Running Raw

Tim VanOrden’s Running Raw Times – March 5th, 2010

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

In This Issue:
• The Year in Review
• 2010 To Do List
• The Race Report
• Running Raw Apparel & Lecture DVDs
• The Running Raw Buzz
• The Training Log
• Upcoming Events
• Your Support
• In Conclusion

The Year in Review?
Many people think that I live a charmed life. I get to run, hike, race, travel, talk to people and basically do whatever I want. What could be better? In many regards this is true. I have chosen to pursue something that I believe in strongly, something that I believe can make a difference. There is great freedom in that choice. But there is also great responsibility and sacrifice. Dedicating one’s life to a purpose, project or passion requires a new skill set, a new way of managing time, energy and resources. These are skills that as of yet, I do not possess. I want to say yes to it all. I want to be all that I can be… all the time. I want to test the limits of possibility. I want to help everyone. I want health and happiness to be the norm. Ironically, it is these very well intentioned desires that have always been my downfall. I am constantly creating new branches without checking to see if the trunk can bear their collective weight. Some skills take longer to develop than others.

“You can be anything you want to be. You just can’t be everything you want to be all at once. That is what a lifetime is for.” – Randy Dean

When I first started this project over four years ago, my intention was to ask questions, test limits and create a positive example. Some time ago, I dropped the veil of eternal positivity and replaced it with transparency. I believe that you can learn as much from my failures as you can from my successes. In order to be a true and valid example, one must reveal all of their light and dark. Perhaps the real value of Running Raw has nothing to do with an athlete eating an uncooked, plant based diet, but rather with the trials of someone who goes to bed every night wanting to quit, and who wakes up every morning recommitting to something he does not think he can accomplish. Whatever the case may be, you can count on me telling it like it is… Even when I look the fool.

Hardy seeds were planted in 2009, now the time has come to tend the garden.

2010 To Do List:
• Find a manager to book and organize speaking events.
• Complete a book on diet and fitness.
• Complete a recipe book.
• Get the Running Raw Team off the ground
• Begin training for the mile.

The Race Report – The Chill of Victory and the Agony of the Feet:
“By the end of roughly an hour of stumbling and gasping my way through three miles of torture, I had learned what snowshoeing is really like – melting cold snow all over your body and the hardest work you’ll ever do to “run” at a 20 min/mile pace. But it’s also a heck of a lot of fun, which is why I’m looking forward my 5th season of snowshoe racing.” – Jamie Howard, WMAC participant

The new year started off with a bang as I entered my 3rd season of competing in the WMAC/Dion Snowshoe Race Series. With 51 total races, 18 of which are points races, this snowshoe series is now the largest in the world. To my advantage, the vast majority of the points races are within an hour of my house in Southern Vermont. In fact the first race of this year’s competition took place in the mountains behind my house in Woodford, VT. An exceptionally deep field of athletes from all over New England came out to start off this series with a bang. An all out sprint to the finish with overall series champion Jim Johnson of Salem, NH, earned me a close 2nd. Time and again this season, I have proven the power of a raw vegan diet by winning two series races and earning four more 2nd place finishes. With three more points races to go, I stand in 2nd place overall behind Jim Johnson, and have the Master’s (40 plus) title locked up with eight victories.

• Crave the Blizzard Snowshoe Race
Less than 24 hours after having returned home from the Greylock Glen Snowshoe race, I found myself back on the road to compete in the 4th WMAC/Dion Snowhoes series race – Brave The Blizzard in Guilderland, NY. Upon transitioning from the winter wonderland of Vermont into New York’s more temperate Hudson Valley, a color flashed into my mind – Brown. Brown as in dead grass, leafless trees and leaf covered forest floors. Brown as in no snow. The only white to be seen were the sparsely placed, white washed colonial farm houses that decorated my morning’s drive… Read The Full Post

• Empire State Character Building
If I were to choose one sport to define myself as an athlete, it would be stair climbing. As much as I love the challenge and scenery of mountain running and snowshoe racing, neither has impacted me as profoundly as running up the dim, dusty, and denatured stairwells of America. Ironically, it is the sport that I like the least. In fact, I dread it. My relationship with stair climb races could be summed up with the following statement – It is better to have climbed than to climb… Read The Full Post

• US National Snowshoe Championships
Tomorrow, the nation’s top snowshoe racers will converge on Syracuse, NY to compete in the 10th annual US Snowshoe Championships. Snowshoe racing has become one of America’s fastest growing sports, with new series popping up all over the country. Elite athletes from many different sporting disciplines have strapped on shoes to improve their Winter fitness. This year’s championships will be the most competitive in the event’s ten year history. With such a deep field of talent, I’m hoping that my preparation is enough to earn me a spot in the top 15 overall, and top 3 in the Master’s category (40+). Anything can happen over 6.2 miles of steep, hilly shoeing in deep white fluff.

Check out the course profile HERE – Insanely Hilly!

Running Raw  Apparel Sale!!
In order to raise funds for my trip to run the Big Climb in Seattle on March 21st, I’m lowering the price of Running Raw tees to $15 + shipping until March 15th. 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, men please order one size larger, and women order two sizes larger than you would normally wear. You can check them out here – http://runningraw.com/store.html

New Lecture DVD Available:
As per your requests, I have created a DVD of my November 2009 talk entitled “Raw Myths, Magic and Misconceptions“.

What does “raw” really mean? Why are there so many differing and conflicting views of raw? How can one be confident that they have made the right choice? This lecture covers the latest scientific research and how it applies to raw diets of all types. Many of the myths and misconceptions of a raw diet will be busted in this talk.

The price of this DVD is $10 + shipping. To purchase this or any other DVD, click this link – http://runningraw.com/store.html

The Running Raw Buzz:
• Turn back the clock. My very first Running Raw interview, reposted on GLiving – http://gliving.com/tim-vanorden-explains-the-running-raw-project/ – SOOOO much has changed since then. I actually find this interview to be quite embarrassing, but it’s always good to go back and see where I came from.
• Vegan athletes profiled – http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-eats-allergy-free/2010/01/to-be-vegan-or-not-and-some-athletes-who-are.html
• One of the contributors of Runner’s World magazine decided to drive up from NYC and enter last week’s WMAC/Dion Snowshoe race at Moody Springs. It was the toughest race I’ve done and my hardest fought victory – http://rwdaily.runnersworld.com/2010/03/karma-is-a-cruel-mistress.html#more-2222

The Training Log:
With the arrival of Winter comes the possibility of numerous cross-training activities. Instead of the constant pounding of running on roads, a new world of soft white bliss opens itself up to those willing to take on its challenges. Although my mileage has still remained on average under 30 miles a week, the time that I’ve been putting in has increased. Instead of speedy runs on the road, I choose to put on my big Winter boots or snowshoes and slog through the abundant ‘fluffo blanco’. This type of training may not increase leg turnover, but it supplies a massive boost to strength, endurance, and core durability.

Late December saw the beginning of the WMAC/Dion Snowshoe Race Series which gave me the opportunity to get extreme, weekly workouts on snowshoes. These races have helped me to race my way into phenomenal shape in a short period of time. If you want to build mental and physical endurance for running, as well as have a great time in an inspiring landscape, strap on a pair of snowshoes and up the ante.

In the last newsletter I mentioned the inclusion of a new training regimen called Tabata. I’m happy to announce that I have maintained this difficult exercise protocol and have seen rapid and consistent improvement each week. My strength has more than tripled since beginning this program in late September. Now only two months shy of my 42nd birthday, I am having my best results yet. The future of Running Raw is looking bright.

Here is an example of what a Tabata set looks like – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GWXsrQZ_ak

Upcoming Events:
• March 6th – National Snowshoe Championships – Syracuse, NY
• March 18th – Presentation in Seattle, WA – Diet & Peak Performance
• March 21st - Big Climb Seattle – The largest stair climb race in the world.
*** Please help me raise money for the Big Climb HERE
• March 21st – Presentation in Bellingham, WA – Diet & Peak Performance

**Possible March presentation dates in Vancouver, BC and Victoria, BC – Please check http://runningraw.com for details

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

Breakfast 7:00am – 3 hours before race start – 2 bananas

Less than 24 hours after having returned home from the Greylock Glen Snowshoe race, I found myself back on the road to compete in the 4th WMAC/Dion Snowhoes series race – Brave The Blizzard in Guilderland, NY

Upon transitioning from the winter wonderland of Vermont into New York’s more temperate Hudson Valley, a color flashed into my mind – Brown. Brown as in dead grass, leafless trees and leaf covered forest floors. Brown as in no snow. The only white to be seen were the sparsely placed, white washed colonial farm houses that decorated my morning’s drive.

I was considering turning around. My legs were pretty tired from the hills the day before, and I didn’t want to be running a trail race on frozen, uneven ground (a sure fire recipe for injury). Race Director, John Kinnicut assured me on the phone that there was sufficient snow to hold a snowshoe race. So I half heartedly forged on towards Albany. As I neared the race site, there was not a patch of white to be seen anywhere. I made a right hand turn into the elementary school parking lot and suddenly I was faced with a snow covered field. I sat in amazement for a second in my car before continuing on to the back of the school for parking. Lo and behold, there was plenty of snow behind the school as well, where the race would start and finish.

My CMS teammates Dave Dunham and Jim Johnson were just finishing their warmup as I walked towards registration. Dave told me that it was going to be a track meet out there. Super fast, hard packed conditions. Jim won this race in 2009, where he outclassed a very strong field by nearly two minutes. His streak of victories still unbroken this year, he hoped for another solid win on this flatter, faster  course.

I did a brief warmup and spotted Justin Bishop doing some strides in the field. He looked fast. Justin is one of the top runners in New York State and a 12 time gold medalist at the Empire State Games in snowshoeing. He also holds the American record in the Snowshoe 400 meter dash – 66 seconds! If anyone was going to threaten Jim’s winning streak, it was Justin. I was disappointed that I would not be able to witness the epic battle that would take place between these two snowshoeing greats.

Brave the Blizzard is one of the largest snowshoe races in the country, so I was sure that there were a lot of other top athletes in the mix today. The Albany Running Exchange, which puts on the event, boasts over 800 members, many of whom are active in the racing scene.

Jim, Dave and I did a few strides in the field as we waited for the start. I informed them of Justin’s presence and gave them a quick rundown of his resume. Jim became a little anxious.

We were lined up in the field and John Kinnicut gave us some last minute instructions. He informed us that there were a few “bare” patches out on the course and that we would be bushwhacking upon leaving the field at the start and on the return to the finish.

Ready, set, BANG! We were off. Justin shot out like a rocket propelled grenade. I was an immediately distant second. Above the loud cluster-crunching sound of hundreds of snowshoes kicking snow into the air I could hear Jim Johnson’s voice. “This is the worst race start I’ve ever had!” Then like a rabbit he shot by me in hot pursuit of Justin. Jim had no intention of staining his winning streak with a loss at this race.

When I was a kid in the early 70’s, my parents would take us to the beach on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. On one such trip, they took their eyes off of me for a moment and then looked up to discover that I had walked straight into the ocean and was about to go in over my head. I was two. Not much has changed in the nearly 40 years since that incident. I’m still getting in over my head on a regular basis. Perhaps I’m just not that bright. Whatever the case may be, I found myself sprinting to catch up to Justin and Jim.

As we left the field I had closed the gap and was right on Jim’s heels, who was right on Justin’s heels. The trail ended abruptly and we burst into the woods. Red ribbons tied to branches led us on a circuitous route up a very steep climb. We jumped over downed logs, danced around exposed rocks, straddled saplings and got whipped in the face, arms, neck and shoulders by the recoil of branches bent in front of us. I put my arms up to protect my face, like a boxer. After a few hundred feet of literally ‘breaking trail’ we were dumped out onto a more traveled route. The snow had been chopped up by walkers and skiers some time earlier and had frozen into a very solid, uneven mine field of ankle twisting possibilities. Justin did not slow down. He is a large man with broad muscular shoulders and he looked like a steam engine, confidently and effortlessly demonstrating power, speed and efficiency. Had their been anyone behind me, their view would not have been as striking. The breakneck pace was taking it’s toll on me.

The trail came to a T. A strategically placed snowman blocked the branch to the left, forcing us to make a sharp right. Brown flashed into my mind again. The path ahead was barren of snow and presented us with a mix of frozen sand and ice. The cleats of our snowshoes could not penetrate this tawny concrete, so they delivered their force upwards into the balls of our feet. Justin slowed. I moved back into contact. The sound of metal cleats bouncing off of the unforgiving trail surface rattled in my ears. The hard ground rattled my bones. In the distance, a blanket of white comfort lay in wait. We surged towards it, eager for this cacophony to end.

For the next mile, the scene remained the same. Justin commanding the lead, Jim on his heels and me holding on for dear life. Ahead of us a set of wooden stairs interrupted the smoothness of the snowy trail. Justin and Jim powered up like antelope. I lumbered up like a bison. I had bitten off more than I could chew and now it was time to digest the consequences of my earlier choices. I could only hope that I had enough in reserve to stay in 3rd as I drifted back and away from the leaders.

Letting them go took the pressure off. I relaxed a bit and began to run my own race. Who was I kidding anyways, these two men were in another league. It was time to accept the facts and settle into my rightful place. I was feeling more comfortable now and was confident that I could maintain this slower pace and hold on to my position. Fifty meters ahead of me Justin and Jim were blazing away. Forty-five meters. Forty meters. Thirty-five meters. Wait a minute… was I catching back up to them? I checked my breathing, moved it into my diaphragm, relaxed and lengthened my stride, smiled and set out to reinstate my place in the lead pack. Within minutes I was only 5 seconds back. Jim heard me coming and turned around. He didn’t like what he saw. I heard him say something to Justin and then turn around again. I was now only 4 seconds back and gaining fast.  Moments later I was on Jim’s heels.

We were coming close to the finish and Jim didn’t want another repeat sprint to the line like we had in Woodford a few weeks earlier. So he took off around Justin and made a break. Justin couldn’t keep up. For a moment, I thought about chasing after Jim but I was hurting again. The extra effort to bridge the gap had taken it’s toll, but now the seemingly indestructible Mr. Bishop was hurting as well. We hurtled through the woods with Jim quickly pulling away. Pressure was building in my stomach. My legs were teetering on the brink of failure. I was redlining.

Suddenly we were back on the bushwhack. The field and finish were in view. Jim had just cleared the woods and had entered the field. Justin picked up the pace as we headed down the steep grade through the trees. I got whipped hard in the face with a branch as I tried to keep up. I made a quick survey of the ground and then closed my eyes, lowered my head and charged forward.

As we entered the field, Justin was one step ahead. Jim was about 10 seconds up on us now and sprinting for the line. Justin opened up his gear box and pulled out his tremendous sprinting speed. I watched in awe, agony and defeat as he easily pulled away from the fastest gut bursting sprint I could muster. Seconds later we would be keeled over, breathlessly congratulating each other and sharing embraces. Jim had won by nine seconds in a time of 24:44. Justin took second in 24:53 and I posted a close third in 24:57. CMS teammate Dave Dunham would finish fourth, in 26:58.

All too often we predetermine our position in life and then act accordingly. Or we simply let others determine it for us and then do our best to meet their expectations, whether high or low. We set arbitrary limitations for ourselves and then view them as law. As fact. Any sensible person would tell you that a 41 year old Tim VanOrden, running 25 to 30 miles a week cannot compete with a 32 year old Jim Johnson running 80 miles a week… Or a 28 year old Justin Bishop, training hours a day for the World Double Decathlon Championships. Thankfully, I am not a sensible person. I have never accepted my place or rank as assigned. I always aspire to more. Nine times out of ten, I fail miserably. But it is that one time, when I rise to the occasion and beat the odds that makes it all worthwhile… and it reminds me that on any given day we are all capable of greatness – if we allow ourselves to leave our sensibility behind and risk it all for something we believe in.

Dare mighty things.

“Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they’re yours.” – Richard Bach

Breakfast: 6am (4 hours till the start) – 24oz Green Smoothie; Kale, Banana, Blueberry, Dulse, Raw Honey and well water.

With the Empire State Building Run Up (the unofficial world championships of stair climbing) only 2 weeks away, my training has been fast and furious. Normally, I would take it easy leading up to a weekend with back to back snowshoe races, but with the ESB looming large I’ve had to push myself to the limit and beyond.

Needless to say, my legs were spent before I even toed the line in Adams, MA at the Greylock Glen snowshoe race on Saturday. Based on my performance on the steep climbs at the Turner Trail snowshoe race last weekend, I was not expecting a great result. The steep, mile long climb at Greylock Glen would be a quad buster and my quads were already busted.

This race was sure to attract a top field of athletes from around New England being the 3rd race in the highly competitive WMAC/Dion Snowshoe series. An ever increasing number of standout road and track runners have been showing up at these events looking to test their mettle in a new ‘running’ discipline. Shortly before the start, I spotted my CMS teammates,  Jim “undefeated” Johnson warming up with top master Dave Dunham and trail powerhouse Tim Mahoney. Further surveillance detected 2009 Wildman Biathlon winner Ross Krause doing sprints on the road, clad in biking attire. Out of the corner of my eye I spied a pair of lean, efficient ‘gazelles’ swiftly approaching on their warmup. As they moved closer I recognized one of them as top trail runner and track standout Greg Hammett. They stopped, we shared hellos and Greg said “do you know Mark?”. I shook Mark’s hand and then it quickly dawned on me – This was Mark Miller. The same Mark Miller that won the New England trail running championships in 2008 and 2009 and has clocked 4:02 in the mile and 14:18 for 5k. My mind started to do quick calculations and concluded that I’d be lucky to crack the top 8 in this race.

As we lined up at the start, WMAC’s Ed Alibozek gave us the pre-race details – Follow the red tape, follow the yellow arrows, do not cross the yellow tape, and watch out for the bridge crossing – there are planks missing and you could fall through. Ready. Set. Go!

Race favorite, Jim Johnson burst into the lead with Mark Miller hot on his trail. Greg Hammett tucked in behind them and I moved into 4th. The pace was very fast. The bridge crossing proved to be quite  treacherous as we danced on our snowshoes trying to miss the gaps and avoid certain injury, but yet maintain pace. Jim and Mark gradually pulled ahead. I could see them trade off the lead a good 20 seconds in front of me. Greg was falling off the pace, but was still 12 seconds ahead. Then we hit the climb.

The trail was steep. So steep that Jim and Mark were within shot put distance in front of me. Greg split the difference. Jim’s legs were working away at the mountain like two pistons firing. Mark was trying to hang on but could not keep up the run and started power walking. Greg saw this and started walking himself. I couldn’t believe my eyes. My legs were on fire, but I picked up the pace, not about to miss this opportunity. I knew the hill would be done in about 6 minutes, which is not much longer than the torturous 5 minute Tabata sets I’ve been doing in training. So I bore down, gritted my teeth and ran. I quickly caught up to Greg and passed him. He offered a breathy “Go Tivo!”. Mark was now in my sights. I was closing the gap quickly. As the trail snaked around a switchback, I glanced back and saw that Dave (King of the climbs) Dunham was making ground on me and closing the gap. I pushed harder. The trail got steeper… and steeper. My legs screamed. My stomach was doing all that it could to hold my green smoothie breakfast down. Then we burst out of the single track and onto a snowmobile trail – heading down. Mark was only 5 seconds in front of me and he was laboring.

Filled with a sense of excitement, I charged after Mark with all the speed my wet noodle legs could muster. Never had I imagined that I’d be sprinting after a legend like Mark in a race. One might imagine that running downhill is easier than running uphill. From a metabolic (energy required) perspective this is quite true, but from a muscular perspective it’s the exact opposite. The force of impact on the quad muscles while running downhill is SEVERAL TIMES the force experienced while running uphill. Downhills tear the quads to shreds as the muscles instinctively try to put on the brakes. In other words, there is no recovery for the legs. Mark kept his distance on me, but was not pulling away. Suddenly the trail pitched down at a slope of 35 percent or more. I launched myself down the hill with reckless abandon hoping to gain a few seconds on Mark who was far more cautious. When I reached the bottom of the steep pitch and the course leveled out, I did not. The intense gravitational forces of my blitz had compressed my legs and nearly drove me into a squatting position. I could not stand upright. My legs were done. I shuffled for a bit and gradually got my legs to straighten, but their strength was gone. I could hear the chatter of snowshoes behind me and then like the sound of a train going by Greg Hammett flew past. The race was nearly over, but I was really struggling. There would be no end of race kick. My wobbly legs barely got me across the bridge crossing as we headed back up to the finish line.

Jim Johnson crushed the field. Mark was nearly a minute behind him in second. Greg was third 24 seconds behind Mark and I was another 17 seconds back in 4th place. Despite a wrong turn, Dave Dunham posted a solid 5th. I was very excited to have hung on to these amazing athletes as long as I did. A 4th place finish in this field was a huge accomplishment. But the weekend was not over and come Sunday morning I’d be back on the shoes again to face off against an amazing crew of New York athletes at the Brave The Blizzard snowshoe race.

Post race: 4 bananas, 1 orange.

Results can be seen here: http://www.coolrunning.com/results/10/ma/Jan16_Greylo_set1.shtml

GPS course profile here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/22480885 – Click the “Elevation” tab at the bottom to see the vertical profile of the course.

The rains may have washed away the snow in the rest of New England, but up on Woodford Mountain, the snow was heavy and deep. Perfect conditions for the first of the 2010 Dion Snowshoes WMAC Snowshoe Series. Speaking of deep, the roster of athletes that showed up was like a who’s who list of Snowshoe and Mountain racing in New England.

Woodford defending champion and Former US Mountain Running Team member, Josh Ferenc, jumped out to an early lead in his usual fashion. Jim Johnson (NH Runner of the Year in 2009) was not going to let Josh have it that easy and jumped right on his heels. Although the pace was very fast and the snow was sticky and wet, I positioned myself right behind Jim to see how long I could hold on.

Within the first half mile, we met the longest, steepest hill in the race. This is where Josh usually breaks away from the pack and settles in to a comfortable lead. But Jim Johnson hung tight, and despite the pace, my legs were feeling very strong and I coasted behind Jim all the way up. When we made the turn into the woods and onto the single track at the top of the hill, the three of us had opened up a nice gap on 4th place.

We wound through the trees and over rocks on the sinuous, undulating single track. Josh surged a few times, but Jim and I held on tight. I was very surprised at how comfortable I was feeling. My heart rate was low and my breathing was not labored. In the back of my mind I was waiting for the anchor to drop, I mean how could I possibly be running with Josh Ferenc? My thoughts were violently interrupted by Jim Johnson screaming “Watch out!!”. My eyes darted around, and discovered a large, sharp stake coming out of the ground and pointing right at my face. I quickly dodged to the left, narrowly missing certain facial reconstruction. My heart raced and then settled… I smiled. This was snowshoe racing.

Suddenly Josh dropped like a rag doll in front of us and made a loud thump. He had tripped and come down hard on his chest and face on a large trailside boulder. Jim and I asked him if he was ok as we went by. He said something about his face. We kept turning back to check on him, he was not getting up. We charged on. Part of me felt guilty for not making certain of his well-being, but another part was in race mode and I was not letting go of this “hell of a race” I was having.

Another mile in and we came to another climb. Jim asked me if I wanted to go by. I said no. He said he was really dogging it and was out of shape. I countered with “You’re winning the race!”. I was feeling very comfortable, especially on the climbs. Apparently the crazy Tabata leg strength training I have been doing is really paying off. Part of me wanted to pass Jim and just go for it, but another part was thinking “when is this fairy tale going to end?”.

The curiosity that had marked my start to this race – Run out front with the big boys and see how long you can hang on – Had now turned into a fearful need for security. Now that I discovered that I could run with the big boys, I was afraid of blowing the chance at a victory if I did make a surge to take the lead. So I sat on Jim’s heels. Regardless of how many times he asked me to go by, I sat there, scared to make the move.

With 3/4 of a mile to go, Brian Rusiecki, one of the top trail runners in the East, was starting to close the gap on us. As we left the single track and entered the final 300 meters on the access road, Brian was only a few seconds behind us. I was not feeling tired, and thought that I could sprint to the finish now and come out ahead of Jim. Jim had the same idea. So we sprinted like mad men for the last few hundred meters of the race and Jim’s young legs proved a bit quicker than mine, as we finished less than a second apart. It was a very exciting finish.

I race because it’s an opportunity to see who I am… Not just how fit I am physically, but how well put together I am mentally. Obstacles show up in life all the time. Sometimes we have more than enough resources to deal with them, but choose not to use those resources when needed. Racing brings this to the surface every time. It shows you your weak points. It shows you your fears. If you look closely, it shows you opportunity.

Good things to come in 2010.

Thrashing through the snow in the Snowstorm Classic 5k was so much fun, that I decided to make the hour and forty minute drive south again to compete in the Snowstorm Classic 10k. Where the 5k offered bone chilling temps and snow covered roads, the 10k presented a gauntlet of new challenges, including hard packed ice on 50% of the course and much stiffer competition. The temperature was a balmy 30 degrees, so naturally many of the runners thought that a t-shirt and shorts were the appropriate attire. My wimpy California blood demanded that I wear two layers on the top and bottom.

Over 100 runners lined up at the start line on the edge of a frozen duck pond. The crowd was abuzz with cheerful conversation and smiling faces. The race started with a quarter mile long uphill into a densely wooded area of the park. The road was completely covered with old snow that had been packed down into ice. Everyone was slipping as they tried to get up the hill. I managed to get into the top 5 without falling and breaking my neck by running on the very edge of the road where there was still crumbly snow to offer some traction. At the top of the hill we were greeted by a very large locked steel arm gate. Some of the runners planted their hands and vaulted over it, only to slip and fall as they landed, others dusted off their baseball skills and slid under it on the ice. I chose option C – to run around it through the knee deep snow. It was perhaps the safest choice but it filled my shoes with very chilly snow. For the next two miles, I ran with the lead pack of 5. We were all taking different tracks on the icy road hoping to get more traction. At the two mile point one of the racers announced that we had run 12:40 for two miles. This was about 50 seconds per mile slower than I wanted to run, but we were moving as fast as we could on the ice.

We finally reached an area of clear pavement at two and a half miles and one runner broke away. He was trying to make up as much time as he could now that we could run at a normal pace, well, normal for running in 30 degree temps with lots of clothing on. I picked up the pace a bit, but for some reason I let him get away – perhaps he was just faster than me, I’m not sure. When I hit the 4 mile mark, he had a 30 second lead over me, and I was about a minute up on 3rd place. I surmised that the man in front of me was a very good runner and had decided that I was comfortable getting second place to him. It was an easy second, and I didn’t have to work that hard to guarantee it.

That’s when I noticed that the road was again changing to ice, and I could see him struggling and slipping far ahead in the distance. A new voice popped into my head. It said, “I’m fast. I’m tough. And this is easy!”. The voice kept repeating these three lines over and over. The clear culprit in this mental coup d’etat was a book that I had started reading a few days prior, called – “The NEW Toughness Training For Sports” by James E. Loehr. Someone on one of the raw food forums had been watching my video blogs apparently and thought that I could use a little toughening up. I’m always open to advice, so I found the book on Amazon and bought it used for $2 bucks. The book essentially breaks every athlete into two halves – The Real Self and the Performer Self, and then goes on to instruct one how to toughen up the Performer Self. Well, the voice I was hearing in my head must have been my unsatisfied Real Self pushing my Performer Self out of the way and taking over the job of moving my legs. It’s amazing how much of the discomfort we experience in life is self-imposed, because once I started listening to the pep-talk that my Real Self was giving me, I began to feel like an entirely different person. I picked up the pace drastically and set my goal to vaporize his 30 second lead and win the race. The ice whizzed beneath my feet as I clocked a low 5 minute pace. Every corner we turned offered up the view of his back – closer than it was before. I began to realize that I wasn’t even feeling tired. The voice just kept repeating those 3 lines, “I’m fast. I’m tough. And this is easy!”. Suddenly it was interupted by the gorgeous view of the tops of trees and a cloud speckled blue sky – I was horizontal in the air. I hit the ground hard and slid about 15 feet on my back. Before I even came to a stop I was up on my feet again, ignoring the pain and more determined than ever to catch him. The anger and pain of falling was being translated into an even faster pace.

With less than half a mile to go, the road ended and we had to jump a snowbank and run 30 feet on a snowy trail to another road. I was moving so quickly through the trail that I surprised him when I burst out onto the road only 3 feet behind him. He turned around and looked at me with shock and fear in his eyes. It was like a watching a prey animal when it realizes that the predator has snuck up it and is about to make it’s lethal pounce. He found a 5th gear and bolted down the hill ahead. I chased in hot pursuit, there was no way my dinner was going to get away. When we hit the 6 mile mark, we were moving at an all out sprint. There were only two tenths of a mile remaining to see who had the fastest kick. He reached down deep and pulled away from me in the final stretch. I was moving as fast as my legs would carry me and I simply could not keep up. I had run a 1:48 (4:30 pace) for the last four tenths of a mile, he had run a 1:42 (4:20 pace). My second place time of 35:54 translated into 3 miles above 6 minute pace, and 3 miles at close to 5 minute pace. Considering the nature of this course and my initial “laziness” this is a sign of great things to come.

Lessons learned: Never give up, never give in. You feel what you beileve you feel. Change your beliefs and you can change your feelings. Never underestimate yourself or your opponent. Always do your best.

Next week I’m going to enter my first ever snowshoe race. I can’t wait.

When I initially came to Vermont I was quite worried that my training would come to a halt as winter arrived. The icy roads and cold temps make running far more challenging and dangerous. In addition, we’ve had a very snowy November and December so far. So, I’ve been forced to become creative with my training and take advantage of what a Vermont winter has to offer. Over 80 percent of Vermont is forested mountains with endless trails and abandoned logging roads. It’s an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise. There is no better way to explore this vast wilderness than on snowshoes, and as I’ve discovered, there is no better workout as well.

So I made the 20 minute drive north to Manchester, VT to snowshoe up mighty Mt. Equinox. This stunning mountain climbs 3,300 feet quite abruptly from the valley below, and offers some of the best views in all of Vermont.

The freezing cold temps inspired me to give a talk on the apparent “need” for hot food in a cold winter climate, that many raw fooders fall victim to.

Click HERE to see info on Mt. Equinox

Click HERE to watch the video

My apologies to those of you that have been looking forward to more videos on my site and on YouTube. I was in the process of filming a segment on the “joys” of running in a Vermont winter when I slipped and fell on the icy road and smashed my camera. I will still be posting written blogs, but there will be no more new video segments. I do have some footage that I shot beforehand that I will put up soon.

It’s been a month since my last race in Milwaukee. A month of rough and tumble Vermont winter. I’ve been doubting whether my isolated training has been hard enough on my hard days. In Los Angeles I would do a race a weekend as my hard tempo workout. It’s not such much about the competition as it is about the intense workout that a race provides. I just can’t push myself as hard on my own.

So yesterday, I headed down to the Snowstorm Classic 5K in Springfield, MA to get my race on. I was hoping to get a tempo workout of a few miles in the low 5 minute range. When I went to the event website and looked at last weeks results (this is a 9 week series throughout the winter on the same course), I was a bit disappointed – the winner ran a 17:39 – nearly two minutes slower than my best time for a 5k. But being that this was the only race in New England this weekend, I decided to go anyways.

What really excited me about this race was a little blurb on the event website that read: “The races have never been canceled throughout their history.  No matter how cold it is, regardless of how much it may snow, if you can get to the Skate House, you can run.”. This is my kind of crowd – hard as nails New Englanders.

It was 9 degrees when I left Vermont at 8 AM and I hoped that it would be significantly warmer when the race started. The race was held in Forest Park in Springfield, MA, an enormous forested city park with numerous lakes and miles of trails. I was very impressed with the park, and I’d rate it as one of the top 10 city parks in the country. Park roads are not maintained like city streets and were therefore completely covered in packed snow and ice. This was going to be a very slippery and challenging race. At race time, a very friendly and rugged looking group of 100 or so runners (some in shorts and long sleeve T’s) congregated at the start line. It was 13 degrees. I was amazed that this many runners came out to run on this snowy course in these frigid temps. These were serious runners.

I have been running high mileage for the past few weeks and doing very hard leg strength workouts, so I wasn’t expecting much other than a hard workout. Having seen the condition of the course, and now realizing that I’d have to run with 3 layers of clothing on, a big hat and heavy gloves, that 17:39 winning time from last week was starting to sound pretty fast. As I looked around at the crowd of people standing on the line with me, most jumping up and down to stay warm, I felt like I was part of something special. These were not ordinary people out to compete for bragging rights or to get a PR, this was a group of exceptional, joyful people who were truly committed to something – running and community.

The ringing of a large cowbell signaled the start of the race and we were off. A pack of college kids lead the charge up the first hill. It was covered with ice and everyone was slipping. I found that the snowier edge of the road gave me more footing than the hard packed middle and I charged around the crowd. Before the race began, I was informed that the course would not be marked and that I’d have to memorize the map, which I hadn’t done. My strategy was to run the tricky first mile and half with another runner and then try to pull ahead as the course became more simple (or so it appeared on the map). At the half mile point, I was running on the heels of the leader in second place. During the warmup I had singled him out as the one to beat. He looked the part of an elite runner, and a few minutes of chatting with him revealed that he was one of the top marathoners in New England. It was difficult to maintain a fast pace as the snow would slip out from under your feet on occasion and make you lurch forward. I had to begin picking my feet up for each new step instead of pushing off from the previous step. At roughly a mile and a half, I picked up the pace and took the lead. No one followed my break. At the next intersection, I heard a yell behind me “go left, go left!!”, I quickly corrected my mistake and powered on. As more unmarked intersections began to appear, I realized that I was going to need the guidance of the runner behind me in second place. I slowed the pace a little to allow him within loud speaking distance. He was nice enough to guide my every turn for the rest of the race. Now THAT is sportsmanship. The final 200 meters of the race had us jumping over a snowbank (thank god for my guide behind me) and running on an unpacked trail with 10 inches of heavy snow on it. I stumbled 3 or 4 times trying to maintain my footing in the deep snow. Then I jumped over one final snowbank and I was in the parking lot crossing the finish line. I won the race in 17:45. A time that I was very proud to have run under these conditions.

After the race we all ran into the skate house next to the lake to get warm. There were no prizes or awards ceremony, just a great group of friendly people sharing stories, hot chocolate and doughnuts and planning for next week’s race. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.