Ultimate Runner ... Ultimately Crazy

The last Saturday of June at hour 17:00 each year is reserved for an event that I have now competed in seven times; The Ultimate Runner "24 Years of Blood, Sweat & Beers."

Starting off with a Mile race, followed by a 400, 800, 100 and 5k Cross-Country romp - it provides a unique evening...including camaraderie, competition, and considerably warm weather.

This year in particular provided all competitors and supporters with an incredibly hot experience. From the moment I walked out to the track, I could see the blurry fizzle rising up off of the black surface. The skin on my forehead felt like it was being pricked and pulled tight as sweat quickly appeared and subsequently gave into the heat -evaporating in an instant.

The start time had been moved up to 16:30 this year to avoid having to complete the 5k race in the dark (as this event usually takes over 4 hours in entirety to complete). Although it is custom for the fastest men's heat to start off the evening; this was also switched and a last-minute decision was to have the women's fastest heat go first.

We stepped up to the line for the start of the mile. I had drenched myself in water prior to the race, but I could already feel it leaving me, my hair stiffening under the sun and BANG - here we go. One female took out the first curve as though it was a 400m race and a few followed only to settle down after 300m or so. COTTON MOUTH arrived from 150m in (which I later found was a common experience that evening) and all attempts to create some sort of moisture failed. It was a very bitter, dry taste and my throat felt like fire was being breathed into it. Although I felt quite strong, it was quite a battle with the 100 degree track. I could hear it in the gasps of the other women also running with me.

Four laps went by and so the mile was complete: Next, a 400-800-100-and 5k. And just one at a time, we all made it through the remaining four races. As I looked around, I could see that everyone was having to dig very deep to step up to the start line race after race. Although it felt like we were all running on fumes as we walked to the start of the 5k, a faint sense of adrenaline begin to slowly quake inside of me like the pulse of drums inviting a Spanish guitar to join them -and in a crescendo the gun went off.

The sun was going down and the day was beginning to cool as the 112 of us raced around the park. It was the last effort, the final heave through the greens and browns and blues of the surrounding field and trees. It always surprises me how energy seems to renew through this last race. Perhaps it is because it is the last of the night confirming another Ultimate survival, perhaps it is the beer and pizza waiting for all of us afterwards, or perhaps it is a time to be brought back to a more primal sensation - of wild freedom.

I think this is why I keep coming back to this race each year...for those very few final moments of flying through the those narrow trails dimly lit by only the glitter of lightning bugs. It is an incomparable and simple satisfaction of the rare occasion that I can feel so very close to the world around me. And it is so worth it.

The Bug Catcher

"Girls don't sweat, they glisten."

Three and a half pounds lighter and covered in gnats. This is my experience after runs lately -- and I am not so sure that one could classify the fluid loss here as either just sweating or glistening. I realise that losing this much may seem a bit extreme to some...yet, the sun and the blanket of humidity are not going to go anywhere. Therefore, it is up to me to make sure and take the proper precautions - and do the right things - when it comes to preparation and recovery for southern summer running. Here are some simple techniques and hopefully helpful ideas for any that may have similar experiences.

In terms of nutrition, I eat-snack-munch all day. Staples include bananas, crunchy peanut butter, whole wheat bread and bagels. Some of the most important lessons that I am and have been learning is how to stayed fueled throughout the day and recovering immediately after high-intensity runs. Most likely after a long run/hard workout, one or a combination of the above provides a nice quick and partial refill - with a full meal to follow within the next few hours. If I skip this part, I tend to crash and not feel so well later in the day or evening because I did not properly begin the replenishing process.

Hydration 24/7: Here is an idea of what my desk looks like currently - there is a Primo water bottle, mug of green tea, togo mug with black coffee, Fruit Punch Gatorade and a Naked fruit juice that I am working on today...Hmmm...Lesson here is drink, drink a lot, drink all day and night, drink a variety, and then drink some more. Summer = I am thirsty all of the time - this is no exaggeration. At night, I keep a bottle of water and Gatorade next to the bed as well.

Generally, I try to run at the earliest or latest part of the day but at times my schedule doesn't allow this - and sometimes it is still very hot at the beginning and ends of the days. For this, I do my very best to try and run in every single inch of shade that I can find...and when I can't - I speed up to get to the next shady spot.

Prior to runs, sunscreen...30spf or above. The one I have now is 70 - granted it looks and feels quite similar to lard...it is a must. I also wet my hair and the back of my neck with cool water before heading out and stop at times during the run to re-wet. I have read that for those who choose to wear hats, a good strategy is to place a few ice cubes under the hat prior to starting your run.

All in all, there are many things that can be done to stay cool in the summer and to take care of yourself nutritionally. There is only one thing, however that I still cannot figure out how to avoid; it is the outstanding collection of bugs stuck to me when I get home..."Honey, I'm back! Say hello to my little friends~!!"

Struck

"Out of the silver heat mirage he ran. The sky burned, and under him the paving was a black mirror reflecting sun-fire. Sweat sprayed his skin with each foot strike so that he ran in a hot mist of his own creation. With each slap on the softened asphalt, his soles absorbed heat that rose through his arches and ankles and the stems of his shins. It was a carnival of pain, but he loved each stride because running distilled him to his essence and the heat hastened this distillation."

-James Tabor

Visceral: Come Into My World

You shoud have SOUND for this post. Start: Viento Del Arena

I want to take you into one moment in one part of my world - where all my senses wake.

It is approximately 6:37 pm; the parking lots are empty except for few cars whose owners still carry out their work in brick campus buildings. The summer sun, whose beams are still piercing, is persistent in the nearly cloudless sky. It is hot. No, the air is thick with humid heat and a deep breath is quickly cut off. Tiny dot masses of flying insects float by with no direction and no purpose except to stay in a tiny dot mass.

On the track, there is maybe one - or two joggers; one who runs as though she could step off the track and into a flamenco dance, her heel-to-toe hitting the track smoothly - sometimes picking up as if hands were clapping with rhythmic determination. The other, male. White Apple earphones that never fit properly. He is fumbling with them as he rounds the first turn. White basketball shorts with a navy stripe down the side, his gray t-shirt with characters of sweat forming around his neck and darkened spots appearing across the shoulders as the heat challenges the body to cool down.

I stand next to a steeple chase barrier, the same barrier that I place my shirt, sunglasses, & gatorade on every evening. There is very little shade on the track, even though the sun is about to be forced out of his high position in the sky - except for next to my barrier who sits in the shadow of the brick walkway's overhang. My hair, down, is slightly blown behind my ears as the shy breeze gives in and strings of hair begin to stick to my forehead to the sun's delight. I lean down, flipping my hair over, and grab my green hairband then putting my uneven layers into a high ponytail. I tighten each shoe's laces, entrust my shirt to the barrier, turn my apple green shuffle on and begin to run.

It takes a few miles, and I am alone, but this is when the music seeps in.

I have orange sunglasses on that when I peer through - heighten and embolden each color. The sun wins the challenge with me and every pore on my body begins to command sweat to immerse me. I am floating at 6:40 per mile pace, the ground moves below me and my feet touch down gently in the hopes that I may have just a taste of the subtle - incomprehensible - wealth of existence that ran before me and that will run after me.

I am covered. As I flow forward, leaves above me gaze down with content that they are protecting me from the brutal rays. Yet heat rises from the ground and is trapped along side yesterday's rain; the two becoming one single sheet of thick air. And I am soaked to the core.

Yet still, I am solitary. I feel the compromise that the earth makes with the sun to try and cool itself. As I move, I start to feel, to see how beautiful the greens, browns, tans, blues, reds, grays are. Heat is slowly rising across each part of my body and my sweat is attempting to cool it down. In the process - the saltiness that has stood its ground loses its footing and moves down my forehead - slowly, yet deftly it slips down past my eyebrows and into my eyes.

It is painful, but energy is moving through me. I feel the beat of the music; it is Gipsy Kings "Viento Del Arena". Then between the blur and my bondage to the heat, I am one. Everything merges. The images I see become reminiscent of paintings by Picasso and Jackson Pollock. In all of the confusion that rises out of the stream flowing into my eyes, it is as though the two danced into an intricate weaving of each other. I am lost; it is beautiful.

Everything in me is electric. Each muscle contracts and releases as the music grows in power. And just for these few moments among the trees, as the sky turns orange-purple, I am completely free, life is completely honest, and I am whole.

When I arrive back to the track, I take a deep breath - this time freely, not stifled. Sweat beads racing each other to the ground from every part of me, the weakened sun gives one last effort and my body is only a reflection of its might. I grab my shirt, my gatorade, sunglasses...And I go home.