"Every time I go out there, I win. Every time I finish the task that I've set before myself, I win again."David James Elliott
Can you believe that Geoffrey Mutai ran mile 22 and mile 23 in 9:04 in last Sunday’s New York City Marathon? Wow! If you have run against the clock, either on the track, trail, or street for 2 miles, you can appreciate how fast Geoffrey ran. If you have ever run a marathon, remember how you felt after 21 miles? So for that man, to run at that pace, seems remarkable to me. By the way he set a new course record with a finishing time of two hours, 5 minutes and 6 seconds without having a rabbit or pacer. Hats off to you Geoffrey on your accomplishment for a job well done. This source is taken from the Wall Street Journal, November 7, 2011.
For another extreme, I just read about a relatively new ultra in Louisiana. This 126.2 mile race goes along the Mississippi River levee and is called the Rouge-Orleans. The inaugural race was held last March. Two men put together a point-to-point course that hugs the Mississippi River, the longest river in the nation. If you do not want to run a solo you can put together a team consisting of 2-6 people. Some of the difficulties in this run include the following: aid stations are located at miles 5, 25, 50, 75, and 105; there is not much shade; and you are going to be running on a flat and gravel surface. For humor on their website, they warn the runners “If you are unable to finish the race you will be fed to the alligators.” . In 2011, there was a solo finisher. If interested go to www.forgeracing.net. This source was taken from Trail Runner, December, 2011.
How many of you would be interested in competing in a trail run of 5 to 10 miles with obstacles or challenges along the way. A challenge could be some variation of the following: 1. Push-ups. 2. Chins. 3. Running in water. 4. Lifting a tree. 5. Carrying water buckets uphill.6. Running backwards. 7. Jump roping. 8. Swimming. 9. Climbing a tree 10. Jumping jacks. 11. Sit-ups. 12. Balancing on a cylinder. 13. Plyometrics exercises.
It seems that this trail run would be a test of speed, endurance, upper body strength, fast twitch muscles, and coordination- balance. Of course the challenges would require more refining. Input from a personal trainer, physical therapist, and fitness operator would be welcomed, necessary and pertinent.
On our tapering run today, I talked about this idea with Secretariat. He said it reminded him somewhat of his days in the military. In fact he did well, with his obstacle training while in the Air Force. The trails in and around Cool would be perfect for this type of event. . I would appreciate input regarding putting on a race like this. Would you come and do it?
Now for a few statistics: 1. An estimated 13 million adult men over the age of 20 in the US have diabetes-and 1/3 do not know it.2. Approximately 50,000,000 men and women in the US have high blood pressure-almost 30% of them do not know it.3. About one in three adults has high blood pressure, and blood pressure tends to rise with age. 4. One in eight men who suffer from mental illness actually seeks help. 5. Four times as many men commit suicide compared with women.6. 24% of men are less likely to go to the doctor compared to women.
It is no wonder women live longer than men. Men we must do a better job of taking care of ourselves. More about this health topic tomorrow.
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