.  Mainly from things I overlooked:  
 
Granule number one: incorporate hiking into the training regimen. This course has soooo much climbing up steeps that aren't runnable that you have to prepare accordingly. The climbs up Baden Powell, Mt. Hilliard and Mt. Wilson are the big three, but there are others. Its hard to bounce out of a one or two hour hike and into a solid pace if your not ready for those hikes.
 
Granule number two: train for the heat. This race used to take place in September, now it's in July, the hottest time of year. Yes there is more daylight in July, but daylight brings heat. I didn't feel cool until the sun was behind the horizon. Even then I ran all night with no shirt on. It's a scorcher out there.
 
Granule number three: maximize time training on the course. There is no better way to find your advantage out there than to experiment on the trail you'll run on race day. Knowing how long you'll be trudging up a mountain or flying down a canyon is a  huge advantage to everyone.
 
Other observations:
 
AC has a lot of running at elevation, even more than I expected. You are flirting between 6'000 to 9'000 feet for first 50 miles. This is much more time at elevation than Western States when you are off the mountains and into the foothills after mile 35. So what about this? Unless you can live and train over 6'000 feet for three weeks or more you have to run carefully for the first half of this race. My heart rate was at least 20 beats per min higher in the first half than in the second, even going conservatively.
 
Finally, there are some very runnable sections on this course and you have to be prepared for them. Going easy on the first half of the course helped get me through the second half. While I might have gone a little too conservative early on, given my goal to finish and not scorch the trail I’m happy with how I executed the plan. Thanks a million to my crew Trina M and Jeff P and Chris C and Bino M for pacing me.  
 
All in all another fun day at the office. Now I have to get back to my other office!  

Angeles Crest 100 - Cliff Notes

Here is my brief take on last weekend with more to follow...

What a course! Just when you feel like letting loose it roles you up again in a wad and spits you out! The hiking, oh the hiking! Relentless climbs. Started out very conservative in 44th place and slowly made my way to 11th overall, but short of a sub 24 hour time. Not disappointed though because my goal since the day I signed up for AC was to finish this race not for time but to help my chances for the So Cal Ultra Series.

Thanks to Bino and Chris C for pacing me, and Jeff P and Trina M for crewing me!

AC. Ready or Not...

When Going Through Hell, Keep Going

A bright sun was shinning over my head. But every step I took was into darkness. I was struggling just to hang on. My stomach, legs and feet had all abandoned me. My mind was now slipping.

I recently wrote that running ultras is more about trust in yourself than your god given talent. Sometimes things can get really bleak out there. As if you’re going through hell. But if you keep moving forward, despite your state, eventually you can get through it. And when you do, when you make it through hell, you can learn a lot about yourself.

My very first trail race I was going through hell. My body started to shut down. I couldn’t eat or drink. I could barely walk. I felt helpless. The feeble thoughts that occupied my mind were like gasoline feeding the flames around me. As I stumbled along in this hapless state, I was interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind me. I turned to see an elderly runner approaching. He slowed to inquire about my condition. He then reached into his pocket and handed me a small white tablet. "Take this, it will fix your problem."

As I reached out to take the pill from his hand, I noticed he was smiling. He explained to me that my electrolytes were out of balance. I didn't question or doubt him. I believed him and took the pill. From a total stranger. Within 5 minutes I started to feel better, good enough to finish the race. I’ve been using Succeed Tabs as a runner ever since that moment.

Wisdom comes from many places.  But mostly it comes from just being on trail, in the elements, seeking answers. If you have trust, wisdom will smile on you. 

Running In Life's Balance (pub. Ultra Running Mag. 9/2011)

A friend of mine once said it. No matter how focused you are on your training. No matter how committed you might be to accomplishing a goal. Sometimes life gets in the way. After 23 years of running, I’m still learning how not to fight this rule, but to embrace it.

This morning I hitched a tandem up to my mountain bike and my seven year old and I rode around our neighborhood. We stopped at a playground and I pushed her on a huge tire swing. She laughed and giggled as I spun her. Then we rode away until we arrived at a coffee shop where we stopped for a snack and I played music for her on my IPhone.

My difficulty is this. I have a hard time hitching tandems, or pushing tire swings, even hearing giggles when I’m hunkering down for a 100 mile race. Its not easy to explain, but it is easy to understand. Life is a plethora of priorities. But for each priority I choose today, I must also choose to put off another for tomorrow.

Over the last six months I’ve been hunkering down a lot, training and racing more than I ever have. But recently I’ve come to realize that sometimes running gets in the way. I have no regrets about my running, and its been a great year for me. I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’ve also learned that running is a really just a metaphor for life. The ups and downs that it brings. I’ve faced some challenges in my races this year. Yet overcoming these has helped me build confidence and trust in myself along the way.

I recently wrote that it's the simple things, those that we take for granted, that matter the most. The moonlit path under a steely blue horizon during an ultra. Surely we all need to be carried away on our own moonlit path. But for the beginning of every path there is also an end. And we need to notice when we arrive at the end of these paths. And when we do, we just might find someone there for us, laughing and giggling.

Yes, it’s the simple things. They matter the most.