I think I got everybody. Great race, everyone! A lot of determined faces for 7.5 hours!
Category: Featured
It’s finally time for the 2nd Shoeless Joe Interview! I apologize for the delay, and appreciate all the warm words of encouragement from people who enjoyed my first one, with Uli Steidl!
Greg Crowther is a well-known Seattle-based runner with an incredible amount of accolades on both the roads and the trails, on both short and long distances. He can win 5Ks and he can win 100 milers. He’s represented the United States numerous times at the 100k World Championships. And to top it off, he served as the Seattle Running Club president back in 2011. More of Greg (and less of Joe) can be found at GregCrowther.com, his twitter profile, and SingAboutScience.org.
Unfortunately Greg has long been sidelined with an Achilles injury. He was out of commission for nearly two years, but is now getting back into the running saddle. And after a number of months spent tracking him down, he finally agreed to stop running for a few minutes and sit down with me. Enjoy!
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Shoeless Joe: Welcome to a new edition of the Shoeless Joe interview! Today I’m blessed to get to speak to the head honcho himself, Greg Crowther! (mispronounced as “kroh-ther”). I spoke to Greg one time after a Cougar Mountain race, but this time we’re going to get real! Greg, how are you doing?
Greg Crowther: I’m fine, thanks. How are you?
SJ: I’m great! I had a small cyst near my butt that I got removed recently, but otherwise I’m fantastic. It’s an honor to be speaking with the Seattle Running Club President!
GC: Well, former president. Win Van Pelt succeeded me in November.
SJ: Oh cool! Win Van Pelt…that’s an interesting name. No offense but he does sound a bit more presidential than “Greg Crowther.” (mispronounces name again) I’m sure you were great though! Speaking of great, I hear you’ve had a great injury that has kept you from running for many weeks. What has that been like?
GC: The injury to my left Achilles tendon has been great in that it has been an important influence in my life, for better or worse — great in the sense of the Great War or Great Flood. I haven’t trained seriously or raced since August of 2010. I was pretty bitter and upset about this for many months; then my marriage ended, which really put running in the proper perspective. I dream of getting fit again, which might happen in a year or in a few years or never. For now I am mostly a “social runner.”
SJ: Oh, my source did not mention anything about any marriage ending. I’m afraid I don’t have any follow ups on that topic.
You say you might be fit in a year, a few years, or never. Can you narrow that down? Will you be racing the White River 50 mile this coming weekend? I’ve raced that one a few times; I think you would enjoy it!
GC: (Sigh) No, I’m afraid that I cannot “narrow that down.” To any hypothetical Greg Crowther fans out there who are breathlessly awaiting an announcement on my return to competition, I’d say, “Thanks for your interest, but please find something more worthy of your attention.”
Regarding White River, I’ve been smitten ever since 2002, when I crewed for defending champion William Emerson. Watching that race had a huge influence on me. Up to that point I had thought that ultramarathons were really long, dull episodes of power-walking over ridiculously hard, poorly-marked courses. White River showed me that an ultra could be a well-organized, runnable race contested by athletes who are fast as well as tough. The 2002 race was an epic battle between Emerson, Scott Jurek, Karl Meltzer, Hal Koerner, and Nate McDowell. Nate is probably the least well-known of those guys, but at that time he was as good as any of them, and when he came whipping down the Sun Top road, 43 miles into the race, at sub-6:00 pace, leaving Jurek and the others in the dust, I was super-impressed.
Since then I’ve been back to White River almost every year to race or volunteer.
SJ: That’s awful kind of you! Do you think you have a good shot at winning White River this year?
GC: (Sigh) My chance of winning is 0 because my chance of racing is 0, as I tried to convey earlier.
Are we working through a bunch of questions that you prepared before the interview? You should feel free to modify the questions as we go so that, in the context of my answers, they actually make sense. Otherwise people might conclude that you aren’t very smart or aren’t listening to me, or both.
SJ: Huh? Oh yeah, I agree! I remember my first White River, in 2009. I said “Hi” to Scott Jurek but I don’t think he heard me. Did you know he’s vegan?! I saw that online. It’s crazy that he’s able to run all those 50Ks and 50 milers without any protein. Do you have any dietary…umm…tendencies? Are you vegan…or paleo or something?
GC: I abide by a strict meat-based diet. Perhaps that’s why I’m 6-0 lifetime against Jurek.
SJ: (Laughter) Greg Crowther (mispronounced) getting feisty! I love it! Alright let’s keep the feistiness going with the Fleet Feet Fast-Acting Lightning Speed Round, sponsored by our good friends at Fleet Feet Seattle! Greg, I’ve brought this mask. If you dare put this over your eyes, you’re telling me you’re ready to throw down!
GC: Um, can’t I just say, “I am, in fact, ready to throw down”?
SJ: You may say you’re ready but that face says otherwise! Put the mask on! If you want to show as well as Uli did, you’ll need to block out all distractions!
GC: Hold on. What IS the “speed round,” anyway? Do I have to answer quickly? Or are all the questions about fast people?
SJ: Oh I’m sorry, did you not check out my interview with Uli? Yes, the game is I ask you a question fastly, and you answer fastly. Lightning fast! See, because running is about being fast. (trailing off) Well, for some people…
GC: Well, trying to keep up with Uli is generally a bad idea. I’m going to give you back your mask so that nothing catastrophic happens to it.
SJ: Sorry Greg, I will have to insist!
GC: No, I’m serious.
SJ: Well alright, maybe next time! Ok, here we go! What is your favorite brand of hot dogs?
GC: Do Schultzy’s sausages count?
SJ: I…suppose, yes! I’ll allow it!
You and I are heading to a karaoke bar tonight…what song are you planning on rocking?
GC: “Hold On.” In the style of Wilson Phillips, of course. My backup choice would be “Once in a Lifetime” by Talking Heads. “This is not my beautiful house!” and all that. Sorry, am I being too long-winded for the Fleet Feet Lightning Blah Blah Blah Speed Round?
SJ: Not at all! Would you mind singing a few bars of “Hold On?” Just to prove you’re not one of those poser Wilson Phillips fans?
GC: Sure! In fact, I have my own backing track right here with me. (Actually does pull out phone and plays a karaoke version of “Hold On.” Greg and Joe sing together for a verse and a half.)
SJ: Awesome song, reminds me of VH1! Moving along, I see you brought a bike helmet with you. Do you play any bike polo?
GC: Uh, no. For me, biking isn’t really a sport, it’s just a way to get around.
SJ: You have been convicted of murdering Fleet Feet’s Brian Morrison. You’re on death row and nobody likes you because everyone loved Brian. What is your last meal?
GC: Fried chicken. I wouldn’t enjoy it, though, because I’d be upset about Brian’s death — I was framed, obviously — not to mention my own impending demise.
As an aside, you’re doing a marvelous job of working Fleet Feet into every other sentence. Didn’t they once give you a free pair of socks?
SJ: Yes!
GC: I think you’ve paid your debt to them at this point. We should also be sure to mention the Seattle Running Club’s OTHER distinguished partner store, The Balanced Athlete. Whose owner, Eric Sach, was cleared of all wrongdoing in the Morrison case, by the way.
SJ: Yes, I agree. Everyone, go to The Balanced Athlete…tell them Shoeless Joe sent you; they’ll hook you up!
Keeping with the food theme, favorite type of M&Ms: Regular, Peanut, Almond, Dark Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Coconut, Mint, Grape, or Pretzel?
GC: The green ones. Those are home runs, right?
SJ: ? How many tattoos do you have?
GC: None.
SJ: If forced at gunpoint to get one, what would you get?
GC: Whatever the gunman wanted me to get, I suppose. How many do you have?
SJ: None, too scared! But if Vibram Five Fingers hooked me up, I might be willing to get their shoe tattooed on my leg or chest or something.
GC: I agree; if you have to get a tattoo, you might as well get some free product out of the deal.
SJ: Totally! You’re doing great Greg, stretch run coming up. Who is your favorite character on The Cosby Show?
GC: I identified with Sondra because she was the most academically inclined of the Huxtable children. So her, I guess.
SJ: I liked Denise’s Army husband.
If you could run only one more race–any distance, any place, your fitness level at a place with which you’re happy–which one would it be?
GC: Hmm…good question.
SJ: Thanks!
GC: Assuming that I was able to train properly, I’d probably do another flat 100-miler, like Rocky Raccoon. Since I’ve only started two 100’s and only finished one, that’s a distance where I could still PR. (Pause) Plus, if you only get one more race, why not make it last as long as possible?
SJ: Good point, I agree! The following question was submitted by an SRC club member and fan, and it seems appropriate given your presidential status in the club. Boxers or briefs?
GC: If you must know: briefs.
SJ: Briefs, me too! Thanks to Patrick N. for that question!
Final question: Dirty Dancing or Pretty Woman? And show your work!
GC: Dirty Dancing. Patrick Swayze trumps Richard Gere for athleticism and non-sliminess, plus any soundtrack with “Hungry Eyes” and “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” is a winner in my book.
SJ: I agree! Plus Swayze looks like he’d easily best Gere in an ultra.
Nice work Greg, if you had worn it I would say you can take the mask off! It wasn’t a World Championship 100k, but I bet completing the Fleet Feet Fast Acting Speed Round was just as satisfying.
Getting back to the serious stuff, I’m fascinated by your time spent as president of the Seattle Running Club. Do you have any stories from that all-powerful position? Backroom deals with Brooks? Shady compromises with Nuun?
GC: Yeah, it’s a shame I can’t tell you about our super-secret contract work for the Department of Defense. Let’s just say that the future of the U.S. border patrol involves fewer guns and more runs.
I wasn’t entirely comfortable in my role as president, but I did have a few “It’s good to be king” moments. One was when I got an email from a guy working on ads for an upcoming exhibit on horror films at Paul Allen’s Science Fiction Museum. He needed to get some pictures of runners being attacked by a zombie and wanted to use SRC members as the runners. Vice President Van Pelt wasn’t so keen on the idea, but I thought, shoot, what’s the fun of being president if you can’t feed some of your constituents to zombies once in a while? So I encouraged club members to sign up.
A somewhat more serious example was the Fat Glass 50K last August. The idea grew out of a board meeting discussion about Beer Miles — those track races where people drink a beer every lap. We thought, well, *any* running group can hold a Beer Mile, but it would take a special bunch of loonies to put on a Beer Ultra. And, with the SRC kind of representing the lunatic fringe of the Seattle running scene, we figured that it was up to us to create such an event. And things blossomed from there, thanks mostly to the incredible generosity of SRC member Peter Kline, who hosted the race at his house.
SJ: Yes. I think the Fat Glass 50k may prove to be your shining legacy, I hope SRC can bring it back for a second round! If I may be so bold, could the Fat Glass 50k be the race Greg Crowther (mispronounced) returns to racing, if only for a day?! Could you handle six pints of craft beer in 4+ hours?
GC: At this point, I have neither the legs nor the liver to handle the Fat Glass 50K.
SJ: Yeah, maybe I won’t do it either. I see on your facebook profile picture, you look like you’re wearing some kind of lab coat. Are you a doctor?
GC: No, I’m a research scientist.
SJ: Ohh, a scientist! Cool! Can you answer this then? How did you get into being what you are now? I mean, I’m guessing if I asked 8 year-old Greg Crowther (mispronounced) what he wanted to be when he became adult Greg Crowther (mispronounced), the answer wouldn’t be “research scientist.” When I was 8 I wanted to be a pro baseball player. When I was 18 I wanted to be a pro baseball player. When I was 28 I wanted to be a pro baseball player. A few months ago I gave up on that dream and have since settled. But I don’t get the feeling any scientists have “settled” into their profession, despite the fact that their field of work is really hard and confusing and boring and hard and you gotta go to college and stuff.
GC: When I was 8 I wanted to be a pro baseball player too. The idea of becoming a scientist didn’t really take hold until college, when I realized that different academic disciplines have fundamentally different ways of exploring the world and figuring things out, and that the approach taken by the natural sciences–the scientific method–was especially compelling to me. In history, for example, there is no shortage of fascinating questions, like “What caused World War II?” But trying to answer that question in a rigorous, conclusive manner is really hard, because you can’t go back and re-create the world as it was before the war and experiment on it. I don’t recommend that, anyway. But science has this elegant cycle of devising a hypothesis, performing empirical tests of the hypothesis, refining the hypothesis, doing additional tests, etc. It’s a rigorous and powerful way of discovering things, but it’s also simple in a way. Even if you aren’t a genius, and can’t answer any of the big questions that everyone cares about, you can work on smaller questions that relate to the bigger ones, and make progress in that way. A distance runner’s “one step at a time” mindset is definitely helpful in science.
SJ: Interesting. Though didn’t we conclusively prove that the New Deal caused World War II? And I think the scientific method can definitely be abused by scientists with agendas, but I don’t want to get into that right now even though I’m sure you agree with me 100%. Moving on, what position did you want to play?! I wanted to be a first baseman who hit lots of homeruns at Candlestick Park.
GC: My childhood idol was Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox, and he played first base in his later years, so I liked that position as well. And I liked pitching too. I was told that, as a lefty, I had a “natural curve ball,” though I don’t think it was unhittable or anything like that.
SJ: Yastrzemski? First off, how old are you?! And how could you be a Red Sox fan living in Seattle as a child as I presume you did?
GC: (Sigh) You presume incorrectly, as usual. I grew up in Vermont. I’m 39. Yaz retired in 1983, when I was 10.
SJ: Ohhh, ok! Vermont is pretty far away; did you move out here because you really love running in a 54-degree drizzle 11 months out of the year?
GC: I much prefer that to running in 5-degree snow and ice, but my main reason for moving here was to go to grad school in physiology at the University of Washington.
SJ: I agree! I think we’re about done here Greg, but I wanted to talk about one more thing. (Reads from card) Have you ever considered minimal running? Learning to run free with Vibrams? Thanks to the generous folks at Vibram Five Fingers, I can get you a pair of Vibrams to try–free!–for a whole week. I’m confident you will notice the difference, and join the revolution. Are you interested in taking your running to the next level?
GC: No, I’d prefer to stagnate at the current level. Thanks, though!
SJ: Ok, fair enough. I also have a couple 10% off coupons for an upcoming Tough Mudder. Would you be interested in being on my team?
GC: I’m afraid not.
SJ: Hmm. Ok. I’m sure I can find someone. Are there any questions you wanted to ask me?
GC: Not especially.
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It was awesome of Greg to hang out with me at his work and let me interview him. Thanks Greg! If any of you want to hang out with Greg in the immediate future, I have learned he will be at Crystal Mountain this coming weekend volunteering at the White River 50 mile (not racing, apparently). Tell him hello and maybe he’ll sing a couple bars of Wilson Phillips with you! You can also enjoy his blog at GregCrowther.com. He also twitters!
Call for Comments (from Joe)
- What’s YOUR go-to karaoke jam?
- Do YOU have a favorite Huxtable?
- Does anyone want to be on my Tough Mudder team?
Call for Comments (from Greg)
- Who, if anybody, should Shoeless Joe interview next?
Call for Support (from Joe)
- If you thought this was not-at-all offensive, please consider either becoming a member of Seattle Running Club or renewing your membership. The club is much more than some self-unaware schmuck interviewing his local running heroes. Join a community of like-minded running enthusiasts!
- Did this offend you? 🙁
All photos of Greg & Joe: Terry Creighton
Categories
Enduring the “Yes” Race
This is part 2 of Marlene Farrell’s 2-part account of her trip to Duluth Minnesota to compete in the USATF Half Marathon Championships. If you have not done so, please also read Part 1.
If we were to meet on the street and you asked me about my “big” race, I’d normally hem and haw and try to put a positive spin on it. But enough time has passed that I’m ready to be blunt—it sucked! It’s not fun to aim high in an endeavor that means something to me, to work toward it, to feel the pressure, mostly from myself, to perform, and then to disappoint. Most athletes have been at this point at one time or another, but that knowledge does not ease the pain. In fact, the costs and benefits of racing don’t seem to balance like they used to. Maybe it’s time to run Fun Runs with my kids and call that “good enough.”
But I’m not always so dismal. If you still want to hear the story beneath the story, here goes:
“Mandatory technical meeting.” I should have remembered that is protocol for an elite race. I realize the day before that my travel plans won’t get me there in time, so I have some last minute rearranging to do. Immediately upon hopping off a three-hour bus ride to Duluth from the Twin Cities, I hug my friend Anne and head to the meeting. The last thing I want to do is sit longer and aggravate the tightness that runs from my hamstrings to my lower back. Thankfully the meeting is brief. I hardly remember what is said (the most “technical” part of the meeting is a description of the personal water bottle tables and how it is prohibited to have someone hand you your water bottle). We sit midway back and slightly to the side. From there I can glance up from the agenda and take in the room. Some athletes are like me, with a friend or alone. Many are grouped because they are teammates from elite development programs like the Brooks Hanson Project or Impala Running. Or they are clustered with friendly competitors after frequenting the same starting lines of the elite race circuit. Runners like these are a calm serious bunch. For me, a dilettante at the edge of this world, the room emanates the terrifying power of a sleeping tiger. I want to silently observe and then slip out before I get devoured by eyes that see through me to my small-town, train-alone self.
Preparing for a race, especially an important one, is ritualistic. After a homemade carbo-load dinner with some long-time friends, I am alone, draping my “uniform” on the bed, pinning on my bib (no number, just FARRELL in bold print), stuffing a gel in my shorts pocket, weaving my chip through the laces of my racing flat. I organize the other essentials, the race info, cell phone, Powerbar, water bottle, other layers of clothing for the bus ride and warm up. I get out my breakfast supplies so as to minimize the noise at 3:45am when the other houseguests will still be happily dreaming. There is pleasure in these details and I’m reminded of all the other prerace preparations I’ve done over the years, doing the tangible little things that matter. A lot of race factors are out of my hands, the weather, other competitors, and exactly how my body will respond when I put it to the test. Seeing my race outfit laid out, ready for dressing, gives me a modicum of control, fortifies me against excessive worry.
I refuse to complain about the 3:20am wake up, which is earlier still if one is on west coast time. Early rising is my specialty, perhaps a slight edge over racers that struggle to shake off sleep before dawn.
Anne drops me off for the elite bus ride. I choose a male seatmate. I don’t want to talk and women are more innately chatty. Instead, I sip my water, roll my ankles in the aisle and stare at Lake Superior, still and wide, reflecting the rosy streaks that cross the sky, pronouncing the approaching inevitability of the day.
The bus drops us off and we have a half mile walk to the starting area and the elite runners’ tent. I want to walk, am thankful of the opportunity to stretch my legs in long quick strides. A part of me wishes I could walk all day, following the ribbon of highway along the lake edge. However, I’m here to run, not walk.
I stash my bag in the tent. The men’s race is first so most of them are warming up. Many women have staked a claim on a chair, getting off their feet with fifty minutes to spare. I’m too antsy so I jog out and back to the one mile marker, which is two oversized blue balloons hovering sedately above the road sides. I’m relieved that my hamstring does not have the pinched feeling that’s been nagging on and off for a few weeks. Maybe the massage a few days ago, stretching and using a foam roller have worked it loose.
I feel smooth and loose but there is a missing element. Before successful races my muscles have a snappy exuberance, a light jumpy feeling like I imagine a dog team feels on the gang-line before their musher quick releases their tether. It’s an awesome feeling to possess this body that is almost quivering in anticipation. On those days I won’t even feel the first several miles because it will be like I’m running several inches above the ground.
Today a sliver of optimism remains, i.e. luck. Haven’t we all had races for which we felt poorly prepared or handicapped by life’s circumstances and yet we rise to the occasion and exceed our expectations?
If I did the math, I would know. This race marks the fourth highly competitive race that I have taken an airplane to. Sure I’d flown previously to some popular marathons and had a good time. For the three big races, “a good time” was not the plan. It was about a PR or negative splits and finishing high in the field. All three races ended up being about survival, about continuing on when my body pleads, “No more!”
My “Yes” race becomes a statistic. At the start I line up toward the back, soaking up the beautiful power in the hard edges, the heads turned to the first mile, the eager jostling, the last minute checking of a watch, straightening of shorts. In front, maybe not the tallest, but hard to miss in her thick dark hair and strong shoulders, Kara Goucher stands. My eyes stray to her and I am excited, not for myself, but for her, to dominate, to display her Olympics-ready speed.
The moments of my race, beginning after the starting gun, stretch unbearably long and thin. There is no blurring of the miles, no separation from my body as it propels itself with almost machine like precision. No, my body, and my hamstrings and quads in particular, blurt out a cacophony of complaints for the whole hour and 24 minutes of my race. At first it is warnings. By mile five they are speaking loud and clear about their inabilities. I glance down at my legs in wonder, thinking, “What is going on? I’ve been good to you with a taper of easy miles, massage and stretching. You have a job to do. Now do it!” Another dangerous thought is, “This is only a half marathon. It’s supposed to be easy!” My brain is unable to persuade or coerce so it denies. “Yes,” the pace is slowing down but I refuse to let the line go slack. And with three miles to go, the temperature rising, the crowds thickening, my mind fights back. “Yes,” I have my slowest half in years. But, “yes,” I also lower, through sheer will, my pace back down into the 6:20’s for the final miles. I read a Gandhi quote recently that says, “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” This quote refers to resisting an intolerant government or surviving other crushing challenges. However, today that quote speaks to me. I know what I did, and there is satisfaction, despite what the clock may show.
The trip is about more than the race. It is about a reunion with dear friends. I replenish on good conversation, and seeing the Midwest version of the good life, Duluth’s art shops, lush and winding trails, and from a canoe. With all that said, the race is still significant. There’s a lesson for this running veteran. It’s an opportunity to step back from racing, for a while, to be a thinker and not a doer, and search for a new approach to training and racing that suits who I am now.
Greg Crowther (right) after a trail run with Scott McCoubrey at Adams Gulch in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Last week my son and I had the pleasure of visiting the McCoubreys — former owners of the Seattle Running Company and founders of the Seattle Running Club. They moved to Ketchum, Idaho last summer when Scott McCoubrey got a managerial position at Scott Sports. Scott is having fun directing people like Dusty Olson, best known to most as Scott Jurek’s old pacer, who is now Scott’s midwest sales rep. Meanwhile, Leslie McCoubrey has found more time to devote to her massage practice, and son Shaw, now 8, is skiing up a storm and recently completed a 4.2-mile trail race. They live in a beautiful ski lodge-like home that they rent from former Olympic skier Reggie Crist.
Having seen the McCoubreys endure some tough times in Seattle as small business owners, I was happy to find them now enjoying all that Sun Valley has to offer. And while many of us back here in Washington miss their enthusiasm for all things trail- and ultra-related, they do return annually to put on the White River 50 near Mount Rainier at the end of July. They look forward to reconnecting with some of you there.
[For a more extensive look at the McCoubreys and the history of SRC, please see the article and video I prepared for iRunFar.com last year.]
Shaw demonstrating his balance on the slack line.
Categories
Heading Toward a Championship, Part 1
There it was – in my inbox – an email from USA Track and Field (USATF). It taunted in bold type. My mouse’s arrow hovered over it, about to turn the key and unlock its secret. This wasn’t an email announcing a BLOWOUT SALE on Team USA duffel bags and visors. It wasn’t a promotion for live streaming of the Penn Relays or some other far-flung (at least from Leavenworth, Washington) Race of Fortune.
Marlene Farrell at the 2011 Regional XC ChampionshipsPhoto: John Wallace III
I could tell the difference because this email came from Jim Estes, with the very official title of National Office Liaison of the Long Distance Running Division Executive Committee of USATF (whew!). It began at the keyboard from his office in, I imagine, an imposing bastion of “Running Authority.” It perhaps sat in his sentbox, nestled between messages to Olympians Shalane Flanagan and Bernard Lagat.
Jim was replying to my request to take part in the Half Marathon National Championship on June 16th in Duluth, Minnesota. Two weeks earlier I had received the invitation to participate in this competitive large-pursed national event. The list of invitees included anyone who had qualified for the marathon Olympic Trials. One’s running resume determined the level of sponsorship. I wasn’t deluded enough to expect travel reimbursement or hotel stay. Free entry alone would make me feel welcome on that big stage, making the trip and prior training worthwhile.
I hadn’t opened the email yet because of the threat of rejection. I had to qualify for free entry with a sub 1:20 half. I have exactly one, from a 2010 race in which the course was sabotaged with extra marking arrows. My time had to be adjusted to make up for a small skipped section.
Rejection or acceptance mattered. Due to injury the Olympic Trials had slipped out of my grasp. I had followed the televised coverage with the same coiled tension in my gut that spring loads me at the start of a race but with no outlet except to creep further and further onto the edge of my chair. My spring training and motivation both could be characterized by frustrating terms like inconsistent and haphazard. I needed a shake-up and a refocus toward a challenging goal.
“Thank you for your email. We’re happy to invite you to participate in the 2012 half marathon championships.” Yes! In so many words across my computer screen, I had been accepted. No frills, but that was fine because I have three friends (all runners) in Minnesota that I’m longing to see. They will ensure that I carbo-load, go to bed early and have a strong cup of coffee when I wake up on race day.
Now, a month later and less than a month until my race, I’m taking stock. Disappointment clouds my outlook. I ran a lonely track workout this morning. Short intervals – they were supposed to be easy with a feel of light, crisp drive in each lap. But my 400’s and 800’s were slow and got SLOWER. Twice I’ve run in the hills with friends. On both occasions I lagged on the ups. My will took over where my muscles failed. I would push into discomfort to avoid letting them down, to avoid embarrassment. In this month I haven’t woken to the half-lit road calling my name. I’ve woken midthought, my mind already reeling and sorting through the tasks ahead. Running is in there somewhere but not floating at the top. Instead I’ve been tardy to my running “appointments” so that I’m more likely to trim a mile off than add an extra.
A month ago my family suddenly thought we had to cut our ten-year-old roots in this tight community and replant ourselves in the big city. Some initial digging revealed that our roots had grown deep, fanning in many directions, intertwining in underground thickets of precious lives. Solitary running and a race trip away from this place were nudged to the outskirts of my mental geography.
Now, after embracing the move and researching Seattle neighborhoods, we find out we get to stay in Leavenworth. I need to heed the “yes”; I need to live the “yes.” I can and will return to the track and repeat the lackluster workout. This time I’ll stretch that tight hamstring beforehand, wear better shoes. I’ll be running up steep trails too. If alone there is no comparison, just lifting each leg, pushing off the balls of my feet, a steady rhythm, climbing higher. There’s a dropping away, of town, ordinary existence, of what is impossible. My excuses make elaborate fences but I have all the tools needed to dismantle them and see what lies beyond…
To be continued…
Welcome to the first installment of the Shoeless Joe Interview! I say “installment” assuming this will a) not be discovered and deleted by higher-ranking board members and b) I’m allowed to make this a recurring feature here.
For my first interview I wanted to go big, and when it comes to Seattle running, you can’t go much bigger than Uli Steidl! He and his wife Trisha Steidl form a sort of royal union in the local running scene, with countless wins and accomplishments between them at a wide variety of distances. Both also extend their expertise to coaching collegiate running talent at Seattle University, where Trisha is the head coach and Uli is an assistant coach.
After his great performance at the 2012 Boston Marathon (1st Masters, 5th American, 15th overall), and his excellent first pitch at a recent Mariners game, I had to sit down and get to know more about the man(ly) Seattle legend. With an awesome view of Lake Washington in front of us, we had a great time. Enjoy!
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Shoeless Joe: First off Uli, thanks for taking the time to speak with me! I don’t know if you know me, but my name is Joe Creighton and I’m on the Seattle Running Club board. So you could say we’re like teammates.
Uli Steidl: Joe, of course I know you. I’ve been to several board meetings. And you text with my wife Trisha all the time, and meet her for track workouts every Thursday afternoon. At least that’s what she says.
SJ: Oh cool! I didn’t know Trisha was your wife. That actually clears up some confusion I had. And explains why you live in her house.
Before we get too deep into this interview, let me say congratulations! It’s not every day someone gets invited to throw out the first pitch at a Major League Baseball game. Was that one of the biggest thrills of your life?
US: Oh, definitely! Growing up in Germany, almost every boy dreams to someday play in the Major League. Baseball is our national sport, almost a religion.
Speaking of thrills, the biggest thrill in my athletic career was running in the 2007 IAAF Marathon World Championships in Osaka, Japan. And more recently the 112th Boston Marathon, where I finished 15th overall, 5th American and 1st masters.
SJ: Wow! That was actually my next question, if Boston was your first marathon. But it sounds like you’ve run two total. Any racing plans for the rest of 2012? Perhaps a third marathon? Ever thought about trying out one of those “ultra” marathons?
US: Joe, you have to qualify for Boston, so it can’t be your first one. You call yourself a runner and you don’t know this? I’m not sure how many marathons I’ve run. Thirty five to forty. Fifteen of them under 2:20. I am planning on running another marathon this year. Twin Cities, in the fall.
And yes, I have done a few ultras.
SJ: Wow, thirty five to forty…I was a little off! LOL! If we can move back to your beginnings in Germany, what initially got you interested in running? For me it was a woman. Was it a woman for you? If your wife will get mad at you, just make something up.
US: My initial interest in running was there because there was a race that started half a mile from my home. I was 17 at the time, did a lot of biking–about 20 miles a day–but NO running. Entered the race and won.
No, women (or a woman) had nothing to do with me deciding to start running. But running has since strongly influenced my interest in women. I have never dated–or even kissed–a woman who wasn’t a runner. It would be hard for me to imagine being with someone who doesn’t share this part of my life.
SJ: I think I know what you mean. Women can make good things even better…like how Facebook does with life. Speaking of, I saw on Facebook that you went to college in Portland. What was the transition to living in the states like, compared to life in Germany? Food, music, bros, etc?
US: I’m not so sure I would put “women” and “Facebook” in the same category. You can’t hug or kiss Facebook. On the other hand, you can ignore Facebook for a month without serious consequences.
SJ: ?
US: Moving to the US was not that dramatic of a change. Lots of changes that American freshmen also experience, like moving out of your parents’ home and living with a roommate in the dorms; cafeteria food, new coach, new routines. I spoke English fairly well before I got here; good enough to get a 4.0 my first semester at University of Portland. But then again, I took familiar subjects such as chemistry, physics and calculus. I did, however, have to learn some fine nuances of the English language, such as “Uli, you don’t HAVE a shit. You TAKE a shit!”
SJ: LMAO! Can we say “shit”? Oh well. And that’s true about Facebook, but you can “like” Facebook on Facebook’s Facebook profile. Just like a woman!
Speaking of, on Facebook, as well as Myspace and Friendster and LinkedIn and this pro-wrestling message board I post at, I asked people to suggest any questions they think I should ask. Are you ready for the Fast-Acting Lightning Speed Round, which I should mention is sponsored by our fast friends at Fleet Feet Seattle? I will ask a question fastly, and you reply fastly. Like, lightning fast. Oh, also…you wear this eye mask to make sure you’re focused. Ready?
US: Sure. Shoot.
SJ: …can you put the eye mask on, please?
US: [puts the mask on]
SJ: OK, buckle your seatbelt, here we go! And remember, if you think any of these questions are dumb, it’s because it probably came from one of my MySpace friends.
US: Just start, please.
SJ: Ok. How much ya bench?
US: I did 115 once in college. Pounds, not kilograms. Bench press max is irrelevant for distance running.
SJ: What’s something any American tourist should eat at least once while in Germany? And please don’t say Head Cheese.
US: Schweinshaxen und Sauerkraut.
SJ: Favorite flavor of Vitamin Water?
US: I don’t drink Vitamin Water. I try to avoid bottled water in general. Tap water costs 2 cents per liter in Seattle. Fruit juice, milk, chocolate milk, water, tea. And once in a while a beer.
SJ: I know he’s not German, but close enough — best Arnold Schwarzenegger movie: “Kindergarten Cop”, “Pumping Iron”, “No Really, That Guy Was the Governor of California?!”, or “Twins”?
US: Arnold is Austrian. Not German. Not even close! What’s next, you call a Canadian “almost American”?
SJ: (laughing) Touché! I was curious, what newspapers and magazines do you regularly read — to stay informed and to understand the world?
US: Seattle Times. I used to read the PI, but they went out of print. As far as magazines, Northwest Runner, Running Times, Ultrarunning. Oh yes and Fox News.
SJ: Is the Boston Marathon like the Olympics for marathoners?
US: (sigh) Not exactly. It’s the oldest continuously run marathon in the world. And the fact that you have to qualify for it makes it intriguing for many people. You actually have to be a decent runner to qualify. But the Olympics is a whole different level. You have to be world-class to make it to the Olympic marathon, and even that is not enough in many cases as only three athletes per country can run in the Olympics.
SJ: Oh, whoops. I suppose then that the Olympics are the Olympics for marathoners. What pair of shoes did you wear for the Boston Marathon?
US: A new racing flat from New Balance. It’s not available in stores until June 1st, and I only got my hands, or feet, on a size 10.5 when I really need a 10 or even 9.5. But it felt better on my feet than anything else I tried out. I did most of my training for Boston in the Scott eRide Trainer, though.
SJ: Do you think you could beat Ichiro in a marathon?
US: Yes.
SJ: What if it was just a half-marathon?
US: I think I can take him.
SJ: C’mon…a 5K?
US: Yep. I’d bet some money on me. Now, in the 400m, it might be a close race.
SJ: What’s your favorite spot to run in the general area, not including Cal Anderson Park, of course?
US: General area?! I like running along Lake Washington Boulevard to Seward Park. But really it’s not so much the place you run at, it’s the company you run with.
SJ: What would you do with all your free time if your legs fell off tomorrow and you could never run again?
US: What free time? I’d have to get a real job.
SJ: Is it true that Dirty Dancing is your favorite movie of all time?
US: Who told you that?! It doesn’t even come close to Pretty Woman! But I thought this was an interview for a running website, not ET.
SJ: Wow, great job Uli with the first-ever Fast-Acting Lightning Speed Round! Especially as our guinea pig. And yes I too am furious with my friends’ non-running questions. Although I already have a myriad of Pretty Woman questions I now want to ask…but I’ll wait for a 2nd interview.
Moving on, I wanted to expand a bit on something. You mentioned the New Balance and Scott shoes you wore leading up to and during that marathon in Boston. As you can see I’m wearing Vibrams. The cool white ones. Bikila. How long do you think it’ll be before the top marathoners such as yourself are racing in Vibrams and/or have you already raced in Vibrams? And before you answer, yes Vibrams paid me to ask this question.
US: I hope they paid you a lot of money! It tells you something when African runners who often grow up running barefoot all run in regular running shoes and racing flats. Personally, I will run in Vibrams when Christmas falls on the 4th of July.
SJ: (nervous laughter) Hmm. Well. This is awkward. I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree. I think these have helped make me a much better runner. Maybe not faster. Maybe not less injury-prone. But better.
US: If not faster and not less injury prone, in what way are you a better runner now?
SJ: Umm. Let’s switch gears, huh? The five-part Cougar Mountain Series trail races are starting up soon, in just a couple weeks. I remember one of my first-ever trail races, a number of years back, was the Cougar 10 miler…you won and I came in 2nd. It was real close; you out-kicked me. I don’t know where you went, but you weren’t at the awards ceremony afterward, so the 1st place prize of free shoes fell into my lap. And to this day that’s the best prize I’ve ever gotten.
US: You’re welcome. But what is your question?
SJ: Umm. I guess I didn’t have one. Heh. Hmm.
[rifles through papers]
Have you ever done any other Cougar races besides that one 10 miler?
US: Yes, I have done quite a few of them. In the first 2 years there was a guy who was opposed to those races and he would come out and change the course markings, directing runners onto the wrong trail. So sometimes I would run the course ahead of the runners, starting 10 minutes early and running with a can of spray paint and a roll of tape. But I also did a few of them officially, starting with everyone else.
SJ: If I see that guy at the 5 miler, I will give him a piece of my mind. I find the 13 miler to be the hardest, but the 5 miler to be the most frightening. Any thoughts on the progression of races? Do you have any advice for anyone who’s signing up for this year’s races?
US: Why is the 5 miler the most frightening? Do you have a lot of endurance but a lack of speed?
SJ: More or less.
US: The progression in distance of those races is ideal for beginning trail runners. Jumping from a road half marathon to a trail half marathon can be quite a surprise in terms of difficulty and the time it takes to complete the course. Starting with a 5 miler and working your way up gives you a good idea of what to expect. None of the Cougar Mountain trails are very technical by trail-running standards, but they are also not simple gravel paths either, so they are ideal for beginning trail runners.
SJ: That’s great advice, I agree! Maybe we’ll see you out there this year…and I can avenge my loss to you from that 10 miler!
US: I will for sure miss the 5 miler as I will be in Houston with the SU track team. So it’s your lucky day, as nothing stands in your way to win. Don’t know yet if or how the other races will fit into my racing schedule, but I will likely be at a few of them.
SJ: Awesome! I agree you will be out there!
US: …
SJ: Well, my girlfriend is going to kill me if I’m not home soon, so I think we should wrap this up…did you have any questions you wanted to ask me?
US: Sounds like your girlfriend is wearing the pants in your relationship! How do you feel about that?
SJ: (laughing) Well, it’s either she wear the pants, or I live alone in a dirty apartment, eating Chef Boyardee. I mean, Chef Boyardee is ok….but I’ll take the curfew if it means a few more dining options and a cool roommate.
US: I was also going to ask you if you know of a good way to stop hair loss, but it looks like whatever you’re doing isn’t working either.
SJ: (frowning) I dunno, wear trucker hats? No, I don’t know a good way, but I know a good silver lining. Me and you, we’ve got way more testosterone than other guys. That’s why our scalp betrayed us. Physically we may be repulsive, but in actuality, we are manlier.
US: I don’t know…you should get Trisha’s and your cool roommate’s opinion on that one! Or just solicit feedback from the readers of this interview.
SJ: Ok, I will! But what do women know about being manlier? I’m sure we’re manlier. And I think that’s a good way to end this. Thanks Uli, you’ve been very generous with your time! Congratulations again for Boston, for the amazing thrill of the Mariners first pitch, and good luck in all of your manly pursuits!
I want to thank Uli again for letting me into his house even though I was wearing Vibrams, and being the inaugural subject for what I hope will be a recurring installment here at the Seattle Running Club website. Both he and his wife Trisha are running ambassadors for our city. I was a little nervous interviewing such a talented and decorated runner, but I think I did a pretty superb job.
Call for Comments (from Joe)
- Is Uli manly? (show your work!)
- Are you bald?
- Dirty Dancing or Pretty Woman?
Call for Comments (from Uli)
- Is Joe manly?
Call for Support (from Joe)
- Did you enjoy this? Are you already a club member, like Uli? If not, consider becoming a member, like me, and help support us! Who knows, maybe I’ll be able to do a second interview!
- Did you not enjoy this? 🙁
All photos of Uli & Joe: Terry Creighton
His brand-new Masters career is off and running! SRC’s own Uli Steidl (pictured above on Saturday before the race) braved the heat en route to a 2:23:08 finish at the 2012 Boston Marathon. Despite being about two minutes back at the half marathon mark, Uli took the Masters lead at about mile 23.5 and never looked back. He stated after the race that he didn’t know he had the Masters win until after the race.
Uli also finished 15th overall and was the 5th American finisher.
ULI STEIDL Split time diff pace mph 5K 16:04 16:04 05:11 11.61 10K 32:41 16:37 05:21 11.22 15K 49:40 16:59 05:28 10.99 20K 1:06:53 17:13 05:33 10.82 HALF 1:10:36 03:43 05:28 11.00 25K 1:23:46 13:10 05:26 11.06 30K 1:41:10 17:24 05:37 10.71 35K 1:58:52 17:42 05:42 10.54 40K 2:15:30 16:38 05:22 11.21 FINAL 2:23:08 07:38 05:36 10.74
Also, check out a couple graphs made by SRC member Patrick Niemeyer, which show how strong Uli finished relative to the other top finishers. The first graph on the left shows Uli as the baseline (lines below him finished ahead, lines above finished behind). The heatmap graph on the right show, in Patrick’s words, “the fastest legs in the race, color-coded across the top 50 finishers (that is: the reddest cell in column H was the fastest person for the 25k split).” Patrick notes that Uli’s 40k split was the 5th fastest in the entire field. Thanks Patrick!
Categories
Passing the baton
As many SRC folks are aware, Win Van Pelt succeeded me as SRC president this past November. Win was a founding member of the SRC and has talked with many of you at various trail runs and races. But for those who don’t yet know him, or who wish to know more of the story behind the perpetual Van Pelt smile, I thought it would be useful to (re-)introduce him here on this blog. So without further ado, here is a small window into Win’s World, provided by Win himself.
* * * * * *
I was training for my first marathon, running up to 16 miles on the pavement. My knees hurt, my hips hurt, everything hurt. I liked hiking; what about training on trails? Hmmmmm….
After 3 weeks of running on the trails and feeling much better, I thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be nice to run with some others on the trails?” I was running up Wilderness Peak and ran into an enthusiastic group coming down the hill. Wow — I’m not alone! “Hey, do you run trails very often?” The curly blond hair leader, Scott, said yes! Awesome!!! Ever since I have been hooked on running trails.
I kept hearing this word “ultra,” so I asked, what is an ultra? I was very inspired by these ultra runners who took me under their wings. I was thinking to myself, how do they take all this time to run and compete locally and nationally? I called Scott McCoubrey (the founder of the Seattle Running Company) and shared my thoughts on starting a nonprofit. Scott said that he had been thinking the same thing. We worked together (Scott did most of the work), and the Seattle Running Club was born.
One fall Scott asked me if I would run cross country — they needed another male runner. The race was that week. Crazy! I hadn’t run cross country since high school. Cross country was great. It made me a faster ultrarunner and the team spirit is so much fun.
I am thankful for this fun and enthusiastic group who want to live large and be out there enjoying God’s creation. We are lucky — lucky to live in this beautiful part of the planet with lots of trails and adventures to explore. If you haven’t, I hope you will come out and experience this warm, welcoming community of runners.
Win Van Pelt
President, Seattle Running Club
Beautiful day and challenging with snow and rain…..happy ending in the sun! Congratulations to all who ran and we hope to see out there again soon! Thanks to Krissy Moehl and Ellen Parker for another great race!
-Win
Categories
Cross Country 101
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Are you toying with the idea of running cross country for the Seattle Running Club this fall? Or, are you interested in a fun, social, exciting opportunity to run and race in a different way than road or trail races? If so, then read on.
The Basics
Women and men race separately. At some events, masters (over 40 years old) race separately from open divisions. Women run 6km and men run 8km or 10km, often on lap courses.
The race course surface is generally a combination of grass and dirt. Trails and pavement are accidental – hence the usefulness of spikes, particularly through mud.
Scoring
Individuals are recognized for their overall placement but what really matters is how the team’s combined score of the five best runners compares to that of other teams. Each runner gets a number representing his/her finishing order and the team with the lowest combined score wins.
Why You?
Have you ever had a chance to compete as a part of something larger than yourself? Perhaps you’ve done a relay, or raced to raise money for a good cause. Cross country, likewise, fuses the thrill of the individual best effort with the knowledge that your effort also contributes to your team’s placement. As you pass competitors, your team score is improving, one tick at a time.
Is It Too Short?
No way. Cross country races are the perfect distance for speed over uneven terrain, around tight corners, hustling in a sea of runners, unless you’re lucky enough to be leading what can feel like a tide threatening to engulf you.
The Team Aspect
As a member of the open women’s team, I love warming up with my teammates, no matter how well we know each other, and concurrently cheering for the masters out on the course. And then, in my cool down, the open men are battling it out and happy for some encouragement. We all wear the same jersey, but underneath, we are more alike than that. We’ve come together for a love of the chase and the opportunity to both participate and support fellow runners. The bottom line, given the variety of courses, is not time, but a chance to push very hard and see what happens – this is an exciting task to accomplish and to witness in our fellow team members.
Why Now?
Why not? Last year our team was bigger than ever, with nearly 50 club members coming out to participate in one or more races. We were able to field five teams at Club Nationals, which was held in Seattle. We want to keep our momentum up so that means we need you. Cross country experience isn’t necessary. You learn it all in your first race or two. All we need is runners with grit, determination and courage to run in a pack and get dirty. And if you have other fall goals, a marathon or ultra, you can still race with us and get the benefit of a great tempo training run. The cross country races are short enough that you’ll be training again the next day.
SRC has fared well in cross country in the past. However, other teams sometimes have a stronger showing at events. Why not help SRC build a formidable team and fuel our rivalry with our local friends in orange and in red? Need more info or more reasons to join? Talk to me @ marlene@team-farrell.com or other group leaders listed here.