Dean's Blog
Dean Karnazes, mega-endurance athlete and bestselling author, blogs about ultra running, life, and the human spirit. Not necessarily in that order.
Where do the world’s hardiest humans live, and what makes them so healthy? Those were the questions Dan Buettner set out to answer.
Buettner seems uniquely qualified to pursue the topic of perseverance. He’s the holder of three Guinness World Records for distance biking, including a 15,500-mile ride from Alaska to Argentina in 1987, when he was 27.
Buettner partnered with scientists to examine anomalous pockets where the number of centenarians vastly exceeded the statistical average and found that the group who tops the list comes from the small Greek island of Ikaría in the Aegean Sea.
That’s the place my mom came from. So, naturally, I was intrigued.
Turns out that the Ikaríans do a number of things that promote health and longevity, some of which might surprise (and delight) you. Sure did me.
Here’s a partial list:
They drink (yes, booze)
They stay out late (and sleep past noon)
They don’t run (but they walk and move constantly)
They eat loads of fat (from olive oil and pine nuts)
While residents of the Blue Zones aren’t necessarily the endurance sports types (i.e., Boulder isn’t identified as a Blue Zone), I think there are many lessons to be had in looking at the habits of Blue Zone populations.
I’m curious to know if many of you have heard of the Blue Zones? If so, do you think there are any/many relevant things we can use for our more athletically inclined western lifestyles?
Having just attended The Running Event—one of the nations premier running industry gatherings—I am happy to report that our sport continues to flourish, even during this economic slowdown (perhaps on account of it, actually).
The number of participants in organized running and endurance events has trended upward for the past several years and shows no signs of slowing pace. Spending on running equipment, apparel, footwear, and accessories continues to grow. Event sponsorship for running and endurance races has reached its highest level ever. All of these factors are indicative of a vibrant and healthy industry. Indeed, this is an exciting time to be in the business of endurance sports!
The reasons for this ongoing vibrancy appear to be many. Several recent polls have shown that during this unprecedented global economic maelstrom, people have begun to reevaluate their priorities. The shift is fittingly captured by the recent New York Times headline, “Health is the New Wealth.” This “new wealth” is defined less by an individual’s material accumulations and more by his or her physical state of being. I, for one, would argue this is a good thing.
Not only is this shift in priorities good for those in the running business, it is good for the country (indeed the world!). Who could debate that reducing “globesity” is universally beneficial? We’d spend less on health care, improve our appreciation of clean air and the environment, reduce our consumption of resources, and, it could be argued, improve our overall quality of life. The growth of the running business is something I passionately promote because I see it as a good thing for everyone involved.
Not only that, as the endurance sports industry thrives, more people will be able to make a living doing something they love. More jobs will be created and new opportunities for innovation and growth will abound! As you can tell, I’m a little excited.
Which brings me to my question: How many of you would like to work in the running industry? I’m sure many of you reading this column already do, but I’d like to hear from all of you. Let’s conduct our own informal poll.
Have you ever considered taking a job in the running industry?
If yes, what’s held you back?
If no, why not?
Leave your responses in the comments field below. I’m sure we’ll all learn a lot!
“The problem with the younger generation is that I’m no longer part of it,” Mark Twain once waxed famously. Man, can I relate.
Just when I thought I was catching up, they go out and invent an entirely new language. My kids speak it fluently, so do all their friends. Some of my techie buddies are quite proficient, but I’m conversational at best.
Here’s how it works: All dialog must be limited to 140 characters—the maximum length of a “Tweet”—and shorter is universally better. Any phrase that can be abbreviated, should be.
It’s quite demanding, so who can blame me for occasional mispronunciations? IAE. My kids remind me that it’s supposed be to IAT (I am tired), but I am exhausted. 4COL (For crying out loud), CMSS (Cut me some slack). ^5 to that, right? (High five).
This whole thing got me thinking about some abbreviations we runners might find handy. Here are some of my favorites:
BMP (Bring me pizza)
BMP STAT (Bring my pizza, immediately)
BBT (Bonking big time)
D@M25 (Died at mile 25)
NBG (Need Body Glide)
NBG STAT (okay, you got this one)
And one of my cheeriest, YCDI! (You can do it!).
I ran these new shorthand abbreviations by my kids—the true acid test if anything’s going to fly these days—and I got back a big UG2BK (You got to be kidding) from my son, and a “Dad, DEGT” from my daughter (Don’t even go there).
So I need your help developing some stronger ones. Working together, collectively I’m sure we can come up with a new dialect unique to us runners. Share with us your top 3 running shorthand vernaculars. Post your 3 best in the comments field below for all of us to see and use. Please, GC (Get creative). If I know all of you, I’m sure we’ll get lots of ROFL responses (Rolling on floor laughing).
As for me, I’ll leave you with a final abbreviation I always post on my office door when this 140-character world starts to get overwhelming: OFAR… (Out for a run…)
Every so often a book comes out that is so luminous, so transformational, so impossibly irreverent, it makes you want to break out in unrestrained laughter. The Runner's Rule Book, by Mark Remy, is one such work.
Chock-full of haughty truism, with such notable chapter headings as: “Before a Race or Long Run, Strong Coffee is Your Best Friend” and “Having a Million Things To Do is an Excuse For Running, Not an Argument Against It,” the book also freely dispenses invaluable counsel: “Look Before You Expel” and “Once a Week, Run Naked.” Though probably my favorite (just slightly ahead of the running naked suggestion), “Be Careful Where and Whom You Ask For Lube.” Hallelujah to the author for that pearl of wisdom!
The Runner’s Rule Book also provides instruction on becoming a true, authentic to the core, runner. Noteworthy lessons include: “Training Plans Must Go on the Fridge,” “Before You Remove New Running Shoes from the Box, You Must First Smell Them,” along with, “Do Whatever it Takes to Finish Ahead of a Costumed Runner.” I would expand this latter chapter to also include anyone kicking a ball or anyone juggling anything.
What I love about this book is that it doesn’t stop at the necessary steps to follow in training and preparation if you want to be known as a bona fide runner, it further dispenses vital insights into racing and competing at your best. For instance: “If You See a Porta Potty With No Line, Use It. Even if You Don’t Need To.”
Then there are also some broader axioms that apply to both running and to life in general: “A Route is a Route When it Becomes a Route,” which kinda reminds me of my college roommate’s breakthrough revelation one night, “Wherever you go, there you are.” (Shows you what bad Tequila can do to the brain.)
I could continue expounding on the virtues of this important manuscript, but I think the opening chapter, RULE 1.1, best sums up the spirit of this illustrious work. RULE 1.1 describes, in painstaking detail, how best to transform yourself into a lifelong runner; it boldly reads: “Have Fun.”
Now those are two words every dedicated runner should live by.
The Runner’s Rule Book is available at finer bookstores, and scruffy backstreet running stores, across the county. Pick up your copy today!
I’ve heard it said that a buck doesn’t buy you much these days, but I beg to differ. On the contrary, I’ve found a single dollar can be priceless. Allow me to explain.
Let me first preface this by openly admitting that I’m getting weirder as I get older. (Who isn’t?) The things that meant the most to me a decade ago are no longer held in such prominence today. At the risk of coming off as a complete loon, let me explain a practice I’ve recently adapted.
Maybe it’s the dreadful economy, or maybe it’s my changing life priorities, but whatever the impetus, I’ve decided that one of the most cherished gifts I can offer the world is to try to bring a smile to someone’s face every day.
Of course, that isn’t always as easy as it sounds, especially when you spend hours upon hours training and conditioning by yourself. But now I’ve found a unique way to combine the two. Here’s the lowdown.
I’ve been stuffing a handful of single dollar bills in my hydration pack when I run. If I see a parked car that looks lonely, I place one of those greenbacks under the windshield wiper. There’s nothing scientific about it; I just choose a random car and stick a buck under the front blade. I like to think that whoever enters the car and finds that dollar bill neatly tucked against the windshield will be filled with a moment of joy.
The scenario I play in my mind is some young child whose parents have been hit hard by the recession discovering the dollar bill and saying, “Look, Mommy, even though the Tooth Fairy couldn’t leave any money under my pillow, she’s left it on our car instead,” and then the child smiles to reveal a missing tooth.
Of course, I also have visions of being Tasered by some overly suspicious meter maid, so I keep my newfound habit under wraps. Still, I think the rewards outweigh the risks, so I’m going to continue the practice of adorning cars with green until I’m hit with 50,000 volts and brought to my senses.
Alright, so I’ve had the courage to blatantly admit just how strange I am. I guess there are many worse vices I could have adopted, like plucking recyclable products from the trash can and putting them in the recyclable receptacle. (OK, I’m guilty of that one as well.)
But, please, humor me by admitting that you’ve got some bizarre idiosyncrasies of your own. If any of you have the nerve to fess up, let’s hear about your irrational acts of benevolence as you’re running through life. Maybe you’re not currently practicing such insane acts, but perhaps this column has got ya thinking. Let us hear what you’ve dreamed up!
When it comes to spreading kindness and cheer, nothing is ever too small. Just look at what a buck can buy you these days.
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