Caffeine,Rock ,The Dominicans And Running

Seven Actions for a Whole Life- Stimulation of the intellect, Appreciation for nature, Physical exercise, play... Recreation, Employment, Charity, Prayer-Dominicans

I have been comparing horse and man on the Tevis Cup   ride to the Western States 100. As you know the Western States he evolved from the Tevis in the 1970s. The two events are quite similar in that they have common vet checks and/or aid stations and use the same trail. These characteristics allow for a good comparison in that they have many similar variables. It is  clear that Rio was a wonderful horse. How many Tevis victories ,completions  and top tens  did this equine have Secretariat? How does this horse compare to Scott Jurek and Tim Twietmeyers accomplishments Secretariat? 

“Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people. ”
― W.C. Fields

From Secretariat: OK hear we go again yes Tim was a great runner but none of his winning times come close to the horses. As for Scott Jurek winning 7 times is amazing but still none of his winning time come close to Witezirf who won 6 times I’ve listed the times below/ Yes he he has one more win then the horse but big deal none of his times are even close. 


Human                                          Horse

Scott Jurek  7 wins                    Witezrif 6 wins
2005- 16:40                                1970- 11:49
2004- 15:36                                1971- 12:35
2003- 16:01                                1972- 12:42
2002- 16:19                                1973- 11:35
2001- 16:38                                1975- 12:04
2000- 17:15                                1976- 11:59
1999- 17:34  


As for the comparing the two events the only thing they have in common is the distance and  some of the trail. A lot of the trail is the same but not all of it. Frank says they have similar aide stations. Not even close to being true. The runner Has a fully stocked aide station were he is carted too every 5 miles. The horse routinely goes 17 to 20 miles without aide or water. Lets see the runners do that.
Now if you want to really compare races lets make both participants follow the same rules. Both need to carry weight on there back of about 20 to 25% of their body weight. They can't carry flash lights. ( oh I am sorry the poor human can’t see in the dark to bad). Thy both have to get water out of streams and ditches they fine along the trail. The runner can use the same number of aide stations the horses use. That would be the same as Gordie used on the first race he manage to finish just under 24 hrs not even close to the front though!!
Frank also likes saying how the horses break down over time. Well Frank why do you think we are the only ones in our age group at almost every run we do.
 

Do not forget that over-the-counter medications also have caffeine and must be considered in assessing how much caffeine consumed per day. The following are over-the-counter medications and their caffeine milligram quantities: 1. Anacin 32 mg. 2. Appetite-control pills 100 to 200 mg. 3.Dristan 16 mg. 4. Excedrin 65 mg. 5. Extra strength Excedrin   100 mg. 6.Midol 132 mg. 7.NoDoz 100 mg. 8. Triaminicin 30 mg. 9 Vanquish 33 mg 1.0 Vivarin 200 mg.

Three prescription medications are as follows: 1.Cafergot 100 mg .2.Fiorinal 40 mg. Darvon compound 32 mg. Now add up the amount of caffeine consumed in your beverages, over-the-counter medications and prescription medications on average per day. 250 mg a day of caffeine may interfere with deep sleep. Hopefully, you’re ingesting less than 250 mg a day of caffeine. If you are and still have deep sleep difficulties, consider having a professional evaluation. And, don’t forget that deep sleep disturbances are a symptom of insomnia. Your ability to sleep efficiency is related to deep sleep and mental and physical health. The source of the statistics was found in the Institute for Brain Potential.

A few more comments about employing a listening device while running or being on a treadmill. For me, if I am stuck and I do mean stuck on a treadmill (because of the weather) I welcome the distraction of TV, music or reading. I find that the environment and the machine seem to work hand-in-hand.

On the trail, I’ve listened to music and haven’t had any great difficulty with the environment. I especially liked rock music and really enjoyed being serenaded by Randall, Diane, and Secretariat while running the Way to Cool 50 km this year. I don’t know what it would be like to read something other than a novel (on the trail) which would consider great concentration. Perhaps having to really concentrate while running on a technical trail might prove to be hazardous to one’s health.

Certainly having a distraction while doing a tedious activity is not something new. According to Alberto Manguel  the author of “A History of Reading, “In the late Middle Ages women would get together to spin thread and ask the men to read to entertain them while they worked.”  On our runs, talking and listening to others-Secretariat, Chris, Farah, Madhu, Randall and others certainly makes running more fun. If you don’t have a human or animal to run with, consider getting an electronic device. Find your running buddy. Information found in the November 27, 2012 edition of the Wall Street Journal.

 The Dominicans have suggested a pretty good prescription for a whole life. Consider using it as a yardstick in evaluating your life. Keep moving to continue your wellness and remember to run for your life.