Have Ultra Runners Grown Soft?

What a firestorm! First, full disclosure! I am not running Rocky Raccoon (RR) 100 Miler. I think the race director of Rocky Raccoon, Joe Prusaitis, is one of the absolutely best in Ultrarunning and putting on a race!...And I like to listen to headphones from time to time when I run… Now on to the matter at hand.

RR has become a very popular race. It is a relative flat, single track and guarantees great finishing times for the fast guys. This year the four horseman of the apocalypse entered….Karl Meltzer, Anton Krupicka, Scott Jurek, Hal Koerner. WOW!!!! The odds are, the course record is going down…and I will be there to watch it. So…this week I start catching wind that the RD has sent out an email that there will be no headphones allowed…NONE….or risk disqualification. The reason was obvious…lots of runners…some very fast…on a multiple loop, single track course...and safety or runner impedance becomes a valid concern. The problem: It was stated only a week and a half before race time and it was not announced that there was a No Headphone policy in any of the pre registration information.

I started seeing comments pop up on Facebook from runners registered…I got some emails from friends lamenting the fact…and I even got a few text messages. For the most part…everyone understood…nearly all were disappointed…Some were looking at the opportunity to have to dig deep in sheer darkness of the night instead of medicating with music…but there were some that were livid…upset…angry.

I got a text from a running friend…not only very angry…but extremely upset. I understood their argument…”Why state it now…and not before I registered?” Point Valid. But I also completely understood Joe’s position…safety and no trail impedance. there is a reason elites want to run his races…because they know it will be an exceptional race. But that is not why I am posting this.

After going back and forth with my running buddy, they had refused to take this as an opportunity. They expended so much negative energy on the subject they had no control over. I would mention to them it as an opportunity for self introspection during those tough times…an opportunity to hone mental toughness in lieu of “zoning out.” They would listen to none of it…and I was disappointed…this was an exceptional runner.

I reflected back to words of my buddy Matt Crownover…I paraphrase...”Too many times we rely on our gear…what we have with us instead of our abilities. We carry too much baggage in a race.” If you know Matt, he is speaking on about 3 levels there…but he is also being literal. My bud Ballard told me that once, during a mountain 100 miler, he was struggling…and Matt started going through his pack at an aid station…getting rid of all the “baggage.”

I like Matt’s philosophy…although I don’t always adhere to it. But isn’t that Ultra running…at least it is to me…testing my abilities…both physically and mentally. Adjusting to what is to come…adapting….overcoming. You try to be prepared for everything…and you never are able to…and it is at that time where you have to overcome the unseen…maybe it’s weather…maybe a bad stomach….maybe broken gear…or even someone saying…”No Headphones.” What did they do in the 1970's...carry a boombox a 100 miles. ;-)

Have we grown so soft as a culture that such an edict completely rocks our world? Ultra guys are some of the toughest people…period…but after my conversation, I wondered a bit…were these people tough on their terms…and if you rocked the boat, they folded like a bad poker hand?

Maybe I still have too much Marine in me. I recall that one July summer we were on a 3 day Mountain patrol exercise nestled in the Sierra Nevadas . It was summer…so I wore my light weight jungle boots and adhered to the mantra, “Pack light, freeze at night.” No jacket..only a light weight sleeping bag…first night, it snowed six inches. So much for the plan…we had to adapt…over come…and we walked 18 miles at about 7,000 ft elevation, in full freaking combat gear… in 6 freaking inches of snow…in jungle freaking boots!

My friend is a good enough runner to finish, and finish well, regardless if they wore headphones…it was just something they enjoyed doing while running. I am not questioning their running ability…only their ability to adapt…to overcome…to roll with the punches. And if they struggle with this…what happens if it really hits the fan…when things really go south.

I closed the conversation by asking the runner to renew their gratitude for being able to run Rocky Raccoon 100 miler. Earlier in the day I had received a message from a friend fighting cancer. Really…you’re whining about headphones…while you get to go do something you absolutely love?

Joe has reversed his decision with a caveat...disqualification if it causes problems during the race because you couldn't hear.. He agrees that there should have been an announcement stating the Headphone policy before registrations. Once again a testament to the integrity of Joe.

So what your thoughts...have we gone soft?

Press On!

Bucket List Item...Running the Canyon

When I first heard about it, it immediately went on my list of things I must absolutely do before I die…you know…a bucket list.

The allure is not so much the distance….heck, it’s barely a 50 mile run....and the terrain….well, it has some difficulty…mainly due to the elevation changes (roughly 9000 feet)….but it I hear it’s not as brutal as Bandera. You run it too late, then you have some high temps to deal with and if it’s too early….then you got some snow to contend with….no….not so much the difficulty, although it will definitely be a challenge…but it’s the Grandeur of it all…the majestic and awe inspiring scene….the sunrise over the ridge…and the sunset just mere hours later….yep…It’s on the calendar….I have bought airline tickets…and so, it’s on!

The Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim (R2R2R) run…starting on the south rim…descending down to the floor and up to the other side to the North Rim…turn around and run it back…the North Rim is closed that time of year…so no vehicles…got to hoof it…not a race…just a run….a celebration...of about 16 to 18 hours would be my guess…not to be in too big of a hurry to miss my Maker’s creation….I will start at about 3:30 AM….and finish in the dark…details to follow later…

So I ask you…what is on your list….what do you want to do before they put you in a pine box…The best line in the movie “Shawshank Redemption”…Red looks at Andy and says, “Get busy living or get busy dying!” Go look at that list…scratch something off of it this year…and if you ain’t got a list…well, you better make one! Press On!

Married to an Endurance Athlete...and the Oprah Show

About a year ago Runner’s World did an article about running and marriage…about the issues that can arise by two people…one that runs and trains and one that doesn’t. Training is a time consuming entity…and if one party doesn’t “get” it, then there may be issues. Take on Ultra Endurance training and kick up the time spent alone, running….and all the issues that come with it….throw in kids into the equation and the balancing act becomes infinitely more challenging.

You need to understand….Bren, my wife, works out…quite a lot by some standards….an hour a day for 4 to 6 days a week. But when she looks over at my training schedule, frankly she can’t get her brain around it…why would anybody want to run and exercise for 6 to 8 hours at a time…alone?!? Why does anyone want to run in a 50 mile race…a 100 mile race…to run for 24 straight hours???

We are closing in on 16 years of marriage….and 19 years of knowing each other. It hasn’t always been smooth sailing…we are both pretty strong willed…and like all couples, have had some ups and downs. When I encroached into the Ultra Running and cycling, we both had to feel our way around that too…not to mention with the kids stuff too.

After all our time together, we have began to learn to meet the others needs, even when we don’t understand why….that includes hammering out training schedules, races, plans, goals and dreams. This year I will be scratching off something on my bucket list…with Bren’s blessing. She knows it’s a dream of mine, and even though it will take place Mother’s day weekend, she told me to go…in return I was to pay for her and her mom to take a trip together….looks like a Vegas Extravaganza may happen for those two.

I was sharing all this stuff with a high school friend…and she responded with the following: “I think one of the coolest things about marriage is when you realize that if you support your spouse in the things they love, it makes everything else that much more awesome.” That statement sums it up….Bren and I have far more ups now than downs…and having that support is what makes everything I do on the endurance front all that more special…that I have someone to share my triumphs with….even when she thinks it’s crazy. She said she married me knowing that there would never be a dull moment…she smiles now and says, “Life is never boring on Team Elliott.” I love that.

So that brings me to the crux of this blog…Bren LOVES OPRAH!...Loves her show…tapes it and watches it every night while the kids are in bed. Personally I don't care much for her…but Bren loves her…so there you are. She tried for over 20 years to go to a taping of a show. This past summer…her friend got tickets and took Bren with her. They had a ball. It works like this…if you put in for tickets on Oprah’s site…you are the ONE that has to use the tickets…you can change the guest you take…but if you are “awarded” free tickets for the taping…it’s you….no substitute. So Jen put in for tickets and took Bren. Brenda would always put in for tickets….and then ask her friends to do the same….and of course she would ask me to put in…and I would, knowing that I would never get tickets….never!!! NEVER SAY NEVER! I come in this morning from working out and notice I had an email on my “crackberry.” “Dave, Great News!!! Your ticket reservation request has been selected for the 02/22/2011 A show taping.” Oh joy…really….are they kidding? Maybe I worked out a little too hard this morning and didn’t read this correctly…nope…I read it right. So I did something I never do….woke up Bren early in the morning…We’re going to Oprah….I said “ We’re”….you and me babe…I always have funny and snide comments I quip off to Bren about Oprah…not a big fan…but who cares….my wife was giddy the rest of the morning…and waking her up at such an ungodly hour…she didn’t care. She looks at me and says, if you don’t really want to go…we don’t have to go. Are you kidding…we are absolutely going…not because I want to…but because I love you. Seeing each other fulfill what they have always wanted to do…that is truly one of the great things I have learned in being married to that gal. Oh…I still get to go do my thing this May (heck, this may be worth 10 years of races)…and that was to be my next blog…but this is too good…I get to go to Oprah…(yes there is some sarcasm)..but more importantly…I get to go with my wife…and watch her experience something she loves so much. She has been to more finish lines than not….she wants me to go run far…cycle far…and she explained to me what our marriage meant to her the other day in terms I understand….”Dave, Marriage is for the long haul….an Ultra marathon with lots of ups and downs…..the completion to the finish line is always worth the effort.”

Gotta go…I got bags to pack…we’re going the Chicago in February….to see Oprah….OMG!!! ;-)

Next time we will cover the bucket list item….til then PRESS ON!

Bandera 50K Race Report - Better to Burn Out than Fade Away

I was climbing Lucky Hill. My memory served that I only had about 2.5 miles left when I got done with Lucky…and I was singing the lyrics to the Neil Young song…” It's better to burn out than to fade away.” It seems that was what had happened in the last 5 miles…I was trying to finish in….hey, wait! Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Marshall King and I had checked into headquarters at the lodge in Bandera state natural Area…and unadulterated Texas Hill Country with all it beauty and brutality. First…this is my favorite race…period. I love the Texas feel…the complete brutality of it…the unpredictable weather, the race director…the intense technicality of it with all the rocks in insane climbs…the sotol cactus that slice your legs up to ribbons…I love the people…the aid stations…the intensity…I love how it will take some people 24 hours to finish the 100K…and how the race director allows for that!

I was to run the 50K (31 miles)…meeting up with friends…I saw Olga…she would be running the Lodge Aid Station catering to the 100K (62 miles) runners. She asked which one I was running…and after my response, called me out for not going long. If she knew how much I struggled on the decision for running the 50K instead of the 100K…she would have poured more salt into the wound. That is why ultra runners kill to have her in their corner during a long race. We laughed bit before we headed out to the start line. Meeting up with some other North Texas Trail Runners, Jennifer Kimble, Marlee Clark, Sonia Burdett and Marshall King…the race was on sharply at 0730.

Olga...Dave Carder called her an Ultra runners angel in a tough race...and a great ultra runner in her own right.

In my mind you break up the 50K into 3 parts…first, second, and third ten mile increments.

First Third

As the profile shows…this is the toughest part of the race…you have about ½ mile to get loose before climbing commences…and the descending…you count the climbs, not the miles…there will be 4….and for the first 10 miles I am right there pacing Jennifer…not ever dropping too far back…and Marlee was on my six…Sonia and Marshall…I had no clue where they were…and when it was all said and done…They all owned that race…but that is their story to tell.

Second Third

Coming into the Nachos aid station at mile 10…I was alone…and feeling good about the time it took to drop the first ten miles in my knap sack. I grabbed a waffle with peanut butter on it….and was out…30 seconds at the aid station…and most of that was to crack a joke…here is where your pace quickens…you run the course…there are a few climbs…and always rocks…at mile 18 on a flat part I trip and fall…hard…and for the next 5 minutes….gather myself and assess the damage…the right knee had come down hard on a rock and the blood begin to drip down….other than that….all systems were still a go…and onward we go.

Last Third

I coming rolling into the Cross Road Aid Station…filling my hydration pack and grabbing some Oreo cookies…sugar…I wanted sugar….less than 45 seconds there…you’re wondering why I am was so astute on how long I stayed in an aid stations? Part of my pre race goal was to never linger…in Ultra Terms…”Don’t make love to the aid station!”

And so I was off to finish the last 10 miles…it was just 3 miles back I was calculating splits…only other time I ran this race I completed it in 7 hours 6 minutes. My goal today at the start was to finish under 7 hours. Coming into the race, felt just a tad under trained in mileage but was running stronger than I ever had. So at mile 17 or so I was doing some ultramarathon pacing math…and thinking…there is a small chance to run this thing in 6 hours and 30 minutes. I was optimistic…even knowing that 3 Sisters and Lucky Peak were still in my future…but hey…I was feeling strong….running well when I left Cross Roads for the first time at mile 20. Three Sisters…mile 23 or so….and up we go…the pace begin to drop off….I had forgotten that these 3 sisters were women of ill repute….and descending…hard….hard as I could go….but not hard enough….back through Cross Roads the second time at about mile 26…staying just long enough to slam some chicken noodle soup and to crack another joke…I overheard one of the sweet ladies utter something about “he is crazy.” Ma’am…that was confirmed when you sign up for this race. My pace had lessen and a 6:30 finish was to be nearly impossible…and then the lyrics…”better to burn out than fade away”…yep, I may have burned that candle a little hot…but I don’t think I would have changed a thing about how I had raced the first 26 miles...up Lucky peak…thankful for all the squat super sets I did in the weight room…and then down…down….it’s all downhill….from there…well nearly….running…running…the last mile in about 9 minutes…finish….6 hours 45 minutes…the official results are not in but that should put me in the first half of runners.

post race pic

I sat down when it was over and began assessing how I felt…looking at the cuts and bruises on the legs...and thinking about what would I have changed if running the 100K. The body was beaten and I was contemplating what it would take for the 100. That was a good sign…usually after a hard race, I don’t ever think about any more pain induced races till I have recovered…but not today…today I was already thinking about next year…about the 100K. This race is always within a week of my birthday…and therefore a celebration…that I ain’t in a pine box yet…pushing up daisies from the underside…so let’s see…62 miles at my favorite course…let’s go have a birthday party in Bandera next year…you are all invited…remember if you’re not bleeding at the end it doesn’t count. PRESS ON!













* all the trail pics were taken by race director Joe Prusaitis.

Kindle VS Nook…and Why I Chose the…

First let me begin that this post is strictly in reference to the Kindle and Nook EReaders….not the Apple IPAD. The IPAD is greatness…with all the things it can do. But I wanted strictly an EReader…you see when I sit down to read a book, I try to get away from the distractions of already feeling over connected…you know the email…the internet….the to do list. So…this post is why I chose why I chose…and the IPAD was not up for discussion…I wanted a device to get me away from distractions that the IPAD also provides…so there you go…and on to my decision.

Drum Roll please….and the winner is, at least for me,…the NOOK. (And here is why.)

For all practical purposes, the Nook and Kindle are very similar. They are nearly the same size, they nearly weigh the same, they both use EInk configurations instead of back lighting, you can get millions of different books for both of them…they both store tons of books…like 2Gig on the base model….and I will get to that in a moment…but there are some major differences in my opinion…and those were the game changers in helping me make the decision.

The Kindle is the “Amazon” Model…where you buy your Ebooks exclusively from Amazon…that’s right…they have their own exclusive format…and that’s it. Barnes and Noble have countered with the Nook…once again...using their own format for buying books from Barnes and Noble…but wait there’s more…the Nook also reads PDF formats and EPUB formats…the Kindle will read a PDF...but you have to send it in and pay for them to transfer to “The Kindle” format. Additionally EPUB has become the format used by public libraries and Library of Congress…the Kindle will not read EPUB…Nook will…and there lies the crux of my decision…format reading. My guess…Kindle will produce software that will allow it to read EPUB formats…or maybe not…who knows. If I were to bet on the long term future of this EBOOK stuff…EPUB will become a standard format…but who knows.

My Brother got a Kindle for Christmas…after much research he figured that this was the best decision for him. He is a pastor of a church and most of his reading is in the Christian Realm…and he thought that Amazon would offer more in this area. Last week, he was looking at buying a particular book from Amazon…but it wasn’t in Ebook format yet….after a quick search he found that he could buy the book form a Christian website…in EPUB format…oops…Kindle can’t read EPUB….and that made my decision…I know…it’s one occurrence…but I was already leaning with my gut feeling that being able to read EPUB format was a good thing.

The next big deal for me is capacity…the Nook has expandable memory…you can go up to holding like over 10000 books…the Kindle…well, you get what you get and you won’t have a fit…so when you max out at about 3000 books…well that’s it….like I am ever going to need that...

The best advice I had came from a Kindle owner….go to Best Buy and look at both and see how they feel…I prefer the Nook touch screen to the Kindle keypad…the Kindle’s battery last a few days longer before needing recharged…

So…there you are…Format…all came down to readable formats….Now you know…and Press ON!