I love to provoke people to see life differently, to seek the welfare of others and to unveil the plaguing narcissism around us. I do all of this pretty poorly.
This is a space for me to leave pictures I find inspiring, thoughts I find provoking, links I find creative, and my personal prose theology that hopefully springs from community & continual prayer, reflection and learning.
Running 31 miles was a blast, but I don’t know how I could have done it without the encouragement of my family and friends. I’m sure there are tons of people who could care less about this, but I wanted to share my experience. It was tough but rewarding, long but over with before I knew it.
I can sincerely say it has left me wanting more and toying with the insane idea of a 50 miler. But for now, since I got so much support from my friends, I thought I’d share some highlights of the 5 hour (and 6 minute) journey I took on Saturday at the Cowtown Ultramarathon:
Between miles 1 and 3: I drafted off a man & woman who could have easily been over 80 years old. Not kidding.
Mile 9: My wife called to tell me she wouldn’t be at mile marker 10 with my next set of energy chews. Good thing I carried an extra pack in my vest. After I got off the phone, I was extremely proud that I just talked on my iPhone during an ultramarathon.
Mile 14: Got a call from my wife that they had made it to mile 13. :) She knew my proposed times, so this was the first moment I realized I was ahead of schedule.
Mile 16: I felt good enough to get my phone out and tweet. I was listening to a Kanye West song and made a joke about him trying to cut me off.
Mile 18: Felt like crap. I had been going too fast (8:30-9:30 minute pace).
Mile 20: Ashley and Emery met me on the Texas Christian University campus with a change of clothes, since the vest and long-sleeved shirt were too much for the increasing heat. After a quick roadside clothing change and chance to pick up some more fuel, I was off. Still felt like crap. As I took off again I thought, “my legs are tired. Really tired.”
Mile 22: Someone handed me a cup of beer, which I initially thought was water. When in Rome?
It was just past mile 23 and the course was splitting into “marathon” and “ultra-marathon.” As I made the right turn to attempt the 5 mile out-and-back stretch that made this “ultra,” I grabbed two cups of water at an aid station, drank both quickly, and lingered in a less-than-running state. For the first time all race.
You idiot.
You’re walking before you hit mile 26? Why didn’t you just run the marathon?
I hobbled along over the next couple of miles, fearful that the IT Band pain I had been experiencing for weeks would cut my race short.
As I stumbled out onto the ultra portion of the course, I knew I had to buck up and run. It was going to be tough.
And it was.
I tried my best to keep running with a little walking sprinkled in. I kept a slow jog up until I hit the aid station, right before mile 25, and drank two cups of water. I took off running again, passed the 25 mile marker, and then my leg cramped up.
I remembered the feeling. The last and only time it had happened to me on a run was at mile 17 of a 20 mile run. I had to walk home that day, because the cramps wouldn’t go away.
As I started walking, I decided I would alternate 5 minutes walking 5 minutes running.
After about 30 seconds of running, I had to walk again. At this point, I thought I might not make it. With more than 5 miles to go, I was worried about my ability to do anything more than walk. Then I got help.
A medic on a bike rode up beside me with a bottle of water and a banana. He might have been an angel, or he might have been a guy named Bob. Or Mike. But he definitely helped.
But again it hit me, “you idiot. You’re running 31 miles, but you couldn’t even finish 26 without walking.” As tired as I felt, I was surprisingly not in the mood to give up. As I looked at my watch, I realized I could walk out the race and still finish in the top 1/2 of the finishers from the year before. That was all the hope I needed….
The bearers of torture who designed the course had placed the turn around, at 26 miles, at the top of a steep hill. Now, I was tired and hurting but still not stupid. I walked up and ran down. After I made the downhill, I felt ok. Not great, but ok.
I was able to jog a mile and walk a few minutes, then repeat. Before I knew it, I had already passed the aid station (not without picking up 3 cups of powerade) and hit the Mile 28 mile marker, where I started tweeting again.
Maybe it seems silly to be emotional at this point, but when I saw mile marker 28 it hit me “you’re going to finish this.”
At the thought of this, I gave a few fist pumps and, admittedly, teared up as I ran. I then saw several ultra-runners just now entering the out-and-back portion and I felt for them. I hoped that they wouldn’t feel the pain I felt but all of the satisfaction.
Just past mile 28 I rejoined the original marathon course and headed towards downtown Ft. Worth. As I made the last turn and ran the final few city blocks towards the finish line, I was encouraged by chants of “ultra! ultra!” and it felt good to be one of less than 200 finishers in an event for a race day that hosted 21,000 runners.
Not to sound tough (because hey, I just admitted I cried when I realized I was going to make it), but I wasn’t really exhausted. Tired, sure. But I honestly felt worse 365 days earlier when I ran my first 10K at the Cowtown.
For what it’s worth, PowerBar Gel Blasts are an amazing source of energy but they won’t keep your legs from cramping. Outside of my delusional experience I know this because of common sense, but apparently it never crossed my mind while running. My advice: take the bananas random people are passing out all along the course.
Now it’s time to keep running, because a 50K isn’t the climax, even if it’s the longest run I’ll ever do…
My friend Steve, aka SpiritFarmer, has been influential in my spiritual and professional formation over the past few years. I’m thrilled that he’s chosen to join me on this running adventure. His running story follows as well as some links to get involved yourself. Enjoy!
My running story? Well, allow me to clear that up from the get-go. I assure you, what I do could hardly be called running. I’m only a couple months into this new journey, and I’ve got a long way to go. I’ll be honest – it’s been a rough year for me. I won’t go into a sob story here, but I’ve experienced a sizable dose of life challenges. And for quite a while there, I wasn’t handling things very well. I was using my drug of choice – food – to fend off feelings of depression, I was staying indoors constantly, and my body was paying the price.
And then a couple things happened. First, I had to get brutally honest with myself about my relationship with food, and change the way I respond to stress, pain, and frustration (this is another long story of its own). Second, my friend Petey, started blogging and tweeting about having been selected as one of ten ambassadors for the Nike+ Human Race 10K. I knew he had been doing a good bit of running, and had lost a lot of weight as a result, so when he started talking about his role in the Human Race 10K and recruiting people to join his team – Electric Highway, I followed along. Having recently gotten a new iPhone 3GS, I discovered that all I needed to give this thing a try for myself was a $19 Nike+ sensor to put in my shoe. Call me a sucker, but I gave it a shot.
Because I was starting out significantly overweight, and previous attempts at “getting in shape” have produced re-occurrences of old sports injuries and shin splints, I decided I was going to walk. Just two or three miles at a time to start. But I quickly found myself experiencing all the things “they” say about the benefits of exercise: the stress relief, the energy increase, building health, etc. I also have the blessing of living in the Seattle area, which has brilliantly beautiful summers, so I started walking trails near my home, soaking up the sun, breathing the fresh, clean air. My walks became five and six miles long, and I even started mixing in some half-mile runs along the way.
Then, Nike put together a challenge on their website – an 8 day mileage contest in which the top 50 finishers would win a pair of Nike+ running shoes. Partly because I was needing to get a new pair of running shoes anyway, and partly just to see if I could keep up, I gave the challenge a go. Because I’m still a beginner and wasn’t willing to injure myself over a pair of shoes, I decided once again to walk. I knew that Petey was in the challenge and was shooting for 100 miles in the 8 days, so I decided to try to keep up with him. The first day, I walked 10.5 miles on a fairly hot day … and barely lived to tell the tale – I actually got sick that night because of it. But the next morning I felt pretty good, and decided to give it another go on a shorter walk, with another one in the afternoon. Day after day, I kept after it, through the sore muscles and feet. Each day’s mileage increased, and as it turned out, I was actually keeping up with everyone on the leader board. By the end of the 8 days, I had made it to the 100 mile mark, and finished in 29th place, right behind Petey (out of over 500 contestants that logged miles). As I write this, my new shoes are on their way. I’m going to take a wild guess and say that of the 50 winners, I’m probably the heaviest and slowest.
I’m looking forward to participating in the Nike+ Human Race 10K on October 24. I really doubt that I’ll be able to run the whole way. But that’s o.k. By race day, I’ll be walking and running about 30 pounds lighter than when I started this thing. I still have a long way to go, but momentum is on my side. I was really encouraged by the shoe challenge, because on the website’s message board, I discovered that one of the top ten finishers had lost over 100 pounds by using the Nike+ system, and another top ten finisher has lost 230 pounds at age 55 by using it (both are women). The Nike+ web community is incredibly supportive.
I’m proof that anyone can start where they are. One foot in front of the other. Join me on the Electric Highway, and join the Human Race. You don’t even have to be a “real” runner.
To take part in the Nike+ Human Race and join the team with Steve, click here. Share this story with friends on Facebook & Twitter! To have your running story told, email me at dockin80@gmail.com!
My friend Andrew made this sweet video to relay my story and my campaign to get people running on team Electric Highway for the 2009 Nike+ Human Race on October 24th. Create a Nike+ account and Play along here.
The following is the story of Josh Rhone, a runner and friend. I hope his story inspire you to join us. Links can be found at the bottom of this post.
Running was never something that I loved to do. Rather, running was something that I did to serve a purpose.
I ran because I played basketball and I needed to stay in shape.
I ran because I played soccer and I needed to have the ability to play with variable bursts of intensity for ninety minutes.
After graduating from college, however, these motivations for running were no longer on my radar. I was newly married and adjusting to life in the real world- which meant lunch and dinner meetings, a sedentary day of sitting behind a desk, and plopping down in front of the television when I finally got home.
When good things happened in life or in ministry, I ate. I ate at weddings. I ate at birthday parties, rehearsal dinners, missions conventions, and church potlucks.
When bad things happened in life or in ministry, I ate. I ate at funerals. I ate because I was depressed or stressed. I ate fast-food because my life was too hectic and chaotic to eat healthier.
My lack of motivation to run, coupled with my sedentary lifestyle, and my out-of-control eating habits meant that I quickly went from carrying 220 lbs. on my 6’4” frame to almost three hundred.
It was just over a month ago that I was at that point. Then, on August 24th, after winning a Nike+ Sportband from Petey in an Ambassador Contest, I started running.
At first, I tried to run .25 miles and was only barely able to finish. So, I walked. I walked 2.75 miles.
Then, the following day I did it again. I ran .25 miles and then I would walk, only I did it twice.
Since that first day, I’ve tracked my progress on the Nike+ website. I’ve competed in some of the challenges. I’ve set goals. And, I’ve seen results.
I went from barely completing .25 miles to being able to run ten miles continuously (it wasn’t my greatest average time, but I was able to beat my .25 mile average time from when I started). I went from struggling to complete 25 miles in a week, to completing 89 miles in the Nike+ shoe challenge.
Most importantly, however, my health is improved. In just over a month, I’ve gone from 294 lbs. to 277 lbs. I feel better. I have more energy. I am more confident.
The following is the running story of Paul (aka KryptonianDog), an inspiring dude who writes on the blog “The Running Jerks.” He’s also fundraising for a run through Firstgiving to raise funds for the Chron’s and Colitis Foundation of America. Read this post to learn more and contribute here.
Why am I doing this?
Well, for the abridged version… I got fat. Like really fat. Like embarrassed to take my shirt off fat. And it’s not like it snuck up on me either. I’ve been moderately overweight since sophomore year of college and have stayed around 230-240 for the past four years. I just never had the drive to change anything.
That is until my “come to Jesus” moment on May 1st, 2009.
Now there were signs that things had gotten out of hand. Pictures from my friend’s wedding last Spring showed that my girlfriend attended said wedding not with her boyfriend, but pile of blubber that came a’calling when he heard about the buffet. When I needed to get a new suit for my younger brother’s confirmation, I was fitted for size 40 pants. I promised myself I would never hit that milestone and entertained the notion of walking into the church sans pants.
But on May 1st, things got real real.
It was late at night and I had just finished a fine day of work. I sitting at the computer, no shirt of course, and was trolling around the internet for comic book gossip and funny monkey pictures. For some reason (fallen gummy bear?) I looked down at my belly and was appalled. Something clicked. I had never thought of myself as fat. Sure, I was kinda tubby in “more to love” kinda way. But this stomach was just obscene.
Of course, the first thing that I did was log on to facebook and broadcasted my grief.
“Paul Frommelt just realized that he is physically disgusting. Why didn’t anybody tell me?”
Of course this was an opportunity for my friends to poke a little fun, which was funny, but the sad fact remained. I had let myself go in a big bad way.
Upon learning of my disgusting obesity, I decided that my plan of attack would be in three phases. Phase I: Eat like an adult. Phase II: Run! Phase III: Push some damn weights around. The first phase started the next day. Gone was McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King and sweet sweet Five Guys. Red meat became a no-no. Chicken, rice, green veggies, salads and turkey sandwiches were the way to go.
Phase II started a soon after. Let’s just say that it didn’t start very well. Fun Fact: During the first week of track practice in high school, I ran in red high top Chuck Taylors. Another Fun Fact: I’m an idiot. So I wasn’t really prepared to run. I had a beat-up old pair of shoes and two atrophied sticks that some would consider legs. My first run went like this: run like a zombie for about a mile (the old Romero zombies, not the newfangled Danny Boyle zombies), walk for half a mile, curse my maker and cry a little bit, run home. This went on for about a week until I decided to get a little more serious.
I bought a fancy new pair of running shoes that included a slot for a Nike+ sensor. That’s how I know exactly how far I have run and for how long. That day I learned an important lesson… the more money I spend on this endeavor, the more I can shame myself into running. Plenty of trips to the Under Armor section of Dicks followed.
Anyhoo, starting on May 12th, I set a goal of getting down to 200 pounds by July 5th, 2009.
I got close, but my torrid affair with running wasn’t over.
For me, running serves a purpose – the purpose of getting rid of my horrible horrible belly. But with my goal weight inching ever closer I risked the very real possibility of falling right off the wagon shooting back up to 240 pounds.
I assume it would go something like this: After stepping off of a scale that reads 199, I would immediately plan a celebration. Celebration requires cake, naturally. Because it would be a very personal celebration – my personal accomplishment – the cake would solely be for me. I imagine that I would lock myself in a room, probably in my underwear and a pointy party hat and eat the entire cake.
Now, eating an entire cake is an accomplishment in itself. You know what that means? More celebratory cake. Finish the cake, celebrate with another cake. The wonderfully chocolaty cycle will continue until the sobs of my girlfriend become too much for me to handle and I leave the locked room, 40 pounds heavier.
I don’t want that to happen. So as my goal weight drew nearer. I decided to set another goal. Luckily, my friend Mike was reaching his own breaking point with his belly. He first tried to literally survive on about 200 calories per day. When he realized that he is an unrealistic boob, he decided start a running adventure of his own.
So a plan was hatched. Mike and I would become marathon runners (I’ll pause for a second to let that sink in.)
We decided that the 2010 Marine Corps Marathon was close enough that we could brag about planning on running it but far enough away that we could wimp out before it got real. Now, about five months later, I am fifty pounds lighter at 185 pounds. I’ve run over 450 miles during that time and have participated in two 5K races and a 10K. I still have a long way to go, but I like to think I’ve taken a pretty swell first step.
To take part in the Nike+ Human Race and join the team with Paul, click here. Share this story with friends on Facebook & Twitter! To have your running story told, email me at dockin80@gmail.com!
I was sick. Not in the hospital kind of sick, but the kind of sick where you know something is wrong and can’t figure out what. I was tired all the time, nauseous all the time, and didn’t want to eat. After six months of these symptoms I was finally diagnosed with the early stages of Crohn’s disease.
The next step was medicine and lots of it. Too much actually. If one drug made me sicker, we tried another. “We” meaning the doctor and I. We even tried ones that weren’t used to treat Crohn’s. I was turning into a guinea pig of sorts. I’d start to feel better and then some crazy side effect of the drug would rear it’s ugly head. I knew I couldn’t keep polluting my body this way.
Thank God for friendly referrals. A fellow Crohnie, who recently had a foot of intestine removed due to Crohn’s, referred me to his doctor. My new doc was my saving grace. I am now med free and 99% symptom free. I still have some bad days, but most are good.
So how does this tie into running? Well, for months and I mean almost a year I was either too sick to eat and had no energy for exercise or I was depressed and preferred the couch to a gym. Through the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) I found my motivation. I signed up to walk/run the Rock-n-Roll Las Vegas 1/2 Marathon with CCFA’s Team Challenge. I get up every Saturday at 4:30 to meet my team for training and during the week stick to the team’s training schedule. I never in a million years would have thought that I would be able to run or even walk four miles a day, but I’m doing it! I’m new to running, but every day gets a little easier and I’m able to run a little longer. The best part is that I feel awesome!
So why do I run? Running gives me the motivation to do things I never thought possible. I run to save lives and find cures. I run for the feeling of accomplishment. I run for my health and the health of my son - if I can’t be an example to him who will be? In short, I run for the Human Race.
To take part in the Nike+ Human Race and join the team with & Shannon, click here. Share this story with friends on Facebook & Twitter! To have your running story told, email me at dockin80@gmail.com!
This is another post in a series of stories on other runners for the Electric Highway. The following is the story of Cyndie Nell. To take part in the Nike+ Human Race and join the team with me, Cyndie, and others, click here.
Hi,
my name is Cyndie I live in Utah! I received the Nike+ as a Christmas gift in 2008. I joined a challenge for beginner runners. I would get up in the morning and see who put in the most miles and I would run that and a little more so I would be the leader, then one of the challengers (Suzi) ask me what I was training for, I had no idea, I was just trying to win a challenge, I wanted the trophy even if it was a just a jpeg. She talked me into signing up for a race. I looked up some races and there was a race that I could sign up for in 2 months. I signed up thinking it was a 10K, and I had run-walked 5 miles so I thought that would be no problem…
When I got the info it was a 10 miler. Okay that is still do able. I came in last…all the awards had been given out and the crew had put everything away, not a single runner left only the clock was out and the people running it. I had so much fun. All the runners were so kind and welcoming that I really felt the friendship runners have. As soon as I got home I signed up for another race 2 weeks later. When I was coming into the finish line the people running the clock remembered me from the previous race. I exclaimed I was sorry for making them late for lunch. They just laughed. I always look for them when I do my runs now. I just can not see not run-walking. It makes me feel so good and it is the one thing I have control over. I can’t control the economy, gas prices,or my teenagers. Running helps me deal. Now a year and a half later I’ve run 3 marathons and several other races. I am very grateful for the Nike+. It helped get me out and run-walk. I’m thankful for the Nike site it helped me set goals, meet new people, and win a challenge. I will be meeting the challenger (Suzi) that talked me into signing up for a race this October at the Nike womens marathon. We have become good email buddies.
Thanks so much Nike,
Cyndie Nell
Share this story with friends on Facebook & Twitter! To have your running story told, email me at dockin80@gmail.com!
Over the coming days, I’ll be sharing the stories of other runners on the Electric Highway. The following is the story of Jamie Sandefer, an awesome team member! To take part in the Nike+ Human Race and join the team with me, Jamie, and others, click here.
Beginning as a young girl I loved being active and even played sports in high school. At 20 years of age, I married my high school sweetheart and a year later we had our first child. At that point I became a stay at home mom and was no longer active. I put on 50 pounds over the next 5 years. I would go through spurts of working out and my first choice would always be running.
Running made me feel empowered, strong, and in control of my body. In February of 2009 I ran my first 10k in Fort Worth and when I crossed that finish line I felt so proud of myself. However when I got home I went right back to being a couch potato, but in September I started logging onto my Nike+ site and found myself encouraged and motivated to put my running shoes back on. Since September 11th I have run 68 miles and have lost 13 lbs. I feel better than ever and am loving my daily runs. I am committed to beat my past inactive lifestyle and this is just the beginning for me!
Share this awesome story with friends on Facebook & Twitter! To have your running story told, email me at dockin80@gmail.com!
I think it started with the shoes. Nike created a challenge that gave the top 50 runners (mileage) a free pair of kicks.
Some people said it would take 60 miles to be top 50, some said 75. I thought 100 would definitely seal the deal. So a couple days before last Tuesday, that’s what I decided on.
Tuesday to Tuesday, 8 full days of running = 100 miles.
A few feet from where I’m sitting there’s a printed certificate on my wall.
It’s from the first 100 miles I ran on Nike+ last year. It took at least a month, probably more to complete.
As of yesterday evening, I had run just over 102 miles. In 8 days.
Today I’m losing 2 toenails (gross!) and I could hardly pull myself out of bed this morning.
At some point I realized that I didn’t care so much about the shoes anymore. I finished in 28th place, but had it been 51st I wouldn’t have been too upset. Maybe a little upset, but not really. In the end, it became more about a personal challenge than a pair of shoes.
On a little more than a whim, I did something as foolish as running more than twice my usual weekly mileage. People have injured body parts doing far less.
Here’s the thing: I ran it because I needed to push myself. Because grad school, a family, a packed full time career and my regular running schedule just wasn’t enough, right? Right. But my mind is stronger than my body, my passion can defy the laws of physics, right? Right. And you can put up with anything for 8 days, right? Right.
And I am extremely proud of my good friend Steve, a recent non-runner apparently turned running fiend, who finished right behind me in 29th place and hit over 101 miles.
This was part of our fun photo shoot in Deep Ellum. This particular shot was taken by the Prophet Bar and will be showing up on Nikerunning.com pretty soon! Thanks again for the photos, Jess!
