K2 Ultrarunning

RUNNING AND POLITICS! REALLY? YES REALLY!!!

2011-08-22T17:00:00.000-05:00

It is kind of a joke with friends and family that I can relate anything to running, politics, religion, nutrition and Seinfeld. That's right Seinfeld, I love that show! I will try to focus on running and politics today but may slip in a few things relating to my other favorite subjects. In reality I truly believe everything relates to politics and religion, if you don't see that it is a conscience choice to ignore that fact. For my own personal entertainment I can come up with a Seinfeld episode that relates to just about anything. They covered many issues in all those years, from circumcision to abortion to the "pigmen". All very serious subjects. so let's talk about running and politics.

Running and Politics; two of my favorites! I'm sure it might have started earlier but for me it began in 2007 when the Chicago marathon was canceled in mid-run due to heat. No I wasn't running, I had about 10 team members there though. People who trained months to achieve a goal of finishing their first marathon, conquering their PR, finishing in honor of someone with a disease or qualifying for Boston. All very lofty goals, all very doable no matter what the weather. Since then it has happened over and over, small and large events. From Lewis and Clark marathon canceled because of storms and flooding to the Olathe marathon for a snowstorm. Heat is the main reason most of these endurance events are canceled. Just recently in Kansas City The Warrior Dash was canceled due to so-called extreme heat. Two people died and over fifty went to the hospital for heat related issues. If you Google "running events canceled due to weather" you will see dozens of stories like this. As I continue know that I am saddened that people have suffered and wish no one to have to go through those types of things but we must accept responsibility for our actions.

What does this have to due with politics? Everything!!! We have become such a litigious society everyone has to cover their ass. Who would have thought you could sue someone because their coffee was too hot? Just because someone was a dumbass and spilt their coffee in their lap it is the coffee suppliers fault. This was the McDonalds case of course, they have also been sued for creating lard asses. Remember the Seinfeld episode when Kramer spilt his coffee in the theater and sued the coffee house? Yes it is McDonalds fault these people stuffed their faces and spilt coffee on themselves. There's the case of the drunken women who drowned because she couldn't unfasten her seatbelt, her parents sued Honda and won $65 million. Fortunately it was thrown out on appeal. How about the two losers who sued Oliver Stone(who happens to belong in the piece of shit hall of fame) and Warner Brothers because the movie Natural Born Killers caused them to go on a crime spree. There is the women who sued Universal Studios because the haunted house was too scary. All of this shit is true, sadly. I could continue but what's the point. You get the idea, no one is responsible for their own actions it is always someone else's fault. Even in running events! That's right! Rock N Roll San Diego has been sued after a man died hours later. Bullshit!! There are Warrior Dash lawsuits pending as well and many other running related lawsuits.

How is this political?! You ask again! Well all of my conservative friends already know the answer. Over the last 100 years or so the liberals have done everything they can to take away personal responsibility. They have created a welfare state, they have made it fashionable to kill unwanted babies, they have made it a crime to take responsibility for your own medical care. The poor can buy a house even though they can't afford it, then blame the lender as being predators when they can't pay. If you are homeless and out of work it is the evil rich who are responsible because they won't hire more people. While at the same time the same people are spewing hate speech at the rich and wanting to tax them out of business. All led by liberal lawyers trying to make a buck, decrying the evil rich yet making more money than the so-called rich. We are an entitlement society, over 50% of the American population is on some type of government assistance. The bottom line, there is no more personal responsibility.

Let's talk about running, finally! If you get heat stroke or heat exhaustion or frostbite or have a heart attack during a run it is your fault. You chose to run!! If I pay for my race registration I want to run the race! I use the term "race" loosely, I am in no hurry. If there are people unprepared that have to stop so be it. Why do I and all the other people prepared and well trained have to stop. As in politics we have to make sacrifices for the minority. Fuck that!! I am responsible for ME! Not the idiot who didn't train or chose not to drink enough or eat enough. I know that sounds harsh, it's not that I don't feel for them I do. I just don't think everyone else should suffer because they fucked up. Personally I am tired of paying the price because of peoples poor decisions. You should be tired of it too. Not just running but in life. You are taxed because people want government handouts and want to sit on their ass. The run you trained 6 months to a year for is canceled because its too hot out, boo fuckin hoo, I want to keep running and take care of myself.

I have been wanting to address this subject for a while, then I got an email from NorthFace Endurance Challenge saying they would cancel the upcoming KC event if temps went over 95 degrees. That set me off a little. Over 95 in August!! How unexpected!! I thought this was The NorthFace Endurance Challenge not the Senior Citizen Dance. This is NorthFace!!! The adventure company, what the fuck?!?! I was ok with the rest of the email, telling people to carry their own water etc.... To call yourself an Endurance Challenge and then say if it gets too hot we are taking out ball and going home. What a bunch of pussies!! It all boils down to the fact that they don't want to get sued by some asshole looking to hit the "legal lottery" because it was hot and they didn't train or drink enough. Did you know there are two Seinfeld episodes that highlight the New York marathon?

So the next time you are forced to stop running because of the weather and you are pissed about it, think about your decisions in the voting booth.

KEEP RUNNING NO MATTER WHO TRIES TO STOP YOU!!!

Choose to Succeed

Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/

http://www.k2ultrarunning.blogspot.com/

http://www.k2rawrudeandright.blogspot.com/

ARROGANCE: ARE YOU DESTROYING YOUR MIND, BODY AND SOUL?

2011-07-13T12:33:00.000-05:00

Let me start by saying as you read this don't take offense. Just absorb and do a little self analysis. I write this because over the years I have been the most arrogant person you could ever meet. So I really am just sharing with you my experiences as well as my observations of the human race. I am or have been guilty of a lot of the things mentioned below. I am not trying to judge, just trying to make you think about the things you do, that really do have consequences. I am posting this on both of my blogs because I feel it is relatable to both audiences, the few that there are. This really came to a head for me just the other day. I was listening to a Christian CD about building a strong marriage and how all problems in marriages boil down to Selfishness. There is nothing more selfish than arrogance. When you think about it, arrogance is the catalyst to most of our problems. I hope you will see this as I continue.

Our Mind

Think about our day to day life and the trash we let seep into our mind or subconscious if you will. From the television shows you watch, to the constant negativity from so-called friends. We allow so much garbage into our mind that it piles up and begins to affect our lives with out us even realizing it. That co-worker or friend makes you start thinking about all the negatives in your life. The sex on T.V. makes you want something different than the loving spouse that you have committed to. Paula and I just watched The Black Swan, why on earth anyone would want to watch this trash is beyond me. This was nothing more than a self-involved fucking pity party. It was a waste of my time!! These are the types of movies that get "critical" acclaim, whatever the hell that means. How about that mind control drug called The Disney Channel. There are almost NO positive male role models and all the kids are smart-ass materialistic brats. This is the main course in our children's minds, not the bible or the news or American history. If you don't think this influences your kids your an idiot. What about pornography? Infomercials? Reality shows? Fashion magazines? No I don't want Disney off the air or ban movies or books, as all of you know I am all about freedom and we are free to choose what we put in our minds. Don't be so arrogant to think you or your kids can be subjected to this trash without some or all of it seeping into your minds and affecting you daily life and choices that you make.

Our Body

As most of you know this is a very hot topic to me and my family, we spend hundreds of hours teaching people about whole food nutrition. As endurance athletes we have at times abused our bodies. So I will start with how some athletes abuse their bodies by pushing too much, too hard. I have a hard time with this myself, I really have to listen to my body for signs of over training. I know some of you out there are guilty of this as well. Yes, I think we should try to test our limits. We must be wise about it as well. I know our bodies are capable of things we can't even imagine. We must be intuitive towards our bodies. On the other side of that there are people (most of the population and unfortunately a lot of athletes) who continually flood their bodies with chemicals and artificial literally killing themselves. As a society we pollute our bodies daily with soda, coffee, tobacco, prescription drugs, processed foods, beer, wine, fast foods..... All of these are accepted by society. Yet these same people cringe at crack or heroin addicts. When in reality they are addicts as well, their drug is just accepted by society. Not only are these addictions accepted in secular society they are also accepted in the Christian society. It's ok to be gluttonous but don't lie to anyone? We are also feeding our kids these exact same things, in essence we are creating food addicts. Though most of the things people eat isn't really food. If what you eat is altered in anyway it isn't food, it is a food substance. I could countinue down this road for hours but I won't. My question is are we so arrogant and/or ignorant to think we can abuse our bodies, that are a blessing from God, and get away with it with no repercussions? These same people are shocked when they have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, cancers, develop diabetes, Crohn's..... We reap what we sow!! These sickness that are attacking our population are all self inflicted and preventable. Don't let your arrogance kill you or your kids. Through Gods plan and with prayer we can control our health. Genesis 1:29!! Read it, know it and live it!! Your Body is a Miracle!!

Soul

Time to preach!!! Amen brothers and sisters!! I know what your thinking, is this the same guy who dropped the "F" bomb above!! Damn right!! I will jump right out and say anyone that says "I don't believe in God" is an arrogant liar. Yes I know, not very Christian of me. If you don't believe in something why is it an issue? The mere fact that people make that statement tells me they know there is a God they just choose not to follow him. That's ok! We are free to choose our path but don't lie to me or yourself and say there is no God. Atheist and agnostics are Deniers. There is no such thing as an atheist or agnostic, we are born with the innate knowledge of our Lord. What you do with that knowledge is a choice. I know it sounds cliché but no one can watch a sunrise or sunset, see a baby born, a flower bloom, eat an apple....without knowing there is a God. These things are not an accident or big bang or any other theory you want to pretend to believe in. The fact is people deny God so they can live by the saying "if it feels good do it". The liberal credo:) The denier doesn't want to be held accountable for their actions so they tell themselves there is no God therefore no consequences. I feel this is the ultimate in arrogance.

Liberals

You didn't think I could talk about arrogance without mentioning the elitist arrogant liberals! If you believe that liberals are genuine then they are either arrogant or fucking idiots. Liberals, our current president included, have tried their policies over and over with the same disastrous results, yet they still believe in these policies. It has been proven time and again throughout history that Communism, Socialism, Marxism, Dictatorships...... do not work!! They bankrupt the government and create poverty. Yet year after year liberals try to take over businesses, healthcare, insurance.... all in the name of helping the poor and downtrodden. Arrogance or idiots? You decide. If they aren't genuine, which is my belief, then they are elitist arrogant asshole who want to control our lives. Either way they suck and need to be stopped.

Summary

The solution is simple. Read Gods word to fill your mind and soul. Eat Gods food to nourish your body. It's really quite simple but the simplest things can be the hardest. Keep God first, stay in pray and you can conquer anything. What do we do about the liberal? Pray for them, they are Gods children, I guess.

God Bless

Choose to Succeed

Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/

http://www.k2ultrarunning.blogspot.com/

http://www.k2rawrudeandright.blogspot.com/

ROCKIN "K" IN VIBRAMS!!?

2011-04-03T14:50:00.000-05:00

Paula and I ventured out to the middle of Kansas in Kanopolis State Park to run her favorite marathon course. It's actually 27 miles, so that makes it an ultra:) This would be Paula's 4 time running this event. Still not sure why she loves this course. Our original plan was to run the 50 mile race but as sometimes in life things don't go as planned. Our training was just a little off, I think we could have ran the 50 but it wouldn't have been any fun at all. FUN is the most important reason we do this stuff. So after a little discussion Paula and I decided to drop down to the "marathon". Stacy Sheridan, co-race director with her husband Phil, was more than happy to make sure we were happy. I met Stacy for the first time at the event this weekend, Paula has raved about her since her first running of Rockin "K". I will say this, if every event had a "Stacy" it would be a wonderful running world. She truly cares about every runner out there. It was a pleasure meeting her.

So after deciding to drop to the marathon Paula had a "great" idea, lets run in Vibrams! We both do 99% of our running in them and don't really like running in "normal" shoes. The few times we have hit the trails we had ran in our trail shoe, Cascadias. A great shoe, we have just out grown them, so speak. Her logical was that since we dropped to the marathon there was no pressure as far as time restrictions. So why not run in what we are comfortable wearing. Made sense to me. The down side? We had NOT ran on the trails in our Vibrams:) So we went out on a short trail run in our Vibram Treks, the off road version, just to test the waters a little. It was a short test but a successful test nonetheless. So after running 30 minutes on the trails we decided to run a extremely hard course for 27 miles. We are brilliant!!

Race morning we realized we were the only ones wearing Vibrams, so we would win the Vibram category:) Now for some reason Paula loves this course, she was very excited to get going and enjoy the day. After race instructions from Phil we were off. The course was well marked and the volunteers were great. Paula and I both have ran long distances in our Vibrams, over 25 miles. That however was on the roads. My longest had been 30 miles, on a bad day that is 6.5 hours. So running time in the Vibrams up to this point had been 5-6 hours. We new on a good day on this course it would take about 7 hours. That is without factoring in the Vibrams. The course has a variety of terrain and more steep climbs than I care to remember. Really the only part of the course that gave us problems was the broken red bricks at certain crossings. They were never longer than 20-30 yards, but was very difficult to cross. We walked around them as carefully as we could. They did slow us down considerably, but we new this would be tough when we made the decision to run in the Vibrams. My concern, for some reason, were the 4 or 5 water crossings. There were only 2 deep ones but the others were ankle or calf deep. Not usually a concern and most the time a welcome cool down. My concern was debris getting into the Vibrams. We were wearing Injinji liners for extra protection. Our thinking was if something did get in it would have to go through the liner first instead of digging right into the foot. Overall this worked out great, no problems.

We actually cruised along for the first half without any real problem. We were about 30 minutes behind our original schedule. Once we made the decision to run this course in Vibrams all time schedules were void. We were happy with having relatively no problems up to this point. From the half way point aide station you run a 5 mile loop to the bluffs. This was the hardest part. The climbs were unbelievable but what caused the most problems were the downhill's. You really have to be careful descending, you can't just bound down because you don't have shoes to bear the impact when you land. So instead of using the downhill's to make up time they actually slowed us down some. Not a huge problem just another thing to consider when doing something like this. The bluff loop kicked our ass but is was worth it for the beautiful views that God blessed us with.

By about 7 hours our feet were killing! Which was logical since we had only put about 6 hours in during training and that was on stable road runs. Paula and I both run hills just about every day but the terrain is always pavement, very predictable and stable. On this day we ran through bushes, broken branches, rocks, bricks, gravel.... all of this over time took it's toll on our feet. The last few miles on soft single track were brutal. We felt like we had to run but our feet were throbbing. We toughed it out and finished in a blazing 8 hours, winning the Vibram category:) We weren't last, which is always nice. We could really careless, we finished!! All in all it was a successful test of the Vibrams off road. To be honest I wouldn't change a thing, we took up the challenge and succeeded. We plan to continue to run trails in our Vibrams and will most likely run Rockin "K" next year together. We had great weather. quality time together and a great experience to share. So you out there could learn from it as well.

NEVER STOP RUNNING!!!

Choose to Succeed

Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/

http://www.k2ultrarunning.blogspot.com/

http://www.k2rawrudeandright.blogspot.com/

BIBLICAL NUTRITION: CONTINUED

2011-03-11T12:10:00.000-06:00

We have finished our 5 week course!! It was a wonderful learning experience for all involved. Going into this class, having a small congregation, we were hopeful to have 3-5 people. We started with 6 or 7 and finished with 15!! Paula and I learned so much while researching the topic of the correlation of Christianity and overall health and wellness. To me the answer became clear as I thought about what I call Plan A and Plan B. You see Plan A was the Garden Of Eden or "Paradise", this was the wonderful place God placed Adam and Eve. They were to go forth and multiply in this beautiful place and live off the fruit, veggie and nuts God had provided for them. Genesis 1:29! Then of course we sinned and screwed everything up. Not only did we screw it up we screwed the pooch so bad that there was only one man that God wanted to save, Noah. So God destroyed the earth leaving Noah and family to repopulate the earth. This began Plan B, nutritionally, and God gave us meat to eat as well as all the fruits, veggies and nuts. Genesis 9:3.

So if you want to perfect your nutrition, wouldn't you logically go with Plan A? Why would you not choose "Paradise"?! Now I do understand that this is a difficult, yet not impossible, choice to make. With all of the wonderful tasting food substances out there, they can be hard to give up. I too still have a hard time, the Devil tempts me as well. Devil?! Yes the Devil!! It only make sense that the Devil would be leading the charge of substances that clog our arteries, cause cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and every other disease know to man. Now when I say so-called "food substances" I mean anything that isn't real organic food from the earth. Yes there is organic meat out there and if you eat meat it needs to be organic. However, animal protein has been proven time and again to cause the same diseases as the "food substances" so I include them as "food substances" as I interpret the scripture we weren't meant to eat it. Even if you go by the book of Leviticus and prepare the meat as God commanded, I feel all of this preparation is to make it more difficult so you will turn to Plan A. Besides I know NO one who even comes close to eating as stated in Leviticus. Not only does all of these so-called foods cause disease they also cause a myriad of other problems. Depression, anxiety, hair loss, dry skin, pale skin, unexplained aches and pains, diarrhea, constipation.......the list is infinite. Isn't logical that the Devil would want you weak and sickly?

The problem with a lot of these aliments is that they are readily accepted by society. It is just what happens and the only thing to do is get a prescription to take care of it. WRONG!!! Why would you put chemicals in your body which have a list of side affects to make you "well". Don't think just because you are getting older, have supposed bad genetics, or everyone is getting sick right now that you have to live with any aliment. You don't!! Through great nutrition and prayer you can make your body strong, the way God intended. Just because society accepts a sickly population doesn't mean you have to. The key to your health is taking personal responsibility for it. I know a lot of you have heard me say it but I will say it again. 99% of the things that happen to us are self inflicted. Bad or good we are a product of our actions. This is true, emotionally, spiritually and physically. Through prayer God will give you the strength to make the right choices in everything in life. Is it a sin to eat poorly? I think that is something you need to answer yourself. I will give you something to think about. Do you think it's ok to smoke, drink or do other drugs? If you answered no, then why is it ok to eat foods that are laced with chemicals. Do you judge or condemn someone for lying, stealing, adultery...... while you eat a 3000 calorie meal? Gluttony is a sin as well. No I'm not judging, that is between you and God. My question is why is one OK and the other not. There are no big or little sins, you either sin or not. Society has proclaimed what is acceptable. Christians are not judged by society we are judged by God. Are our bodies not Temples? 1 Corinthians 3:16 & 17. Then treat them as such!

From what I can figure out we should try and live in Paradise as God wanted in the first place. That is my interpretation, you may come up with something else. I say GO with Plan A! It isn't easy but over time it will become a way of life. Also a great time for prayer and reflection as we ask that eternal question. Is this a want or a need? :)

GOD BLESS

Choose to Succeed

Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/

http://www.k2ultrarunning.blogspot.com/

http://www.k2rawrudeandright.blogspot.com/

BIBLICAL NUTRITION: IF YOU DON'T EAT WHAT I TELL YOU YOU ARE GOING TO HELL:)

2011-02-24T15:33:00.000-06:00

The past two months Paula and I have been teaching a class relating fitness and nutrition to the Bible and how it relates with Christian life. We are in no way experts on theology, though I do have a secret desire to preach. Maybe it is just a desire to condemn and tell people what to do:) Just kidding, that in no way reflects on our pastor. Pastor Ron, the pastor at The River, has been an inspiration and wonderful teacher in our walk with Christ. His message is Grace through Christ. So the more involved we became with the church we wanted to contribute in some way. So we decided to do what we know. Fitness and Nutrition. The last two years I have taken a real interest in how this relates to my walk with Christ and what the lessons are in the Bible. There are a few so called "experts" on the subject, such as Jordan Ruben and Reverend George Malkmus. Both of whom I respect, they have given me much to think about through their books and websites. If this topic is of interest to you I highly recommend them both as a wealth of information.

So we put this lesson plan together, ok Paula put this lesson plan together, starting with Genesis and working our way through the Bible. I won't get too detailed I will just cover our theories and the reaction we got. As most of you know our family is vegetarian, for many reasons, mostly health. Through my research and self experimentation this is the healthiest way to nourish our bodies and prevent disease. Biblically Genesis 1:29 and the first book of Daniel sum it up best. In the beginning God put Adam and Eve in paradise, in paradise the food source was "every seed-bearing plant" and "every tree that has fruit with seed". That excluded grains since there wasn't much cooking going on back then and grain uncooked tastes awful! Again that is my interpretation. Then we look at Daniel and the story of him and his friends refusing the Kings food, Daniel said " he would not defile himself" with the Kings food. Instead he requested "vegetables and water" after 10 days on this diet Daniel and friends out preformed all the other young men in this little internship for the King. Read it and decide for yourself. Scientifically The China Study and The Gerson Therapy brought the debate to a close for Paula and I. These books are a must read for anyone interested in improving their health and/or prevention or eliminating disease through nutrition. There are other scripture and insights but that really is the core of our belief.

The first couple of weeks we talked about adding more fruits and veggies to their diet. We also talked about the importance of water intake. These recommendations were readily embraced, so we gave them a "challenge" to increase the consumption of these nutritional staples. Which they happily accepted. Then the third week we talked about meat and trying to cut back. You would have thought we were trying to take their first born!! Adding to their diet was ok, taking away was another story.:) Especially MEAT!!! People were twisting scripture to justify eating an extra value meal. Not to that extreme but you get my point. It is like anything else in life, we as a people can justify anything. From eating poorly to murder. You know I'm right, so get that look off your face. No I don't equate the two, the point is if you want to do it you will find a way to make it ok. We had a lively debate, Paula and I accomplished what we set out to do; make people think about their daily nutrition. Our goal wasn't to change their minds, just make them think. I believe people should eat the way they want, I just want them to be educated. Once you have all the information you are free to make your own choices. We still live in a free country.

I must say we put together a wonderful and thought provoking class. I will summarize; if you don't eat what I tell you, you will go to hell:):) We believe that fruits and vegetables are our main source of nutrition. Yes we still use Isagenix and always will. These foods should be eaten in their natural form, raw. Even if you don't want to become a vegetarian and aren't convinced that this is what the Bible teaches I refer you to 1 Corinthians 3:16 & 17, we are GODs Temple. So I ask you are you treating Gods Temple with respect? Think about that the next time you put processed, preservative loaded, artificially loaded food substance into your Temple. Our bodies were designed by God to thrive, if you treat it the way God intended. I referenced The China Study and The Gerson Therapy earlier, these books do not invoke God in anyway. They do make you realize that Genesis 1:29 is the way to live your life. Studies have shown that this way of life will not only prevent disease but has been know to reverse the advancement of numerous diseases.

Final thought: Romans 14! For all us out in the fitness and nutrition world and who are Followers of Jesus, this scripture puts us in our place. I am not here to judge or condemn, rather to minister and help those that need and want my help. Paula and I have decided that this is our path. We are going to minister for Christ through health and nutrition. But without judgment! With love and compassion. we are all children of God and we should respect each others life choices. We educate and let the changes happen when they happen. The bottom line is we will all be judge by God not by man. So unless we advice with love and compassion we should mind our own business. Of course this doesn't apply to politics:):)

GOD BLESS

Choose to Succeed

Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/

http://www.k2ultrarunning.blogspot.com/

http://www.k2rawrudeandright.blogspot.com/

2011 UPDATE

2011-02-02T18:20:00.000-06:00

The New Year is off and running, literally:) I hope training is going well for everyone out there. There are some great events coming up in KC that I know a lot of you are doing. Brew to Brew is a great one on the horizon. This is a 44 mile relay/solo run that takes you from KC, MO to Lawrence, KS. The terrain changes which makes it interesting. Mostly paved roads but with mild trails and grave roads to make it interesting. This was my first real ultra. That same weekend, first weekend in April, is the Rockin K marathon and 50 miler. Paula and I will be running the 50 miler, this will be her first 50 mile ultra. She has completed the Brew to Brew twice, we were able to run it together once. I love running with her! So being able to pace her for her first 50 miler is a great date for us. Paula has run Rockin K marathon three times and for some reason loves it. It is a tough course and the weather can be extreme, snow to 80 degrees. Always windy. Not sure why she likes it, but as long as I'm with her and she's having fun that's all that matters. So to make things interesting I am planning on running Rockin K Saturday followed by Brew to Brew on Sunday. Should be fun.

This year will be a little different. I am now a veg-head and running only in Vibrams. I want to run The Keys 100 in Vibrams, this event is in May. Things are going well so far. The veg-head thing has really paid off with I feel great and my running is better than ever. The only animal protein I take in is the incredible whey protein in Isagenix shakes, that will never change. The real question is how will my feet hold up for 100 miles in my Vibrams? Also am I tough enough to deal with the terrain of Brew to Brew and Rockin K in my Vibrams? I have ran moderate trails in them but nothing like Rockin K. I watch these videos of people running on gravel barefoot and our local Barefoot Hero, BareFoot Rick, runs in the snow, on trails, pavement..... all barefoot. He is one tough mother. I'm just not there yet. It is a hard thing to admit but my feet are pussies. They get tougher everyday but it is slow going. I have been doing this for a year and a half now and still prefer running on pavement in my Vibrams. I know all things come with time. I'm a little impatient.

A group of us will be running CowTown the end of the month, a few of us will be running the 50K. The rest are running the marathon. It looks like a fun event and will be my first ultra in the Vibrams. Like I said the year is off and running. There are other runs later in the year, I will get to those later. I will give you another update very soon.

NEVER STOP RUNNING!!!

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/

http://www.k2ultrarunning.blogspot.com/

http://www.k2rawrudeandright.blogspot.com/

HAVE FAITH IN CHANGE

2011-01-06T10:08:00.000-06:00

We are in the first week of the New Year! How many of you have already broke your "New Years Resolutions"? No I'm really not trying to be negative. The stats speak loud and clear. More power to you if you have, over the years, been successful at a New Years Resolution. Most people aren't. Why is that? There are of course many theories on the subject, most are of the "warm and fuzzy" mind set. Here's my take; If it is important to you, why would wait another day to make that change? Bottom line it's just not a priority! No matter if it is quit smoking, lose weight, work on your temper, stop drinking.... The list is endless and we all have things we need to work on. So why wait? There is no better time than NOW. If that flaw comes to light at the New Year so be it. It doesn't usually happen that way.

We should always try and improve ourselves whether it is physical, emotional, spiritual.... We shouldn't put it off until we can jump on some group think band wagon to make that improvement. Step up and make that change when the flaw is recognized.

From a health and wellness perspective, having been in the gym business for over 10 years, health clubs count on your non-commitment. 90% of the people that join a health club the first week of the New Year drop out after 6 weeks. You keep paying, the club keeps collecting, you just stop going. Nice racket. In the health industries defense, it's not their fault people stop going. We are all responsible for our own actions. I know that isn't a popular statement in this age of "blame everyone but me". You know like "predatory creditors".

Change is hard but necessary if we want to be better people. I see things in myself everyday that I should change, if it is important to me I make it happen. If not I may talk about it, whine and feel sorry for myself. That doesn't last long for me but we all do it and wonder why we "can't" change. You can change if you want. I will give you a personal example; Back in August, I think, we were setting in church and I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I wasn't giving enough to the church. Yes we would always put a little in the offering each week but never 10% as instructed in the bible. Do I believe the bible? YES! Do I think you or I would go to Hell if we don't Tithe? NO! I don't think you should give out of guilt, I think you should give "with a joyful heart" out of love for Christ. So, every since we have tithed. I know some won't believe this, after we started tithing our financial life became a walk in the park. I'm serious! I picked up a few new clients, Paula had a unique teaching opportunity. Things just happened. Will we hit tough times in the future? Anything is possible. But we have faith that GOD will provide. OK, didn't mean to start preaching just wanted to share that experience. My point is We didn't wait until the New Year or the next month we made the change right then. Why? Because it was important to us.

I'm sure some of you are wondering what this has to do with politics or running for that matter, since I am posting this on both of my blogs.

Running: I plan most of my upcoming year in October and November, mostly because of training. I do enter a few things last minute but I usually have my year planned out well before the New Year. I make "changes" as I see the need. It might be speed, strength, agility.... Depends on the events I have chosen and the terrain I will be competing on. If I feel I need to tweak my nutrition or training I do it when the need arises, not the New Year.

Politics: Get involved now!! Don't wait until the next election or until you "have time". Do it now! That advice is for conservatives, liberals stay home and watch Oprah and The View and collect your government cheese:) I couldn't help myself.

Change can be good.

GOD Bless all of you, even the libs. I hope you have a wonderful an prosperous New Year.

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

http://www.k2ultrarunning.blogspot.com/

http://www.k2rawrudeandright.blogspot.com/

BOOT CAMP!!?? CROSSFIT, P90X.....

2010-12-15T14:46:00.002-06:00

With the New Year upon us I am inundated with "what is the best workout?". I'm sorry to tell you, this will really piss off a lot of loyalist to whatever the newest fad is, there is no "best" workout. The bottom line is it doesn't matter as long as you bust your ass and give your body great nutrition you will be successful at your fitness and health goals.

Now that being said my opinion, for what it's worth, is that some of the programs that are out there are very inventive and fun. I like P90X, it is very tough but you have to be a self motivator to stick with it. If you follow the DVDs and feed your body good whole foods you will get results. The classes, such as CrossFit, are great for camaraderie and friendly competition. Of all the ones I have researched CrossFit is probably the best of the latest craze it is very tough and rewarding. I did watch a video and it was just a little too dramatic for me. Anytime someone tries to equate working out with battle it makes me laugh my ass off. Get over yourself!! Which brings me to the most appalling of the fitness classes "boot camp" . These so called boot camp classes are a joke and should be called what they are, a fitness class. It is a pet peeve of mine, and many other Marines, when civilians play military or equate there life with it. That's right I don't like it when football players use the term "field of battle", they go home after a GAME. Those in battle stay on the field so you and I can maintain our freedom. Now if you are former military and want to push civilians around in the name of fitness so be it. For those of you who get a "personal training" certificate and start a "boot Camp" class, well I have no use for you.

OK, sorry about the rant but that is how I feel and so do a lot of former and current military. The key to meeting your fitness goals is hard work and good nutrition. Actually nutrition is 80% of what will happen to your body. You can do any of the above and get results the first few weeks from the shock to your body. Nutrition is what will bring forth long term changes to your body. You need to make a lifestyle change to change your body. Workout for an hour a day and eat whole foods and you can do it. Yes just an hour a day, unless you are training for something specific such as a tri, ultra, bodybuilding..... You are wasting your time if you train more than an hour. Whole foods! That means nothing artificial, plant based, organic..... I personally also recommend that you use Isagenix. It is a whole SUPERFOOD, I don't go a day without it. Get rid of all the boxed food like substances in your house and buy only fresh fruit and vegetables. If you do eat meat make sure it is feed naturally not grain, corn.... grass. There are more and more organic farms popping up all over.

Health and fitness really is easy, it just takes discipline and a commitment to your body.

Your body is a temple and a gift from GOD.. Are you treating it as one?

Choose to Succeed

Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/

http://www.k2ultrarunning.blogspot.com/

http://www.k2rawrudeandright.blogspot.com/

ST JUDE'S MARATHON: MY DAUGHTER IS AN INSPIRATION

2010-12-07T15:36:00.000-06:00

This past Friday my daughter and son-in-law, Kandice and Kasey, along with their good friends Lindsay and Crystal, drove about 5 hours to Memphis for the St Jude's marathon. It was a fun an carefree ride with lots of talk about running and fund raising for charity. I love talking with Kasey about fund raising, he is such a passionate young man and really wants to make a difference in people's lives'. Both Lindsay and Crystal are involved with The HOPE Foundation and are very selfless as well. So needless to say it was a wonderful group of people I had the pleasure to travel with. We arrived in Memphis and went straight to the Expo to pick up our packets for the marathon. We were all excited, especially Lindsay and Crystal as this would be their first marathon. I love to see the excitement of first timers.

We picked up our packets, checked into our hotel and then had a nice dinner. We did the final prep for the marathon an went to bed early. A very wild bunch:) We arrived at the start around 7am, the start was 8am? Which I thought was a little late but we did get to sleep in. The weather was perfect, about 45 degrees at the start and around 65 when we finished. The run started in waves so we, being in the back, started about 8:20am. We started slow an tapered:) My goal was to insure Kandice didn't have any problems with her IT Band and PRed. She has struggled in both of her marathons and I wanted this one to be different. We cruised along taking walk breaks every mile as well as walking any significant hills, which really didn't appear until the second half. It was a nice course that covered all of downtown as well as going through the St Jude's parking lot. This was very emotional for Kandice, as most of you know this is where my granddaughter Megan was/is being treated for cancer. It is horrible for a parent to go through this, Kandice hung tough through this. She has endured many trying times in her life but she always comes out strong. She was a marathoner in life long before I started doing these trivial endurance events. Anyway, so of course going through the crowd of patients at St Jude's was an emotional moment for her. She made it through and we continued on, the first 16 miles or so were problem free. Around 16-18 is where my tough little girl started whining like an Academy award winning actress:) She was SOOOOOOOOOO tired, TIRED, TIRED. Really??!! Of course your tired it's a marathon:) I was not very sympathetic! I told her to get over it and move on. Now I didn't say it exactly like that, I was a little more compassionate. Sorta! Fatigue is part of the game and you have to deal with it. So I joked with her for the next few 8 miles, well I thought I was funny. She mentioned that I had crack in my Gel because I was too happy:):) Speaking of Gel I used Chocolate #9 gel and I would highly recommend it. Check it out http://www.chocolateenergygel.com/. It is agave and cocoa, organic as well. The slow burn of the agave is great, I can usually us ! gel every 2 hours or so with no problem.

Back to the marathon. As we were closing in on the finish she had NO IT Band problems until mile 25. That's huge!! She has been dealing with this problem for some time. Her last run was 2 weeks before the marathon, she had severe IT Band pain on that run and was unable to finish. So I put her on the elliptical and she saw the chiro and massage therapist a few times before the marathon. So all things considered pain setting in at mile 25 is great! This being a "real" pain and not mental fatigue, I was a lot more sympathetic. We did a walk run the rest of the way and had a very strong finish. She also PRed by 12 minutes!!!!! I am so proud of her and her accomplishment. She did a great job even though she whined a little:) Lindsay and Crystal finished before us, so Kasey and the girls were waiting for at the finish. We ate pizza, stretched and headed back to the hotel.

We went down to the pool which was way to warm to do any good. We went back to the room for showers and much deserved rest. While all the "kids" napped I took an ice bath an a very long shower. We had a not so healthy dinner at Westys downtown. Great food and wonderful service. From there we made our way over to Beale street, which is a wanna-be Bourbon Street. We also discovered a growing tradition in the country called "Stumbling Santa Saturday". Apparently on the first Saturday of December people dress like Santa and get drunk. I love traditions:) They were everywhere!!! It was mildly entertaining. It was a fun and entertaining night, nothing really out of the ordinary. No fights, nudity..... it was still fun. everyone was tired but we made it until midnight the went back to the room an crashed hard.

I have really enjoyed running my marathons this year with Kandice. There aren't a lot of people who are able to do that, I am very fortunate. I thank GOD for the relationship that I have with her and Kasey. They are wonderful parents, great role models and are devoted to helping others. It was a great weekend!!

The St Jude's marathon was well supported, well marked with a fun finish line. The course took you through glorious neighborhoods with beautiful houses as well as covering the Urban setting with new condos and apartments. You see all sides of Memphis, very eclectic. They had a few bands scattered throughout the course for entertainment. It is definitely a top 5 of all the marathons I have ran.

NEVER STOP RUNNING!!!

Choose to Succeed

Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/

http://www.k2ultrarunning.blogspot.com/

http://www.k2rawrudeandright.blogspot.com/

INDULGENCE: ANTON KRUPICKA

2010-11-29T08:27:00.000-06:00

This will be difficult to talk about without going off on a political rant, it's just my nature. Indulgence is a documentary about Anton Krupicka an incredible ultra runner, who is know for his minimalist lifestyle as well as his high mileage training. There is no doubt that Krupicka is at the top of the endurance field. His simple lifestyle as well as his running ability has been a topic in many of the running rags over the past few years.

A movie solely about this kid is a stretch to say the least. He goes to school and he runs. That's it! He does pontificate about society and it's ills, as well as what he is doing to make a difference. He of course goes on about the marketing of running and how capitalism is bad for the sport, yet he is sponsored by La Sportiva. Of course he says that is different because that is just not who he is. ??? Hypocrisy and ignorance seems to run amuck with Krupicka. He does a little speech about the automobile and how "we" us it SO inefficiently. Then goes on to say that is is really great to use when he has ran all day and just doesn't have the energy to go to the store. Of course he has to take a swipe at Dean Karnazes and how there are so many other runners that are better than him that deserve the publicity. This by someone in a movie solely about himself, who by the way does nothing but run at least Dean has a foundation for kids, he also has been in dozens of magazines. Which in my opinion is well deserved, he is a phenomenal ultra runner.

The move was mildly entertaining and the landscapes were beautiful. It is probably worth $10 versus the $20 I paid for it. If you are a huge fan of Krupicka then it is a must have. His perspective and opinions are typical of a college student who hasn't been in the real world. From a running perspective, he is a work of art to watch.

NEVER STOP RUNNING!!

Choose to Succeed

Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/

http://www.k2ultrarunning.blogspot.com/

http://www.k2rawrudeandright.blogspot.com/

ONE HILL AFTER ANOTHER!!

2010-11-15T11:34:00.000-06:00

The event name explains it all. It was crisp morning about 34 degrees, 26 wind-chill, the sun was popping and it would be a beautiful day. The problem? There was torrential rain most of the night, MUD! The course was on country dirt rods which made for a mud fest. The distance we ran turned out to be just a 15k. After much debate Paula and I decide to we would run the 25k together. I wanted to run the 50k but that would put us back home way too late. As I had to take "The Beast" to the Girl Scout Father Daughter Dance at 530pm. Then we realized, I'm an idiot, that the race didn't start until 9am. Once we started running we were all moving fairly slow. Cheri Sutton and Tasha Parker were there representing Runners In Touch as well. The mud took us down a gear and time just got away. We finished the 15k well after 2 hours and decided to call it a day, all 4 of us. The slow pace had put us behind schedule, since I needed to get home. Poor planning on my part!

The event itself was great! Very low key and welcoming. The race director, Steve, is a former Marine well organized with no frills. That's the way Paula and I like our events. There were about 30 runners most doing the 10k and the rest scattered throughout the 15k, 25k and 50k. The atmosphere could be equated to our local KC event Brew to Brew or any Lou Joline race. The race started with Steve racing his hat and bring it down swiftly to mark the official start. I love it!! No clock, no chip just running. I commented to Paula that this was like something we would put on, in the same vain as out Chain Gang Runs.

Once we were off and running we fell into a nice comfortable slog. Pushing through the mud your feet sometime sinking and becoming engulfed. These spots were frequent though not longer than a 100 yards at a time. The hills; it was literally ONE HILL AFTER ANOTHER. You were either going up or coming down, I don't think we ever had more than a tenth of a mile of flat road. It really was a fun course, hopefully it will workout next year and we will have more time.

The awards were quite unique, a piece of tile with the race patch logo glued on. Priceless!:) If you are looking for a low-key challenging run this is it.

NEVER STOP RUNNING!!

Choose to Succeed

Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/

http://www.k2ultrarunning.blogspot.com/

http://www.k2rawrudeandright.blogspot.com/

RUNNING: DON'T FORGET HOW FUN IT IS!!!

2010-11-06T13:03:00.000-05:00

Running, of all the endurance sports is the most pure and simple. For that matter of all sports it is the most pure. The simplicity of running speaks loud and clear. Get up and move, it's that simple, slow or fast what ever turns you on. I love that. I do like to go for a long bike ride when the weather is nice. I really enjoy mountain biking on the trails in the fall, you can't beat the scenery. Though I don't look much when I'm riding on the trails or else I will crash and burn:) Which is kinda fun as well! Swimming? Yes I do like a nice swim from time to time. I could go on and on with things like basketball, rock climbing, boxing.... whatever you have tried and enjoy. My point is that with running you just stand up and go!! There have been numerous books that detail the history of why we run. Born to Run, you know the book that got everyone to go minimalist. Why We Run: A Natural History, this book bore the hell out of me, but it had the same concept of some of the stuff in Born to Run. Both of these books go into our history and the mechanics of why we run. I do however think they just brush over the most important reason.

Why do we run? Why do we continue to run? How far? How fast?....... This questions can really be answered with one word; FUN!! Of course I won't leave it at one word or this would be over:) FUN! Why is sweating, straining, being short of breath fun? We were meant to be tested! We were meant to struggle and sweat! That brings us joy! Now I know some of you are reading this and thinking "NO I don't!" Well yes you do! If you haven't embraced the rawness of these things you are missing out on one of life's greatest, most natural highs. Unlike most of the people that write about this type of thing, I am not earthy, woodsy or anything like that. Yes I like running trails and enjoy climbing mountains an the sort, but I am an Urban runner at heart.

I love the street! There is nothing like reaching the top of a long flight of stairs at a local monument. The smell of exhaust. No I'm not very "green" though I do recycle now. Well my wife recycles:) Hey! I carry it out to the curbside!:) Anyway, the sound of traffic gets my heart pumping!! Now lets not confuse Urban running with Suburban running. Downtown of a major metropolitan or the inner-city of said metro. You don't have the homeless, prostitutes, debris on the roads and then of course the unknown in the burbs. Unknown? For example; one Saturday our group, Runners In Touch, was running down a local inner-city road "The Paseo" and ran by a local motel. All of the sudden 2 guys come running out followed by a completely naked hooker, she was yelling because they stiffed her:) Ok that was too easy:) They took off without paying for services rendered. You don't see that in the burbs! That is one of many reasons I love the real life entertainment the Urban Core offers an adventurous runner.

If you think back you have always enjoyed the feeling of running. During P.E. class when you ran the mile. Yes it sucked for those of us who were chubby kids and not very good at it, once you finished you had a great feeling of satisfaction. A "high" if you will. That same feeling you get when you score a touchdown, sink a three pointer...... That feeling that happens just a few times in a game happens 90% of the time while you are running. Yes, you do feel like crap occasionally. It passes,the high lasts and lasts.

This really came to life earlier this week when I was running with my youngest, Honor 7 yrs old, she has been running a few weeks and I really wanted her to run a mile non-stop. I know to a lot of kids that is easy but unfortunately she has my athletic ability. We have ran trails, she has ran in the city with her mom. We happened to be a a local college on the track an she was really struggling and not having any fun. I thought to myself "this is supposed to be fun". So we stopped for a moment and ran sprints up and down the football field. She loved it!! Not only that after that we played tag, which meant running another 15 minutes or so. We played an ran for about 30 minutes. We were out of breath, laughing out loud and just having a great time. That's running!!

So the next time you think about skipping a run or dreading getting started, think about the FUN! The joy it brings, the sensations of the breeze against your face and hair. The contraction of your muscles with each stride you take. The sweat pouring down your face, your heart pounding like it was on your first date. These are stimulus you can get everyday, every time you step out the door. No matter where you run, you decide your arena. Because every time you step out that door FUN is waiting for you!! EMBRACE IT!!

NEVER STOP RUNNING!!! THAT'S WHAT WE WERE MEANT TO DO!

Choose to Succeed

Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/

http://www.k2ultrarunning.blogspot.com/

http://www.k2rawrudeandright.blogspot.com/

COLD WEATHER - RERUN

2010-10-27T13:01:00.000-05:00

Cold Weather Running

I will start this with a little background, up until last winter (2007-2008) I was a fair weather runner. Even though I had run many marathons and ultras I wouldn’t train outside if the weather was too harsh. For example anything under 30 degrees and I was on a treadmill or indoor track. I once did 30 miles indoors to get ready for the Brew to Brew, a local 42 miler, so you can see how determined I was to avoid the elements. J Then September 9, 2007 I had a little accident on the trampoline with my kids and crushed a vertebra. I was down for about two weeks and started with light cross training. I didn’t start running until eight weeks later, and that may not seem long to most but when running is your passion it is a lifetime. I was told to start moderate exercise in twelve weeks, what a bunch of crap!! If I can give one piece of advice about injuries it would be that MOVEMENT is healing. If you don’t move you atrophy and that is worse than an injury. Anyway moving on, during this time I realized how much I took running for granted and should be thankful for every step. So it was at this time as we went into the winter months I decided that I should be thankful to run in the cold since I came close to not ever being able to run again. That winter I ran outside rain, sleet, or snow and actually enjoyed most of it. I keep telling myself that I have the special clothing to run outside in this weather so embrace it. The winter went well and I somehow survived the cold weather runs that most runners had already conquered.

During this time I received a short video from Bobbi, a friend and ultrarunner, about a guy who ran a half marathon in the arctic in sub zero temps. It was very interesting and motivating at the time as I was trying to beat the cold weather. He ran barefoot with shorts, hat, and gloves. No shirt!! It is a nine minute video so they do cover his training and preparation which isn’t rocket science he just conditioned his body and MIND (key) to handle the elements. I watched it many times and became intrigued since I had been such a pansy when it comes to running in the cold. As the current (2008-2009) winter season approached I thought to myself if he can conquer the cold so can I. So it began.

I started with a short two mile run; the temp was about 31 degrees with light wind. Normally I would have had long pants, long sleeve shirt, fleece, hat and gloves. Oh, and as we progress I will always have on running shoes as I have wimpy feet, I very rarely go barefoot in good weather. J So I started out my short run with shorts, tank top, hat and gloves. I sit in my truck beforehand gearing up mentally and talking to myself for about fifteen minutes just a little short of the time it took to run my two miles. J Off I went, I was running on the dirt trails, it was a bit brisk the first five minutes but then I started to get going and found that it really wasn’t too bad. Yeah it was cold but it really wasn’t much different than when I had all the cold weather gear on. I say that because I sweat a lot, more than most, and my layers get wet and start to feel cold against my skin. My wife, Paula who is also an ultra runner, had told me many times that I was over dressing since I sweat so much and to wear less for more comfort. But really who listens to their spouse. J So with no wet clothing against my skin it really was bearable and my body had just started to really heat up and suddenly I was finished with my two mile test run. It really flew by and I enjoyed it. Conclusion: This was not long enough to really test myself since it seemed so comfortable. Must run longer, which is usually my answer to any running question. J

Having such a successful first test I decided to jump to six miles and see what would happen, I did it on the dirt trails so it was about 70 minutes. I usually split my running fairly evenly between the trails and roads, both are fun I am not a fanatic about either. I love both and know that the positives outweigh any negative you could come up for either type of running. Now keep in mind that running in the Midwest it can be 30 degrees one day and 60 the next so it was a couple of days until I had good testing weather. I never thought I would be looking forward to cold weather to run in. J

It was about 32 degrees with light wind; the wind will come later, and very sunny. The sun has played a major mental part of this test, more about that later. I had on shorts, short sleeve shirt, hat and gloves. There was a difference between the shirt and the tank top but let’s get to the run. Not as much mental prep this time just changed clothes in the truck and I was off. I guess I had mentally adjusted a little because it didn’t really seem all that cold this time as I started. I had a fairly easy pace enjoying the day and scenery and didn’t notice too much discomfort unless a strong wind kicked up but even then it wasn’t bad. About a mile into it I came upon a fellow trail runner who was in full cold weather gear, hat, gloves, fleece, and long pants. He looked me up and down, I gave a hearty good morning and he screamed, “ALRIGHT!” It had to be my attire because my speed isn’t impressive at all. J As I reached my turnaround point, I noticed my shirt was a little damp from sweat and I could feel a slight chill. That was the difference between the moisture wicking shirt and a mesh moisture wicking tank top, not that the shirt was that much more material or even warmer it just adsorbed the sweat and in turn I got colder than when I had on the mesh tank. I was still fairly comfortable and finished the run without any problems. The shirt situation wasn’t a problem just more of an observation to file away. At this point I am starting to realize that what I had been avoiding all this time wasn’t such a problem after all. All in all, this was a successful test.

I still hadn’t faced any horrible weather such as wind, rain and or snow storms, and with Global Warming taking over the earth I wasn’t expecting any. J A week later they were predicting snow, how could this be, so I thought it would be a good time to test myself even further. It did snow the next day, actually a mild snow storm with wind around 20 MPH, GREAT I thought and then I thought I have become an idiot!

My concern in this type of weather wasn’t necessarily the cold but the freezing wind and if it would do actual damage to the skin with long exposure, so I thought I would do a short three mile run to ease into the extreme weather.

It was snowing with the 20 MPH wind and the temp was 27 degrees, oddly enough I was hoping for colder. What the hell was happening to my mindset?? I think my brain is in hibernation from the exposure to the colder weather. J So I was at it again this time more concerned about slipping and falling than being cold. It was short and sweet, I enjoyed running in the snow but the pavement did make for a few more hazards. The wind was hitting me from all directions, I was running in Kansas, but it was once again not as bad as I had anticipated. It really was quit fun and funny to see people’s reaction, though this time I only saw one person. A girl probably in her mid 20s riding a bike on the paved trails, I thought is she crazy she is going to crash on this slick path. Then I started laughing as I’m sure she thought is he crazy he is going to freeze to death. J Again a successful run but not a tough test.

A few days later I went nine miles on the trails and followed with eight miles on the roads two days after that. Temps were about 27-33 degrees as it did warm up a little during both runs. Again no major difficulties, though I did find myself chasing the sun at times. It just felt better mentally, and I swear I was warmer. It made sense but I really didn’t think it would make that much of a difference. Oh, my run on the road was a little windy and my nipples started to hurt from the cold and wind but it was funny. Maybe I should try Nip Guards J

Now at this point I am waiting for colder weather and anticipating putting myself to the test in harsher conditions. So in the meantime I have been running in temps 30-60 degrees all the while running in just a tank and shorts when normally when it drops below 60 I start wearing long sleeves. So the conditioning to the cold has paid off from that perspective, as I have yet to run in any temps below 27. The forecast called for a cold front coming in the week of December 15 with lows around 12 degrees and highs at 22. This is what I have been waiting for--a real challenge! Although, I am a little confused how we are supposed to have one of the coldest winters in twenty years when Al and his sheep are in a Global Warming panic that suddenly the earth is going to explode. It doesn’t seem logical but I won’t confuse logic with politics, because that just isn‘t done. J Let’s move on.

Well the cold front did come in the night of December 14, it was 60 degrees in the morning and I think it was 8 degrees that night so I was anticipating a challenging run the next morning. After taking our dogs out the morning of the 15th I must admit I was more than a little concerned about running in the single digits without cold weather gear But I had to see this though to the end where ever that might be.

It was about 10 am and the temp was 7 degrees with the wind chill at -8 degrees, and I was thinking this was a huge difference and was more than a little concerned. As I changed in my truck I kept asking myself what the hell I was doing and then laughing out loud to myself. Once I was changed and ready to go I didn’t waste much time as I was anxious for the outcome. I stepped outside and the cold just took my breath away! I took off running at a quick pace hoping to warm up. About five minutes into the run I could feel my skin burning slightly, and when I looked at my arms, they were bright red. The redness was expected but the burning I thought would happen after about 20-30 minutes came on much quicker than I anticipated. As my skin started to burn a little more I decided to go just two miles and work up from there. At the turnaround point my chest started to burn and the pain was getting a little uncomfortable. You know how it feels when you put antiseptic on a cut? Well that’s how my whole body felt, sounds exhilarating doesn’t it? I think I ran the fastest mile I had run in years! Not only was I trying to get back fast but I thought the more I worked the more heat I would generate. It didn’t work that way, as I could have sworn that was what science taught us. Oh, well, what do you expect from a public school education? J

Now I know a lot of you, once you have finished a new challenge, have thought to yourself once it was over you had more in you and didn’t give it your best. Well, that’s what happened. I finished and was grateful to be back but as I was getting into my truck I thought I should have at least gone three miles or even four. I don’t know about you, but I hate that feeling, as it is a weak, empty feeling. I did feel at the time that I just couldn’t stand the cold any longer and the burning was becoming very uncomfortable. Then you second guess yourself and think that it really didn’t hurt that much I shouldn’t have wimped out so quickly.

Fortunately I was able to redeem myself later that day, a couple hours later my friend Beth wanted to do a two mile run. She was in the recovery phase after a half marathon so I thought that would be perfect. It had warmed up to 10 degrees with a wind chill of -4, so this should be no problem. All the same things happened to my body as the first time except I was mentally prepared and it wasn’t as traumatic. I actually slowed down and walked a little, overall I was out about five minutes longer than the first time. The jump in temp really helped J but most importantly my mind set, I knew what was coming. Yes it was cold and my skin was burning but it really wasn’t as bad as I made it out to be, I Knew I could endure more.

Over the next few days the temps were 18 - 30 degrees. To be honest, after running in the subzero wind chill these temps were easy to handle. One day I was getting ready to run and it was 25 degrees I was planning on the usual attire then I thought, “Let’s try no shirt!” Yes, I’m a genius why not run in 25 degrees with no shirt! The funny thing is that it wasn’t bad, I did have a little burning on my chest when I finished but nothing serious. I’ve had more pain doing tequila shots after a marathon. J Of course I don’t recommend that.

I will end this by telling you that today I ran for two miles in shorts, hat and gloves. No shirt! It was 3 degrees with a wind chill of 10 below, exhilarating!! I ran with a couple of friends, Paula made it clear she didn’t want me to do this kind of stuff alone anymore. I have to listen to her every now and then. J Bobbi and Courtney met me at 8 am and off we went we ran through our Plaza are and it was the first time I had done this in public. People were honking and giving me a thumbs up, it was great. The burning started about five minutes in to the run, again. About fifteen minutes through it leveled of and became bearable, when we stopped I stretched and became a little warm standing outside. I again regretted not going further, but it was then I decided this experiment is over and I found out what I wanted. What was that? Well that the human body can adapt to just about anything, you just have to have the desire. Most people don’t want to run outside in subzero temps in just shorts but you can if you want. It doesn’t matter if it is running in the cold, heat or running a marathon or ultra or even 100 miles. If you have the desire and the discipline to train for it, it can happen.

This was not a test conducted by an elite athlete with a bunch of scientific equipment, it was a regular guy testing himself against the elements. I have never won a marathon or ultra run, I have finished many mid and back of the pack, so if I can do it you can too. All it takes is desire!! GOD made us to handle the elements not sit on the couch! So quit whining about the cold and just be happy that you can run.

BAREFOOTING VEG-HEAD!?:)

2010-10-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

Well it's been about a year now since I embarked on the barefoot running experience. It certainly has been interesting. Let me take you back to my pre-barefoot research. I like many people, was inspired to look in to barefoot running after reading Born to Run. A wonderful read even if you aren't a runner. If you are a runner you will be totally engrossed. The book embraced the idea of barefoot running and the use of minimalist shoes. The author also shared a lot of info as to why one would chose barefoot running, from a scientific stand point. Armed with this info I searched for anything I could find about barefoot running. The internet is wonderful and scary at the same time:) I did find a fountain of information about barefoot running. In my search I started to find a common theme; barefoot running and vegan run hand, foot and mouth:) It seemed the more barefoot runners I found I also found a wealth of info on vegetarian or vegan nutrition. To add to that most, not all, of the men involved with barefooting looked like 60s rejects. I remember telling Paula; "Apparently I have to be a veg-head and look like Jesus to get involved with this" :):) I'm not judging just making an observation.

So I continued my research and finally started running barefoot last October. The vegan thing kept popping up and the more I read the more intrigued I became. I fought it and continued my barefoot quest. As most of you know I didn't ez into it and added mileage a little too fast. Once I received my Vibrams at the end of October it got worse. Once I had protection I couldn't stop. Sort of like a condom:) I added mileage every week and not 10%. In the course of 16 weeks I changed my running style and ran 2 marathons. Because of this I had some serious Achilles and calf issues, fortunately I had a great massage therapist to get me through my marathons. Over the course of the last year I have continued to run in my Vibrams or Flippers, which is what they are called in our house. My longest run to date is 30 miles. I cut back during the summer and ran more trails and longer runs in a minimalist shoe, Brooks Green Silence. I ran the RATS run in June then of course my dismal failure in August with a 200 mile attempt. After that I eased back into the Vibrams and now I am running 100% in them. I am slowly building my mileage back up and will run a marathon in the next couple of months. I will run an ultra in them the early part of 2011.

I have come to love running in my Flippers. Barefooting is more of an after thought. I have ran as much as 10 miles barefoot but lately 3 is my longest. Comparing the two, barefooting and Flippers, I have to say I choose Vibrams hands down. I find that I am not relaxed when I run barefoot and have to watch my footing very carefully. I run downtown a lot so there are many obstacles such as glass and debris so I can relax more in the Flippers. I honestly don't think I will pursue the barefoot option much more than 10 miles. I like how the Flippers feel and I have even gotten a little faster. Not bad for 49 years old:) The change has been great and it just makes sense, the science behind barefooting is hard to debate. And with the protection of my Flippers I can run anywhere. I have recommended the minimalist option to a few clients with mindboggling results. One switched from a high-end cushioned shoe to Nike Free. He had plantar problems and they are no more!! He is also running better than ever. Another switched to the Vibram Bikilas, he had plantar and IT Band problems. GONE!! I too found it hard to believe, but you can't argue with results. Paula made the switch during the summer after and injury. She figured since she had to start back slow with low mileage it would be a good time. She would run her short runs during the week in Vibrams then run her long runs in a light weight shoe on the weekend. She started to notice that her weekend runs weren't as smooth and enjoyable. So we talked and she decided to make the change complete and hasn't looked back. Of course I am doing the smart training with her, adding mileage very gradually. Her longest run to date is 7 miles. Then we have The Beast(our daughter) who begged for a pair of Vibrams. Well after a little negotiation and help from David at Garry Gribble's, he has a soft spot for out little Beast, I bought her a pair. The deal: she had to pay $20 out of her own money and has to run 3 times per week. So far so good, she ran 2 miles this past Saturday with our RIT run group. She was very excited!! I will continue to advise people to try the minimalist approach, if not just as a training tool but as a total switch to barefoot or Vibrams. Give it a try, if you stick with it you will be happy.

Is running in Vibrams barefoot running? NO!! The Vibrams are a minimalist shoe, a very good barefoot alternative but you are NOT running barefoot. Having experimented with both, there is a very distinct difference. Yes you strive for the same form as barefooting but you can make mistakes and it won't be as painful. Relax too much lose your form and land on your heel while running barefoot and you will feel a jolt of pain that will take you right back to perfect form! Not so much in the Flippers, the pain doesn't jolt you back to the perfect barefooting form as fast as real barefooting. The Vibrams provide the protection someone like me needs. I will admit, after much research and watching videos of people running on gravel and rough terrain in their bare feet, I'm just not there. Further more I'm not sure I want to be. Again I love running in my Flippers!! Real barefooting may be for you though, give both a fair try.

Now let's get to those Veg-Heads!! As of now, most of you know, I am officially a Veg-Head!! Hard to believe, research and science led me here. I am not an environmentalist and you won't catch me driving a Prius, I will stick with my Ford F-150:) I made the switch from a purely health conscious mind set. I have detailed my transformation in previous blogs so I won't bore you. I am meat free, I do get drink 3 Isagenix shakes a day. This is the highest quality whey you can get. The rest of my diet is 95% Vegan, and probably 80% raw. When I eat it is fresh fruit and veggies. Yes I still occasionally make poor choices when it comes to my nutrition but 90% of the time I am right on target and my body is very grateful.

So if you are looking to take your training and performance to the next level I would recommend giving barefooting and vegan a try. I am not a militant minimalist runner or Veg-Head, life is about choices. Give it a try and have an open mind, if it works for you great. If not go back to your tried and true or try something else. Oh, I did make the switch to minimalist shoes and I am basically a Vegan, but my hair is still short. So I didn't go all the way to the other side:) I don't look like Jesus:)

NEVER STOP RUNNING!!

Choose to Succeed

Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/

http://www.k2ultrarunning.blogspot.com/

http://www.k2rawrudeandright.blogspot.com/

NUTRITION: HUMILITY, NOT MY STRONG SUIT

2010-09-26T18:22:00.002-05:00

This is hard and humbling to write. I share it so you don't make the same mistakes that I have made over the last 25 years. As I mentioned before nutrition is an evolutionary process and I understand that we will all make mistakes. It is important to seek knowledge and have an open mind, with nutrition and life in general. Over the years I have searched and searched for the key to performance and health with nutrition. Reading info from all the"experts" in bodybuilding, endurance and fitness in general the consensus was that you need a lot of protein from animal sources to grow strong muscles. Carbs from pastas, rice and other starches. Of course the bodybuilders focus on protein while the endurance athletes focus is starchy carbs. Both mean well and both are wrong.

All of the nutrition books I have read, save one: The China Study, have been opinion and biased study groups. I mean no disrespect to all of the info out there but the FACTS speak loud and clear. Make no mistake I am not happy to admit that I have been wrong. For those of you who know me you understand this is a hard admission. Those out there who don't, well I am one of the most hard-headed arrogant jerks you will meet. If I think I am right there is nothing that will change my mind. Personally, I love that about me:) So again this isn't easy. I have been in the health and fitness industry for over 25 years and what bothers me the most about being wrong is that I could have helped many more people with the knowledge that I now have.

I won't go into great detail but here are the basics, keep in mind this is my opinion formed over the last 25 years. When it comes to nutrition stick to whole food plant based diet. LOTS of fruit and veggies. My menu is GODs Menu, that sounds arrogant but he always dines with me:) GODs Menu; fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds... If I can pick it and eat it that's what GOD intended. NO, I don't pick it I just eat it! Not only do I not pick it I have it delivered by Door to Door Organics http://kc.doortodoororganics.com/ :) Then I have my Isagenix delivered as well http://koachkarl.isagenix.com/us/en/home.dhtml . I know what your thinking, GOD didn't make Isagenix! That is true! Over the years Isagenix is the best nutritional bridge I have found between Adam and Eve and our current state of food. I use Isagenix and believe it is the best nutritional source money can buy. It is a food not a supplement. They use the highest quality ingredients money can buy. You won't find any other product that compares. If you do USE IT, but you won't. Through the combination of Isagenix and whole food fruits, veggies and nuts I have become healthier and more fit than I have ever been in my life. That is a great thing to say at 49 years of age. I eat NO animal meat what so ever and my body thanks me daily for the change.

This has been an eye opening journey for me. I recommend that you read The China Study, as I have said it is life changing. Why? Because it is based on scientific peer-reviewed studies. That is the only reason I considered making the change. I also recommend Reverend George's website http://healthtip.hacres.com/ , his newsletter is a must for anyone wanting to be on the cutting edge of nutrition and the ties to the bible.

I highly recommend you make the change to GODs Menu, if you have any questions please feel free to contact me at pkkeltner@kc.rr.com

NEVER STOP RUNNING!!

Choose to Succeed

Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/

http://www.k2ultrarunning.blogspot.com/

http://www.k2rawrudeandright.blogspot.com/

NUTRITION: AN EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS

2010-09-17T07:46:00.000-05:00

Let me start with this, I feel nutrition is an evolutionary process for most people, myself included. Over the years I have read everything I could find about fitness and nutrition, I have been involved in this industry for over 25 years. I started out in bodybuilding in the early 80s, trying to get as big and strong as possible. I would eat anything and drink anything if I thought it would add an ounce of muscle. Believe me I have tried it all, some good, most bad for your health. Yes I even experimented with steroids in the mid-80s, they certainly didn't make me sterile.:) I have experimented with high protein, low and high fat, some would say low carb but I have always believed in eating fruits and vegetables. So I don't consider that low carb, just low starchy carbs. Through bodybuilding it is a constant that you HAVE to take in high protein to gain muscle. At the time it made sense, muscle is protein. How much protein do we really need? Then in 1995 when I started doing endurance training it was high carb, but most of the "experts" touted a high starch diet. Which I just could not bring myself to endorse. I have never been one for carb loading of any kind. Overloading your digestive system the day before an endurance event just doesn't make sense physiologically. It make sense if you want to spend part of your morning on the toilet. Moving on. Studying endurance and nutrition is just a bit different than bodybuilding and nutrition, so I thought. Everything I read talked about pasta, bread, and anything else made from grains. First, and I think I am rare in this case, I am not a huge fan of all those things. But make no mistake if I thought it would help I would have tried it, it just didn't make sense to me. The past 5 years I have spent even more time researching the subject of nutrition and athletic performance, even more so since I have incorporated Isagenix http://koachkarl.isagenix.com/us/en/home.dhtml into my life. Hey I've got to get a plug in every now and then:) The past year I have spent my time looking at and experimenting with a more vegan approach or as I like to call it as "GODs Menu". By GODs Menu I mean of course eating the way GOD intended, I will elaborate later. The most influential book I have read on nutrition the past 25 plus years is The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, this was the game changer for me and has brought me to my current state of nutritional balance.

The China Study: It pains me to say that this book came out in 2006 and I just read it last month. Better late than never, right!! Not really the things that I found in this book could change or save lives. Sounds dramatic but it's true. Once you read it you will know what I'm talking about. I found this book on a website that preaches, literally, GODs Menu. GODs Menu is my term, I think, I haven't patented it but I haven't read it before:) http://healthtip.hacres.com/ This site is that of Reverend George Malkmus, founder of Hallelujah Acres, he has a wonderful story I encourage you to check it out. Basically he espouses plant based diet, pre-Noah. Fruits and veggies to put it simply. No meat, no grain, if Adam and Eve didn't eat it neither does he. The Reverend kept referencing The China Study, so I checked it out for my self and was blown away! It wasn't the conclusions that I found mind blowing, I believe great nutrition is the key to a vibrant life, it was the data and peer-reviewed studies to back it up. This is the largest nutritional study ever conducted. This isn't some celebrities opinion of the week with the fad of the day, this is scientific data conducted over decades with millions of people. The conclusion of The China Study is that a whole food plant based diet is the best for our bodies and the data backs it up. Not only will this diet prevent diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, ,,,, but these studies show that it can reverse them as well. AMAZING!!! I recommend you read this for yourself and your family. If nutrition could save your child's life wouldn't you change it?

If you go to http://www.amazon.com/ and enter Nutrition books you get over 50,000 selections!! This is a very opinionated subject and people take it personally if you try and tell them what they are doing is killing them or at the least harming them. I have read books on vegetarian diets, fruit diets, protein diets carb and fat diets. A lot of the people who try and sell these different diets to us are like religious leaders, they are here to save you. Some people follow these "guru's" or their spokes person/celebrities like they are in a cult. It infuriates me that someone will change their eating habits because the latest celebutant has lost weight with this current fad. We had someone use Isagenix , then decided not to, then when they found out a NFL player used it they started using it again. I think Isagenix is the greatest nutritional product on the market but to use it because an athlete/celebrity does is complete idiocy!! Base your nutrition on research and facts, not fads and brain dead celebrities who can't say anything without a script!!

So here is what I have concluded with the years of research and self experimentation. As I stated in the beginning, Nutrition is an evolutionary process. I have gone from a protein loving bodybuilder to a "veg-head"!:) Keep in mind this change has been a process over many years. In that time I have come to a few common sense conclusions. The most important, sometimes confusing, is to eat only REAL food. DUH!! Most people don't eat real food. Fast food, packaged and processed food isn't food. They are a scientific concoction of food like substances and chemicals. 90% of the "food" at your local grocer isn't food. If it has been chemically enhanced it isn't food, if it has chemicals in it it is BAD for you. Artificial colors, sweeteners, and flavoring are chemicals and detrimental to your health. I won't go through the list of common "foods" and drinks that are harmful as there are many. Just apply the REAL FOOD rule and you will be better off. It really is easy, fresh fruit and vegetables, preferably organic. If you eat meat know where it comes from and how it is prepared. Grass fed, no antibiotics or steroids is your best bet. Remember this is a process, make small changes and take away the bad stuff slowly. You will be more apt to countinue with a healthy lifestyle if you do it slow and easy. Good nutrition should be a lifestyle not a quick and easy way to lose weight. Your health should be the priority, weight loss is a side effect of good nutrition.

Personally I have become a veg-head, go figure:) I drink 2-3 Isagenix shakes a day with all the organic fruits and veggies I can eat. I eat a couple of ounces of almonds throughout the day and lots of water. I have had meat once in the last month and it made me sick. I won't say I will never eat meat again but I don't see it happening soon. This menu has given me great energy and great workouts. I am currently increasing my running mileage and it is going extremely well. Remember if you put in bad fuel you will have bad performance. It astounds me that people will train their ass off and then feed their body junk, then wonder why they don't improve. Nutrition is 80% of what's going to happen to your body. Try to stay as close as possible to GODs Menu.

NEVER STOP RUNNING!!

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/

http://www.k2ultrarunning.blogspot.com/

http://www.k2rawrudeandright.blogspot.com/

RUNNING TO HONOR THE FALLEN

2010-09-02T17:28:00.000-05:00

The month of September is a very busy month, why? Well to start with it is my birthday, I can't think of a more important time than the birth of ME!:) Seriously this is a great month with some great things going on locally, in Kansas. First we have a former Marine, so he has to be great right:), Tony Clark who is running 224 miles across Kansas to raise money for The Wounded Warrior Project. Then we have Greg Vaughn who will be running for 12 hours to honor a fallen firefighter on 9-11-10.

On September 9 at 10pm Tony Clark will start his journey across Kansas from the Kansas Nebraska border and finishing at the Kansas Oklahoma border. His goal is to raise $25,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project, right now he is only $8000 short of that goal. To find out more about this wonderful event "TONY'S 224 MILE TROT HONORING THEIR SACRIFICE" check out his site

http://tonystrot.blogspot.com/

September 11 Greg Vaughn will start his day at 7am and cover 50 miles to include running The Patriots Run, he will be doing this in honor of John Glaser a fallen firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty May 22 of this year. This my sound like a full days work but that is nothing compared to what he has planned for next year. For details go to

http://www.stridesofpride.org/

These two gentlemen are the definition of "The Charity Warrior", they endure the struggles of ultrarunning for those men and women that keep us safe and defend our freedom. They sacrifice there time and use their talents to make a difference. I have to be honest here and tell you that I do not know these men personally, only through Face Book and reputation. Hell, they probably don't want someone like me writing about them, too bad guy's it's a free country for now:) So I can't call them friends, though I would be honored to do so, I would just call them peers in the endurance world. Though I am no where equal in ability, I am however an endurance athlete. It is great to see these honorable and selfless men do what they do. Though I don't really know them we do have a kinship in our quest to help others. It is men like these that make me proud to be a Marine, a runner and most important an American. So as we go throughout our day enjoying our GOD given freedoms take a moment and checkout their websites. They are making a difference and so can you. Donate!!

Tony and Greg, if your out there, good luck with your endeavors and GOD BLESS!!

NEVER STOP RUNNING!!

Choose to Succeed

Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/

http://www.k2ultrarunning.blogspot.com/

http://www.k2rawrudeandright.blogspot.com/

FAILURE AND REFLECTION

2010-08-23T08:27:00.000-05:00

Well it has been about a month since my second 200 mile attempt. How does one accept failure yet stay motivated to continue on? That is a good question:) I don't have a patented answer, I do have insight that might help others. One part of me says there is no excuse "I failed" another part tells me that overall "we were successful" of course the failure falls solely on me and the success reflects a joint effort by a wonderful team of friends and loved ones. I think that both statements are true, I did fail and we were successful. My personal goal of running 200 miles was a disaster from start to finish, it just wasn't meant to be. Our Team goal of raising money and awareness for The HOPE Foundation was a HUGE success, thousands more know about HOPE. We can all be proud of that!

So does one go right back into the fight and do another event or set back, lick wounds and plan ahead? I personally think a combination of the two is healthier. You have to reflect an try to assess what went wrong and make sure those things don't happen again. You also have to let your body heal as well as your mind and spirit, ultrarunning is taxing not only on the body but your mental health as well. Letting yourself recover and comeback stronger is a tough assignment when all you want to do is run long again to prove that you can. That my friend is when I have to let go of my EGO and pray that my knowledge and vast experience in endurance training will get me through. Most importantly, that I do what I know is right not what I want to do. That is tough but I am working through it. My rule is not to make any decisions the first couple of weeks after an event, success or failure. You have to let these things set in and not make rash, impulsive decisions. The first week I was going to sign up for Redman Iron distance just to have a notch in the win column, then I thought I would run The Patriots Run, then maybe the Columbia marathon.... You get the idea of the irrational thinking, EGO is a dangerous thing:) What am I going to do? Right now my only definite plan is to run The St. Jude's marathon in December with Kandice. Paula and I are thinking about the Dogwood 50k the end of October. I do have 2011 planned but won't announce that just yet, needless to say it will be challenging:)

I think the most important thing to remember is that even though running is an important part of my life and I have been able to do some good with that, it's only running. I can't ever forget that, in the big picture it really isn't that important to me. By that I mean I have my faith in GOD, a wonderful wife, family and great friends. So in the BIG picture my life is great! On the small screen if I can't run I am a BEAST!!:) Perspective is a wonderful thing:)

THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND DONATIONS!

NEVER STOP RUNNING!!

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/

http://www.k2ultrarunning.blogspot.com/

http://www.k2rawrudeandright.blogspot.com/

SUPER HEROES FOR HOPE DETAILED DIRECTIONS of 200 mile run

2010-07-27T09:57:00.000-05:00

Start:

1215 Lightburne st

Liberty, MO

South on Lightburne

Turn right on Mill st

Turn left on to W Liberty dr

W Liberty dr turns into S Withers rd

S Withers rd turns into S Liberty dr

S Liberty dr to Hwy 69 turn left

Hwy 69 turns into Vivion rd

Take Vivion rd to N Oak trafficway

Turn left at N Oak Trafficway

Take N Oak Trafficway to Burlington st/Hwy 9

Left on Burlington/Hwy 9

This takes you into North KC, about 15 miles

Burlington/Hwy 9 takes you accross The Heart of America Bridge into the river market

Turn right on 3rd st

Turn left on Grand blvd

Take Grand to Pershing rd an turn left

Pershing turns into Gillham rd

Gillham to 31st st this is about 21 miles

Turn right on 31st st to Main st

Left on Main st

Main to 47th st an turn right

47th to Broadway an turn left

Broadway turns into Wornall

Wornall to Bannister an turn left

Bannister to Hwy 71 S an turn right/south this is about 32 miles

I will be on the North bound side of all the HWYs

Hwy 71 S to Hwy 7 S turn left/south

Hwy 7 S to Hwy 13 S about 97 miles

Hwy 13 S into Springfield

Hwy 13 turns into Kansas expwy

Kansas expwy to Kearney turn left this is about 185 miles

Kearney to Glenstone turn right

Glenstone to St. Louis st turn right

St Louis to Park Central Square

Circle the Square come out on South ave

Take South ave to Walnut an turn left

Walnut to S National an turn right

S National to E Batlefield rd

E Battlefield rd to S Campbell ave turn right

S Campbell to W Sunshine st an turn left

W Sunshine to The Roost 2025 W Sunshine st 200 MILES!!!!!!

NUTRITION FOR THE LONG RUN

2010-07-24T16:47:00.000-05:00

With the RATS run behind me an my 200 mile SUPER HEROES FOR HOPE run coming up in a few days I thought I would share a little nutrition strategy with you.

First the RATS run. During the event I was diligent in my nutrition as I wasn't where I wanted to be training wise, so it would be challenging no matter what. I had to have everything during the event just right so I could recover an be ready for the the mileage of each day. I would start my day with a table spoon of Chia seeds, this insured balanced nutrition an also helps with maintaining hydration http://www.hidalgofoods.com/page16/chia-seeds-for-athletes-energy-and-survival.html. One hour after the start of each run I would begin my fueling with a serving of Hammer Gel or Hammer Perpetuem. I would alternate every hour for variety of taste an nutrients. This only about 100 calories per hour, over the years I have found this is best for my system. Your body can only process so much during activity an the heat adds to the difficulty. I would take 3 Endurolyte capsules at every aid station. I continued this through out each day, once finished for the day I would have 3 scoops of Hammer Recoverite. This insured I had the proper balance of carbs an protein for max recovery. One hour after having Recoverite I would have an Isalean shake consisting of 2 scoops of Isalean an 1 scoop of IsaPro. After my shake I would have one ounce of Udo's Oil http://www.oilthemachine.com/ this keep my omega replenished an also assisted in my recovery. If I would have time I would have a second shake before bed. I would also eat some of the food the race provided depending on the choices.

I felt great during the entire 6 days of running. My recovery was great an experienced little to no soreness. Of course as mentioned in my race report I did have the luxury of Colorado river ice baths 4 out of the 6 days

My plan for my 200 mile run to Springfield is as follows; HEED, Perpetuem, Gel, Udo's Oil, Anti-Fatigue caps, Endurolyte. I plan to carry HEED in a hand held bottle an drinking one serving every hour. Every 5 miles I will have Perpetuem or Gel along with 1-2 Endurolyte, depending on the temperature. I will take 1-2 Anti-Fatigue caps every hour as well. I will take one ounce of Udo's oil about every 12 hours, possibly mixed with peanut butter. Throughout the 200 miles I will drink about 20 ounces of water per hour in addition to the HEED.

There you have it no secret weapon just good sound nutrition an NO high sugar or high fat junk food.

NEVER STOP RUNNING!!

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

www.k2ultrarunning.blogspot.com

www.k2rawrudeandright.blogspot.com

THE RATS ADVENTURE: EPILOGUE

2010-07-08T09:41:00.002-05:00

At the finish we all talked and shared our day and thoughts of the week. EVERYONE stayed until the last person finished, which was just minutes before the cut-off time. I witnessed more GUTS out there than I have in a very long time. Most people would have DNFed and went home. Not these athletes!! Broken arm, broken finger, blister that would disable most runners for a week. These people just kept on going despite the pain. The injuries out there would have stopped the average runner in a marathon let alone a stage race where you get back up and do it all again. Day after day!! It was an honor to be in the same race with them.

After the last runner came in it was time to wash my nasty body!! Paula, Honor and I made our way back to the motel and I showered for about an hour, I washed 3 times. The wash cloth was brown when I finished!! Then it was time for pizza!! After that we went to Milts for awards and shakes. The atmosphere was laid back as Reid handed out the awards. Each finisher received a Stone piece with an engraved metal plate on it. Then the top 5 finishers received awards along with the under 30 hours award. Before the awards were handed out Reid opened it up to the participants to share their favorite part of the week. All were emotional and inspiring. The one that touched me the most was the South African, who broke his finger, he went on and on about the hospitality of America and Americans and how everyone was welcome to stay at his house if we were ever in South Africa for an event or vacation. I really think he was sincere. After the awards I bought a few shirts then it was off to recovery and spend time with my family. It was a bitter sweet time as I would miss this place and the people.

This was one of, if not the best event I have ever been involved in. It was a wonderful week of running, each day brought more challenge and the most beautiful landscapes you could ever imagine. I felt closer to GOD than I ever have. Most of the time I was by my self out there, usually runners 5 minutes in front and 5 minutes behind, so soaking in the scenery and praying was how I spent most of my time. I did do my usual movie dialog and Seinfeld dialog of course. If you are looking for a new challenge and want to take your running to the next level I would highly recommend The RATS ADVENTURE. I can only think of one negative aspect of this race and that was the doctor on staff. I won't go into details but he dressed a blister for someone while it had mud in it. Needless to say I recommended to open it up and flush out the mud then redress. It was fine after that. I just felt the doctor was a little out of his element, though he apparently had been involved in much more challenging events than this. Maybe this was an isolated incident? I hope so. Aside from that everything about The RATS was outstanding, the support, food, staff and awards. For the money you can't beat it, a week in the desert and mountains with camping and food provided. It was GREAT!! Paula and I are already planning next year, we want to do it together, and will start recruiting you soon!

NEVER STOP RUNNING!!!

K2

RATS ADVENTURE: THE EXPEDITION AND FINAL MARATHON STAGES

2010-07-04T17:54:00.000-05:00

Days 4 and 5 Expedition:

52 miles with a 20 hour cut off time?! I told Paula if I can't do 50 miles in 20 hours I need to find a different career!:) What a 52 miles!! We climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed, OK I guess you get the point. Did I say we climbed?:) We started at 730a and had to be finished by 330a the next day. It was a great day not a cloud in the sky, the heat wasn't bad. It did warm up in the valleys, nothing to bad. Dennis, Jennifer and I stayed together this day and talked the whole way. I knew if we just took our time and hiked the climbs and ran the down hills and flats we would make the cut off with no problem. It was if each day the scenery somehow became more and more breath taking. We went into places that no cars could ever go, you had to hike in and that was it. It seemed untouched by civilization, we were in the middle of nowhere and loving every minute and step. As we started up the La Sal mountains which reaches over 12,000 feet, the temps became cooler and it was perfect! I think we topped out at around 9000 feet so the altitude wasn't much of a problem. We hit our peak in the dark and finally got to use our safety gear, head lamp, glow sticks, wind jacket... Though the jacket came right back off as we ran down the mountain to the campsite. Cattle was everywhere as this was a Free Range area, no fences! It was kind of cool seeing them randomly around the trail and on the road. The cows were the extent of the wild life aside from the hundreds of lizards running around. Jennifer would count the lizards everyday:) What ever gets you to the finish line, right:) We finished this stage in 17 hours and 40 some minutes. Well before the cut off but no records were being broken:) by us anyway! All of the speedy people stayed up for the back of the packers, there were still a few behind us, I thought that was great. There was definitely a sense of unity among all of the participants. It was a great finish! They had chili for us still on the stove. I loved it!!

After finishing I tried to clean up as best I could and stayed up for the final finishers. Went to tent at about 330a, sleep for about an hour and woke up sticking to myself!!! I couldn't stand it!! I tried to clean up a little better using water and wipes, then sleep for another 2 hours. We were up and around by 7am they had breakfast and lunch for us. At noon they bused us to the river for 5 hours of relaxing by the Colorado!! I finally got to wash!! They river was great, ice bath and washing. I stood in the river a few times to ez the pain from the 52 miles. Overall I felt great, just tired. Nodded off a few times in my chair, best sleep I had all week.:)

Back at camp they had another great meal, then Paula and I were off to tent, to try and rest up for the final stage. Paula was just as tired, she had been working very hard the whole week. I think it is much harder being support than doing the event. She did a great job and was a huge asset to the racers. I was constantly be told what a wonderful person she is and how much she helped. I of course agreed. It's just nice to hear other people appreciate what I am fortunate to experience everyday. No I'm not sucking up, she never reads my blogs, which kind of hurts my feelings. A PUSS moment, moving on:) To sleep and dreaming of the last run of the week.

Up, out and on the road for the final 26.2 miles and the culmination of a week I will never forget. It was a beautiful day and warming fast, it would be the warmest of the week. The 6 mile climb was really fairly easy. Just a brisk hike up the mountain then a lot more running (finally). It was rolling the next 14 miles, we did have a technical out and back of 5 miles that was rolling but slow going with the rocks. The final 6 was basically down hill and easy going. With the anticapation of the finish and the ez of the final 6 miles, as well as the company of Jenniffer it was just an amazing finish. We rounded the final corner about a quarter mile from the finish, everyone was cheering and we were excited to see and hear the finish line. It was hard to believe this great week was coming to an end. I was feeling emotional, maybe a little premenstral, as we got closer. It was as if the whole week was passing through my mind, the joy, struggle, beauty, comraderie, my closeness to GOD, which became more intense out there, all came to a head. I didn't get to emotional until I got to the motel with Paula and Honor, I really wanted it to be a great moment Jennifer. We were all emotional, Dennis, Jennifer and I, it was just such a wonderful week and we were all exhasted and it was finally over. Did I want it to be over? I wasn't sure, all I know it was one of the hardest and most woderful events I have ever experienced. Honor and her grandparents showed up about 10 minutes after I finished. I was really missing my little Beast (Honor) I hadn't seen her in a week and needed to just hug her. At the same moment I started missing my other kids, like I said premenstral:) GOD has truly blessed me with wonderful children and the most wonderful, understanding, tolerant, patient, beautiful and loving wife and best friend. Final thoughts coming soon.

THE RATS ADVENTURE: DAY 1, 2 and 3

2010-06-28T20:09:00.000-05:00

Day 1:

Arrived at 1030am and dropped of camping gear for the truck to take to our first campsite. The RATS Staff will set up camp and have dinner ready in the evening. They did a great job. It would be hard to mention all the staff, I would probably forget someone. The race director, Reid, was well organized yet able to roll with problems as they came up. Reid and his staff provide excellent support and encouragement all week. The atmosphere was relaxed-intensity, that is the only way to explain it. The staff and participants were serious about the job at hand yet at the same time relaxed and lighthearted. Loved it! Once the bus was underway, we left a few minutes late, it was a comfortable relaxed ride. Everyone was in good spirits and anxious to get started. The late start was unusual for us all. Timing your nutrition and rest for a 1pm start is a little tough. We had one stop in the 2 hour ride, it was a must since we were all very hydrated:) We arrived at the Kokopelli trailhead around 110pm, everyone made another bathroom stop, we took group pictures and we were off.

The trail was moderate to start then we were HIT with these wicked climbs that went straight up onto cliffs overlooking the Colorado river. We were hundreds of feet up running along the river, where one miss step would send you tumbling down to a brutal end. This was not in the travel brochure:) This was the most technical course I had ever been on, the beauty however did make it bearable. We had 2 water stops during this grueling stage and I needed every drop. This stage had a 7 hour cut off for 19 miles! Some of us needed that extra time:) It took me about 5 and half hours, it was nice to see tent city all set up and waiting. They served a great dinner of mashed potatoes and chicken!! Fruit salad and other desserts. I wasn't expecting this kind of food and it was a welcomed surprise. I had my normal post nutrition and I will go into details about that later. After dinner we had the race meeting to get details about stage 2, then it was of to bed, I mean tent. My first night in a tent since the Marines. I knew this was part of the event and so I rolled with it. Of course Paula was up for it and can rough it with the best. I told Paula to get in the camping mindset that I would be an unwashed, unshaved caveman for the week. The bare necessities! I was looking forward to caveman sex as well:):) I was embracing the moment:)

Day 2:

Didn't sleep well, up and out by 6am. They had a light breakfast and then we started at 7am, I think. The times are kind of a blur so they won't be exact. I don't want to repeat myself too much but the staff were scurrying about getting everything ready for us and all were in great spirits. They were just as much a part of my motivation and fuel as my Hammer products, they kept me and I know everyone else going. I can't thank them enough. We were off and running, this stage wasn't as technical but still had some killer climbs and the heat was an issue for some as we traversed through the valleys. There was NO protection from the sun, it is the desert you know:) You would occasionally get some shade from the hills as you went up the switchbacks, that didn't last long though. The cut off for this leg was 12 hours, not as generous as the first stage but the course wasn't as technical so you could run more of the course. You did have about 7 miles of pavement which gave a few people some blister problems. The pavement started with a 4 mile stretch after the 17 mile aid station, then the last 3 miles into the camp ground. so it was later in the day and the pavement was probably 10-20 degrees hotter than the air temps. The beauty of the desert was just as breath taking as the day before. The climbs were brutal, once at the top you lookout over the land and you can see GODs finger print. I love the desert, Badwater had always been my favorite event, in Moab you get desert, unbelievable rock structures, the mountains and the Colorado River running through it all. It just doesn't get any better!! Once at the campsite we were right by the river. I got to bathe, what a relief!! It was ice cold so it served a double purpose, ice bath and cleaning the grime from my body. It felt great on my tired legs.

The food for the night was brought in by Melts http://www.miltsstopandeat.com/ a great greasy spoon in Moab and friends of the race director. They had all kinds of stuff that I couldn't eat, they did however have a great chicken sandwich. For dessert they had root beer floats and they brought beer along as well. I didn't partake, I needed to keep my nutrition on track so I could be at my best. It was a great dinner and wonderful conversation. This group of athletes were very accomplished, it was an honor to be a part of it. Everyone was upbeat and sharing tales from the day and the ones that were most beat up were just as happy. Yeah they were hobbling around but still continued to pound out the miles. One athlete in particular stood out to me, and of course I don't remember her name, she was from Ireland I think. She took a hard fall on the first day and most likely broke her arm. She had blood all over her. They wrapped it up and she kept going, with a broken arm!! She finished the whole week and to make it worse her total time was way better than mine:) She was one of many who overcame the pains of this event, they were all very tough competitors.

After dinner we had the race briefing for the next day, an easy 9 miles. Well it was 9 miles! Off to tent:)

Day 3:

An easy 9 miles, easy is a relative term. It was the shortest day with a 4 hour cut off time but it still wasn't easy. The climbs just kept coming!! The saying out there was what goes down must go up. Well that was my saying:) Of all days this was the easiest, and we had a great campsite right on the river. Since we were finished by 11am I had all day to ice bath and wash. I was able to really recover from the last few days with ice baths and great Isagenix shakes, I had 3 shakes along with 5 ice baths. I was ready for the big day! The expedition stage of 52 miles an a 20 hour cut off time. Went to tent early but didn't get much sleep, less than usual. The winds were wild, blowing our tent sideways. It never rained but it was a lightning show and big winds. Got about 3 hours of sleep. I was still ready for the next stage! This is when it gets tough, stay tuned.

NEVER STOP RUNNING!!

K2

THE RATS ADVENTURE: TRAVEL & RACE CHECK IN

2010-06-23T16:41:00.000-05:00

Paula, Honor and I started out early Saturday morning June 12 for our journey to Moab. We hit the road in the "family truckster" (Paula's small SUV) loaded down with just enough room for Honor to have a little cocoon to sit and sleep in in the back. We had camping gear, running gear, our street clothing, Honor's bag for her visit with grandma and grandpa, as well as all of our food for the trip. We had a medium sized cooler to keep all of our organic goodies fresh. Eating out is too expensive and besides it is terrible nutritionally. Don't get me wrong we had a few stops with fresh organic options and took advantage of it. We mostly lived off of Isagenix and fruits, nuts, and veggies. With lots of water.

We drove to Denver and decided to checkout REI, outdoor adventure store, it was nice to find everything on our list there that we needed. It was tough to find stuff in KC. Honor climbed the rock wall and went all the way to the top. Of course I did bribe her with ice cream when she hesitated half way up:). We also found an outdoor consignment store. We could have also gotten everything we needed there. We had a veggie burger at a local restaurant called My Brothers Bar, the food was great. Though the service was way too laid back for us. Everyone in Denver, when it came to service, just seemed to go at there own pace. They were nice, fast and friendly service wasn't a priority. I think their brains are fried from that "evil weed":) They all talked and acted like the stereotypical "surfer dude" in any movie you might see.

We left Denver and drove just another hour and stopped in Dillon, CO. This was a pleasant surprise for us all. This is what I would call a semi-resort community. It wasn't too busy but they had the usual tourist stuff, canoeing,bike rentals...... So we decided to stop there on our way back. We woke up to about two inches of SNOW, in JUNE? It was pretty and Honor loved it. Got some coffee and off to Moab.

The rest of the drive was fast, 6 hours, and we all loved the desert scenery. Once in Moab we dropped Honor with here grand parents and proceeded to check into our Hostel. I had researched prices of motels and found The Lazy Lizard Hostel. They had private rooms for $26 and it looked OK from their website. Well..... I would have rather stayed at a homeless shelter!! It was for only one night and as usual Paula didn't care. She is just the best. Not only is she a great wife, mother, best friend and lover. She is a hell of a traveling companion. She goes with the flow and never complains.

After checking in to our poor excuse for a homeless shelter we went to our mandatory race meeting. There we meet up with Jennifer, Dennis and Kay, Dennis's wife. They were very excited and nervous, this was to be only their second ultra experience and it was a stage race on top of that. They were ready!! I new it!! They both were very consistent in their training and followed my directions to the letter. For the most part. I had no concerns about their fitness level, the stage race was just a matter of adapting and overcoming any obstacles that came our way. At the meeting we received an overview of the week to come and details about our first stage, 19 miles. They checked our gear and did an inventory of the mandatory safety gear. I felt a little out of my element considering I had never done a stage race. You have to start somewhere, right.

The details of stage one were very basic. A very technical course with 2 aid stations. We would bus to the start of The Kokopelli Trail, bus will leave at 11am race starts 1pm. We would cover the entire Kokopelli Trail over the course of the week. It was a 7 hour cut off for stage one. 7 hours! This is going to be tough if the cut off was so long.

After the meeting Paula and I went back to our homeless shelter to get some rest to ready ourselves for the week to come. Paula was a volunteer so she would be working hard all week. This is going to be great!! Stay tuned!

NEVER STOP RUNNING!!
K2

RUNNING WITH GOD

2010-06-09T19:47:00.001-05:00

"Pain is GOD's megaphone. He whispers to us in our pleasure, but he shouts to us in our pain." C. S. Lewis

Rarely do we have a moment in our lives that we truly feel the touch of GOD. Some people go their whole lives without experiencing it. I, too, had never experienced it. You know GOD is there and you know His existence. I do, anyway; if you are a non-believer please indulge me. I have been a Christian since my early twenties, though not a very good one. The last few years of my life my walk with Christ has become stronger each day. I will never be the Christian I strive to be, GOD loves me none the less. It will be a glorious and wonderful journey. I'm not sure why I want to share this testimonial with you, it just feels like the right thing to do. So for all of my running friends reading this, it will come back to running. For all of my conservative followers out there I know you will understand. So here it goes!

Over the past few years with the recession we have struggled, cutting it very close one too many times. My business, being an extravagant extra, is the first cut in any household budget. So in 2007 the cuts started and we persevered. Though times were a little tough, Paula and I still continued to do our part with local charities. The Touched by Cancer Foundation and The Gillis Center were both encompassed in our Runners In Touch programs. We have a tremendous group of local runners who have helped out with these charities immensely. It is a joke between Paula and I that one day I will do something that will make money instead of give my time away. :)

This past year has been a blessing and a struggle. Isagenix (no this isn't a commercial) came into our lives and has helped financially and of course improved our health even though we thought we were healthy. Then I decided I wanted to start a running program for the kids at Gillis, which Paula was all for. She is an unbelievable partner in life and very tolerant of me. She always encourages me to follow through with my lofty ideas and my need to help others. Yes, it is a need that has always been with me in different ways. The last ten years it has been through charities that I have fulfilled this need. Anyway, about three months ago I reached a point of frustration; I was just tired of struggling. I told Paula I was going to get a night job to make things a little less stressful. She would have no part of that. She said it would take away from our family time and that I love what I do and we should have faith that GOD would provide. So I did as she asked and continued in faith. Now most of you out there KNOW that the average spouse would want the extra income. I don't say that to be mean, it is just the society we have become. I guess that is one of the many reasons our friends call her "Saint Paula," the main reason is that she puts up with me. :)

At the same time this was going on I was contacted by City Union Mission in KC. I had contacted them during Christmas of last year to see if I could help out in any way. I sent my resume and asked if they needed anyone like me to help with anything. I met with a couple of the directors there and we talked about me being the Volunteer Fitness and Nutrition Instructor for the men's 12-month program. I toured the facilities and talked with the staff and just felt I was supposed to be there. I told them that I would have to run it by Paula and pray about it over the weekend and I would contact them the next week. I called Paula on my way home and she could tell I was excited about the possibility of helping out at City Union Mission. I explained to her the situation and told her we would talk about it more this weekend. She asked,"What's is there to talk about? You obviously are excited to do this and feel GOD is leading you, so just do it." Don't you just love her! I said let's not jump too fast. We will pray on it and talk about it over the weekend. I really should always just listen to her. :)

We went to church that Sunday and wouldn't you know it Pastor Ron's message that day was sharing your GOD given gifts with other people! Of course, there was much more to it as he always has a wonderful message that inspires us every week! That was the meat of the message this day. Well, I can't really explain it but I will try. Something came over me at the end of the message and I was an emotional basket case. I wept like a little girl! GOD was talking to me in a big way. Not only did he open my eyes to the fact that Paula was right, there wasn't anything to talk about, but most importantly he reminded me of how blessed I am to have a wife like Paula who would sacrifice and forgo extra income and at the same time insist that I follow my heart and give time to strangers because I thought it was GOD's calling. Not only did I weep, but I was sweating like a Liberal in church. Sorry, that was for my conservative followers. :) This went on for about 15 minutes. A couple we know very casually came over and prayed with us and talked me through this menopausal moment. After I had calmed down a little my warped sense of humor kicked in. I must share and apologize ahead of time. I told Paula I was a menopausal bitch and that I need to go get in a fight to get some testosterone flowing through me. Her response was how could I talk so foul after have such a wonderful spiritual moment. I told her that is just who I am! :) The best part is, she loves me anyway and so does Jesus!

What does this have to do with running? My running is what opened my heart to give, starting with Team In Training. It has progressed over the years and I know it will continue until I can run no more. I only hope that other runners find a way to give back for all the wondeful funfilled miles they have covered. :)

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

RATS, SUPER HEROES FOR HOPE and bad running advice.

2010-06-02T08:29:00.000-05:00

Paula and I are getting things together for the RATS http://geminiadventures.com/DesertRATS.html it will be a fun event, though bitter sweet. Paula will be unable to participate in the race due to her recent knee injury. She is back on the road and will pick something for the fall. The thing is that we were looking forward to running for 6 days together. I love running with her and can only think of one thing better than running 6 days with her. That is 6 days of uninterrupted SEX with her, that would be better:) We weighed all of our options and discussed it with the race director and came up with a compromise. I will run the event and Paula will volunteer all week. That way we get to take the trip and spend time in the desert and be together most of the time. We are planning on camping with "The Beast" (our 7 yr old daughter Honor) for a couple of days after the race. Honor will be with Paula's parents during the race. It will be a wonderful trip.

From a training aspect it will be my highest mileage week leading up to my 200 mile run for SUPER HEROES FOR HOPE. After RATS I will cut back for 2 weeks then do another high mileage week then taper for the 200 mile run. A busy summer! If you haven't checked out our Face Book page for SUPER HEROES FOR HOPE go there NOW!!!

Over the past year barefoot running has taken off and more and more people are trying it with wonderful results. I too have been experimenting with this type of training. I have landed in Vibrams, as most of you know I started incorporating Vibrams in October of 2009 and have ran 2 marathons as well as a 30 mile training run in them. I do about 80% of my training in Vibrams and maybe 5% barefoot. I had said 60% earlier but that was just a guess after looking at my training records most of my running is in Vibrams, I do run in the Brooks Green Silence as well but rarely. I think barefoot running is beneficial for many reasons, form, injury prevention, it's natural, fun, ..... The list goes on and on. I do however know it's not for everyone. As I have stated many times if it's not for you don't worry about. Run in shoes, sandals, Vibrams, socks.... just run and enjoy the movement that we were meant to do. Many runners get caught up in "their" training and what they are doing and think that is the answer for everyone. Sorry that is just NOT the case. We are all different and will choose to do many different types of training. Just because you do it doesn't mean your friend HAS to do it. I find this to be an epidemic with barefoot runners and trail runners. If you aren't running the way they are then you are "doing it wrong"!! I have nothing against trail runners or barefoot runners as I do both but I also run in shoes and on roads. If you seek advice from these people then that is different but for someone to tell you, without soliciting them, that you are an idiot if you don't do it their way.... Well I would seek advice else where. I give advice here and it is unsolicited, it is your decision whether to follow it or not. My training methods are very conservative when it comes to mileage and some people don't like that and go to other trainers. I'm fine with that. I often refer people to other running groups if I feel we don't "fit" . Just do what feels right when you run and filter all info that you get. You will find your stride.

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

SUPER HEROES FOR H.O.P.E. Father and Daughter Team up to raise money for charity

2010-05-04T16:46:00.000-05:00

I am excited to announce that this July 29th I will embark on a 200+ mile run to raise money for H.O.P.E. Sertoma http://www.hopesertoma.org/ a charity started by My daughter and son-in-law, Kandice and Kasey. They started this foundation in response to their experience when Megan, my granddaughter, who was diagnosed with a form of cancer a few years back. The financial burden along with the emotional trauma of their daughter having cancer was overwhelming. They want to help lessen this financial burden for other families who encounter these type of pediatric emergencies. Thus H.O.P.E. was started, now we need to fund it. They have had numerous events and are going strong!! Kandice wants to make this an annual event:) I am all for that but would like to do something different each year. To add to the excitement Kandice has decided to run her first 50k with me during this event. So we both will be going longer than we ever have. Quite a change from the girl who said "I never want to run a marathon"

She has now run 2 marathons and numerous half marathons. She is also training for her first triathlon while she is training for her first 50k. Busy girl! Proud Dad!!

The event will be called SUPER HEROES FOR H.O.P.E. We will have a 5k Thursday evening in the KC area to start off and another 5k at the finish Sunday morning. We will encourage people to dress as their favorite Super Heroes, there will be prizes and lots of fun for the kids.

I know a lot of you are wondering, after my struggle with Brew to Brew, what the hell I am thinking. I have been thinking about this for about 6 months now and wanted to make sure I would be ready before announcing it. I know it will be tough but the RATS week of 148 miles should be just what the doctor order for training. That followed by a 60-70 mile run 3 weeks out and I will be ready to go. Of course there will be a lot of miles in-between as well as my current training for the RATS. I will be ready!!

We should have the Facebook page up by next week. This will give all the details and links so you can make your donations or get involved in some way. Kandice and I will also keep you updated on our training and all the money coming in to help these families. I am looking forward to a successful event as well as running with Kandice for her first 50k.

Please join us in our quest to help families who are struggling with these financial difficulties.

NEVER STOP RUNNING!!

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

Do you REALLY care about your KIDS?!

2010-04-26T10:27:00.000-05:00

As I go about my day to day life making the many decisions that face me concerning my overall health, I have to ask myself "WHY" why doesn't the rest of the American population take their health seriously? Most of you reading this do take your health seriously, unfortunately we are the exception not the rule. We have a HUGE (take that however you want) problem with obesity which I have covered. Then we have all the problems that go along with that heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.... Those are of course the obvious, I also believe that cancer, autism, ADD, ADHD, allergies, depression and a laundry list of other things that I believe are preventable with good nutrition and exercise. We are FAT and not the cool gangster Phat, in K2 terms we are a nation of lard asses waiting to die. The answers are there, we as a people just choose to continue to make poor decisions concerning our over all health. Look around you!! The fast food restaurants are packed, people buy more packaged and processed food than anything else. Try and convince the average person to buy organic. Good luck!! Where am I going with this? Well I want you to ask yourself and your friends "Are you making the best choices for yourself and your family when it comes to over all health?"

Think long and hard before you answer! Because my answer is NO, I make poor choices just like anyone else. Over the last 10 yeas I have made huge changes in my over all health by making better nutritional choices. My family and I are about 90% organic, we stay away from preservatives, artificial colors, sweetners..... and soy. SOY? That's right soy, it is processed and most of the soy in America is genetically engineered. I highly recommend that all of you watch the movie Food Inc., this will open your eyes to the on going problem with our food supply. Follow that up with Fresh The Movie, this gives you the answer to the problems that Food Inc presented.

I am going to do a little preaching here but with the understanding that I too have made these mistakes. Lets talk about our kids, do you really care about them and their health. The answer of course is Yes. Are you making the nutritional decisions that are best for them? I can tell you the answer to that question is NO for 90% of you. Before you start calling me names sit back and REALLY think about it. Do you feed your kids fresh organic foods on a regular basis? Do you avoid processed and fast foods? Is a normal breakfast sugar and artificially loaded cereal? Do you sit down and have a home cooked dinner as a family? If you answered these questions honestly, that's just a start, you know that you aren't. One of the biggest objections I get from people is that "we just can't afford to eat organic" BULLSHIT!! It boils down to priorities!! You can chose to feed your family well or you can make weak ass excuses. These same people who say they can't afford it are the same people at the drive thru or dining out, which is very costly. The worst yet are the parents who will spend HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS on things like cell phones, Wii, Nintendo, computer games, name brand clothing, you get my point. Your kids really don't NEED this stuff they want it and you want them to have it. Yet you can't spend a few extra bucks to make sure they aren't nutritionally deficient!! If you cut out all of that superficial crap and spent more money on good nutrition you would have a happier healthier family. That being said, this is just my opinion and advice. I am a capitalist and believe in unlimited freedom so these are your decisions and your money to spend the way you see fit. All I am saying is just think the next time you are food shopping, "Is my families health a priority?" If it truly is you will make the right choices.

You and your family are worth the few extra dollars and the few so -called sacrifices to have good organic nutritional food in your house, on the table and in your body.

I'm sure I don't have to tell you but I will. My family and I live off of Isagenix and organic fruits, veggies and meat. We have NEVER felt better and as athletes my wife and I have never performed better.

It is your choice!!

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

200 MILE FUNDRAISER!!!

2010-04-19T08:46:00.000-05:00

A quick recovery after B2B, a couple of ice baths, good nutrition and back to normal. I got a few easy runs in last week, plan on turning it up from here. B2B was a test to see if I could still endure the pain when I wasn't quite ready to run that mileage. All in all it was a success, I suffered and took it. I have approximately 14 weeks to get ready for the MAIN event of this year. I do have the RATS run in June http://geminiadventures.com/DesertRATS.html which will help me towards my goal event the end of July. The RATS run will be great because I get to run for 6 days with Paula, this will be our summer vacation.:) Baring any injuries I will run from Liberty, MO to Springfield, MO the last weekend in July. That is a tentative date. This will be my second attempt at 200+ miles. No it isn't quite 200 miles but I will wind through KC and Springfield to make it at least 200 miles. I will be running to raise money for The H. O. P. E. Foundation http://www.hopesertoma.org/ and Gillis in KC http://www.gillis.org/ I hope that you will support and donate to these worthy causes. We will have a FB page set up in the next few weeks to direct you to donation pages and details of the event.

I will keep you updated on my training for this event and how you can get involved. I know after years of doing these kind of things that this is a team effort and I can't do it alone. Paula will of course play a big role in the support crew as well as my daughter, Kandice and her husband Kasey. They have a great support system in Springfield, so between my support here in KC and theirs in Springfield we should be able to pull this off.

My training currently is a combination of barefoot running, Vibrams and the Brooks Green Silence for foot wear. I haven't decided if I will try the entire 200 in Vibrams but it is in my thoughts. I love running in them and I won't encounter any gravel roads. The longest run thus far is 31 miles. I will be running a 50+ training run in a couple of weeks in the Vibrams and that will give me more data to process as to what I will run in this July. I will keep you posted!

That's all for now

Never Stop Running!!

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

WEEKEND RECAP!!

2010-04-12T12:31:00.000-05:00

WHAT A WEEKEND!!

We started with our weekly Saturday run, it was a new and challenging course. Everyone seemed to love it! It was a short week for most of the group, the course was 7 miles, I did have one person run the course twice. I create these courses not to see how much pain I can inflict, though I am rather sadistic at times, but to keep my running group prepared for any course out there. The harder you train the easier your race! After the run we had coffee at The Filling Station. If you have never been there I highly recommend it. The clientele is very eclectic and the coffee is great!

We got home in the late afternoon, at which time I had an email from a parent who's daughter I coach for track. She is 11 and at a private school so track is offered at a young age, which is great. His email was excited an just motivated the hell out of me. She ran the mile and he explained how none of the girls had a race strategy, that they just took off. His daughter did exactly as we had planned, she laid back then started picking them off one by one. She won the race beating out girls older than her with more experience. I love training kids that will follow direction and push themselves.

Sunday was a busy day I had 3 people running Brew 2 Brew solo for 44 miles and I also ran it. They all did a great job and had no problems to speak of other than the normal trials that come with running 44 miles. The final results haven't been posted but I would think that Matt Miller might have placed well with a 7:22 finish. He rocked!! Then I had Dennis Meinking and Jennifer Price cruise in for an easy day to finish their first ultra. The weather was great! It was a little warm for most. The 3 of them were well fueled and had no real problems from the heat. A GREAT day overall.

My day: I ran the first 18 miles with Jennifer and Dennis, my first mistake, I knew I would hold them up so I insisted they go on without me. I did OK until about mile 30, then for the first time since I hurt my back in 2007 it started giving me trouble. For those of you who don't know I crushed a vertebra playing on the trampoline with my teenagers September 2007. :):) My recovery was great and I had no real problems. I actually did a 100 mile run exactly one year later. So you can imagine my surprise and concern when the pain set in. By mile 35 all I could do was walk. If I ran pain would set in after about 60 seconds. Paula had called me and we talked, she ask if I thought I should stop. I must admit I considered it but I just couldn't do it. I new I only had about 10 more miles and to be honest I thought it would be good for me to experience a little suffering. I know that sounds weird but my last few events have been fairly pain free and easy so to get into that mind set to endure the pain and just keep moving was good for me. I knew with my injury that it would be a tough day, it was. I finished!

I am constantly reminded as I have switched to minimalist or barefoot that your body does absorb a lot more of the pounding. I was/am very sore. I took an 30 minute ice bath drank a GREAT recovery shake and looking forward to get back to training tomorrow. During the run I used Hammer Perpetuem and Gel, with lots of water. As did all 3 of my clients. My recovery shake consist of: 2 scoops IsaLean, 1 scoop IsaPro, 1 scoop of Ionix Supreme and 2 servings of Want More Energy. I also have been using Udo's Oil, http://www.oilthemachine.com/, this has helped tremendously with my recovery and endurance. Check it out.

Finally a BIG thank you and I love you to my wife Paula for taking care of me afterwards. She is the most patient and giving person I know and I am blessed to have her in my life.

All in all a great weekend!!

Never Stop Running!!

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

Final Thoughts before Brew 2 Brew

2010-04-09T12:58:00.000-05:00

It is only 2 day until Brew 2 Brew. I am very excited for my clients, they are going to have a great day! They are all fired up and ready to go! I have 3 clients running the event, one has completed a 50k event, the other 2 this will be their first ultra. I am nervous and excited for them. I know what it's like going out to run a distance that you haven't conquered yet, as do most of you. You have all kinds of feelings, scared, excited, anxious, nervous, sleepless.....:) They are well prepared and have nothing to worry about. They are much more prepared than I was the first time I ran B2B:) I didn't know what I was doing, I had fun though! They are great people and have a great support system at home, that helps tremendously. I will be proud to see them at the finish line. Of course they will have to wait for me, all 3 are faster than me:)

My training has went well this last few weeks and I think I will have a good day. The funny thing about the B2B of all the times I have run this event, 5-8 not sure, I have never been at my best to do so. Not sure why, I know in the past I have been a fair weather runner so getting ready for a spring event means training in the cold. That isn't the case the past 2 years. Right now I am at about 80% and looking forward to this run. The weather is going to be in the 70s and sunny. I would like it a tad warmer but it really doesn't get much better.

After a lot of consideration Paula and I have decided that she shouldn't run with me this Sunday. A HUGE disappointment!! She has completed heavy mileage the past 2 weekends and we feel it would be detrimental to our long term goal of the RATS run this June. Making the right decision is tough most of the time, I know it is for the best. I will miss her. She is my all time favorite running partner and my best friend, she always makes it go by so fast with the pleasure of her company. One of the MANY reasons I love her! We do have 6 days of running through the desert together to look forward to!! She has always been my best source of inspiration so I know she will send good thoughts and prayers to me on Sunday. No she will not crew for me, she will be at the finish with our daughter, Honor. The last few times I/we have ran B2B it has been with no outside assistance. It is more fun that way. Besides you normally end up spending way too much time with your crew. For those of us who are slow, we can't afford that:)

I hope to see a lot of you out there Sunday. Have a great race!

Never Stop Running!!

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

BREW 2 BREW ADVICE

2010-03-31T10:58:00.000-05:00

It is now eleven days out from the Brew 2 Brew and the KC weather is doing what it normally does. One day it's 65-70 degrees then a snow storm comes in with wind and 20 degrees. Right now there is a warming trend, it was 70 yesterday and it is supposed to be 80 for the next 2 days. The long range forecast as of now, this could change at anytime, has it in the 60s leading up to April 11. Those of you out there who plan to run B2B on April 11, be it solo or relay, should get some heat training in these next 8-10 days. Heat training? By that I mean prepare your body for extreme conditions. NO 60-70 degrees isn't extreme in the big picture but it is if you have been training in 30 degree or colder temps the last few months, which you have if you live in the KC area. So yes it will be an extreme shock to your body to run a hilly course in 70 degrees. My advice to you is layer up! You should be tapering by now so your runs should be no longer than 6 miles. Put on a couple of shirts,moisture wicking of course, a beanie and go out and heat up. Make sure you carry a bottle of water with you and drink plenty after your run because you WILL sweat. This will help your body adjust to the warmer temps come race day. I would also recommend Endurolyte capsules by Hammer on race day, take at least 1-2 per hour if you are running solo, if you are running just 1 leg take 2 before you start your run. You can take this advice or not, I just hate to see people beat up by the heat when they don't have to be. If you are running solo you will be out there for 6 plus hours, most of us 7-10 hours so it will be a long day. Having the extra burden of the heat zapping your strength and dehydrating you is not how you want your day to end. Be careful and run smart. If you haven't prepared for the heat you can't beat it! Remember the the 6 Ps: Poor Prior Planning leads to Piss Poor Performance!!

I am now into the 5th week of my 6 week B2B training schedule. NOT something I would recommend! I have to say things have went rather well. The night run was a success and didn't have any major problems. We did only run 31 miles because of time constraints, so I ran 15 two days later to beat myself up a little more. I did run the 31 mile in my Vibrams, which did very well. The only problem running at night, with limited light, I did step on a few rocks that shot pain up through the bottom of my foot. Nothing to worry about. The shoe dilemma is still there though I will decide at the last minute what to run in. As of now it will be the Vibram Trek or the Brooks Green Silence. The Green Silence (GS) is the latest minimalist shoe by Brooks, it feels great and fits like a glove. The GS has a little more protection and since there are a few gravel roads on the B2B course right now I am leaning in that direction. At the start of March I was about 30% sure I would run B2B, now I am 100%. It will be fun and hopefully warm. Hope to see some of you out there!!

Never Stop Running!!

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
www.koachkarl.com

BREW TO BREW UPDATE and GADGETS!! ARE YOU ADDICTED?

2010-03-24T13:02:00.000-05:00

I am a little over 2 weeks out from Brew to Brew and things are going smoothly. Now in my fourth week of training, after taking off for a little over 30 days, I can say I am 80% sure I will be running B2B. The first week back my long run was 8 miles. Second week long day was 10 miles, third week I went 15 miles. This Monday I bumped it up to 20 miles and had a relatively easy day. Legs were fatigued but all in all things went well. Of course in-between these longs runs I am running 3 and 6s for short days. I also have incorporated the bike trainer as well. I am planning on a 36 miles night run this Friday across the KC Metro with my wife and a client. This will be the deciding factor. I will take it slow and have fun with it. My biggest problem right now is footwear. After running in the Vibrams for the past 6 months shoes feel unnatural. I did my long runs in a light trainer and my short runs in the Vibrams. The Vibrams really beat up my calves, hence the injury, but it just feels right running in them. I am debating whether to run in them for my 36 to see what will happen. I will keep you posted.

Now to a topic that has been on my mind for a while: Gadgets!! Are you addicted to them? Are they a crutch? You know what I'm talking about....GPS, pedometer, IPOD, odometer for your bike, heart rate monitor. The list goes on and on. I always tend to pick on the triathletes because they really are the main abusers of gadgets. They even talk about the watts generated on a bike ride, give me a break. Are we all too caught up in all of this? How about just going out side and running for a while. Ride your bike and enjoy the day. Most of us know our pace so why really worry about it. I see people giving their mile splits on face book or their calories burned. Do you really think people care? Does it matter to anyone else but YOU? Don't get me wrong I too am guilty of using a few gadgets. I can live without all of them, can you? I do understand that they are a tool but don't get lost in the tech age and lose the purity of just getting out there and working up a good sweat.

Here is a funny story, well I think it's funny. I had a triathlete email me asking about running his first ultra and he told me a little about his back ground, which was impressive. He had completed a few Ironman's and a couple of marathons. Definitely a good enough base to be ready to train for your first 50k. He made the mistake of asking me about heart rate training and gave me his splits for his TRIs......... Don't get me wrong in this economy I need business just like everyone else. I also know that unless the client and I are a good match I can't really help them. So knowing that he probably wouldn't hire me in the first place I gave an honest answer, as I usually do. I told him that "his Ironman accomplishments were impressive and that he had a great base to get started and would do well running an ultra with the right training." Unfortunately I didn't stop there. I continued to tell him "I'm not a big fan of heart rate monitors and if you don't know your perceived exertion you need to train more and get in tune with your body." NO NO that wasn't enough I also told him "the only people who really need a heart rate monitor are stroke victims who are trying to get some exercise." I thought it was very funny and I believe it to be true. Needless to say he never contacted me again. :):)

Remember to enjoy the purity of the sport.

Never Stop Running!!

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl

P90X and The Endurance Athlete

2010-03-20T12:06:00.000-05:00

A lot of people have asked about P90X so I thought I would give my thoughts as a trainer and endurance athlete. This product has been on the market for awhile, and you probably know someone who has purchased this advanced exercise program. This is NOT for the faint of heart. It is not for the couch potato who wants to get in shape. It is for the person who has reached their primary fitness goal and wants to go to the next level. The bottom line: It works!

Now to expand on that: If you follow the program as designed and take the nutritional advice offered, you will be in great condition. Your body will become a work of art. OK, that is a little much but you get my meaning. It works! The catch is.......you have to follow the program. It is tough and difficult for the average person to put that kind of dedication into his/her workouts. I have known a lot of people like that so it is possible. On the lighter side, it is a little campy and tough not to mock during your workouts. The instructor, Tony, is a little too motivated for my liking. I also am aware that a lot of people need that, so it is a good thing. His comments such as "Pam the Blam," "stirring the soup" or... well, I could go on but it would take too long. I sound critical but I really think it is a good system just not my type of workouts. If you purchase it and follow the program you will get results.

From a endurance training point of view, here are my thoughts. For those of us who are running a couple of hours a day or swimming and biking in one day, it isn't too feasible to fit in another training session of 60 to 90 minutes along with your normal endurance training. You can, however, incorporate it into your training. The Core Synergistics and Plyometrics are a great addition to endurance training. I have incorporated these into my training, as well as my wife's and a few clients' with incredible results. I also try to do the Yoga X once a week; it is 90 minutes but well worth it on a down week from training. Though I would not recommend the complete system for endurance athletes during the race season, I strongly recommend it during off season. It is ideal for building strength and keeping most of your endurance and stamina after you have dialed down your training. Since most of us take it easy during November - January, it would be great to keep off those unwanted holiday pounds as well. If you are just running 3-6 miles 2-4 times a week, this program will work year-round. You just need to be dedicated.

What follows is a sample program if you are training for a marathon. Of course my schedule for a marathon is different from most. All you need to do is run 3 times per week and cross train 3 other days, with a day of rest. For example: Monday- Core Synergistics, Tuesday- Run 3-10 miles, Wednesday- Plyometrics, Thursday- Run 3-10 miles, Friday- Core Synergistics, Saturday- Run 10-20 miles, and Sunday a rest day or Yoga X. Keep alternating the Core and PLYO so that you will be doing each twice and once, per alternating weeks. If weather prohibits you from running one of your short days, the 43-minute Cardio X workout is a great substitute.

If you are looking for that extra edge this could be your answer. It is worth the price for the results!

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

WHY DO YOU DO THAT!!

2010-03-08T17:39:00.000-06:00

Why do you do that?! Most of us that participate in endurance events have heard this at least a few times. Sometimes a few too many! It could be your first half marathon or your first triathlon it really doesn't matter if someone doesn't understand they ask why. Which seems reasonable, I don't mind the curious. I do however mind the negative!! Once you explain "why", and we all have different reasons, the negative people continue to mock, ridicule and try and convince you that it "can't be good for you". Knowing what we know about exercise, still people try to put forth the argument that endurance training and events "can't be good for you" !! Why do they say these things?!

I have my own theory which I will get to, but what do you think as the athlete? Is it concern? Is it ignorance? Is it jealousy? Is it all of them? I would love for you to share your experiences with this type of attitude from friends and family. Please post your comments.

My theory? First what motivated me to write about this? I have had many of these experience and have shared them with fellow athletes over the years and will share a few with you. The other day I was talking with a client/friend, they are usually one and the same, and this subject came up. No names as I don't want to upset his friends or family, not that anyone really reads this stuff outside of my loyal circle:):) We were going over his success in his first 50k and how it was hard for a lot of the people he knows to understand what he was doing. What confused him was the fact that his mother was concerned that he might get hurt or that it wasn't good for him. Yet his brother was a fat out of shape couch potato and she showed no concern over his lifestyle. So he might get hurt exercising on a daily basis, eating right, setting a good example for his kids and accomplishing goals that seemed unattainable by the average person. How could he do such things!!! Yet again his brother ingested tons of chemicals through fast and snack foods, could/will have heart problems, sets a horrible example for the people around him. His wife and kids live the same lifestyle. So his kids can look forward to a life of medical problems! He is starting to experience the health problems that comes from being a lard ass. Yet their mother is concerned about the athletic lifestyle. I felt like we were in Bizzarro world!! So what is the reason for this? Quite simply they can relate to the loser lifestyle a lot more than they can relate to the winner. Now lets elaborate:) This will be harsh! The problem with society as a whole today is very few people under the age of 50, that includes me (barely), have never or rarely faced any real challenges in life. WAIT!! Yes we all have had our struggles lost jobs, death in the family, tornados, earthquakes..... Sorry to tell you that is just part of life. I myself have been close to homeless and been out of work.... but to be honest 99% of my so called struggles have been self-inflicted. What do I mean by that? That through poor decisions on my part those struggles were the consequences of my actions. My point is most people don't go looking for a challenge and when someone they know does they don't understand why you just don't follow the path of least resistance. Why do they think like this?

I of course have my opinion and will share it. First a little look into my family. I started doing endurance event in 1995, my first was a tri, now it was a small endeavor by many standards so my family tried to accept it. My mother has smoked all of her life and has never lived a healthy lifestyle. She did uppers and downers in her time and bitched about drug addicts. The white trash logic:)! My sister has struggled with her weight most of her life with fad diets and sporadic exercise. There were a few times that she did give a good effort. She has ran a marathon and completed an Olympic tri, so she can do this stuff. She would rather go to happy hour and drink away her so called problems. When I started taking the endurance to the next level it was my mother who would ask "why" or "it can't be good for you". At the same time she never questions my sisters happy hour lifestyle. To top it off I had my days of the bar scene and it was ugly. Bar room fights, jail, I almost killed a guy in a parking lot brawl. He tried to take me out with a sucker punch and I locked down on his throat with my hand threw him to the ground and choked him until he passed out. I thought he was dead! I gave him CPR and revived him. Thank GOD. I told my mother this and here is what she said, her exact words. "Son you can't go around killing people" Now you see why I have said that I pretend I was adopted. You can't really beat that kind of wisdom from a parent. SO again I had been on the right track for a few years doing these events and NOW my mother is worried about my health.

The truth is these people that make these statements don't really care about your health. They can't comprehend bettering yourself or challenging yourself. If you are successful that makes them do a little self evaluation and they don't want that. So they try to discourage you and tell you "your crazy" "you can't do that" "WHY" They want to push their limitations on to you. I for one just can't tolerate that, I shed my self of all negativity if possible. Now there are those who don't understand but are supportive, that's great. I love those people!! You don't have to be an endurance athlete you can be an "athletic supporter" just kidding:) I know I would be nowhere with out the support of my friends and family(my kids and in-laws) when I do these crazy events. When someone who truly cares asks me "why" and I explain, their response is "that's cool" followed by I would never do that. I can live with that. But don't bring your negative vibe into my house or the road I'm running on! The next time someone questions your endeavors you might want to question there real intent. Or my favorite " shut the F#&% UP" or the passive "do I know you". How ever you handle it don't let anyone keep you from pushing yourself to the next level be it endurance events, school, work.... DO NOT settle for mediocre. That's for other people not you!!

Never Stop Running!

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

Should I run Brew 2 Brew?

2010-02-27T15:05:00.000-06:00

It is now 6 weeks until the Brew 2 Brew http://www.brewtobrew.com/index.html , I still anticipate running it with Paula (my wife). I haven't run more than 3 miles at a time since the Carlsbad marathon January 24th. I have maintained most of my cardio but as I stated before there is nothing like running. I plan to run again this Monday, March 1, I will have to be very careful not to ramp my mileage up to quickly, yet at the same time make sure I am conditioned to run 44 miles by April 11. Quite the dilemma. I have set up the bike trainer in my living room to add the extra cardio time. I will run my mileage then add at least an hour to my training on the bike each day.

Here is my plan: I will run Mon-Wed-Fri as well as bike an hour. Then on Tues-Thurs-Sat-Sun I will bike on the trainer 1-4 hours. It will be a gradual increase to get my ass used to sitting on that damn seat for that long. It is a process I go through every year for the bike but it is usually on the roads and to enhance my running not replace it. I enjoy cycling on the road and training for tris but now I have to gain a different mind set. I am building my endurance for running but saving myself from injury by riding instead of running.

I know what your thinking, I really shouldn't do the B2B, and you are probably right. Until I have determined that it is impossible then all systems are GO. Would I let a client do this? NO! If things go as planned then it will happen. I can't have any more problems with my calf and I can't miss any training. Also my nutrition has to be at it's highest level for recovery and rebuilding as I will break my body down with the sudden jump in training. Nutritionally I will have 3-5 Isagenix shakes a day 2 of those will be with a scoop of IsaPro to boost recovery. I of course will be using Ionix and Cleanse for Life as well as Isamune on a daily basis as well. http://koachkarl.isagenix.com/us/en/home.dhtml# I will also use Hammer Recoverite after ALL my training to again boost recovery. My main food, though Isagenix Is food, will be organic fruits and veggies. Lots of water and Udo's Oil http://www.oilthemachine.com/ which is still in the testing phase for me but the science makes sense so it can't hurt.

Keep in mind that I ran 2 marathons in a 30 day period so I have a good base. The question is how much did I lose during the 30 days after the second marathon from not running. any significant mileage? The theory is under 5% since I remained active, but theory doesn't mean much in reality:) You know what I mean? I know that I really haven't lost much but I feel sluggish and have gained about 5 pounds. The 5 pounds alone will make the first week back difficult, though the weight will go away once I start running again. It will be an interesting month and I will keep you updated.

The final peace of the puzzle is lots of prayer! NO, I don't pray that I will be a great runner, just that GOD will let me do what I am capable of. Which if you ask me is anything and everything, You MUST be positive and have faith. With out faith we are lost.

THE P90X REVIEW IS COMING SOON!

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

KOACH KARL RANTS ABOUT OBESITY

2010-02-17T16:18:00.000-06:00

Childhood obesity has been in the news as of late and now the Government, via the first lady, wants to get involved. Do you want to look at the success rate of the government? I will do my best not to get too political here but the government can't manage a checking account or their own weight. I sure as hell don't want them getting involved with the way my kid eats or how I eat. Truth be told they are already involved. They are OUTLAWING transfats! We are being targeted by terrorist, drug use is sky high, gangs run the streets and Mayor Bloomberg is worried about transfats. Give me a break!

Don't get me wrong obesity in kids and adults is a problem. How do we fix this? "WE" Don't, it is up to the individual to take care of themselves. That being said, knowledge is power! Getting the word out about healthy alternatives to high fat foods is a good way to start. Did you know that one third of kids 4-19 eat fast-food everyday! Everyday! That is sickening! Is it the fast-food chains fault? I say no! They provide a service and it is up to the individual whether they partake or not. A lot of "Child Advocates" blame the fast-food chains, transfats, soda pop, etc.... How about some personal responsibility! It is the fault of the individual and for those who aren't adults, it IS the fault of the parents. How about cooking at home for a change. "I don't have time" Cry me a river! Make time! Cut back on activities so you can have dinner together at home as a family.

There are a ton of stats out there on this subject so I will sum up. One third of our population is obese, two thirds is overweight. Two thirds of the population has a 30-40% chance of developing diabetes. Also by being overweight/obese your chances for the following increase dramatically: Cancers, Hypertension, Stroke, Liver and Gallbladder disease, Sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, .... Basically you are a walking time bomb!!

What to do? I know it sounds condescending but it really is simple. Eat right and exercise! The info is out there everyday, unfortunately most of the population chooses not to take care of themselves. That is too bad and I feel for them. I talk about fitness and nutrition everyday, sometimes all day. I find that even people that exercise and are serious athletes neglect their nutrition. These are people that will run every day but still put garbage into their body. The very body they expect to perform at high levels. If I have a hard time getting these people to eat right how tough is it to get a hardheaded teenager to eat right. I'm not saying it is easy but it can be done.

So if you are health conscious and take care of yourself, share that with your friends and family. Don't preach or talk down to, share. Share your experience and how it has made a difference in your life. What it could do for them. Show that you are concerned, not superior. Help them, because only one third of us really care about our health. I would like to see that number grow. NOT by Government intervention, by sound personal choices.

Finally, if you are feeding your kid fast-food everyday, STOP IT. It is up to us as parents to set the example. To show our kids and any other kids that might be watching that look up to us for guidance that it is all about personal responsibility.

In my house we use Isagenix and Isagenix for Kid! You didn't think I would talk about the severe health problem of obesity and not cover Isagenix. Why Isagenix? Because I care about my health and my families health. I won't preach. Just check it out www.isamovie.com, and get back to me.

Seriously there is a health crisis in our country and it is up to you as an individual to address it. Take that first step and get informed. If you have questions ask! Ask me! I am always happy to help.

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

The lighter side of Injuries

2010-02-16T12:41:00.001-06:00

Injuries!? Why do they happen? The simple answer is "too much too fast". That is the hard and fast rule. I know it, you know it, everyone in endurance sports knows it. Why do we do it then? Why do we push ourselves to that limit? In our constant quest and struggle to improve our performance and become better athletes as well as human beings..... What a load of crap:) We push ourselves for our massive ego's. If you buy any of that philosophical crap you are just kidding yourself. The problem is that "ego" is a supposed bad word. The definition of the word is simply "I" or self of any person, NOT a big arrogant self absorbed jerk... Sorry lost in memories of past relationships:):) Ego is our self worth and nothing else. Yes some people value themselves more than we might think they should. But who are we to judge.

Ok so we push ourselves to the limit to improve our performance and to see what we are made of. All of which pertains to our ego. There is nothing wrong with that. It is when we lose control of the ego and it becomes a living breathing beast that over takes us. The point when we are self consumed and can't see past "ME", then we have a problem. I don't think most of us get to that point or we wouldn't have any friends:) I don't have many friends, not a good sign:) Moving on!

As we push ourselves to the point of injury or exhaustion we need to be careful and monitor our body and mind. Make sure that we notice all aches and pains as well as mood swings, you don't want to be over trained. That is the first step to your next injury. Why is all this important? We all go through it and right now I am going through it. That's right this is about "ME" :):)

That was a long way around to get to my point, but I thought it was funny:):) And true!

So my calf injury is still giving me problems and I had to make a tough decision. I will not be running 3 days of Syllamo. After waiting for almost a year to redeem myself it isn't going to happen. Sometimes we have to let our ego go and make the right decision. I kept telling myself that I could work through it and I would be fine. I kept pushing and finally I couldn't even run a mile. Now I am on the injured reserve. Since I am unable to run I have to look for alternatives to stay fit. I have swam, done boxing workouts, yoga..... I even acquired the P90X DVDs and started using that as my workouts. I will have a review of P90X soon. For all of you runners out there, you know NOTHING replaces running. There is no feeling like running for a couple of hours and feeling your heart beat with each stride and the sweat pour out of your skin. I get lost in my run and forget about everything and sometimes I solve all of my problems. I can think or not think. There is nothing like it. So until I get back in the groove and I am running on a regular basis life is tough for my family. I know that! I do try and watch myself but every now and then I slip. Running keeps me grounded. I like to swim and bike but I love to run.

Yes I am disappointed about Syllamo, the upside is I hadn't paid for it. I have however paid for Brew to Brew http://www.brewtobrew.com/ which is only 7 weeks away and it is 44 miles. I'm concerned, not worried yet, I still have time. I have built a strong base so it is still possible. I am hopeful that I will start running next week. Time will tell. If not I will continue to yoga, box, swim.... this sucks:):)

Never Stop Running!!

I haven't stopped just taking a pause:)

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD GO I.

2010-02-07T19:49:00.000-06:00

I am only sharing this with you to give you some insight as to why I do the things I do, and to get you off your ass and into the game. My main objective is to get you to become a part of The Runners In Touch Children's Team and make a difference in a troubled kid's life.

I'm not going to give you a sob story about my childhood, just the facts. My mother has been married 4 times, and for those of you who know me, that already explains a lot. I had different losers in and out of my life until I was 12. Then my mother married, for the last time, an OK guy. Things did change for the better a bit. My sister and I were subjected to drunken parties that included the rest of my "white trash" family. This wasn't an everyday thing but often enough, which probably explains why I don't drink in front of my kids.

I suppose you are wondering about my father. Me too. I was told many things, none too positive. The only positive was that he was a good-looking man. He was a car thief, drug dealer, wife beater.... a hell of a guy. I never met my father, he had been in and out of jail most of his life. I did Google his name about three years ago and things just got worse. He was on the sex offenders' list for statutory rape and now he is dead. The hits just keep on coming!

The reason I tell you this is to let you know that all kids NEED a positive role model. I was lucky and had sense enough to get out when I could and joined the Marines. It was the best time in my life and an organization filled with great role models. Jesus and Paula saved me, the Marines made me. :) YOU can be the role model in a kid's life that has it much worse than I had.

Make a difference!! RIT Children's Team goes to Gillis once a month. What is Gillis? It is a home for boys, 4-18yrs old, who have been taken from their homes for their safety. It could be drugs, abuse.... the point is they need us!! They need YOU! They hungry for direction and thirsty for love. You can be their oasis and they might just help you.

If you live in the Kansas City area and would like to really do something worthwhile contact me at pkkeltner@kc.rr.com ASAP. I will give you more details and a brief history of RIT Children's Team, which started in 2005.

This endeavor isn't glamorous but it is rewarding. It is also work but a lot of fun with the right combination of caring, committed people.

Thank you for your time,

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

Vibrams/Barefoot:EZ into your training

2010-01-31T08:23:00.000-06:00

OK just to recap a little. I started running Barefoot in October of last year. I had ran short distances during the summer but started real mileage in October. I ran 1.5 miles for my first run and increased slowly each week. Though not slow enough, I will get back to that later. I then incorporated the Vibrams www.vibramsfivefingers.com around the end of October. During the colder weather I used the Vibrams more than not. I have yet to get accustom to the very cold weather while running barefoot. I have ran short 1-2 milers in freezing temps but that is it. My longest barefoot run to date is 10 miles back in November when we had a heat wave here in KC.

I ran my first marathon in the Vibrams December 27 2009, in Springfield,MO. The Run for the Ranch marathon, it was 24 degrees at the start and 16 degrees when I finished. Things went well but had a little calf pain. Then just last Sunday, January 24, I ran my second marathon in the Vibrams. Had severe calf pain but finished. Do you see the trend? As I have mentioned barefoot running really hits the calves and the rest of the lower body pretty hard. The running style that you have to incorporate to run barefoot is a big change and stresses the body differently than the heal strike. You have to run on the ball or midfoot and this changes everything. I had to back off my training after the December marathon, I switched to swimming and yoga. I had rested my calf just enough to finish the second marathon but now my left calf is very painful. I will work through it with cross training, accupuncture, massage and great nutrition with Isagenix http://koachkarl.isagenix.com/us/en/home.dhtml .

So what have we/I learned the past 4 months? Go slow and easy!! I ran my first marathon just 3 months after starting this experiment. Not smart! I was determined to run a marathon in the Vibrams, tunnel vision. Now I don't regret the the agressive approach but I don't recommend it for anyone else. That being said here is what I would recommend for you.

Don't switch to barefoot or Vibrams! Incorporate it slowly into your training. Start out running barefoot on grass for 5 minutes after your run followed by stretching and cool down. Do this once the first week and twice the second week and so forth. Once you are up to 3 times a week start increasing your time by a minute each week. Once you are up to 10 minutes 3 times a week then then put on the Vibrams and take it to the streets! Since we all run different mileage per week, use the Vibrams or Barefoot 25% of the time. Increase this by 5% each week. Once you are at 50% start building your longer runs nice and slow adding 1 mile every week to your barefoot/Vibram run. Do this to the desired distance as we all have different goals.

Should you change completely to barefoot/Vibram? It is up to you! Do what feels right to you not what works for other people. Incorporating this type of training once or twice a week for just a mile can make a big difference in you form and foot and leg strength. You can benefit just by incorporating this training you don't have to be a full time Barefoot runner. Be smart and listen to your body/feet and enjoy the experience. Don't force it like I did.

I will continue to run in the Vibrams/barefoot on the roads. I have a few trail events coming up and will use traditional trail shoes. I will however start slowly incorporating the Kso Trek into my training. My plan is to run a trail event in the Treks this fall. I will keep you posted to the feel and performance of the KSO Trek. I'm sure they will be as great as the original KSO.

Never Stop Running!

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

PRs and Pain in Carlsbad

2010-01-27T11:27:00.000-06:00

What a great time I had in Cali!! My clients PRed, I reunited with my best friend from the Marine's, and my daughter showed me strength very few people have.

Dennis did qualify for Boston!! He had a good day and finished strong. Jennifer PRed by 2 hours, weight loss and hard training can make a huge difference in your performance. Both Dennis and Jennifer use Isagenix www.isamovie.com and it shows in their performance and recovery. Now it is onto bigger and more challenging events, they are stepping out of their comfort zone. They both are signed up, along with Paula and I, for The Race Across the Sands http://geminiadventures.com/DesertRATS.html . I will keep you updated on their progress.

I stayed with my friend from the Marine Corps, it was great to catch up and get reacquainted. That is for another time and venue.

Kandice showed me strength I haven't seen in a long time. My daughter is a strong women, she has had to deal with a lot of obstacles in her life. Having me as a father was tough for many reasons. Most recently her battle with my granddaughter Megan's cancer put her and her whole family through tough times and uncertainty. They endured and overcame as a family. As a parent you can't quit, you have to be strong. She did what she was suppose to to, though some parents have folded in these circumstances. Most don't! What she went through during the marathon was by choice and she never gave up.

We actually had discussed the scenario of my calf hurting and her going on. We agreed that she needed to give her best performance and I take the day as it comes. Things went OK for me, just a little pain towards the end, nothing to speak of. We started the run nice and easy and fell into a 5 hour pace. Her first marathon was over 6 hours so this would be a great accomplishment for her. The mileage clicked away smoothly until about mile 10 and she started to have a little pain in her knee. She had been struggling with IT band pain and had done all the things she should have to alleviate the problem and thought it was behind her. She stopped and stretched and the pain eased. We continued on at a good pace and were still on track for a 5 hour finish until mile 14. The walk breaks became more frequent and the pain in her face told the story. She was having a hard day and the pain keep getting worse. What to do? As a trainer I would have her continue until it was unbearable, as a dad I hated to see her in pain and wanted her to stop. We did a walk/run until mile 22 then it became obvious that she needed to stop! We were walking and walking very slow, each step was horrible. She was crying off and on. At this point I couldn't stand it anymore, I told her she need to call it a day and stop. She wouldn't hear of it!! She said there was no way she would quit this close to the finish. For those of you who have had problems during a marathon know that mile 22 isn't really close, especially when you are walking in pain.

We carried on and I did what I could for her. I got some tape from a paramedic and did an IT band tape job to mask the pain. I always try to make jokes and lighten things up when people are having problems during these things and so that's what I did. It helped a little, at one point I apologized and explained I was just trying to help. She just laughed and told me that Paula had been the same way, laughing and smiling, and that there had to be something wrong with both of us:) Her spirits seemed to pick up at mile 25, of course they did. We ran in the last half mile giving her a 5 minute PR. Not what she wanted but improvement all the same.

It was a very tough day and she should have stopped. I'm glad she didn't and so is she. She never gave up and showed a strength that we rarely see. Especially in her generation, sorry most people under 40 have a lot of "quit" in them. Not all and I know a lot of you don't like to hear that but the facts speak for themselves. Kandice is a strong and determined young women, there is nothing she can't do when she puts her mind to it. She is a great example to her kids and anyone she knows. The last 4 miles of that marathon I was bursting with pride to know that she was my daughter. It was an honor to go through her struggle with her. I know it is just a marathon but that is precisely the point. In the big picture it is meaningless but it was important to her and she REFUSED to quit. You got to love that!!

I will be giving a detailed Vibram up date in my next entry. As well as my suggestions for incorporating them into your training.

Never Stop Running!

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

Carlsbad, Kandice and client's

2010-01-21T18:01:00.000-06:00

Off to Carlsbad to spend time with friends and run a marathon with my daughter, Kandice. It has been a few years since I have ran this marathon but it remains my favorite. The Carlsbad Marathon www.carsbadmarathon.com was my first, it was called the San Diego Marathon back when I did it for the first time in 1998. I did it 8 years in a row and then took a break for business reasons. I was coaching for Team In Training and it fell in the same time frame as the Phoenix Rock N Roll. So it has been 5 years since I have been able to go back.

The course is great, mostly coastal with rolling hills. It is well supported with entertainment about every 5 miles, I am anxious to see if it has changed much. The expo was big enough but not overwhelming. really looking forward to it!!

I also have 2 clients running there this weekend, both are good runners and I am expecting PRs from them. I couldn't ask for better clients, they actually do what I tell them and oddly enough they achieve their goals:) It's like I always tell people I can help you if you want to be helped. You will succeed if you do what I ask and of course that includes nutrition as well as training. 80% of your performance is dependant on your nutrition so if you are expecting great performance then you better be taking in great nutrition. Back to my clients, Dennis and Jennifer, this will be their second marathon so they do have perceived goals. Jennifer is looking to get in to the 4 1/2 hour time frame, on a perfect day I'm guessing about 4:20. Through the course of her training she has lost about 25 pounds and become a monster on the hills, she will do great. Dennis is a slightly different story, he is 61yrs old and trying to qualify for Boston. He ran his first marathon in Phoenix and missed qualifying by a few minutes. That was with no direction just putting his training together on his own, with a little guidance he will do great. I of course won't be able to take credit for his success as he is a gifted athlete and just needed a push in the right direction. I will let you know how they both do.

This will be Kandice's second marathon, she did her first last September with my wife Paula. Her step mom. I was supposed to run it with her but I cracked a couple of ribs and bruised my kidney so I was unable to run it with her. She did a great job for her first marathon, her time was of course slower than what she wanted. The heat and humidity that day just beat her up, she won't have that problem this weekend. For those of you who have run marathons you know that once you have experienced it the struggle is no surprise. So she is well trained and knows what to expect. She will also do great and it will be fun to run with her.

Now to me, as mentioned earlier I am having problems with my left calf. I have rested it, no running in over a week and before that I didn't run more than 3 miles. That is it since my marathon on December 27. So it has been a month since a long run. I'm not worried about my conditioning really I have incorporated swimming and yoga to maintain my fitness level I am however worried about my calf. The pain has been too much to run on, hence the swimming and yoga:) I have done all I can do so we will just have to see how things go. Not the end of the world just a bump in the road. I will be running in my Flippers!

Never Stop Running!!

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

Calf Injury and the Barefoot/Running shoe Conspiracy

2010-01-14T16:34:00.000-06:00

Not much to report in regards to running or Vibrams. I am taking it easy trying to let my OTHER calf heal before my marathon on the 24th. After my marathon Dec 27th my left calf started giving me a little trouble. I'm sure it was from overcompensation of the right calf during the marathon. So it has been achy since but it really hurt after I did a hard 4 miles last Sunday. Then I started to run on Monday and experienced a sharp pain in the left calf. So I have been doing yoga, icing, Ibuprofen, and using the Stick http://www.thestick.net/ a couple of times a day.

With the Carlsbad marathon less than 10 days away I am a tad concerned. I know I can do the marathon but want a enjoyable experience. I will be running with my daughter Kandice and my goal is to get her in around 5 and half hours. It shouldn't be a problem. I just didn't want to work too hard and enjoy the day.:) I will again use the compression sleeves for my calves, just to be safe. I know since I have been running barefoot and in my Flippers my calves have taken a beating. Most people would attribute the injuries to this, but that's not a fair assessment. I started running barefoot the first of October then went to the Vibrams mid October. So in the course of less than 12 weeks I changed my running form switch my footwear and did a marathon. I would NEVER have anyone else do that. You need to make these changes gradually over at least a 6 month period. So the cause of my injury isn't the Vibrams or barefoot running it is too much to fast. Which is generally the cause of all running related injuries. The calf injury is really related to the Achilles tendon and the beating it has taken doing all of this so quickly. Then it worked it's way up and settled in my calf. I could get all technical on you and use words like soleus and gastrocnemius but I won't. The meat of my calf hurts like hell. That is technical language:)

So NO I don't attribute this to my new style of running or footwear. I still love the Vibrams and will continue to run in them. I am torn about off-road though. I have a couple of trail runs coming up and haven't had a chance to get use to the KSO Trek. If the weather clears and I can get enough mileage in them I will consider it. The problem is the main event, 3 days of Syllamo http://www.syllamo.org/3days/ ,has already kicked my ass once so I don't want to leave anything to chance. I'm thinking of doing trail run at the end of February to test them out but if it doesn't feel right I will wear trail shoes to be sure. I can still keep the same running style because all I have really done is switch to the Chi Running technique http://www.chirunning.com/shop/home.php . Which you can do in shoes as well.

I want to comment on a recent article by Chris Mcdougall http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/6968891/Why-expensive-trainers-could-be-worse-than-useless.html not that he would care what I thought:) There has been a consistent debate in the running world about running shoes VS barefoot running and or Vibrams. Mcdougall bashes the shoe companies and bills them as corporate villains. I can't even begin to go in that direction. I love to run barefoot though I am new at it and I love running in my Vibrams. I think the shoe companies provide a service the same as any other business. I wrote about the Global Warming analogy and how I think it is comparable to the Barefoot craze. Check it out it you have time I posted it November 3 2009. I thought it was some of my best stuff, others did not:) You be the judge! The bottom line do what YOU want run in shoes run barefoot hell run naked for all I care just run and have fun!!

Never Stop Running!

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl

KSO Trek Snow run

2010-01-07T18:09:00.000-06:00

Took the KSO Trek http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_kso_trek_m.cfm out for a little snow run yesterday. I could tell a big difference in the sole as opposed to the KSO http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_KSO_m.cfm it held traction way better than the regular KSO. The sole, if you want to call it that, IS more aggressive than the other Vibrams. It was also a little warmer, which is attributed to the Kangaroo upper. Not only is the upper soft and comfortable it is a little more protection from the elements.

The run was only 3 miles but it was fun. I ran in a local small community and the roads were covered with snow and ice. It was 18 degrees and the snow was coming down pretty good, not quit a blizzard but was windy. My pace was a steady 10 min mile. My relative speed has come back since I started running barefoot and in Vibrams. My feet were cold at first but were comfortable as my body warmed up. The body is amazing!! We really can adapt to just about anything, sometimes slowly, but we can.

I still find it hard to believe that I am running comfortably in these temps. The fact that I ran a marathon in 20 degree weather is amazing to me. Now some of you hard core runners out there may laugh at this but it was just 2 short years ago that if dropped below 30 degrees I would be on the treadmill. So it is huge to me. I know everything is relative:)

I finished the run strong and ready to get warm. I could have ran longer but just wanted to give the Treks a short test. I will take then out on the trails for some good distance after the Carlsbad marathon.

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

New KSO Trek and Nutrition tips

2010-01-05T08:25:00.000-06:00

Well because I have a tendency for waiting until the last minute I missed out on the second marathon in Cali. It is full! So I will just do a couple of coastal runs the days before the Carlsbad marathon. Never a negative always a positive!! I save money and run my own course. I have enough Ts and medals anyway. Though I am a medal junkie:)

The weather has been worse the last week so not much to report. I have ran a few miles every other day, none Barefoot. I do continue to run in my flippers. I actually ran on the treadmill for the first time in two years. Thought it would be weird with the flippers but it felt completely natural.

I have ran a couple of times in my NEW KSO Treks. http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_kso_trek_m.cfm I love the kangaroo upper and how it feels soft against my foot. Very comfortable! No rubbing like I felt in the original KSOs. I have only ran short distances in them but will keep you updated as I increase the mileage and try them off-road. I will take them to Cali and try to run on the beautiful coastal trails. Really looking forward to the warm weather and running Carlsbad for the first time in a few years. It was my first and I ran it for 8 years in a row.

Really honing in my nutrition theses last few weeks before the marathon. Living off of Isagenix http://koachkarl.isagenix.com/us/en/home.dhtml along with organic fruits and veggies. Of course lots of water, about a gallon a day. I can't stress enough the importance of nutrition in general but especially when doing endurance training. Basics: Lean meats, fish and poultry along with an abundant amounts of fresh fruits and veggies. And plenty of water, a good rule of thumb for water is half your body weight in ounces. If you way 150 pounds you should be drinking 75 ounces of water. NOT coffee, tea, soda..... WATER!

Never Stop Running!!

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

Marathon in the Vibrams!

2009-12-29T09:22:00.000-06:00

This past Sunday I ran my first marathon in my flippers (Vibrams), this was marathon 62 but first in my flippers. It was a difficult day. The event was in Springfield, MO, which is where my oldest daughter lives, so I went down the night before to spend sometime with her and my grandchildren. The race started at 230pm but they had an early start for us slow people at 1pm. Normally I wouldn't do the early start, I am slow but can get in under most cut off times. I was a little concerned about the "unknown", running a marathon in my flippers for the first time. So I contacted the race director and requested an early start.

We started at about 115pm, it was a very relaxed atmosphere which is one of the many things I love about small events like this one. The course was a 3.3...... something loop in a residential area that also went through a very nice park. It wasn't a closed course but traffic was very light and the drivers were accommodating. It was 8 times around for the marathon so off we went. One of my concerns was the weather, it was 24 degrees at the start, and since it was an afternoon start I knew the temps would drop. Which they did, it was 16 degrees when I finished. The cold has really become a non-issue but since I have been running barefoot and in the Vibrams it has become a concern again. I knew running a marathon in this kind of weather would be OK as long as I dressed for it. My flippers are the Vibram KSOs http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_KSO_m.cfm and they don't offer any protection from the cold. The Vibram Flow http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_Flow_m.cfm are for colder temps, unfortunately I wasn't able to get a pair before this run. The Vibrams are hard to get these days. So as I was saying I was concerned about my feet in these temps, I had run a few miles in the teens but never any long distance. My 20 mile run was a comfortable 38 degrees, everything's is relative isn't it? To add to the cold feet concern I had injured my calf the a week before on my last long run for this event. I had ventured out to run an easy 12 miles a week before the marathon and tweaked my right calf. I stopped my run at 5 miles and called my wife to pick me up. It was smarter to stop and cause less damage to the calf. I did all the right things to help the healing process, yoga, massage, chiropractor... and of course proper nutrition to insure muscle recovery. But it was only a week, I didn't run all week so it was untested.

The first lap went well, my feet were cold at first but warmed up and didn't think about them until the final 2 laps. That is only 6 plus miles so the cold feet turned out to be inconsequential. My calf on the other hand flared up at about 4 miles. I got a SHARP shot of pain right in the center of my calf. I walked a minute or two and it went away for awhile. That is how the rest of the day went, I would get a sharp pain and walk a couple of minutes, then start up again. I had even purchased a pair of compression sleeves for my calves, which seemed to help. I am guessing it could have been worse.

As I was finishing my second lap it was about time for the the official start. My daughter, Kandice, was running the half marathon so I went through the small crowd and waited for her about a block up the street. We ran together for her entire race. It was great getting to run with her and she did a PR (personal record) for her half marathon. After finishing her half and my sixth lap I was pretty motivated. She had improved her time and I only had TWO laps to go.

By this time it was getting dark and the temps were dropping even more. So my feet were getting cold. I was too close to finishing and too excited for Kandice to give it much thought. So I cruised through the final two laps. The best thing about this race was a surprise. I was finishing in the dark and it was December 27th in a residential area. CHRISTMAS LIGHTS!! It was a wonderfully beautiful surprise!! What a GREAT finish!!

To sum up, a great low key race in a nice neighborhood. Vibrams performed as expected, excellent!! All things considered it was a great day/night and I love my FLIPPERS!!

OH!! I finally got another pair of the Vibrams, theses are the KSO Trek http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_kso_trek_m.cfm this is their off-road version so I will let you know how they workout.

All for now

Never Stop Running!!

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

COLD!!!

2009-12-17T16:49:00.000-06:00

My last entry talked about the weather and testing my "flippers"(Vibrams), which have been my main foot wear for running the past two months. I do love the my flippers, they have continued to be great protection for my minimalist or barefoot experience. There has been difficulty in getting a hold of a pair of these, there popularity has surprised even Vibram. I have yet to find a pair of the winter version, the Flow. Which brings me back to the cold weather.

It has been brutally cold here in the KC area with snow and freezing cold temps at single digits as well as below zero wind chill. I didn't venture out to run barefoot in these conditions. I did however get out there right when it started. It was freezing rain and the temps were dropping fast. As I made it to the football field the temps had just dropped in to the 20s and the rain was coming down. I told myself I would run 1-2 miles just to test myself. About one minute in to it the rain turned to hail, I couldn't help but laugh. The laughter did not last though as my feet started to burn with every step I took. I did run faster than usual with an 8 minute mile, which is FLYING for me. ONE mile is all I did, it will take awhile to get use to the cold on my feet. I was also doing a cold weather conditioning run, wearing shorts and a tank. I only had problems with my feet so I know since I have conditioned the rest of my body to the cold, I can do the same with my feet.

I have run over 140 miles in my "flippers" so far and they feel the same as the first day I put them on. No significant wear and still loving them! Just a little over 50 miles on the barefeet. no sign of wear and still loving them.:) At this point I can't imagine going back to "regular" running shoes, never say never. I like running barefoot, though in this weather it is tough and I am trying to deal. I will use my flippers during the cold weather and slowly condition my barefeet to the cold. I got in a barefoot run today of 6 miles, we had a heat wave of 40 degrees. It felt great but since I have only been running 1-2 miles barefoot the 6 miles made me sore.

I have a marathon the Sunday after Christmas http://s122036257.onlinehome.us/images/race_apps/runfortheranch/runfortheranch_main.htm , this will be the flipper try out:) Then it is off to Cali for the Carlsbad marathon www.carlsbadmarathon.com . That is January 24th, I found a small marathon http://www.diamondvalleylakemarathon.com/default.htm right around the corner from Carlsbad January 23rd. I think I will try to squeeze as much out of the trip as possible and it will be good training for 3 days of Syllamo http://www.syllamo.org/3days/. This is a great event and for those of you have been following me know it KICKED MY BUTT last year, so I need to revisit it and find peace.

That's it for today

NEVER GIVE UP!!
Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

Vibrams and cold barefooting

2009-12-04T20:31:00.000-06:00

It has been a while since my last update, the days just got away from me. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

I have made good progress with the barefoot running over the last 2 weeks. We had a fairly warm day right after my last entry so I took advantage of it an ran 10 miles barefoot. It was a big jump from 6 but I couldn't help my self it was such a beautiful day. It went rather well, I ran on the paved trail and had no problem until about mile 8. My feet got a little sore and I kept thinking I was cut and bleeding. I kept checking my feet the last 2 miles but they looked fine, the pain was bearable so I ran on. The last 2 miles were tough and I thought about stopping but once I crossed the 8 mile barrier I couldn't stop until 10. Just a mental block that I have, I don't care for odd numbers, I like to finish on an even number. Especially if it is a milestone, which this was.

All things considered it went quite well. I was also doing a Cleanse day http://koachkarl.isagenix.com/us/en/isavideos_cleansed.dhtml if you don't know what that means check it out. In short it is a nutritional fast using Isagenix Cleanse, so I had no calories in me. I was running on reserves:) I strongly recommend this, it is great for your body and well being. My feet were a little sore the next day, though less than I expected. My body once again felt it but I am getting better conditioned to barefoot running. It is truly a different feel and you work more muscles in your lower body.

The Vibrams have really been a great addition to my training, they have helped me run in the cooler temps and still get the feel of barefoot running. For a full review http://www.basilandspice.com/fitness/5-6-week-20-mile-marathon-review-vibram-five-fingers.html. I have actually been doing most of my running in them, only about 20% of my running is barefoot. I haven't worn "normal" running shoes since November 6, I had slowly phased them out starting in October. I don't foresee wearing them again for the road. I might use trail shoes for off-road, undecided right now. I did do 20 miles in the Vibrams the other day and I felt great. Of course I was sore, but I did all the right things and was good as new the next day. The right things: Ice bath for 20 minutes, my Isagenix recovery shake immediately after my run and another before bed. I plan on running my first marathon in the Vibrams December 27 http://s122036257.onlinehome.us/images/race_apps/runfortheranch/runfortheranch_main.htm . Then I will run the Carlsbad marathon in January www.carlsbadmarathon.com a great two months.

I did cold weather training for the first time today, Dec 4, by that I mean wearing very little to adapt to the cold. It was 29 degrees so I went out for a short 2 miles wearing shorts, short sleeve T, hat and light gloves. I was barefoot and ran in the grass, not too bad. I conquered the cold last year http://www.koachkarl.com/files/IsItReallyColdOutsidepdf.pdf and want to continue that conditioning this year as well. By doing it I realize I can run in shorts and T in just about any weather. This year I will have to get my feet use to it as well.:)

That's it for now

NEVER STOP RUNNING!

Choose to Succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

Barefoot and weather :)

2009-11-19T14:16:00.000-06:00

All the research I have done on the subject of Barefoot running tells me that I am trying too much too soon. Not surprising!:) I haven't really had any ill effects aside from muscle soreness, which is common anytime you try something new. I think my nutrition is the key to my success in that department. I will get to that in a moment though, I want to tell you about the inclement weather runs I have encountered.

The temps have dipped down a little here in the Kansas City area, nothing dramatic considering it is mid November. It has been cold and wet with temps ranging from 34 - 45 degrees, all things considered not too bad. The big difference is the rain when it is in the 30s can be a little cold on the feet. I have NO trouble running in the freezing temps in normal shoes but barefoot is a game changer and we haven't even hit freezing yet:):) I did a 6 mile course, that is nothing but hills, earlier this week but it wasn't the course it was the weather. It was rainy and about 38 degrees, I was wearing my Vibrams so I did have a little protection. That being said, they offer no protection from the rain. My feet were wet and cold after the first mile. Don't get me wrong it was tolerable just a little too cold. By the time I was finished my toes were numb and I had forgotten about it during the run. Vibrams do make a Five Finger for the cold which I will invest in soon. Yesterday it snowed and was my day to run barefoot without protection from the Vibrams. By the time I ran it was just slush and cold no real snow left. I took off running on the sidewalk the temp was about 35 degrees. I hate to admit it but I wimped out, I made it about a quarter of a mile. The combination of the cold and wet against my bare feet pounding against the concrete was too much. I got back in my truck and called myself a few different names I can't say here. What a pansy!! After about 5 minutes I decided to go to the local track and try the football field. WHAT a difference!! It was still cold but was a lot softer. I ran about a mile to start conditioning my feet to cold. I will do this over the next few weeks before I venture out on to the concrete again. It was a learning experience but the obvious discovery of the football field was incredible. I go back to my earlier recommendations to start out on the grass and build up to the streets.

Now to nutrition and my recovery ability. Most of you know that I eat about 90% organic as well as incorporating Isagenix Nutritional System. I have been using Isagenix for the last year, I have been involved in athletics and training people since 1982 and I have used just about every legit nutritional product out there. I have never used anything like Isagenix before, the quality and purity are unsurpassed by anything out there. The main thing is that my recovery has been incredible and I have made improvements in my strength and speed as well as decreased body fat at the age of 48. The results speak for themselves!! You can find my daily nutritional regime as well as the endurance foods I use here http://www.koachkarl.com/Nutrition.html

I will be doing a long run in the Vibrams next week, so stay tuned for a full review of this interesting product.

Choose to succeed
Koach Karl
http://www.koachkarl.com/

Vibrams

2009-11-16T10:09:00.000-06:00

Well I am about 6 weeks in to the barefoot experience, it has been interesting. My longest run so far is 6 miles. After incorporating the Vibrams I haven't ran in shoes for the past 10 days. I will give a full review on the Vibrams later as I want to run a 20 miler in them first. I have to build up to that. The longest in the Vibrams is 13 miles.

I have really enjoyed running barefoot and feel it is making a difference in my leg strength. My calves feel like they are busting out of my skin. I am stretching a lot more because of the soreness attributed to the barefoot and Vibrams running. I am being fairly aggressive with this as I am planning to run the Carlsbad marathon Jan 24 either barefoot or wearing the Vibrams. Yes my feet are sore from time to time but nothing serious. I am concerned how I will handle the colder weather which will eventually include snow:) Fortunately I conquered the the cold last winter http://www.koachkarl.com/files/IsItReallyColdOutsidepdf.pdf check it out.

So far I really can't say anything negative about barefoot running. Since I have never experienced a running related injury I can't say it has help with that. I will say it seems natural and more efficient. I do think it is the way were meant to run. The real test is yet to come, as I am an ultra runner, I want to do at least a 50k soon. I will keep you updated.

For strength training I am doing push up and a variation of pull up after each run. For pull up, if I can't find anything else, I put my tailgate down on my truck and lay horizontal under it and basically do reverse rows. You can always find a way to workout, just be creative. You don't need a gym

Later

Choose to Succeed

Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/

The Real Carbon Foot Print: Barefoot running and Global Warming

2009-11-03T09:05:00.000-06:00

In the last few years there has been an increased interest in barefoot running, which is understandable because it is intriguing. I know when I first started doing marathons and I saw some guy running barefoot I just could not understand. I had just started and a marathon, which was hard enough with shoes, but barefoot? That was over ten years ago. Earlier this year, I, like thousands of other people, read a book called Born to Run by Chris McDougal. Not only was it a great book about running, but it peaked my interest about barefooting. I do not want to rewrite my review, so just read it when you have time. Since reading that book I have researched barefoot running, pros and cons, and have come to a few of my own conclusions. Of course I'm sure your wondering about the title of this. I will get to that, just be patient.

Now the first running boom hit in the 70s and that is the decade that brought us the cushioned running shoe. If you Google barefoot running you will get a plethora of info, mostly positive, along with a few conspiracy theories. A few people accuse the shoe companies of creating a need for their shoes, when there was not one, through junk science, Are you starting to get the global warming connection? After the running and shoe boom of the 70s people started to get all types of injuries, of course blamed on running. But the last decade or so, and particularly the last few years, the blame has been on the shoes not running. There are studies for both sides of this argument. Now a lot of people blame the EVIL shoe companies who continue to make millions off of the ignorance of the public with a product the public does not need. Or do they? I encourage you to do your own research and decide for yourself. Of course, I will give you my opinion, so read on.

Barefoot or shoes? Shoes are there to protect our feet and control our foot strike. But we had been barefoot for thousands of years or at least wearing a minimalist sandal. How did we survive all that time without a cushioned shoe? From the modern shoe we have protection, as well as the variety of shoes for different foot types. Motion control, stability and neutral cushioning shoes meet a wide range of needs. There are variations of each one but the sole purpose, no pun intended, is to protect the feet and control foot strike. All good intentions but is there really a need? That is the big question! Do we really need shoes? Of course our first instinct is to say YES. What kind of idiot does not wear shoes to run? We need the protection. Don't we? We need the guidance control system, the cushioning, the air, the gel... don't we? Some people say NO!

There are hundreds of people, maybe thousands, that run barefoot. Their thinking, along with some doctors and scientists, is that the foot and body were designed to run. Throughout history man has been a hunter-gatherer. Not just running, long distance running. Ancient man would wear out his prey by stalking it for miles. Most animals are fast for short distances but wear out over long distances. As we evolved into modern man we have so many conveniences that we do not have to hunt for our food and have not had to for decades.

This brings me to Global Warming. It was the 70s when "scientists," including our current "Climate Czar," told us that by 1990 we would be frozen over in an "ice age." Shortly after the "ice age" scare it was "global warming." This continued until this past year when all of the data showed that the earth was actually cooling. Now we call it "climate change," a nice catchall. Now remember these are some of the same people that predict the weather, and how many times have they been wrong? Through all of these name changes the root of all this evil has been big oil and of course the human race. Now we have companies making millions off of "climate change". Al Gore is, by selling carbon credits to offset their carbon footprint (which by the way is complete junk science). Al Gore makes Bernie Madoff look like a shoplifter. I will get back to this and my take on our environment later.

My conclusion, after much research and a little practical application, on barefoot running is that it could have benefits. The research shows significant improvement in overcoming injuries when incorporating barefoot running. There are people who do not buy into this theory at all. Like I said both sides have good arguments. From a logical approach I think the barefoot advocates put forth a better case. That is my opinion, and there are a lot of people who agree with me and a lot who disagree. My point is that it is not for everyone. I do think it is beneficial and can improve your running overall. I also think this is an individual decision and people should do what they want. This is a free country. If people want to run in shoes, I'm all for that. Being a capitalist I am all for the shoe companies making millions from their contribution to the running community. I will continue my experiment of barefoot running and see where it takes me. I have not thrown away my shoes yet.

My Global Warming conclusion is that no one really knows if we are going to turn into a giant ice cube or explode from overheating. We will continue on as God intended. I do think the "Climate Change" alarmists have an agenda and people like Al Gore are making a fortune using scare tactics. Carbon credits? What is that? No one can give a concrete answer or evidence of what "they" are. Yet people buy them to feel warm and fuzzy. I am OK with that as well; it is a free country. As for me, I will continue to drive my Ford F-150; it is my money and my decision. If you want to drive a hybrid, that is great. I would never try to make anyone buy something they do not want or need. I will NEVER let anyone make those choices for me. Personally, I think it is arrogant to think we could alter the direction of the climate. I do think we should be good stewards, but as stated in the Bible, the earth and all that is on or in it is for man to use.

Choose to Succeed

Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/

Barefoot Experience

2009-10-31T21:00:00.001-05:00

I started running barefoot sporadically this summer, just a quarter to a half mile at a time. It felt different but in a good way. I started incorporating it in to my training the month of Oct. I started with 1.5 miles and increased about 1 mile per week. I am running at least twice per week barefoot, I do it usually after my normal mileage. The last week of Oct I ran 3 times barefoot which consisted of 40% of my weekly mileage. My longest run as of Oct 30 has been 5 miles. I started running on black top trails at local parks. The softest being Macken Park in North Town KC, MO, a little too soft actually. When I went to the sidewalk it was a little more difficult.

I must inform you that this Barefoot running is a surprise to me. I have had pansy feet my whole life. I would have shoes on in the summer as a kid, when all of my friends were barefoot. It wasn't until I researched and realized that it could possibly be beneficial to run and be barefoot more often. The research proved to me that it was at least worth a try. So the journey will continue. Your thoughts, incites and questions are encouraged.

Choose to Succeed

Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/

barefoot

2009-10-30T09:07:00.000-05:00

For the past year I have researched barefoot running. The last month I have incorporated it in to my training and plan to share my experiences with you. So far it has been very interesting and relatively pain free. My longest run to date is 4 miles. I recently ordered Vibram five fingers to get me through the winter. They are a barefoot alternative, I will let you know how they feel and compare to barefoot running. Check them out http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/.

Choose to Succeed

Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/

Welcome

2009-10-29T20:06:00.001-05:00

Welcome to K2 Ultrarunning!

I will share my training successes and frustrations as well as my many experiments. I will also cover nutrition as it is crazy to do all of this training and not fuel the body properly. If there is anything you are specifically interested in me covering let me know.

Thanks for joining me.

Choose to Succeed

Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/