My Electric Postcard

  You may have heard of the phrase “runners high”. It’s not to be mistaken for running after having consumed an intoxicating substance. No. It’s in reference to the endorphins that kick in after the first 10 to 15 minutes of strenuous exercise. It can be quite euphoric and helps to explain why many people chase that feeling through running. For me, a good run is one where the discomfort is masked by the high. You are in a sort of meditative state where my legs are carrying me one mile after another, but my mind and body is relaxed and I’m free to meditate on a vast assortment of topics. I think what’s been tough about getting back into running is that this meditative high has been elusive. I’ve had it only a couple of times in training, and it was great! But since I got out of shape, the uphill slope to regaining my conditioning has kept this feeling at bay. Regardless, I’ve felt it. And I’m feeling it slowly come back. What I’m learning is to not put too much...

In 2010 I lived in Chicago. I worked at the Chicago Botanic Garden as a postdoc and was on year two from grad school. Needing something different in my life, I decided to run the Chicago Marathon. Because it was going to be my first marathon, I wasn’t sure what I should do. In addition, I made this decision in June, after registration for the marathon had closed. However, several charities offered entrance in exchange for fundraising. I chose to run for the American Red Cross. There were numerous reasons to run for the American Red Cross (supporting Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, having volunteered for them in high school, etc.), but I was really interested in the marathon training program they enrolled us in. This was through the Chicago Area Runners Association, which we refer to as CARA. In all honesty, the training program didn't include much. They provided us with a training schedule and some information on how to train. The most valuable feature was supported weekend lo...

    July was a busy month. Most of my colleagues in academia have the summer months off from instruction. It’s also the busy season when it comes to prepping for fieldwork. In this vein my friends Brian Perry and Chuck Bell were in Colorado for their annual cycling pilgrimage. For a large part of their stay I was able to keep up with my running. After their visit I had an opportunity to travel to Las Vegas to re-unite with old friends, Stephan and Craig. Craig is my best friend from high-school and we only get to catch up with each other in person about once a year.   It’s usually at Stephan’s since he has a large home and there’s usually concerts or other activities in Las Vegas we can immerse ourselves in. However, these visits tend to take place in winter or spring. This was the first time that I can remember that we got together in July. I had every intention of continuing my training during my visit. And for the most part, I succeeded. However, ...

      I’m feeling better about the miles I’m adding on. I can remember the start of getting back in running conditioning and when running a 12+ min/mile pace would make me feel like fainting. Now I’m able to stretch several miles together at a sub 11 min/mile pace and feel strong. I’m also encouraged to see how much this has coincided with a drop in weight. I’ve lost over 10 pounds in the last couple months. At my worst weight, I was a little north of 210. Because I tend to pack it on around the waist, it’s the least flattering form of weight. Since I dropped that excess, I can see – and feel – the difference. I’ve had to use an extra notch on my belt, AND the necessity of the belt was not a factor earlier in the year. I’m sure some of this technology was around 5-10 years ago, but I’m pretty surprised, and entertained with what I get now with my Garmin. I’ve plugged into my Garmin that I’m running the Chicago Marathon in October and that I’d like to...

    After a few weeks of running while traveling, it was nice to be back in Denver for a bit. I’m slowly making progress on ramping up the weekly miles. Having battled many a training injury in the past, I know the wisdom of taking things slow. But I must admit, there is some slight frustration. Although I can feel the progress, I can’t help but feel I’m not where I should be in terms of conditioning. This feeling is based on a decade of past training for marathons. Traditionally, I kept to a daily and weekly mileage regimen and in my mind, I should be running 20-30 miles a week with long-runs of 8-10 miles on the weekend. I’m not there yet because as I’m easing my way back into marathon fitness, I’ve decided to train using my Garmin Forerunner 255. I’ve been following the training recommendation of this running watch and for these two weeks I’ve been averaging around 16 miles/week on limited long-runs. Despite this, I’m pretty surprised by how positive t...

I’m in Markham Canada for the Mycological Society of America meetings this week.   I arrived on Sunday and immediately set out for a shake-out run around the vicinity of the Hilton Conference Center.   What I intend to be a simple 2-mile jaunt turned into a 4 mile tour after getting lost and missing a turn in the suburban environment of Marham/Unionville. Despite the detour, I felt good. Much nicer experience to go from 5k to 6k ft atmosphere down to relatively terrestrial 600 ft elevation. However, I still tried to push myself to stay on top of the relative challenge of running at Denver’s elevation. What was good about this week was the relative consistency in my runs and ease of recovery. I had a great time at the conference. There were some longtime friends and colleagues that I hadn’t seen in a while. The research, educational, and collaborative projects I’ve been involved with had a great presence at the meeting.   I was also able to make new acquaintances and e...

  The second week of training for the Chicago Marathon begins in earnest in the California Sierra Nevada. The first week of June is typically my annual pilgrimage to the Spring Fungi course at the Sierra Nevada Field Campus near Yuba pass.   My parents have a little summer place in the small town of Calpine. My first run was in the hills above Calpine. I covered nearly three miles, but it was slow.   The hills are steep and my training watch suggests I covered 590 feet of ascent and over 600 feet of descent. All between 4900 and 5500 feet in elevation. The second run was at Yuba Pass for a six mile long run.   I thought it would be ideal since there is a forest service road from the pass up Weber Lake Road.   I’ve traveled it enough times by car to have a feel for the road, or so I thought. My memory tricked me into thinking is was long and flat. It was not. In running three miles up the road I again covered over 550 feet in ascent. Howeve...

 It's been nearly five years since I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2019. Two months after that race, I ran my last marathon in Sacramento for the California International Marathon. That experience of back-to-back marathons burned me out. That led to my decision to take a 'brief' break. Then the world shut down in 2020. Well, it's been long enough. I could see my body changing with age, and I continued to reminisce about the good times when I could run for hours and was at least 20 pounds lighter. So this year I'm getting back to Chicago. And what better way to return than to express my appreciation for the group that held my hand and supported me through a decade of Chicago Marathons. For this I am running to support the Chicago Area Runners Association. For this return I need to raise $1750.00. As I progress on this adventure I will gradually be updating this blog to share my progress. Please check back regularly and consider supporting my marathon efforts here: http...