I was digging around on YouTube for juicing information last night and came across this interview with a couple who ran a marathon every day for 366 days.  All on fruits and vegetables.

To be honest with you, I’m not even sure what that means.  I have “run” two marathons in my life, both at the end of an Ironman, about a year apart.  Simply running every day seems impossible to me.

What has me most curious about this is the raw food and vegetable part.  I know that is big time controversy in the world of athletics, which I find hilarious, because why do people get so pissed at athletes who endorse vegetarian lifestyles?  It’s like hating your neighbor because they believe in a different religion.  Oh, wait.

And granted, they were certainly not out there running for the podium, but in the interview they said their last 100 days were the strongest.  He’s in his 70’s, she’s in her 60’s and restored her health after getting breast cancer at 52.

Anyway, if they really did this, which I tend to believe in theory . . . i.e. . . I just ran 7.69 miles, but will have an incredible urge to tell people I ran 8.  I mean, “more or less, eight, right?”  We all do it, so I’m pretty sure this couple may have thrown in a few 25 milers along the way, but maybe not because I really dig this snippet from their “About Us” page:

Throughout the year 2013, to inspire and motivate conscious lifestyle choices, to promote kindness and compassion for all living beings and to raise environmental awareness for a sustainable future, we  ran together around Australia, 15,782km, running 366 marathons (43 km) each in 366 days, no days off. On January 1, 2014, we acquired world acclaim by setting a new World Record as the only couple over the age of 60 fuelled entirely on raw fruit and veg, wearing barefoot shoes, to run 366 consecutive marathons while Running Raw Around Australia.

The most important thing here is, the power of the body to regenerate itself.  I haven’t looked into their specific diet, but eating raw food has always made sense to me on a subconscious level because sustaining life seems to be about quality nutrients and hydration.  If we clog our arteries and organs for years, they eventually shut down.  Then we get diseases because our body can’t function or flush toxins.

It’s almost comical to me that nobody wants to hear that talk.

In 1974 the United States Department of Agriculture introduced the Food Pyramid.  Right there along the bottom, they suggested 7 – 11 servings of bread, cereal, rice or pasta every day.  I don’t know enough about science to question that stuff, but I wonder if that had anything to do with what United States farmers produce the most of?

Nearly everything I read about grains now seemingly positions them a step above poison.  I also love how the top of the pyramid has fats, oils, and sweets grouped together under the “use sparingly” category.  I’m not sure if it’s irony or downright deceit, but grains and “no fat” foods are probably the biggest reasons for the obesity crises in this country.

Anyway, back to this lovely couple.  They ran 366 marathons in as many days, and frankly, I think we should probably pay attention to some of the things they are saying.

Here’s their website.

As far as I’m concerned this is basketball season.  I like college football, but for some reason, my fan-sweet-spot lies in college hoops, especially with Wisconsin.

It’s well documented in this blog that I used to shovel the driveway in December as a kid and act like I was leading the Badgers to the National Championship.  But that was another in a long line of pipe dreams.

After 30-plus years of waiting, I finally got my chance to see them in the Final Four last year.  It was an experience I’ll never forget.

For those of you who don’t know, Wisconsin is coached by Bo Ryan, who is a grizzly realist from Chester Pennsylvania known for practical quotes like, “It’s just life, it unfolds right in front of you.”  He’s the consummate under-reactor, and when asked how they would approach this season with four starters back from a Final Four team he said, “We’ll probably start with passing drills.”

The other day I was watching this interview with him and the interviewer noted Ryan’s favorite sayings is, “Be good at the things that don’t take talent.”

I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately, and especially how it relates to triathlon.  I just think it’s so appropriate because 95% of people in triathlon are past their prime or probably weren’t great athletes to begin with.  And it’s the perfect sport for people like that because talent can only take you so far.

In basketball that translates into getting back on defense, boxing out on rebounds, and taking better angles.  So where can triathletes get an advantage?

I think about things like patience, consistency, and dealing with pain.  In my short experience as a triathlete, these seem to be the qualities that lure me most and ones that can give a huge advantage on race day.

Patience – How do we pace myself in workouts, the off season, and especially the race.  Ironman is long.  For most of us there is never a time when we’re going to be balls to the walls.  It’s all about walking a fine line of effort.  One time a guy told me he always walks the first mile of an Ironman just to make sure he’s got himself under control.  I shrugged it off as stupid advice and thought, “This is a race, man, what the fuck is this walk talk?”  But if he walks one mile and runs 25.2, he probably crushes most people in the run.

Consistency – Am I working on swimming and running form, practicing staying in aero on the bike, eating right, and giving my body the chance to recover.  Your mind can’t help but drift in long workouts, but the more consciously inject effort toward your form in swimming, biking, and running, the more good habits build, even when my mind is thinking about pop tarts.

Dealing with Pain – Before my first Ironman, I never stopped when I ran.  Never.  Last year as I trained for Louisville, I was dealing with nagging injuries and often walked on my practice runs.  I think the injuries were “real” but I’m not sure they were “substantial.”  Running is hard and I don’t think I ever convinced myself of a good enough reason to push through the pain.  I was already an Ironman and in the back of my mind I always knew I could walk during the race.  My goal for this year is to overpower that thought and not make it an option.  We all know what’s a real injury and what’s an excuse.

Be good at things that don’t take talent.

[follow_me]

Okay, this isn’t formal case for weight training . . . like everything else in my repertoire, I’m going by gut feeling.

The last couple of weeks I have been following my coach’s leg training plan.  Lunges, squats, calf raises, hamstrings, quads, box steps, etc . . . and I can honestly say it feels like it’s making a major difference in, not only my strength, but my attitude.

I don’t understand physiology, but have read enough to know that it’s important to stimulate muscles on a deeper level.  I fear that simply swimming, biking, and running just sort of scratches the surface.  After three weeks, it is quite obvious to me that spending a bit of time pushing your muscles harder with weights is critical to building speed and endurance.

Before getting into Ironman I was always miffed by how people could go these distances.  Early in my training, I thought it was all about cardio, but now I know skeletal and muscle strength is a much bigger issue for most.

Don’t get me wrong, excellent cardio shape plays in a big way, but for most people running the end of an Ironman at 10-14 minute miles doesn’t seem to have much to do with cardio.  It was never my breathing and always my legs.  They hurt, a lot.

If I’m gonna push my muscles to go faster, doesn’t it make sense that they should be well-rounded and stronger?  I’m pretty sure that’s what got me in trouble last year.  Trying to train fast on “weak” legs created all kinds of nagging injuries that never recovered.

I plan to run often this winter, but mainly to keep my legs familiar with the motions.  Nothing too hard or fast.  And in the process I’ll lifting heavier and heavier weights.  Maybe even doing these Turkish Get Ups like I saw some guy at the gym doing last night.

[follow_me]