How Do You Start? How Bad Do You Want It?

            There are a lot of people out there that want to “get into shape” and that want to “start working out.” I often get asked, “How do I start?” or they tell me, “I’ve been wanting to start.” So I decided to answer this question as best as I can and hopefully someone will read this and will finally take the step.

From 5Ks to Ultras, You’re All Runners

What defines a “runner”? What makes someone identify him or herself as a “runner”? I am a firm believer that whether you exclusively run 5Ks or whether you are an ultra-running beast logging over 100 miles a week, you are a runner. On more than one occasion, I have found myself in a conversation where the other person says something like, “I only run 5Ks, I’m not a real runner.” I can’t help but smile and shake my head when they say this because they are saying, “I only RUN 5Ks, so I’m not a real RUNNER.”

Racing in Adverse Conditions

This past weekend, the Soma Triathlon hit the streets of Tempe, Arizona. This race has been popular in the ever-growing triathlon community in Arizona for many years and this year it included the half-Iron distance, and an Olympic-esque distance called the Quarterman. The biggest challenge of the day was the Arizona heat, blazing down on the athletes during the final stage of the race: the run. Year after year, people have a hard time getting through the run, despite it being an easy, flat course. People cramp, hit the wall, feel sluggish, and generally finish saying, “the bike felt good, but that run was hard.” Of course, when the conditions change so drastically from the beginning of the race to the end, it is hard to gauge effort effectively and pace yourself in a way that allows you to feel good, despite a harsh environment. Or is it?

Mount Taylor 50K - Reflections

            September 27^th, 2014, Katlyn, my running partner and love of my life, and I woke up as we had done countless times before, got dressed as if by autopilot, and began preparing ourselves for the challenge of the day. The weather was much colder than we were used to from the last 4 months of training in the Arizona summer desert. There was a chance it would rain, but the sky was pretty clear that morning so it was impossible to tell. Another challenge we were expecting was the elevation of this particular race. We had trained at 1400-2500 feet above sea-level in Phoenix, Arizona and ran a couple of times at Flagstaff’s 6000-ish feet, but the 31 miles ahead of us today were all above 9000 feet with a peak of 11,300 feet. The air would be thinner than we had ever experienced, the terrain would be unknown, and the weather was uncertain. This left for very little that was under our control, but these conditions weren’t new or uncharted for us. This was an ultra, not a catered road race, and these challenges were part of the game. Overall, we were ready.