Way Too Cool 50K, Barbie Benton, Hugh Hefner

Way Too Cool Part Two:

Upon reaching the recycling center, the aid station, after completing 20- 21 miles, I was met by Debbie Brickel and Marty Cullenward.  Thank you Debbie for coming to the aid station and being there assisting.  Janet Pucci’s husband Ray thanked me for making sure that the water was turned on at the aid station.   I did not take much time at the aid station. Marty, Secretariat, and I then headed in the direction of Brown’s bar.  Pretty soon, Randall and Diane met us on the trail.  Randall made sure I was hydrating, had salt tablets, and had food for fuel.  Shortly afterwards, Carrie Barrett showed up on the trail and inquired about Sue.  I told her that Sue was behind me. Carrie indicated that she would continue on the trail and look for her.

We eventually reached, Goat Hill the next aid station.  This relatively steep switchback trail was correctly named especially if you are a goat.   Once there, we were met by Debbie Brickel.  As it turned out, the aid station captain Norm Klein was Debbie’s mother’s doctor.   Debbie did not get an opportunity to talk to Dr. Klein this year.  Norm’s wife, Helen was an outstanding ultra run setting numerous records. Also of note, their daughter Barbie Benton was, at one time, Hugh Hefner’s girlfriend.  

     After leaving Goat Hill, some 26 or 27 miles into the run, the serenade began.  Randall and Diane are performers who enjoy singing and playing. Their medley included songs from the Beatles, Beach Boys, Eagles and numerous others.

 It was a treat to have a diversion during that part of the run.  I was tired, and my heart rate was now in the low to mid 80 % aerobically and obviously I was running at a slower pace. I did not join in the singing, because I wanted to conserve energy.  But, I was listening to the words singing along in my head the best I could.  That part of the run was lots of fun.  I told Secretariat that I wanted him to take singing lessons in order to learn more songs so he could entertain me while we ran.

I got plenty of encouragement from Randall about my running pace.  I thanked him and told him he was a good mother.  Often during the run, I looked at my watch and calculated the number of many miles I had completed attempting to determine or predict my finishing time. At no time did I think about not completing this run as my energy level was good.  My Achilles was bothersome but I simply ran smart and did not attempt to aggravate it anymore. I ran as fast as necessary.  My goal was to complete the run without injury, and I did that.  My finishing time this year was about the same as last year and I was okay with that.  Running 31 miles was a good accomplishment. 

Upon reaching the finish, there was plenty of excitement with people milling around.  I got a slice of pizza and a Coke and was happy. I am always happy and smiling when I have completed these races.  I said hi to Veloyce the Monster of Massage.   I talked with my other friends and chatted about the run. After I picked up my third-place finish award, we left for the market to pick up ice cream for the dinner party that evening.

Linda prepared a main dish while Secretariat and Debbie, Randall, Diane, Carrie, Wendy, Chris and Mickey complemented the potluck.  We ate, drank and laughed.  All was good.  My recovery was good, especially after taking ibuprofen and icing. Secretariat was tired, as it was a long day for him also. Hooray, another great running experience completed. Thank you all for being there and sharing the experience with me.

How to Find the Fountain of Youth

 Ponce De Leon did not find the fountain of youth-but you can.  Part 4

In addition to the significant and powerful mind-body connection, there are other important psychological components to consider as well.  Finding meaning in one’s life is significant and differs from man to man, and likely moment to moment.  It is the finding of your destiny or purpose-passion, which is different and unique for each individual.  As a consequence, it is up to the individual to define and discover that which gives him or her meaning. Meaning or purpose could be work or work-related, it could be a physical activity or sport, it could be some volunteer or hobby related activity. I cannot tell you what your meaning should be nor can you tell me what my meaning should be. For me, I found meaning and purpose in an athletic event, called Ride and Tie.  Even though I was a practicing psychologist, making a good living, that was not enough for me, and I was not totally fulfilled.  At that time, I knew something in my life was missing as I was not content, but I was unable to put my finger on it –I was unable to figure it out at the time.  I will share a couple of fantasies that I had prior, which provides insight into my mental state.

First, even though I was riding motorcycles at that time, I was unsatisfied with my Honda, Yamaha, or BMW motorcycles and purchased a new one practically every year. Then I had a midlife crisis and purchased my first Harley.  One of my favorite movies as a teenager was the Marlin Brando movie “The Wild One.” In fact, in memory of that film, there became a yearly motorcycle event in the small town -Hollister where the movie was filmed. Of course I had to go there and join the happening with the other riders. Could I recapture my youth and be just like Marlon-he was cool and bad?

 Another fantasy that I had in the 1990s was returning to college to play football again since I had three years of football eligibility left.  Mind you I am in my 50s, and I thought I wanted to play college football again especially toward the end of summer, around September.   In fact one day I even read about one older individual who did just that.  I thought that was pretty neat.  Well, I did not go back to college to play football, recapture my youth, but instead discovered the sport of ride and tie. Simply, ride and tie consists of two people and a horse.  One person rides while the other runs-they switch off riding and running until they reach the finish line.

In ride and tie, I could be physical again, become part of the team, have goals, and be competitive. With this sport, I had to get in running shape, which meant that I had to exercise and eat differently.  I now had to plan and follow through in order to become an athlete again.  I would condition my horse on training rides, and I started running in the hills to develop my cardio.  Typically, ride and tie events are held in the mountains, at a distance of 25 to 35 miles.  I decided that I wanted to be able to cover the same distance on the ground that my horse did. Translated that meant that I had to be able to run the distance of a marathon. Shortly thereafter, I was able to do just that.

 My first ultra run was a 50 K. (31 miles), and that was followed by a marathon a few years later.  My running, cardio, and endurance improved.  Then back in 2000( age 60), I completed the Tevis Cup –a distance of 100 miles in one day on my horse, Raider.  I felt great about that accomplishment and goal.  But I was not done with goals.  If my horse could travel 100 miles, should not I be able to run 100 miles in one day?  Well now I had a second goal.  So, in 2002 (age 62), I ran the Western States 100.  I could now cover on the ground the same distance as my horse.  That accomplishment was satisfying, and gave meaning and purpose to what I was doing.  I was on my way, as I found passion, meaning and purpose as result of ride and tie.  I became pretty good rider and an ultra runner in the process.  Of course, I was not finished with goals as the journey continues.

To be continued Friday