2010 Leadville 100 Trail Race Report

At the start: Greg Labbe, Cabro & Me

 Feeling great after 100 miles in the Rockies.

My fourth summer in a row visit to Leadville, Colorado and my third completion of the Leadville 100 Mile Trail Race...what an experience.  Deep gratitude for good friends and a strong body.

Finished!

This year's race was to be my second attempt at running the entire course barefoot and with my own Luna Sandals.  Two years ago, I started with sandals, but had to change into VFFs KSOs at the top of Hope Pass in order to complete the race due to horrible weather conditions.  This year I was able to run the entire race with my sandals (see www.LunaSandals.com) and in bare feet...a pure joy fest.

At the finish line carpet, McDougall at my side.

I spent the week before the race acclimatizing in Leadville staying at the Labbe Family Compound behind the famous Tabor Opera House.  The week leading up to the race included lots of great reunions with old friends along with a couple high mountain hikes.  I have thankfully not suffered from any serious altitude problems while participating in the race...which I believe is connected to my practice of deep nose breathing throughout the week and throughout the run.

Pacers Jules and Bookis Smuin and me - Post Race in Proven Grounds

This year, Mas Loco veteran Chris Labbe, aka Cabro, came up with a terrific strategy.  Both he and I had not really been training hard in preparation for the race.  In his case, he just didn't have time.  In my case, I have been purposely finding out what the lowest amount of training is necessary to complete the race well.  For me, that meant averaging less that 15 miles per week throughout the year, completing a marathon in May (Copenhagen Marathon - barefoot), a 50K in June (Vashon Island 50k in Luna Sandals) and a 50 miler in July (White River 50 Mile Trail Race - barefoot & Lunas),...and concentrating on running gracefully and joyfully everyday.

I also want to add that I spent one week in West Virginia in July training with Erwan Le Corre and practicing MovNat.  Now that added something to my overall fitness for sure.

Matt Mahoney and me pre race.

So Cabro's plan seemed genius: we would run to Winfield (the 50 mile point) in 12 hours and 30 minutes and come back in the same amount of time...thus getting in at or under 25 hours...and getting the big belt buckle prize.  Sounded good to me.

The key to this strategy was going be avoiding trying to go too fast...as a matter of fact, we were going to have to go slow...slower than our bodies craved when fresh, slower than most everyone else on the course.  No easy feat.

However, I bought in to his plan, mostly because it meant I could take it easy and just enjoy the run through the wilderness...barefoot and in my sandals...and focus on staying focused and smooth and graceful and happy.   I think I succeeded.

Me and Cabro entering Mayqueen outbound | Photo Matt Mahoney

All was going according to plan until we started climbing outbound Hope Pass.  Cabro just could not keep his speed down.  Up he went, passing one runner after another...even though we had already tested the idea of keeping the intensity down on this climb.  I tried to stick to the plan, but was sad to see him go, for I was relying on his knowledge of the course and the splits we needed to maintain in order to get under 25.

On my way outbound to Hagerman Pass | Photo Matt Mahoney

By the time I got over to Winfield, I was pretty tired.  It's amazing how much energy one must have in order to run 50 miles and still have enough energy to run 50 more.  Once into Winfield, I met up with my first pacer, Dennis Shaver, and was given some homemade burritos (thanks Joey!) that really tasted great after having basically been living off of gels for the last 12 hours.  Dennis' job was to get me up and over Hope Pass a second time...not easy even with fresh legs, but we did it and found ourselves in Twin Lakes for the second time...and me really starting to feel good.

Matt Mahoney captured this shot of me on my way towards the Hope climb

In Twin Lakes I picked up my second pacer, Luna Sandal wearing Jules Smuin.  Jules was in for a treat.  As we left Twin Lakes and started our 9 mile journey to Half Moon, I started to feel stronger and stronger.  About half way to Half Moon, I started passing runners and would continue to do so for most of the rest of the race.  Note:  it is a delight to be strong during the last half of a 100 mile race.  While others have spent the day running in the heat to gain position, I was able to preserve myself.  Running at night is easier, primarily because it is cooler.  And with headlights to chase in the distance, one has something to follow and aim for...persistence hunting ones way to the finish.

Crossing river out of Twin Lakes | Photo Matt Mahoney

At the Fish Hatchery I picked up my third pacer, Bookis Smuin sporting sandals too.  He paced me up and over Powerline and down to Mayqueen.  We were amazed at the power of my newest light, a Fenix PD30 - the brightest light you could ever hope for, small, lightweight, a dream...making it possible for me to run sections of the trail that proved impossible last year without good light.

Tracy Thomas and me, day before race.

Upon arriving in Mayqueen inbound, I picked up my final pacer, Born to Run author Christopher McDougall and he too was wearing sandals.  Now, I truly did have a lot of juice left in me, but I was not about to just run without talking to Mr. Oso.  We turned the last 3 1/2 hours into a time for catching up...hearing about all the exciting things happening including a possible film adaptation of BTR.  Very cool stuff.

Outbound at Powerline

We finally arrived at the finish line at 7:16am...27 hours after I had left.  Me feeling great.  Feet feeling great.  It is great to be alive.

BFT

Sponsors:  I want to thank the following folks for providing materials necessary for the success of my run: Chocolate #9 of Seattle, ProBar of Utah, Amanda McIntosh and Hammer Gels, Extreme Outfitters of North Carolina and Vibram USA and of course the Luna Sandal Company of Seattle :-)

Cabro & me entering Treeline outbound

PS.  My recovery seems complete less than 4 days after the race.  I am stunned and amazed by the body and its capacities...if treated well.  Moral of the story: treat it well.





Video of me coming into the finish with McDougall at my side and my trusty stick :-)



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Summer Monkey Business

Running barefoot with sandals in hand at the White River 50
photo by Glenn Tachiyama

What's EL MONO doing, you ask?

Well, I am working on my third summer preparing for the Leadville 100 Trail Race in Leadville, Colorado coming up on August 21.  Leadville is becoming a summer mecca spot for me.

My training is not as extensive as most seem to require.  Overall fitness and lots of easy running is key for me.  This year my training for the Leadville 100, apart from my little daily runs with the dogs in Volunteer Park, is thus:  In May, the Copenhagen Marathon.  In June the Vashon Island Ultra Marathon.  In July, the White River 50.  That's it...and should be enough.

At the top of Hope Pass...acclimatizing

So, in this year's Leadville 100, I hope to do the race in my newest Luna Sandal model dubbed the LEADVILLE (see below):

Prototype dubbed LEADVILLE before 50 mile trail run

So far, my tests with this new sandal have given me the confidence to believe that they are ready for a full 100 mile tough trail race...as long as it doesn't get too muddy.  So stay tuned, by this time next week I will have a report to share...and it should be interesting ;-)

 Prototype dubbed LEADVILLE after 50 mile trail run

BFT

PS.  The new LEADVILLE model will start being available for sale online starting August 25th.  If you are lucky enough to be in Leadville this week, we will be offering them for sale in town.

PSS.  I am staying in veteran Mas Loco runner Chris Labbe's Family's house behind the Tabor Opera House in Leadville...feel free to drop by and say howdy.

Interviewed by the UK's Marathon Talk Podcast

Earlier this week I was interviewed by Tom Williams of Marathon Talk (www.marathontalk.com), a popular Podcast on running based in the United Kingdom.

Tom's interview with me starts at 25:45 and continues until 1:14:58

I am indeed a loquacious spokesmonkey, almost embarrassingly so, yet I think some good comes out of all this talking...you can judge for yourself.

Yours Truly, BFT



Download Podcast here.

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First Production Model Luna Sandals Started Shipping

Letter to the first 300 production Luna Sandal customers - www.LunaSandals.com


Luna Sandal Company | July 8th, 2010

Thank you for ordering Luna Sandals.  You are among the first to try our inaugural production model.  These sandals were cut in a solar powered workshop in Oregon and assembled in Seattle by me and Jules Smuin.  It has been a labor of love.

The footwear of our hunter-gathering relatives has always fascinated me.  Early in my barefoot running experiments I started testing out various indigenous sandals from around the world.  I was fascinated with the traditional footwear of Japan and of the sandals of the Southwest, particularly the sandals worn by the original natives of Los Angeles, the Tongva People.

Then in 2006 I headed to the Copper Canyon.  There I deepened my fascination with the Raramuri huarache sandals and learned how to make and wear them thanks to Seňor Manuel Luna and others.  After returning, I started making sandals for myself and then started selling kits and custom made sandals.  I have been experimenting ever since.

This first production sandal represents the best expression of all my sandal testing experience.  Through small-scale, local production, I can give a much larger audience a chance to try what I consider to be a fine minimalist running sandal.  We are looking forward to getting your feedback so we can continue to improve and grow and share.

Please visit www.LunaSandals.com to get information on how to tie your sandals.  Luna Sandals come untied.  Each user must tie the sandal to their own foot.  It is the only way to get the perfect fit.   Production Luna’s can be tied either laced above ankle or using a slip-on style.

In the coming weeks and months the Luna Sandal website will develop into a place where you can share your experiences, get advice from other users, find resupplies and view the various production and custom sandals available.  We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

Luna Sandals make for great running sandals, but they are also excellent for hiking, walking and casual wear.  They look great with jeans and are made in Los Estados Unidos de América by happy monkeys.

¡Muchos Gracias!

Barefoot Ted

Luna Sandal Company, 956 10TH AVE E (GARAGE FACTORY), SEATTLE, WA 98102 | 206-395-8238

Luna Sandals: the next generation of my huarache company | LESS > MORE

Running in the latest model of Luna Sandals - (*yes, these are the sandals I have been making since 2006...only getting a little better each generation).

It took a while before I really warmed up to wearing my sandals again.  Mostly because barefoot is by far the simplest and freest way to run and move, the most sustainable, the most enjoyable...especially in ideal barefooting situations of temperature and terrain.



The second reason I had not been wearing them as much is because I never found a tying system that I really loved.  Many of the traditional tying methods take too much time...so on and off can be a chore.  I needed a fail-safe slip-on method of tying.  Many over at the Minimalist Runner Google Group had been sharing various tying methods, but none perfectly satisfied...until now.

Maybe you like me have found that here are many situations where a simple slip-on sandal is nice to have.  Luna Sandals are now able to play this role...and look great at the same time.

Indeed, Luna Sandals are about to move into a new phase of production.  I am working with the idea that a sandal company can grow and thrive in the Pacific Northwest.  No overseas materials or labor required.  I am able to personally oversee every aspect of the creation of the sandals: the materials, the designs, the workspaces...all shall be as friendly as possible to both earth and primate alike.

Stay tuned for some exciting news about the next generation of Luna Sandals.

Barefoot Ted aka El Mono

Now accepting Pre-Orders of the Production Model >>> click here
(Starts shipping July 1st., 2010)

(Pictured above: My well-worn 6mm Vibram® sole with hemp laces) 

Attending the MovNat Reawakening Workshop - July 13th - 17th

My good friend Erwan Le Corre has invited me to a MovNat Reawakening Workshop in mid-July, details below.

If you don't know about Erwan and MovNat, now is a good time to get yourself acquainted with him and his training methods.  He contacted me for the first time literally the day before Christopher McDougall came to my house in 2006 for the post race interview that became part of the book Born to Run.  Both McDougall and I were blown away and inspired by Erwan, and you will be too.

MovNat USA Workshops
Summersville Lake,
West Virginia, USA
Reawakening Workshop - July 13th – 17th
(Click here to learn more)

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Become a part of the MovNat family by training first-hand with MovNat creator Erwan Le Corre in the woods and lakes of West Virginia.


Reconnect with your true nature by disconnecting from the “zoo”, and learning the fundamentals of the MovNat Natural Movement Training System®

Realign with your whole-self (mind, body, heart and spirit) as you begin your journey to becoming strong, healthy, happy and free again.

Revitalize your body with healthy natural movement and unprocessed, live foods based on the true nature diet principles.





The MovNat Experience

You will learn the fundamental principles that helped make our species one of the most adaptable on Earth.

In the five nights of camping and 4 and one-half days of MovNat training you will:

• Develop a greater understanding of the “zoo” and begin the rehabilitation process, including the many ways you can remain connected to your true nature while among the “zoo.”
• Enhance your ability to perceive the messages from your body, environment and the situation.
• Develop the holistic qualities needed for effective and efficient action.
• Learn methods of breathing that will allow you stay relaxed and alert.
• Practice on a fully-scalable designed course that meets individual needs regardless of background, experience, condition age or gender.
• Learn optimal methods of walking, running, jumping, balancing, moving on all fours, climbing, lifting, carrying, throwing, catching, swimming and defending while preventing injury.
• Practice opportunist training which will allow you to train anywhere, anytime by programming your own training.

Hope to see you there.

BFT

So, you wanna start running barefoot?

Firstly, before you begin, you want to evaluate what it is that is leading you to even accept the logic behind the concept of barefoot running. We all know that barefoot running has gotten a lot of attention lately. Much of it is valid and deserves your attention.

Yet, one must still ask: is this a viable option for me?

Before you answer that question, let me explain why I think barefoot or minimal footwear running may not be good for you. It is not good if you are thinking it is some sort of cure-all that only requires taking off your shoes and starting to run injury free without radical changes in the way you may have been thinking of running up to now. If your running strategy has been about very specific time or distance goals, and you have been willing to push through pain to injury, then I would caution you: your bare feet will not allow you to continue this way.

Alas, the hallmark of my barefoot running philosophy is regaining connectedness, mindfulness, and presence in your running and in your body.

Barefoot running is not about blocking or pushing through pain, or at least it shouldn't be. Rather it is about tuning-in to your own body's highly sophisticated set of integrated awareness systems, systems that communicate through feelings and senses that are being collected in real-time as you move. From my perspective, learning how to run well means learning how to tap into the feeling of running well, which more often than not requires baring the foot to get the full feel of what happens when you move.

However, even if you decide that barefoot is the route for you, take one step backward and realize you are most likely in the process of rehabilitating your feet and legs from years of being differently-abled, shoed, and cast. Atrophy, loss of range of motion, weakness, neglect, the foot has not been treated well lately. All the padding and support and protection has not led to stronger feet...sadly.

So, the first key is to start slowly, incrementally and avoid over-exuberance, avoid being driven by your ego. Think orchard growing, not fast food. Think lifetime of development and growth. Think joy.

So, what are my secrets, what is it I share with clients who take my Introduction to Barefoot Running Clinic?

My goal is to get people to learn how to feel what good running feels like. I want them to develop a feeling for it. One of the primary feelings becomes an awareness of the texture and hardness of terrain and of impact. This awareness is the beginning.

To master this awareness, I have clients learn to move on hard surfaces first. Not focusing on distance or speed, I have my clients first walk and then trot on hard, fairly smooth surfaces. I work with them to focus on and begin to master three goals: quiet, quick, in balance.

The Three Goals

1. Master gentle, quiet, forefoot-centric landings, silent and smooth.

Learn to move with no hard edges, no pounding, by learning how to have the impact of landing flow through the entire foot, starting in the forefoot and quickly spreading through the legs smoothly. Notice how silent your movement becomes. Imagine the movement of a big cat. Watch your dogs trot. Let them be models for tuned-in, flowing movement that wastes little energy on pound or sound.

2. Quicken your cadence: Running in bare feet encourages this naturally.

Some shoe runners are plodders. You can hear them coming. Lots of wasted energy on poorly timed impact. Quicker cadence ends up making sense when you realize that your ability to absorb and recoil energy through elasticity in your body dissipates quickly and is lost if not used. Learning how to get back in touch with the sweet spot of optimal recoil efficiency is easier to find when you can feel your feet, feeling that encourages a landing phase with foot more in line with your center of gravity (thinking about how you land if you jump down onto a hard surface in barefeet, not on your heels!). Overstriding is discouraged, nearly impossible barefooted.

3. Stable upright posture: balanced head, core engaged, unbent torso, the feeling of balance, relaxed, yet strong.

I think that good running can be judged aesthetically. It should look good, not painful. When you see someone moving or running well, it looks smooth and fluid and graceful and efficient. The opposite looks painful, when someone is hunched and stiff, robotic and plodding. Indeed efficient running is tall and stable, the upper body acting as the fulcrum from which the legs and arms can move freely with a serious lack of bouncing or swaying of the head.

Ultimately my coaching goal is to help people perfect what I call a persistent hunt trot...a gait not purely about speed, but about smooth, flowing, efficient, sustainable movement, movement that leaves you ready to hunt or play another day.

Barefooting itself is all about mindfulness and presence. Running like an upright Primate, not like a Robot. Aware of your body and your environment AT ALL TIMES.

Listen to your body...learn to hear what it is telling you. Adjust accordingly. Advance accordingly.

Best Regards, Barefoot Ted

PS.  Be sure to join the Minimalist Runner Google Group, link below:

http://groups.google.com/group/huaraches

The Way of Barefoot Running

Here is the working text for my Op-Ed piece in Monday's Christian Science Monitor, titled by the paper as "Boston Marathon and beyond: Running is ready for a barefoot revolution" (read online here)

The Way of Barefoot Running: One Step at a Time

Our ancestors moved over the earth...and found their way into nearly every nook and cranny of the planet...with their bare or minimally clad feet.  The foot has been the primary vehicle of our success as a species, allowing us to fulfill our desire to explore, discover, achieve and eat. Yet, most people these days have come to see their feet as broken appendages, unfit for the real world, sickly and weak, prone to injury, in need of support and padding, doomed to suffer.  Why? 

Good question.  What did happen?  What made our feet sick?  Did we devolve?  Perhaps it has something to do with the shoes we wear?

Well, arguably, we are the first generation of runners who have worked with the hypothesis that more cushioning and support equals safer running and reduced impact.  We have concluded that modern surfaces, hard and unforgiving, require ever-thickening sole padding to help counter the shocks of landing, but is that true?

It is counter-intuitive, but the truth is, and studies back this up, that the more you block out the feeling of impact in your feet, the more impact you are likely to put into your body, at the wrong time in your stride, by moving and landing differently than you would if you actually felt what you were doing. 

All those nerves on the bottom of your feet have a purpose after all.  Dulling them from sensing seems to be a bad idea...and the dulling seems to set in motion a series of unfortunate events that ultimately leads to movement patterns unknown to our preeminently capable ancestors...patterns that seem to lead to inefficient movement and injury.

By taking off your shoes, you give your body a chance to reuse some amazingly useful, built-in systems that help you move in a way that need not be jarring nor pounding regardless of the hardness of the terrain, a way of movement that more effectively captures and re-releases stored energy through elasticity in our bodies: the splaying of our forefoot, the arch in our foot, tendons in the lower legs, calves and quads, and form, all positioned ideally to absorb and recoil the energy of movement, smoothly and efficiently, operating in real-time, on the move, a kind of primordial physical intelligence, a birthright of Homo sapiens.  This built in recoil system puts to shame the claims of the marshmallow soft, spring loaded shoes that capture the imagination of so many.

So, what went wrong?

My hunch is that we got unplugged...detached...from our own bodies, from our own feet.  That disconnect has led to gait patterns and running styles that are unique to a generation of runners...we the first cohort in the history of the world to run distance with cushioned, high-heeled shoes.  I think it is a case of the cure becoming worse than the ailment, the ailment being hard surfaces and tired bodies, trying to continue moving when the safe form of moving has exhausted itself and the feet and legs would normally protest about continuing...unless you could give it a little relief, i.e., block pain brought on by less-than-best landing patterns, but once become a habit ends up being a fundamental change in running form...and in my opinion, a dying branch of cultural evolutionary experimentation.

Does it have to be this way? 

Nope.  Learning how to master the fundamental human capacity of running, sans shoes, is a lot easier than you think...and does not require a purchase.  Simply take off your shoes...and start listening to your feet, listening to your body, moving without internal hard edges, with flow.  Focus on incrementally redeveloping your feet and lower legs...one step at a time, giving them a chance to feel the world and grow from interacting with it, learning from it.  And become a student of your own body and of movement, share your experiences, learn and be inspired by others.  Crack the nut of joyful movement in your own body, your own unique vehicle.  The resources are available unlike at any other time for our generation.  Google it.

The paradigm shift away from the over-engineered shoe is connected with other shifts in thinking about our bodies and being human.  In your barefeet you are more connected to your body, better balanced, more aware, mindful, present.  Those characteristics are good qualities to mimic in your mental life.  There is a relationship between the two.

Becoming healthy in mind and body is an incredibly effective way to experience happiness it seems, and all my research into this topic leads me to feel confident that if you follow these insights to their logical conclusion, you too will become a happy, healthy and free thinking individual, comfortable and satisfied with the awesome inheritance your feet and body represent.

BFT

PS.  More on my barefoot running philosophy with tips here:

http://barefootted.com/coach/philosophy.html

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PrimalCon 2010

Yes, it's true, I am speaking and presenting at this year's inaugural PrimalCon convention...and very much looking forward to it. I have read Mark Sisson's book "The Primal Blueprint" and think that it has some incredible insights that help us rediscover and reapply some of the life practices of our most ancient ancestors.

Below is my write up for my presentation at PrimalCon 2010 which is being held April 23-25 in Sourthern California (learn more here)

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The friendly and flowing savage, who is he? Is he waiting for civilization, or is he past it, and mastering it? --Walt Whitman

All this talk about barefoot running lately…what’s up with that?

Well, think about Grok (your primal ancestor). Think about his footwear. Do you think he needed supportive, cushioned, orthopedic shoe-boots in order to make it through his day? Nope. He was born with the best footwear money could buy…his own bare feet.

Grok’s footwear = self-nourishing, self-healing, get-stronger-and-smarter-with-use material, directly connected to the brain, proprioceptive. Good news, you have the same.

Fast forward to today. A world where most people are completely disconnected from their own feet and the marvelous capacity they contain. So disconnected that an entire generation of Americans have grown up thinking that they could not move without shoes. But is that the case?

My own personal journey for finding an answer to this question is best outlined in Christopher McDougall’s best-selling book “Born to Run”. If you haven’t read it, you should. It is perhaps the best evidence available to help understand why humans are the premiere endurance animal on the planet. Our success as a species is connected to an amazing human capacity called persistence hunting.

Our need for meat is directly connected to our growing brain and our fabulous trotting abilities. Grok can out trot just about any other land animal when you add distance to the equation. That ability along with burgeoning brain power turned Grok into an amazing hunter, even before he had mastered some of the weapons that would follow. Grok was able to literally run an animal to death. And some of our ancestors are still doing it today (search YouTube for persistence hunting to see).

Grok was a barefoot trotter. Super efficient movement: fluid, light and smooth…these are hallmarks of animals that can cover territory without waste. Grok was a master at this.

And indeed, my goal is to help you revive this skill sans traditional running shoes. I want to teach you how to reconnect to the very best tools you were ever given for learning how to move well…and it's all about reconnecting with your own body…not blocking out the feeling of the world, but rather tuning in to it…like Grok and all other animals that move with grace and fluidity.

By taking off your shoes or wearing some minimal, non-cushioned shoes, you give your body a chance to reuse some amazing systems to help you move in a way that is not jarring, not pounding. It is counter-intuitive, but the truth is, and studies back this up, the more you block out the feeling of impact in your feet, the more impact you can put into your body. The typical shoe ad has made you think you need more padding to protect your body…and all that padding has often led to more injuries and more pain. Why?

My Introduction to Barefoot Running Clinic is designed to help answer this question. I have had the opportunity to teach 1000s of folks how to move in a way that is joyful and smooth. I have developed a methodology that gets people to tune into the feeling of running well…which has nothing to do with enduring pain, but rather is all about finding and maintaining a sweet spot of efficient movement that is addictive and primal.

My clinic will leave you with the tools you need to self-analyze your own barefoot trotting progress. Indeed, my goal is to teach you what I call the persistence hunt trot, a trot that once mastered gives the Grok in you the ability to cover large distances efficiently and smoothly when needed.

I look forward to sharing with you.

Barefoot Ted

PS. Remind me to tell the story of the photo above. It contains an allegory.

Google Talk on "Born to Run" and Barefoot Running

Had the pleasure of giving a Google Talk recently and would like to share the video with you.  When I look back on videos of me talking, the sentence below always comes to mind...Christopher's description of me in Born to Run:

"Barefoot Ted talked the way Charlie Parker played the sax: he’d pick up on any cue and cut loose with a truly astonishing torrent of improvisation, seeming to breathe in through his nose while maintaining an endless flow of sound out of his mouth."

In the end, I truly love telling the story of my barefoot journey, primarily because I think that it is a journey worth taking for any sophisticated, 21st century, highly evolved primate with human ancestors.  Done well, running makes us happy and fit...and if done thoughtfully and presently, running reconnects us both to one of our greatest fundamental physical capacities and to the earth.  We are ultimately rewarded with joy.

I say don't obsess about distance and speed...rather seek out that sweet spot of joy in running and let that be your guide.  In the end, joy is a great teacher...of both your mind and body.

BFT

Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon 2010

Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon CUMM 2007 (the second year for me)

Tomorrow, March 7, 2010, will be the start of the running of the 2010 Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon.  I ask all of you to send good energy to all the participants this year. 

To have been blessed to be part of this event has been life changing.  To have gotten a chance to come to know and love the Raramuri people and all the friends of the Tarahumara has been a true honor...a major blessing for me, adding richness and insight to my life in doses so large that it continuously boggles my mind and leaves me with a deep sense of gratitude and thankfulness.

Indeed the Raramuri culture of korima is something that touches all of us with its simple beauty and trust in the human-divine spirit of sharing and mutual love.  Let that spirit live on in all of us as we recognize it in our own lives and in our own circles of friends, family and colleagues...and other co-inhabitants on this incredible planet.

Someday, you too may be blessed to run in the Canyons, to meet Caballo Blanco and touch fingertips with Arnulfo or some of the other local legends.  In the meantime, you can always try and book a trek in the canyons with the ole' Caballo himself (see: www.caballoblanco.com) or support the Norwas de Raramuri - Friends of the Running People - non-profit founded by Caballo (see: www.norawas.org).

May the Raramuri continue to run free and strong...and you too.

BFT

PS.  The photo montage above I made in 2007 shortly after returning from my second year of participating, the year after McDougall came down, the year following the year covered in the book "Born to Run".  It is an amazing tribute to the beauty of the experience.

RUNNING AS AN EXERCISE - 1895 report

I have been looking for the oldest article on running for health.  Here is the oldest I could find that was about running and wasn't focused entirely on sports competitions... Bold GOLD highlights must reads below - BFT

RUNNING AS AN EXERCISE

By Dr. J. William Lloyd

Published in 1895 in the Journal of Hygiene and Herald of Health, Volume 45
_____

We have in running, as I shall proceed to show, one of the most perfect exercises which a man may take without apparatus or assistance from others.

The first great merit of running is that it applies exercise mainly to those parts and organs used least — toes, feet, legs, lungs and heart. It exercises least the arms and back most used in ordinary work. Therefore it serves the first great purpose of any remedy, it balances the circulation and equalizes the functional energy.

To keep the head cool and feet warm is the great desideratum [something desired as essential] because the head is so near to the heart, the large blood vessels reach it so directly, the tendency of our civilization is so to overwork the brain, that the least deficiency in the circulation of the extremities is sure to be avenged by a congested head, leading by repetition to headache and insomnia. Running secures a cool head and warm feet. Can you imagine a frequent runner troubled with insomnia?

BETTER THAN WALKING

Walking is dull work. There is scant pleasure in the exercise for its own sake. You must always be going somewhere, and if you cannot continually go to some new spot you are bored. The pleasantest walking is a quiet, contemplative stroll, but that is of little value for exercise, and rapid walking is almost always forced. But there is a spirit and verve about even the shortest little dog-trot which the most vigorous walking altogether lacks. Start running and the breath quickens, the pulse leaps, the brain brightens, as the freshly oxygenated, purified blood begins to bound through it, the eye sparkles and the charm of your boyhood has returned once more.

How much of the exhilaration of our childhood was owing to the fact that we then were ever running? And if adults ran more would they mourn so much for the lost illusions of early years?

The blows which the sole of the foot receives in running are of real value in improving the circulation in the feet. Those who have studied the merits of muscle beating do not need to be told this. These sharp vigorous strokes running up through the great sciatic nerve to the spinal cord and brain are stimulative and tonic in a high degree; and the quickening goes all through the body. Every nerve fibril feels it, the liver is shaken and jarred into action, the stomach grinds merrily away at its welcome grist, the bowels start their weird serpentine peristaltic action, the capillaries flush with blood, the pores open, and all is vigor and motion. Not a terminal fibre, not a corpuscle of blood but shares in the jubilee and revival. Running is “the universal alternative.”

OBJECTIONS

“Do not run; it is too violent an exercise for your health!” How often is that advice given; wisely enough, perhaps, to those with organic heart disease, but foolishly enough to the majority who need precisely this exercise to strengthen their hearts against sloth and luxurious living. For the heart is muscle, and suitable exercise is the one thing which every muscle must have, or it atrophies.

Very rapid and vigorous walking is good for the heart, but it takes vastly more will power to walk hard than to run easily and the running will do the heart more good. Of course, men with weak and fatty hearts should take this exercise with caution; a few yards only should be the extent of the run at first, and when this grows easy and pleasant, a few more and so on; working very gradually until a quarter of a mile becomes a bagatelle [something of little value or importance; a trifle].

When a quarter of a mile causes no distress that heart may cease to be solicitous about its safety. If adults ran as freely and frequently as children—I do not hesitate to say it—heart disease would be rare. But when I praise running for the heart, competitive racing is always excluded. That has ruined many a heart. Health and pleasure is the only prize for which to run.

I lately conversed with an athlete, an ex-champion in the Caledonian games, and he told me of the physical condition of some famous runners he had once examined. “The muscles on their abdomens were so hard that when I tapped them with my finger it was like tapping a board,” he said.

Observe the flabby sac which retains the bowels of the average sedentary man and think what this difference must mean in absence of abdominal obesity, constipation, prolapsed bowels, piles and hernia, to say nothing of a host of other pelvic weaknesses. Fine vigorous abdominal muscles mean healthy viscera and pelvic contents in a normal position. What would this be worth to our women? A woman who had avoided corsets and heavy skirts, and had taken a quarter of a mile vigorous run daily since childhood, would be wagered upon by an enlightened physician as perfectly free from “female weakness” or malpositions.

AS A REMEDY OF CONSUMPTION [tuberculosis]

Consumption is a dread scourge. Over and over it has been shown that nothing is so healing to sick lungs as pure air taken freely; and in no other way can it be taken so freely, and so purely, as when running in the open air. As a breathing exercise alone running is priceless, as a preventive of consumption nothing can excel it, and he is a dull hygienist, indeed, who cannot see how very valuable an agent it might become wisely employed in checking lung disease. Were I to start a “consumption cure,” running would be my sheet anchor. Indeed, running would be my chief resource in treating those chronic diseases in which the patient has the use of the lower extremities.

We hear so much of the medical use of oxygen, nowadays, but there is no better oxygen than that which Mother Nature has provided in the open fields, and if we fill ourselves with this, feasting on it as we run, every drop of our blood will thank us for the treat. Running furnishes oxygen more rapidly an abundantly than any other spontaneous exercise.

PERSPIRATION. MELANCHOLY.

When you run you perspire. Thousands upon thousands of little pores begin to drain off impurities, and thus relieve the other excretory organs of overwork. No Turkish bath can excel a run, no sudorific [causing or inducing sweat] will produce a more thorough sweat. In the corporation of man running means clean streets, good drainage, perfect water-works, and public sanitation.

Running is pleasant and inspiring. It enlivens the mind and dispels melancholy. It exercises every muscle in the body, and chiefly those not commonly much used. It cools the head and draws blood to the lower extremities. It cures rheumatism, corns, cold feet, headaches, insomnia; prevents stiffness, varicose veins, apoplexy, consumption, hernia. It stimulates and tones up the nervous system. It shakes and arouses to action all torpid viscera. It insures appetite, digestion, assimilation, excretion. It will certainly cure obesity, for nobody ever yet saw a hard runner who was fat. It requires no apparatus. Taken all in all is the most perfect single exercise known for health, pleasure, and all-round development.

DRESS, ETC.

If you feel the need of running have the courage to do it, and you can soon persuade others to join you if you must have company. Children at least will be always glad to accompany you. The dress should be appropriate. The cap should be very light and close, so as not to blow off easily. Much of the time when you run fast you will carry it in your hand, anyway.

Let all the clothing be woolen, so that the perspiration quickly passes off, and chills are avoided. Have no flapping skirts, coat-tails, or other loose ends. Wear knee-breeches, woolen stockings, and low running-shoes, or, better still, wear no stocking and no shoes whenever the weather will permit.

There is wonderful comfort in a bare foot, as everyone knows. Contact with the earth is healthful. And in summer, after a rain, or in the dewy morning, how refreshing a running foot-bath through wet grass! Even in winter a short run, barefooted, through the loose snow may be made perfectly safe for those who have taken the right training, producing a warmth and glow in the feet which will last for hours.

PRIZES.

Never race for prizes, or run against time, or compete for anything. Avoid over-strain. Don’t make work of your sport. Leap and bound down hill, and you will find it jar you much less than straight running.

Run up hill zigzag. Stop whenever you feel any discomfort, get your wind, and then run again.

By constant practice a man could run as long as he could walk. In some places in the Orient outrunners and footmen accompany carriages and keep up with the horses. In the bardic chronicles of Ireland we read of the horse-boys running all day by the side of the tourist, ready to be at the bridle whenever the master halted. And wonderful tales travelers tell us to-day of runners in Mexico, Japan, Africa.

But such running, if wonderful, is not perhaps desirable, and is hardly to be attained without too much expense to other faculties. The runs I recommend are through the dewy meadows of morning, over the hills of afternoon, or through the aisles of forest temples—runs with an easy breath, a light foot, and a gay heart.

You may not, like Selkirk [inspiration for Robinson Crusoe], become able to run down wild goats, but you can at least run down your avoirdupois [weight], run up your spirits, and run out, if not outrun, your doctor.

 

Alexander Selkirk inspired the character Robinson Crusoe

_____________

This article was in the The Journal Of Hygiene And Herald Of Health V45 published in 1895.  The entire journal can be downloaded as a PDF via Google Books. (352 pages)

Before the article index is the following quote, attributed to Grant Allen which I want to uphold in my own practice:

“Health culture is an aim for all; an aim which will make each stronger, and saner, and wiser, and healthier, and better. It will make each in the end more helpful to all. To be sound in wind and limb; to be healthy in body and mind; to be educated, to be emancipated, to be free, to be beautiful—these things are ends toward which we should all strive, and by attaining which all are happier in themselves, and more useful to others.”

Runner's World Interviews Me: Ted's Great Adventures

You might enjoy reading this interview online at Runner's World.

Per usual, I enjoy sharing stories about running and life and coaching and just-about-anything with anyone willing to listen and share back. I love stories. Humans are among the best story making beings in the universe. Make'em, share'em and celebrate together.

Interview topics include: my post-Born-to-Run-life, barefoot running, trail running, coaching, 2010 schedule, running 100 miles, my skateboard world record and MovNat. Enjoy.

To read interview online at the Runner's World website, click here.

Barefoot Ted

 The Orange Curtain 100K, 2008.  Photo by Barefoot Ken Bob Saxton

My Barefoot Running Partners: Edgar & Hiko

Hiko, me and Edgar

I've been busy. The last month has been an amazing adventure for me.

In November, Leah and I adopted another Siberian Husky (and Samoyed mix?) from the Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue organization. His name is Hiko (a name that means ice in the Inuit language). He was a dog slated for euthanasia.

The Boys: Edgar & Hiko

He had some problems in Oregon...killing chickens and also is on medication for epilepsy. Not a big selling point for most adopters. We would be his third owner in his short 3 year lifetime. But, we knew we would all get along just fine, that he would quickly fit in with our pack and get what he needed most: lots of love and lots of exercise. He got it and he's now thriving!

Urban Mushing in Volunteer Park

I am fascinated by the co-evolution of humans and dogs. I have become an urban musher taking the dogs out on running adventures every afternoon. Leah runs them every morning and then another walk before bed. Lots of movement. Lots of play. Lots of sleeping. Lots of happy dogs and humans!

Barefoot Running!

Hiko has become a permanent member of our little tribe. I am amazed by his intelligence and charm...his depth of soul...and his running strength. 6 weeks ago he was a dog with an uncertain future. Now he is a strong and happy dog, full of life and radiating good cheer to all whom he encounters...with a little help from his friends. Amazing how the universe works.






The new year and decade are upon us all. It has been an amazing year for me. I look forward to sharing my adventures with all of you and hearing your stories as they unfold in 2010. Be well...and see you next year.

Barefoot Ted

Order Vibram FiveFingers KSO Treks by clicking here. Thanks.

Paradigm Shifting Trojan Horses - Vibram Five Fingers

So, it has been nearly 4 years since I got my first pair of Vibram Fivefingers...several months before they were launched to the public in March 2006. I have been testing the next generation prototypes ever since then...and it has been amazing to watch as they have grown in popularity, and greatly satisfying and validating to be playing a role in their popularization.

(photo to right, Boston Marathon 2006)

I remember how excited I was to get my first pair...they were the first shoes that I felt came close to a true barefoot feel and would also allow me to run more comfortably on tough mountain trails. Furthermore, they were the first minimal shoe that I tested that didn't fall apart after 20 miles of hard trail running.

My progress with the FiveFingers came fast and furious, but keep in mind, I had already been running for nearly 2 years barefoot, and had already completed several road marathons barefoot.

Some of the firsts I was privileged to do wearing Vibram Fivefingers include the first marathon, first Boston marathon and Boston qualifying marathon, first ultra marathon and first 100 mile trail race in VFFs.

I really felt that I was playing a small part in facilitating a stretching of our collective imaginative boundaries of what is possible and looked forward to seeing others stretch their own boundaries, carrying our fundamental human capacity, to run, further along while at the same time more closely mimicking the way our ancestors moved...on foot.

(photo left Los Angeles Marathon 2006)

I still think that barefoot is best, but barefoot is free..., and I always knew that the only way barefooting was going to become a true, mainstream hit was that there was going to have to be a product...something people could buy. And the VFF is that product..., or from my perspective, Trojan Horse.

The Vibram Fivefinger is a foot glove. No support, no real cushioning. Yet, it is a thing I can buy. A solution that can be purchased. Consumer cultures feel comfortable with it. But what is its real message? It seems the real message of the VFF is that your foot is just fine AS IT IS! That regaining strength and range of motion in your foot is a worthy goal. That you are not broken by default.

Furthermore, I wanted to see the concept of barefoot running enter into the dialogue of contemporary popular culture. The publishing of McDougall's book "Born to Run", from my point of view, was a pivotal, paradigm shifting moment in the re-awakening of the American consciousness about barefooting and our capacities as humans...before the addition of the padded shoe.

So run free if you wish, or buy a pair of VFFs or other minimal shoe, but always remember, you already have the best pair of shoes you will ever own...and they are the only ones that are self-nourishing, self-healing and get stronger and smarter with use...the only ones you can grow...by eating.

(photo left by Luis Escobar, 2006 Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon)

Viva barefoot.

Barefoot Ted

PS.
Order Vibram FiveFingers from here and smile :-)