Mountain Men

When I talk to my boys about how running in college is the best experience, outside of running on an Olympic or World Championship team, you can have in this crazy running life, I don't think of my great coaches, races, and accomplishments. I think of two of the greatest guys I have ever ran with, my Sonoma State team-mates Phil and Eric. I have drank more coffee, shared laughs, and ran some of the best miles I have ever ran with these two guys.

Eric was, is and always will be quick with a witty smart-ass remark for every situation followed by a hearty laugh. A true renaissance man, Eric has traveled the world, read the great books, loves good music and hates trendy commercial dribble that is passed off as being sophisticated. Once a few years ago when we were running around Sonoma State, two girls looked and smiled at us. Now being close to 40, it had been a long time since a college girl smiled at me, but leave it to Eric to put it in proper perspective, "They are thinking, isn't that cute, those old college professors are trying to stay in shape." We laughed all the way back to my house, wondering where the years had gone.

Eric also had a way of coming up with some challenging work-outs. One in particular was 3-5 X 11/2 miles on a single track trail up in the hills of Annadel State Park in Santa Rosa. As we dodged branches, jutting rocks, hopped a brook and navigated treacherous footing, Eric would fly off yelling,"this is a mountain man work-out!" With mud flying up our legs and getting drenched with rain and sweat, we whooped and hollered along one of the best and most fun work-outs we have ever ran. Afterwards, over lattes, we would discuss everything from politics to music to literature to family.

Phil, my fist college room-mate, is the most solid guy I have ever ran with. With a quirky sense of humor and impish grin, you know you are in for a good time when you are hanging out with Phil. Now Phil is not crazy wild, he too, like Eric, is just flat out witty and knows what levers are for real and which ones are for show and has no problem telling you. Honest, hard-working and funny, he is just the kind of guy you would want for a roommate. One night while studying, I look down from my loft to see him come out of his bedroom with a Steve Martin arrow on his head, singing along to the Repo Man soundtrack doing his best Peter Garret dance moves, go the refrigerator, grab a drink and dance merrily back to his room and back to work. How can you not love a guy like that.

Running in the hills of Annadel State Park was always an adventure with Phil. He loved running hills and trails. An avid mountain bike rider as well, he knew that park better than any of us and when we would come across some obscure trail that seemed to drop off the face of the earth, hold on, he would take you on a wild ride, that kept you praying that you would not break your leg or snap off your foot. I swear he must be part mountain goat, but it did teach me to be light on my feet! The best part about Phil is that he was and is a good friend.

Running partners come and go, but some are completely irreplaceable. Phil and Eric fall into that once in a lifetime group of people that were not only good friends, but friends that make you a better person. Running is a great way of life. I love the way I feel after a good hard work-out. I love the sense of pride in a job well done after a race. But most of all, I love the fact that all the people I have gotten to know over the past 28 years have all helped shape me into the person I am today and none have had as much of impact as these two guys. In case I haven't said it in awhile, thanks Phil and Eric.

Until the next time, keep running and stay healthy! And call up an old running partner and share some laughs!
SP

Fast Company

I just could not rank my top four in an order, so I broke it down into a tie with two categories: 1) Fast Company and 2) Great Fun.
So I will start it off with Fast Company. I have two training partners who were the two fastest runners I got to train with on a day to day basis. The first being my Sonoma State team-mate Mike and then the other is a guy I got to know when I moved back home, Dean.

Mike, or Hammerhead as we would call him, was a five time DII All American at 1500, 5000 and XC, as well as participating in the 1992 Olympic Track and Field trials at 5000. The boy did not have great leg speed, but my goodness, he could hammer out work-outs and had a pain thresh-hold that I have never witnessed before or since. Focused and driven, Mike made every work-out the center of the universe and that each step was a matter of life or death. Once after trailing Matt Guisto in a local road race for several miles before having my butt handed to me on a platter, I commented on how I thought Matt was just out for a Sunday stroll, in which Mike grunted, "the good ones don't take Sunday strolls." He could be rather intense at times.

Anyway, Mike and I ran almost every mile together for two years, the fastest two years of running I ever had. We dreamed, schemed and ran fast. Sunday mornings were long runs with team-mates in Annadel State Park, followed by donuts and then watching sports. Mondays were the hardest day of the week with intense track or xc repeats, which lead to a big dinner of some kind of animal flesh and brownies and ice-cream. However, as intense of a guy as he could be, he was very unselfish. In the first race of my senior year in track, Mike paced me to my qualifying time for the NCAA's in a small tri-meet, stepping off the track on the last lap to let my savor the moment. Afterwards when celebrating, all Mike could talk about was my race, never-mind that I would not have had that performance I didn't have him to drag me along.

In 1994, when I first moved back home to Tulare, I was not prepared to encounter anyone who could even come with 2 minutes of me in a race locally. In my first local race after moving back I got a thorough butt-whipping in a small local 8K. Wondering who this red-headed stranger was I did what all distance runners do who want to know someone, "hey, you want to cool down?" I found out Dean and his family had just recently had moved to Tulare and he had just started teaching. He was also an 8:41 steeplechase runner and close to 14 flat 5k guy. Needless to say, he was one fast dude. Even better, he lived only a few blocks away from me and my family.

For the next few years we would meet afterwork and burn up the roads of Tulare and Visalia. Dean only knew two speeds, fast and faster. I actually had to make sure I would schedule two to three days when I ran on my own so my legs could recover. Unfortunately, Dean suffered several injuries, so his racing was limited, but the races we did run together were a blast. In one particular race, a guy came over from San Luis Obispo to run and he was little cocky towards the locals. Oblivious to how fast both Dean and I had ran, he went to the lead. A mile into the race, Dean went to the front with this guy and started talking to him and pushing the pace. At three miles Dean waved me up and then I went on to win as Dean continued to talk to the guy as he was dying on the road reminding him that he should treat the local runners with more respect. Which is why I loved running with Dean, as fast as a runner that he was, he was always and continues to be very humble about his accomplishments. Today, I get the great privilege of coaching his two boys, in which his oldest is my number 1 runner and his other boy, a freshman, is quickly becoming my 2nd best runner.

I sure miss having those two guys push me to faster times! Mike and Dean, thanks fellas for all the fast and good times!
SP

Midnight Runs

First up in my all time Top Five trainer partners is my COS team-mate Todd. Todd was the first philosophical runner who took a scientific approach to running. This guy was so well-versed in running, at a seminar in San Francisco, even Dr. Joe Vigil, the legendary coach who was instrumental in creating the Adams State dynasty had a hard time answering his questions. Todd approached running like he did life, it was a great mystery that one had to solve and do so in such a manner that it not only have meaning, but make a better man in the process.

The best part of running with Todd was that he was that one team-mate that always made you feel that you could accomplish anything. Not once in the many years of running together did I ever hear him say one negative thing about his team-mates. He was always encouraging everyone on the team to reach for higher goals. Todd was a runner of high goals and high standards and he freely shared these standards and expectations in order for all of us to reach higher.

During the summers, Todd introduced us to midnight runs. For several weeks during the hot months of June, July and August, we would meet at Todd's and another team-mate's, David, apartment at midnight and go for a 8-10 mile run around town. On some of those nights we would do a fartlek work-out. Since Todd had high standards he would tell us, "we are not going to do an American fartlek, we are doing a European or African fartlek! There will be no jogging. We are working hard gentlemen!" And sure enough, we would go flying through the streets of Visalia at break-neck speed. Man, I miss those summer nights.

When I decided to take running seriously, it was Todd who inspired me to go from the 13th man on our cross country to one of the top 10,000 meter runners in JC NorCal to eventually earning two All American awards. So Todd, thanks man for being the first team-mate to push me to reach for higher goals and to do it in such a way that would not only make me a better runner, but also a better person.

Until the next time, keep running, stay healthy, and make sure you say thanks to those who inspire you to run!
SP

Over the past 86 days of running, I have done roughly 90% of that running all by myself. Even though I enjoy my quiet time out on the roads and trails, I am beginning to miss those days of when I used to do 90% of my running with team-mates and training partners. As I look back over the years, I have been blessed and honored to have ran with so many different runners. I have ran with aspiring Olympians, American-record holders, World Championship team members, old, young, tall, short, male, female, veteran and newbies. I have met all of my running heroes, Bill Rogers, Alberto Salazar, and Pat Porter, in which I called Porter once after one too many beers to wish him good luck on his 7th consecutive American championship title in cross country. I have shared laughs, disappointments, and the camaraderie that only comes with running with other like-minded individuals who have chosen to pound their bodies mile after mile after mile. There is nothing like hanging out with your own species and runners were not meant to run alone. So this week I pay tribute to the five most influential team-mates/running partners in this running life.

First, before starting my five part series on my favorite all time training partners, I tip my hat to the other five, those who would have made the cut if I was doing my top 10.

Coming in at number 10, Frank, a high school team-mate that knew how to push me to reach for higher goals. Although, his running life has been plagued with injuries over the past several years, I now get the privilege of coaching his son.

Number 9, the 1998 College of Sequoias Cross Country team. I got to be the assistant coach that year and had an absolute blast sharing some very good times with these guys. Who knew that college kids still loved "story time."

Number 8, David and Amador, the original McFarland High School superstars of running. These two guys had such a great sense of humor and love of running, you could not help but want to run fast. These two guys were always the first ones to congratulate you on a good job or offer a word of encouragement if you had a bad one.

Number 7, Lino, another Tulare Union grad who has fallen in love with this crazy life called running. The thing I love about running with Lino is that he is so hungry to learn about the sport, plus, at my age, to be able to run with a young 20 something pushes me to do better.

Number 6, my current high school team at Tulare Union. Although my role is coach, these guys, my boys, have reminded my of all the good reasons of why I have chosen to live my life this way. I hope as a coach I give them as much as they give me. Not only that, they are becoming an awesome group of runners.

To all of you guys, THANKS! for sharing in the journey.

Until tomorrow when I share about number 5, keep running and stay healthy,
SP

Good-Bye 42

Today was day 78 in a row with 12 miles to log for the day. It is also my last day being 42 as I get ready to start another trip around the sun. This past year was pivotal in my running life, mainly because it was the first year in many that I actually had goals and got out and ran for the majority of the year.

My 42nd year did not start off too good, as on my birthday last year I injured my left foot doing a track work-out with my high school guys that lead to a severe case of plantar fascia, which lead to my current state of having to wear orthotics. However, since that time I have slowly built up my running regimen and am now logging 65-70 miles per week, losing all the fat I gained, and more importantly, I am having the most fun with my running in over 15 years!

As I say good-bye to 42, it is with excitement that I look forward to 43 and all the racing adventures that lie ahead. I am looking forward to reconnecting with former team-mates and adversaries on the roads, track and xc courses. I am looking forward to not just revisiting our "Glory Days," but also sharing a laugh about how we just duked it out like a couple of college kids. I look forward to seeing how my high school kids improve and compete. I look forward to watching my daughter blossom on the track this season. And I look forward of sharing this running life with you.

So to everyone that I have shared this running life with, thanks for helping make 42 a phenomenal year and I anxiously await tomorrow to head into the new adventure that 43 holds in-store.

Until the next time, keep running, stay healthy and enjoy each every step along the journey.
SP