Sunday, August 24, 2014

Wilting in the Weather and Worthwhile Upcoming Races

I'm hoping that the proximate cause of sketchy runs this past week is humidity. Running outside has been akin to running in a steam room. Even a couple of longer outings were more of a struggle than they should have been. This morning, on a relatively easy 5 mi. run, I went into oxygen debt on the only monster hill on the course and had to walk a couple of hundred yards on the flat after the summit in order to catch my breath. Granted, it is always a taxing hill. But somehow the leg and lung combination needed to push through the task just wasn't available today. I'm supposed to pace a friend for 25 mi. in an ultra in a couple of weeks. If the weather remains like this, he may be pacing me. I have a 12.5 mi trail run planned for Wednesday (it is supposed to be about 10 deg cooler then). I am hoping to find that my weariness of late is simply weather-induced. Time will tell...

Speaking of the ultra; if you are looking for a great and challenging trail marathon, 50 mi., or 100 mi. race, the Hawk 100 is the group of races for you. In its 4th year, the Hawk brings trail and ultra runners in from around the world to run the Clinton North Shore loop. The loop is roughly 25 miles with approximately 90% of it under canopy. The 50 and 100 mile runners do the loop 2 and 4 times, respectively. The marathoners have a bit of a run added onto the front of the race and then run the loop as well. The Lawrence Trail Hawks are some of the friendliest people you will ever meet. The aid stations (and bag drop locations) are well-staffed (many with ultra runners who have done the race in the past) and loaded with food (including a great selection of vegan options - something you don't find at all races). To find out more, go here: http://www.lawrencetrailhawks.com/races/2014/sep/13/hawk-100-mile-50-mile-marathon-fourth-annual/

OK - Since I'm talking about ultras, I don't want to neglect another fantastic local series of races put on by Eric Steele and his company, Epic Ultras. Last year I ran the Hawk 100 marathon and then ran an Epic Ultra 50k a few weeks later. Epic has race planning and staffing down. They are very well-run events. The people behind the scenes are very responsive and enthusiastic. When I ran the race, it seemed that they made special efforts to get to know each runner. Epic strictly limits the number of competitors for each event. That makes for a very pleasant experience, although some of their races sell out quickly. If you want to run in the upcoming Flat Rock, for instance, you'll have to wait until next year. There is the Prairie Spirit 50 mi. and 50k coming up. These two are done on rails-to-trails, and are fun, flat, and fast. For more info go here: http://epicultras.com/our-events/

One more OK - Since I'm talking about running, I don't want to leave out a great local race for those who prefer to spend a bit less time running and who may prefer asphalt and concrete to dirt, rocks, and gravel. The Kansas Half Marathon is coming up November 2. It is a fun event and raises money for a good cause. Put on by Silverback Enterprises, a respected race/event company, the race is the largest of those I've mentioned in this blog. And, since it's a shorter length and occurs later than the others listed above, there is still a bit of time to get some solid training in before November. You can find out more about it here: http://www.kansashalfmarathon.com/

Finally, I got asked a couple of times this week why my book, RUN, is selling at a higher used price on Amazon than a new price. My answer: I have no idea. To get it new, used, or  in Kindle version, go here: www.amazon.com/author/allenlevine

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Personal Run Report, Movies You Should See, And Running Articles You Will Enjoy

What a great week. The runs I ran felt good (with one exception), were fast (with a couple of exceptions), and were satisfying (with no exceptions). In a week chock (choc?) full of heat and humidity, I managed to knock out just over 30 miles. Though I've been moving into the 40s for some time, this wasn't the week to push it.

I had a few runs with my buddy, Adrian, who can knock out 5-10 miles faster than I can, so there were some challenges. The biggest challenge came during a midweek, midday, death run in ridiculous heat and humidity. With 2.5 miles to go I told him to take off. I was tired of trying to stay on his pace. When I arrived at the finish looking like I'd gone for a swim in the river, it turns out he had only beaten me by a few minutes, having wilted in the weather as well.

My best run was on Saturday. It was overcast, so I popped out on the levee and did the 9.3-ish out and back run from the Mass Street Bridge to route's eastern terminus and back. It started out a bit hard to breathe. I had to fight the urge to pack it in for the first couple of miles. I concentrated on my breathing and trying to find a pace that would allow a pleasant run without pushing me into oxygen debt. What happened over the next 7 miles was that I found a comfortable pace and was able to run negative splits the rest of the distance. Mile 8 - 9.3 was the fastest of all. And, while I only had momentary episodes of going into the zone, the repetition of the flat expanse of levee coupled with the solitude (there were very few bikers or runners out) still served to create moments of mental relaxation that I always seek when doing runs of 10 or more miles.

Disc golf was also good. I managed three rounds on Lawrence and Perry, KS courses. Perry is always special because it may just be the finest course in Kansas. I've waxed poetic about it before, so I'll hold off here. But my partner and I (we played in 3 teams of 2) were able to knock out 4 birdies, each a frisson, on the very tough and beautiful course.

In literature,I'm in the final few pages of Mark Plotkin's brilliant, Tales of A Shaman's Apprentice. It is a wonderful exploration of ethno-botany in Suriname and Brazil in the 1980s. I'd been meaning to read it for years.  The book was one William Burroughs read and told me about, but I had never given it a thought until I had a discussion with someone who had been in South America recently to meet with shamans and experience their use of plant-based medicines.  I would highly recommend it.

The next book in my queue is Intelligence in Nature, by the well-known anthropologist, Jeremy Narby.

This week I also saw a couple of outstanding films. Boyhood is worth seeing at the theater. If you can find a bad review of this movie you should run out and buy a lottery ticket.

The Second film is The Trip. It is available on DVD and from Netflix. You can read about it here http://www.ifcfilms.com/films/the-trip It is an absolutely hilarious and understated movie about two British actors (who play themselves), taking a week to travel around Norther England sampling food. Doesn't sound great? It is. So much so that there is a sequel coming to art theaters shortly called A Trip to Italy. The trailer for that looks great as well.

Finally, there are a couple of items related to running that you should read if you have time. The first is a short piece from the SFGate about a guy who just set the record for running the PCT (Pacific Coast Trail) - basically from Mexico to Canada. He averaged 45 miles each day. If you dig deeper into what a PCT hike entails (let alone running it), you should be impressed with the athleticism, will, and sheer madness that it takes to accomplish a feat like this. See link -
http://blog.sfgate.com/stienstra/2014/08/16/new-pct-record-2660-miles-in-53-days-with-pics/#25873101=0

The second is from a blog I follow called the Science of Running. It is written by Steve Magness, one of the country's premier coaches who is also the author of the new running bible that share the its name with the blog. The article in this case deals with bias in coaching and training. I found it to be an enlightening read because it made me question the way(s) in which I run and train. http://www.scienceofrunning.com/2014/08/whats-your-bias.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+stevemagness+%28Science+of+Running%29

I hope your coming week is filled with the three Rs - reading, 'riting, and running.

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Pride Cometh(ing) After a Fail

Today was one of those running days that makes one appreciate the good running days. I popped out for a 4-7 mi run - nothing major, just recovery. About 2 miles into the excursion, instead of falling into a pace, I fell out of one. I wasn't too tired to run - not too sore or stiff from yesterday's much longer trail run. I simply couldn't find my groove (to use a technical term).

I figured I'd take a moment to walk and see if I couldn't get some focus back on form. While walking I noticed that sweat was pouring off the bill of my cap in a manner akin to Niagara. After such a short time? That couldn't be good. I got a bit concerned about dehydration.

I can easily lose 4-7 lbs on a long run in heat.  It seems crazy, but it is true. Yesterday I would estimate that I dropped about 5 on the trail run, and probably another lb playing 2 hours of disc golf in the afternoon. While I did drink a lot of water and electrolyte bevs yesterday, it is completely likely that the hydrate/dehydrate repetition of the previous 24 hours had thrown my body into a bit of turmoil.

I had one of those ridiculous moments while I walked for a couple of hundred yards. A guy out running passed me going the other direction. For a second I was embarrassed to be seen walking. But then I thought, I am wearing a 2010 KS Marathon cap. He'll obviously notice that and know that I'm a runner. And then I thought, OMG! Am I really that guy!?! Do I really give a crap?!? Seriously?!? And I pondered that for a while as I walked and then ran the rest of the way home.

And the answer is... maybe. In all honesty, I don't want to be the guy who cares if people think he's a runner, a walker, a jogger, a dabbler in fitness, etc... But then I think about how much running (and to a lesser extent biking, swimming, tennis, hiking, and disc golf) plays a part of my day to day life. And I guess I do want to be known (at least a bit) for living an active lifestyle. Does that make me shallow? Well, it certainly doesn't help. But taking a bit of pride in anything one does - whether it is craft, career, fitness or anything else - really can't be all bad. Can it?

Friday, August 1, 2014

My Top 10 List - Fiction

So a few days ago someone asked, "Who are your favorite authors? And what are your favorite books?" ...hmmm... Well f*ck!... That stumped me.  I actually didn't have any real idea. I mean, I had some stock answers. But nothing that was thoughtful about why I like certain books and authors more than others. So for the past week I've thought about it every time I've run - always a good time to ponder a question.

I'd actually like to make a couple of lists.  The first, which I'll cover today is a list of my favorite works of fiction. The second, for a later date, will be for non-fiction. I'll have some comments after the list of top 10 books.

1) The First Man - Albert Camus

2) What We Do Is Secret - Thorn Kief Hillsbery

3) The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway

4) At Swim Two Boys - Jamie O'Neill

5) Call Me By Your Name - Andre Aciman

6) The Swimming Pool Library - Allan Hollinghurst

7) The Moon Is Down - John Steinbeck

8) Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe

9) A Separate Peace - John Knowles

10) I'm Losing You - Bruce Wagner

Honorable Mention - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay - Michael Chabon, The Beautiful Room is Empty - Edmund White, The City and the Pillar - Gore Vidal, Look Back in Anger - John Osborne, A Single Man - Christopher Isherwood, To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee, The Chosen - Chaim Potok, Dawn - Elie Weisel, Death In Venice - Thomas Mann, A Day in The Life of Ivan Denisovich - Alexander Solzhenitsyn, The Shipping News - Annie Proulx, Side Effects - Woody Allen, Dirty Havana Trilogy - Pedro Juan Gutierrez, Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden, Music for Chameleons - Truman Capote, And the Ass saw the Angel - Nick Cave, Daughter of Fortune - Isabelle Allende

OK - I could continue with the honorable mentions for quite a while, but I will stop where I am. For those who now know my favorite novels you can close this page. For those who want a more in-depth discussion, please keep reading.

For Camus and Hemingway, I could've picked almost any work by either author. I love their entire collections. I chose the most personal and autobiographical of the works by Camus. It was what he was working on when he died. It somehow affected me more than any other work he ever did. The Plague and The Outsider/Stranger both certainly could've been my pick as well. As for Hemingway, I nearly picked a volume of short stories. But really, his mastery of Europe between the wars (an interesting period), is best summed up in a full-length novel.

My number two choice could easily have been my number one if he published a bit more. What We Do Is Secret follows a relationship between Darby Crash (yes THE Darby Crash of The Germs) and a fan. Hillsbery is a phenomenal writer. He writes in such an appealing manner that I never want his books to end - a very rare occurrence for me. Hillsbery's other novel, War Boy, covers the story of a deaf kid running away from an abusive dad and follows him through the west coast drug and post-punk scene. It is as riveting as WWDIS.  Hillsbery is supposed to have another novel out soon (his third, I believe). I continue to wait with anticipation.

My fourth choice was interesting (to me, at least). I think Jamie O'Neill is a fantastic writer who not only captures characters, but is also places them in a very difficult historical context in this work. I had thought of listing something by Brendan Behan - another Irish writer who I greatly admire. But, I'm almost surprised to write, that I think O'Neill gives the reader the immediacy of what was happening in Ireland just at the outset of WWII in a way that no one else I can think of has done.

Call Me By Your Name, a work by Andre Aciman is elegantly written. It is a coming-of-age story set alongside the Mediterranean. While I haven't come out with my non-fiction list yet, it is very likely that Aciman will also have a work mentioned there as well. If Aciman keeps writing, he seems to be the type who will one day win a Nobel - seriously.

The Swimming Pool Library is a work by an author who may be the best living writer, Allan Hollinghurst. Hollinghurst's books sell very well around the world, but I worry that he is considered a writer of gay fiction, rather than a writer of fiction/literature.  He is another writer where I could've chosen any of his works and felt justified in doing so. I simply picked the work that launched him.  All are worth reading, however. And, in some ways, I would list his latest work, The Stranger's Child, to be his most ambitious and also his most accessible.

John Steinbeck's, The Moon is Down, is the novel I've read more often than any other. It is about what happens in a Norwegian town during the course of an occupation. Though a lesser-known novel, it is short and powerful. It was also made into a play.

Chinua Achebe is the only African writer on the list. And he certainly deserves to be included. Things Fall Apart is told in beautiful prose. But the story, about loss of culture as colonization occurs, is anything but light reading. You will laugh, cry, and, in the process, come to understand Africa a bit better.

A Separate Peace is possibly the best coming-of-age novel ever written. John Knowles is able to convey what it is to be a boy on the cusp of becoming a man - in this case preparing to leave boarding school and head off to war. Knowles understands the dynamics of teenage interaction and friendships, and he effectively communicates the (sometimes overwrought) ways in which this demographic views the world around them. The novel is an absolute classic that will remain with you.

Finally comes Bruce Wagner's I'm Losing You. The 10th choice was difficult. I think there are certainly better writers than Wagner, though I love (make that adore) his work. For me, he certainly is worthy of a top 10 author. Wagner is the quintessential California writer - much as Diebenkorn or Thiebaud could be described as quintessential California painters. He tells stories of modern day California and both the shared humanity and disconnection that seem to accompany any description of the state. All of his novels are worth reading.

Now the takeaway: Once this is posted, I am certain that I will think of many other novels and writers who I would rather have placed on top of the list than those who appear on it (ie: Carlos Fuentes). But for now, for this day, this is a snapshot of who and what I like to read in fiction.

The glaring problem with the list that I can plainly see is the dearth of female authors. I do read works by women, but perhaps I don't read them in such a way that they stick with me. I plan to remedy that shortly. If there are suggestions, I will gladly welcome them.

Feel free to write and comment on what would should be added or omitted. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to post your own list(s) as well.

Until later - Happy Running and Reading.