7/21/2010
A Guilty Pleasure — Anton Krupicka
This tweet just landed in my desktop Twitter® software. It was retweeted by Scot Jurek, yes that Scot Jurek. To summarize, the article goes into the guilt of driving to run. The author Anton Krupicka, a Boulder, CO. resident, is lamenting over the need to drive to the trails when he knows it’s not the environmentally sound thing to do. I have been in his position. I have a gem of a state park, Green Lakes, just a few miles from my house and although I can run to the park to take advantage of the miles of trails, there have been several occasions where I have jumped in my car and drove there instead. It makes me feel silly to do it and I rationalize my decision by telling myself that I need to use my vehicle as my mobile aid station. As I do my loops I stop at the car to refuel, change clothes and doctor any injuries. It truly is convenient. But if any of you follow my posts closely you will no, I am attempting to dispense with this type of thinking, the convenience first mentality. After all this is the “Year Without”. I can relate to the author and many of the commenter's to the post on so many levels. For now I guess I will comfort myself by using my work commute as my primary means of sneaking in exercise during the week, without the use of a car, and continue to find a way to get those trails in without driving to the park. I would love to hear from all of you about what your position is on this topic. Be sure to read the article first though.
Windows Live Tags: Take,Trail,Beta,Pleasure,Anton,Krupicka,Twitter,Scot,Jurek,article,guilt,author,Boulder,park,Lakes,advantage,
decision,vehicle,injuries,convenience,topic 7/15/2010
It was with much excitement that, for the second time, I encountered this massive group of bikers on my morning cycle commute to work. The first time was a 2 years ago. At first I was unsure of what exactly I  was witnessing as a constant stream of bikes of all kinds with riders of all ages just came funneling toward me. What on Earth was this strange event that had transformed my packed cinder highway into a scene from some European hamlet. There was no way that this was unorganized. On average, my 5+ mile commute, only saw 1 or 2 bikes, but today was different. By the time I got to work and had checked the morning news, I realized that I just experienced what has been called a "rolling summer camp for all ages."
Of course this year when I encountered the caravan I knew immediately what it was. For the past 12 years cyclists have been organizing from all over the U.S. to spend 1 week riding the Erie Canal from Buffalo to Albany for the express purpose of 1.) Enjoying the Erie Canal Trail and 2.) drawing attention to the need to retain these civic gems.
Each time I run across this hapless group my heart swells with joy, if only for the duration of my commute. I think I am beginning to understand why I feel such strong positive emotions. You see, I have been to other parts of the country, where there is a commitment to health and preserving nature, where vast segments of the population have taken up cycling, as not just a means by which to maintain their health, but as their primary mode of transport. There is sense of community and connectedness that you get to your fellow man when you pass them at human speed that just isn’t present when you are strapped into your 2+ ton mechanical monster barreling down the highway at a high rate of speed. You get a chance to say “hello” instead of jamming on a car horn as if to say, “Get the !@#! out of my way! I’m late for (fill in the blank).”. The automobile gives us an autonomy that encourages really awful behavior. It’s hard to have that much anger when you are looking at someone eye to eye from the seat of bike. Seeing those cycling adventurers makes me opine for a world like that, here in my own backyard. For that one brief day I imagine what it would be like if every day was like this; the canal alive with the constant traffic of feet and wheels, people moving with purpose and joy.
Links:
http://ptny.org/canaltour/
http://bit.ly/bhlym4
http://www.flickr.com/groups/ptny/pool/tags/eriecanal/
Windows Live Tags: Erie,Canal,bike,Beta,excitement,bikers,bikes,kinds,riders,Earth,event,cinder,highway,European,hamlet,news,
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population,mode,horn,automobile,autonomy,behavior,adventurers,backyard,feet,Links,cyclists,ptny 7/7/2010
My first Ultra is in the can! So it’s only fitting the race report should follow. Here it goes…
My wife and I travelled down to Ithaca, NY the night before with local UM’er, Ben Clardy, and stayed at the Royal Motor Court Inn. The plan was not have to get up before dawn to drive 2+ hours to the Finger Lakes National Forest.
MISTAKE 1 of 1: Upon our check-in my wife precedes to ask the motel desk manager for a map. As is customary in smaller towns, the clerk handed over said map along with a big dose of, “Where you going?”
followed by the, “Oh, I live around there and can tell you a shortcut.” That shortcut would end up getting us lost and to the race with ~20 minutes to spare.
START: We began on a downhill gravel road to the start of a cowbell. The cow theme was very big at this race due to the numerous pastures that we intersect throughout our mostly woodland journey. We quickly made a turn for the woods and began the single track woodland portions. At this point I was starting to shake off my pre-race jitters and relax a bit. I had trained primarily on canal trail and at Green Lakes State Park and was instantly aware that this was going to be a bit more technical.
FIRST LOOP: My strategy for the first loop was to pace myself conservatively but if I found some easy trail to ratchet up the intensity and walk the steeper hills. The idea was to get miles under me while the weather remained cool. The forecast was calling for mid-80’s. The trail varied considerably, going from, gravel road to single track trail to pasture and back again. No sight of the cows at this juncture. Unlike my first trail marathon, the Scenic City in Chattanooga, TN, I had one stumble. I had clearly learned my lesson about picking up the feet. As the first loop came to a close the runner’s encountered what I consider one of the most challenging parts of the course. The 5K distance to the loop’s end was extremely rooty and rutty. There were certainly many other areas of the course that consisted of natural obstacles but this section made you feel like you were at football training camp. As I crossed one of the many plank bridges I nearly ended my day by stepping on the side of a rotten board and rolling my left ankle. Apparently it wasn’t too bad because after a few minutes the pain subsided and I had the start line in sight.
 TRANSITION: As I pulled into the pit stop before heading out for my second loop, I wisely chose to bandage a hot spot on my pinky toe that was starting to blister. I grabbed some e-caps and gels and hemmed and hawed about grabbing the hand-held bottle for the second loop but decided against it because I was enjoying the freedom of movement that my fuel belt was providing. Ben Clardy came through and we paired up for the second 15+ miles.
SECOND LOOP: I viewed the second loop as an entirely new race, albeit one with a lot less spring in the step. Ben was suffering some issues so I chose to walk considerably on the first quarter of the loop. It was at this point we came through a pasture and were graced by the infamous cows of the FL50’s. They were huddled together in the center of the meadow giving us an occasional glance. Somehow by seeing the bovine gathering I felt like I had paid for the full race experience. Up until the 1/2 way point , this pass on the course saw more walking then running. By the 1/2 way point I felt I needed to start running again and Ben I parted ways. I decided that from this point forward if the trail was “good”, meaning relatively flat and obstacle free that I should be running it. And that’s what I did. I began playing cat and mouse with a few runners for the next several miles. They would pass me, I would tail them for awhile and then we would switch. It seemed to afford me the mental distraction I needed. At the second to last aid station, the volunteers informed a friend of theirs that she had just passed into ultra distance. Apparently like me, she was an ultra newbie. Hearing that filled me with a rush of positive emotion and once again pumped me up and spurred me on. As I approached the last section of dreaded roots, I began my plan of attack. I could 1.) walk through and avoid tripping and falling 2.) blast through it and get over quicker. I went with #2 and to my surprise I actually was able to navigate better the second time! Determination wins again.
FINISH: As I began the last mile and a quarter, every muscle and joint screamed at me and was begging me to ease up. I pushed the pain away and began to build more and more momentum as the campground finish loomed out of sight. As I rounded the pond I could start seeing volunteers and hear the cheers being bestowed upon the finishers. I pushed harder and as I entered the woods I ran as fast I could toward the finish. SUCCESS!!!
Lessons learned:
- The body is capable of way more than you can imagine.
- The mind controls the body not the other way around. Lose the mind game and you are finished.
- Fueling properly is critical, especially on a hot day.
- Trails are great but in order to stay upright about the only scenery you get to truly appreciate are the 3 feet right in front of you.
- There’s no substitute for the camaraderie of your fellow runners, new and old.
Windows Live Tags: Finger,Lakin,Race,Report,Beta,Ultra,Here,wife,Ithaca,Clardy,Royal,Motor,Court,Lake,National,Forest,MISTAKE,
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runners,shortcut,miles,volunteers 7/2/2010On the eve of my first ultra, I am beginning to get that pre-race  anxiety that is so common, well at least for me anyways. I am cycling through feelings of excitement and confidence all the way to terror and doubt. And like a roller coaster (see right) it can be thrilling. It also can be very exhausting. I am usually a very regimented sleeper, getting my 8 hours every night. But this week I have been finding my sleep cycle has been off. I have been waking up at the butt-crack of dawn and running through all kinds of race scenarios in my mind. Read my last post to better understand my issue with this. I have resigned myself to the fact that “what will be, will be” and allowing myself the luxury of enjoying the roller coaster ride, the ups, the down, the twists, and loops. Sounds a bit masochistic but without that release I think I might end up going completely mad. Quite frankly, from what I have seen, there is little masochist inside of every ultrarunner, whether we want to admit or not. The thrill of the unknown and the challenge of the seemingly impossible allows us to feel alive and tapped into something much more primal and raw. That’s enough philosophical banter for now. Windows Live Tags: Emotional,Roller,Coaster,Beta,excitement,confidence,terror,hours,kinds,scenarios,Read,fact,luxury,Sounds, Quite,masochistic 6/30/2010
Ever since I was a kid I have had this personality trait, some would say flaw, where I set expectations for an event or an outcome as though I am preparing for a precision bombing strike. Invariably when reality does not match the scenario I have created in my mind, I feel an overwhelming sense of disappointment. My first concrete recollection of this “trait” was in 8th Grade English class. I was assigned to work on a short parody skit with several other students. We chose to take jabs at the incompetence of NASA leading up to the space shuttle Challenger disaster. In retrospect, it probably wasn’t the greatest choice of topic considering how fresh the wounds were. Nonetheless, I was given the role of director and began assembling my crew and cast for our 15 minute production. As planning began I became increasingly frustrated by the outcome and the quality of the production we were putting on. Every time something turned out less than I had envisioned, I was convinced that we were ourselves preparing for our own disaster. When the day had  finally come and it was all over, I remember being physically upset by the inability of this event to live up to my expectations. Despite my own criticisms of the skit, I was astonished to see that the others on my team thoroughly enjoyed themselves and had a completely different take on the outcome. This was my first realization that ultimately, one’s perceptions and expectations have so much to do with their happiness and fulfillment. I don’t think I have yet mastered that but I have learned some valuable lessons that I will apply to my race this Saturday. They are, in no particular order:
- Plan for the worst and hope for the best – in all matters. It may rain, it may hail, it may be hot as hell but if I prepare for that possibility mentally, I will be better able to deal with it and extremely excited if it turns out not to.
- Don’t dwell on the mistakes – As perfect as your training can be there is always something we can attempt to use as an excuse, post-race, as to why things didn’t go as expected. That type of thinking is useless and does not allow one to enjoy the present moment.
- Be like the Phoenix – If there is one thing I have learned from all these great ultra runners in UM, it is that you should NEVER count yourself out. My new saying is, “It’s not a marathon, it’s an ultra!" That simply means that you are out there a long time and therefore lots of chances to redeem yourself and get back in the race.
- Feed off the positive – Invariably during distance events you are going to have low moments. I know I am generalizing but there is no group that exhibits more positivity than the ultrarunning community. When those low moments hit I am going to look around me at fellow runners and find some positive. As well, I am going to reach into my consciousness and recall an accomplishment greater than my own to add that much needed dose of perspective.
That’s all for now. Hope to run with a lot of you this weekend at Finger Lakes 50.
PS Meet me back here for the race report!
Windows Live Tags: Expectations,Ultra,Beta,trait,flaw,event,outcome,
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events,moments,accomplishment,perspective,Jill,Perry,Western,States,
Celiac,Todd,Baum,Water,Hope,Finger,Lakes 6/15/2010 By now many of you may know that I have chosen to mark the month of June by commuting back and forth to work solely by my own power. 10 days in and something really interesting has started to happen, I am being transformed – both physically and mentally. Here’s my list of benefits from this little experiment. - I no longer view a trip of less than 5 miles as just a stroll.
- I have become more able to focus on the journey and not the destination, I know corny but it’s true!
- My regular runs are much more liberating, considering that I don’t have several pounds strapped to my back.
- The bike cross-training is building under-used running muscles.
- My energy level during the day is way up.
- My sleep at night is solid.
- I am doing more miles than ever before with less effort and recovery!
On top of all that, I can’t help but remind myself, in the wake of the BP Oil spill, that what I am doing is a small protest to not only big oil but to America’s addiction to carbon-based fuels. I am truly considering making this a permanent, albeit seasonal approach to getting back and forth to work. Out of all the crazy “Year without” months I have done thus far, this definitely has been my favorite. 6/1/2010
After much debate and lots of prodding by my fellow UMer’s  I am finally going to dive into my first ultra race. I hope this is a wise decision on my part. I think that I just need to explore this and see once and for all whether I want to take up the mantle of Ultrarunner or just remain among the mortals. I think it is very fitting that I chose to do this at the end of my “Human-powered Commute” month. Not only will the HPC help me build miles but it will force me to x-train, something that I am terrible about doing. So the race of choice is the Finger Lakes Fifties, July 3rd 2010. The chosen distance is the 50K. Stay tuned for more apprehensive, self-doubting posts as the date approaches. Feel free to throw your 2 cents in as well. I know darn well I could use the advice and moral support.
Lakes, Fifties, Stay, self, Feel, advice, Zemanta, Just, runners, Ultramarathon, Barefoot, Guide
So the Buzz-Kill (Anti-Caffeine) month has ended. Once again, there were mixed results. This was a very tough month for this to come up in. I had a lot of early morning travel to Rochester as well as a 3:30 AM wakeup to volunteer at Mind the Ducks – 12 hour. I was far from perfect on this one but I do think I have learned  some valuable things. Now for June’s challenge.
For the entire month of June I will be powering myself back and forth to work either by foot or by bike. The question is why? The answer:
- To underscore our addiction to oil and all of it’s negative impact on society, extremely appropriate considering current events
- For my health. I can’t think of a better way of staying lean and fit than by pounding out an extra 50 miles/week.
- To prepare for my first Ultramarathon. That’s right, I am officially taking the plunge July 3rd @ the Finger Lakes Fifties. The fifty in my case will be 50Km (~31 mi.)
I am serious about this one and would love Mother Nature to cooperate. She rained on me the first time out but maybe she will lighten up on me as the month continues. As always, I encourage anyone who thinks it’s within their capability to join me this month and try to commute to work under their own power. Let me know if you do.
Windows Live Tags: Human, Commute, Buzz, Kill,
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Follow me on Twitter 5/9/2010Sometimes it’s good NOT to forget why we run. It’s not always about the PR or the goal. Sometimes, just sometimes it should be about the journey. For me on this day it started out about the latter and ended up the former. On day that saw scores of people downed by the heat and several end up hospitalized, I just wanted to finish intact. As much as I love running it’s not the last thing I want to be doing when the I get the final DNF! If you know what I mean. Congrats to all the finishers of the 2010 Syracuse – Mountain Goat Race! Windows Live Tags: Sometimes, goal, Congrats, Syracuse, Mountain, Goat, Race Follow me on Twitter5/4/2010Note: Cross posted from James's space.
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The fifth installment of “A Year Without” will have me putting the screws to caffeine. In the spirit of openness, I have to confess that I am starting 3 days late on this one. But, it’s caffeine so come on cut me some slack! But first a recap of April:
Last month’s moratorium on non-reusable items was by no means a smashing success. Although I reduced my use of disposable items such as paper plates, plastic cutlery, napkins and shopping bags and replaced them with reusable items, I ended up cheating a lot. I even went as far as packing my own napkin/hankie for work. Not surprisingly the coworkers were a bit amused and not the least bit interested in participating with me in my embargo. The real difficulty was vacation. When travelling it is very challenging to avoid fast food establishments and once there next to impossible to use reusable items. Coupled with poor planning and you have yourself a complete failure of execution. Nonetheless my awareness level of how I consume disposal products has changed substantially. I have reduced dramatically my use of baggies for storage and have opted for reusable plastic containers. I have also been very consistent with using reusable dinnerware at work. All told it was a fruitful experiment.
Now on to “Project Buzz Kill”. The month of May will establish a prohibition on the following caffeinated items:
Coffee
Soda
Tea
Chocolate
Sports Drinks/Gels/blocks that contain caffeine
The objective is to discover how much dependency I have on these items. Will I suffer massive headaches and afternoon comas or will I feel less edgy and more naturally stimulated? Stay tuned to find out.
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Eco-Friendly Shopping: Green Advice From ecochick (blisstree.com)
7 Ways To Reuse Household Items (hellobeautiful.com)
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Caffeine Awareness Month brought to you by the people with the caffeine calculator (seattletimes.nwsource.com) Note: Cross posted from James's space.
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