The Running Life: Wisdom and Observations from a Lifetime of Running

By Michael Dove and Donald Buraglio

Writers like Donald and Mike work at the grassroots level to promote and support our sport. Their love of running shines through every page of what they write. They have a unique perspective on The Running Life and make us smile and gain insight at the same time. Whether you are an experienced runner, a novice, or even a non-runner this compilation of articles will inspire. --Amby Burfoot, Editor at Large, Runners World Magazine and 1968 Boston Marathon winner

As a resident of Pacific Grove, Im just like all the other runners on the Central Coast. We eagerly await the Thursday edition of the Monterey Herald so we can see what Donald and Mike are thinking and saying about The Running Life. Its great that this book will allow a wider audience the opportunity of reading these great columns.--Blake Russell, 2008 Womens Olympic Marathon

Im out in Buraglio and Dove territory every year for the Big Sur Marathon. Its great to swap stories with Donald and Mike, run, and enjoy the magnificent Central Coast. They are both very knowledgeable and their articles cover every aspect of our sport. A fun read for sure.--Bart Yasso, Chief Runner, Runners World Magazine

Ive always been an instinctive runner. I love to run and feel the flow. Donald and Mike capture all I love about running in their articles. They know the spirit as well as the technical side of running. I recommend this series of articles for anyone. You will really capture and understand why we love The Running Life. --Nelly Wright, Pacific Grove, California, 1984 Womens Olympic Marathon

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: May 12, 2010
• ISBN: 9781450221702

Michael Dove

Michael Dove is an author, columnist, and community influencer in Monterey County, California. He played NCAA Division 1 golf at the University of California at Berkeley where he also earned BA and MBA degrees. He is a scratch golfer and nationally ranked runner. He has won a national Jefferson Award for his community volunteer service.

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Contents

Preface

Introduction: Don’t Run!

MOTIVATION AND INSPIRATION

ROADSIDE PHILOSOPHY

THE STARTING LINE

ROAD-TESTED ADVICE

OH THE PLACES YOU’LL RUN!

SOCIAL COMMENTARY:

TACKLING ISSUES ONE MILE AT A TIME

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL

A FEW ROAD HAZARDS

OFF TO THE RACES!

Where Everybody Knows My Name

SPECIAL SECTIONS

THE BIG SUR INTERNATIONAL MARATHON

AND HALF MARATHON

THE BIG SUR INTERNATIONAL MARATHON

THE BIG SUR HALF MARATHON ON MONTEREY BAY

Acknowledgements

About the Authors

Preface

The book you are holding is a sampling of columns from The Running Life, which appears every other week in the Monterey County Herald. Our columns run the gamut from instructional articles and training advice to public health issues and human interest stories, along with some light-hearted observations and occasional nonsense. They are intended for dedicated runners as well as those who’ve never laced up a pair of trainers. Above all else, they reflect our experiences and insights from a combined fifty years of running. We hope you enjoy our perspective and that it encourages you, if you don’t already participate, to give our wonderful sport a try.

In this collection, columns are not presented in chronological order as they appeared in the newspaper; rather, they have been organized in categories based on subject matter. They don’t need to be read from start to finish; you’ll get just as much benefit reading in any order you choose. Jump in anyplace that looks interesting, and come back to the others another time.

Our goals in starting a newspaper column were to promote the sport of running in Monterey County, be an informative resource for runners, and hopefully make some people smile along the way. At first we feared that we’d run out of things to write about - but the more we kept running and observing, the more we realized that column material is never hard to find. Once the legs start moving, the creative process springs to life; we’re not sure why or how this happens, but we’re eternally grateful that it does.

We are extremely lucky to live in Monterey County, California, a beautiful geographic area that is also home to the Big Sur International Marathon and Big Sur Half Marathon. This book contains a special section of articles about each of those races, both because we’ve written about them for years, and because they hold a special place in our hearts. We would encourage anybody to visit and enjoy our majestic natural surroundings while taking part in our local world-class events.

Finally, we are particularly proud of programs we have started to encourage children and adults to start running. These are the Just Run program for children and Take 5 to Run for everyone. The fight against childhood obesity is a pet crusade of ours, and we urge you to start a Just Run program in your area. You’ll find details about both of these programs in the pages ahead.

If you would like to follow us in the future, current columns are posted on the Monterey Herald website (www.montereyherald.com). You can also find us on Donald’s Running and Rambling website at www.runningandrambling.com.

Thank you very much for your support. We hope you enjoy reading the articles as much as we enjoyed writing them.

Donald Buraglio and Michael Dove

Monterey County, California.

Introduction: Don’t Run!

It’s the first week of January, and you’re probably overwhelmed with hearing New Year’s resolutions. After all, nearly everybody spends this time of year blathering endlessly about how things will be different from now on, and how their lives will improve.

It’s also the time when many people decide to start running to get in shape. While we think this is a noble goal, we’re not going to preach to you about all the benefits of running – at least not right now.

Today we’re doing the opposite. If you are one of those who have resolved to start running, listen closely. You think you want to be a runner? Sure, everyone wants to lose weight, feel better, and live longer – but have you ever considered that maybe the running life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be?

In some ways, being overweight and out of shape actually has its advantages. Once you decide to become a runner, there are plenty of drawbacks you’ll need to deal with on an almost daily basis.

For instance, we hope you don’t have any hang-ups about how you look in public. Once you step out the door and onto the road, there’s a good chance that your neighbors, your friends, your customers or even your boss will see you. Are you comfortable being seen with unkempt hair, a snotty nose, no makeup, wearing shorts or tights, and sweating profusely from every pore? Then go ahead and lace up those shoes.

The risk of public dishevelment doesn’t stop when your run ends, either. You know the one parent at school who always shows up wearing sweatpants, looking frazzled and unshowered when dropping the kids off in the morning, or the co-worker who always appears flushed and somewhat smelly during an afternoon meeting at work? If you’re a runner, that person is you. Welcome to our club.

If you start telling people you’re a runner, be forewarned that you’ll have to answer for it seemingly forever. We can’t count the number of conversations at social gatherings that have started with So, are you still running? or How far did you run today?

If you’re consistent with your running, you’ll always have a satisfactory answer. But heaven forbid you ever fall off the wagon, for everyone will know within 30 seconds of talking to you.

(Actually, we’re curious as to why runners are always greeted like that. Do people talk to alcoholics or gamblers this way: So, are you still drinking? or How much money did you squander this weekend? Not that we’re addicted to running. We could stop at any time. Besides, we’re not harming anyone else. Let’s just move on…)

Do you like eating at McDonald’s or Burger King? If so, get your fill before you become a runner, because once you start running consistently, your body develops an aversion to many kinds of fast food. Are you sure you want to give up those Whoppers, curly fries and bacon croissants?

We’ve heard great things about fast food joints. Combo meals are supposedly pretty popular, and we’ve always wanted to say, Super size me!! to somebody. Plus, they still give away toys with some meals, don’t they? Unfortunately, neither one of us has eaten in a fast food place for several years, so we miss out on all that fun.

Are you a bargain shopper? Do you like getting your money’s worth? Maybe you should reconsider the whole idea of losing weight. Think of it like this: say you’re buying a pair of jeans for $40. The pants with the 42-inch waistlines usually cost the same price as the 32-inch waists, right?

So if you have a 32-inch waist, you’re getting 10 inches less material than the guy who buys the 42s for the same price. In other words, you’re getting ripped off every time you buy clothes. Runners have suffered this kind of senseless waist-size discrimination for years, and look forward to a glorious day when we receive a discount for the lower quantity of material used. We have a dream!

Not to mention, if you start running and lose a lot of weight, you’ll need to prepare for the expense of buying a new wardrobe.

Finally, we should address the popular notion that runners live longer than non-runners. OK, technically, yes, that’s a proven fact. But many of those extra hours are spent doing the exercise that’s supposedly buying you more time.

Let’s say you exercise for an hour a day for 30 years – that’s almost 11,000 total hours spent exercising. There are 8,760 hours in a year. So if running helps delay your fatal heart attack by only three years, you’re really only gaining half of that amount of time for doing non-running stuff.

Yes, we’re exaggerating a bit here, as runners typically live many years longer than sedentary people, and would therefore gain a great deal of extra time to spend with grandkids or walking on the beach. However, runners also tend to jeopardize their lives at a slightly higher rate than the general public, so they have to be extra careful.

Think of it this way: If you never go in the ocean, you’ll never get eaten by a shark - but the more times you go swimming, the greater your chances become. This is how runners consider predators like buses and ignorant drivers. So if you become a runner, you’ll be healthy enough to live longer, but there’s also a better-than-average chance that you’ll get run over by a garbage truck someday.

In that regard, it’s clearly much safer to stay inside with your butt parked on the couch.

Running obviously isn’t for sissies. So consider all these drawbacks before you invest too much time and effort in this habit of ours. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

And what if you still want to be a runner? Congratulations – we think it’s the best resolution you could ever make.

Now keep reading.

MOTIVATION AND INSPIRATION

The wizard told them, ‘I didn’t give you anything that you didn’t already have inside you. It just took you 26.2 miles to find it.’

Seek out your own valley of love and delight. Be thankful for your ability to run, and take pleasure in the fact that you are able to do it. Enjoy every mile of the journey, because we never know when we may be in the homestretch. Really, these should be the easy things to do.

You Had a Bad Day

Wait! Don’t tell us – you make a resolution each New Year to lose weight and get healthy. And then you can barely get to the middle of January before it becomes an enormous struggle.

Everybody sabotages their fitness plans from time to time – even your local running columnists. So we’re not going to beat you over the head with all the reasons you should be running.

Instead, we’re going to take you through a typical day, and show you just how many opportunities there are to screw things up. Here’s a small sampling of the ways you can have a bad day by neglecting your fitness plan over the course of 24 hours:

Last night, you ambitiously set your alarm 30 minutes early in order to exercise before your workday. But when the alarm goes off, the bed feels so warm and comfortable that you hit the snooze button to linger a bit longer. 10 minutes later, you do the same thing again; and later on, once more. So much for your morning exercise.

As you shower, you tell yourself that you’ll compensate by hitting the gym at lunchtime, so you pack a duffel bag with workout clothes and figure you’re still right on track with your training program.

You’re running a bit behind, and you really aren’t too hungry, so you hurry out the door without eating breakfast. But you’re not fully alert yet, so you swing by Starbucks for a little pick-me-up. You received a gift card for Christmas, so it’s not like you’re spending real money.

You order a grande caramel macchiato and a big cranberry muffin. It’s fine, because you skipped breakfast – and now you’re at the top of your game.

Arriving at work, you park as close as possible to the building and take the elevator up to the 2nd floor. You stow your duffel bag in the corner before sitting down at your computer to catch up on e-mail. 90 minutes later, your office neighbor comes by with leftover Christmas cookies that his spouse made. (He’s getting rid of them because he resolved to eat healthier this year.)

You smell the cookies and realize how hungry you are. So you grab a few cookies, which is OK because they’re little ones, and because you didn’t eat breakfast. You eat one of them now, and put the others on your desk to save for the afternoon. 10 minutes later, those are gone as well.

At 11:30 your co-workers stop by to invite you out to lunch with them. You stare at your duffel bag for about 2 seconds then agree to go along. It’s OK, because you might be able to quit work a bit early and go for a quick run before going home. You crowd onto the elevator with your co-workers and head down to the car.

You go to your favorite restaurant and order a big meal, since you’re still catching up from breakfast. It’s OK to eat big though, because you’ve started a fitness program, and you’ll burn all those calories off soon enough.

During meetings and phone calls after lunch, you gradually feel your energy level wavering. At 3:00 it seems like a good time to visit your co-worker who always keeps a bowl full of Reese’s mini peanut butter cups at his desk. It’s OK, because those are your favorite candy.

You talk to him a bit and idly eat 3 minis, then decide to grab a couple more as you head back to your desk, which is OK, since they’re minis. You sit back down with renewed energy, a smile on your face, and a bit of chocolate on your cheek.

You finish the work day and make it all the way to your car before you realize that you left the duffel bag in your office. At this point, it’s a total hassle to go back inside to get it, since you’d have to wait for the elevator, then say goodnight to everyone all over again. Besides, you figure that traffic is crazy, so you don’t really have any extra time to work out. It’s OK, because you’ll have three chances to exercise tomorrow.

On your way home, you call your family, and decide that it would be a lot easier to go out for dinner instead of cooking tonight – so you meet them at the pizza parlor.

You have 3 pieces of pepperoni pizza, 2 pieces of garlic bread and a glass of red wine. It’s OK, because garlic and wine are good for your heart, and because you’re going to skip the spumoni dessert.

At home you spend two hours sitting on the couch, catching up on TV and reviewing the newspaper and magazine articles about exercise that you’ve been collecting.

As you climb into bed, you try to get friendly with your spouse, but she complains that you smell like garlic. So you go into the kitchen and have a big bowl of ice cream. It’s OK, because ice cream is your comfort food – and besides, you’re going to set your alarm early tomorrow to start exercising.

So you had a bad day. These things happen to all of us. The trick is to make sure it doesn’t become a cycle that repeats itself day after day.

Bad days don’t become perfect ones overnight, and fitness doesn’t happen immediately. Changes are small, and gradual, and usually happen one at a time. But if you dedicate yourself to achieving them, you’ll gradually make big improvements over the course of the year.

If you’ve made a resolution to get in shape, we hope that your new fitness program is filled with many more good days than bad ones.

Runners’ Goals for a New Year

Sedentary people typically make fitness resolutions in early January – and then by February, all bets are off. This isn’t surprising, as studies have shown that it’s actually easier to kick a smoking or drug habit than it is to start and maintain a fitness program.

Runners, on the other hand, tend to be fairly goal-oriented and disciplined, with a passion for the sport (as opposed to, say, a StairMaster – does anyone honestly get passionate about that?) and a solid work ethic, so there’s no limit to what a determined runner can do.

Sometimes, however, even experienced runners can use some suggestions. The following goals range from very basic to seemingly crazy. Our point is this: the particular goal you have doesn’t really matter. What’s important is that you are progressing and challenging your current level of fitness. Anything you do tomorrow that is more than you have been doing lately is wonderful. Consider these options:

Run one mile continuously. The basic unit of measurement for distance running is a perfect tangible goal for someone who is just starting a running program. Build up to this by alternating walk/run intervals, and gradually decrease the amount of time spent walking. Don’t worry at first about how long the mile takes you- save that for later (see below).

Run a sub-x minute mile. A generation ago, the mile was the most glamorous event in sports. Though its popularity has since declined, it remains the ultimate test of combined stamina and power. However, unless they’ve been in the military, most runners have no idea what their best mile time is. So go to a track and find out, and then try to improve enough to go under the closest round minute. (Note- although tracks are now measured in meters, most all-weather tracks still have markings for the one-mile start and finish.)

Run a 5K. This is a great entry-level goal for two reasons: 1) The distance is significant enough (3.1 miles) to require a bit of advance preparation, and 2) The best way to run 5K is in a race, which is like a public declaration of your new fitness activity. Local 5Ks are great places to meet fellow runners and stay motivated to keep training.

Find your best 10K time. This is the benchmark standard for the vast majority of road racers. Start running with any new group and it may only be a matter of minutes before someone asks about your best 10K time. So why not find out? Find a race to enter, and jump in. Remember to race cautiously. It’s very easy to get carried away and start too fast before crashing miserably after the halfway point. In many ways, the 10K is the most difficult distance running event - because unlike a marathon, people usually try to run as fast as they can, and unlike a 5K, it’s an extremely long distance to run at maximal effort.

Run a sub-50, or sub-40-minute 10K. It’s human nature that once you find your best 10K time, you would want to improve it. The 10K has well-known landmark times that runners often strive to accomplish. A 50-minute 10K requires an average pace of 8:03 per mile, and sub-40 requires 6:27 miles.

Break your age in a 10K. For example, if you are 43 years old, try to run a sub-43 minute 10K. The younger you are, the more impressive this feat is. Olympic-caliber runners can do it in their late 20s, top amateur runners in their early-to-mid 30s, and good recreational runners in their 40s.

Run a half marathon. The distance requires fairly dedicated training, but not to the extreme degree that marathon training demands. Autumn is a popular season for half marathons; build up your training through the spring and summer, and be ready for race day in the fall.

Run a marathon. Most runners see this as the ultimate challenge. The marathon certainly has the most mystique of any distance race, and its siren call beckons an increasing number of runners every year. Many people attempt to run the marathon just to know the experience. Once they finish, some are content to retire, while others become addicted to the euphoric feeling this race offers. Fortunately for us, one of the best marathons in North America - the Big Sur International - is right in our backyard. However, there are many excellent marathons in scenic locations and at various times of the year throughout the United States.

Run a sub-3 or sub-4 hour marathon. Don’t worry about how long your first marathon takes; just pace yourself to finish and feel (relatively) good at the end. Once you have one or two finishes under your belt, then strive for a target time. Just as 1-minute intervals are benchmarks for the mile, 1-hour intervals are milestones for the marathon. Tell a runner that you’re a sub-3-hour marathoner and he’ll know that you’re fast. Tell your training group that you want to break 4 hours, and they’ll help you practice the necessary pace during your training runs. For the record, a sub-3 marathon is 6:52/mile; sub-4 is 9:10/mile.

Do an ultramarathon. If you’ve done several marathons and are looking for a more challenging endurance event, ultras may be for you. The typical distances are 50K, 50-mile, and 100-mile. Training for a 50K (31 miles) is actually not much harder than a marathon. Most ultras are on trails and dirt roads, through scenic wilderness areas, and feature hills that are steeper and longer than any road race you’ll ever see.

Clearly, there is a multitude of new challenges to set for yourself in the coming year. Choose wisely, and start training!

The 10,000 Hour Rule

Most runners probably don’t think they have much in common with the likes of Mozart, The Beatles, or Bill Gates. However, according to Malcolm Gladwell, we have more in common than we ever realized.

Gladwell is the author of Outliers: The Story of Success, which enjoyed a long tenure atop bestseller lists nationwide. In the book, he analyzes countless factors – many of them unknown to the people they most impact – that determine why some people enjoy abundant success in life, while others toil in frustration and obscurity.

One of his revelations is the 10,000 Hour Rule: in order to maximize any given talent, you need to spend approximately 10,000 hours practicing it. This rule partially dispels the myths of the child prodigy or the naturally gifted artist that many of us accept at face value.

For example, Bill Gates is widely considered a genius – but he also happened to have extraordinary access to cutting-edge technologies as far back as junior high school, and he spent nearly every night and weekend of his youth experimenting with computer programming. Mozart wrote symphonies at age 4, but the body of work he’s recognized for was composed after he had spent another 10 years perfecting his craft. And by the time The Beatles burst onto the American scene, they had developed their songwriting and polished their musical chops in thousands of shows in various foreign nightclubs.

The 10,000 Hour Rule has implications for runners as well – in fact, veteran runners have used a variation of it for a long time, known in running circles as the 10-Year Rule. Basically, it says that runners will get gradually faster during their first 10 years, before their performances plateau for another 10 years, then decline steadily over the next 10 years.

It doesn’t matter what distance you run, or what age you start at: whether you’re 15 or 55, your best race times in any event will improve for up to 10 years if you train consistently. If you could somehow manage to run 1000 hours per year, you’d develop abilities on par with some of the greatest achievers of our age. Sure, natural talent also plays a role – but not nearly as much as most people attribute to it. (And yes, at first glance, training for 1000 hours per year – averaging 3 hours per day, every day – seems shocking. However, if you ask just about any Olympic athlete, they’d tell you this is consistent with their typical regimens. There’s a reason why it’s so hard to make it to the Olympics.)

Perhaps the most well-known novel about running is Once a Runner by John Parker. In one famous passage, the author ponders how somebody becomes a great runner: What was the secret, they wanted to know … and not one of them was prepared to believe that it had not so much to do with chemicals and zippy mental tricks as with that most unprofound and sometimes heart-rending process of removing, molecule by molecule, the very tough rubber that comprised the bottoms of his training shoes.

In other words, there’s no secret, and no trick. Do you want to be a better runner? Go for a run. Wake up the next day and do it again. Keep doing it until you wear out the bottoms of your shoes, then buy some new ones and start again. Repeat that process over and over until you’ve done it for 1,000 hours, then 2,000, then 10,000.

It’s really quite a simple process. Sometimes we just need to be reminded.

Dorothy from Del Rey Oaks

This story may sound familiar; it’s the story of a lady we know. For the sake of anonymity, we’ll call her Dorothy, who lives in Del Rey Oaks, a small town near the Monterey Peninsula.

Dorothy was approaching middle age, had just been through a messy divorce, and her self-esteem was extremely low. She had gained weight over the years and felt depressed all the time. She had no close friends to talk to other than her dear Aunt Emily.

Her only enjoyment came from walking her little dog Bobo around the lake in the morning before work. She would sometimes get lost in thought on her walks, and gradually started walking longer and longer distances.

One morning during her walk, Bobo broke loose from his leash. Dorothy ran to chase him, and made it halfway around the lake