Thankful.....

I was born on Flag Day, raised with the Pledge of Allegiance and listened with pride to the stories of family members that served in World War II and Vietnam. I grew up in the 70's and 80's during the Cold War, a time when schools had routine drills for nuclear war, and I watched in relief as the Iranian Hostages were freed, looked on in horror when 220 US Marines lost their lives in Beirut, cheered when "The Wall" came tumbling down and was shocked during the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Looking back now it is easy to understand my unwavering loyalty to the Stars and Stripes.

Superman has always been, by far, my favorite Superhero. Not because he can fly or has x-ray vision. No, that stuff is really cool and I have tried to both fly and see through.... uhhhh.... stuff but for me it was the whole, "Truth, Justice and the American Way" thing. From the earliest age I loved that he would save the world but always remained loyal to the good old USA. Crazy, I know but that was always what I loved most about the Man of Steel. Of course, I wanted to be Rambo and Maj. McCoy at different times too. As a child back in "the day" there was no shortage of war hero movies and all of this cemented the notion in my young brain that it was not only a great honor but a responsibility to serve.

Coming out of high school, I had no idea that I would join the USMC. In fact, it was a fluke that I even enlisted. The first Persian Gulf war was all over TV and coming to an end when I made the move. I remember driving home from my part-time-turned-full-time job and without much thought found myself pulling into the parking lot of the Armed Forces Recruiting Building. As I walked in, I recalled the stories of a few of my Dad's friends who were former Marines. Without hesitation I walked in and told the Recruiting Sergeant that I was ready to enlist. I'm sure this was the easiest "sell" he had ever had. I left with an appointment for a physical and ready for the swearing in ceremony.

My time in the Marines was nothing special as I was never in a combat zone, dodged bullets or had the overwhelming fear that I might, at any time, die. I remember volunteering for deployment to Somalia and Bosnia on more than one occasion. One time in particular stands out. I was, once again, asking to be deployed when a Corporal, who was only a year or two older than I was and just returning from his 3rd trip to Somalia came in. With a hardened and haunted look he told me plainly enough that I shouldn't ask to go if I wasn't ready to give it all. He had a chest full of medals, one of which was the Purple Heart, and the no-nonsense tone of a person that revealed he was the "real deal" and not a character in a Hollywood movie. As I look back, now 20 years later, I am thankful that my journey didn't take me to these places even though I thought that's what I needed to do at the time.

That Corporal, among many other grizzled and very honorable combat veterans remain constant and steady VOICES as I go through life. When I began running back in 2006, there was never a thought that I would run 26.2, 50 or even 100 miles one day. But there was the knowledge that I could if I so desired. There would be nobody to stop me but myself. Nothing in my way. No governmental intrusion or law preventing me from fulfilling my dreams. The VOICES of those that have served and sacrificed their lives to ensure that our freedom is secure fill my head on daily basis in everything I do. They are the reason that I teach my children to stand up when the National Anthem is playing, to respect our flag and say the Pledge of Allegiance without fear or shame. I fly the flag, have a picture of the Marines at Mt. Suribachi on my wall, support our troops regardless of politics and thank a veteran when I meet them. I am proud to live in the shadow they cast.

Today is Veterans Day. The day we celebrate and honor the GREAT men and women that have served in an effort to keep this country the Home of the Free and the Land of the Brave. I am extremely honored and humbled that they are willing to risk their lives so the rest of us don't have to. From the Battles of Lexington and Concord to the Mountains of Afghanistan they have served and died for our nation. I am eternally grateful and hopeful that I can live my life in way that honors the gift they have left behind. 

Turn the Trail Pink 2013

It's kind of weird how things just happen. Nowhere in my "life plan" did I think that I would become a runner. Or a marathoner. Or an Ultra-runner. Or a parent. Or the son of two cancer survivors. It wasn't too long ago that I was childless, 235 lbs of happily NOT running and both parents were cancer free..... Weird how things work out. But here I am.... Runner. Marathoner. Ultra runner. Proudest father on the planet of two mo/ awesome boys. And the son of not one but two cancer survivors. It's funny how life can throw us off track and change our paths.....


I started running back in 2006 for ME. Me. Me. Me. Why? Because I was 33 years old  5' 11"  235 lbs and an out of shape former Marine, ex-high school jock, brand-new-dad-going-down-the-tubes-fast, kind of dude. There was also a cash prize for a "biggest loser" on the table. I didn't start running for any kind of rewarding or noble cause... It was all about me. I would love to lie about this but facts are facts... it was all about me.

In late 2009 and early 2010 I found out that life can punch you in the mouth even when you aren't looking. My Dad was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in December and my Mom was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in February. Hello???? Nobody that I know has cancer. This only happens to other people. I send them a card, say I'm sorry... , and then it goes away. Right? This was possibly the dumbest thought I have ever had. By the time that both of my parents were diagnosed I was already the father of two, a half-lucky-wanna-be-runner-with-ultra-dreams. The hours and miles I spent on the road and trails during those few hard months helped clear my head an answer the question of  "What can I do?". It was obvious that I would never be awarded the Nobel Prize for curing cancer BUT maybe, just maybe, I could do my part.

The Honor Scroll 50 Miler on the Ouachita Trail every April is pretty awesome. The Rocky Racoon 100 miler in February is a special time for me. The continuous circling of an old asphalt track during the Relay for Life in the humidity of a Missouri summer's night is always fun. But the Dogwood Canyon 50k in October holds a special place in my heart. Maybe it's the beauty of the Ozarks in the fall, the monster hills, or the outstanding collection of volunteers and participants that show up but it is by far my favorite event each year.

A few years ago I was watching an NFL game and all the players were wearing pink. Pretty cool. I started thinking that I could wear pink during a race and it just so happened that I had a pink tutu in the closet left over from the Relay for Life....  Why not wear it while running the toughest trail 50k (in my opinion) in the midwest? Sure people would laugh, point and heckle but it COULD raise money. So in the spirit of Breast Cancer Awareness and in honor of ALL that have battled the beast, I decided to show up in the tutu. It was a life changing experience to say the least. I'm not an elite athlete, celebrity or a person with a super dynamic and outgoing personality that can just show up an pull this off... but I had a goal of seeing a world without cancer and that was enough motivation to push through the personal insecurity and image issues to toe the starting line. It was tough that first year. And the second. And the third. And....  I'm sure it won't be any any easier this year.

I did okay that first year so I decided to make it an annual thing. It's crazy how comfortable a person can become being completely uncomfortable..... October 20th will mark the 4th Annual Turn the Trail Pink 50k. Once again, I am asking for donations in honor of those that have been touched by cancer. The pink tutu will be adorned with ribbons bearing names of loved ones affected by this horrible disease. The requested donation is $5 per name... but for those that don't know me very well --- I will proudly place any name, regardless of donation, on the tutu and carry it for the 31 miles. Donations to the ACS (Relay for Life) are greatly appreciated but if times are tight- send the name along with the silent promise to help in another way by donating your time, skills or efforts locally. We are all working toward the same outcome.... A world where our children do not have to deal with cancer.

You can send names to runlikeamug@gmail.com

If you would like to donate directly to the Relay for Life
Relay for Life Donations


Or you can donate through PayPal

Or if you are a dinosaur like me... through the USPS

David Murphy
212 Murphy Lane
Wasola, MO
65773

Next Up.... Dogwood Canyon 50K

“I’m going to retire from ultras. Never again. This is insane.” These were my thoughts as I struggled through a few of the lonely miles late during last year’s Dogwood Canyon 50k. Climbing the ridiculously steep hills with the sun in full blaze above and carrying an empty water bottle it was easy enough to question why anyone would want to subject themselves to this craziness. Throw in the sheer genius of wearing a pink tutu (yes, that was me) and the fact that I had just completed the Arkansas Traveller 100 only 2 weeks prior..... never mind. Those are just more excuses.

For some reason it always surprises me just how tough this course is even though I have ran some variation of it every year since 2008. To say that it is one of the toughest trail races in the midwest would not be an exaggeration. Fortunately, it is also one of the most organized (not counting the first year)  and runner friendly races around. It’s been exciting to watch this event grow each year and expand to include a 15k giving many road runners an opportunity to experience a true trail event. The course is technical but forgiving, the hills are steep but rewarding and the overall experience will leave you beat up and swelling with pride.

I was a relative newcomer to running back in 2008. With about 2 years of road running and a couple of marathons under my belt I thought that a 25k would be easy. I could not have been more wrong. Within the first couple of miles my feet were wet, my knees and hands bloody from falling down and my legs were dead from trying to run up every hill. I had yet to learn about picking up my feet and the idea of walking during a race seemed completely against the rules of nature. During one of these uphill battles, crawling along at a snails pace, a pack of runners came flying by. They were running faster uphill than I could on the flats and it was an impressive sight to behold. I remember telling them “Good work” or something similar and this dude with crazy long hair responded with a half smile, “Well, thank you. You’re doing pretty good yourself”.  

The attitude, smile and encouraging response from this elite runner was not expected and, honestly, changed my perspective about what runners should be all about. I had no clue that it was Anton Krupicka until a few years later when I lined up right behind him at the Rocky Raccoon 100 miler. He, along with Scott Jurek, Ian Sharman and a host of other elites exhibited the same encouraging behavior towards every runner in the race. It is always an uplifting experience to hear a word of encouragement mid-race from the very best in our sport to an average runner like me. It’s part of the draw that keeps me returning to the trails.

In 2010 I showed up at Dogwood to run the 50k. Nothing special or remarkable about this except that I was wearing a pink tutu and pink shirt. This was probably the hardest thing I had ever done. The reasons for the tutu were very clear and important to me but I was nervous, embarrassed and scared as I walked up to the starting line. Both of my parents had been diagnosed with cancer earlier in the year and I had struggled with finding a meaningful and unique way to help fight back against this disease. Because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Dogwood is always held in October..... well you get it. I’m pretty sure that not everybody was staring and laughing but it sure felt like it. Once the race started all of the embarrassment, fear and nervousness was lost in the beauty of the trail. Weird how that happens.

Some people have this idea that I wear the pink tutu to every race, the grocery store, church and my kid’s school functions. So let’s set the record straight here.... I don’t particularly enjoy wearing it. It’s uncomfortable, rubs in weird places and slows me down a lot. I only wear it twice a year. Once during the Relay for Life Ozark County for a few laps and during the Dogwood Canyon 50k which I have dubbed as the “Turn the Trail Pink” annual fund raiser. I’m no longer embarrassed, scared or nervous about wearing it in front of large crowds of runners. I think that most of them understand why

and it’s become kind of fun to let people take a picture and laugh about it.

The training miles are starting to build as Dogwood Canyon approaches. Last year I knew that it would be a struggle coming off of a 100 miler. This year I know it will be a struggle because the course is tough and demanding. This will be my “A” race for the fall and the hope for a decent finishing time is high. The tutu will be back for the 4th year and I hope to recruit a few friends to wear pink shirts in support of Breast Cancer Awareness.

This really is a great event. All of the  volunteers, course marshals and aid station workers want to see every person cross the finish line and are willing to help make that possible. The hills are steep. The creeks are cold. The trail goes on forever. Keep the relentless forward progress and the rewards are amazing. Plus they have beer at the finish line. That helps. Hope to see you on the course. I’ll be the dude in the pink... oh, you get it....

This article was originally published in the Ozark Mountain Ridge Runners September 2013 Newsletter.

Training? Training?? I Don't Need No Stinkin' Training Plan....

I used to think that I had it all figured out. This running stuff is really simple after all. Just lace 'em up and hit the road. Run as fast as possible for the desired distance and call it good. Go back the next day and run just a little faster. Training plans were, in my mind, something designed by "professionals" to make money. Every copy of Runners World seemed to have one that was just a little different than the last issue but claimed to be better. I tried a few early on because, like most beginners, I was lost and wanted to improve. It wasn't long before I started feeling like a complete failure. I couldn't find the time and I didn't understand 90% of the stuff it wanted me to do. Pretty quick, I abandoned my faith in the "experts" and just decided to run. Looking back, this was the smartest and dumbest move I ever made. Weird.

When I began "training" for my first full marathon back in 2007, the goal was to finish. I knew that a 3:30 was realistic but wasn't sure how to get there. I perused the internet and found several plans that promised to take me my goals and beyond. I noticed that they all had a few things in common. First, every plan called for a build up of miles over a period of time, usually 16-20 weeks. Second, they all called for some type of speed work and recovery days. Finally they stressed the importance of maintenance runs. Seemed simple enough so I built my own plan by stealing from several and combining them into something that would fit my life and schedule. It was genius. I cut out all the speed work stuff, mainly because I had zero understanding of it and partly because it seemed too hard, and ended up with a plan that would end up matching total mileage with the majority I had found.

Things worked out okay. I ran a 3:13 for my first marathon, qualified for Boston, didn't break any bones and fell in love with the longer distance. Because of my luck, and I really think it was pure luck, there was an arrogance that I had it all under control and most plans were just money making gimmicks. I carried on through a few more marathons and eventually found myself looking at ultras. Back then there really weren't any real plans for 50k's and up. Sure there was a lot of "tweak your marathon plan" type of articles but no real clear plan to step up the distance. This,of course, help solidify the idea that I didn't need no stinkin' plan. Just run dude. That's all you got to do. So I did. After running a couple of fairly successful 50 milers I wrote about some of the stuff that discouraged me from training plans....

I am one of those people that believe that the only way to “truly” learn is through personal experience. Sure this takes a little longer and there are some risks, like injury and never reaching the peak performance, but still, I think it is the BEST way. I may be way off base here, but it seems that most of these “experts” are basing there plans on what works best for themselves......exactly what I believe.....but want to apply it to everyone else. HOW can one plan work for everybody? I mean, they are almost always backed with some type of guarantee. (I guarantee that if it doesn't work for YOU, it was because YOU didn't follow the plan properly.) 

VO2 max, lactic threshold, fast-twitch, slow-twitch, pronation, fartleks, tempo-run, marathon pace, mp+ 30, heart rate and Yasso 800's....... that crap blows my mind and leaves me feeling less like running and more like taking a nap. I kind of understand some of it and do not care about the rest. What I do know is this...... When I run as hard as I can, my heart beats faster and breathing becomes difficult, so I slow down. When I get thirsty, I drink water. My marathon pace depends on the course, weather and how I feel that day. Yasso 800's tell me nothing except that I hate running 800's. The rest of that “technical” stuff is just mumbo-jumbo to me. 

I have tried to follow some plans in the past and usually end up tired, sore and less motivated than ever. Some of it is because of the time commitment required, some due to the mid-week speed drills but mostly because I hate the inflexible nature of a strict plan. Knowing that training is more important than the actual event, I WILL follow a training plan for all future events. The plan will be the same for everything.....run everyday if possible, try to hit back to back long runs (10-12 miles followed by 16-20 miles the next day). Some will be slow, some will be faster but they will ALL be on my terms- depending on how I feel that day. (Read that nonsense here)

I stuck to this idea, this "plan", that all I had to do was run and everything else would fall into place. And it did. For the most part. I employed this theory through a couple of sub 3 marathons, a few very fast 50k's, two sub 24 hour 100 milers and a sweet 50 miler that left me with a state record for my age group. It was working. Nothing could stop me. Nothing. Well, almost nothing. Nowhere in my "plan" did it take into account that I could become injured and what I should do about it once it happened. My experiences in the past with injuries had been few and far between. A little knee pain? Calf muscles are sore? Hamstring issues? Plantar? Shin splints? ITB? Rub some dirt on it dude... you got to keep up the mileage. So I always did.

Back in late December, 2011 and early January of 2012, The Idiots Running Club was formally created and our motto became ti no trid emos bur which is simply rub some dirt on it backwards. It came about because of my attitude that we, as runners, didn't need to play by the rules and just had to tough it out if goals were to be met. This motto and dumb little club pushed me to continue my arrogant ways for a while. (I still believe in the "dirt method" for the most part- most of the time we talk ourselves into quitting because of "make believe" pains/injuries.) In April of 2012, I ran the Ouachita 50 miler with some big time knee and calf issues. Going in to the race, I knew there were problems and coming out I made a ton of excuses but the fact was that I had over-trained and really just didn't have a clue how to prepare myself for the distance.

Earlier in the year, Jeff Kline from PRS Fit and I started "talking" via twitter and facebook. He is the owner of PRS Fit and quickly integrated himself into the Idiots Running Club group page on facebook. To be fair and honest, I really thought he was full of crap when he first started posting and tweeting. I automatically assumed it was another "get rich quick" scheme and he was just trolling for clients but in the interest of providing knowledge and helpful tips to the club I allowed him to continue his interactions while monitoring and inspecting every post for even a hint of a sales pitch. To my surprise, he only offered sound advice and quick responses to every question asked, whether directed at him or not, we eventually set up a weekly "Ask the Coach" forum for members. His responses were in the form of private video mails, if the question was of a personal nature,  public videos and in depth comments for all to see if the questions could be publicly addressed.

Jeff really impressed me with his work ethic and generous nature. In fact, it got me thinking that maybe there was something to the whole "hire a coach and follow a plan" thing. So.... Jeff and I spoke in May of 2012 and by June I was onboard. My initial thoughts were to just give it a shot for a few months and see what happened. I was still recovering from various injuries but I wanted to run the Arkansas Traveller 100 in October. Again, to be honest, I was very skeptical of his methods and the first few weeks didn't help make me a believer. You want me to do what? A heart rate monitor? Throw out the distance/pace and run for a set amount of time only? Are you freakin' insane???

On more than one occasion, I questioned whether or not he understood what ultra running was really all about. I mean, it IS different than marathons or triathlons and he didn't really have a resume for training 100 milers but.... I stuck with it. Each week seemed to get a little better. The heart rate training started to actually make sense and the benefits were showing. Granted, I wasn't going to run any sub 18 5k's or sub 3 hour marathons BUT the 100 miler was looking much easier. But the "run slow-build aerobic base-trust the process" crap made me wonder. I still wasn't completely convinced.

At the starting line of the Arkansas Traveller, I was nervous as hell. There was NO WAY that I could run a sub 24 on this course with the training that I had. All I had done for the past 4 months was run slow. All the time. Sure there were a lot of miles but they were SLOW. I should have been running fast. This dude is off his rocker. I'm going to die at mile 30 and end up coming in DFL. This is going to suck.....

It didn't suck. I had a great day. It poured down rain, it was cold, I kept my nutrition in check and my heart rate stayed so low that I wondered if I was even alive. At the end of the day... night.... whatever... I crossed the finish line in 4th place overall with a time of 21:29. Not a 100 mile PR but much better than I had ever dreamed on such a tough course. The very first text message I received was from Coach Jeff, who had stayed up all night tracking the race online. That meant a lot to me because I am far from elite and still hadn't figured this dude out yet. After the race it was easy to follow his twitter/facebook timeline and see that he had indeed followed my progress throughout the day and was excited about the prospect of a good finish for me. This was HUGE because, like I said, I just didn't expect that level of dedication from him for a non-elite runner like me.

We had scheduled a running clinic in my small town for the very next week. Jeff showed up and gave a great clinic to all the runners I could round up.... there were only like 10 of us that came. I apologized for not being able to attract more people because I knew his expenses were going to be more than he brought in. His response was simply, "I don't do this to get rich." and I couldn't help but believe him. We talked about the Traveller and I told him of my plans to go sub 20 at Rocky Raccoon. He told me he would make the trip to Texas and help crew/pace me. Yeah... right.

Rocky Raccoon 100 Miler in Huntsville, Texas. Coach Jeff was tripping over the roots on the toughest section of the course. Cussing, smiling and encouraging me to keep up the pace. We were at mile 70 and I couldn't help but wonder "Why in the hell would this dude show up, at his own expense, to crew me?" There was no real benefit for him. He could have just stayed home and followed online. The answer seems obvious now but it was a puzzle then. He truly does care about the runners he coaches. His dedication is not a smoke screen. It is real. He was there so that WE could reach OUR goals. This wasn't just something that I wanted, he wanted it as bad as I did. After the last pacer left me at mile 92 he told me "This is it. You have an hour and a half. It's all on you now. You know what to do." Those simple words, and the the fact that he no longer felt a need to send a pacer, let me know that he believed in me. He knew that I wanted it. He knew my personality and KNEW that the training was solid. The 100+ mile weeks, the 300+ mile months, all the time we spent going over the plan had paid off. He understood where I was in that moment. Can't find that in a magazine.

I crossed the line in 19:37, well under my 20 hour goal, with a PR of over an hour. We celebrated with an Oreo, which was a big sacrifice on his part, and I couldn't thank him enough. Still can't. This post isn't an advertisement for PRS Fit. I do think you should at least give Jeff a phone call but that's up to you. (it doesn't cost that much- tell him I sent you) It isn't a retraction on my earlier thoughts about "one size fits all" training plans. It is, however, an endorsement for smart and efficient training, and my personal recommendation to find a plan or coach that will bring you to your goals in a way that brings out your potential and minimizes risk of injury. Oh... Injuries? Yeah... haven't had any of those since I started with PRS Fit. Next up? How about a sub 19 at Rocky Raccoon next year, Coach?