The Final Sprint just posted an interview I provided them with recently. We discussed my 2007 season, what’s coming up in 2008, mental aspects of ultrarunning, pain, and giving back to the sport.
The 2008 US Olympic Team Trials for the men’s marathon will be remembered for record performances and one of the most competitive fields in decades. It captured the hearts and minds of distance running fans and energized the spirit of distance running. Along with the triumphs on November 3, a day of celebration, tragedy struck with the death of Ryan Shay. My heartfelt condolences go out to Ryan’s family and all those whose lives were touched by this incredible athlete and human being.
My friend, Ian Torrence, got to briefly know Ryan and trained with his wife, Alicia, while he lived in Flagstaff. He recently notified me of the Ryan Shay Memorial Fund set up by the Center for High Altitude Training at Northern Arizona University. (more…)
My good friend, Don Mukai, has often told me, “Stumble seven times, get up eight times.” This is the Japanese proverb, 七転ã³å…«èµ·ã, nanakorobi yaoki. Perseverance over defeat.
Life is full of challenges, hard times, lessons. To me, these are our gifts. If we honor these times, we grow. We become stronger.
We all stumble. We all make mistakes. These can be made into our best moments. (more…)
I have always felt one of the beauties of running is the lack of required gear. Feel inspired, step outside, go. Unless we’re running barefoot and naked, which some of us nuts are, we require only simple clothing and shoes. I’ve commented some in previous posts about shoes I’ve raced with, but I’m frequently asked what shoes I wear for training. I’ll comment again on both. Here’s the scoop.
Most of us don’t have the exact same biomechanics side to side, which is also true for me. I am a strong supinater on one side and a neutral pronater on the other. I alternate a bit from a neutral cushion shoe to a mild stability shoe when training on the roads. For optimal performance on the trails I feel it’s important to run with a lower profile shoe without as much consideration to pronation and supination, unless severe, as the foot and ankle are continually adjusting to the varied terrain. (more…)
Coming off of a spectacular season filled with new adventures, tough competition, successes, lessons, and a couple of bizarre traumatic injuries, I’ve decided to call it a year. Having been eager to try a 24 hour race for the unique ability to “race” against all other previous 24 hour runners, I had been thinking I’d make my first attempt at Across the Years this 31st of December. However I usually take at least four weeks off this time of year to recover mentally and physically and quite frankly I feel like doing just that right now rather than waiting until January to do so. (more…)
Last February I did an interview with EliteRunning.com. We discussed my training, transition to becoming vegan, racing, and ultrarunning in general. I’m commonly asked a lot about these topics and feel this interview provides some insight.
Recently I had the opportunity to view the documentary “Forever Running†which chronicles the life and running pursuits of the legendary ultramarathoner Yiannis Kouros. While including archival race footage and interviews with Yiannis in his home, at work, and while training, Yiannis shares with us his upbringing, historical events, and inspirations that led him to amazing feats of endurance. Over the past thirty years Yiannis has set many world records that may, in his own words, last for centuries. His records span from the 200K to the 10 Day distances. These include his spectacular marks which no one has come near for the 24 Hour road at 290.2 km and 24 Hour track at 303.5 km (188 miles, 7:38/mile)!
Having great respect and admiration for this great Greek runner, I feel he is an inspiration for all runners aspiring to explore the depths of their endurance and inner abilities.
“Forever Running” is available for the first time in the US and can be purchased online through ZombieRunner.
The award ceremonies are over and most runners are back home following another successful running of an event we’ve come to know as Spartathlon. This year’s event was extra special being the twenty-fifth anniversary. But it was also an emotional one due to the disaster of forest fires that just a few weeks earlier brought enormous devastation to Greece, including the Peloponnese Peninsula where the race runs through. Nearly 500,000 acres were burned and the fires took 65 lives. Although the affect of the fires was felt by the runners and event organizers, the spirit and celebration of the race was alive and well. I’d like to make special note to the German runners who raised 10,000 euro for aid relief as well as point to a link on Daily Frappe with more information and links to numerous ways of helping.
BubbleShare: Share photos - Halloween contest
As I arrived in Greece last week, I was reminded of last year’s arrival prior to Spartathlon. I was reviewing a new book written by D. Enette Larson-Meyer, PhD, RD, “Vegetarian Sports Nutrition”. Being very impressed with this book, I agreed to write the forward. Although a few books have been written about vegetarian sports nutrition, Larson-Meyer goes into great detail when presenting the science and does so in an easy to understand format. At the same time, she provides practical information that the veteran and aspiring vegetarian can each utilize in their daily and exercise specific nutritional planning. Many formulas and tables guide the reader in calculating their individual nutritional requirements both on and off the field or race course.
Carnivores read on! (more…)
I’m happy to officially announce I will be going back to Spartathlon this year. It is coming up quickly and I have been able to get in excellent training upon returning from France. Valmir Nunes of Brazil, a previous Spartathlon winner, is in top shape this year after dropping last year due to injury. Another previous winner, Jens Lucas of Germany, will also be running, but possibly slightly tired after a stellar second place finish at UTMB. Markus Thalmann of Austria is one more past champion helping to stack the field. American 24 Hour record holder Mark Godale is also in great form this year and I expect many more great competitors to be ready to give it their all.
Last year for the first time the race provided a live webcast which I heard was quite good, posting quick updates of top runners. Be sure to check the website on race day, Friday September 28. We have a 7:00 start, middle of Thursday night for those back in the States.
I’m excited to go back and tackle this tough and long road race and enjoy the great culture of the Greek people, the beautiful country and rich history of Greece!