A Good Soaking Rain

Did know what to write about this morning. My sweetie suggested "reforming my snarkiness." Yeah, woke up in a good mood.

Anyway, opted against that idea as I wanted a project that was a wee bit more . . .manageable.

It's raining here, which is nice. As I posted to Facebook (if you're not following my author page, the little button is up there on the right - I promise it won't hurt a bit!), it's good weather for putting out fires, doing home inspections, running, writing, and reading.

Perfect after a bunch of hundred degree days. I'm switching from a boring run on pavement to playing in mud this afternoon. Much more fun.

And to the firefighters here in the Northwest - I sure hope the rain is reaching you and helping. Get home soon - and safe.

Inside Publishing Stuff

Not a running related post this morning - more whine, to be truthful.

Amazon and Hachette are in business negotiations over pricing for ebooks. They been at this since May or June. It still dominates the writing blogs I read and I have to admit being bored to tears by it.

Does the outcome affect me? Eh, maybe a bit. It has the potential to change my earnings from writing, both up and down. Can I do anything about it?

Heck, no. And neither can most of the people engaged in the back-and-forth-broadsides from the 1 percenter writers who are getting shriller each week because the horrid Amazon will not allow pre-orders on the their books.

Not much sympathy here, mate. Indies don't get them either.

They complain that Amazon has delayed their shipments to the readers. No, Amazon is not deliberately sabotaging your sales. That's your publisher not understanding a just-in-time supply chain. Holler at them.

The indies are just as vociferous, though they're on the side of the readers. Not writers, readers. They want people  be able to afford books because they, like me, want to share their stories. It doesn't hurt to make a little money from it, mind you.

Anyhow, the talks will go on for a lot longer and the feelings will grow increasingly acrimonious and . . .I don't have time for the distractions. I got a book to write. And a job to do. And grandbabies due any time. And I always could use another run.

From a Town Like Alice comes a Runner Like Emma

Alice Springs, Australia seems an unlikely place to produce a representative to the Aussie World Mountain Running Championship squad, but Emma Kraft earned her way onto the team again this year, despite the lack of a major mountain nearby.

The first female Australian finisher at last year’s World Mountain Running Championship, Emma doesn’t apparently believe in limits.

“As you know running can take you to the most amazing places in the world!! There are no limits and it's up to your imagination of where you want to go and race and/or train!!!!” Emma wrote in a blog post for The Runners Tribe. Emma Kraft proceeded to prove that this year, making a trip to Colorado to meet up with other mountain runners such as Joseph Gray, some fellow Australians training in the region, and test her legs against Pike Peak.

First though, she stopped by the Mt. Sac Relays to record a PR in the 10,000m on the track there. Obviously thrilled with a 27 second improvement in her time, the race also qualified her for the Zatopek  10,000m, the Australian Nationals race in December.

The track was easier than Pikes Peak. As Emma described it, “I ended up climbing/running/walking/crawling up Pikes Peak Ascent (Manitou Springs) which is about a 40% gradient, so basically I was moving for 1.4km but gained about 610m up which took me about 35mins, and there were over 3000 steps!”

I was in the area about the same time. My friend Adric talked about climbing that trail but we were heading to Pagosa Springs in a couple of days for a marathon, so we skipped it. Given that Emma is a much better runner than I am and how the trail treated her, probably a wise decision on my part.

She also had a chance to tour Manitou Springs, a neat little village that is both eclectic and picturesque. "I had a lovely little time in all the little cool shops! Was def one of my favourite places!" Emma also visited the Garden of the Gods to do some rock-hopping.

Unlike some athletes that specialize in a single type of event, she has been actively trying new races. In July, she added her first marathon to her list of accomplishments, racing at the Gold Coast Marathon.

Emma was less than 100 percent for the 2014 Mountain Running race on Mt. Tennent in Canberra, so had to pull out. A disappointing time to take ill but she applied for the World team on the strength of her win in February at the La Sportiva Vertical K race. I’m sure that the strong race at Mt. Sac helped as it provided additional evidence of her rapid improvement.

This year, she heads to Cassette Di Massa, Italy, along with teammates Kate Seibold, Harriet Smith, Gemma Kenessy. Emma is the only representative of the Northern Territory on the men’s or women’s team.

Like most runners, the Australians have to self-fund their trip. Sponsors have stepped forward to help Emma. One was her running club which is how I found out about Emma and began learning her story.

I posted a while ago about making contact with someone, a man named Jim, who had known my father when we lived in Australia in the 70’s. In a roundabout way, Jim introduced me to the Alice Springs Running and Walking Club. I found their site and asked to get on their mailing list – which lead to a query from the current president, John Bermingham, the gist of which was ’you’re not from around here, are you? A longish explanation on how I found them followed as we conversed by email and I asked to be on the newsletter list for the club.

Several weeks ago, the ASRWC put out a note that the entry fees for the upcoming half-marathon would be donated to Emma to help defray the expense of the trip. I thought it a neat idea and emailed him to offer to enter – but that I’d be unlikely to show up to race, given only a few days to trek 13,500km. We got all the details straightened out except one – I forgot to check the actual fee and it seems I have an entry to the ABC Half-marathon good for the next decade or so.

Motivation to train, right? Easier in some respects for me than Emma . . .

Photography by Scotte Woods

Unlike paid professionals, amateurs have to balance life responsibilities with training. Squeezing in all the activities makes for a very busy life.  A full-time employee of the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, Level 2 Intermediate Club Coach, and a Level 1 Sports Trainer, Emma’s days are full – before she heads out to train. Still, she finds time to volunteer, not just with the running club, but in outreach events for indigenous people and health programs.

After exchanging emails, I asked Emma if I could write a bit on her story and she graciously agreed. I still had a few questions for her, so sent them along and asked her for her replies. That conversation is below.

Paul: You’ve tackled nearly all types of running, from trails, to mountains, the track, and roads. Do you have a favorite? And, if you could be the greatest in one event, what would it be?

Emma: That is a very tricky question! I love the freedom and the vastness of the Mountains and the trails, but I think after watching the Aussies in the Commonwealth Games Marathon and completing my debut Marathon at the Gold Coast, I would perhaps pick the Marathon! But then take me back to Poland 2013 and I would choose Mountain Running!

Paul: You are an Alice native but went to Melbourne, the big city, for university, and then came back to the Northern Territory. Do you have any desire to move back to a large city?

Emma: I would never say never, but definitely not at the moment. I sometimes question myself about moving to a bigger city and would this give me better chance of ‘making it’ as a runner. There would definitely be some massive benefits such as training with a group and racing a lot more but there are definitely some major disadvantages. In Alice, everything is only a 5 minute drive away, there are no trams, trains or peak hour traffic. I can fit a lot in to my day, especially training (twice a day), Pilates, my day job and perhaps a Physio or massage appointment in my Lunch break.  Training out here is beautiful and the weather is perfect pretty much 10months out of the year. (In Summer it gets to about 40 degrees Celsius or 104 degrees Fahrenheit, which is just too hot to enjoy running!).  Also the support from Local Business in Alice Springs has been overwhelming! I am very fortunate to be the only fish in a small pond here in Alice Springs and the Northern Territory, but hopefully this is also inspiring others to pursue their Dreams!

Paul: The Gold Coast Marathon was your first at that distance. Are you interested in pursuing that event?  The qualifying standard for the Commonwealth Games isn’t that far away . . .

Photography by Scotte Woods

Emma: Yes definitely! Especially after watching the Aussies in the Commonwealth Games Marathon bring home a Gold in the Men’s (Michael Shelley) and a Bronze in the Women’s (Jessica Trengove)! I have a lot of respect for Marathons and Marathoners and really want to give it another crack. The Australian women’s Qualifier is around 2:38 and I ran 3:04 on debut, so only another 26mins I need to shave off, lol. I believe ‘anything is possible’ and I have definitely learnt a lot from my race (marathon), the lead up and my training. I can’t wait to give the Marathon another crack now that I’m wiser and older. This would definitely be a dream come true and, over the next 4 years, I really want to pursue this!

Paul: You’ve been to Poland to race. You’ve run and raced in the States. You’re headed to Italy next. Where is Emma’s dream destination, not just for running?

Emma: Last year on my Poland trip, I also went to Switzerland and fell in love with the place and, of course, the Mountains. A 30 minute jog turned into 2 hours of exploring, I definitely want to go back there. I also really want to go to Africa, not sure where particularly, but definitely South Africa and Kenya. I think the culture and the running over there would be amazing.

So that’s a bit of story on Emma Kraft. On September 14th, she’ll be racing the best mountain runners from around the globe, representing Alice Springs and Australia. If you want to follow her progress on Facebook, you can like her Athlete page.

To Emma, my great thanks for working with me on this writing project – it’s been a joy.

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Paul Duffau is a writer of running fiction with two books currently published and a third in the early stages of being written. He also journals the local high school runners and local races. His ebooks Finishing Kick and Trail of Second Chances are available at Amazon. Paul has discounted the ebooks for the Australian audience.

He's scratching his head to figure out how to get print copies done up for Australia. Anyone with advice should feel free to contact him - just use the contact page to send him an email. He answers all his emails personally.

Gone Running

The Couch Potato Hall of Fame

Years ago, when we lived in San Diego, telemarketers would call and pester us incessantly. One evening, after dinner for a change, my wife ended up on the end of a sales call from somebody at 24 Fitness.

She listened to the spiel, tried to interrupt to say she wasn't interested. The guy on the other end kept rambling. My sweetie gave him another minute and finally, when the telemarketer stopped to gather breath and energy for another assault, told him this:

"I am the President of the Couch Potato Hall of Fame and want you to know that I could lose that just by talking to you on the phone."

The marketer laughed and hung up.

Mind you, my sweetie is more slender than I am and the doc keeps giving her good news on the checkups on all the usual issues, blood pressure, cholesterol, and what not.

She lost her Presidency yesterday in an act of voluntary resignation.

She entered the Benefit run, pinned on the race tag, and walked the course with one of my daughters and a granddaughter. My daughter is 8.5 months pregnant and pulled my granddaughters in the little red wagon around the course.

If talking on the phone put her at risk, pinning on a race tag puts her over the edge.

She's now the former President of the Couch Potato Hall of Fame.

---

Many thanks to all the wonderful people that showed up to walk or run the Seaport Striders Benefit 5K. It was a nice turnout. Mike Halverson, the President of the Striders, was there to help out and seemed quite happy to match funds for the race. He acted as starter for us and we actually got underway on time.

No one pushed especially hard so the fun run was actually . . . fun, though the last hundred yards got competitive a couple of times, especially as one young lady raced her dad to the finish . Apparently they had a bet - she won.

The weather, as promised, was nicer than it has been, dropping into the high 70's by the end of the race. With a 7PM start and the help of the nearby cliff, the runners were able to stay comfortable in shade the whole race.

A special thanks to all the volunteers. You folks, as always, were just awesome. The pictures are courtesy of Suzy Cowdrey, who volunteers at nearly all our races, usually handling the rush of people at registration.

To John Potter's son - I owe you a dozen cookies. We had prize giveaways after the race and I donated a copy of each of my books. John, the Lewiston xc coach, won his choice of cookies or a book. His son was pleading, "Not the book, Dad, not the book." John picked up a copy of Finishing Kick anyway - thank you for that and I hope you enjoy it. I'll get a dozen snickerdoodle cookies together for the son.

Have a great weekend!

Friday - Time for an Evening 5K, Right?

Getting my run done this morning. This evening is a 5K in Asotin. The Seaport Striders have pledged to match the entry fees for Asotin, Clarkston, and Lewiston as a contribution to the Cross Country Programs.

I will not be racing. I am the timer with a talented right thumb that will deliver accurate results for your race. My wife and daughter will not be racing. My wife does not run and my daughter is 8.5 months pregnant-they'll be walking. So will a granddaughter who was learning B Skips Tuesday night. Kinda, since she's only two but she thought it was fun to play with Poppa, especially when he's being a goof. Poppa has no problem being a goof for, and with, any of the grandkids.

It's a low-key fun race. Bring a towel - the beach is right there so you can take a dip to cool off afterward. And bring the whole family - running isn't solely for the fleetest. They only get the medals and stuff. Wait, no medals tonight - we have giveaways instead.

.Everybody gets a fair shot - see you there.

Paul

Summer Reading Update

At the beginning of summer, I posted a list of books I planned to read. Time for a progress report.

Two books were recommended by Running Times, Rachel Toor’s On the Road to Find Out and Mark Slouka’s Brewster. I read both. Measured my work against theirs – and was awed at some of the things that looked so effortless. I know better, know how hard that was for them. Nope, I haven’t reviewed either – and won’t.

Finished 101 Developmental Concepts & Workouts for Cross Country Runners and found it informative. A fast read packed with information. A largish variety of workouts to play with and I’ll suggest some for the upcoming season. Very happy to note that Paul Greer, San Diego Track Club coach, blurbed it. One of the most positive people I've ever met.

Midway through Pat Tyson excellent Coaching Cross Country Successfully. Right from the beginning you understand that Tyson was successful not because of gimmicks or luck. It was hard work, building programs for the runners one at a time and doing so with unflagging enthusiasm.

I haven’t started Bruce Brown’s Teaching Character Through Sport yet. Sheer laziness, that all I can blame it on.

Lest you think the only books I read are running related, here’s the rest from the last couple of months. No  links – I got bored. You can either get them or order them at your local bookstore. Or Amazon, of course.

Finished:

• The Guards by Ken Bruen
• The Magdalen Martyrs by Ken Bruen
• Wannabe Distance God by Tim Tays
• Writing the Cozy Mystery by Nancy Cohen
• Write Your Novel from the Middle by James Scott Bell
• Warrior of the Light by Paulo Coelho
• The Closers by Michael Connelly
• Outlining Your Novel by K.M. Weiland
• Inside Story by Dara Marks
• The Cripple Creek District by the Cripple Creek Museum
• Story Physics by Larry Brooks
• A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

In the Middle of:

• When Running was Young and So Were We by Jack Welch
• Shift by Hugh Howey
• Write, Publish, Repeat by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant
• Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin by Timothy Snyder
• Writing the Blockbuster Novel by Al Zuckerman

Dipping in and out as the mood pleases:

• Will You Please be Quiet, Please by Raymond Carver
• And Then the Vulture Eats You edited by John L. Parker
• The Best American Mysteries 2009 edited by Jeffery Deaver

Next Up:

• Running with the Kenyans by Adharanand Finn
• Running on Empty by Marshall Ulrich (one of my running heroes – and not for his running)
• The Purple Runner by Paul Christman
• Field Guide to Ultrarunning by Hal Koerner
• Money Mountain by Marshall Sprague
• Dust by Hugh Howey
• Caro’s Book of Poker Tells by Mike Caro
• Writing Mysteries edited by Sue Grafton
• Social Engineering by Christopher Hadnagy
• The Opportunity Equation  by Eric Schwarz
• The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

I’ve got another stack in the ‘someday’ pile plus a want-to read list over at Goodreads.

The last time my parents came to visit, I had to buy two bookcases to get everything off the floor. I’m running out of wall space for bookcases.

The obvious solution is a bigger house with more walls.

Alexa Efraimson Appreciation Day and more . . .

Alexa Efraimson Appreciation Day - Very cool but I'd like to see all the high school runners - not only the elites - get this kind of recognition. Most are pretty awesome kids, just not quite as quick. I do like that Aexa did not concede the race in Eugene to the team from Kenya - she actively challenged them. She ran out of gas on the last lap but it was gutsy run worthy of Hayward Field.

Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of Joan Benoit Samuelson's victory at the '84 Olympics. For the young'uns, that was the first Women's Olympic Marathon. It was a big deal. Running Times has a great read right here.

Speaking of Kenyans, those who say it's all genetics, that's why they win - nope. A lot of it is plain old fashioned courage and a tremendous amount of hard work. Kenyan Who Had His Legs Amputated Gets Back on Track.

Yes, please, the rules are antiquated. Time for State Associations to Evolve with Today's High School Elites For more discussion, head over to Runnerspace. Washington State passed a rule to help with this (referred to as the Alexa Efraimson Rule). Could we make a rule that allows quality teams more freedom to head for Invitationals without being penalized for not racing in-district enough?

Trailrunning = Playing

Pretty awesome video . . . my girls trail ran with me when they were young. We called it playing.

Walking the dog at 3AM

It's insomnia, at least according to standard definitions. I woke up at 2AM, lay in bed for a while before I decided to get up and go for a walk. The dog decided to accompany me, so off we went to the post office to drop a Netflix in the box. So much for getting a solid eight and being ready to a tackle a very busy week working, writing, and running.

The standard definition of insomnia, though, may be historically wrong. Newer sleep research indicates that people may not be hardwired for continuous sleep. Instead, a pattern of segmented sleep might be more healthful.

Historian A. Roger Ekirch noticed the pattern while reviewing original documents. In them, he found references to 'first sleep" and "second sleep." First sleep was from approximately sundown to midnight. A period of wakefulness sat from then to two or three o'clock, followed by the second sleep.

The modern solution is to add prescription drugs and knock the patient on their back. Better living through pharmacology - and substantial profits to the makers of sleeping pills.

Pill popping may be the solution to a problem of modern creation. The sleep, wake, sleep historical pattern changed (as theorized by Ekirch) when streetlamps changed the night, making it accessible, and then again when indoor lighting (not just candle powered) intruded into our lives.

Studies by Thomas Wehr reinforced this view when he tested eight men, forcing them into fourteen hours of darkness. At first, they simply removed the sleep debt they had acquired but then some interesting happened; they began to follow a segmented sleep routine, waking in the middle of the night for a couple of hours.

So the solution is simple, right?

Not really. To take advantage of the segmented sleep, you need to go to bed just after sundown. No television, no cell phones, no electric lights. It's a pretty radical prescription given the organization of our society.

I'll probably give this a try but not until fall, when the days get shorter. I'll let you know when I start - and how things proceed.

Blog Roll

I don't have a formal blog roll on the sidebar but there are some sites that I check pretty frequently for news, and ideas about running. Here are some of my favorites:

Running Times - in my opinion, the best of the running magazines. The website has additional virtual-only articles.

Let's Run - Not the easiest website to navigate but, if it's running related, it's there somewhere. Tremendous amount of information and a mostly knowledgeable forum.

RunBlogger - Pete Larson is a very, very bright dude who does a fantastic job of reviewing running products and teaching running form. Sign up for his newsletter or swing by the blog.

Runners World - the most popular running magazine has a huge web presence - warning: they're very aggressive on twitter and can blow up your feed a bit.

RunnersConnect - a coaching site that has long form articles that are thought provoking at the blog.

ProActive Coaching - not so much running but youth sports in general, these folks understand the secrets to coaching. If you are a coach, from junior high to D1, follow them on Facebook. You won't regret it.

JillWillRun - Jill blogs on running, running gear, and promotes a healthy perspective on eating and lifestyles. Not your everyday aim for a PR blog. Running is personal and so is Jill's Blog.

Let me know your favorites - and I know, we're having a few issues with the commenting system - magical imps are working on it now. If you can't comment, feel free to send me an email. I reply to all of them.

Cascade Lakes Relay

The teams are on the course for the Cascade Lakes Relay.

For you folks that have never done a relay, they can be a hoot. The Cascade Relays team puts on a fun event with contests, time trials, and a ton of camaraderie.

Spend 24 hours chasing other teams through the Oregon mountains on a picturesque course. All day, taking turns. All night. Again into the next day. Relays are a unique adventure in running, a combination of teamwork, fun, and the unpredictable.

For those interested, you can follow the action at https://twitter.com/CascadeRelays. They have an app for the leaderboard this year as well.

Good luck to the runners tonight - stay safe, have fun, and RUN!

Full Disclosure - The team I run with, Velocity Deficit Disorder, is out this year. Me because two daughters are expecting babies the same weekend as the Spokane to Sandpoint relay, a couple of others due to work, and one to a Bluegrass festival.

We'll be back next year with a little luck, maybe for the Cascade Lakes Relay this time. Scott and his crew really do put on a great race.

Sharing the Fun!

I've had a tremendous amount of fun writing the books and one of the promises I made was that I would share some of the proceeds.

It makes sense to do it quarterly, at least from an accounting standpoint. I closed out the books last night and wrote the first check. Since I wrote the books and am donating the money, I get to be the decider. I'm pushy that way . . .

I wrote the check for the Clarkston Bantams. It's not as much as I would like, but it's is a start. Ideally, I'd write a dozen checks that are ten times bigger.

We're going to have to sell a lot more books to do that.

For those not in our region, the coach at Clarkston, Brian Denton, bends over backwards to help out all the local teams with meets, lending flags, timers, putting up the results. The rest of the time, he's coaching some great kids.

If you bought Finishing Kick or Trail of Second Chances, you've contributed to the Bantam squad. I want you to know just how much I appreciate it.

Please consider referring the books to your friends and running buddies. And I could always use more reviews on Amazon if you have a few minutes and you'd like to share.

I'm hoping that the next quarter sees me writing more than one check.

Run gently, friends!

PS. Family asked about contributing to the Asotin squad, our home town team. I donate to them annually all ready and plan to do so again and again, as long as I am able. Poor coach Gundy is pretty well stuck with me but he's a great guy and takes it in stride.