On March 29th, my friend, Coach Bill Wenmark, completed the Bataan Death March Marathon at the White Sands Missile Base in New Mexico. Not only did he complete the grueling event, he won the 60-69 Civilian Heavy (35# pack) category in 7:29:56, a new age group record.

In Bill’s words: “A great moving experience for civilians, young high school ROTC units and lots of veterans, men and women. Most of all the Walter Reed Wounded Warriors who did the March missing legs and arms. The Bataan survivors in their 80′s and 90′s sat along the start area and greeted each starter….they were back at the finish to greet every finisher.  Some of them will not make it back next year, but those who can will be there again…just like they were for their fellow men in the Bataan Death March.  Some of these men were POW’s for over 3 years – tortured, starved, beaten.  Some of them were too tuff…they made it home so we would never forget.”

Bill is founder and president of, and coaches, the Active Life & Running Club (ALARC), the country’s largest marathon running club. A 2006 World Senior Games gold medalist, Bill has run 96 marathons, 2 Ironman triathlons, and completed the Leadville 100-mile run, in addition to the 100-mile bike race, which he’s done 11 times, one of only 20 in the world to do so.

Bill is also a coach at the Dick Beardsley Marathon Running Camp, which takes place every September in Waubun, Minnesota.

When I first moved to Boise 18 months ago, I was so thrilled to see “mountains” out my upstairs window.  I expressed my excitement, and people often asked me, “Exactly where do you live in Boise where you can see mountains?” When I told them, their response was usually, “Oh, those are just foothills.”

They may be called the Boise Foothills, but when you run them, they seem like mountains. That’s probably because I moved from pancake flat Chicago…well, there is one hill on the lakefront…the famous “Cricket Hill.” I’m not that good at estimating distances less than a 1/4 mile, but Cricket Hill is about 25 yards of climbing. So, when we wanted to do hill repeats, we just ran up and down that hill dozens of times. And, on a training run, if you ran up and over the hill on the way out and again on the way back, you could say you ran “hills” that day.

Hills used to scare me – I guess because I just didn’t know any real hills. Don’t we sometimes fear the unknown? I have discovered that, in the case of hills, FEAR truly is False Expectations Appearing Real.

I started running mountains about 9 months ago – the Boise Foothills – and that is when I discovered what hill running is all about. I was awful at first. How can you be awful at running hills, you wonder? Let’s put it this way: “Running” is not the proper word for what I was doing. I was walking, plodding, slogging, struggling…you choose the word for it. It wasn’t running. But I was getting up a lot of hills.

One of my current and long-term goals is to continue to become a better hill runner – both up and down hill. And, I’m getting there slowly but surely.

Ultrarunning guru Coach Mike says about hills: “If you can walk up the hill as fast as you can run it, then walk it.” There are times when I can actually walk up faster than I can run it. But I continue to practice “running” my metaphorical mountains both on trails and roads. And, I feel better, physically and psychologically, after I’ve had a good hill run day.

I do not FEAR hills anymore – I seek them out. It’s even more fun now because I can map the elevation on my Garmin. I am so psyched after I run hills! They are still not easy for me, but I look forward to my hill running days.

So, I’ll continue to admire the “mountains” from my upstairs window, and I’ll keep running the mountains surrounding Boise. And, maybe one day when I get really good at it, I’ll say, “Mountains – those are just foothills.”

What a terrific day! The Prickly Pear 50K was even better than I had expected – and harder than I expected. Each race has a personality of its own, and the Prickly Pear 50K was no exception.

I left Boise Friday morning with snow on the ground – I arrived in San Antonio to 80+ degree temperature and lots of humidity. What a shock to the system! But I wasn’t complaining – I was so happy to be able to run without 3 layers of clothes. I met up with my friend Isabelle (from Ithaca, NY) who was also running the 50K, and we went to check out the course. Even walking the first 3/4 mile of the course, we figured it could be tricky in some spots given the rocks and roots we saw. But the first section was just a tiny snapshot of what was to come.

Ten minutes before the start, the race director gathered the troops for a pre-race briefing. The highlight of his talk for me was his advice: “The rattlesnakes are waking up after winter…just be on the lookout for snakes on the path.” Fun! I wasn’t too concerned though because I figured since I wasn’t going to be in the first half of runners coming through, the snakes would get the heck out of there before I got to that part on the trail. (more…)

This Saturday is the Prickly Pear 50K in San Antonio, Texas.  It will actually be the 3rd race in my personal “Ultramarathon Series” on my way to the big one: my first 100-miler. The series started back in November with the Stinson Beach 50K followed by the Running From An Angel 50-miler in Boulder City, Nevada.

Although there’s nothing easy about running marathons…or ultramarathons, I find that as I run the longer distances both in training and races, the longer mileage gets a little less intimidating. Am I nervous about this race? Not nervous so much as excited. I love my long runs (and I ran a 30-miler in training a few weeks ago), so I feel confident that I can do it. But my running has been a little “off” in the past couple of weeks because of my hand surgery, and I’m not going into it as prepared as I usually am for a race of this length. However, I know from experience that a forced rest is sometimes a good thing.

So, my “race strategy” is to relax, have fun, and enjoy the morning running on new trails.

People often ask me why I run…and not just why I run but why I run such long distances. And, like many other distance runners, I’m usually thinking, “If you have to ask, then you wouldn’t really understand.”  However, sometimes, even I don’t understand. I don’t always analyze “why.”

For me, running is a lifestyle. It’s something I love to do – whether it’s a fast 5-mile run or an comfortable 30-mile run. And, running long miles tests me – physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.

Does it hurt? Yes, sometimes. But it’s good pain.

Somebody said, “Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.” You spend 10 hours on your feet pounding the pavement, and you’re going to experience some painful moments. But the overall experience outweighs the pain. When I’m out there running on trails, through mountains, past rivers, lakes and oceans, or even on roads…seeing sunrises and sunsets, wild animals, storm clouds rolling in…deep down, it really feels good.

So, back to the question: “Why do I run?” Maybe I run because running stretches me, challenges me, teaches me.

But probably the best answer to that question is simply this: Running makes me happy.

Here I am – back on this topic again. I talked to my friend Michael yesterday who ran the Napa Valley Marathon on Sunday. Tired, thrilled, and worn out, Michael was still jazzed about his adventure from Calistoga to Napa Valley.

In our post-race recap, he told me how Bonnie had run with him for a large portion of the race and supported him in his rough patches. (We all have rough patches in our races.) He also told me how Bill took the finish line race photos – a role Michael is accustomed to playing. And, he talked of all the folks who were out there cheering him: Joe, Jan, Dick, Jill, Mary, and more.

Bottom line: It is running that has brought us all together. If it were not for Dick’s running camp, I would not know Michael, Jan, Bill, Joe, Mary, Anita, Kathy, or even Dick. If it were not for my running group in Chicago, I would not know Lori, Joan, Roz, Trina, Sherri, or Jim. If it were not for Boise RunWalk, I would not know Mike, Steve, Matt J, Ann, Sparkle, Matt B, Bob, Amber, or Jay. And there are so many others – I can’t even begin to name them all.

I have met runners through running groups, camps, on Facebook, on Twitter, and other running forums. We are all connected by that one thing that we all love to do: Run. We all know when the other ones are running a race, and we all wait to hear the post-race report. Was it hilly? Was it hot? Was it raining? But the main thing we all want to know is “Did you have fun?” And, strange as it may sound, even after what seemed like a awful day as it was happening – the pain, the struggle, the heat, the wind, the cold – when it’s over, we miraculously feel terrific. The magic of crossing that finish line is the (almost) instant cure for all ailments and weather conditions. And, the answer to “Did you have fun?” is almost always, “It was awesome!”

I am so proud of Michael – he had a wonderfully tough day – as we all do in so many of our races. He did the “under 5 thing” and by my account, he won his race. And, in a note he wrote to me – in reference to his running friends, he says, “You people are the best people I know…”

Way to go, Michael – you’re the best, too!

Athlete for a Cure, Josh Cox not only breaks the American record, but he also reminds us about all of the good in sports and competition. Two and a half years ago, Josh’s dad passed away after battling prostate cancer. Josh dedicated this race to his dad. Watch the inspiring video at http://p3xom.th8.us

Yesterday as I was trudging up the hill with my friend Matt (around mile 12), I heard the words of my mama…”You’re no spring chicken anymore.” Most days, however, even at 49 years old, I feel like a spring chicken. Yesterday just wasn’t one of them.

And, as is often the case – especially when I find myself “struggling” with situations that are uncharacteristic of my normal behavior and capabilities – I ask: “What is the opportunity in this?” (more…)

Early last week, I took Mark (and Fremont) to the upper trailhead of Hulls Gulch in the foothills above Boise. They had never been there, and I wanted them to experience the trails during the winter (I plan to take them back when the snow melts for a totally different experience).

Still quite a bit of snow on the trails, I had to be careful not to slide down the ravine. (I did, however, slip down once and flew head first into a snow-covered bush, but no harm done.)  I did manage to get in a beautiful 5-mile run while Mark and Fremont hiked the clearer sections of the trail.

Every time I run in Hulls Gulch, I experience such a sense of serenity. Usually the only one on the path at that time, I am surrounded by the vastness of nature and feel a true connection with the natural world. A couple of times, I have seen coyotes crossing the trail or running up the side of the mountain. It is quite a moving experience.

Normally, I run without my glasses, but on this particular day, I had my glasses on, and I was able to read a couple of the poems that are posted on the trail. I especially liked “Coyote” by William Stafford:

My left hindfoot
Steps

in the track of my right
forefoot

and my hind-right
foot

steps
in the track of my
fore-left
foot

and so on, for miles—

Me paying no attention, while
my nose rides along letting
the full report, the
whole blast of the countryside
come along toward me
on rollers of scent, and—
I come home with a chicken or
a rabbit and sit up
singing all night with my friends.
It’s baroque, my life, and
I tell it on the mountain.
I wouldn’t trade it for yours.

This has been a week of many inspirations:

• My friend Lori reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro
• Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States
• Millions of people from every race and culture gathered together in Washington D.C. in a spirit of hope
• I spoke with a woman who went from weighing 527 pounds to running marathons
• I saw a lone bald eagle flying along the Boise River this morning

Always on the lookout, I find inspiration everyday in extraordinary people and experiences. It can be something as heroic as losing over 350 pounds or as simple as seeing an eagle.

I had an extraordinary run this morning. The run itself was a regular weekday progression run, but I came up with an idea while running that could potentially have a profound impact on myself and others. (More on that later.)

In any case, if we look for and expect good things to happen, they will. So be on the lookout for inspiration, and – guaranteed – you WILL BE inspired!

How many times have you heard the metaphor, “Life is a marathon”? It has been said so many times that it’s become cliché. However, the reason that things become cliché is because they are basically true.

Believe it or not, last Saturday’s 50-mile run for me was one of the best, most enjoyable runs I’ve ever done. That’s not to say that it was easy or that I didn’t “run” into some rough patches. I will say, though, that there was not one time through the course of the day that I considered quitting. Even when things got a little dicey or lonely out there, I knew that if I just hung in long enough that it would get better.

We all face challenges in our lives. Do we just give up? No. We keep plugging away, and what happens? (more…)