nIt’s a dark night. It’s pouring rain. I’m on my back sliding head first down the side of a mountain. I can’t see anything. I can’t stop myself. I surrender to gravity. And then to my fate.
nWhat crosses my mind are two thoughts. The first, my body is traveling on a safe path and will eventually come to a gentle stop. Then I will crawl back to my feet and head to the finish line some 40 miles away. Second, my body is on a collision course with a protruding slab of granite, and my head is about to be the first point of contact. I don’t get back to my feet.
nThere are moments like these. They stick in my brain. Moments that make me wonder, sometimes, why a grown man over the age of 50 would put himself in these situations. Moments that are so vivid and consequential that they make the routine of life seem mundane, ordinary. Moments that make me feel lucky to just be on a mountain in the midst of a journey, any journey, that brings memorable challenges.
nMy advice to you runners and non runners out there. Look for opportunities. Take your mind and body out of their comfort zone. Find a challenge and go toward it. Why? Life is too boring and short not to!
n
My Pre Asthma Enlightened Diet
No, this is NOT a political blog. But every once in a while I get a bug up my ass. In fact there is one up there now, burrowing further and further into…uhm, well, you know what I mean. This bug needs to be extracted. The act of writing this post will serve that purpose.
This is sort of a personal story, so bear with me.
Last year I had a bit of an asthma attack. It wasn’t so bad that I had to go to the hospital, but the ordeal was a bit of a wake up call. I couldn’t breathe properly for days. After this episode, I started depending on antihistamines to quell a lingering wheeze.
The question I’ve been asking myself is, why me and why now? And, how does one go from having no asthma symptoms for decades, to a regular bouts of wheezing.
I’ve been determined to get to the bottom of it, and try to fix it.
This first thing I did was change my diet. I started eating like a vegan. That’s right. No meat, fish, dairy or eggs. It’s been difficult, but I’ve made it 5 consecutive weeks. Last week I started eating limited portions of fish. Since starting the no meat cuisine, I’ve gone from regular bouts of asthma quelled by antihistamines several times a week, to virtually no asthma or drugs. I say virtually because I had two asthma incidents since going vegan, once after eating a Greek salad with feta cheese (I forgot) and another after being enveloped by pot smoke for several hours at a Steve Miller concert.
Is not eating meat the antidote to my asthma? I’m not totally sure, but it sure seems like it is. My original plan was to slowly start introducing various meats – fish, chicken, beef, pork – whatever, back into my diet, and see what happens.
That was before I read this book and watched this movie. To be honest, after experiencing these documentaries, I felt like a chump that’s been blind-folded in the middle of the herd while running closer and closer to the edge of the proverbial cliff.
If you haven’t read How Not to Die or seen What the Health, I suggest you do, and do it fast. Even if you don’t believe the science, or believe it and choose not to care, it will open your eyes to what you are putting in your mouth. I can’t help but thinking of the word karma. In other words, is it possible that we, the great rulers of the earth, who nonchalantly feast on our fellow creatures, creatures that are slaughtered and processed in our industrial size plants, is it we who are dying because of it?
Here are a few facts from How Not to Die to chew on:
- A person’s risk of colorectal cancer
rises by a factor of about 1.1 or 1.2 for every serving of processed meat consumed per day.
- Researchers found a 72 percent increased risk of pancreatic cancer for every fifty grams of chicken consumed daily. And that’s not much meat, under two ounces— just about a quarter of a chicken breast. The researchers expressed surprise that it was the consumption of poultry— not red meat— that was more closely tied to cancer.
- The single greatest public health burden in the United States in terms of food poisoning is Salmonella. It’s the leading cause of food poisoning– related hospitalizations, as well as the number-one cause of food poisoning-related death. And it’s on the rise. Over the past decade, the number of cases has increased by 44 percent,
- An estimated 142,000 Americans are sickened each year by Salmonella-tainted eggs.
- In a 2014 issue of Consumer Reports, researchers published a study on the true cost of cheap chicken. They discovered that 97 percent of chicken breasts found in retail stores were contaminated with bacteria that could make people sick.
- As the Mayo Clinic rather indelicately put it, “Most people are infected with Salmonella by eating foods that have been contaminated by feces.” How does it get there? In slaughter plants, birds are typically gutted by a metal hook, which too often punctures their intestines and can expel feces onto the flesh itself.
- According to the latest national FDA retail-meat survey, about 90 percent of retail chicken showed evidence of contamination with fecal matter.
- Researchers in Sweden decided to test out a strictly plant-based diet on a group of severe asthmatics who weren’t getting better despite the best medical therapies. Patients who stuck with a plant-based diet, 70 percent improved after four months, and 90 percent improved within one year. And these were all people who had experienced no improvement in their conditions at all in the year prior to switching to a plant-based diet. Within just one year of eating healthier, all but two patients were able to drop their dose of asthma medication or get off their steroids and other drugs altogether.
Keep it real runners!
n
Western States Lottery Stats:
4,246 applicants
369 runners “permitted” by US Forest Service
less 119 “automatic” entries “granted” by WS board of trustees
=
250 slots available
= 2.5% chance of being selected (based on ticket system)
= Genius marketing. But what are the motives?
I’m not bitter. Just a little frustrated. Submitting my application to the Western States lottery, anymore, is getting a bit futile. Outside of the “automatic” selections, which includes a list of categories that would make any politician blush, the remnants are getting kind of skimpy. And the “automatic” list, frankly, seems to be multiplying like cancer cells, gobbling up spaces the average hard working trail runner would otherwise have. What are the “automatic” entries you ask? Here’s the latest menu:
30 spaces for “Race Admin.” Trail crew etc.
24 spaces for “Golden Ticket Races”
20 “sponsor” slots
19 Top Ten Runner Slots
10 “raffle” winners
6 UTWT “elite” foreign athletes
3 “special considerations”
2 runners going for 10th finish
1 “trustee”
1 “silver legend”
1 entry for Gordy
Again, I’m not bitter. But I’m wondering if the direction this is going is away from the culture of the sport. Ultra running is about hard work, suffering, paying your dues, putting your time in on trail, sacrificing time with family, etc. In this light, does putting your time in mean elbowing your way into an aid station for three years? Does sacrifice mean locking in every “raffle” date in your outlook calendar? I’m beginning to feel like I should dress up like an Oompa Loompa so I can have the inside track to a “golden ticket.”
What the hell is a “Golden Ticket” race anyway? Well it’s a list of races, sponsored by the Western States “Presenting” sponsor, that provide entry to the top finishers in those races. Not a bad idea, but it gets a bit grey when I look at the motives here – attract more runners to races sponsored by the “presenting sponsor” so said sponsor can reap more marketing juice from their sponsorship of said races in a build up to Western States. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for profit motivated enterprises, but Western States is a non-profit organization entrusted by the Forest Service to administer a fair event per the course's legislative mandate.
Why, then, do sponsors – presumably profit motivated sponsors – control 12% of the entries to Western States? Is it because the event needs capital? From what I can find the race organization does not need money. It’s sitting on $149,209 in cash, after bringing in $382,587 in revenue and spending $425,228 in expenses in 2014 (the latest year I could find on record).
So, what…then…am…I…saying? I’m not saying as much as I’m starting to question the cozy relationship between the board of trustees and sponsors looking to maximize brand. All at the expense of the hard working runner who just wants a chance to “toe the line” at an event that bills itself as “the world’s preeminent 100-mile trail run”.
n
Every once in a while I stumble upon an article that really gets my goat. And the only way I can get it back is to write about it. So here I go…
Early this month the New York Times published an article about how Coca Cola is funding a newly formed non-profit research group that argues the lack of exercise, not diet, is the primary reason folks are overweight in the US. The so-called independent group is called Global Energy Balance Network, and its website is gebn.org.
On most days I would have just skimmed over the article on my way to the sports page. But on this day I was vacationing in Europe and the only sports to read about was European voetbal (soccer), which I disdain.
So I read on. And on. Until a light starting blinking in my brain. “Bullshit!” Bullshit!” The more I read the brighter the light became.
The leaders of the Coke funded group are influential scientist in their field and they are pushing a message in medical journals, conferences and social media. This is a quote by the chief proselytizer, Steven N. Blair, an exercise scientist, taken directly from the article:
“Most of the focus in the popular media and in the scientific press is, ‘Oh they’re eating too much, eating too much, eating too much’ — blaming fast food, blaming sugary drinks and so on….And there’s really virtually no compelling evidence that that, in fact, is the cause.”
We’ve all grown up with Coca Cola and a lot of us remain avid consumers of the brew, particularly us ultra runners looking for that extra boost late in a race. I’m a big user of the Coca Cola and Mountain Dew once I reach mile 70. The stuff is like rocket fuel, I can feel its power within minutes of it touching my lips, especially this late in a race.
It’s disappointing, however, to hear the company is operating with smoke and mirrors when it comes to obtaining “independent” research which seems to always downplay diet as part of the obesity problem. It turns out Coca Cola has not only provided funds to establish the Global Energy Balance Network, its also been funding GEBN scientist’s pet projects for many years – to the tune of more than $5 million. The ultimate laugh, as I see it anyway, is that the Network’s website GEBN.org is not only registered to Coca Cola, the administrator of the website is Coca Cola.
We can’t overlook the fact that Coca Cola is the largest producer of sugary drinks in the world, and the company’s primary purpose is to sell more product and generate profits to its shareholders. I’m the first to argue that there is nothing wrong with making a profit! But Coca Cola seems to have crossed the line from making a healthy profit to systematically promulgating misinformation to intentionally dupe the public in order to sell more of its product.
It’s not surprising that this is happening at this time. After all, as the evidence linking obesity to the consumption of sodas and fast food continues to mount, there is rising pressure on cities to tax sugary drinks and on schools to eliminate them from their menus. In the mean time Coke’s sales are slipping.
Regardless of your position on this issue, what is telling is Coca Cola’s response to the New York Times article. In an OP ED published by the Wall Street Journal on August 19 (10 days after the Times article was published) Coca Cola CEO, Muhter Kent, stated that:
“I am disappointed that some actions we have taken to fund scientific research and health and well-being programs have served only to create more confusion and mistrust. I know our company can do a better job engaging both the public-health and scientific communities—and we will.”
“…We want to get focused on real change, and we have a great opportunity ahead of us. We are determined to get this right.”
He goes on to describe in more detail the changes that are underway at Coca Cola, including their efforts to sell low sugar drinks, diet drinks and water. While I applaud Mr. Kent’s words, the beast still has to be fed. Like the tobacco companies that need to keep selling nicotine to smokers, unfortunately Coca Cola needs to keep selling sugary drinks to diabetics and the obese.
Which leads me back to point made I made earlier with more emphasis. Companies like Coca Cola ($9.3 billion profit in 2014) and cigarette maker Philipp Morris ($7.7 billion profit in 2014) do not exist to serve the public. They exist to serve their shareholders by making money. Full calorie Coke is the largest soft drink sold in the world accounting for 17% of the total market share. The sad fact is, regardless of public relations, it’s just not in the short term or long-term interest of Coca Cola to get people off of what might be killing them.
Of course there is also an argument to be made that it really isn’t the company’s responsibility to ensure people act responsibly. In other words, if people - children and adults - drink too much of the sugary stuff, they should be prepared to suffer the consequences. Everyone needs to take individual responsibility. I whole heartily agree with this, and it’s really the parents that need to be responsible for the kids.
But this isn’t a case of individual responsibility. It’s a case of corporate responsibility. When I read the article, one of the most poignant comments I saw came from professor Barry Popkin from University of North Carolina. He described Coke’s use of prominent researchers as
reminiscent of tactics used by the tobacco industry, which enlisted experts to become “merchants of doubt” about the health hazards of smoking.
I think I’ll stick with my Mountain Dew at mile 70 (and beyond).
Post Script
: I need your help! As you can see, I don’t write this blog for money…hence no annoying pop up advertising. However I do write to encourage and inspire others. My only way to know I am succeeding is getting feedback from and building a following of readers. If you have found value in this blog post, please leave a comment below and follow my blog via email (enter your email at top of blog) or by Twitter here.
Thanks for your support. It keeps me motivated!!
n
nYesterday was a good day. I completed my first “longish” runnsince the
.
nMy heart beat 34,020 times. Not a big deal given the averagenhuman heart beats around 2.5 billion times in a lifetime, plus or minus. I didnthe math...I used about .00136% of my total lifetime beats doing this run. (4nhours and 12 minutes with a recorded average heart hate of 135 beats per minute,nor 252 minutes x 135 bpm = 34,020/2.5 billion=.00136%).
nWhich begs the question. Was the run worth it? Was it worthnusing .00135% of my lifetime beats? Or, more specifically to the doubters outnthere, is running in general really worth it? The answers, my friends, are rathernelementary.
nFirst there is the empirically based answer, supported bynfacts and figures, which is best used for non-runners, AKA the doubters. Thisnis the type of answer given when the question is cloaked in the belief that running damages the knees and causes arthritis, among other things. But to get to an empirically based answer, you have to start with an empirically based question, like does running keep you young and/or prolong life?
nWhat’s noteworthy here is the science. A few studies thatntouch on the topic include the
StanfordnStudy on Runners and Aging
and this article on
, tonname just two. But the fact is there are dozens on the topic. All pretty muchnsaying the same thing – that running keeps you young, by slowing down thenaging process.
nWe all know the obvious benefits of running – that it buildsna stronger heart, improves our cardio vascular system and helps with weightnmanagement. But how does running slow the aging process? Turns out thatnthe benefits of running extend all the way down to the cellular level. Down tonthe
, which are the protective caps on our DNA. Telomeres tend tonshrink with age, which causes a downward spiral in ability to reproduce cellsnthat keep our bodies going.
nRunning slows this process. Studies show that there was nonsignificant difference in the length of telomeres between people age 55 to 72nwho have exercised their entire lives and younger people. Conversely, sedentarynpeople in the same age group showed significantly shorter telomeres compared tonyounger people. What does this mean? Running equals DNA health and longevity.
nIf running keeps you young, does it prolong life? ThenStanford Study states that “the effect of running on delaying death has alsonbeen more dramatic than the scientists expected. Not surprisingly, running hasnslowed cardiovascular deaths. However, it has also been associated with fewernearly deaths from cancer, neurological disease, infections and other causes.”
nThen there is the reality based answer supported by yournown experience as a runner. Which, when asked if running is really worth it, goes something like “if you understand, nonwords are needed. If you don’t, there are not enough words to explain. Thanks for asking though."
Keep it real runners!
n
nIt kind of snuck up on me. And it wasn’t the first time, sonI should’ve known better. But the best lessons are learned on the trail. In thengrasp of the elements. In
Nature’snlaboratory
. So I promised myself. This time I won’t forget.
nDo you believe everything that you read in the newspapers ornmagazines? What about TV? If you’re like me - a bit of a skeptic - you probablynstruggle to find the truth from the media and advertising. There is so muchninformation out there, so much of it conflicting, it’s hard to discern factnfrom fiction.
nThis is one reason I like to train for and run ultra’s. Tonlearn. From my own experience, about my body, and what works for it, and whatndoesn’t. What I can trust, and what I can’t.
nThere is a little lie I recently discovered since runningnultras. It’s a lie most of us believe, sometimes reluctantly, sometimesnignorantly, but a lie nonetheless. And now that I know it is a lie, every timenI doubt myself, and believe it again, it bites me. It happened as recently asnWestern States. Fortunately I caught myself, and was able to pull away from itsndamaging ways.
nHere is a little factoid I want to put on the table: In 2010,nthe average American consumed 132 lbs of sugar per year, more than evernrecorded. In the same year, 35.7% and 16.9% of adults and children,nrespectively, were obese. Again, more than ever before. Is it just ancoincidence, or does the fact that refined sugar is linked to diabetes, obesity,nhypertension, fatigue and depression have anything to do with these trends?
nBig Sugar, or the companies that contest the danger of sugarnto human health, have (to date) convinced the federal government that sugar isn“generally recognized as safe.” However, Nature, one of the most prestigiousnjournals on the topic of science, published an article in 2012 entitled PublicnHealth: the toxic truth about sugar. The article reported that sucrose and highnfructose corn syrup (HFCS) are not only addictive in the same way as alcoholnand cigarettes, but they are the cause of a worldwide epidemic in obesity andntype 2 diabetes. Remember the big tobacco lie?
nWhy does this matter to us ultra runners? Because we too consumentoo much sugar when we run and even when we aren’t running. Have you had anynpasta lately? A bagel? Call it what you want, it’s all sugar. I recentlynwitnessed an ultra runner eating a frosted waffle coated in syrup. And yes,nI’ve been known to down a few donuts and pancakes in weaker moments (let alonenpost workout beer or wine). Yes, carbs are just a couth term for sugar. Once itnhits your gut, its all sugar.
nBut here is the thing. The body does what we ask it to do.nAsk it to burn sugar as it’s primary source of fuel, then feed it sugar. Butnthere is a down side to the high carb/sugar diet, and it is complex.
nUnlike a diet rich in saturated fat and protein, thenhigh sugar/carb diet will teach your body to rely primarily on sugar, ornglycogen, which is stored in your liver and muscles, for fuel. The problem withnthe sugar/carb diet is that your body can only store enough of this stuff tonkeep you going for a couple hours. So what happens when you want to run for 5 orn6 or 24 hours? Well, you have a couple choices. One choice is you can keepnsucking down sugary gels and blocks every thirty to forty-five minutes, andnhope your stomach can process this junk so it makes it into your blood streamnand your muscles. But what happens if your stomach doesn’t cooperate, which isnvery likely at some point during the long hours of an ultra. Have you ever seennsomeone dry heave? There is one other choice when relying on sugar/carbs fornfuel. Bonk.
n
My Favorite Ultra Cuisine
nWhen I reached the aid station at Michigan Bluff, mile 55 atnWestern States, I made the mistake of refilling my hydration pack with Gu Brewninstead of water. Until that point I had been eating high fat and proteinnsandwiches mixed with water and Vespa. But the Gu tasted so good! So subtle andnsweet, it went down like, well, sugar water, which is what it is. I liked it sonmuch I stopped drinking water and found myself drinking just Gu Brew.
nWell the fun didn’t last long. Here is the email I wrote thennext day to Peter Defty, GM at Vespa Power, maker of the supplement I’ve usednwith lots of success at 100 mile races:
AroundnMichigan Bluff, I started drinking Gu Brew instead of water. This is where Innoticed a material disconnect from the Vespa [fat burning] zone. Normally whennI’m in the Vespa zone I feel that ember-like energy flowing through my body, sonthat if I come upon an climb or section that requires extra effort to keepnrunning, I just keep grinding through it. However, after taking all the sugarnin the form of GU brew, the ember was almost extinguished. I found my selfnstruggling to stay focused mentally while my energy fluctuated. Finally, when Inrealized what was happening, I dumped all the sugar water and went back tonwater. The ember started burning again as I entered the evening section of thenrace.
Over the years, I’ve come to understand and trust my body more than anynother source of information. And when it tells me things, all I have to do isnlisten. Because it always speaks the truth.
Keep it real runners.
n
nWork with me on this. I’m trying to find an angle on thentopic for this post, and I’m struggling. So I’m just writing now. It isn’tnsomething I do often, but it seems to be working right now, to just startnwriting. The Banco de Gaia Pandora station playing on my headphones is helping,nbut the topic seems to be too big for my current lack of creative perspective. Ok.nWhatever. Let’s just see what flows...
nLet me start by continuing the conversation of a fellownblogger at
about commercialism and trail running. Where thisnis going I haven’t a clue, but it seems to be top of mind for me right now.
nThe question is real simple. Is trail running becoming tooncommercialized? If only the answer could be so simple. If the question elicitsnan increase in your heart rate, you have an opinion. This is good. No, this isngreat. Keep reading and, please, leave a comment at the end of this post.
nFirst of all, “trail running” is a broad term that includesnmany types of running. Starting with the sport of cross country which has beennaround for over 100 years to the more recent and sometimes mass produced mudder,nadventure and xterra type events, the sport attracts a broad range of participants. Throw in ultras andnthe spectrum now includes events of just a few kilometers to more than 100nmiles.
nBack to the question. Is trail running too commercialized? Indon’t think it is possible to answer the question without identifying a specificntype of trail running. Cross country, for example is huge high school andncollege sport. Is cross country too commercialized? I don’t think so. I thinknthe sport has retained its well-deserved tradition of flying under thencommercial radar where the big three – football, basketball and baseball –havenflown for decades. I don’t think there will be any big money shoe or skivvyncontracts for cross country athletes any time soon.
nMy only comment on the mudder, adventure and xterra type ofnevents is that they are, in large part, nothing more than a commercialnendeavor, with a profit motivation driving the proverbial boat. Whether this isngood or bad isn’t for me to judge. The fact is we live in a capitalisticnsociety and I have no qualms about people starting a business with thenobjective to make money. The entrepreneur spirit is, after all folks, how wenbecame the most powerful country in the world. What we leave in our wake can bentroubling, however.
nThis leads me to ultras, and whether “ultra” trail runningnis too commercialized. I’m on record of
the Leadville 100 which hasnfallen out of favor with ultra “purists” due largely to its bulging size andnrelated challenges race organizers really need to fix. Leadville is probablynone of the most “commercialized” ultras in the US. Is it
over
commercialized? It is getting close. But if race organizersnfollow through with their
to fix the challenges runners andncrews have experienced, Leadville could set the standard for “commercial”nraces.
nHere is the real beef. As long as trail running remains ansport you don’t regularly find on ESPN, CBS Sports or even your local newsnchannel, chances are the sport will not become too commercialized. Willncompanies continue to bring new products to the sport? Will new events continuento sprout up around the country? Will races continue to fill up within hours orneven minutes of opening? The answer to all of these questions is – absolutely.nBlame it on the book Born to Run, Ultra Marathon Man or the internet, this isnwhat happens in a growing industry.
nAs long as people are willing to write a check there willnalways be someone there to cash it. Welcome to the free market, for better ornworse.
n
Pacing my friend Larry R to an AC 100 finish
Giving Back
nOncenI was on a run with a couple and we were talking about church. I’m not sure hownit came up, but they mentioned that running was their church. Really?, I saidnto myself. Isn’t church about giving back? What have we runners become? Then Instarted running ultras. And before long I volunteered at the finish line of anrace. Then I spent a weekend doing trail work, and then I paced a fellow runnernthrough a 100 mile race. It’s not a lot, but it's something. Something that, whennI look back, I’m just as pleased with as I am with finishing my own races.nUnlike running 5ks or marathons, or doing triathlons or riding criterions,nultra running asks for something more. It asks you to give back. And this, I’vencome to learn this year, is what I like most about our sport.
n
No Comment
E=FP Squared.
nThisnone is still work in progress, but I felt it worthy of mention because Inbelieve it’s had a big impact on my running the last few years. It’s taken menuntil now to realize, through my own experience running 100 mile races, thatnthe equation is real and not just my imagination. What is it? “It” is not meantnto be a scientific formula, but rather a kind of ultra aphorism. To break itndown “E” is for energy, while “F” is for fat and “P” is for Protein. Whichnmeans, of course, that when it comes to running long, and I mean reallynlong--like 100 miles--that there is no substitute for fat and protein tonproduce energy in the human body.
nOfncourse there is much to write about on this. There is the scientific perspective,nwhich I will spare you here but will address more so in the weeks to come as Inbegin to explore the OFM (optimal fat metabolism) diet with my training in thencoming season.
To summarize thisnpoint, if you are still sucking down gels and carbs by the mouthful to getnthrough your racing and training, you are not only polluting your body, you’renblocking it from tapping into its own natural, deep and efficient energynstores.
In the End, It’s the Journey that Matters.
n
Relaxing atop Mt. San Gorgonio before Leadville
nIfnI could only write about just one thing, it would be this. Mainly because, whennit comes to ultra-running, it is easy to get caught up in the hype of thenevent. Whether it’s a personal record, a do-or-die commitment to finish annextreme race, or some other kind of goal, we all tend to get obsessed with thenevent itself. And when we do, we forget about the importance of the journeynthat gets us there. And when we forget that, I believe we become slaves. Slavesnto our ego and to our obsessions.
nSure,nwe are all motivated for different reasons. And I’m still trying to figure outnwhat motivates me. But there is one thing that I have learned along the way.nAnd that is that if I am unable to appreciate what I’m doing while I’m on mynway to doing something, then I’m not likely to get there. Let me just leave itnat this: stop every once in a while. Smell the pine trees. Look at the horizon.nThe clouds. Take off your earphones.
Then
nlisten.
Happy New Year Ultra Runners!
n