Author: John Backman

Dear PE’s:

Every now and then we get a nice, unexpected surprise. Five years ago, I was interviewed by Jennifer Pirtle (from England) for information regarding several cardiac  issues associated with runners and running. I knew the information was to be used for an article, but I never heard anything else about it. Today, thanks to “Google” I came across the article, apparantly published in the NORTHERN EXPRESS, a Michigan newsweekly. I have reprinted it below, as it has some useful information regarding various cardiac problems which can cause problems for runners of all abilities. It is entitled The Heart of a Runner.

Click above to read the Express virtual newspaper.

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The Heart of a Runner
Jennifer Pirtle

Peter Moore was used to pushing himself. An avid athlete, he’d run two marathons, climbed to the top of the Grand Tetons, and regularly biked for hours in the hills near his home. But in 2002, Moore was three miles into a 30-mile bike ride when something felt wrong. “I would try to crank up the speed, then become completely exhausted and have to slow down,” he says. “I’d go again, but it quickly became clear that I was fighting against something that wasn’t going to let me get through.” Moore, then 46, chalked up his fatigue to some kind of exercise-induced asthma. A few days later he visited a doctor, and found that one of the two arteries at the top of his heart was 99 percent blocked.
As Moore did, you probably assume that your heart is in pretty good shape. But that cardiac complacency could be your downfall: In 2004, about 1.2 million Americans discovered their heart problems when they had a heart attack — and 502,000 of those died. “Even though exercise reduces the risk of heart disease, it isn’t a panacea,” says Paul D. Thompson, M.D., a runner, cardiologist, and director of the Athlete’s Heart Program at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut.

KNOW YOUR NUMBERS
In fact, fitness should be just one aspect of your preventive health approach. “It’s also crucial to know your numbers and keep them at a healthy level,” says Tim Church, M.D., medical director of The Cooper Institute in Dallas. That means: blood pressure should be lower than 120/80; HDL (“good”) cholesterol above 50; LDL (“bad”) cholesterol lower than 100; triglycerides lower than 150; blood glucose level lower than 100; and waist circumference less than 35 inches for women and less than 40 inches for men. These factors plus your family history are key to understanding your overall cardiac picture.
Moore’s weight and cholesterol levels, for example, were right on target. But his father had suffered a fatal heart attack at age 52 while running, so his risk for heart disease was relatively high.
Prevention also means scheduling a checkup (including a blood test, blood pressure check, and a sounding of your heart) with your family doctor every year or so, to stave off any problems before they start.
And although runners are used to training through discomfort, ignoring any of the symptoms of heart trouble, such as tightness in your chest, dizziness or fainting, unusual shortness of breath, even heartburn, is inadvisable. As Dr. Thompson says: “He who has himself for a doctor has a fool for a patient. If you suspect something, get it checked out immediately.”
While atherosclerosis (narrowing of coronary arteries) is the problem that most people associate with heart disease, there are other cardiac conditions that athletes, par-ticularly those over 40, should be aware of.

Arrhythmia
An arrhythmia is a change in the sequence of the electrical impulses that cause your heart to beat. Four million Americans have the condition, according to the American Heart Association.
“Most arrhythmias aren’t serious,” says cardiologist John Randolph Backman, M.D. “It’s when you start stringing multiple beats together that you can get into trouble.”
These so-called sustained arrhythmias can make the heart beat too slow or too fast, or erratically, leading to stroke or heart attack. Though runners with atherosclerosis and high blood pressure are at greatest risk for sustained arrhythmias, even athletes with no discernible danger can be susceptible, especially during runs of 15 miles or more.
“On long runs you can become significantly dehydrated, leading to changes in the blood’s levels of potassium, magnesium, and calcium,” Dr. Backman says. “These chemicals play a vital role in starting and conducting electrical impulses in the heart.” Which makes the following hydration guidelines all the more important: Drink 16 ounces of sports drink two hours before a long run, eight ounces every 20 minutes during your run, and 16 ounces of sports drink afterward.

Myocarditis
Also known as inflammation of the heart, myocarditis is caused by a viral infection that damages the valves, the tiny “doors” that open and shut to allow blood to flow through the heart’s four chambers.
Although the condition isn’t very common, weekend atheletes still need to be careful if they’ve had any viral infection (including the flu) that makes muscles ache.
“Your heart is a muscle, so if your muscles are sore, your heart may be involved,” Dr. Thompson says. “Rest until your muscles aren’t aching. When you return to exercise, if you find that you just can’t run at the levels you used to run, see your doctor. You may have a persistent infection of the heart.”

Valve Conditions
Some valve conditions can be congenital; others become more likely as we age. A defective heart valve is one that fails to fully open or close.
“Leaky valve symptoms can be more insidious and develop more slowly than those of other heart conditions,” says J. Michael Smith, M.D., a cardiac surgeon at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati. “You’ll just feel a little bit more fatigued and gradually find your workouts more difficult.”
A good doctor can spot a defective heart valve by listening with a stethoscope for a heart murmur, the sound made by the blood circulating through the heart’s chambers.
“Some athletes, because they have such strong hearts and slow heart rates, throw a lot of blood out of their valve all at once,” says Dr. Backman, who recently ran his 100th marathon. “As a result, you’re likely to hear a bit of turbulence, called a flow murmur, which is not necessarily indicative of a problem. A doctor who understands the physiology of runners will recognize this.”
With the blessing of his doctors, Moore still runs regularly, and he’s added interval training and weight-training to his routine to give his heart a more varied workout.
He also no longer views six-mile runs as license to scarf doughnuts. “It’s wrong for people to think that their exercise program conveys some kind of protective bubble around them,” he says. “Running is great exercise, but there can be health-related things going on independently that can bring you down, as happened to my dad, and nearly to me.”

OTher Signals of Heart Hassles

Though cholesterol and blood pressure levels are among the clues doctors use to predict heart disease, they aren’t the only indications of a potential problem. Here are three of the newest additions to the doc’s diagnostic toolbox. A blood test can tell you where your levels stand.

Homocysteine
What it is: An amino acid in the blood.
Why it’s bad: Studies have linked high levels of homocysteine to an elevated risk of heart disease and stroke.
Treatment: Folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 can break down homocysteine in the body.

C-reactive protein (CRP)
What it is: A naturally occurring chemical in the blood that is elevated when inflammation is present in the body.
Why it’s bad: Inflammation in arteries can make plaque rupture, causing a heart attack or stroke.
Treatment: Exercise can reduce CRP levels by helping restore the function of the inner lining of blood vessels.

Lipoprotein
What it is: A variation of LDL, the “bad” blood cholesterol Why it’s bad: Lipoprotein has been associated with an increased risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease.
Treatment: Diet, exercise, and cholesterol-lowering drugs can lower lipoprotein levels.

A version of this article originally ran in “Runner’s World.”

The reason I bring up this information now is that many of you have started training and racing recently. If you haven’t had a good cardiovascular evaluation recently and are not aware of your cholesterol, blood pressure (BP), HS-CRP, now might be a prudent time to contact your health care provider to make sure you are not putting yourself at undue risk.

Not everyone is satisfied with just a few marathons in a year or a lifetime. One of my patients gave me this article today from the Wall Street Journal which may be of interest to you, but I know it will be of great interest to our MarathonManiac members:

For ‘Mega Marathoners,’ the Race Is On — to Run More Races
At 73, Eugene DeFronzo Finishes His 402nd; He’s ‘a Nut Job’ and ‘a Marvel,’ Says Doctor
By NEIL KING JR.
KITTY HAWK, N.C. — Some compulsives collect shoes. Others obsess over video games. Eugene DeFronzo, 73 years old, runs marathons. He clocked his 402nd here on a recent Sunday, and has three more planned this year.
The Connecticut personal-injury lawyer cracked three vertebrae when he slipped during a race last December. He pulled a hamstring in Tampa two months later, and again in Mississippi a week after that. He nearly passed out in the parched hills of South Dakota in August, finishing last by two hours. In October, he got lost in the woods of Indiana when organizers cleared away the markers. “It’s an obsession,” he says. “No different than gambling, drinking or doing drugs.”
Mr. DeFronzo is part of a proud subculture of self-styled “mega marathoners,” people who run hundreds of the 26.2-mile races. Three Germans, a Finn and a Japanese woman are known to have clocked more than 1,000 marathons apiece — that is 26,200 miles, about 1,300 miles more than the circumference of the earth. The record holder, 74-year-old Horst Preisler, has run 1,636 marathons.
Norm Frank, 78, owner of a lawn-care company in Rochester, N.Y., was poised to be the first American to break that one-thousand mark before he suffered a stroke last November, a month after running his 965th marathon. He is now in a nursing home, forced to use a walker as he works to regain his strength and sense of balance. “I still have hopes,” Mr. Frank says.
Floridian Denny Fryman, 62, has only 192 to go. Shooting for 20 a year, the hotel concierge figures he can get to 1,000 before he turns 72. “Every time I cross the finish line, it’s the biggest natural high there is,” he says.
Scientists have studied compulsive running, not only in humans but in rats and mice. Some compare it to eating disorders like anorexia nervosa.
Michael Sachs, a professor at Temple University in Philadelphia who studies exercise addictions and usually runs 18 miles a week, says for most people, running multiple marathons is simply a passion, like skiing or surfing, and not a disorder. He says runners enter addiction territory only when they can’t control their urge to race. “If running marathons is at the top of your list of values above all else,” says Dr. Sachs, “that might be something to worry about.”
Marathon trackers say fixations usually hit in middle age, when men and women want to test their abilities before it’s too late. That’s also when people tend to have more free time and disposable income. The passion inspires odd fraternities. Have you run 100 marathons? There’s a club for that. Have you notched at least one marathon in all 50 states? There’s a club for that, too.
Larry Macon, a trial lawyer from San Antonio, completed his 105th marathon in 2008.
Bob Dolphin, who founded the 100 Marathon Club in 2001 with his nonrunner wife, Lenore, says he ran “seven marathons in seven consecutive weekends at age 77 in 2007.” Others have been known to do 50 races in 50 weeks the year they turn 50.
More than 435,000 runners crossed the finish line at the country’s 361 marathons last year, according to John Elliott, who runs the Marathon Guide Web site, which tracks nearly all U.S. marathons and records. Most of those were content with finishing just one race, but many were repeat runners, estimates Mr. Elliott.
One tally of mega marathoners, compiled by Japan’s 100 Marathon Club, counts 167 runners world-wide who have logged at least 300. Thirty-three are American.
Yes, there are the medals, and the bragging rights. Larry Macon, a 64-year-old lawyer at Akin Gump in San Antonio, Texas, says he does it mainly for the fresh air and camaraderie. He ran 105 last year, or more than two a week, and is about to break 600.
“The jerk percentage among marathoners is just so much lower than the jerk percentage among lawyers,” he says. This Thanksgiving he plans to run three marathons over three days, plus another four in December. (Obsession appears to run in the family. Mr. Macon’s wife, Jane, has a herd of 600 miniature horses.)
Born with a curved spine and diagnosed later with an enlarged heart, Mr. DeFronzo ran his first race, the 1991 New York Marathon, when he was 56. Not until 1994 did he run multiple races — six that year. He did 15 the next year, 20 the year after that, then 30 in 1997.
Mr. DeFronzo has achieved the 50-states feat six times and is 13 states shy of his seventh circuit. Every lap around the country, he figures, costs him $25,000 in travel costs and registration fees.
He ran past penguins in Antarctica. He had a near miss with lions in Kenya. He did a race in Death Valley, and crossed the tundra in Canada’s Nunavut Territory. He has run in Saginaw, Mich., four times.
The walls of Mr. DeFronzo’s law office in Cheshire, Conn., are hung with race medals, mounted and framed. A billboard outside bears a 12-foot-square photo of him finishing the 1994 Philadelphia Marathon, and the slogan: “I’ll go the extra mile for you.”
He can’t quite pin down why he does it. “It’s hard, and you don’t get anything at the end but a medal,” he says. “I guess overachievers just like to put obstacles in their way to conquer.”
His physician, Dr. Stephen Harris, calls Mr. DeFronzo both “a nut job” and “a marvel.” His vitals, Mr. Harris says, are those of a much younger man, while “his muscular and skeletal system is spectacular.”.
Even the cracked vertebrae last December and the pulled hamstring only slowed Mr. DeFranzo a bit. His recent trip to North Carolina’s Outer Banks marked his 15th marathon of the year. Last year, he ran a total of 35.
He arrived at Kitty Hawk a day early, as usual, to survey the route. He loaded his plate with rigatoni at the traditional pasta dinner the night before, but shunned the sauce because it could upset his stomach. “Too risky,” he said. He woke before dawn to stretch in his motel room, swallowed an aspirin and stuffed a spare shoelace in his pocket.
Jostled by runners near the starting line, he chugged a Red Bull, a caffeine-loaded drink whose motto is, “Gives You Wings.” He crammed two more cans in his back pocket and carried a fourth in a plastic bag. “My aim is to run this in finish time — whatever time it takes to finish,” he said. “I’m not looking for any hour or minute.”
He started strong, stride for stride with the horde, but soon slowed to his own pace. His shirt listed his 50-state accomplishments in bold on the back. A few first-timers jogged past him in awe. “You’re an inspiration,” one woman said. A guy in a red pick-up stuck his head out the window and yelled, “Way to go, buddy!”
“I don’t need crowd support,” he said, craning up a slope at the 11th mile. A mile later he chugged his second Red Bull. He navigated much of the course at a pace somewhere between a shuffle and a trot. A second wind, fueled in part by his last two Red Bulls, helped him overtake stragglers in the final miles. He finished 16 seconds shy of seven hours, and 14 runners ahead of last place. The winner beat him by four hours, 27 minutes.
“I’m glad that’s over with,” he said, before a woman draped him with another finisher’s medal. “It wasn’t that hard, but still, it’s 26 miles.”

Well, there you have it! I love these people. They all make me look sane!

Happy Trails,

JRB

Dear PE’s:

Last month marked the 2nd anniversary of my new love affair with Chi Running. Many years ago, Ozzie Gontang, guru of the San Diego Mission Bay Marathon Clinic, started propounding many of the basic concepts of Chi Running (although the term was not yet in vogue). Ozzie, a veteran of many marathons with a keen sense of biomechanics and movement would exhort his “students” to stand tall and elongate the chest (as if a tie line suspended from above kept the head up) , step lightly and quickly as if running on hot coals (sometimes even mouthing silently or out loud “Oh…oh…oh…oh…oh…), relax the shoulders and other muscles, engage the core muscles by leveling the pelvis, keep the eyes focused ahead and shoulders perpendicular to the direction of forward movement! These concepts reached a much larger audience 5 years ago when Danny and Katherine Dreyer published the 1st edition of Chi Running. An expanded 2nd edition was just released.  I don’t think the Dreyers really originated Chi running, just as Evelyn Wood didn’t really originate speed reading. Each, in his own way, observed practitioners (of running or reading) who were naturally gifted with efficient and effortless mechanics. Each was able to deconstruct the activity into its component parts, learn to teach those individual components, and then reconstruct the activity. It bascially comes down to astute observation and an ability to teach (and write clearly). Now, the method is being taught widely, with thousands (perhaps hundreds of thousands) practitioners across this land and around the world. From my personal experience, IT WORKS! From time to time, I will “republish” some of Danny Dreyer’s blogs, as I feel strongly that wider dissemination of this material will serve to expand the numbers of uninjured runners who can continue to enjoy this activity for years to come. This said, I would like to start with his observations on how to avoid or minimize pain in the quadricep muscles:                                                                                

                                                                                           How to Avoid Sore Quads            

Dear PE’s (Pony Espresso members, or “Ponies” for those of you new to this group):

Thirty years ago I started distance running to build my endurance for my great passion of the time- tennis.  However,  something magical occurred during my very first run on the beach in Del Mar, California. I ran approximately one mile and stopped to stretch at the cliffs near the Del Mar race track. At that moment, something I still can’t describe or explain, resonated within me, and it just felt “right”.  I finished my run and it was not until 18 years later, that I again picked up a tennis racket! As with many new to the sport, I quickly became enamored and shortly thereafter, hooked up with Thaddeus Kostrubala, MD, author of the best seller The Joy of Running who, thanks to the gods and muses of running, just happened to live around the corner from me.  When we first met, I related the story about that special “resonance” which occurred at he cliffs, and he smiled and informed me that those were the very cliffs when the “cliff dweller” Del Mar Man was found. He was thought at the time to be 25,000 years old, making him the oldest hominid found in North or South America. His age was later reduced to 8,000 year by more accurate carbon dating techniques. To Thad, those cliffs were a sacred shrine. Thad took this as a sign that I should be one of his disciples as he had long held that running brought us back to our origins as hunter-gatherers. This was the reason it felt “right” and accounted for increased awareness of our surroundings. He was criticized for “unscientific” reasoning and mocked for his theories. Now, fast forward 30 years. Several important papers published in peer reviewed journals such as Sports Medicine, Current Anthropology, and The Journal of Experimental Biology, have all dealt in a scientific manner with the concept of Man as an endurance animal who was able to outlast wild animals on the run, and ultimately make the “kill” when the animal collapsed with exhaustion! Now, a national best seller Born to Run written by Christopher McDougall and published this year by Alfred A. Knopf  tellls the story of the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico, renowned for remarkable distance running achievements (and games). The Tarahumara were always a favorite of Thad’s! An abstract  of an article  published  in 2004,by the Journal, Nature,  dealing with this issue is reprinted below:

Endurance running and the evolution of Homo

Dennis M. Bramble¹ & Daniel E. Lieberman² 

Pony Espresso Express

November 3rd, 2009

Dear PE’s:

This will probably be the LAST newsletter published and emailed directly to our continually growing stable of Ponies. However, DON’T DESPAIR!  Assuming I am able to learn what 20 million others have, the Pony Espresso Express will now be found on Facebook under groups:  Pony Espresso Running Club.  We are going national. The new format may look a little different until I learn to get the most out of the site. You can access the site by clicking on the following link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=170376686846&ref=mf . If you are already a member of Facebook, you need only become a “friend” to interact with the site. If not, you must sign up by going to www.facebook.com and joining. You can also find the Pony Espresso Express on our new website, also a work in progress. Just go to www.ponyespressorunningclub.com.  Just make it a “FAVORITE” ON YOUR BROWSER to access it immediately. (If you don’t know how to do that, just collar the 1^st 12 year-old you can find and they’ll do it or teach you) J The advantages of the Facebook site will be many: it will be easier to connect and interact with others, get much wider expertise on all matters related to running, training, racing, and express your own thoughts regarding any and all matters related to running.  You will be able to access the site at any time, and retrieve archived letters and links. I will no longer need to manage the mailing lists. You can spread the word and have running friends access the site independently. I would like to see this site become a national clearing house for committed runners without respect to their preferred distances or running abilities. You can view and have limited input on the website. The first posting is a mission statement reprinted below:

Pony Espresso Express

Mission Statement

The Pony Espresso Running Club consists of a group of “committed” (and not yet “committed”) runners who are into running for the long run- both figuratively and in reality. This site is intended as a national meeting ground for ponies of all breeds and abilities to exchange information and observations. It has grown out of a local group of San Diego North County runners who prefer to run on horse trails and consume copious amounts of coffee, hence the name. [Over the years, our mailing list for the newsletter has literally spread from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine, and from Naples, Florida to Naples, California. We have members in Washington, Oregon, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, Arizona, Colorado and others]. Our motto is:

“Neither rain nor hail nor sleet nor snow nor heat of day nor dark of night shall keep this pony from the swift or slow completion of its appointed rounds.”*

*Of course, in San Diego we have only to deal with the “heat of day” and “dark of night” (apologies to Herodotus and the U.S. Postal Service and the rest of the nation)

We will have a much larger forum and easier access.) I will encourage others to set up “stables” in different locales for both the Pony Espresso (running) and Tennessee Walkers (walking) divisions. I need your help to make this work!

I will continue to monitor multiple sites and continue to provide links to legitimate experts such as Joanne Dahlkoetter, Danny Dreyer, Ozzie Gontang, as well as respected sites such as Runners World, Marathon Maniacs, Active.com, and others. This will definitely be a “work in progress”.

I have spent the Summer and early Fall flying around the country to various marathons: Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; Missoula, MN; Albuquerque, NM; Long Beach, CA; Burlington VT; Asbury Park, NJ and have met runners from throughout the 50 states who are committed to various personal goals ranging from completing the 50 States & DC, to multiple and back-to-back events, to commemorating sick or fallen friends and family, to fund-raising for innumerable charities. The VAST majority of these individuals are just “regular” people with family, jobs, and all the commitments we all share. But, they have found a way to train, travel, and compete in these events. Where there’s a will, there’s a way! This is a GREAT community of which to be a part!

If you have postings on the new site, be sure to identify the city in which you reside, since it would be quite impractical for someone in San Diego to meet up for a local run with someone from Lawrence, KS, Nashville, TN, Gainesville GA or any of the other sites now represented on our current mailing list (not to mention…expensive and time consuming) J

Happy Trails,

JRB

PONY ESPRESSO EXPRESS

 

Long awaited Half Marathon Issue

 

Dear PE’s:

As September approaches, we turn our thoughts to “back to school”, “off to school”, “back to work” and “back to Marathon/Half Marathon season”. In Southern California, we are blessed with good weather, beautiful venues (beach, coast, mountains) and lots of choices to satisfy our “half marathon cravings”. Unfortunately, many other people have the same needs, and consequently virtually all the major races fill up earlier and earlier. So, the usual admonition: sign up early! Or you’ll be watching (rather than participating in) your anticipated event. With this in mind, I have compiled a fairly complete list of the events in the local and regional areas that might be of interest. All are half marathons with the exception of a few trail runs that are very close to half marathon distance (18-20K) vs. 21K.

 

Before you read the list (which should allow you to click your way to the web site to sign up), remember that we generally have longer training runs on Sundays. Last weekend, for example, 10 ponies showed up for our 5-14 mile runs. As advertised, the courses were primarily horse trails, hence a good workout but easy on the body. Good work Sharon, Tom, Michael, Wayne, Bonnie, Athena, Ayo, Ken and Janet J  This weekend, we’ll be leaving from the north end of Torrey Pines State Beach (on 101) at 6:45 am. We plan to run NORTH on 101 with ample opportunity to go 5-15 miles (out and back course). We’ll try to use the dirt paths (or beach) as much as possible. But, it is useful to do some running on pavement as that is where most of the half marathons are J. If you know the music from Rogers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma, you’ll remember “Oh, what a beautiful morning”. This is especially true at this time of the year. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the afternoons which have been hot and muggy (and potentially dangerous). Hence, for your comfort and safety, try to start your long runs early (see above J). 

 

09/06/2009 06:00am Sunday	2009 Disneyland® Half Marathon (The Disneyland® Half Marathon Weekend returns Sept 4-6, 2009. Start planning now to join us over Labor Day Weekend for your shot at the coveted castle finisher medal)	Spectrum Sports Management 909/399-3553 [email protected]	Disneyland® Resort Anaheim, CA 92802 (course through Disney’s California Adventure® Park, to Disneyland® Park, streets of Anaheim & back to Disneyland® Resort for an exciting finish)	To compete, you must be 14 yrs or older,able to maintain a 16-minute per mile pace throughout the race, completing the Half Marathon in three and a half (3.5) hours or less. www.disneylandhalfmarathon.com
09/12/2009  Saturday	Big Bear Lake Marathon, Half Marathon, Cycle Tour, 5K and 1 Mile Kid’s Run	Nikki Allen, Event Coordinator [email protected]	Beautiful So Cal location in the San Bernardino mountains! Big Bear Lake, California is So Cal’s backyard playground.	For additional information, visit website at: www.runthebear.com
09/19/2009 08:00am Saturday	Camp Pendleton Heartbreak Ridge Half Marathon 13.1 miles	Race Hotline 760/725-6836 [email protected]	43 Area Las Pulgas, Camp Pendleton, CA	A breathtaking 13.1-mile all gravel off-road course through the rolling hills of Camp Pendleton in the 43 area. Course is on packed fire roads. Website: camppendletonraces.com
09/27/2009 08:00am Sunday	XTERRA Point Mugu Trail Run 11K, 18K Trail Runs	Ashley Aurell 310/821-7898 [email protected]	Point Mugu State Park/Malibu/Oxnard	Race #1 starts at the southern end of the park in La Jolla Canyon, which is 1 mile west of Sycamore Canyon. www.trailrace.com
09/27/2009  Sunday	The 14th Annual Lake Tahoe Marathon, Marathon Relays, Half Marathon, 20 Mile Power Walk, 72 Mile Ultra Marathon, 10K/5K Run/Walk, Kids Runs, Triathlon, Extreme Speed Golf, Kayak or Swim.	Les Wright 530/544-7095 [email protected]	The start is on the grass area of Commons Beach just a few steps from the water in Tahoe City.	Take a running vacation to Lake Tahoe this Fall September 23 – 27th, 2009. Run, walk, swim, paddle or peddle one or more of the many events during Lake Tahoe Marathon week. “From start to finish, maybe the most beautiful set of events you will ever laketahoemarathon.com
10/04/2009 07:55am Sunday	Rock ‘n’ Roll 1/2 Marathon San Jose 7:55am Wheelchair Start, 8am Race Start	Elite Racing Inc. 858/450-6510 800/311-1255 [email protected]	W. Santa Clara St. and Almaden Blvd. San Jose, CA	Health & Fitness Expo Fri, Oct 3rd & Sat, Oct 4th. Flat & Fast USATF certified course, 20 Live Bands, and much more! www.rnrsj.com
10/11/2009 07:00am Sunday	25th Annual Long Beach International City Bank Marathon, Half Marathon, Bike Tour, 5K Run/Walk, & Evergreen Kid’s 1 Mile Fun Run	International City Racing 562/427-4606 [email protected]	Shoreline Drive in Long Beach, CA	A course like no other marathon in the country. The highest elevation is only 45 feet, offering incredible views of the city’s coastline & historical landmarks. Full & Half Marathon have a wave start with waves every 5 minutes. www.runlongbeach.com
10/11/2009 07:00am Sunday	California Wine Country Marathon: 26.2 Mile Marathon & 13.1 Mile Half Marathon.	Events With Sole 707/888-6256 [email protected]	Downtown Healdsburg California, in the middle of Sonoma County wine growing region 70 miles north of San Francisco in the middle of Sonoma County.	An epic adventure w/miles of vineyards & dozens of wineries for your viewing pleasure. Gently rolling roads w/breathtaking views of Dry Creek & Alexander Valley. A PR course with the final few miles downhill! www.winecountrymarathon.com
10/11/2009  Sunday	City to the Sea Half Marathon and 5K Run/Walk. (certified Half Marathon course)	Registration @ www.active.com Or Go to: www.citytothesea.org [email protected]	Point to point course starts downtown San Luis Obispo continuing on country roads and finishing along Shell Beach Road at Dinosaur Cave Park.	Registered receive event long-sleeve t-shirt & free post race breakfast hosted at the Dinosaur Cave Park. Additional tickets may be purchased for $7. Bus transportation provided after race from the finish to downtown SLO.
10/18/2009  Sunday	The 4th Annual Denver Marathon, Half Marathon, & 4-person ING Marathon Relay	Competitor Group 858//450-6510 or 800/311-1255	Denver, Colorado	A flat, scenic course with one of the most entertaining post-race parties in the Rockies! www.denvermarathon.com
10/31/2009 07:15am Saturday	Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon	Matt Dockstader [email protected]	Healdsburg, CA	Destination Races’ newest jewel, the Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon, features a spectacular, curving course through the Alexander & Dry Creek Valleys when the vineyards are vibrant with fall colors. Celebrate wine harvest & Halloween with family & www.runhealdsburg.com
11/01/2009 08:00am Sunday	Lake Casitas Half Marathon & 5K	Bill Escobar 805/258-3779 [email protected]	The race will start and finish at Lake Casitas in Ojai CA	Includes a huge race day expo and celebration. All athletes will be awarded a finishers medal as they cross the finish line. $5 of each registration will be donated to the American Cancer Society of Ventura County. www.LakeCasitasHalfMarathon.com
11/01/2009 07:00am Sunday	US Half Marathon, San Francisco	U.S. Race Series, LLC [email protected]	On the waterfront, Aquatic Park on historic Muni Pier	Also Corporate/College Team (min 8 members) Kids MaraFUN Presented by St. Jude and Women’s 10K www.ushalf.com
11/08/2009 07:00am Sunday	Eye-Q Two Cities Marathon and Half Marathon	Mike Herman [email protected]	Fresno, California 45 minutes from three National Parks including the crown jewel Yosemite National Park.	Boston qualifier/$10,000 purse/2-day Expo w/Dick Beardsley, Michelob Ultra Celebration Beer Garden. BEST amenities – technical long-sleeve event shirt, Finisher’s sweatshirt, custom medallion, hot breakfast, FREE massages & our signature ice cream sundae! www.RunFresno.com
11/08/2009 07:00am Sunday	14th Annual Santa Clarita Marathon, Half Marathon, 5K Run/Walk, & Kid 5K.	661/286-4018 [email protected]	City of Santa Clarita, CA on newly open trails along the San Francisquito Creek	USATF-Certified, Boston Marathon Qualifier, Loop course. Health & Fitness Expo on Sat. Nov 7th, 9am-5pm at Hyatt Valencia. Website: www.scmarathon.org
11/14/2009  Saturday 7am/Mar- 5K/8am	Hope Site Mission-Vision Blind Center El Monte Marathon, Half-Marathon & 5K	Charlie Alewine, Race Director. 909-319-8492 [email protected]	Legg Lake Park 750 S. Santa Anita Ave., South El Monte, CA 91733	Flat, fast beautiful scenic course around lake. Appx 50% dirt, 50% sidewalk. Event t-shirts, medal to all finishers, trophies to top 3 runners in each race. www.CharlieAlewineRacing.com
11/15/2009 07:00am Sunday	10th Annual Silver Strand Half Marathon, 5K Run/Walk, Skate, Hand-cycle, 1/2 Marathon Tag Team Run.	Koz Enterprises 858/268-1250 [email protected]	Start: Coronado Finish: Imperial Beach	The course is open to runners, joggers, walkers, hand-cyclists, wheelchairs & skaters. A flat, fast, point-to-point 1/2 marathon course. Website: kozenterprises.com
12/13/2009 08:00am Sunday	Santa To The Sea 1/2 Marathon, Relay & 5K Fun Run	Mike Barber [email protected]	race starts @ giant santa along the 101 freeway runs thru the strawberry fields,downtown Oxnard and ends at the beautiful Channel Islands Harbor@Marine Emporium Landing	This race is a fundraiser with 100% of proceeds going for toys for underprivileged kids,each runner must also bring a unwrapped toy of 10.00 or more value Santa To The Sea.com
12/13/2009 09:00am Sunday	Lasse Viren 20K Trail Run (32nd Annual)	Josh Spiker 805/258-6361 [email protected]	Sycamore Canyon (part of Pt. Mugu State Park) off Pacific Coast Highway between Oxnard and Malibu, CA.	32nd annual running of this classic trail run. Great scenery and excellent post run food provided by Aloha Steakhouse. www.LasseViren20K.org
01/09/2010  Saturday 8:00 am	XTERRA Boney Mountain Xduro – 6K and 21K Trail Runs	Generic Events 310/821-7898 [email protected]	This race is held in Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa National Park and Pt. Mugu State Park.	Part of the XTERRA SoCal Series. Features two challenging & scenic races through fire roads & single track trails of Point Mugu State Park. www.trailrace.com
01/09/2010 08:00am Saturday	Kaiser Permanente 18th Annual Southern California Half Marathon, 5K, & 1.6K Kids Run	949/559-8171 www.schalfmarathon.com [email protected]	Irvine, CA (corner of Barranca & Creek) Village of Woodbridge	Fast, flat, scenic course, beautiful t-shirt, Fabulous Expo,. A great tune-up race for SD, OC, and LA County upcoming marathons. Featuring chip timing and finishing medals for the half marathon! Online reg at www.active.com www.schalfmarathon.com
01/17/2010  Sunday 7:30 am	7th Annual P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon & Half Marathon	Elite Racing 1-800-311-1255 [email protected]	Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe, AZ	Flat courses for runners & walkers/all ability levels, featuring many popular attractions. 70 Live Bands, Headliner Concert & A Boston Qualifier. Health & Fitness Expo Jan 16-17, Website: www.rnraz.com
01/24/2010 07:00am Sunday	Carlsbad Marathon & 1/2 Marathon with Health & Fitness Expo (nearing sell out – register today)	In Motion, Inc. 760/692-2900 [email protected]	Spectacular coastal course. Carlsbad, California Westfield Shoppingtown Plaza Camino Real.	Beautiful coastal courses with fastest 1/2 marathon time on the West Coast. 3-day Health & Fitness Expo & more! Website: www.carlsbadmarathon.com
02/06/2010 08:00am Saturday	The Sedona Marathon Event, including Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K.	800/775-7671 [email protected]	Sedona Arizona	Run a marathon, half marathon or 5K through the mystical and majestic red rocks of Sedona on asphalt and dirt roads, in elevations of 4100-4650 feet. sedonamarathon.com
02/07/2010 06:50am Sunday	Surf City USA® Marathon, Half Marathon, 5K and 1 Mile Kids Race	Kinane Events 888/422-0786 [email protected]	Huntington Beach CA 92648	This exclusive oceanfront course is a California Dream! Run on Pacific Coast Highway past the famous Huntington Beach pier and wind through the legendary surfing beaches of Southern California in Huntington Beach, CA www.runsurfcity.com
02/14/2010  Sunday 8:00 am	42nd Annual San Dieguito Half Marathon & 5K Run/Walk	Kathy Loper Events 619/298-7400 [email protected]	Start/Finish: San Dieguito County Park, Rancho Santa Fe, CA	“This is one of the most beautiful & scenic courses you will ever run.” Benefits: San Diego County Parks Society, Hosted by San Diego Area Hash House Harriers. kathyloperevents.com/sandieguitohalf
02/14/2010  Sunday 7:00 am	12th Annual Palm Springs 1/2 Marathon, 1/2 Marathon Relay and 5K Run/Walk	Klein Clark Sports 760/324-7069 [email protected]	Ruth Hardy Park – Palm Springs, CA	Flat, fast USATF Certified 1/2 marathon & 5K courses benefiting PAL. Register online at active.com or visit website at: www.kleinclarksports.com
02/21/2010 06:00am Sunday	Pasadena Marathon	Pasadena Forward 626/797-7238 [email protected]	Pasadena, CA	This event offers a variety of Race Day options-Marathon, Half Marathon, 5K, Bike Tour, & Fun Run. Scenic Marathon course, USATF certified, & a Boston Qualifier. Join us in our beautiful city in February! www.pasadenamarathon.org
03/07/2010 08:00am Saturday	Ventura Half Marathon & 5K	Josh Spiker 805/258-6361 [email protected]	Ventura, CA (Ventura Unified School District off Stanley Ave.)	A half marathon that runs out and back along the Ventura-Ojai bikepath. Friendly and cozy race (only a few hundred people) with a tech top and affordable 🙂 www.VenturaHalf.com
03/27/2010 07:00am Saturday	25th Annual Dole Great Race of Agoura Hills featuring the Chesebro Half Marathon, Old Agoura 10K, Deena Kastor 5K, Kids 1 Mi/Family Fun and Pacific Half Marathon	877/GR8-RACE greatraceofagoura.com [email protected]	Chumash Park in Agoura Hills	Voted Best Post Race Party in LA six years in a row! Tons of food, big prizes, scenic USATF certified/sanctioned courses, chip timing, professionally produced, huge expo. greatraceofagoura.com
05/02/2010 06:30am Sunday	2010 OC Marathon	949/222-3327 [email protected]	Orange County, CA 401 Newport Center Drive Newport Beach, CA	A world class running event featuring the best the OC has to offer. www.ocmarathon.com

Welcome to the Pony Espresso Running Club… we’ve gone international! Stay tuned for upcoming Pony Espresso newsletters, as well as to visit our newsletter archives. Please feel free to organize training runs, share tips, discuss upcoming or past races, post race photos, etc.

Come visit us on our facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=170376686846

11, 2009

 

 

PONY ESPRESSO EXPRESS

Dear Ponies:

 

Well, we’re well into summer- warmer mornings, warm summer days and gorgeous, clear summer nights. Lot’s of time to train and lots of places to go and races to run. Right now, I’m cruising at 34,000 ft over the snow-capped mountains of the Pacific Northwest, on my way to Missoula, Montana. I would like to share some information about a remarkable web site for you marathoners, wanna-be marathoners, ultramarathoners, and voyeurs. It is www.marathonmaniacs.com. I first heard about it 3 weeks ago when I was in Seattle for the inaugural RNR Marathon Seattle. The Seattle Times mentioned the group briefly in a pre-race article. I figured this was a small fringe group of “crazies.” When I got to the start of the marathon, there were literally hundreds of individuals wearing their electric yellow racing singlets, with a small smattering wearing the alternative black or white ones. I had an opportunity to speak with several of them prior to the race. Seattle is their home base, hence the large number. I found, much to my dismay that my 120+ marathons did not suffice for membership- even at the 1 star level! You have to do marathons back to back weekends, or 3 consecutive months, or other equally crazy things just to get in the group. Fortunately, I’ve done back to back weeks several times which got me into the group at the lowest level. I mention this because the site has some great stuff for members, but anyone can visit it and use some of the offerings. The one which is most useful and apropos for most of you is the race calendar. It is the most complete listing of marathon and ultramarathon races I’ve ever seen. It makes marathonguide, active.com, and Runners World look like “bush leaguers” in comparison. Of course, the raison d’etre of the organization is to allow the maniac members to find races every weekend in the 50 states, Canadian provinces, all countries of the world, as well as all continents. They are arranged by date, and you need only click on the name to get to the website and get the race information and application. I think the chat room and training guides may be for members only (I don’t currently have internet connection in the plane). I love these people because they make me look entirely sane. If you go to the insane asylum you can see the marathon data for the members. Some have more than 500, and at least one guy has done the 50 states and DC 8 times! The site is constructed beautifully and user friendly.

A quick review of a few recent marathons may be helpful for those of you contemplating a race for next summer. The Los Angeles Marathon run on May 25^th (Memorial Day) this year was a potential disaster, but they lucked out with cool, overcast weather. There is a lot of politicking going on right now to return the race to its usual time in early March. They did go back to the loop course around LA, but that will probably be changed because of the complaints of Christian, Muslim and Jewish clerics. I’ll keep you informed.

The San Diego RNR Marathon (May 31^st this year) likewise had cool, overcast weather, making for perfect running conditions. As usual, the organization was excellent, as were the amenities: expo, shirts, entertainment, medals, food, etc. It’s your hometown marathon- support it.

The Seattle RNR inaugural was awesome. Like all of the RNR franchise events, there was great organization, shirts, medals, etc. My only reservation was that the course, while offering beautiful vistas, was entirely on concrete! Our little pony hooves are not used to the pounding! They really didn’t have any choice as I believe all thoughofaires in Washington are concrete.

If you want a beautiful, bucolic run in Oregon, I offer the Foot Traffic Flat Marathon on Sauvie Island, just outside the city limits of Portland. The run is very low key and small (though growing rapidly), and the course circumnavigates the island on a country road.  There is not one second on the course in which you don’t have phenomenally beautiful vistas. Lots of cows, horses, flowers, boats on the rivers which surround the island, and other unexpected happenings. One of those occurred at the ten mile mark. I wasn’t sure how far it would be to the next porta-potty and decided to make a quick pit stop since no one appeared to be waiting. However, the door was locked so I waited…and waited…and waited. While I was standing there, I noticed a sweet, pungent aroma, and looked around since this was also an aid station and I thought that maybe one of the volunteers was trying to effect some chemical change in their brain which might just make handing out water more interesting and compelling. I started to worry that the person in the john had suffered some medical problem since the temperature was already in the high 70’s or 80’s. I knocked on the door, and about 30 seconds later a guy exits looking very placid and content. Oh, I failed to mention that when he opened the door, he was preceded out by a gust of smoke. There were also ashes in the urinal! I guess this give a whole new meaning to the term “runner’s high”! When I mentioned this to the stewardess on the way home, she replied “What did you expect? After all, this is Oregon”! That little incident notwithstanding, the race had reasonably nice shirts, cheesy medals, but great food including hot dogs and buns (after all, it was the 4^th of July) as well as homemade strawberry shortcake, made and served by the people who live on the island. How’s that for an unexpected treat?

Sorry…we are landing. Need to sign off for now.

July 12^th, 2009

Ready to resume, as I’m now again in the air on my way back to San Diego. I just finished the Missoula Marathon this morning. Talk about beauty. I really felt at home and at one with course. We were bussed out to Frenchtown and ran back to Missoula along some of the most beautiful terrain I’ve ever seen. Although the surface was asphalt, there were more horses along this course than any I’ve ever seen. They were in packs and pranced around with grace and ease. If you haven’t seen horses running around large ranches, you’ve missed a beautiful scene. They are obviously just playing, and can teach us all something about economy, fluidity, and power! In addition to the horse, there were lots of MarathonManiacs in attendance. I guess they were doing the same thing as I was…chasing the 50 states crown. The weather was perfect, the volunteers friendly and effective. This is a great small-town marathon, and well worth the trip!

Well, we’re ready to start our descent, so I’ll sign off for this letter.  Please let me know if you’ve run a recent race worth mentioning- good or bad. Let’s get together for some easy summer runs. I will be OOT from July 17 through July 25^th, back for two weeks and then away for another week. If you’re planning to do the AFC Half, you may wish to carpool (and get there early!). The roads get crowded and slow very early on 163 to the Park. Plan accordingly J

 

Happy trails,

JRB

Pony Espresso Express

 

 

 

March 23^rd, 2009

 

Dear PE’s:

 

Well, Spring has sprung and we are now getting better weather (although it can still be pretty cool in the early morning). The days are longer and the afternoon runs more and more beautiful. We now have a good core of ponies doing the Wednesday AM track workouts at La Costa Canyon High School track at 5:45 am. Many are in training for an upcoming half marathon or marathon.  The results are evident.  Our repeats, while not too fast are getting somewhat faster and a lot easier. The gate at the tennis court is almost always open before we arrive (otherwise we have to squeeze through) and as each of us walks down the bleacher steps to the track we see other shadows moving around the track. Soon, the faceless bodies turn into real people (or ponies) as the sun rises.  Last week we had a gorgeous morning with a half moon to light the track. Soon it will actually be light as we begin the workout.  As usual, we do 800m-1600m warm up and then various repeats. Our last track session had a step program with 400m, 800m, 1600m, 800m and 400m. Tomorrow, I think we’ll do 5 x 800m with 200m walk/jog in between each repeat. It is sooooooooo much easier with a group! Please join us J

 

Below is a picture I took (with my phone) at the start/finish of our regular RSF golf course loop at the corral this past Saturday afternoon. I thought these were ponies but they turned out to be Icelandic horses. I thought it was fitting that they greeted me at our home base. For those of you who haven’t joined us at the Ranch for our 4.5 mile loop, I thought the beautiful setting might just inspire you. The actual running (horse) path is just beyond the wooden fence and in front of the trees and bushes. The surface is ideal- dirt covered with wood chips. It is firm…but soft. Not only will you see other runners and horses, but beautiful flowers, plants, trees, lakes, fairways, sand traps and greens. We generally have an afternoon run around the golf course on Thursday afternoon starting either here or, more often,  at the elementary school at the corner of La Granada and El Fuego. These usually start at 5:30 pm.  We park in the school’s parking lot. When we start at the school, the corral is our half way point. The rock structure is a trough for the horses. There is a separate one for dogs and a fountain for human ponies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t forget that the Carlsbad 5000 is coming up soon.  Even if you’re not running/racing it, it is worthwhile to be there to see the elite runners in the final event. The men will be running just over 4:00 min/mile and the women way under 5 min/mile!  Also, we’ll set up some longer runs for the weekend if you’re not already running with a group. The LA Marathon (and Saddleback Half) are in 2 months, the RNR San Diego 1 week later; the 1^st Seattle RNR Marathon is in late June!

 

Let me know if you have any good events planned or good races in the bank.

 

Happy Trails and Tracks,

 

JRB