Words by others

Some interesting reads from around the world of ultra-running. I am a huge fan of all endurance events and always love hearing other peoples' experiences, stories and perceptions of running. I know that it is a small window with and agenda, but you can always pick something up, so stay curious!

A Simple Kind Of Man-interview with Jesus (Anton Krupicka). He always has interesting things to say.

2003 champ and eight out of eight times Top 10 Comrades Marathon finisher Fusi Nhlapo-probably the most competitive road ultra in the world, it is happening this weekend.

More Comrades- Prodigal Khumalo - "I don’t fear any hills on the course!" With a name like Prodigal, you know this one is good.

Scott Jurek on running for 24hrs on a 0.7 mile loop-he set a US 24hr record of 165.7 miles.

More Scott here-Scott Jurek: On the comeback trail How does 24hrs of running taste? "it's not a great taste."

Let's not forget that Kilian is back with his Kilian's quest videos from Salomon.

Chug chug chug

Not sure why, but I am on a holier than thou kick at the moment, so here is another social health commentary, with a bit of a performance element just for relevance.
*actually this was partly inspired by a comment made by Simon the other day at coffee, so he is to blame.

As the weather warms, the clothes get more revealing and the water bottle re-emerges as the accessory du jour. They can be seen sprouting out from backpacks and bulging inside briefcases. The type of water bottle that is used says a lot about its carrier. The outdoorsy types, who used to rely on Nalgenes, decorated with the decals of their favourite outdoor company, or a city name and crest of their last trip, have replaced their trusty companions for metallic options, for fear of contaminating their water supply with leaching chemicals. The yoga crowd touts the latest colour and design concept for the 2010 season, their bottles tucked neatly alongside their yoga mat and a perfect accessory to their stretchy pant The business crowd tends to opt for the convenience of bottled water. Around the work day, early in the morning, late at night and on weekends, water is holstered into various contraptions worn around the waste and the backs of people as they diligently follow an exercise or training regime.
Despite their unique identities, each of these individual groups share in their devotion to the cult of hydration, religiously sipping fluid at every chance they get. They are wisely following the inundation, or flood (good metaphors) of warnings, telling them to keep their fluid intake up, or else…As the thermometer rises, these threats and warnings get louder. The first advisory was given this past weekend in Toronto, when Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Toronto's Acting Medical Officer of Health, issued one of the summer's first heat alert in Canada. As expected, the warnings were about: Drinking lots of water and natural fruit juices; Staying out of the blazing sun or heat; Avoiding strenuous physical activity outdoors. Instead, they commend visiting shopping malls, local libraries or air conditioned community centres to cool down. lest the evils of dehydration and heat stroke cause the city to collapse.
I am definitely not opposed to hydrating, I have been known to take a gulp or two of water myself, what I do find funny is the obsession with chugging fluids and hitting target amounts. One of the problems is that a lot of the evidence and research into hydration comes from groups like Coke and the Gatorade Sport Science Institute, who have an obvious bias in the matter.
The Science of sport did an excellent three part series on performance and hydration that I would recommend reading:
Part I-History of fluid intake and conflict of interest
Part II-Fluid intake, dehydration and exercise
Part III-Fluid intake, dehydration and exercise

Mark Sisson, of Mark’s Daily Apple also has a view of modern hydration habits. Similarly, his view is that there isn’t much basis for the 8 cups a day mantra that we hear so often. He believes that, assuming a sound diet of fruit and vegetables, that we get enough fluid through our diets and daily practices to stay more than adequately hydrated. He claims that over-hydration has some harmful side effects, such as electrolyte depletion, and potentially lowering the acidity in your stomach, which hurts with food digestion.
I saw first hand the effects of over-hydration last summer when my Trans Rockies partner, Aaron Heidt, a seasoned ultra-runner and overall fast dude, relegated to walking along a trail, likely because his system had shut down due to a lack of electrolytes and over-hydrating with water. It is a horrible feeling, that leaves you dizzy and weak. I know that growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, I would play outside, under a tropical sun for hours with barely anything to drink. I am always amazed to see the small mountain of water bottles beside playing fields here.
I am not arguing not to drink and staying hydrated, there have been some credible studies on the matter. Rather, I am saying that a lot of these studies and the public claims that follow them are seriously overblown. As with anything, drink in moderation. The human body is incredibly resilient and if you maintain an overall healthy lifestyle, you don’t need to obsessively be drinking. However if you need to have the latest seasonal water bottle accessory to complete your look, go for the yoga, sporty or outdoorsy look and carry your own water bottle, disposable water bottles are poor choice!

writing and some listening by others

Diet and Exercise to the Extremes-by Marc Bittman--Talks about Scott Jurek and being vegan and training for ultras. Not really a lot of "meat" to the story, but still Scott Jurek is an athlete that I have a lot of respect for and have followed for a while. The fact that the NY Times writes about an fringe athlete, in a fringe sport, with a fringe diet is telling.

Alex Hutchinson (Sweat Science-a great resource), Should I be pacing myself or going all out when I’m training? from the Globe and Mail. Lessons from Mr. SQW about the importance of precision in training/deliberate practice as a key to performance success. A good read.

David Epstein-Sports Genes a hefty read on nature v. nurture and the two intermingling. Definitely worthwhile. Here's a sample to help nudge you into reading it: "A decade ago, when Pitsiladis began to study elite athletes, his medical students would ask why East Africans dominate distance running, to which he would reflexively respond that their secret is in their genes. 'But after 10 years of work,' he says, 'I have to say that this is a socioeconomic phenomenon we're looking at."

Not written, but listen to an interview with good guy and 2-time defending Western States 100 champion Hal Koerner as he gets ready to defend his title in Auburn. From Endurance Planet-The Road to Western States 2010.

Lawyering

So I am working in a big office now. Well, not entirely true, some people have big offices, I have a broom closet, but it does have a painting of Montana mountain view, cruel torture, someone's attempt to be nice, or coincidence? I'm not sure.

I spent the first part at the week at my first hearing at the Canada Industrial Relations Board. Watching and listening to some of the lessons and principles that I have been studying in practice was interesting. It is nice to know that there is a practical use for some of the knowledge. There are a lot of subtleties to it and tricks of the trade that they certainly don't teach in school, so hopefully I can pick some of those up while sitting back and watching it all.

I am hesitant to have an opinion about corporate firm life yet, but my first impressions are that it will be an interesting summer, although I will be spending much more time indoors than I am used to. I also have to wear a suit and tie, which is novel for now, but I'm sure will wear thin soon enough. It will also highlight how thin my wardrobe is in this department. How many permutations does 3 suits, 3 ties and 5 shirts allow?

It looks like I will be running early in the morning and in the evenings, and focusing on bigger weekends. The beauty of running is the efficiency of it. It require minimal gear, no special setting, just a willingness to lace up the shoes and head out the door, which I have in spades, so I trust that I'll be able to stay on top of my fitness. A big key is going to be making sure that I get up and move around a lot. It helps that I quite like reading while pacing. My box allows about 3 steps, so hopefully I can wear a little "trail" in the carpet!

So between bouts of researching and memo writing, I'm sure I'll be day dreaming about the "mountain view" that I have, but will appreciate the time out running on trails all the more.

I am doing some pavement bashing tomorrow at the Sun Run and am then hoping to sneak out for a hike or a bike in the PM to maximize vitamin D absorption and electrolyte depletion on the day.

Sponsor News

I am super pumped to announce that I will be timing my races and runs with Suunto watches.

I had the T6 join me on my run down in Phoenix. I am a huge fan of the altimeter on the watch. I don't log miles on my runs, always going by time, unless it is a specific workout, but I do like to get an idea of ascent/descent during the mountain runs, here it is in action during one of my runs last week:


Secondly, super supplement company, 7Systems, featured me as the athlete of the month and posted one of Lauren's recipes, "Campbell’s Favourite Soup", so check them out!

Unplugged and then heated

I was definitely cooked after exams. There is a strange simmering tension over the weeks leading up to and during exams. While I try to not get caught up in the nervous energy, there is still a significant mental fatigue that follows the process of preparing for and writing exams.

I decided to unplug for a week, trying to stay offline and take a holiday for a week before starting the 9-5 (I hope) life on May 3rd. I am definitely feeling much more refreshed, slightly tanned and ready to go! I would highly recommend the whole not worrying about email thing occasionally, it was well worth it.

I handed in my last paper on Friday and packed up my apartment and caught a ferry that night. The next morning, Saturday April 24th I jumped into a 5 Peaks race at Golden Ears. I got hopelessly lost on the way to the race and showed up just as everyone was toeing the line. I pinned my number on crooked and joined the race as the gun went off. It was a wet, slippery affair and I was pleased enough to finish a close second. It wasn't my best race, but I'll take it. It was a fun race on some neat trails, in a part of the mainland that I had never been to. I also got to remember how hard trail races can be.
(huddling close to stay warm)


After the race, I thawed out by flying down to Phoenix to hang out with Lauren for the week. She is down there for a month, working with the crew at Endurance Rehab. Her professionalism and handling of what has been a shitty situation are a huge inspiration for me.
The crew down there are doing futuristic training. Here is Lauren doing some of her new core routine:


Despite some wacky politics and ugly urban layout, I had a great time with her. I really am a warm blooded type and loved the feeling of being enveloped in heat again.
She was staying in Scottsdale and I had my pick of running options. We were on a series of golf courses, so I got in some great grass running and then in the afternoons, or early mornings would get in a desert mountain run. There is a surprisingly elaborate trail network around the city, with a The most memorable run was a 15 mile jaunt up and around "Tom's Thumb", a prominent granite bump in the McDowell Mountain preserve, easily visible from the Scottsdale area. When I see a feature like that, well, I just get drawn to running towards it. I was rewarded with some impressive views.
It was a nice time of year to be running in the desert. The saguaros are in bloom and there were a surprising number of birds on the trails. The desert is a richer ecosystem than you would think.
The trails were a tad rocky in spots, but entirely runable. Phoenix/Scottsdale definitely went up in stock in my eyes.