Former Bad Ass
The police have positively identified him and said there were no obvious signs of foul play, according to the FB page.
Damaris
Runs4Sanity
Strange..
*Do It For Yourself, Do It Because They Said It Was Impossible, Do It Because They Said You Were Incapable*
PRs
5k - 24:15 (7:49 min/mile pace)
10k - 51:47 (8:16 min/mile pace)
15k -1:18:09 (8:24 min/mile pace)
13.1 - 1:53:12 (8:39 min/mile pace)
26:2 - 4:14:55 (9:44 min/mile)
Porta-potty in a remote site? Maybe a spider or snake bite or something?
Are we there, yet?
It is stories and conversations like this that make me realize I am probably a total idiot for: A) Almost never running with a phone (unless I am meeting up with someone, or there is a picture I want to try to take on my route....but my phone annoys me SO much while running I try to almost never take it) B) Not having a Road ID C) Not carrying my driver's license or any sort of identifying information when I run D) Living alone and not having anyone who knows when I am out running, for how long, what route and when I plan to come back. Or where I am ever, really, outside of work E) Not carrying mace or pepper spray or anything like that F) Always wearing headphones when I run .....yeah, not super safe, right??? In my defense, I honestly don't think I could get abducted from my area or get hurt along my route and have someone not notice.
It is stories and conversations like this that make me realize I am probably a total idiot for:
A) Almost never running with a phone (unless I am meeting up with someone, or there is a picture I want to try to take on my route....but my phone annoys me SO much while running I try to almost never take it)
B) Not having a Road ID
C) Not carrying my driver's license or any sort of identifying information when I run
D) Living alone and not having anyone who knows when I am out running, for how long, what route and when I plan to come back. Or where I am ever, really, outside of work
E) Not carrying mace or pepper spray or anything like that
F) Always wearing headphones when I run
.....yeah, not super safe, right??? In my defense, I honestly don't think I could get abducted from my area or get hurt along my route and have someone not notice.
Leave out F and I'm in the same situation. Also no family in the area. If I went missing the first people to know would be my employers when I didn't show up for work.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K, 9:11:09 06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
At least there will be some closure for the family. Consider those who disappear, especially kids and young adults, who are never found. You don't know if they are runaways or victims of foul play or accident victims or what.
I do carry some form of ID on most runs, but no one ever has any idea of where I am going to run, or how long I expect to be gone.
The farthest route I run is a 40 minute drive from home, and once there, I could run up to 9 miles in one direction. So needless to say, they would have to search the moon to find me what with all the routes I run and different distances.
I had a neighbor who died on the can from a brain aneurysm. Still had a lit cigarette in his hand when his wife found him.
I don't want to make jokes on a very somber thread, but the neighbor's brother said, "At least he died doing what he enjoyed"... which I always assumed was the smoking part.
Trail Monster
This makes me wonder how much we, as runners, tough out when we should be seeing a doctor. It took two weeks for me to convince my DH to see a doctor for an issue and he ended up hospitalized for the weekend. I have often assumed that somewhat scary health things are somehow related to a hard race or run and blown them off. Even though we don't know exactly what happened to Chad yet I hope more people will take the time to go get a thorough check up so its not their family grieving next. I think I will schedule one too.
2013 races:
3/17 Shamrock Marathon
4/20 North Coast 24 Hour
7/27 Burning RIver 100M
8/24 Baker 50M
10/5 Oil Creek (distance to be determined)
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Brands I Heart:
FitFluential
INKnBURN
Altra Zero Drop
Even though we don't know exactly what happened to Chad yet I hope more people will take the time to go get a thorough check up so its not their family grieving next. I think I will schedule one too.
Good point, I get a physical annually which provides its own sort of comedy, as my doctor wonders why I am there despite living a quote, healthy lifestyle unquote. He will often ask me in a whisper before he leaves the room, is there anything I want to tell him. What?
Apparently, healthy people don't really go to the doctor unless something is wrong. His words, not mine.
Hadn't seen this thread in a while but:
1. In the summer, I regularly run late at night.
2. I rarely tell anyone my exact route because I don't know my exact route when I head out the door. Love my Garmin for precisely that reason.
3. I don't carry any form of ID
4. I don't carry a phone.
5. I have occasionally ducked into port-o-potties on construction sites.
6. I don't carry mace or pepper spray.
7. I have, very recently, found myself lost off a trail in the woods on a 95 degree day with no water.
8. By far, the most dangerous thing I do is drive to and from work every day.
Short term goal: 17:59 5K
Mid term goal: 2:54:59 marathon
Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life. (I started running at age 45).
Hadn't seen this thread in a while but: 1. In the summer, I regularly run late at night. 2. I rarely tell anyone my exact route because I don't know my exact route when I head out the door. Love my Garmin for precisely that reason. 3. I don't carry any form of ID 4. I don't carry a phone. 5. I have occasionally ducked into port-o-potties on construction sites. 6. I don't carry mace or pepper spray. 7. I have, very recently, found myself lost off a trail in the woods on a 95 degree day with no water. 8. By far, the most dangerous thing I do is drive to and from work every day.
Excellent point and very well stated. Thank you.
Upcoming:
July 27 - San Francisco marathon
Hip Redux
Sure, driving a car is more dangerous - but that doesn't mean it's not good idea to have something as simple as an ID or emergency phone number on you when you run. That's like a strawman argument to the discussion at hand - no one is saying that running is dangerous, we're just saying that you can be better prepared for the unexpected with some really easy things. You know, kinda like wearing a seat belt.
Will run for scenery.
Although I feel weird about idly speculating on some poor stranger's death, I think that to the extent it is helpful to us as runners/people the conversation is worthwhile.
I (still) hesitate to tell anyone precisely when/where I go running, mainly b/c I live alone and don't want to worry anyone. And I'm very lazy.
But just living alone is dangerous : my sister's friend slipped on the steps doing laundry, hit his head, and died b/c nobody found him in time. I think about that one a lot. I'm probably a little safer running in the wilderness than in my basement/bathroom/etc. : there's more traffic!
OTOH, I often do carry ID when I run; more so now than before. I'll probably get a RoadID someday. (Does it work on trails?) And last week I signed up for a statewide search and rescue insurance that covers backcountry rescue expenses.
Although I felt sure at first that Chad's case involved foul play, it now looks like it was medical. Could have been something running related or completely coincidental. I also thought brain aneurism : that can happen super-fast w/ no warning.
As for getting a physical, that has some value but not a lot. As I've heard from doctors, they really need some kind of starting point (a complaint or symptom) before being able to discover/diagnose most problems. Their big frustration (as Sara hinted) is when patients don't mention the syptoms.
Be safe!
Stupid feet!
Stupid elbow!
Smaller By The Day
Or you could wear a five-point safety harness like a race car driver, with a helmet, and a fire suit when you drive, and when you run you could stick to a supervised treadmill with a paramedic on standby.
My point is that you can always be safer, and I think this event did raise some awareness about that. At the same time, we decide our own level risk when we wake up in the morning. That's one of the great parts about being an adult, and an American. I know there are people trying to change that, and they're winning in some instances. Maybe that's why I get a bit defensive when people start arguing for safety at all costs, and calling something a strawman argument when it wasn't even an argument. He didn't say that others should do what he does. He just said, here's what I do, and here's why I'm okay with it.
Improvements
Weight 100 pounds lost
5K 31:02 Sept. 2012 / 23:36 Sept. 2013 (Same Course)
10K 48:59 April 2013
HM 2:03:56 Nov. 2012 / 1:46:50 March 2013
MARATHON 3:57:33 Nov. 2013
Yes, but again, you're comparing the extremes. No one was advocating running with a helmet or running safely "at all costs" with a paramedic on standby- we're talking simple things like running with a phone. Yes, people should be free to do whatever they feel is appropriate for them, I never said differently. My point was comparisons to how other things are more dangerous doesn't actually have anything to do with what we're talking about - which is safety while running.
On my bike, I wear a helmet. In the car, I wear my seat belt. While running, I have a RoadID. Each situation is different, has different levels of risk, and warrants a different level of "safety", up to your own personal choice. But I am not going to not wear a seat belt when the most dangerous thing I do is ride my bike. They're unrelated decisions.