Tim VanOrden’s Running Raw Times – June 17th, 2010

A huge hello to all my friends and supporters of the Running Raw Project.

In This Issue:
• Growing Pains
• The Race Report
• Running Raw Apparel & Lecture DVDs
• The Running Raw Buzz
• The Training Log
• Upcoming Events
• Your Support
• In Conclusion

Growing Pains
I am grateful. I am grateful that the Running Raw Project continues to grow and exceed my expectations. I am grateful for the endless stream of emails from people around the world telling me how this project has affected them in a positive way or helped them to change their lives. I am grateful that I get to do what I love. So why am I so stressed and overwhelmed?

The success of this project continually outpaces my ability to keep up with it. But yet I try… and usually fail. I’m a pleaser and a bit of a perfectionist. I see great possibility and get frustrated when I can’t realize it. I beat myself up for not effectively providing the services that people require… For not doing more… For not being more.

This is the world that I have created for myself. An isolated landscape of mountains and skyscrapers that I must conquer. Always in conquest. Always searching for the next battle… No matter how many battles I’ve already won. This is my creation. This is my game.

Life is really just a big game. We create the playing field, we make the rules, we invite the players, we create the goals and obstacles. We even create the referees and then argue with them when they don’t rule in our favor. Conscious or not, we are responsible for how the game of our life plays out. The best games are the ones that challenge us the most. Games that are too easy to win are no fun. A great life is not one of ease and calm, but one in which we are inspired by our challenges, and by our creative solutions for engaging them.

In the midst of my stress I continue to see opportunity and possibility… For me… For you… For this project. I am committed to create fun in the midst of these challenges. I am committed to shifting the perspective of my life from lame to game… and I challenge you to do the same.

Where can you create game in your career, diet, and active lifestyle?

The Race Report – Springing into Action

• WMAC/Dion Snowshoe Series – With over 52 total races, and 18 points races, the WMAC Dion Snowshoe race series is the largest snowshoe competition in the world. As snowshoeing has taken over the title of America’s fastest growing Winter sport, athletes from many different disciplines have ‘shod up’ to improve their Winter fitness. Top athletes from all over the Northeast were on hand at each of the races to make the competition fierce. After many months of intense Tabata training my fitness reached a new peak and translated into my most successful snowshoe season to date. With three victories and four 2nd place finishes under my belt I earned the title of Overall Points Champion for the series.

• Snowshoe Nationals – After tearing up the Northeast snowshoe circuit, I had high hopes for a good finish at the National Snowshoe Championships in Syracuse, NY. The most competitive field in the event’s 10 year history toed the line to take on the 2 feet of fresh and unstable snow that had blanketed the course. In the first 100 meters of the race I knew I was in trouble. The snow felt like powdered sugar underfoot. The dry, slippery crystals did not stick to each other, causing great expenditure on every step. A hilly 10k snowshoe course, feels like a 20k road race. But when each step sucks the energy from your quads, it can feel like a 30k road race. I did not have the endurance for such a long event and began to falter two thirds of the way through. Despite complete exhaustion I managed to charge up the final, sadistic 300 foot ascent to the finish line and take the Silver Medal in the 40-44 age group.

• 2010 Snowshoer of the Year – After several months of polling the participants and organizers of the WMAC/Dion Snowshoe Series, the results are finally in. I was chosen as the 2010 Snowshoer of the Year.

• Big Climb Seattle – The Columbia Center Tower in Seattle hosts the largest stair climb race in the world with 6,000 participants. Many of the top climbers in the US and Canada were on hand to battle up the 69 storeys of Seattle’s tallest building. After an overzealous start, I managed to hold on for 5th place overall. WCL team mate and raw spinach lover, Jesse Berg had the fastest time of the day, but a timing glitch left him to settle with a controversial 2nd place result.

• Aon Center Stair Climb – Los Angeles’ Aon Center, the second tallest building on the West Coast served as the proving ground for the Fight For Air Climb to support the American Lung Association in late April. Over $150,000 was raised as hundreds of climbers from across North America charged up 858 vertical feet to the helipad of this L.A. icon. Another overzealous start saw me catching the eventual winner Javier Santiago at the 8th floor. I stayed on his tail till the 45th floor and then fell apart. Little did I know that Javier was crushing the course record as I was trying to hang on. My effort saw me into a solid 2nd place, despite losing 40 seconds to Javier in the last 15 floors. One of these days I’m going to learn to start more conservatively.

• Kids For Kids 5k PR – The day after the Aon Center climb I jumped into a 5k race in downtown L.A. to stretch my legs out. Two years earlier I had done the same thing and ended up with a 5k PR. Well, there must be something about doing a road race the day after a stair climb race, because not only did I win the 5k, but I lowered my lifetime PR by 6 seconds to 15:49. I am proud to say that in my 42nd year, I am now the fastest that I have ever been.

• Stair Climbing World Cup – Towerrunning.com is the unofficial headquarters for the sport of stair climbing. In 2009, this organization started a World Cup Circuit and points standing. Even though I haven’t been at my best stair climbing shape this past year, I still earned the rank of 10th in the overall World Cup Standings as of May 3rd. My West Coast Labels team mates, Javier Santiago and Jesse Berg are ranked # 1 and #2.

• Prospect Mtn. Road Race – The kick off to the mountain running season begins at Prospect Mtn. in Lake George, NY. This gorgeous race winds 5.7 miles up the auto road to the summit of Prospect Mtn., 1,600 feet above the start. It’s not the tallest in the mountain series by far, but it’s a great warmup for the monsters to come. The sky opened up at the beginning of the race and we ran in torrential rain for the first half of the race. I managed to win the race by nearly two minutes and keep a 7 minute per mile pace up the incline.

• New England Trail Running Championships at Northfield Mtn. – The official start to the New England Mountain Running Series was kicked off in Northfield, MA in mid May. Several hundred of New England’s top mountain goats tested themselves on this very challenging up and down trail race that included over 900 feet of climbing and equal amounts of descent. 2008 US Mountain Running Champion Eric Blake took the race out at a blistering pace and sealed the win by over 40 seconds. I found myself in a four way battle for 5th place for the last 3 miles of the race. CMS team mate Tim Mahoney demonstrated some serious speed as he outkicked me at the line. I crossed a foot behind in 6th place with standouts Ross Krause and Todd Callaghan breathing down my neck. I was hoping to take home the title of New England Master’s Mountain Running Champion, but I had to settle for 2nd place behind Irish running legend Keiron Tumbleton, who now resides in the States. Post race I shared a few bags of kale chips with race participants and got rave reviews. People don’t realize how tasty this way of eating can be.

• Bennington Monument Stair Climb – In only its second year, my hometown stair climb event has earned a national reputation and become one of the most competitive climbs in the U.S. Top athletes from CA, WA, IL, NY, MA, CT, NH, NJ and VT came together to take on the fastest and most unique stair climb event in the United States. This 306 foot high stone obelisk built in the late 1800’s features a set of 438 cast iron stairs, suspended from the limestone walls. Rather than running through the depressing, lifeless stairwells of modern skyscrapers, athletes in this race are treated to a scene reminiscent of a castle or dungeon from the past. West Coast Label team mate Jesse Berg out of Chicago lead the field with a blistering 1:17. My best effort of 1:20 saw me sliding into 2nd place, with WCL team mates PJ Glassey (Seattle) only a second behind in 1:21, Kevin Crossman (Seattle) three seconds back in 1:23 and David Tromp (Albany, NY) six seconds back in 1:26. Next year’s event should be even more competitive, as the word of this climb spreads like wild fire. It is quickly becoming the favorite stair climb race of many of the top climbers around the country.

• Results for all of the above races can be seen at http://runningraw.com/results.html

Running Raw Apparel Sale!!
I’ve lowered the price of Running Raw tees to $15 + shipping until this batch sells out. Now you can be green, save green and help me raise green by representing the Running Raw movement with a super comfortable, super sustainable, super cool Running Raw tee. Men’s and women’s styles are available. Due to pre-shrinkage, please order one size larger than you would normally wear. You can check them out here – http://runningraw.com/store.html

New Lecture DVD Available:
After receiving a flood of requests, I have created a high quality, professionally manufactured DVD of my March 21st, 2010 talk entitled “Diet & Peak Performance”.

This talk has been the most well received of any I have given to date.

Here’s what people have been saying about this talk:

“Great talk! Super informative. I’ve got like 3 pages of awesome notes & my head’s buzzing with new ideas.” – Matt, Vancouver, BC

“This was the most amazing lecture I ever heard. He shared so much information that is not that easy to get, I feel like I really learned a lot and he inspired me to do more research based on his information.” – Celida, Hampstead, NH

“Last night’s event with Tim VanOrden was GREAT! Good crowd, great food, WONDERFUL talk by Tim. Could’a listened to him for several more hours. Can’t wait for him to come back!” – Ian, Bellingham, WA

“Oh my gosh, was Tim excellent! I loved his heart and his sincerity and the fact that he just cared so much about helping us to get it!!! I was so encouraged and empowered to continue to imrove how I eat and take care of my body. So informative, so inspiring!” – Gloria, Manchester, NH

“Great to see Tim. I love his no-brainer explanations.” – Carl, Coquitlam, BC

“Event with Tim last night was BEYOND great!” – Lori, Bellingham, WA

“It was one of the best events I have been to, just a great speaker, great setting and great topic.” – Bliss, Bellingham, WA

” Tim is extremely knowledgeable & dedicated to his work. I love the angle he is coming from, the research he conducts (on other research). He fills so many gaps & is in many ways ahead of many of other Raw Food Advocates.” – Carl, Malden, MA

“And what an awesome talk it was! Even as the clock ticked past 11:00 p.m. we were all still riveted to our seats to hear what more Tim had to enlighten us on! Thank you Tim for sharing your wisdom with all of us to keep us on the healthy path of living!” – Sue, Manchester, NH

“You have a gift, Tim. Thanks for sharing with us all. It was worth the drive up!” –Jennifer, Worcester, MA

The price of this DVD is $15 + shipping. To purchase this or any other DVD, click this link – http://runningraw.com/store.html

The Running Raw Buzz:
• The current issue of Purely Delicious Magazine features an interview with me about the Running Raw Project. If you haven’t yet seen this magazine, I highly recommend it. – http://www.123raw.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6_64&zenid=d2cb034c2253c7e05f6d3ee20e7de7a4

• Raw Athlete Ebook now available – Shea Lynn Baird who hosts the very successful “Monday Night Live Speaker Series” in the Bay Area of California, has finally released her Raw Athlete Ebook in which I am featured. This book features tips, strategies, diet plans and much more from many top raw athletes. You can check it out here: http://runningraw.com/store.html#ebook

• Blog Talk Radio Interview – On June 16th I participated in an interview with Heather Lounsbury, Robert Cheeke and Whitney Lauritsen on the topic of being successful on a vegan diet. An archive of the show can be found here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/docheather/2010/06/16/live-natural-live-well

The Training Log:
The short, intense training of the Winter and early Spring has been replaced with increasing mileage at a more gentle pace. For the first time in almost a year, I have gotten my mileage back up to over 70 miles a week. Instead of doing one long run every day, I have been doing double workouts, which reduces stress on my connective tissues and bones.

As I continue to build my mileage over the next few months, I’ll begin to add strength and speed workouts back into the mix. I’m hoping for exceptional results when the Fall stair climbing season rolls around.

Upcoming Events:
• June 19th – US Mountain Running Championships – Mt. Washington, NH
• June 19th – Simply Raw Fest – Featured Speaker – Ottawa, ON
• June 27th – Cranmore Hill Climb – North Conway, NH
• July 4th – Loon Mtn. Race – Lincoln, NH
• July 11th – Ascutney Mtn. Race – Brownsville, VT
• July 31st – US 15k Trail Championships – Spokane, WA
• August 7th – Mt. Ashland Hill Climb – Ashland, OR

• July 28th – August 9th I’ll be in Spokane, WA, Bellingham, WA, Seattle, WA, Portland, OR, Eugene, OR, Ashland, OR and Nelson, BC. If you’d like to set up an event in any of these places, please let me know. I’d love to share with your community.

Paying it Back and Forward:
Please support my sponsors Larabar, Nutiva, Blendtec, Dion Snowshoes, Garmin, Excalibur, and West Coast Labels.

Your Support:
Your donations help more than you can imagine. Even very small contributions help to pay for event registrations, travel, etc.! Thank you in advance for your support. Your generosity allows me to do what I do and hopefully touch lives in the process. You can make your donation through http://paypal.com to the address donate@runningraw.com. No amount is too little, and every dollar is greatly appreciated.

In Conclusion:
If you’re excited about Running Raw and would like to be a part of the team, please get in touch. I’m always looking for new contributors, technical help, sponsorship and enthusiastic athletes to help make this project all it can be.

Please pass this newsletter along to anyone that you think might be interested in this journey. If you have any suggestions on how to make runningraw.com better, please pass them along.

Thank you for your continued support.
With Love and gratitude

Tim VanOrden