2019 3:20, And Beyond (Read 444 times)

pepperjack


pie man

    All the ultra trail overload from last weekend so filled me with inspiration I just had to go out and run...a road mile.  I think I randomly opened Twitter (not something I do often these days) and saw there was a 4th mile on the streets of mammoth lakes right before the parade.  So I calculated the drive and it wasn’t impossible.  I debated getting a cheap room somewhere on the way down but in the end I just got up early and drove first thing.  No official results but I saw 5:40 on the clock which is decent.  The radio said the parade was the highest elevation one in the state, so I’m guessing the mile would be too?  I only really felt it on the uphill part, between a couple of nice down sections.  Didn’t win the prize, which was a pie baked by Deena herself.  Randomly I went back to start after the race and wound up having a hella awkward encounter with her.  I mentioned the real reason I made the trip, which was my buddy is through hiking the PCT and I was going to attempt to meet up.  She was like ‘taking him a cold beer’and I haven’t even thought of that.

     

    He was basically getting to the spot where folks catch a shuttle and ride into mammoth so it was really quite perfect.  Less perfect from them cause mammoth was slammed with people, mostly snowboarders squeezing the last bit out of the season.  I hiked in and attempted to meet him where they camped just past devils postpile.  It was a throwback to the days before cell phones cause it wasn’t the smoothest thing, but eventually we did meet up.  And I hiked 5ish miles out and then hung out in town with him and the several folks that he’s thrown in with.  Definely tickles some part of my anthropological brain cause they all have trail names and only use those (I asked a few people if they knew brad as I hiked up to meet them and got mostly blank stares).  Pretty extreme existence and I only got a piece of it.  Overall I think it was ok, I got to drive them all around town since I had my car.  Probably should have cleaned it a little more, though.   And then headed back to civilization.

    11:11 3,000 (recent)

      I followed that thread on LR and there was most certainly bullying as well as doxxing.  They posted his employers name, his job title, his friends, went after the athletes he had helped coach over the years and more.  Cyber bullying.

      He should have just admitted it and taken his lumps.  He didn't and kept denying.  The LR crowd can't handle that and they went over the top to bring him down. 

       

      This lynch-mob group behavior is a base side of human nature.  I didn't post, but feel a little ashamed for following the thread.

        my week:

        M: 12 easy

        T: 8 easy + weights

        W: 11 easy

        Th: 10 easy

        F: 7 easy

        S: 8 easy + weights

        S: 8 easy

         

        total = 64    My biggest mileage in a couple years...  all 9-10min miles

         

        and hexbar deadlifts are my new thing in the weight room!

        Running Problem


        Problem Child

          Part three is live. It might not be as good as the last two but it's also been 8 days since I've been there. I guess I SHOULD have started writing this whole thing sooner after the race. As usual it's very "stream of consciousness" as one person pointed out. Someone in the Sub 3 marathon thread named an author who does that but the name (both the author and who said it) are escaping me.

          Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

          VDOT 53.37 

          5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22

          darkwave


          Mother of Cats

            Part three is live. It might not be as good as the last two but it's also been 8 days since I've been there. I guess I SHOULD have started writing this whole thing sooner after the race. As usual it's very "stream of consciousness" as one person pointed out. Someone in the Sub 3 marathon thread named an author who does that but the name (both the author and who said it) are escaping me.

             

            James Joyce (is the author, not the sub-3 forumite).  Look forward to reading.

             

            Regarding: FM.  a) I want to preface this with the observation that tone is not always obvious on the internet.  So.. when you read my thoughts, please infer a respectful tone, and an acknowledgement that we can have differing views on this topic without one person being absolutely right, and the other absolutely wrong.

             

            b) that being said, I took some time and went back through the Letsrun FM thread, randomly selecting 25 different pages.  I did NOT see anything that screams cyber bullying to me.  Pretty much every post was examining race results, photos, etc - a crowdsourced investigation.   The only things that came close were 1) a reference to contacting the school where he worked to alert them to the cheating concern (since his marathon performances were listed as part of his credentials) 2) an observation that someone had given him bad reviews on the doctor review site "Vitals" (but no indication that those bad reviews were given by a LR forumite); 3) some comparisons of his race photos to those of Ed Whitlock and Gene Dykes; 4) speculation about accomplices that was promptly shut down.

             

            Of course, I may have missed something on the pages I didn't read, or it may be that there were cyber-bullying posts that were deleted by the Letsrun Moderators (supposedly over 150 posts were deleted).  But... from what I see there was no cyber-bullying, just profuse discussion and analysis.  Posting his job title and employer's name didn't strike me as over the top - that's public information.

             

            I thought that where things got over the top was when he was laughed at on Good Morning America, and when Inside Edition went to his front door.  I don't think there's anything you can do about the former; for the latter, I strongly feel that it's wrong to set up shop right outside of someone's home, whether it be for media coverage or for protesting.    But neither of those can be attributed to Letsrun/Marathon Investigations, except in the sense that if the cheating had never been discovered, the media would not have covered it.

             

            As an aside, I've unfortunately had to deal with mentally ill athletes and cheating before (and not, not myself Smile ).  What I've learned from that experience is that choosing to look past the cheating in hopes of not pushing the person over the edge accomplishes nothing except further ingraining the cheating.

             

            ***

             

            I was late in dumping off my week, so here it is:


            56 miles, 18 "miles" of pool-running, and 3000 yards of swimming
            M: Yoga and 8.5 "miles" of pool-running
            T: 10 miles, including 6 long hill repeats (~2:00 up, ~1:30 jog, ~30 second stride, ~60 second jog); followed with leg strengthwork and 1000 yards recovery swimming.
            W: 8 miles very easy (9:00), drills, strides, yoga, and 4 miles very easy (8:58)
            Th: Upper body weights, core, and 9.5 "miles" pool-running
            F: 12 miles, including alternating two 60-70 second hill reps with 2:30 recovery and 10 minutes at tempo effort with 1:30 recovery. Did 2 hill reps, 10:00 tempo (6:44), 2 hill reps, 10:00 tempo (6:42), 2 hill reps. Followed with leg strengthwork and 1000 yards recovery swimming.
            Sa: 10 miles easy (9:08) plus drills, strides, upper body strength/core, DIY yoga
            Su: 12 miles, including 7 long hill repeats (~2:00 up, ~1:30 jog, ~30 second stride, ~60 second jog); followed with leg strengthwork and 1000 yards recovery swimming.

             

            A lot of excitement yesterday, with crazy flash flooding (I and my loved ones are fine).  This picture is from the location where my team usually meets on weekends to run.  That is not a flood prone location.  Until now, apparently.

            Everyone's gotta running blog; I'm the only one with a POOL-RUNNING blog.

             

            And...if you want a running Instagram where all the pictures are of cats, I've got you covered.

            rlk_117


            Resident Millennial

              Part three is live. It might not be as good as the last two but it's also been 8 days since I've been there. I guess I SHOULD have started writing this whole thing sooner after the race. As usual it's very "stream of consciousness" as one person pointed out. Someone in the Sub 3 marathon thread named an author who does that but the name (both the author and who said it) are escaping me.

               

              thanks for sharing. i have never gone further than 31 miles and can't even imagine doing technical, nighttime, trying to hang with max, etc past that point. hope your knee is feeling better these days?

              your fandom is making me laugh. you'd lose your shit at a saturday SFRC run Wink

              really like your description of the random hits of emotion you get at the end. i haven't felt that in awhile but i totally know what you mean, and it's crazy, and i think achieving that state is part of why we do this kind of thing.

               

              q, why do men need to search for a "fifth gear" when they "get chicked"? shouldn't they search for that regardless of who passes them...?

              _________________________________________________
              mile, 5:26 /5k, 19:34 /10k, 41:00 /13.1, 1:31:49 /26.2, 3:12:58

              rlk_117


              Resident Millennial

                 

                 

                As an aside, I've unfortunately had to deal with mentally ill athletes and cheating before (and not, not myself Smile ).  What I've learned from that experience is that choosing to look past the cheating in hopes of not pushing the person over the edge accomplishes nothing except further ingraining the cheating.

                further ingraining the cheating seems like a better outcome than pushing the person over the edge (the final outcome in FM's case). obviously, neither path is good and addressing the underlying mental health issues would probably be best.

                 

                from everything i read, i heartily believe he was expertly cheating. i also read accounts of his family defending his honesty. i assume they either were shocked by it (wouldn't we all be) or just aren't familiar enough with racing/the investigations. i'm saying this because it sounds like he probably wasn't about to get the mental help he needed. i think it would've been preferable for him to keep getting DQed/banned from races than for him to fling himself into a river.

                 

                +1 to what you said on not inferring tone and having "agree to disagree" type discussion! it's always instructive to hear others' viewpoints and learn something new. Smile

                 

                 

                unrelated, heard about the flash flooding and got some photos from my best friend (HS running buddy who now lives in foggy bottom) (i can't type that neighborhood name without laughing!). glad you were ok!

                more of these floods, 90 degree days in alaska, tornadoes in new jersey, etc etc to come ......

                _________________________________________________
                mile, 5:26 /5k, 19:34 /10k, 41:00 /13.1, 1:31:49 /26.2, 3:12:58

                Running Problem


                Problem Child

                  thanks for sharing. i have never gone further than 31 miles and can't even imagine doing technical, nighttime, trying to hang with max, etc past that point. hope your knee is feeling better these days?

                  your fandom is making me laugh. you'd lose your shit at a saturday SFRC run Wink

                  really like your description of the random hits of emotion you get at the end. i haven't felt that in awhile but i totally know what you mean, and it's crazy, and i think achieving that state is part of why we do this kind of thing.

                   

                  q, why do men need to search for a "fifth gear" when they "get chicked"? shouldn't they search for that regardless of who passes them...?

                   

                  Knee felt good about 3 days later. Only reason I didn't go out for a run sooner was camping trip prep was a little more important those days. I DID get out on the PCT which I'd never been on. One of many things I didn't do as a "Californian" or prior to being a runner even though it was readily available for me.

                   

                  Saturday SFRC run....hmm (Insert thinking emoji)...I mean...if ya-BOI C-MONEY is there I might lose my shit ON him (i'm 100% unsure why I dislike him other than his social media personality seems extremely fake and over exagurated. He's probably pretty normal if I saw him at Costco eating a salad at the food court). Other than that I'd either be on my phone trying to see who is here and why they're badass, or run completely obliviousto who is around me and why I should feel some kind of impressed I'm allowed in there presence. Maybe I'll swing by randomly if I ever get the notifications or start locations. Oh...shit...Devo0 Yanko runs with you. You're probably on a first name basis with her. Yeah I'd fanboy on her. Heck, I might even be willing to get matching tattoos with her. Listened to a podcast about her past and after learning a LITTLE bit more about some of the elites I don't get so envious of their talents when I consider what their life has been like relative to mine. Sheet gets put into perspective REAL QUICK when I learn Amanda Basham had an eating disorder, but is an amazing athlete. Tim Olsen had a heroin addiction. If those three are a small sample of the life I'd live to be an elite athlete I'll stick with struggling to get into Boston over a REAL problem.

                   

                  The random hit (nice choice of word there) of emotion was fucking weird as shitting purple. I'm not exactly the most "emotional/touchy feely/lovey dovey" type of person. I'm too blunt for emotions MOST of the time, and typically "don't have time to deal with it" until it's over and I have time to properly deal with it. I TOTALLY get why Clare cried crossing the finish line. You really don't know how to handle it and it's hard to fight back. It's not sadness. You just can't control much at that point.

                   

                  I didn't need to search for a 5th gear...well maybe EYE did but max didn't. He was power hiking like a BEAST while I was reconsidering my entire desire to know the man let alone continue being his friend. IF he treats his friends like this I'd HATE to be an enemy (maybe I should have added that to part 3). I actually thought it was seriously impressive, and worrisome, we were passed by someone running up the rocks. At first I was like "oh that's her pacer. Why is her pacer going so far ahead? different strokes different folks." then I saw the woman come past us just chugging along and I was starting to get worried we would need more time, or I'd start to suffer even more.

                  I THINK it was Kumiko Hart but I didn't catch the bib number. Just going strictly off what I remember the hair looking like under the hate. Also assumed gender based on the 2 seconds I saw the runner power past me. I don't recall passing her so maybe it was at Robie Point or No Hands.

                  Don't forget...I'm the same guy who beat an All American runner in a mile race. I don't care if he was 11 (or younger) when he became an all American. I chased him down for 3/4 of a 1 mile race just to catch up. I still beat an All America. His dad...yeah NO.

                   

                  Oh and if I have to go 35 or more miles to get that hit I'm in for a pretty substantial addiction problem ahead of me. 50s and hundreds include hallucinations which is probably like taking acid....I'm screwed.

                   

                  Q: Is a man searching for a 5th gear because they were passed by a female any different than a female finding another gear because she was passed by a man?

                   

                   

                  dwave If he cheated at a marathon to the point of coming in sub 3 and setting 5K world records what else might he cheat on? MCAT? residency? undergrad? I have found if you don't cheat, or lie, you don't have to worry about being called a cheater, or liar, and you avoid the downside of being labeled a cheater. I don't think anyone forgets Milli Vanilli giving back a music award they didn't actually earn.

                   

                  I have ZERO sympathy for a cheater. Accusations are one thing. Evidence proving you cheated (like a photo of you entering the course just before a timing mat) or had such a great performance you set records then go back and ride the course on a bike to cover your cheating gets you ZERO fawks from me about anything.

                   

                   

                  Alaska...(ears perk up) Max King just won Mt. Marathon. SO that requires an Olympic Athlete level of skill. My sister in law is friends with a girl who won in her 20s. She's a 3 time NCAA Champion now. Apparently she's really small too. Dynamite comes in small packages.

                  Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

                  VDOT 53.37 

                  5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22

                  rlk_117


                  Resident Millennial

                     

                    Knee felt good about 3 days later. Only reason I didn't go out for a run sooner was camping trip prep was a little more important those days. I DID get out on the PCT which I'd never been on. One of many things I didn't do as a "Californian" or prior to being a runner even though it was readily available for me.

                     

                    Saturday SFRC run....hmm (Insert thinking emoji)...I mean...if ya-BOI C-MONEY is there I might lose my shit ON him (i'm 100% unsure why I dislike him other than his social media personality seems extremely fake and over exagurated. He's probably pretty normal if I saw him at Costco eating a salad at the food court).

                     

                    Q: Is a man searching for a 5th gear because they were passed by a female any different than a female finding another gear because she was passed by a man?

                     

                     -----

                    Alaska...(ears perk up) Max King just won Mt. Marathon. SO that requires an Olympic Athlete level of skill. My sister in law is friends with a girl who won in her 20s. She's a 3 time NCAA Champion now. Apparently she's really small too. Dynamite comes in small packages.

                     

                    PCT, awesome!  I think I've only been on the part above yosemite valley.

                     

                    mocko didn't really go to SFRC, he mainly ran with a couple close friends in SF. even when he became a trail/ultra person he would just run the larger SF hills in crazy routes and not do as much in marin as you would've thought. plus he's lived out of state for like 2 years now haha. and his personality on youtube is similar to IRL. he's a cocky asshole, at least was the last few times i interacted w/ him before he moved. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

                     

                    A: hm, maybe or maybe not, but i didn't read about a woman trying to find a 5th gear after being passed by a man in your RR. and i haven't written about that in any of mine. Wink


                     Allie O! Big fan. She's a Brooks Beast now.

                    _________________________________________________
                    mile, 5:26 /5k, 19:34 /10k, 41:00 /13.1, 1:31:49 /26.2, 3:12:58

                    Running Problem


                    Problem Child

                       

                      PCT, awesome!  I think I've only been on the part above yosemite valley.

                       

                      mocko didn't really go to SFRC, he mainly ran with a couple close friends in SF. even when he became a trail/ultra person he would just run the larger SF hills in crazy routes and not do as much in marin as you would've thought. plus he's lived out of state for like 2 years now haha. and his personality on youtube is similar to IRL. he's a cocky asshole, at least was the last few times i interacted w/ him before he moved. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

                       

                      A: hm, maybe or maybe not, but i didn't read about a woman trying to find a 5th gear after being passed by a man in your RR. and i haven't written about that in any of mine. Wink


                       Allie O! Big fan. She's a Brooks Beast now.

                       

                      Trust me 5th gear was already maxed out and I just needed something to pull me through. Again, mostly the impressive ability to have strong legs. ANYONE finishing that race is a badass in my book. Did you read about the part where I told the dude I'd wear his buckle in a 1 mile race? sheeeeet….ain't nothin wrong with being "chicked." I actually think it up there with "fartlek" as  a word that's fun to say/use. You don't get "duded" or "guyd" in  a race...just passed. 

                       

                      allie o...googling...binging...yahooing...yeh I think that is her. If you want, I'll see if I can somehow get an autograph or something. I guess after looking at her stats I should be impressed to know someone who knows her. I guess I don't need to ask her what her marathon pace is. WHAT THE FAWK!?!?!? THIRD IN THE 10K 32:06 HOLY FAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

                      Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

                      VDOT 53.37 

                      5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22

                      Running Problem


                      Problem Child

                        oh yeah, max wasn't getting passed by men at that point in the run. Kinda hard to get "duded" when you're the dude doing the duding.

                        Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

                        VDOT 53.37 

                        5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22

                        OMR


                          Keen:  A late reply to your comment about the DCF50.  The PG13 rating is a bit humorous, but it is primarily a relay race followed by a huge party, and the relay typically sells out within an hour of the opening of registration.  The solo run is not nearly as popular, except for when it was the USATF 50M road race championship.

                          FM:  I didn't follow this at all, and I have no interest in looking at any of it.  Cyber bulling or not, I'm glad I didn't grow up in the age of technology.  And I sometimes wonder why incoming college freshmen are so messed up!  ;-)

                          rovatti:  Wow, that's a nice week!  The calf seems to be holding up OK?

                          Brew:  I've got all three parts cued up...looking forward to reading about your not-so-little adventure.

                          Dwave:  Yikes, that flash flooding is insane!

                           

                          My week:

                           

                          M:  Rest

                          T:  7.1M w/ 4 x 0.25M @ -2%

                          W:  6.8

                          T:  6.9

                          F:  7.0

                          S:  11.0

                          S:  Rest

                           

                          Total:  38.8  Recovery week for me.  This week begins a 16-week plan for the DCF 50M in October.  Haven't officially signed up just yet, but am mentally committed to it.

                           

                          EDITED TO ADD:  Thoroughly enjoyed the report, Brew. What an experience, on so many levels.

                          AceHarris


                            Brew: I thoroughly enjoyed the RR. Can you race/pace more ultras so I can read more?!?

                             

                            Training for my 50k has been okay. Lacking a little motivation in the heat and humidity, but got a nice 18 mile trail run in Saturday. Was supposed to 8-10 on Sunday, but my shoes were in my car, which my wife took to go back home from my parents earlier than the rest of us. So I took the day off.

                            My long run was on the AT from Damascus, VA to Shady Valley, TN, where my parents live. The first 15 had 3,500' of climbing single track, then I got to enjoy about 600' descent on roads for 3 miles back to the house. That was nice.  I had my first encounter with a rattlesnake (Timber rattlesnake I think). I did not enjoy this one bit. Luckily he was lying across the trail and his pattern gave him away, so I stopped and slowly walked towards him to get a better look. When I was about 12 feet away he coiled up and got the rattle going. It was freaky. I went around it in the woods and went about my day...then 0.5 miles later I came up on an adult black bear. LUCKILY, I startled it by coming over a hill and he/she ran off in the woods. This is a 15 mile stretch of trail with minimal to no access and I saw the snake at 7.5 miles and bear at 8 miles. Poor timing if something bad happened. I need to find a running buddy for my longer trail excursions.

                             

                            With how easily accessibly everyone is in today's culture, it's not just cyber bullying that weighs on the minds of people, but just knowing thousands to millions of people will be reading about your "issue" whether it's cheating, stupidity, illness, etc. Even having close friends/family and a good support system, the current nature of being exposed (which we opt in to or perhaps apathetically fail to opt out of) can create a lot of mental anguish. ( I realize I may be undercutting my point as I lay out my running life in an online setting).

                            Road Mile: 5:19 (2017), 5k: 17:09 (2021), 10k: 35:54 (2021), HM: 1:21:55 (2020), M: 2:53:18 (2021)

                            Running Problem


                            Problem Child

                              Brew: I thoroughly enjoyed the RR. Can you race/pace more ultras so I can read more?!?

                               

                              Training for my 50k has been okay. Lacking a little motivation in the heat and humidity, but got a nice 18 mile trail run in Saturday. Was supposed to 8-10 on Sunday, but my shoes were in my car, which my wife took to go back home from my parents earlier than the rest of us. So I took the day off.

                              My long run was on the AT from Damascus, VA to Shady Valley, TN, where my parents live. The first 15 had 3,500' of climbing single track, then I got to enjoy about 600' descent on roads for 3 miles back to the house. That was nice.  I had my first encounter with a rattlesnake (Timber rattlesnake I think). I did not enjoy this one bit. Luckily he was lying across the trail and his pattern gave him away, so I stopped and slowly walked towards him to get a better look. When I was about 12 feet away he coiled up and got the rattle going. It was freaky. I went around it in the woods and went about my day...then 0.5 miles later I came up on an adult black bear. LUCKILY, I startled it by coming over a hill and he/she ran off in the woods. This is a 15 mile stretch of trail with minimal to no access and I saw the snake at 7.5 miles and bear at 8 miles. Poor timing if something bad happened. I need to find a running buddy for my longer trail excursions.

                               

                              With how easily accessibly everyone is in today's culture, it's not just cyber bullying that weighs on the minds of people, but just knowing thousands to millions of people will be reading about your "issue" whether it's cheating, stupidity, illness, etc. Even having close friends/family and a good support system, the current nature of being exposed (which we opt in to or perhaps apathetically fail to opt out of) can create a lot of mental anguish. ( I realize I may be undercutting my point as I lay out my running life in an online setting).

                               

                              ace: wait...you want MORE of this verbal/mental garbage throw together over three days? You offering to sign me up and pay to help support your addiction to my "digital diarrhea" and give me MORE stories to tell people? okay maybe. Just let me forget this one so I can be stupid bold enough to sign up for Tahoe Rim Trail 50 mile...unless you want to do it and I'll try to hang from Diamond Peak to the finish at Spooner Lake.

                              I saw a snake on my Sunday run. Very rare species but probably one of my favorite. Being "exposed" (caught) should be enough of a deterrent to prevent the actions causing exposure (i.e. getting caught cheating should provide enough of a reason NOT to cheat). In anything. Including getting into college based on a lie. How you handle being called a cheater is up to you because you decided to cheat. Actions have consequences. The people who decide to go after a guy who cut the course better never take a shortcut in life and get busted.

                               

                              https://www.youtube.com/watch?edufilter=NULL&v=dHigdMbL7j4

                              I saw this guy walk through Foresthill. He definitely has a "unique" gait. You'd recognize it if you saw it a mile away. Leans left at about a 25-30 degree angle and it hurts MY back/body just imagining it's been done for 60-100 miles. He has 20 finishes. I guess he knows a thing or two about how to get through Western States. Oh and Max met him at UTMB...so HE has THAT going for him as well. such a celebrity max is. 

                               

                              EDIT: ace I'm blaming you for this...http://www.quicksilver-running.com/Awards-and-Raffle

                              Quicksilver 100K gives out belt buckles.

                              Quicksilver 100K is a Western States qualifier (16 hours).

                              Quicksilver 100K is in the hills I looked at and lived around (kind of) growing up.

                               

                              This is kind of a disease. I think my wife would kill me (roll her eyes) if I BQ at CIM then register for an ultra marathon lottery...so I can write another story.

                              Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

                              VDOT 53.37 

                              5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22

                              kcam


                                 

                                 

                                Regarding: FM.  a) I want to preface this with the observation that tone is not always obvious on the internet.  So.. when you read my thoughts, please infer a respectful tone, and an acknowledgement that we can have differing views on this topic without one person being absolutely right, and the other absolutely wrong.

                                 

                                 

                                 

                                Understood! And agree wholeheartedly!

                                 

                                I feel the need to update y'all on my travails as I don't want it to seem like I just blew off the great people on this thread.  I might not be posting much for a while.  To make a long (and boring) story short - I suffered a heart attack on Saturday a week ago.  Was on a mountain bike coming down a very steep trail when it happened.  Put me over the bars and slammed my pelvis very hard onto a rock.  Nothing broken but I was in the hospital for 5 days.  Had an angioplasty and two stents put into my heart.  Three blocked arteries (one was too small to do anything about).  99% on one and 85% on the other.  Big shock as I've never had any warning signs and I lead and have always led a healthy lifestyle.  5"9" 160, run daily or close to it for the past 30 years, no smoking, no drinking other than an occasional beer, very minimal fast food, blah blah blah.  I guess I inherited propensity to heart disease from my Mom's side of the family  they all passed in their 30's, 40's and 50's from HD.  My mom lived to 61 and she was the longest living person in her family.  Docs said that sometimes it doesn't matter how healthy your lifestyle is, genetics can catch up to you.

                                So, for now, I'm sidelined to just walking.  Couldn't run even if I tried because my pelvis was so messed up from the crash.  Probably a good thing because if I could run I'd be itching to get out and see what I could run a mile in with my newly opened coronary arteries!

                                Cardiologist said I could resume running and training but not until things settle out with all the new medications I'm taking.  I'll just walk until I see him next and then get the OK to run again.  My dropoff in racing times, which has been severe and much faster than can be attributed to aging, may have been due to this problem.  That might have been the only warning sign I had.  A good friend of mine commented on my decline more than once saying there had to be something more than just aging.  However, again, I had no chest pains or shortness of breath, dizziness etc.  

                                 

                                Keep training and racing.