Running to kick the habit

July marked an anniversary for myself and a neighbor down the street, Christy. I hadn’t seen Christy since her 1-year anniversary last July until just a week ago which coincidentally marked her 2nd year anniversary.

“Has it really been a year?” I thought? The last year crawled at a snail’s pace for me. Yet looking back it feels like yesterday.

In contrast to my melancholy morning attitude my neighbor was ecstatic!

Most week days that I run in the morning I robotically trot down the street, make a left, then a right. A half mile away – my eyes and mind still wiping the sleep away – I pass a little corner house with a table and two chairs out front. Just under 2 years ago as I passed this little corner house I notice in the periphery of my vision a woman sitting with a man waving to me. I flick my hand in response and continue on.

Our neighborhood...not quite a Mr. Roger's type neighborhood.

But, we are trying to change the neighborhood dynamic
through our own converted bus bench in our shady front yard.

“God bless you, and thank you!” She yells after me.

I continue running…Is she shouting at me I wonder? Is she crazy? Should I stop or keep going?

“Bless you!” She yells louder.

I pause my advance down the street and half turn in her direction. She skips toward the street from her patio chair.

“Today marks 1 month.” She proudly exclaims. I look in puzzlement. “I have seen you run by most mornings past my house as I sip my coffee and smoke a cigarette. The good Lord provided me with your daily inspiration of health and activity to help me stop smoking and drinking. It’s been 1 month now.”

Still somewhat in bewilderment at 6:15am I smile, congratulate her, wish her the best and turn to continue running. I begin to contemplate how a simple, daily act of mine can lead to inspiration for another, and then be returned to me.  And, here I thought I was being selfish by taking time for myself to run each day. My heart begins to warm and I am renewed with new purpose to my running habit.

For 11 months after that first encounter as I approached her corner house painted in a heavy green, I would look for her to give her a wave and greeting. We have exchanged names, remarked on the weather or sunrise, and I would receive periodic updates on how long it has been since she stopped smoking and drinking.

During month 10 for Christy – my Dad visited with me for a week. I outfitted him on my mountain bike to ride alongside as I went for a morning run. It had been about a month since I have last seen Christy and as we pass by I tell him the story of my neighbor and how my simple daily act of running inspired her to stop smoking and drinking to improve her health.

An hour later we are passing by on our way home. A block past Christy’s house a woman pulls out in front from a side street. I look in amazement as I realize Christy is riding a bike.

I introduce her to my Dad and she gushes to him how much of an inspiration I have been through my daily discipline in healthy activity and how this helped her take interest in having a healthier lifestyle. Christy highlighted the positive impacts from my daily running which was a welcome departure to how I felt others perceived my running as a narcissistic act including my Dad. Growing up, my Dad spent a significant amount of his time training for Ironman competitions. He felt in hindsight this had taken him away from family time and as a father. Conversations on this topic made me question my motives for running and the time commitment impacts they had on others close to me.

I remark to Christy how long it has been since I saw her last. She responds that she has taken up going for rides or walks to increase her daily activity and thus we have not been crossing paths as frequently. Whenever, I am feeling negative about running – either I am tired, sore, or can think of a million other things I would be rather doing – I pass by Christie’s house and have a renewed lightness in my step and am thankful for her shout out that first morning I ran by.

Soon after her 1-year anniversary I was not able to run for a dreary long 10 months due to recovering from a difficult running injury. I forgot about Christy, her green corner house, and her resolution to not drink or smoke. I was melancholy in my own thoughts and struggling to attempt some level of fitness. Then for a month I was able to build into short 2-4 mile runs every few days. Slowly as the weeks passed I was able to extend my runs. Through this past year of not running I have turned to many others for inspiration for myself. Some being friends, some family, and others just doing what they do with a smile. I am grateful for these often anonymous persons being an uplifting force for me and demonstrating how each of us can be a positive influence to others.

Two weeks ago, about a year since I last saw Christy, I decided to test out my old running route again. Just down the street from my neighbor’s corner house, I see her waving and shouting to me!

In a bubbling of conversation Christy exclaims her delight in seeing me just a few days away from her 2 year anniversary for not drinking or smoking!

I am delighted to be reminded how my daily actions can be an uplifting force for someone else and provides me positive energy in return to dispel the melancholy clouds.

When injured I switched from daily runs to seeking mountain swimming holes
regularly with Lisa. Upper Sabino Creek, Tucson, AZ on an overnight backpack.

Yuba River after a short 2 mile jog, Nevada City, CA shortly
after crewing at Western States Endurance Run. 

Sabino Creek just a couple of weeks ago after my first hill effort
workout and about 75% back running.

Transvulcania. Estoy listo.

Only one week to go!

My first international ultrarunning race is Transvulcania, May 9th, part of the World SkyRunning series. Held on La Palma in the volcanic Canary Islands (Spain) off the coast of Morocco it is 50 miles with over 14,000ft of climbing. My goal is to participate and be a top contender in both the World and U.S. Skyrunning series this year. The season begins now and preparations have taken months!

To prepare I have spent most of my free time running long each weekend - sometimes both days. Since recovering from Old Pueblo 50 mile race my last few weeks of intense training can be summarized into the following basic stats:

• April 20-26: 92miles/13hrs of running/10,700ft of climbing
• April 13-19: 62miles/8hrs/2,800ft 
• April 6-12: 96miles/14hrs/12,600ft
• March 30-April 5: 63miles/9hrs/1,000ft
• March 23-29: 118miles/18.5hrs/22,000ft
• March 16-22: 72miles/9hrs/4,600ft

These early warm spring days here in Tucson, Arizona have been perfect for mountain training. My training is really just an excuse to thread more mountain trails. Thankfully, I often have friends or group runs to share the views, snake sightings, and swimming hole cliff jumps. And, when the miles get rough training buddies help push me up, keep me honest, and often just help me pause and chat.

This spring has not been all flowers, yet the harder the week – either at work or in life – the stronger I run.  And, in reverse, the tougher the week in training the more resilient and greater clarity I have to be grateful for life’s lemons.  The week of March 23-29 - the most miles I have ever run in a week for training - I nailed my workouts and both long runs. However, equally intensive at the workplace that week I launched a stakeholder advisory group to restore surface water flow to Lower Sabino Creek. And, on a personal level through several difficult conversations I found clarity to work through critical relationship issues in my own life to start the rebuilding process.

This week is just one example of how my running has helped instill balance in my life. Running provides me mental clarity and physical stamina to excel in work and play. However, it has taken a shift in my daily outlook to achieve this level of performance. I now approach work and hard training blocks not as a burden but as a time to shine.

The summer racing season is about to begin and I am in my best shape yet for mountain ultra trail running! I am ready to shine! I eagerly await putting to test my gear and conditioning at Transvulcania.

I am humbly grateful for the support from my family, team, and sponsors, who have helped invest in my dreams. Estoy emocionado. Buena suerte a todos los participantes en Transvulcania.

Mountain mischief mid-run at a swimming hole

Skyrunning at the top of one of Arizona's Sky Islands

Enjoying trails and training with my friend Charlie

Contemplating the meaning of life mid-run creek side

Always in awe of the majesty of ever changing mountain scenes

Enjoying the support from my sponsors post 30mile mountain run
- Run Steep Get High, CarboPro, and Salomon

Lessons Learned Lead to New Potential

My recent course record (6:53:51 which was 5 minutes faster) at Old Pueblo 50miler – a hometown race – was bittersweet. Bitter in the lead up to the race, yet pleasantly sweet as everything came together for me that day.

Top 3 at Old Pueblo. Myself, Nate Polaske, and Sion Lupowitz.
Photo credit: Mindy Polaske

Race day weather was perfect, cool, not cold, in the early morning. I had friends to run with in the early miles. Volunteers helped me speed through the aid stations. I ran with my friend and training partner, Charlie, the first 25 miles until he had to deal with leg cramps. My training came together even as a “B” race thanks to my coach, Ian Torrence. And previously learned lessons regarding gear and nutrition enabled me to keep my pace strong.

And proof that my Salomon shoes help me fly even at the end of the race.
Photo credit: Joel O'Bryan

I used two handheld bottles from mile 7 and forward. One with just water and the other with a mixture of CarboPro and HydraC5. The first few hours of the race I aimed for ~200 calories per hour and then around half way dropped back to ~150 calories per hour. My new fueling strategy worked. My stomach held strong. I stayed hydrated. My energy held constant.

My goal for that day was to run the race specifically focused on expressing joy and grace.

The bitter bite came from some personal issues the week prior which I am still working through. I tried playing the mental blame game, feeling sorry for myself, and myriad other thoughts streamed through me. Of course that led nowhere. I prayed for direction to know how to start the healing process.

My Old Pueblo race was a beautiful reflection of making a mental shift in the final hours the night before. I found peace within myself.  I am continuing to learn and grow and I am thankful for that breakthrough moment only hours before the race.

I broke through years of being stuck on a proverbial plateau for many aspects of my life. The Old Pueblo race demonstrated to me new life potentials which I am eager to stride forward and work to achieve. 

My race was a demonstration of my own healing and mental outlook. Running calmly and with joy through an ultrarunning race for my first time was a revolutionary experience I recommend others strive to achieve. We are not destined to always suffer through ultras even though it does make for great stories.  

Most importantly I will be living life more fully, deepening my relationships with others, and striving to improve not merely maintain the status quo. From this new outlook I have already glimpsed new potentials personally and athletically. I hope to embrace new trials with heart and recognize the strength I can derive from them.

Now to refocus on running and with big World Ultra Skyrunning races coming up – Transvulcania in La Palma, Spain, May 9^th and MtBlanc 80k in Chamonix, France, June 27th – I will be mentally focused to race again with peace, joy, and grace.

Happy running to new heights!

Run Steep Get High

Enjoying the Tucson trails with Charlie Ware.

Ready to climb higher and leave behind limitations.

Nutrition: On Becoming A Salad Convert

As a runner I rarely went for salads. I like to maximize my calorie intake efficiency. Making a salad seems to consume just about as many calories as it provides. But, my wife has always helped ensure I eat a salad by making them even when I cook our dinner.

I don’t subscribe to fad diets but we do follow the age-old wisdom of eating our veggies.  And being a 90% vegetarian, fresh quality veggies are critical.

Over the last couple of years I have become a salad convert. Yes, it’s true. I even read the salad listings at restaurants now instead of skipping that section. It all started by joining a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) supplied by River Road Gardens that provides the best tasting and diverse greens.

River Road Gardens, Tucson, AZ

I live in mid-town Tucson and I get all my veggies from a farm a mile from my house! To get to the farm I bump down the city road (due to our infamous Tucson potholes), over the ghost of a river which once irrigated this land, and around the bend to the farm. A whole acre of it. Settled along the ancient river flood terraces and in what once was a historic agricultural community with deep sandy loam and organic enriched soil.

Farmers Jon and Emily, River Road Gardens

Farmers Jon and Emily own River Road Gardens, an urban, biodynamic farm, and cultivate the land shared in a unique relationship with the Tucson Waldorf School. I chat with them and get a sense of the season, the soil, the insects, the ups, the downs, each week when we pick up our produce share.

Beets, mixed salad greens, kale, pak-choi, and swiss chard pack me with a power house of nutritious green energy through the cool season. These veggies form the base for my meals and snacks throughout the day including green smoothies blended with almonds or cashews for morning energy. Liquid salad!

Liquid salad is a great way to eat your greens on the go plus stay hydrated! Despite odd visual inspections and dubious comments by others it can be easily flavored to suit your taste buds.

Having my own small backyard garden along with farm produce, I typically have excess. Fermentation or freezing is the secret to preserving excess well into the next season. About anything can be easily lacto-fermented including carrots, beets, cabbage, chard stems, peppers, cucumbers, and more. According to Sandor Katz ferments pack a vitamin B punch too!

Winter veggies harvested from my backyard garden

Now as my freezer slowly empties of stashed frozen chard and kale to make my summer time smoothies, I’ll have a brief pause before fall greens start growing again.

Warm season veggies harvested from my backyard garden

Part III. A breakthrough - redefining myself as a runner with barefoot form.

Running was a challenge for me since high school. Intense track training my freshman year left me walking painfully from shin splints and eventually forced me to quit track. My first running defeat. I avoided running through the rest of high school. Through college I occasionally “tested” my legs but found I could not run more than a mile without intense shin pain the following days. I happily continued other athletic pursuits in competitive road and mountain biking and swimming through college. Then graduate school started. Short on money and time, I became determined to take up running again. I figured it would provide a short and cheap workout outlet, 2-3 times per week for ~20-30 minutes.

2007 Club 10k Nationals
My first big-time race with great friends!

On the sidelines at the 2002 Tucson marathon and cheering on some friends, I ran into an old family friend, who was an experienced runner and triathlete. While chatting Mr. Soro zoomed by – barefoot – for yet another Tucson marathon win. My friend remarked how that guy was for sure going to destroy his joints and knees running barefoot.

Perhaps not. We have been running for thousands of years. Running shoes have only been on the market for the last few decades. Perhaps it is the way we run which can be damaging – not the running itself.

2007 Pemberton 50K
My first ultra!

So – with the power of the internet I searched “barefoot running” and read up on the biomechanics of running barefoot. But, how to start? My feet were tender as a baby’s bottom. With advice from a few barefoot running websites I started running 1 day a week around a grassy park and 1 day a week around a track – barefoot. Running barefoot forced me to redevelop my form which I then focused on imitating when on the road. I slowly made the switch from heel striking to fore-foot running.

My runs quickly grew longer and more frequent with less pain from my shins. Within a few months I had gone from 10-20 miles per week to 30-50miles per week. I was hooked! Within the year my new gait was effortless and comfortable.

Now both mentally and physically I declared myself a runner and continued breaking former limits and enjoying my new found freedom to explore – running!

It is hard for me to believe I wasn't able to run more than a couple of miles until changing my form in my mid-20s. No special shoes, inserts, or medical aid needed. Now I can explore the mountains at will and challenge myself to 100 mile races!

Why I love running...it takes me to far and away places in the mountains.