This week in the Winnipeg Free Press we were encouraged by several examples of how one boy's beliefs have turned into a lifelong fight against oppression in the Manitoba school system. Legal victories in both the provincial and federal courts have elevated this man's young and energetic faith above those held since the inception of the institutions he fights. And his on-going religious zeal still drives him and his followers to this day to ensure those court rulings are followed to the letter in each and every school division.
Imagine what could happen if the province's and the country's religious majority would have the same courage to speak out as Chris Tait has for enforcing the beliefs and practices of Atheism in our schools.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Going Mental
For the holistic ultra-runner, there is a lot more involved than just the body, aka the physical realm. The next essential part of the complete runner is the mind - or mental aspect.
I'll pause a moment to allow all the mental jokes to subside.....
Maybe the element of truth here, like any joke that is truly funny, is that there is a part of ultra running that could be categorized as somewhat crazy. But maybe recognition is an important part of managing that craziness.
Obviously what I'm really trying to get at here is what are the mental qualities, mental exercises, and mental abilities that make up a successful ultra runner. Maybe lunacy is in there somewhere, but I'm not convinced.
I'll pause a moment to allow all the mental jokes to subside.....
Maybe the element of truth here, like any joke that is truly funny, is that there is a part of ultra running that could be categorized as somewhat crazy. But maybe recognition is an important part of managing that craziness.
Obviously what I'm really trying to get at here is what are the mental qualities, mental exercises, and mental abilities that make up a successful ultra runner. Maybe lunacy is in there somewhere, but I'm not convinced.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Going the Distance
After pain management and nutrition strategies are fairly well developed the question turns to distance. How far should I go on my training runs?
And just like your pain handling and nutritional needs, so too will your training be very unique as it is custom tailored to your body and your schedule.
Many people do ultras after training no further than half to two-thirds of the overall race distance. I would say that just half is probably the bare minimum to think about doing the ultra. If you've run a marathon, you know that only running up to 13 miles in advance is not sufficient training. Sure, you might be able to tough it out a few extra hours on race day, but the odds of success are not in your favour. You simply don't know what is going to hit you when you add another 13 (or 40) miles to your already worn out body.
Heading into unknown territory on race day is the thing you want to keep to a minimum - not the training.
I will feel comfortable once I know I can comfortably handle something a lot closer to the distance I will face on race day. Part of that is due to the fact that I am not training in the same mountainous conditions that I will face on race day, so it is my way of making sure I at least hit half to two-thirds of EFFORT.
I am anticipating my ultra marathon race will take me about 22 hours, give or take a couple hours. So I would like to train up to 11-15 hour long runs. My current longest run in this year's training cycle is 10.5 hours, and 12 hours is my longest single run ever. In both cases I felt great at the end and know that I could have kept going.
But that is a lot different than knowing I could have kept going another 10 to 12 hours!!!
And just like your pain handling and nutritional needs, so too will your training be very unique as it is custom tailored to your body and your schedule.
Many people do ultras after training no further than half to two-thirds of the overall race distance. I would say that just half is probably the bare minimum to think about doing the ultra. If you've run a marathon, you know that only running up to 13 miles in advance is not sufficient training. Sure, you might be able to tough it out a few extra hours on race day, but the odds of success are not in your favour. You simply don't know what is going to hit you when you add another 13 (or 40) miles to your already worn out body.
Heading into unknown territory on race day is the thing you want to keep to a minimum - not the training.
I will feel comfortable once I know I can comfortably handle something a lot closer to the distance I will face on race day. Part of that is due to the fact that I am not training in the same mountainous conditions that I will face on race day, so it is my way of making sure I at least hit half to two-thirds of EFFORT.
I am anticipating my ultra marathon race will take me about 22 hours, give or take a couple hours. So I would like to train up to 11-15 hour long runs. My current longest run in this year's training cycle is 10.5 hours, and 12 hours is my longest single run ever. In both cases I felt great at the end and know that I could have kept going.
But that is a lot different than knowing I could have kept going another 10 to 12 hours!!!
