Dipsea Trail,Warren Hellman,Restricted Diets and Jed Smith Ultra Run

Saturday Secretariat and I entered and ran a half marathon at Stinson Beach hosted by Coastal Trail Runners.  The weather, ocean and mountainous views were spectacular.  The trail, although rocky, rutted, steep, and tree fallen was relatively dry.  The running   trails and scenic views were like being in a Star Wars or Avatar movie.  We also used part of the famous Dipsea trail.  Lucky us! All in all, there were plenty of steps, and of course the famous ladder.  There was actually a ladder connecting two parts of the uneven trail.   I found this half marathon, tough.

Secretariat ran well and was waiting for me at the finish.  He received a well-deserved Silver medal.  In spite of getting lost-I was following two guys, I received a gold medal.  After the race, we went back to shower at Beverlee Bentley’s home in Mill Valley.  Beverlee’s story can be found in Chapter 18 of “It Has Nothing To Do With Age.  “Incidentally, she was a gold medal rower.  As we were leaving, a tow truck pulled up with Adam’s car (he is one of her sons) attached.    His car broke down, but he was not injured.  Thank goodness for that.

Secretariat and I and then headed to downtown Mill Valley.  I dropped off a couple of my books at the Depot a bookstore and café.  We stayed for lunch.  We found Russ and Marilyn Kiernan there as well.  Russ is the Dipsea Legend and found in Chapter 4 of my book and in 1997 was my first ride and tie partner.  We chatted and exchanged stories. We talked about Warren Hellman and about Russ meeting Richard Blum, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein friends of Warren’s.  Russ was full of good stories.

By the time we reached the foothills, the memories associated with the toughness of the morning run were forgotten.  The morning pain and discomfort was hidden somewhere in my mind. Now, I have to get ready for next Saturday’s Jed Smith, 50 K.   Lucky me! Secretariat and Chris Turney plan to join me.

Last week I wrote about aging.  A few facts, about aging, were found in the Wall Street Journal, August 27-28, 2011.  For example, the average life expectancy of the Cro-Magnon was 18 years; the Renaissance man was 30 years; America in 1850 was 43 years; 78 years in America today; and estimated 101 years in the developed world by the year 2300.  Further, there were 2300 centenarians the United States in 1950; 79,000 in 2010 and an estimated 601,000 in the year 2050.  That number was based on current trends of the US Census Bureau. The trend is growing.  Do you want to be part of the trend?  

In the laboratory, researchers have extended the life of worms 900%; fruit flies 100%; monkeys 60%; and mice 45%.  More specifically, a 2009 study with rhesus monkeys demonstrated how reducing diets (fewer calories) by 30%, affected the two groups.  Pictures of the monkeys on restricted and non-restricted diets were shown.  Just by physical appearance, I would prefer to be on the restricted diet.   Hands down, there was no comparison.   I intend to write more about this fascinating subject tomorrow.

Costal Trail Runs, Dipsea,Personalty and Weight Control

Secretariat and I plan to run a 10 to 15 mile trail run today.  We both entered a half marathon put on by Coastal Trail Runs.  The run on the 28^th of this month will begin at Stinson beach in Marin County.  The start will be a climb, and then a lot of downhill.  The runs in that location –Dipsea, Double Dipsea, Quad Dipsea etc. are not easy or for the frail of heart my friends. Believe me, because I know -I ran the Quad Dipsea once.  There was 28.7 brutal miles with 671 steps times four for grand total of 2,684 steps.  I remember it well.

Luckily, Secretariat and I are going to stay at Beverlee Bentley’s home in the city of Marin.  Beverlee has a compelling story found in Chapter 18 of “It Has Nothing To Do With Age.  ” This young lady hails from the province of Ontario in Canada.  She studied to become a nurse and left her country of Canada and came to San Francisco.  She met and married Bill.  Unfortunately, 57-year-old Bill, a Black Diamond skier, while skiing at Alpine Village, caught an edge, fell and severed his spinal cord at C5 and C6.  That horrific accident changed the lives of the Bentley’s.

From March 4, 1994 until recently, Beverlee provided constant care for Bill until he died late last year. While taking care of Bill, a friend of hers invited her to attend a Rowing workshop.  She said to me that if the was not for rowing, she does not know what would have happened to her.  That sport provided her with purpose, a new support system, goals, exercise, and an opportunity to develop an identity very different from being the caretaker. Her life then took on new meaning as she developed a passion for the sport.

I was honored when the Bentley family asked me if the chapter about their mother could be included permanently at Bills burial site.

On another note, an article in the January 10, 2012 edition of the Wall Street Journal talked about relationship between personality, and those unwanted pounds.  For example, the same parts of the brain that control emotions and stress response, also govern appetite.  In one study, those who scored high  on neuroticism-the tendency to easily experience negative emotions and low  on consciousness, being organized and disciplined were the most likely to be overweight and obese.  Further, impulsivity was strongly linked to body mass index-the subjects in the top 10% of impulsivity weighted on average 25 pounds more than those in the lowest 10%.  People who rated themselves low on agreeableness were the most likely to gain weight over the years.

The link between emotions, food and weight control, starts at a very early age.  If you are having difficulty with weight control and have some issues with personality traits mentioned above, you may want to sort that out.  Unfortunately, seeking professional help to assist in dealing with weight control and personality is not covered by third party payers.  Wouldn’t you think, that if individuals were more successful with weight control and had lower BMI ‘s,there would be less physical problems requiring less medical care, and as a result more profit for the insurance companies. Currently, your doctor can not give you a pill that will assess early age personality dynamics that contribute to problems with weight gain.  More about personality and weight issues tomorrow.