Summer Reading Update

At the beginning of summer, I posted a list of books I planned to read. Time for a progress report.

Two books were recommended by Running Times, Rachel Toor’s On the Road to Find Out and Mark Slouka’s Brewster. I read both. Measured my work against theirs – and was awed at some of the things that looked so effortless. I know better, know how hard that was for them. Nope, I haven’t reviewed either – and won’t.

Finished 101 Developmental Concepts & Workouts for Cross Country Runners and found it informative. A fast read packed with information. A largish variety of workouts to play with and I’ll suggest some for the upcoming season. Very happy to note that Paul Greer, San Diego Track Club coach, blurbed it. One of the most positive people I've ever met.

Midway through Pat Tyson excellent Coaching Cross Country Successfully. Right from the beginning you understand that Tyson was successful not because of gimmicks or luck. It was hard work, building programs for the runners one at a time and doing so with unflagging enthusiasm.

I haven’t started Bruce Brown’s Teaching Character Through Sport yet. Sheer laziness, that all I can blame it on.

Lest you think the only books I read are running related, here’s the rest from the last couple of months. No links – I got bored. You can either get them or order them at your local bookstore. Or Amazon, of course.

Finished:

The Guards by Ken Bruen
The Magdalen Martyrs by Ken Bruen
Wannabe Distance God by Tim Tays
Writing the Cozy Mystery by Nancy Cohen
Write Your Novel from the Middle by James Scott Bell
Warrior of the Light by Paulo Coelho
The Closers by Michael Connelly
Outlining Your Novel by K.M. Weiland
Inside Story by Dara Marks
The Cripple Creek District by the Cripple Creek Museum
Story Physics by Larry Brooks
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

In the Middle of:

When Running was Young and So Were We by Jack Welch
Shift by Hugh Howey
Write, Publish, Repeat by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant
Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin by Timothy Snyder
Writing the Blockbuster Novel by Al Zuckerman

Dipping in and out as the mood pleases:

Will You Please be Quiet, Please by Raymond Carver
And Then the Vulture Eats You edited by John L. Parker
The Best American Mysteries 2009 edited by Jeffery Deaver

Next Up:

Running with the Kenyans by Adharanand Finn
Running on Empty by Marshall Ulrich (one of my running heroes – and not for his running)
The Purple Runner by Paul Christman
Field Guide to Ultrarunning by Hal Koerner
Money Mountain by Marshall Sprague
Dust by Hugh Howey
Caro’s Book of Poker Tells by Mike Caro
Writing Mysteries edited by Sue Grafton
Social Engineering by Christopher Hadnagy
The Opportunity Equation by Eric Schwarz
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

I’ve got another stack in the ‘someday’ pile plus a want-to read list over at Goodreads.

The last time my parents came to visit, I had to buy two bookcases to get everything off the floor. I’m running out of wall space for bookcases.

The obvious solution is a bigger house with more walls.

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Alexa Efraimson Appreciation Day and more . . .

Alexa Efraimson Appreciation Day - Very cool but I'd like to see all the high school runners - not only the elites - get this kind of recognition. Most are pretty awesome kids, just not quite as quick. I do like that Aexa did not concede the race in Eugene to the team from Kenya - she actively challenged them. She ran out of gas on the last lap but it was gutsy run worthy of Hayward Field.

Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of Joan Benoit Samuelson's victory at the '84 Olympics. For the young'uns, that was the first Women's Olympic Marathon. It was a big deal. Running Times has a great read right here.

Speaking of Kenyans, those who say it's all genetics, that's why they win - nope. A lot of it is plain old fashioned courage and a tremendous amount of hard work. Kenyan Who Had His Legs Amputated Gets Back on Track.

Yes, please, the rules are antiquated. Time for State Associations to Evolve with Today's High School Elites For more discussion, head over to Runnerspace. Washington State passed a rule to help with this (referred to as the Alexa Efraimson Rule). Could we make a rule that allows quality teams more freedom to head for Invitationals without being penalized for not racing in-district enough?

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Trailrunning = Playing

Pretty awesome video . . . my girls trail ran with me when they were young. We called it playing.

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Walking the dog at 3AM

It's insomnia, at least according to standard definitions. I woke up at 2AM, lay in bed for a while before I decided to get up and go for a walk. The dog decided to accompany me, so off we went to the post office to drop a Netflix in the box. So much for getting a solid eight and being ready to a tackle a very busy week working, writing, and running.

The standard definition of insomnia, though, may be historically wrong. Newer sleep research indicates that people may not be hardwired for continuous sleep. Instead, a pattern of segmented sleep might be more healthful.

Historian A. Roger Ekirch noticed the pattern while reviewing original documents. In them, he found references to 'first sleep" and "second sleep." First sleep was from approximately sundown to midnight. A period of wakefulness sat from then to two or three o'clock, followed by the second sleep.

The modern solution is to add prescription drugs and knock the patient on their back. Better living through pharmacology - and substantial profits to the makers of sleeping pills.

Pill popping may be the solution to a problem of modern creation. The sleep, wake, sleep historical pattern changed (as theorized by Ekirch) when streetlamps changed the night, making it accessible, and then again when indoor lighting (not just candle powered) intruded into our lives.

Studies by Thomas Wehr reinforced this view when he tested eight men, forcing them into fourteen hours of darkness. At first, they simply removed the sleep debt they had acquired but then some interesting happened; they began to follow a segmented sleep routine, waking in the middle of the night for a couple of hours.

So the solution is simple, right?

Not really. To take advantage of the segmented sleep, you need to go to bed just after sundown. No television, no cell phones, no electric lights. It's a pretty radical prescription given the organization of our society.

I'll probably give this a try but not until fall, when the days get shorter. I'll let you know when I start - and how things proceed.

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Blog Roll

I don't have a formal blog roll on the sidebar but there are some sites that I check pretty frequently for news, and ideas about running. Here are some of my favorites:

Running Times - in my opinion, the best of the running magazines. The website has additional virtual-only articles.

Let's Run - Not the easiest website to navigate but, if it's running related, it's there somewhere. Tremendous amount of information and a mostly knowledgeable forum.

RunBlogger - Pete Larson is a very, very bright dude who does a fantastic job of reviewing running products and teaching running form. Sign up for his newsletter or swing by the blog.

Runners World - the most popular running magazine has a huge web presence - warning: they're very aggressive on twitter and can blow up your feed a bit.

RunnersConnect - a coaching site that has long form articles that are thought provoking at the blog.

ProActive Coaching - not so much running but youth sports in general, these folks understand the secrets to coaching. If you are a coach, from junior high to D1, follow them on Facebook. You won't regret it.

JillWillRun - Jill blogs on running, running gear, and promotes a healthy perspective on eating and lifestyles. Not your everyday aim for a PR blog. Running is personal and so is Jill's Blog.

Let me know your favorites - and I know, we're having a few issues with the commenting system - magical imps are working on it now. If you can't comment, feel free to send me an email. I reply to all of them.

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Cascade Lakes Relay

The teams are on the course for the Cascade Lakes Relay.

For you folks that have never done a relay, they can be a hoot. The Cascade Relays team puts on a fun event with contests, time trials, and a ton of camaraderie.

Spend 24 hours chasing other teams through the Oregon mountains on a picturesque course. All day, taking turns. All night. Again into the next day. Relays are a unique adventure in running, a combination of teamwork, fun, and the unpredictable.

For those interested, you can follow the action at https://twitter.com/CascadeRelays. They have an app for the leaderboard this year as well.

Good luck to the runners tonight - stay safe, have fun, and RUN!

Full Disclosure - The team I run with, Velocity Deficit Disorder, is out this year. Me because two daughters are expecting babies the same weekend as the Spokane to Sandpoint relay, a couple of others due to work, and one to a Bluegrass festival.

We'll be back next year with a little luck, maybe for the Cascade Lakes Relay this time. Scott and his crew really do put on a great race.

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Sharing the Fun!

I've had a tremendous amount of fun writing the books and one of the promises I made was that I would share some of the proceeds.

It makes sense to do it quarterly, at least from an accounting standpoint. I closed out the books last night and wrote the first check. Since I wrote the books and am donating the money, I get to be the decider. I'm pushy that way . . .

I wrote the check for the Clarkston Bantams. It's not as much as I would like, but it's is a start. Ideally, I'd write a dozen checks that are ten times bigger.

We're going to have to sell a lot more books to do that.

For those not in our region, the coach at Clarkston, Brian Denton, bends over backwards to help out all the local teams with meets, lending flags, timers, putting up the results. The rest of the time, he's coaching some great kids.

If you bought Finishing Kick or Trail of Second Chances, you've contributed to the Bantam squad. I want you to know just how much I appreciate it.

Please consider referring the books to your friends and running buddies. And I could always use more reviews on Amazon if you have a few minutes and you'd like to share.

I'm hoping that the next quarter sees me writing more than one check.

Run gently, friends!

PS. Family asked about contributing to the Asotin squad, our home town team. I donate to them annually all ready and plan to do so again and again, as long as I am able. Poor coach Gundy is pretty well stuck with me but he's a great guy and takes it in stride.

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Coming Attractions - August 2014

August looks like an exciting month.

I'll be checking in with a young lady from Alice Springs, Emma Kraft, who is headed for the World Mountain Running Championships, representing Australia. That article should be out around the 12th of August. Along the way, I'll explain how I ended up with a half-marathon entry, good for the next decade.

Local high school cross country runners know Rick Riley as the coach at St. George Academy and a nice fellow. He was also a rockstar track athlete who raced - and beat! - Steve Prefontaine. Here's a Spokesman Review article on him. He's agreed to an interview - once I get over my sense of awe, I'll come up with some questions.

Writer Jack Welch got hold of me after the Tim Tays interview (lots of positive feedback on that and thanks to all of you!) about his book, When Running Was Young and so Were We. Only partway into it, but Jack is a man I'd like to sit down and have a few beers with. His joy of running - of life- combined with some keen insights, shine. Looking forward to finishing the book and seeing if I can corral Jack for an interview. I think it would be a hoot.

The tail-end of August will be the start of the cross country season and the start of my next major project, InlandXC.com. I'm hoping to build a network of volunteers to do race reports for the Inland Northwest - Washington, Idaho, maybe Oregon - but first I get to pave the way.

I also get to coach, part-time, junior high cross country. Love the youngsters, love their enthusiasm, getting better at herding cats. They can be a handful but a delightful one. Blogging may drop off a bit then.

For those that don't know, I have a newsletter I put out monthly. It's in the early stages of development and I was thinking it would be fun to play a bit. Sign up for the newsletter (August Letter comes out on the 21st) for the details. You can find the sign-up on the right sidebar, along with the RSS feed link and social media.

Take care and see you on the trail.

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How to Embarrass Your Daughters (Part 1)

I can see this building into a never-ending series since they were once teenagers and I am, well, Dad. It's part of my job to embarrass them, or part of theirs, growing up, to be embarrassed. Not sure which or even if makes a difference.

I was surprised at one thing that embarrassed one of my girls - saying hello, howdy, hi to people who were out running. She couldn't believe that I would actually talk to strangers.

It was one thing to chitter-chat her way through a run with her girl friends or teammates but saying "hello" to a person you didn't know who was out for a walk or run of his own was just audacious. And when I did the same with women out walking and running, it was semi-scandalous and I was "flirting".

Maybe I don't get it because I was never a teenage girl. I grew up in the early running boom when runners still counted themselves as iconoclastic figures, fighting to be recognized as individuals in a society that expected everybody to conform. We wore mismatched socks, grew out our hair, and dodged traffic because there weren't any running paths yet.

Or maybe I'm just getting older and don't care. I know that back when I did speed work on the U. of Idaho track, my running buddies would always strip off their shirts and blow themselves up when women walked by. Me, I trudged along, doing my thing. I was pretty sure the young ladies were not interested in me, given they were about the age of my daughters.

Still, if I had been on the road instead of the track, I'd have said hello. Not because they were pretty girls but because they were people. I know that I enjoy it when someone looks at me and offers a pleasant hello.

It's a moment of connectedness, saying hello, a way of saying "Hello, I see you, I am glad that you are here, I hope that you have a nice day."

It's a bit much for one word, so I usually add a smile.

Even though I can't actually see you right now, Hello!

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Benefit Run

If you're looking for a 5K next weekend, the Seaport Striders are hosting their annual benefit run. This run contributes all the proceeds to the local cross country programs at Lewiston, Clarkston, and Asotin High Schools.

Here's the application. The race starts at 7PM on Friday, August 8th. I have received a tentative agreement from Mother Nature to turn down the heat a bit but she's got to balance out the weather everywhere else to do it, so cut her some slack.

Starting location is Chief Looking Glass Park in Asotin.

For $10, you receive a shirt (while they last), a water bottle provided by Peak Performance PT, and the satisfaction of knowing your funds are matched by the Seaport Striders. Timing is provided by the mostly reliable right thumb of this author. Prizes will be by lottery based on bib numbers.

A special thanks to Peak Performance Physical Therapy for their very kind donations.

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Asotin Might Get a Real Track!

Coaches Lopez and Peters have been working with several providers, along with Poe Asphalt about installing a regulation track at the football field.

For those who are not aware of it - wait, let's back up.

Asotin has a track, kinda. It's a ring around the football field and gravel, 5/8's minus crushed basalt. Said basalt is not evenly spread and well compacted. It is loose, uneven as heck, with an abundance of unexpected divots hidden below the loose gravel. It's a challenge to run on it without twisting an ankle - and that's from a surefooted trailrunner. The high school kids, training to run at speed, are in danger of injury that can wipe out an entire season or career.

It is a measured oval. I know because I've measured it - four times with two different wheels. The average is 1262 feet per lap.

Math lesson. 1 mile = 1760 yards = 5280 feet. Divide the feet by four and you get 1320 feet.

Obviously not an imperial track. Maybe metric?

Uh, well, no.

1 Meter = 3.2808 feet, so 400m (a standard track circumference) should be about 1312 feet.

My guess is that I was the first person to actually measure the track. It was an afterthought on the part of the folks installing the football field. Someone said, "Hey, shouldn't there be a track around the field?" and the next guy said, "Sure, let's lay down the extra gravel around the outside." Viola', a track. Kinda.

The new track, as proposed, will actually have something resembling an actual track distance. The early reports are that it will be a six lane track which is sufficient to host small meets. The slightly smaller lane count allows the track contractors to utilize the existing footprint for the new track which substantially reduces the associated costs.

Asotin has a healthy number of runners but running participation drops off in winter when the trial along the river gets icy. Due to the overhanging cliffs, some of those areas stay slick for extended periods and makes running along the river hazardous.

Providing the entire community with a decent all weather track would be a boon to the whole town - and long overdue.

Looking forward to the next series of meetings on the subject.

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Future of Women's Middle Distance Racing Bright

Hayward Field just wrapped up the World Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships and the American women - 18 year-olds Mary Cain and Elise Cranny, along with Alexa Ehpraimson went toe-to-toe with the Africans who had dominated the middle- and long-distance events for nearly three decades.

Cain ended that run with a superlative 3,000m race that netted the gold medal with a PR race of 8:58.

Neither Cranny or Ephraimson made the podium but they did shake up the field in the 1,500m. Ephraimson, a soon-to-be high school senior at Camas High School in Washington State, ran fearlessly, staying with the race leaders in a manner reminiscent of Steve Prefontaine. The crowd at Hayward responded, cheering her on. Meanwhile, Cranny was running a tactical race farther back.

The two lady runners finished fourth and sixth. Ephraimson faded in the final lap as the leaders made their moves, taking the sixth place slot. Cranny, timing her kick a bit too late (per her own words), was a bit disappointed to not make the podium.

It's curious that the American ladies are running so competitively with the East Africans. Why aren't the men? A research project for me, I guess.

Hoping to pop loose to watch young Miss. Ephraimson this cross-country season, if I can find a gap between coaching junior high and cheering on our local men and women.

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Lewis and Clark Trail

Meant to try something a little easier after blowing up my legs last week on trails. Apparently, moderation is not something I'm good at - the Lewis and Clark trail is just as steep, with a first mile having 649' of gain according to my GPS.

Oops. So much for finding some flat stuff to play on.

Very pretty trail with lots of opportunities for log hurdling. I picked it up just past Lolo Campground outside of Kamiah, ID.