Swim Tips for the 30th Annual 2010 Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon
May 3, 2010
Filed under Swimming Videos
A number of swim tips and tricks for quickly and safely navigating the 30th Annual 2010 Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon swim in the Bay. Hosted and narrated by Eric Gilesnan of the Escape Academy, visit www.escapefromalcatraztriathlon.com
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Nike Women’s Marathon 2009 San Francisco (Part 1 of 4)
October 23, 2009
Filed under Running Videos
2009 Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco. Part 2: www.youtube.com Part 3: www.youtube.com Part 4: www.youtube.com
Marathoners: Are You Hitting The Wall?
August 21, 2009
Filed under Cross Training, Running
When a hobby turns into an obsession, the body–and mind–can give out.
In 1992, then marketing director Dean Karnazes set off on a midnight run from San Francisco. It was an impulsive decision that Karnazes admits was fueled by drunkenness. But once he experienced the initial rush of long-distance running–he covered 30 miles that night–Karnazes couldn't quit. What then started as a weekend hobby quickly became a life-changing passion–maybe even an addiction.
Karnazes, now 45, is one of the world's most accomplished endurance athletes. He has completed 50 marathons in 50 days, raced 135 miles across Death Valley and mountain biked for 24 consecutive hours. Surprisingly, the one thing he hasn't experienced is burnout.
"I've trained with guys who are much superior athletes to me, and they've burned out over the years," Karnazes says. "The thing that's kept me so passionate about what I do is that I enjoy competing against myself more than anyone else."
It's an admirable ethos, one that surely resonates with anyone who has made the transition from casual exerciser to athlete. But burnout, a physiological and psychological response to overtraining, can rob a person of his or her athletic ability and, even worse, the drive to perform.
From Athlete to Burnout
It wasn't until recently that the average American began harboring athletic ambitions even approaching those of Karnazes. Mark Aoyagi, director of sport and performance psychology at the University of Denver, says that until the fitness craze of the 1980s, most Americans used their bodies at demanding factory or manufacturing jobs, not on the weekend–and certainly not for recreation.
But once scientists better understood the link between exercise and health, which had pop culture evangelists like Jane Fonda and Jack LaLanne, new fitness habits were born. It wasn't long before the feats of extreme athletes, who scaled impossible mountains and ran for hundreds of miles at a time, became interesting to Americans who had tired of 10-kilometer runs.
In 2007, according to the Web site MarathonGuide.com, an estimated 407,000 people finished a marathon, compared with 299,000 in 2000. New interest in endurance activities isn't unique to running. The Outdoor Industry Association, a trade group, conducted an online survey this year and noticed incremental growth in many adventure sports. Among the 41,500 respondents, for example, more than 7,800 backpacked overnight, an 18.5% increase from 2006. Trail running and mountain biking also saw similar increases.
To Rob BonDurant, vice president of marketing at the outdoors company Patagonia, these figures aren't surprising. The participants, he says, thrive on challenging physical and mental boundaries.
But try telling all this to someone experiencing the first stages of burnout. He or she feels listless and sapped of the motivation and physical will to perform. Technically, says Mark Aoyagi at the University of Denver, the condition is known as "depersonalization." It's the overwhelming sense that you're no longer in control.
The fatigue is commonly triggered by overexertion and coincides with an increasing resting heart rate, a sure sign that the body is struggling. The prolonged exhaustion that happens when the body stops adapting to a training regimen is known as "staleness." If this continues for too long, it becomes official burnout.
"Once burnout has set in, you're done," says Aoyagi. "People who do get burnout will never get back to the point they were [at] before."
Preventing Burnout
How can a hobby-turned-passion go so awry? Aoyagi says it's a matter of failing to heed the warning signs (fatigue, lack of motivation) early on. Burnout victims, he says, also tend to forget why they've pushed themselves so hard in the first place.
So how does someone like Dean Karnazes, who still racks up hundreds of miles some weeks, remain unaffected by burnout? Just by resting when he needs to. Even an endurance athlete of his ability simply skips training sessions when he's overly tired. "I try to listen to my body more than anything else," he says.
BonDurant says burnout can be avoided by goal-setting, particularly if that benchmark involves doing what seems impossible. The best remedy, he says, is being told no.
"Tell an endurance athlete that they can't achieve something," he says, "and they'll go out and prove you wrong."
America’s Most Scenic Marathons
August 16, 2009
Filed under Running
By Kristin Luna
Whether you’re a marathon newbie or veteran, why submit to the challenge in your own hometown when you can combine fitness and vacation for the adventure of a lifetime?
Most countries and US states boast at least one marathon of their own, giving runners a myriad of options should they choose to take the plunge. Read on to discover Travel Channel’s picks for North America’s most scenic runs.
Steamboat Marathon
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Snow-capped peaks and lush, green valleys surround runners as they make their descent from this marathon’s starting point high in the Rocky Mountains at historic Hahns Peak Village to the Routt County Courthouse in the resort town of Steamboat Springs far below. The route offers views of a myriad of mountain wildlife and a handful of working ranches and covers an overall drop of 1,400 feet along the 26.2-mile route. The rolling hills and high altitude will take their toll on runners, and participants should practice running in the mountains beforehand.
While most visitors know Steamboat Springs as a mecca for skiers, it also boasts plenty of summer activities. At nearby Strawberry Park, just 7 miles outside town, runners can unwind after the race by enjoying the therapeutic wonders of the park’s natural hot springs. If you’re a nature lover, take advantage of the area’s outdoor opportunities by swimming in Fish Creek Falls or tubing along the Yampa River. The historic downtown of Steamboat Springs is worth a gander; because it’s a ranching community, the streets are wide enough to accommodate a cattle drive.
Mayor’s Marathon
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage’s Mayor’s Marathon takes place the day after the summer solstice, when runners can revel in a solid 19 hours of daily sunlight. Much of the marathon course follows a dirt-packed road — meaning you’ll dodge rocks and boulders along the path — so racers should train with this in mind. The race begins along a bike path that winds around toward a golf course before beginning an 8-mile stretch through the serene wilderness. After a climb, the course heads back down toward the University of Alaska campus, where it connects onto a municipal trail through the heart of Anchorage and ends at a local high school near a lagoon. The race’s half-marathon follows a different route that passes through Earthquake Park. Wolves, bears, foxes and moose are common residents in the area, though many will scatter when they hear runners approach. In collaboration with the race, Logistics, L.L.C. offers participants and spectators half-, full- and multiday tours of Alaskan hot spots. Excursions include a nighttime Midnight Sun Glacier hike, fly-fishing, white-water rafting, glacier cruises, paragliding, horseback riding and flight-seeing. If you have a few days to spare, cruise through the Kenai Fjords, explore Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Reserve, or take the train up north to Denali.
Kona Marathon
Keauhou-Kona, Hawaii
Doubling as the site for one of the world’s most revered Ironman competitions, Kona offers runners the chance to race in paradise. The marathon commences at Keauhou Beach and follows the coast along Alii Drive — the primary road that runs parallel to the western beaches of the Big Island — before turning at Kuakini Highway, continuing on Queen Kaahumanu Highway, then looping around and covering the same course back. Along the way, runners will have clear views of Hawaii’s emerald waters, black-rock beaches and palm-fringed coastline. After your sweat has dried and you’ve removed your running shoes, spend a couple of days in quaint Kailua-Kona. You can snorkel at Kahaluu Beach (where you may just spot a sea turtle or 2), rent a kayak and paddle out to the Captain Cook monument south of town, and eventually make your way to Kilauea and Volcanoes National Park to witness glowing lava formations firsthand.
San Francisco Marathon
San Francisco, California
The hills will be the first of many challenges that await runners in one of America’s most beloved cities; keeping focus on the path ahead while passing through San Fran’s stunning scenery will be another. Beginning along the Embarcadero, the marathon course passes Pier 39 and runs down to Fisherman’s Wharf along San Francisco Bay. Admire the lavish townhouses in the yuppie Marina district, before passing through the Presidio en route to the Golden Gate Bridge. You’ll cross the iconic monument before looping around at Vista Point and coming back. Don’t forget to take a peek at the city’s remarkable skyline when making your way back over the bridge and downtown. Once you reach the Presidio, you’ll change directions and travel through the verdant Golden Gate Park. Upon leaving the park, the gritty Haight-Ashbury district comes next, followed by the Latino-inspired Mission. At the promenade of the AT&T Park, you’ll know you’re in the homestretch: The race finishes inside the Giants’ stadium. After crossing the finish line, spend a couple of days taking in the city’s sights — at a more leisurely pace this time — before making your way east to Yosemite or south along the scenic Pacific Coast Highway to one of many notable seaside towns like Monterey or Santa Barbara.
12 Secrets to Being The Perfect Human
August 14, 2009
Filed under Running
The Perfect Human
DEAN KARNAZES WAS SLOBBERING DRUNK. IT WAS HIS 30TH BIRTHDAY, and he’d started with beer and moved on to tequila shots at a bar near his home in San Francisco. Now, after midnight, an attractive young woman – not his wife – was hitting on him. This was not the life he’d imagined for himself. He was a corporate hack desperately running the rat race. The company had just bought him a new Lexus. He wanted to vomit. Karnazes resisted the urge and, instead, slipped out the bar’s back door and walked the few blocks to his house. On the back porch, he found an old pair of sneakers. He stripped down to his T-shirt and underwear, laced up the shoes, and started running. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
He sobered up in Daly City, about 15 miles south. It was nearly four in the morning. The air was cool, slightly damp from the fog, and Karnazes was in a residential neighborhood, burping tequila, with no pants on. He felt ridiculous, but it brought a smile to his face. He hadn’t had this much fun in a long time. So he decided to keep running.
When the sun came up, Karnazes was trotting south along Route 1, heading toward Santa Cruz. He had covered 30 miles. In the process, he’d had a blinding realization: There were untapped reservoirs within him. It was like a religious conversion. He had been born again as a long-distance runner. More than anything else now, he wanted to find out how far he could go. But at that exact moment, what he really needed to do was stop. He called his wife from a pay phone, and an hour later she found him in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven. He passed out in the car on the way home.
That was August 1992. Over the next 14 years, Karnazes challenged almost every known endurance running limit. He covered 350 miles without sleeping. (It took more than three days.) He ran the first and only marathon to the South Pole (finishing second), and a few months ago, at age 44, he completed 50 marathons in 50 consecutive days, one in each of the 50 states. (The last one was in New York City. After that, he decided to run home to San Francisco.) Karnazes’ transformation from a tequila-sodden party animal into an international symbol of human achievement is as educational as it is inspirational. Here’s his advice for pushing athletic performance from the unthinkable to the untouchable.
1. BE AUDACIOUS
Finding the right challenge is the first challenge. "Any goal worth achieving involves an element of risk," Karnazes says in his autobiography, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner. Risk, yes, and creativity too. For instance, looking for the ultimate endurance running challenge, in 1995 Karnazes entered a 199-mile relay race – by himself. He competed against eight teams of 12 and finished eighth.
2. GO LACELESS
One of the biggest annoyances in long-distance running is lace management. After banging out 50 miles, it can be hard to squat or even bend over long enough to tie your shoes. The North Face recently responded to Karnazes’ complaints and came out with the $130 M Endurus XCR Boa. Its laceless upper is enmeshed in thin steel cables that connect to a tension dial at the back. A simple turn cinches the shoe onto the foot. No more slowing down to fiddle with laces.
3. FLIRT WITH DISASTER
In 1995, Karnazes ran his first Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135-mile trek that starts in Death Valley, California, in the middle of summer and finishes at the Mt. Whitney Portals, 8,360 feet above sea level. After running 72 miles in 120-degree heat, Karnazes collapsed on the side of the road suffering from hallucinations, diarrhea, and nausea. He had pushed himself to the point of death to find out whether he was strong enough to survive. He was. Though he didn’t finish the race that year, Karnazes came back the next and placed 10th. He won it on his fifth attempt, in 2004. "Somewhere along the line, we seem to have confused comfort with happiness," he says.
4. EAT JUNK – LOTS OF IT
You wouldn’t believe the stuff Karnazes consumes on a run. He carries a cell phone and regularly orders an extra-large Hawaiian pizza. The delivery car waits for him at an intersection, and when he gets there he grabs the pie and rams the whole thing down his gullet on the go. The trick: Roll it up for easy scarfing. He’ll chase the pizza with cheesecake, cinnamon buns, chocolate éclairs, and all-natural cookies. The high-fat pig-out fuels Karnazes’ long jaunts, which can burn more than 9,000 calories a day. What he needs is massive amounts of energy, and fat contains roughly twice as many calories per gram as carbohydrates. Hence, pizza and éclairs. When he’s not in the midst of some record-breaking exploit, Karnazes maintains a monkish diet, eating grilled salmon five nights a week. He strictly avoids processed sugars and fried foods – no cookies or doughnuts. He even tries to steer clear of too much fruit because it contains a lot of sugar. He believes this approach – which nutritionists call a slow-carb diet – has reshaped him, lowering his body fat and building lean muscle. It also makes him look forward to running a race, because he can eat whatever he wants.
5. CUT BACK ON SLEEP
Karnazes has a wife and two kids, and he worked a 9-to-5 job for the first eight years of his quest to transcend his own limits. Finding four hours for a 30-mile run during the day was next to impossible. The solution: sleep less. "Forgoing sleep is the only way I’ve figured out how to fit it all in," he says, noting that running in the dark can be soothing. Plus, there’s less traffic to contend with. He now gets about four hours of shut-eye a night. Before he started running, however, he was just a regular guy who got a regular eight. As he started to run more, he found that he could sleep less. The National Sleep Foundation reports that exercise does lead to more restful sleep, and Karnazes takes this idea to the extreme. "The human body," he says, "is capable of extraordinary feats."
6. SHOW YOUR BODY WHO’S BOSS
"The human body has limitations," Karnazes says. "The human spirit is boundless." Your mind, in other words, is your most important muscle. As a running buddy told him: "Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention to arrive safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: Wow!! What a ride!"
7. GET A COOL WATCH
Karnazes wears a souped-up Timex that monitors his speed, distance, calories burned, and elevation, all of which is critical for deciding when to order the next pizza while in the midst of a 200-mile trek. Besides letting him order a pie on the run, his cell phone uses specialized GPS software to broadcast his location to the Internet for all to see. It’s fun to follow his icon rolling across the digital landscape, but it’s also useful when Karnazes disappears into the night. If he ever pushes himself too hard and collapses, his people can locate him. And fans would know something was wrong if his signal landed on top of a hospital icon.
8. LEARN TO LOVE KRAZY GLUE
If something goes wrong – and it inevitably will – it’s usually with Karnazes’ feet. In races and on training runs, he has battled giant, foot-devouring blisters. A surprisingly effective treatment: Krazy Glue. Pop the blister, slather the wound with the super-adhesive, and voilà – your foot is ready to take a beating again. The glue acts as a kind of indestructible second skin and has helped Karnazes finish competitions he wouldn’t have otherwise. (Officially, Krazy Glue recommends avoiding all contact with skin.)
9. GET USED TO IT
If you’re going to explore the boundaries of human endurance, you’ll have to learn to adapt to more and more pain. To prepare for the searing heat of the Badwater race, Karnazes went on 30-mile jogs wearing a ski parka over a wool sweater. He trained himself to urinate while running. He got so he could go out and run a marathon on any given day – no mileage buildup or tapering required. This training made the extreme seem ordinary and made the impossible seem the next logical step. Eventually, when he grew accustomed to the pain, it stopped hurting. "There is magic in misery," he says.
10. PROMOTE THE HELL OUT OF YOURSELF
Before he became Superman, Karnazes was the Clark Kent of the PR world: a humdrum marketing executive at a pharmaceutical company. But in the past three years, he’s published a memoir, nabbed a sponsorship from the North Face, appeared on Late Show With David Letterman, and gotten himself on the cover of a handful of magazines. The book and the North Face contract generate enough money to support his family, and the high profile translates into maximum motivation: Failure is scarier when the family income is on the line.
11. BREAK IT DOWN
Fifty-six miles into his first Western States Endurance Run – one of the oldest 100-mile races in the country – Karnazes found himself alone entering a canyon at twilight. It was tough going – the trek boasts a total elevation change of 38,000 feet. With 44 miles to go, his spirit was flagging, but he found a way to make it seem conquerable: He remembered the next checkpoint would leave only a marathon and two 10Ks left to go. He knew he could run each leg, and that helped him achieve the whole.
12. AVOID KRYPTONITE
Forget tequila. Karnazes has given up hard drinking. His big vice these days: chocolate-covered espresso beans.
10 Running Rules to Remember
July 14, 2009
Filed under Running
Yishane Lee
Runner’s World
1. Do Your Own Thing
Whether you’re running or racing, go your own pace, in your own space. "It gets on my nerves when people sprint ahead, then stop and walk in front of me," says a high school harrier who goes by Sonic Runner online. "When you catch back up to them, they start sprinting." Conversely, ask before you match strides. A "partner" joined Tricia Lee of Flushing, New York, for the entire length of her very first race. "He kept bumping into me—for 13.1 miles."
What annoys me? Guys that can’t handle being beat by girls and try to sprint by me at the end!" —Kelsey Scheitlin Tallahassee, Florida
2. Know Your Place
With 10.5 million people in races in 2007, starting lines get crowded, especially when ambitious (or impatient) runners and walkers start too far in front. "At the Disney marathon, there were some walkers four or five abreast, holding balloons and singing," says Stephan Pinchac of Jackson, New Jersey. "It was exhausting to get around them." If you find yourself slowing down, pull over to one side to let faster runners pass by.
3. Keep it Down
Sure, chatting helps pass the miles, but not everyone wants to eavesdrop. "I had to listen to three ladies discuss their bathroom schedules, and the impact of calcium on their you-know-what," says Margaret Vento-Wilson of Long Beach, California. Other irritants: too-loud iPods, slapping footfalls, jangling keys, and beeping heart-rate monitors. "I ran a 5K next to a guy who kept screaming, ‘Hell, hell, hell,’" says Tom McKlin of Decatur, Georgia. "It was hell!"
4. Leash Your Best Friend
Bringing your pooch to road races is discouraged by most race directors, but many of your fellow competitors won’t mind too much, as long as you keep your four-legged friend close. "At a crowded 8K last fall, a guy running with two dogs refused to tighten up their leashes, so they were constantly moving around and tripping people," says Gwyneth Shaw of Tucson. And no dog imitating, either, please. "A guy at the Lilac Bloomsday Run, in Spokane, Washington, barked like a dog for 7.46 miles," says John Hildebrand of Saint Regis, Montana.
5. Watch Your Step
There is a reason why aid stations are often on both sides of crowded race courses—so you don’t have to cut people off to get to them. "One year at the Lilac Bloomsday, a young runner crossed right in front of me to get to one of the tables, forcing me to come to a near-abrupt stop," says Rod Steadman of Spokane. "After a sip or two, he did it again!" Doing a run-walk plan? "Pull over to the side so you don’t hurt someone behind you," says Laresa McIntyre of Singer Island, Florida.
"To the guy at the Napa marathon who used his cell to let his friends know the view at mile 14 was great: Please hang up the phone!" —Ron Harvey Tracy, California
6. Aim Fluids Carefully
Yes, sometimes the fastest thing running is your nose. But please, focus on where you aim your snot rocket, or your spit. "One guy actually nailed me with a giant loogey during a training run on a path," says Wendy Shulik of Chicago. "I was behind him, unfortunately. I’ve also been splattered by spitters during many a race. So gross!" Also watch where you toss your half-finished cup of water. "I have never had blisters so huge, thanks to the butterfingers who poured a cupful down the back of my legs during the Miami Marathon," says Chris Sahs of Miami.
7. Don’t Stink
"I once got stuck on a treadmill next to a person who reeked of smoke," says C.J. Epperson. Unpleasant odors carry outdoors, too. It should go without saying, but wear clean clothes and limit your use of personal products. "I ran the Chicago Marathon next to a guy who had slathered on smelly menthol stuff," says Pat Agnello of Brook Park, Ohio. "Phew-ee!" Runners tend to be forgiving of bodily functions, but there’s a limit. "I ran behind a guy who smelled like he ate a ton of bean burritos and drank a gallon of green chile before the race," Joe McLennan of Denver says. "He stunk, bad."
8. Dress for Your Mom
Unless it’s part of the program, as with San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers, refrain from silly costumes and minimalist attire. "Some friends and I ran the ING Georgia Marathon in Atlanta last year, and if you were there, you’ll remember the guy who was wearing nothing but a canary-yellow Speedo," Tom McKlin of Decatur, Georgia says. "Mr. Banana Hammock was a little doughy, and once the sweat seeped through the Speedo…let’s just say that parents were covering their children’s eyes."
9. No Whining
"The ones who quit a quarter of the way through a race because they’re tired—or worse, not beating everyone else—now that’s infuriating!" says Coyla Coblentz of Geneva, Indiana. Lapsed runners who have quit running entirely because they think it has wrecked some aspect of their bodies—and remind you repeatedly it will happen to you, just you wait!—deserve special opprobrium. Michael Chertoff, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, notes that his boss warns him off running all the time. The president, he says, "consistently tells me that I’m going to ruin my knees and that I should start to bike. I tell him I’m going to run as long as I can."
"I hate it when people yell, ‘You’re nearly there!’ when there are still several miles to go. When there’s no finish line in sight, I’m not ‘nearly there’!" —Heather Shea Danbury, Connecticut
10. Just Run
"The most annoying runners are those who are sure their way is the only way—no headphones, no loud talking, no this, no that," says Susan Funk of Mystic, Connecticut. "Better to see more people out and exercising than defining who is doing it ‘right.’" Adds Cindy Cauzzort of Zephyrhills, Florida, "I don’t mind making room for someone faster or going around someone slower. After all, we are only in competition with ourselves. It’s not about winning—it’s about finishing what you start."
That Little Voice Inside Your Twinge
July 3, 2009
Filed under News
Turns out it’s not so obvious.
Deena Kastor, the American record holder for the marathon, interprets the advice selectively.
“Running isn’t always comfortable,” she said. “I remember running through a lot of discomfort and pain.”
And, Ms. Kastor added, she also runs when she does not feel like it.
“So many times the alarm goes off in the morning and you tell yourself you are too tired,” she said. “There are times when you are unmotivated, you don’t feel your best and most accomplished.”
But if you ignore those messages from your body and just go out and run or do your sport, she said, “those are the days when we have the most pride.”
“The trick in listening to your body is to know what you can run through,” she said. “If you have a sharp pain you should take care of it.”
So does listening to your body mean learning to understand the difference between a pain that signals a serious injury and one that can be ignored? And if it does, why do athletes like Ms. Kastor become seriously injured, anyway?
Last year she broke her foot three miles into the marathon at the Beijing Olympics. In that same race, Paula Radcliffe, who holds the world record in the women’s marathon, ran less than her best because her training was interrupted by a stress fracture that had set her back for months.
MAYBE the problem is that it is hard to understand what your body is saying.
“ ‘Listen to your body’ is always a tough one,” said Keith Hanson, a coach who directs the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project, which recruits talented distance runners and supports them while they train full time.
One of his runners, Brian Sell, was in the Beijing Olympics, and others are internationally competitive.
“There are several aches and pains that you can run through,” Mr. Hanson said, “and others that need some down time. I always try to follow one key rule: If you are gimping — altering your gait— after 10 minutes of running, then it is an injury and not just an ache or pain. You should never run through injuries. If you do, they almost always turn into compensation injuries. What started as an ankle pain becomes knee and hip problems.”
But sometimes even when you have a bad feeling about sudden pain, it can be hard to stop, especially during a race.
That happened to my friend Rafael Escandon, a researcher at a small biotech company in San Francisco. It was 2002, and he had decided to run the Twin Cities Marathon. He had run a few dozen marathons before, so he was hardly a beginner. He knew that the trick was to keep going during those stretches when you feel bad.
The race started well. Mr. Escandon had been training by running eight-minute miles but now, he said, he was going much faster, and it all seemed effortless. “It was all I could do to maintain a 7:40 pace, which felt like I was crawling,” he said.
Then, just after he passed the 17-mile point in the 26.2 mile race, he felt something awful just below his left calf. “It honestly felt like someone had taken a knife and cut my skin,” he said. “I hobbled over to a tree and attempted to stretch my calf for 10 minutes or so.
The pain got worse as he stretched, and even though it diminished when he wasn’t stretching, he still felt as if he had been cut. But dropping out of the race was not an option: he had never quit a marathon.
So, he said, he limped along for nine miles and finally crossed the finish line. Then he showered, took some ibuprofen and rushed to the airport to fly to Europe for a business trip.
When the plane landed, Mr. Escandon got out of his seat and, he said, was immediately “blinded by pain in my left leg.” It hurt so much he could not stand.
He eventually set off, slowly, “whimpering audibly,” he said, as he hobbled to his connecting gate.
Sweating, jet-lagged and still whimpering, he pulled up the leg of his jeans to take a look at his injury. “I was shocked at what I saw,” he said. “The medial side of my leg was grotesquely streaked in purple-black from the bottom of my calf to my ankle, including the top of my foot.”
It turned out that he had torn the muscle under his calf. For weeks afterward, the pain woke him at night. He could not run for three months, and even when he started again the best he could do for six months was a few miles on a treadmill.
“I should have listened to my body,” Mr. Escandon said. “It wasn’t just talking to me; it was screaming at me.”
On the other hand, there is also a different interpretation of “listen to your body.” It’s one favored by Asker Jeukendrup, the director of the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Birmingham, in England, and an ironman triathlete.
Listening, he said, means that you are supposed to listen for “valuable information” and learn to disregard “other negative information that may come into your thoughts that is actually irrelevant.”
Dismiss, for example, “some niggles, some feelings of fatigue,” he said.
The goal is to push your body to its limits, but not beyond. Easier said than done, he admitted. And, he added, not everyone can do it.
ACTUALLY, said Tom Fleming, my coach, it is unlikely that anyone can do it. Mr. Fleming won the New York City Marathon twice and has coached athletes ranging from adolescents to college and nationally ranked runners. He knows from his days as a competitive distance runner how hard it is to decide when to slow down, when to rest, when to push hard through discomfort or pain.
“I never listened to my body,” he said. “Maybe I should have. So let’s get that clear right off: I think it’s an impossible task.”
When he was training, Mr. Fleming said, he couldn’t train less or make himself go more slowly. And, he added, if you really listen to your body, you will not achieve what you are capable of.
Athletes need someone else, a coach if possible, he said, to tell them when to rest, when to take an easy day and when to work hard.
Another of my colleagues at The Times, Charlie Competello, said he tries to figure out his body’s signals for himself. But he struggles, arguing with himself about what his body is telling him. He thinks of his internal arguments as a debate between “Charlie” and “Charles.” They argue in the mornings, when he plans to go out for runs.
“ ‘Charlie’ says, ‘I’m tired and I’m not going to go out,’ ” he said. “ ‘Charles’ says: ‘No, no, no, you can make it. Go out and do it.’ ”
Usually, he said, Charles wins. He runs and is glad he did.
But the personas also argue in the evening about tempting food, like cake.
Charles says, “Don’t do it.” Charlie says, “Go ahead.”
And, in the evening, Charlie can be the winner. “For some reason, I’m a better person in the morning,” he said.
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