It had been three long weeks since Caveman laid his bike down at Warda’s feet

And it burned inside his mind the way he suffered that defeat

In the darkest pits of his cave, he hatched a comeback plan

To reach the top once more for he’s just a mortal man

“The sin of pride” might do him in,

But then again, it might push him to be the best he’s ever been.”

Adapted From Charlie Daniel’s The Devil Came Back to Georgia

I’m still working on the Paleo Running stuff and I’ll get it up soon, but I wanted to sneak this race report in first. What a weekend it was! Saw Blue Man Group perform Friday night at the Long Center, saw some awesome bikes at the North American Handmade Bikeshow here in Austin, and then on Sunday made the short drive over to Warda with wife, dog, and 24 hour buddy John Russell to kick off the 2011 TMBRA Spring series. I have not fully committed myself to a cross country season in what feels like 2 years. This year TMBRA added a new category that is right up my alley and inspired me to take the plunge, the Cat 1 Singlespeed. It was designed to pull SS sandbaggers like me, Wink, and a few other riders away from the Cat2/3 level racers so they can be more evenly matched, but also provide some incentive for Cat 1 riders who might not normally race SS to give it a try since it does have cash payout. Other than being more competitive and having the chance to earn my entry fee back, I like that we race the same distance as the the Pro/Cat 1 and Cat 1 19-29 and 30-29 age groups, this way I can gauge my efforts against these racers. I’ve only got one gear, and each race dynamic is different, but it’s close enough to use as a tool.

Some fast dudes were already preregistered and I was betting on more fast dudes signing up the day of. I had a feeling that the most respected of adversaries, Wink, would show up. I even wanted him to, just to have another shot after he ran me in the ground at the 12 hour. My days of rumination were over, it was a new race, a new season, and Long Tall Sally would finally get her first race start.

Sure enough, Wink was there, along with a decent field of 14 other riders, some accustomed to SS racing, some not. No matter, everyone was still a Cat 1.  The start was a long flat loop through a cow pasture that left everyone spinning at 170 rpm. I let the young pups duke it for a while until they were winded, then decided to get going. I pulled into the lead for a moment but then I was winded and I conceded 3 spots before we hit the singletrack. Jeff Campbell led it out, followed by Wink, and then a rider I didn’t know. I was hanging with them just fine until I clipped a pedal and went careening off to the side of the trail. Eric Fleming squeaked by and then I was in 5th. Got back in it and noticed 3rd starting to fall off Jeff and Wink. He and Eric got caught up in some 19-29 age group racers and when we hit a short open clearing with a slight incline I punched it and blew by the whole group. Caught back up to Wink and Jeff by the time we hit the long straight away heading towards Gas Pass. More 19-29 traffic here, but Wink punched it and took the lead with Jeff and I hanging on for dear life.

I tried my darndest to keep those two within sight, but it became evident Wink was starting to inch away by the time we started lap 2. Jeff had fallen off Wink’s wheel, so I just focused on catching up to him. I was running a tall gear out there, 34×17. I had anticipated riding in the long flat pasture loop (which was not included), and Warda is pretty flat in general, so I thought it would be a good choice. For the first half of the lap, it was. I did catch Jeff and even passed him before Gas Pass

to take control of 2nd place, but the Muletrace and Palisades climbs on that 34×17 gearing left my legs on fire and lungs about to burst. We got to a part of the course I call the “suck zone” because it just mysteriously sucks the life out of you. It doesn’t seem that steep, nor is it technical, but for some reason it always, always slows me to crawl.  Jeff passed me back up and I had little to respond with. He was still in sight starting lap 3, but after we hit the singletrack, I didn’t really see him again. My focus now turned to just holding onto to 3rd.

It seemed as if this wouldn’t be a problem until I happened to see Eric Fleming on the other side of the cattle tank while heading toward the singletrack. This meant he was only about 15 seconds back. I pushed the pace as hard as I could and held him off til Muletrace, but sadly had to concede my podium spot as the legs just didn’t have the strength to push that big gear in the climbs. No worries, though, Eric is a good kid and he fought hard that day. As I started the 4th and final lap, my focus shifted to just finishing the race and having fun. Bob of Bobcat13 Photography actually caught me in a cheerful moment right after the Palisades climb when I asked if I could borrow his legs.

Of course, I couldn’t, and had to grind out another 2 miles or so of trail in a lot of pain, but I did it and held on to 4th. I then proceeded to have a beer followed by a hamburger and I was reminded of a time when I wasn’t quite as competitive (and before I had discovered the Paleo Diet 😉 ). Things were so footloose and fancy free back then when cross country was all I did. Beer the night before, beer afterwards (and sometimes even beer during races) were commonplace in those days, in fact, I remember downing 4 beers the night before I won my first expert race on this very course 4 years ago. Those days are definitely behind me and USA cycling has informed via license renewal that my race age is now 30! but it’s nice to know the feeling lives on. I look forward to it sticking with me for the rest of spring.

Cheers,
Caveman

Today’s discussion will take a look at why our paleo ancestors ran, and why people run today. What inspired the Caveman to run? That’s easy. He was either 1. chasing food or 2. trying to avoid becoming food.Why else in his right mind would he need to run? Calories and strength were precious back then; no need to waste either. Why do people run today? That’s much harder to ascertain. Some do it for “fun”, some do it as a counterbalance to eating too much food, some get paid to do it, others do it for a sense of accomplishment. Some people don’t know why they do it, they just do it. If a modern runner were transported back in time and happened to pass by Cavemen on a training run, the paleo beings would likely scratch their heads, or more likely start looking for what was chasing the runner. We can see this behavior in modern times. Colleen always tells the story of a group of indigenous natives from South America that visited New York . When they went to Central Park and saw people endlessly running around in circles they were immensely perplexed, and even laughed at the silly Americans. Native North Americans were known to out run deer, but even they got smart when Europeans introduced horses to the continent and they learned to harness the speed of the horse for hunting and fighting.

Unless you belong to an indigenous tribe (how did you find this blog, if so?) or find yourself stranded in the wilderness, you are very unlikely to ever run for the only two reasons we were meant to run. This doesn’t mean running can’t be enjoyable, beneficial, or useful though. As opposed to doing absolutely nothing, running, even if done improperly, will bring some degree of fitness gains. However, if you or someone you know are a “chronic runner”, I would challenge you to think differently about running. Instead of thinking about it in any of the following ways: 10k, 13.1 miles, 26.2 miles, 7:30/mile pace, top 10 age group, hill repeats, track workout, gotta run today, gotta do a long run Saturday, need better shoes, better gear, etc. etc, how about thinking about running in a more paleo sense? Don’t focus on distance, time, pace, or any other quantifiable attribute. Focus on the joy of being outside, getting fresh air, feeling the kiss of the sun, the ground float by below your feet. Go fast here, slow there. Walk a little. If you are fortunate enough to be on a cool trail like the Austin greenbelt, throw in some other exercises like rock hopping, rock shot put, tree branch pull ups, or swimming (if water is in the creek) If all you have to work with is the urban jungle, you’ll have to get creative with stairs, benches, street poles and the like. Hopefully after reading my later posts on paleo running you won’t be too concerned about shoes or gear, because you’ll either be barefoot or using something pretty minimal. The only gear you’ll ever need other than shoes is a pair of shorts, and perhaps a sports bra if you are a Cavewoman. If you want a real good workout, pretend you are chasing wild game, or wild game is chasing you. Better yet, find some real wild game. Nothing brings out the best of human performance like the worst of conditions. (Note: this is only included for humor-if you do encounter dangerous wild game, most of the time it is better not to run, unless it is a skunk) Do you see the point I’m trying to make? Running shouldn’t be about numbers or destinations. It should be about getting exercise, having fun, and being prepared to run faster than your slowest buddy in the event a hungry lion is chasing the two of you. (in the case of being in a group under attack, if you are sure you can outrun your buddy, then do it!)

If you think about it, humans were never really meant to run an arbitrary distance of 26.2 miles at a balls to the wall pace. If this were truly the case, perhaps Pheidippides wouldn’t have died from exhaustion following his run from Marathon to Athens to spread the word of Greek victory over the persians. This isn’t to say we can’t train the body for such feats, but it surely begs the question “should we?” or “is that really healthy?” People that run marathons just to say they did it might be playing to their self vanity more than anything else. At the end of the day, if the run leaves you in more pain than it does satisfaction, I would really re-evaluate your motivation for running and consider adopting a more paleo running approach.

Other thoughts and articles:

http://weloverunning.blogspot.com/2009/09/should-you-be-training-like-caveman.html

Running Happy From Running Times

The Austin Marathon and half marathon took place this morning. I came pretty close to hopping in the 1/2 just for the heck of it, and to get a little exercise. Better judgement and a comfy bed persuaded me not to.  Race start was at 7am, Colleen was trying to wake me up at 5:30am, and I had been up til about 12:30 the night before, so I was tired. Not only that, my body had felt a bit stiff from runs and ride the week previous.  I had spent some time the night before trying to find a pair of shoes I could use. My super cool Mizuno Wave Universe II shoes had finally suffered the final blow on a trail run last Tuesday after months of running on stuff it was never designed to run on, on MY feet no less.

And something told me my makeshift repair with packing tape a) wouldn’t last 13 miles or b) wouldn’t be very comfortable.

My other options were an old pair of Brooks Adrenaline 6 that didn’t fit too well anymore, or my Xterra trail runners. I won the Xterras at a race and while they are reasonably light (for a trail shoe) and have more flexibility than average, they are still a beefy trail shoe and not the best for 13 miles of pavement. I also had the option of going completely barefoot. Now this is right up my alley, but I hadn’t worked up the foot toughness and mechanics to even seriously consider this option. With two important athletic outings planned for the coming week and nothing whatsoever invested into this race, it was a no-brainer to stay in bed and get some more zzz’s.

The previous day I actually made it out to the marathon expo to check it out and say hi to Colleen since she was working the Trigger Point booth. I was also hoping maybe some vendors would have some racing flats or barefoot shoes I could buy to try out in the race. What I found instead totally deflated me and inspired me to write this post.

I by no means consider myself a running “expert”, but in a lot of ways, this makes me better qualified to give running advice.  It’s like having the innocence of an unborn child not yet touched by sin. Let me tell you but a few of the things I stumbled upon at this expo. Of course, there were shoe shops trying to sell shoes, “running specific” clothing, gu’s, watches, hats, headbands, you name it. If you told them you were interested in shoes, they proceeded to analyze your pronation/supination, and how much “stability” or cushion your feet would need, as well as any other marketing fodder from the shoe manufacturer they could throw at you. They would then take your $80-100 (or more) and you would walk out thinking you got a good deal. One company was selling bracelets or bands that wrap around your limbs to “maximize your energy flow”, sort of like those magnetic bracelets you see on TV. There were 2 or 3 companies selling earphones that wouldn’t fall out. There were companies selling energy bars, drinks, gels, blocks, etc. With the exception of Larabar, they were all chock full of super processed crap that probably did more harm than good, yet somehow they claimed their product would improve your performance.

I could go on, but basically all but a few of the companies there (such as Trigger Point-they have a legit product and don’t have a hard sell) were trying to convince the runner that their product would somehow improve running performance, comfort, or enjoyability.

Why in the world do we humans have to take something so basic and primitive such as running and insist on complicating the crap out of it?  Dogs and cats don’t need shoes, so why do we?

Because SOCIETY has said so ever since we were born, and as a result, our feet have been denied the opportunity toughen up and our brains have been denied the proprioception to learn how to move naturally. Our feet are very unlikely to get tough since society demands us to wear shoes (even if it didn’t, I bet most Americans would wear shoes anyways), but at least we can gain back that neuro-muscular connection by wearing something just thick enough to protect from sharp objects. Glass on hard paved roads is something paleo people never had to deal with anyways.

Shoe selection is but one aspect of running I would like to examine this week, both from a paleo and modern perspective. Being the Caveman I am, I’m obviously biased towards the paleo, but cavemen were akin to using tools to their advantage, so perhaps there are some modern conveniences that do make running more worthwhile. Stay tuned.

The Caveman dynasty came to an abrupt end Saturday. It started somewhere in the middle of lap 10 and materialized completely by the end of lap 11. I rolled up to the check in table and scanned in to complete lap 11, but I never scanned out to start lap 12. I threw in the towel. I quit. And I’m still not totally sure why.

The LeMan’s start went off at 9am. Unlike last year, I had plenty of time that morning to prepare and put my bike in a good spot. Colleen wasn’t racing this year so I had her full top notch support (best pit crew out there!) I was at the front of the group ready for a fast run and a fast start to get ahead of the slow traffic. Everything was going according to plan until I hopped on the bike, slammed down my first pedal stroke and clunk creek clunk stop! Rear wheel slipped out of the dropout. This stupid little problem pops up on Proud Mary every now and then, something with the way the sliding dropout is designed, and it usually happens at inopportune times. So while I stopped to get it fixed, most of the field flew right on by. So, just like last year, I found myself having to sprint like the devil to pass as many people as possible before hitting singletrack and then having to deal with traffic for 2 laps until things spread out.

Nemesis Adrian Barron was out once again, but he was apparently treating the race as more of a ride, and I wasn’t concerned about him. I was concerned about 24 Hour partner in crime John Russell, though. He was out for his first 12 hour race, as was his Cycle Progression buddy Justin Calland. Furthermore, the respected Wink, a former 12 hour champ here as well, had come down from Huntsville to give this thing a shot again. He wasn’t preregistered, so I didn’t know what category he was in. He had some bike issues too on the first lap and when I turned around to check his number plate after passing him, it had an 85 on it. It was my understanding that the Solo 12 guys were in the 1-20 range, so I assumed he was on a two man or doing the 6 hour, an assumption that would affect the outcome of the race.

Laps 2,3,and 4 were fast hard pushes to catch back up with the leaders. They left me a little winded on laps 5 and 6 and I ended up conceding a little more time to Wink (who had passed me back-but I didn’t care since I thought he wasn’t 12 hour solo)  John, and Justin. I think I may have even dropped to 5th place at one point and was starting to feel demoralized at this point. But, we weren’t even at the halfway mark yet and I figured if I just kept things steady maybe the others would start to succumb to fatigue. I’ve come from behind several times before, and it’s a position I’ve built a reputation on, but these days I avoid it like the plaque if I can. I regained strength on laps 7 and 8 and eventually overtook Justin for 3rd. He was putting up a surprisingly strong effort and we swapped spots a time or two until Colleen told me I was chipping away at John’s and Wink’s lead.

This gave me encouragement for an even faster 9th lap. The split to John had been erased from 7 mins to 2 min, so a hard push on the 10th lap would surely catch him, and it did. I was elated to have finally caught back up after hours of chasing hard. It had come with great cost though. I was battling a painful cramp in my left hamstring. My right shoulder blade was also stinging sharply, wreaking a little havoc on my handling abilities, especially on the rooty descents. Above all, an old pain in my left knee that forced me to pull out in 24 Hours of the Old Pueblo years ago was starting to surface. It was becoming pretty clear that I wasn’t in the shape I needed to be in for the level of competition that had showed up this very day. I really only had about 5 weeks of good training following Christmas to get ready for this thing. To make matters worse, I wasn’t following my normal Caveman routine with fruit, Caveman energy bars, and Puresport. I was actually taking in energy gu’s, something I never do. The demanding pace had me craving straight up sugar. I had also chosen to run gears at this venue (albeit only 9), and ironically the race leader was on a singlespeed.

As John and I finished that 10th lap together and even rode the 11th lap together, things slowed down, and lots of thoughts began to invade my mind. The knee pain intensified a little, although not severely. I couldn’t help but flashback to the agony at Tucson, and the months of rehab afterwards. Wink was a good ways up, and maybe I could’ve caught him, maybe not. With the new pace we were riding, my mind certainly didn’t to think so. I was in the 11th lap and still had 4 hours to go. The course was getting really boring. I found myself  not having fun anymore .Warda is fun for a few laps but gets old quickly.  Yes I was tired and hurting, but fatigue I can deal with. Something was different about this race.

The will to continue was gone. Just like that. The engine was in ok shape, it even had gas left in the tank, but it was if the battery had been disconnected.  No eye of the tiger, no burning flame, no glory to be had, just an emptiness I couldn’t really explain. After scanning in for my 11th and final lap, I told John to go on and finish 2nd, and he did. Justin held on for 3rd place. Wink killed it on a singlespeed and handily took the win. I was impressed and happy with everyone’s effort, except maybe mine. All I could do after that point was watch rider after rider go by lap after lap and watch my standing go from 2nd to 12th (out of 16) by 8pm. Would my knee pain have gotten worse and really forced me to quit? Who knows? I could’ve pushed on and found out the hard way. Was there a chance of catching Wink and maybe even winning? Looking back at the lap splits, yes, but hindsite is 20/20. Do I harbor a little regret for making that call? Yes, but I’m also glad I didn’t seriously injure my knee.

I’ve got a little soul searching to do this week. I’ve got to take some time and get a feel for the direction I’d like my athletic endeavours to take this year. Part of me wants to go completely Caveman, lay down the bikes,  and run around barefoot in the wilderness throwing sticks and rocks for fitness. And I’m sure I’d stay pretty fit that way. The other part can’t seem to escape the Western ideals of competition. There’s just something about competition that brings out the best in athletes.  No rush to come to any conclusion, it will come to me when the time is right.

Thanks for reading, and sorry if this race report leaves you feeling a little empty. I would still like to thank all my sponsors who had a hand in the race:

Performance Wellness for ART body work, Puresport for liquid fuel, Bobcat13 Photography for awesome race pics ( if you were there, buy some photos from the these guys, they are super cool guys), and Eastside Pedalpushers for bike parts and service.