Running the Sahara

Have you heard about this?

In February 2007, Charlie Engle (of Greensboro, NC!), Ray Zahab, and Kevin Lin became the first people in history to run across the entire Sahara Desert, more than 4500 miles. They averaged more than 42 miles per day for 111 consecutive days while crossing the most forbidding terrain on Earth.



We runners are a crazy bunch, and this expedition is yet another example of the extremes we will go for the love of the sport, for the pursuit of adventure, and for the sake of our common humanity.

FYI - Bull City Running Co. has the video of this epic journey available for lending or purchase, and check out the movie trailer.

Running the Sahara is as inspiring as it is entertaining. For those who love to run, love to travel, and have at least a modicum of interest in reality TV, this documentary will give you something to mull over and talk about the next time you meet your buddy for a long run. And when you do, consider this: these guys averaged two marathons a day for 111 days without a single day of rest! (Editor's note: not a recommended training regimen, but remembering this may make your own training more endurable!)

Are these your shoes?

"Beyond mountains, there are mountains." -- Haitian proverb

Local runner, law student, and our friend, Jerry Boies, recently returned to his native Haiti with a suitcase full of your gently used shoes in tow. The story goes that he told one child in his village to come back the next day because he might have a pair of shoes for him, and the next day there was a line of people outside his door. He sent us a few photos and a word of thanks upon his return: "Thank you so much for helping some kids not go to school or church barefoot!"
It's as simple as that. Thank YOU for recycling your old-to-you running shoes!




“But I, being poor, have only my dreams. I have spread my dreams under your feet; tread softly, because you tread on my dreams.”
- William Butler Yeats

p.s. Bull City Running Co. is also an official drop-off location for Soles4Souls!

trail love.

I've been in a post-marathon slump. I'd like to blame it on a mild case of runner's knee, but the truth is, I've been uninspired to run.
So yesterday, after some meetings at UNC, I headed out to my old stomping grounds in Carrboro to run the trails of Carolina North. Pulling into the parking lot of Wilson Park, I immediately felt nostalgic for my favorite trail running group and realized that I miss their colorful company as much as I miss these trails.
It's been at least a year since I've been back there, but apart from some erosion that is being carefully restored, the trails were just as I remembered. And they did not disappoint: they provided the full-on trail-running experience.

In the span of about 50 minutes, the following occurred:

• I ran through 3 spider webs
• I ate one bug and picked one out of my eyeball
• I got lost and subsequently ran around in a circle (maybe twice)
  
• I freaked out at the unidentified creatures scurrying and squirming around underfoot
• I sweated at least twice as much as I normally would due to the rainforest-esque conditions
• I tripped (at least 5 times) over roots and rocks just as I was settling into a rhythm and was jarred back to the realization that no matter how serene these woods may appear, Madame Nature is in charge and commands our respect

It was glorious, but I was seriously winded by the experience. There is a good reason that I was in the best running shape of my life when I was trail running regularly. I almost regretted wearing my headphones until I was about to take a walk break and catch my breath...and Dire Strait's "Walk of Life" intervened. Something about walking during that song just doesn't seem right.

So, feeling a bit bored by the concrete jungle? Go find a trail, people! I promise it will provide a welcome departure from the mundane and predictability of pavement and you might even find some inspiration along the way.

a few action shots

...of lead bulls on the downhill turn into the finish!

(Molly Nunn, 1st place Female, overall, 29:35.89)

Kim Certain (5th place female, overall, 32:05.31)

John Hinton (1st place male, masters, 27:06.02)

Jim Clabuesch (1st place, male 40-44, 30:39.99)

Photos compliments of our officially unofficial race photographer, Joan Nesbit Mabe.
Thanks, Joan!

Running of the Bulls 8K

Thanks to all of you who participated, volunteered, and cheered on the inaugural Running of the Bulls 8K! We look forward to seeing you again next year!
Results will be posted on our website shortly!

When Pigs Fly

All of the cute quips and word play you could possibly imagine have been exhausted in Cincinnati, and by the end of the weekend, I was exhausted too. I got jiggy with the piggy, got my oink on, was infected with swine flew, and after 4 grueling hours and some change, I crossed the finish swine and went wee wee wee all the way home.

(Or rather, I was transported to my gate at the airport -- yes, by the cart that typically carries senior citizens and beeps you out of the way before it almost runs over you -- because I could barely put one foot in front of the other.)

Highlights, observations, and reflections from my first marathon experience, in no particular order:

1. Training actually works and I should have done more of it. With more hills.

2. It was hard. Very hard. One of the hardest things I've ever done. I would compare it to labor on some level in terms of physical and mental toughness. (Although, I was arguably tougher in the marathon than I was in labor :))

3. I do actually care what other people think. I knew that Jason & my Mom were tracking my progress online, so part of the reason I kept going was so that they would know I was still moving and keeping more-or-less even splits.

4. The unexpected strength I found in the evangelical t-shirts. I suppose I would qualify as an Easter and Christmas Christian by some definitions, but I am now a Marathon Christian as well.

5. The posters on the course about some guy from North Dakota who was running 3 marathons in 3 weeks. (Foolish, but good luck!)

6. My training partner, Sarah. What a champ. I never would have done those pre-dawn long runs without her (as evidenced by the one long run that never happened when she was sick), and I love the fact that she was game for the Rock Bottom Brewery as our pre- and post-race meal.

7. My lucky charms -- they worked! Jason made me this (very sweet) Go Mom! pin that I wore on my shoe, and I peeked down at it frequently for motivation and strength from my two favorite people whenever I felt like walking.
The purple "Pacer of the Week" bracelet was an award from the Pacers running group in Chapel Hill that they gave me the week before the race. I talked to them about how running has given me the strength and confidence to do things I never would have done, and this bracelet was a nice reminder to eat my words.
8. The fans in Cincinnati. Thanks for coming out on your front lawn early in the morning with cow bells and licorice and orange slices -- and a clothesline rigged up with flying stuffed pigs. Seriously nice race support! But please work on your sense of distance and calculations. When I have 1.9 miles to go, it is not "JUST AROUND THE CORNER! YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!"

9. RunPaul was right. I should have paid much more attention to my appearance and surroundings during all of the photo opps on the course -- and especially at the finish swine. All of the photos taken on the course make me appear slightly swollen and generally hypoxic. Furthermore, I do not have a single photo where there isn't a half-naked, hairy, less-than-trim, middle-aged man in the frame. So much for my Kodak moment of glory.

Will I do it again?
No, but in all honesty, probably. As soon as I sufficiently forget the sordid details of this experience.

Why do you run?

Last Saturday morning in front of our store there was a somewhat spontaneous group of high school students and their parents who gathered to go "Jogging for Justin". Not a race per se, but a movement in honor of their friend and fellow student who had died too young of cancer.

They had made t-shirts and colorful signs, and the kids consumed a good bit of their post-jog treats and refreshments pre-jog (to our great amusement). It was a very touching tribute and reminded me of two of the reasons I love running: 1) because you don't have to be "a runner", and 2) because there are so many reasons to run (or jog, if you prefer).

I am 10 days away from my first marathon and I have to admit that at this point I am largely bored and/or uninspired by all of the reasons I normally run. And I'm sore. And I am having a crisis of confidence. In order to get through these 26.2 miles of impending pavement, I'm going to need to a new reason to run.

Over the years, I've participated in many charity races in support of cancer research or hunger awareness or trees. While I'm always happy to support a good cause, I've just never felt a real personal connection to these types of events. But those kids out there jogging for Justin on Saturday morning had a personal connection and that was inspiration enough for them to get together, lace up their shoes, and celebrate their friend.

My Grandmother passed away last week after a hard fought journey with cancer. She had a long, full life by all definitions, and she was a character. Fun, stubborn, crafty, generous (to a fault), funny, committed (to her family, her friends, her public service, her values), determined, and gracious (to her final moments). She wasn't a runner, but she covered plenty of ground. I'll summon her spirit and hope that these qualities that marked her journey will help me through those final miles.

Why do I run? In loving memory of Rosamond Elizabeth Barton, 1922-2009...

Two of my favorite things:

Coffee and running. Mmmm. Just the thought of it makes me warm and twitchy. Is there a better combination? Beer and running is a close second (carbohydrates, hello?), but coffee goes with running like bait goes with fishing. Like tires go with driving. Like Elodie's pacifier goes with sleeping. It's essential. Don't talk to me about dehydration, diuretic, blah, blah, blah. I won't hear of it. I've got the rest of the day to drink water (although I probably won't, to be honest). And no, Diet Coke or Black Tea or Chocolate Milk is not an acceptable substitute. This goes well beyond cravings or habit or addiction. Coffee is fundamental. It is motivation and fuel and reward all heaped into one warm, delicious, freshly ground and brewed mug (with a little cream). And now, the secret is out: it might also be the key to my fastest 10K. And yours. And it is totally legal.
Check out yesterday's article in the New York Times: It's Time to Make a Coffee Run.

A Legendary Run

I'm currently reading The Perfect Distance by Pat Butcher which chronicles the history and rivalry between Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe. As Butcher covered Coe's world record mile run, I had flashbacks to when I first heard about the race. For the most part, before the wealth of shared videos on sites like YouTube , the history of running legends (triumph and heartbreak) were typically passed on by track elders in stories and, ever so often, backed up with grainy VHS tapes to the next generation ... somewhat like a storyteller in some African cultures passing on their history. I remember feverishly trying to locate all articles, videos, and pictures after first hearing about Sebastian Coe. Now, amazingly enough, it takes a 2-second google search to find a wealth of information or an actual race! Now track legends can be shared visually as well as orally, which is a good thing when it comes to Coe because words can hardly describe the effortless simplicity of his form ....so natural, a being who was truly born to run fast.

What makes this run more fascinating is that he hadn't raced the distance in 2 years and ran a limited number of times before then. He had a personal best of 3:57.6, though fast, was over 3 seconds slower than most of the main competitors, including the world record holder John Walker who boasted a time of 3:49.4. At the time, the Dubai Golden Mile in Oslo, Norway, was the best mile field ever assembled (though, to be fair, Ovett had not entered). Coe had broken the 800 meter world record twelve days earlier and 19 days after this race he would break the 1500 meter world record - three world records in 41 days.

I especially like how the announcer compares Coe's effort to the rest of the field as he heads to the finish. Watch and enjoy.

Running with the Buffaloes -- March 19

An Evening with Chris Lear
Thurs. March 19th, 7:00pm @ Bull City Running Co. -- Free!

Few books have covered the sport of running like Running with the Buffaloes and Sub 4:00. Chris Lear's experiences have provided him, and his readers, with intimate access to the training, strategies, and tragedies of championship teams, individuals (Olympians Adam Goucher and Alan Webb) and coaches. He’ll read from his books, answer questions, and discuss his experiences which will appeal to all runners – novice to competitive.

Chris Lear is the author of Running with the Buffaloes and Sub 4. He was also a screenwriter for the film Five Thousand Meters: Nothing Comes Easy. He achieved a 4:09 miler in high school and was an All-American at Princeton University.