Patrick Sang, says Eliud Kipchoge, is “the best coach in the whole world.”
Is Eliud Kipchoge the greatest marathoner of all time?
Video: Changing gears workout.
Michael Joyner on lactic acid, fatigue and recovery.
Emotional support animals proliferate at Yale. And soon in your favorite races.
Jonathon Marcus: Rust Never Sleeps
Abigail Frankian and others get their NAIA qualifiers. Story
Think Biking or Walking Would Take Too Long? Think Again.
How Strenuous Exercise Affects Our Immune System
Update on the 67 mile Backbone Trail in Southern CaliforniaI
Alex Hutchinson: The Psychological Side of Heat Exhaustion
A hard rain’s a-gonna fall. From cowering to powering through backcountry storms. Don’s dicta. 1. In good gear, most rain is mild, tolerable, even pleasant. 2. Run in the forest.
Video: Flooding in Yosemite. …Reminds me. Just finished Emerson among the Eccentrics. Late in Emerson’s life, John Muir and other nature notables invited Emerson and party to Yosemite. George Pullman furnished a well-stocked private Pullman car to tote the party across country to San Francisco. From there, it took 3 1/2 days to travel (some of it by horse) to Yosemite. …Curious fact. Warren G. Harding, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and tire magnate Harvey Firestone camped together in Yosemite.
The Diderot Effect: Why We Want Things We Don’t Need
Fun photo. From the Renaissance?
2018 Leona Divide results. …Patricia Devita, 84, finished the 30K in 7:15:52. The rest of us DNS.
OTC Masters coach Jeff Sather writes: Today we’re meeting at the start of Amazon Trail @ 5:30pm for a workout consisting of both trail and track work.
On trail:
1k @ tempo pace, 200m jog rest
2 x 200m w/ 200m jog rest
1k @ tempo pace, 200m jog rest
2 x 200m w/ 200m jog rest
On track:
2 x 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m cutdown
—
Update on the workout above. In a word, kick-ass! Your on-pace is probably between 5 and 10K pace. The entire workout takes 50 minutes, plus or minus. You never quite recover. The track part is brutal, “the pay-off,” said the coach. Will never be confused with a Payday candy bar or a payday check.
5 Reasons It’s Totally Okay That You Can’t Live Without Coffee …More.
Des Linden’s daily routine. …wakes up around 6 and starts off the day by reaching for the coffee
Brain: An apparatus with which we think we think. ~Ambrose Bierce
Love Testing Yourself More than Fearing Losing
The actual costs of restaurant foods.
Magness on Crossfit
Wanna live long? Consider. It’s best to be female and Japanese.
Penn State Outing Club is no longer allowed to go outside. …Don’t miss the comments.
Justin Gallegos, 20, born and raised in Santa Clarita, CA with Cerebral Palsy. Now living the dream, a student at the University of Oregon and a member of the club running team. Hopes to run a sub two at the Eugene Half Marathon. His coach thinks he can do it. Justin knows he will do it. Never, ever doubt Justin Gallegos.
1.. How physically active were you as a child, your experience with sports in your primary through middle school years? What and how obstacles were overcome?
I was fairly active. Starting at age 6, I did karate every week for seven years. In regular classes for the public, all ages. During my middle school years, I did equestrian for the disabled.
2. You were planning on playing football in high school. What was your experience, if any, with football in your younger years? And how did you end up a regular on the mighty Hart High School track and cross country teams?
My dad was a football fan, and we attended USC football games. We tossed the football around. I loved it all, and thought I could somehow get on the freshman high school team. Dad suggested I talk to the cross country coach, and he encouraged me to give it a try, and that I would be on the team as long as I kept trying.
3. Obviously, running is a major part of your life. What are some of the unique physical challenges of a racer with Cerebral Palsy we don’t understand? And what can you do, and done to overcome the same?
You’re going to fall down. A lot. It’s scary for others to see, but, for me, I have to deal with it alone, without help. I’ll get up unassisted and run as soon as I can. As the years go by, I fall a lot less. At the start I’d fall two or three times a week. Now it’s only once a season. We all have obstacles and challenges to overcome. That’s mine.
4. You have a relationship with Nike. What is that? What is the FlyEase project and your role with that?
John Truax at Nike heard about me. He rallied employees at the Nike headquarters to help me with the cost of an out-of-state student at UO. Now I’m paying back on that kindness by helping FlyEase running shoes for the disabled, testing various models, offering suggestions. The first generation of FlyEase is now available to the public, but hardly anyone has heard about them. I will be wearing them, and talking about them, at the Eugene Half Marathon.
5. Your major is journalism. Are you writing news stories? Where do you see yourself, career-wise in the next 5 to 10 years?
No news stories yet. I hope to work at Nike at the Beaverton campus, a spokesperson to the disabled, and for the disabled, and in all ways to give back for those that helped me. .
6. You’re racing the Eugene Half Marathon on April 29th, the goal being the first runner with cerebral palsy to go sub two. What other near and more distant Ipun intended) racing goals do you have? A racer for life?
Though mostly a 1500 meter runner only, I want to work up to the marathons and beyond, and trail races too. I love running on the Ridgeline Trail, even with the rocks and roots, and the Rexius Trail with wood chips. Yes, I hope to run 3-4 times a week for the rest of my life.. And to race the the Boston and New York marathons.
7. In 2015, about to enter your senior year at Hart, you were passing through Eugene with your grandparents. While lunching at the Glenwood, you said: “I’m thinking about attending the University of Oregon.” And the rest of us at the table had the same unspoken reaction: “No way. Costly. So far from home.” You’re such a dreamer, but your dreams become reality. What’s the lesson here for the rest of us?
Don’t give up on your dreams. Be positive. There are obstacles to most everything, for everyone. Don’t quit without your best effort. In life or in a race.
8. If you were a billionaire and could give 2 or 3 books to every graduating high school senior, what would they be?
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. It contains most all that I believe in , showing how we can achieve great things in the face of naysayers and huge obstacles. And, yes, I’ve met Phil Knight. He’s a truly good person.
Ryan Holiday’s The Obstacle Is The Way. We all have problems. This book shows how to identify and develop the mental muscle to overcome life’s challenges.
Mark Manson’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F-k. Society is always telling us we need to care about everything and everyone, but in reality we first need to focus on our own needs, and what is truly worthy of our time and what and who we really care about. And to laugh a lot.
9. What would you do/have/be if you had 20 million dollars?
First, I’d pay off all bills, loans, parents for all they’ve done, and ensure there’s enough for retirement. And as much as possible to charities, especially United Cerebral Palsy.
10. Your message at a college commencement?
Life will throw you curveballs and screwballs, some good and some bad. Your time is limited, precious. Don’t be afraid of new things, and make the best of everything. Most of the best people have struggled through hard times, and they’re successful because they struggled, even embracing failures along the way, finding another way. There’s often a positive on the side of the negative.
11. What “good advice” is actually bad advice?
Not to take risks. We live in a society that doesn’t want anyone to get hurt. To bubble wrap everyone. You (or the people behind you) will never get down the stairs, or off a cliff, if you don’t take the first step.
Also, “victimhood” only leads to an entitlement mentality. If you once accept victimhood, you will always be a victim, never pushing for and to realize there is so much more you can do.
12. Stuff you do, besides running, that most people would consider insane.
Trust me on this. Everyone thinks racing with cerebral palsy is insane.
NYT: Why Men Quit and Women Don’t
How Sportsmanship Helped Desiree Linden Win Boston. Race with a friend, a team mate. Like in cross country.
Admire Old Man Abdi Abdirahman. First Master at Boston.
How to watch the London Marathon. Sunday @ 12:30 AM, PST, on NBCSN
Video: A Road Trip To All 59 National Parks. …Or find something closer to home. If in Santa Clarita Valley, consider the trail to Slide Mountain Lookout. …If in Eugene, do the Ridgeline Trail on Spenser Butte. Just a few miles from downtown.
Video from 50 years ago. Ravi Shankar at Monterey Pop. Still moves and wows me. No, I wasn’t there. Was then a sailor at the Pentagon.
Jen Miller/NYT: Q&A with Desi Linden and more
Congratulations to Justin Gallegos. Huge PR.
Yuki 14th today at the Gifu Half Marathon
Alex Hutchinson: How to Catch a Blood-Doping Marathoner
April 22 is Earth Day. Here’s the dirt on the co-founder who killed then composted his girlfriend.
Semi-Rad: Friday Inspiration
OK, we love Desi Linden. Probably even more impressive is Southwest pilot Tammie Jo Shults.
On P.G. Wodehouse. Frivolous, Empty, and Perfectly Delightful.
Yuki is back in the office today. Racing a half marathon on Sunday.
Malcolm Gladwell says LeBron James (6-8, 250) can run a 4:40 mile. Video.
Semi-Rad: The Rim-to Rim to Rim: A Trail Diary
Seriously now. What would Freud say about the new Hayward Field design?
Fun read. The 2018 Boston Marathon Was Perfect Chaos
Austin Meek/Register Guard on Hayward Field: When tradition collides with ambition, tradition doesn’t stand a chance.
Eric Schranz, 43, with a degree in PR/journalism, having worked in politics and governance, is the founder and ramrod of ultrarunnerpodcast.com, your go-to source for news and and interesting people in the sport.
My full name is… Eric Ryan Schranz. I’ve got two kids (Sunny, 8, and Van, 6), a lovely wife name Sam and a giant poodle named Carlos. I’ve been hosting and managing ultrarunnerpodcast.com for 8 years. What started as a hobby has turned into a full time job (with part time pay, of course.) I’m the luckiest guy in the world to get to stay at home with the kids while also making a living at my passion.
I grew up in…Valencia, California. I love the SCV, but my fondest memories were on the sailboat and spending time on Catalina Island.
I met my gorgeous wife…in 2001 while at a mutual friend’s birthday party. Oh, fine, yes, it was at a bar.
These days I live in…Sacramento, California. I can literally run from my neighborhood to Lake Tahoe (~140 miles, most on trails) and only have to cross one street. One drawback to Sacramento is that we’ve got no real hills to run on. Every time I’m back in SCV, I head straight for Nike Base (or the Beast, or whatever it’s called nowadays.)
My running career…started strong! I was a good high school runner, took ten years off in my 20s, then rediscovered my love for the trails and running about a decade ago. While my racing calendar has slowed down, I still love to race anything from a 5k on the roads to 24 hours on the track to 100 miles on the trails.
My favorite coach…Easy! Gene Blankenship. One of, if not THE most inspiring people of my life.
Ultrarunning is…many things. It’s growing in popularity! It’s…pointless. Really, why are we running 50 miles again? It’s liberating and challenging and fun. What it does for me is allow me to selfishly focus on just myself and not have to worry about kids, wife, house, or any other responsibilities.
Ultrarunners are…A motley bunch. The top of our sport has guys and gals with type A personalities with C-level jobs and families, and they’re racing next to stoners living in their trucks. You need shoes, some clothing, a bib, and you’re set to line up against the best in the world. Our sport is seeing an influx of post collegiate runners jumping over from marathons and athletics and making a big impact.
What people get wrong about ultrarunning is…that it’s sooooo hard. It’s tough mentally, but the physical part isn’t the challenge. Anyone can drag themselves 50 miles through the trails. It comes down to if you really want to and whether you’re able to suspend rational thought long enough to pull it off.
I wish people would stop…making everything so damn political.
The biggest problem with running today is…There’s nothing wrong with running! We’ve got our little issues here and there, but running is still one of the two true sports in the world. (The other is boxing…all other sports are just metaphors.)
My biggest phobia is…grasshoppers, without a doubt. Scared to death of those damn things.
My worst habit is…Biting my nails. I’ve just resigned to the fact that I’m never going to stop. One less worry.
The most favorite ultrarunner I’ve met is…Ooh, that’s a tough one. Everyone’s got a great story and they also have quirks. I suppose one of my favorites would be Frank Bozanich. He’s been running ultras since the 70s, held the 50M record for awhile, and still throws down hard in every race. He’s got a proud no BS attitude and doesn’t pull punches with what he thinks of the sport.
The best prank I ever pulled…Just recently, actually! I fake-announced my niece’s birth (Kristin’s daughter) and everyone believed it! One things’s for sure: I’m happy that I wasn’t coming of age in the time of social media and camera phones.
People would be surprised to know I…am actively involved in modifying NERF guns and hosting large NERF battles with kids and adults. Want to do something crazy? Wear a HRM and GPS during a NERF battle and watch your fitness spike.
California…has excellent weather and beautiful trails. And that’s about it.
My secret talent is…I don’t keep many secrets about myself. I’m good at running, cooking, interviewing, and playing with kids. I’m lousy at cleaning, accounting, and listening to excuses.
I like to collect…Brooks Green Silence shoes. They discontinued them years ago, but as far as I know, I’ve got the largest collection in the world. Best shoe ever made, and they cancelled it?!? (I’m a 12 and desperately seeking the Union Jack colorway if anyone has any lying around…)
Ten years from now, I hope….to be a better husband and partner and patient father. My kids will be 18 and 16 (ack!) and I’m scared out of my mind.
Social media…is something I have a love/hate relationship with. I need it for my job (guests, news, trends, salacious innuendo, etc), but if it weren’t for that, I’ve have nothing to do with it.
One historical figure I really admire…George S Patton. His leadership, strength and fearlessness are something we’re missing nowadays. My son’s middle name is Patton.
My parents….Are a massive influence on me and my kids. Athletics is one thing, but they really instilled in me the importance of right and wrong and to be myself. But yeah, having a dad who can outwork you and a mom who could whoop me on the roads has me constantly trying to improve myself.
Ultrarunner Podcast is… a site dedicated to ultramarathons and trail races. With 400 interview-style episodes in our catalog, we’ve talked with new runners, veteran runners, coaches, doctors, elite runners, race directors, my mom(!) ,and a guy who runs trails while tied to a damn donkey. Each episode is about an hour long, perfect for a commute or weeknight jog. The site also has a daily news rundown that’s inspired by Don’s Diary and an extensive collection of honest and thorough product reviews.
Best…The best Mexican food is at a place in Ukiah (Mendocino County) called Super Chavez market and they cook in front of an old body shop next door. Their al pastor could solve many of the world’s problems. If you’re into health codes or ambience, this ain’t the place for you, but for authentic Mexican food, I’ve searched California from top to bottom and not found a better place.
Worst…The worst trend right now is not respecting opinions and politicizing everything. Settle down, folks. Let’s talk civilly and learn something from each other.
Craziest…One of the craziest times recently was driving on “one of those crazy roads” in an old van in the Indian Himalayas. We were headed to the race start and I wasn’t sure we’d make it in one piece.
Funniest…A word my daughter invented when she was three: Scunt.
Smartest…My wife is the smartest person I know. Any subject except geography, and the depth of her knowledge and understanding baffles me. Put that down in the “sexiest” column too.
Maddening…People who insist on worrying about other people’s business and decisions.
Toughest…I’ve talked to some of the toughest athletes in the world. From Bev Abbs to Amelia Boone (oooh, one whole letter, Eric!), the limits that people are able to push themselves amazes me.
My favorite running books are…I don’t read a lot of running books, but I’m reading “North” by Scott Jurek right now for an upcoming episode.
East Africans struggle with ombrophobia. You?
Video: I Don’t Look Good Naked Anymore
Why are healthcare providers scared of exercise?
Video: Athletes Reflect on National Forests
Breaking news from the Harvard Business Review: How Perfectionists Can Get Out of Their Own Way
Yuki is an ulrarunner. Inspirational guy, but probably not a model for most. How many crazy mileage, chronically injured older runners (and ex runners) do you know? …More Yuki
Last chance for you to race in historic Hayward Field. Here. It’s gone in two months.
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