Sure, I'll brag

I saw my Chiropractor today for an adjustment, and pain on my left shoulder and neck area. I pulled a muscle moving 40Lb bags of potting soil last weekend. I was treated for my muscle pull and kinesio taped. The Doctor told me of a new device she has available that measures AntiOxidants in our bodies by way of the skin (the largest organ of our body), more accurately than conventional HPLC methods (blood work). Antioxidants. You know, that good stuff that fights free radicals which cause disease. She said the people that score the lowest are those that have had gastric bypass surgery, those with diabetes and those suffering from and taking medication for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. and Endurance athletes! Now I agree a blood test only measures what's going on in your body at that particular moment and that we endurance types beat up our bodies and deplete nutrients and minerals in our bodies so I agreed to be tested. It was only 20 bucks and the second test offered 4 to 6 weeks later, if we want one, is no charge.

The device is the Biophototonic Scanner. It's endorsed by many Physicians and Dr. Oz Too! Also the technology is Noble Prize winning. More Info Here.

I've been seeing My Chiropractor for about eight years . She knows me well but somehow I think she was a little skeptical of me as I described my eating habits. I told her my only weakness is beer. She related how her weakness is chocolate , and sometimes goes to bed thinking about it.

The Doc said most folks with the above mentioned ailments had a Skin Carotenoid score of between 10,000 to 20,000. 10,000 is low and 50,000 is optimal.  The Doc said most Endurance athletes (she sees many Tri Athletes) score between 20,000 to 30,000 with only one breaking the mold scoring 31,000. The average score for most that have taken the test in her office was 35,000

I surprised her, with a score of 41,000.

I'll keep smiling as my co-workers make fun of my raw vegetable salads with salmon. My eating nuts all day. And the seaweed with my green protein drink they call creek water.

 I'm good as long as I don't get bit by a venomous snake on the trails or get run over by a bus!
Think I'll celebrate and have a beer.

Slower than a turtle

I was saved from the Doctor's hill sprint workout today by a Doctor appointment! Wednesdays I've been meeting my good friend Dr. A for 10X10 second hill sprints sandwiched between a six mile run. I had to cancel my run with him and instead ran a slow recovery six miler in Leon creek after a 5 o'clock appointment. Thank god! After the 20 mile hill repeats with the group Monday morning followed by a 6 miler at Freidrich park my legs were still sore today and I don't think they would have been able to handle hill sprints. And I know Dr. A wouldn't have cut me any slack.
The temperature was 95 as I headed out the door at 6:30 PM but it did not feel terribly hot. A check of the weather stats later said the humidity was only 43 percent. That's pretty darn comfortable for these parts. Maybe that was the reason the big turtle was strolling along the trail and not hanging around the stagnant water under the Bandera rd. bridge in this dry creek bed. I stopped and fumbled with my phone going from listening to Pandora to trying to get the camera ready while the turtle turned and ran away. I tried to follow as it steadily moved and disappeared  into the brush. I was too slow!
I'm usually fast! At short distances. That's an inside joke about me with our Rockhopper running group earning me the nickname 10K Tony, given to me by the big guy Chris. But this time a Turtle beat me at a short distance!
My MO is running fairly fast and strong for six to ten miles them tailing off. I've been running well lately though, I think, as I prepare for my 50 miler at the end of June. I'm up to 37 miles so far this week and should put in over fifty before the week is over. That's about all my body can handle. Some run more, some feel they need more and can handle more. Not me. Much more than that and my body takes too long to recover.  What I need now as I look forward to tapering soon is to concentrate on running like that turtle today, Move, slow but steady.

Mi Tio Raul

There were two notable runners in my family. Chiqui (short for Chiquito, small for my english speaking friends) on my mom's side of the family, and uncle Raul on my dad's side.
Chiqui was a marathon runner and traveled the country to run marathons. His Mom, my mom's aunt Mamie, proudly displayed a photograph of Chiqui crossing the finish line at the New York City Marathon over the doorway leading to her kitchen. Chiqui is still fit but doesn't run much anymore as he approaches 70 years of age.
The Salazars were the trim, lean ones in my family where as my dad's family were the ones who struggled with their weight.
Mi tio (My Uncle) Raul, my Dad's youngest sibling, was not a marathon runner but he could be found at Woodlawn lake most Saturday mornings where he ran long, his 6 miler. Uncle Raul was the athletic one on the Maldonado side. He played on competitive softball teams throughout his adult life. I like to tell the story of when, as he approached his seventieth birthday, he said, "I can't wait to get to the over 70 league. Those guys are slow!"
I visited with uncle Raul yesterday at the nursing home. Two years ago at age 76 his health was failing and two months ago his son, my cousin Rick, could no longer provide quality care for him. Although his body was failing uncle Raul's mind was sharp as a whip. I spoke to him of my run with friends that morning. How we had run hill repeats, sharing laughs, and enjoying our camaraderie. Just as my Dad would say, he said "that's good. keep it up."
Before I left I hugged and kissed my uncle on the cheek and wondered why this happened to a man I remember as being so vibrant and athletic. There were trying times in his life. He lost his wife, my beautiful aunt Maria 15 years ago and a son, my cousin Raul Jr. 4 years ago. He masked his emotions well and would say life hands us some misfortunes and we have to keep going as best we can.
I received a call from Rick this afternoon. His dad, my uncle, passed away today.
I will miss my uncle but will never forget the kind gentle man he was. Recently he told me, "There'll be arguments with the ones you love, but let it go and don't let it get in the way of your love for each other."

Another story

It is ironic that I saw a message today from an old friend reminding many that it's been 3 years since Billy's passing. The same Billy I mentioned in my latest blog. Wow. it doesn't seem like it's been that long ago. I am pretty sure Roy is not a visitor of my blog, so I don't think yesterday's post prompted the message. Roy was unquestionably Billy's best friend. He related how he constantly relives memories of him.

This brought to mind one of my favorite memories of times with Billy. Billy was a small, thin, cute kid. We grew up together in the same neighborhood, played on the same little league team, were in the same Boy Scout Troupe, attended the same Church, and hung out at the neighborhood parks when not in school. 

There were times when we took risks. But not as risky as when we planned a trip to Calaveras lake for an overnight camping trip. Calaveras lake was a 20 mile bike ride away. We'd never been there but heard it was a great place to camp and fish. Billy and I, along with another friend drew up some fake letters to present to our parents asking permission to allow us to go on a weekend overnight Boy Scout trip and a letter to present to the Junior High School office asking for early release on a Friday to attend a Boy Scout trip. It was 1973, we were 14 years old, and we were really good letter writers thanks to the great teachers at Washington Irving Junior High School!

Our plan worked and we were off on our bikes heading south from our inner city school. Everything was looking good until we realized we'd need more food for our overnight trip. As we neared the lake south of San Antonio we spotted a convenience store and we stopped in. As we were choosing chips, sodas, and candy bars for dinner, cold cuts and bread for breakfast, a pretty young lady who looked to be in her early twenties walked in with her 3 or 4 year old son. This lady overheard our conversation and asked where we headed and if we were alone. We told her our plan as she listened with concern on her face. We payed for our snacks and said good bye to the pretty lady and her son.

At the lake we set up all we had, a tent. No sleeping bags or blankets. As we chatted the wind began to pick up. Dark clouds were moving in as the sun was going down, and a heavy rain began to fall. We began to horse around and started pushing each other out of the tent! Maybe it was our way to cope with the scary feeling of having to weather the storm. The winds were gusting so hard our tent toppled on top of us and we all got soaking wet. The rain kept falling so hard that all we could do was cover ourselves on the ground the best we could as we lay there and tried to sleep.

The rain stopped before the sun came up and we got a little sleep. The sun was rising as we were sitting at the campsite's picnic table preparing to eat our cold cuts without the bread which was soaking wet.

The sounds of the birds chirping and the rippling water of the lake were interrupted by the sound of a car coming up the park road towards us.  As the car got closer we saw that it was the pretty Lady and her son!

We were surprised and happy to see her smiling face! I don't remember exactly how she did it but we had a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and tortillas. She told us how she worried about us all night and was glad we were OK and happy that she found us. I regret not getting her name or where she lived. As  teenagers you don't think of those things.

In a very sweet tone the pretty lady lectured us on how we put our selves in danger and convinced us to get back on our bikes and ride home right after we ate. She followed us out of the park and for about 2 miles up the road to a point where we were off busy streets.

I think of this adventure with Billy, and the pretty Lady, frequently. 

She was our guardian angel that weekend. 

Stories

A little over 6 miles on the trails today with my good friend the Doc, lalo. We ran mid day in my usual stomping grounds of Leon creek. It was very warm with temps hovering at about 90 degrees. L, a great friend, recently commented on how running with good friends seems to make the effort less taxing. The miles just breeze on by.
I am blessed to have so many friends that enjoy the simple pleasures of traversing through nature. Also recently, I texted my friend Chris about how much we seem to enjoy running with each other and really, many of us are releasing stress as we are "dropping our bag of junk" out on the trail. That's how I feel many times as we share stories.
L related a great story about his best friend growing up. His friend was from a simple humble family that worked hard together to survive. The family traveled as migrant workers in the summer but always attending a full year of school was most important. L's friend worked hard and achieved his dream when he graduated from the Air Force academy and is now an Air Force Pilot. This is a good example of stories we share and stories that make us happy.
Not all stories are so good. I shared a story about one of my friends growing up. Billy is no longer with us. His life did not go so well. Troubles that we may never understand plagued him but memories of the good times we had growing up live forever in my mind and remind me of how fortunate I am.
Late this afternoon I received a call form another old friend. Ruben and I spent many hours on the roads of the Texas Hill Country on our bicycles back in the early 80's. Along with my brother, Ruben is responsible for getting me up off my "ars" and engaged in physical activities. My brother was a bit more kind in telling me I should be exercising where as Ruben pulled no punches as he just laid it on! I guess we had become good friends by then. Here I was 15 years younger than him and had difficulty keeping up with him on the roads. I like to tell a story about Ruben and recently Brian reminded me of that story. Ruben had planned a long bicycle ride late one autumn morning. The route would be a beautiful challenging ride on the roads From Boerne Tx to Fredricksburg.
"But the Dallas Cowboys are playing at noon that day!" I said.
 Ruben looked me straight in the eyes and asked, "are YOU in the lineup?"
I went on the ride that day.
Ruben is back on his bike as he approaches his 69th birthday! He called to tell me he was getting lazy and realized he needs to keep fighting the slide. Others he called to ask for company on his bike rides never returned his calls. I promised Ruben I'd ride with him soon. I can't wait.
Maybe one day when I'm pushing 70 the aforementioned young whipper snappers will accompany me on a hike through the trails where we can exchange more stories.

I was on the trail yesterday and didn't want to get off. I had only 3 easy miles on my schedule and after some yard work which also included finishing off a tree trunk with an axe (upper body work), I headed out to Leon Creek. The woods are lovely dark and deep this spring. I was high and kept getting higher as I wound up and down around the trees. Some enjoy golf, others enjoy cycling. Some playing World of Warcraft and the rich little old ladies love their tea parties. I love getting lost in my thoughts on the trails running with the coyotes and getting high on the smell of the blooming white brush.

My friend Niki, the nature, animal, insect, and everything that exist outdoors expert at the nearby state park helped me identify the white brush. And my cousin Diane helps the rich little old ladies organize their tea parties. Oh, and I don't always go cycling, but when I do, it's with my buddy John and then it's "riding"

Many thoughts, memories, and reflections about life come across my mind as I run the trails. I guess that's why I love to run. I think about writing about these thoughts but then I get home and say, "naw"
Well this time I'll write about some of the thoughts crossing my mind on today's run. I was asked by a co-worker today. "what's next for you?" I knew he meant my next run/race. I am registered for the North Fork 50 miler in Pine, Co. on June 30th, I said. I told him how I have always wanted to run an event in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Ever since I read the novel "When the Legends die" as a teenager I've longed for a Rocky mountain adventure. I imagined myself as the young UTE boy who retreats to the Colorado Rockies and survives on his own. I was captivated by the images of the mountains, valleys, and streams painted by the author, Hal Borland. I've run 50k's in the mountains of California, Northern New Mexico, and paced at Leadville. But I've not run in the Rockies in a race of my own.  There were other exciting events that presented opportunities for me to support and run with friends in the mountains. Dates and other factors did not make this possible. So the North Fork 50 it is.
My co-worker also asked if it gets harder for me when I run these ultra events. I don't like to think of them as hard. I like to think of these runs as new adventures. There will be times of aches and pains but I don't dwell on that. I like to think about the place I go when I run in the woods. What I'll see. What I'll feel. What demons I'll slay. I told him that conventional wisdom tells us that running such long distances is not so good for the body. That most of us who do so do it for other reasons.
In a very recent post on Endurancebuzz.com,  Race Director, Ultra runner, and my good friend Joe Prusaitis writes about the physical and mental aspects of ultra running, in the piece he states " As much as I prefer to live on the sunny side, the dark side has some strong energy as well. But, do you really want to go there?"
Right now I want to go there. I feel the  NEED to go there.  I want to go there and kick the C&@p out of many things and feelings weighing on mind. I know they'll fight back but on the trail I can fight them, kick them around, take my licks, cry if I want to and leave it all there in the dirt. 

Pandora's Box 'O Rox

It was hot on the trail this afternoon. But I only ran 6 miles, not 26 as many did at this past weekend's Pandora's Box 'O Rox trail runs at Reveille Ranch. Reveille Ranch is a great venue for a trail race. Set in the heart of the Texas Hill country and near many lakes, the area is hilly, rocky, and scenic. Every time I am up in this area I am reminded of the many summers my Dad would bring our family up on camping and fishing trips. The area is known for it's granite rocky terrain. My little sister and I would always bring some pretty rocks back home with us. I brought one back Saturday. A really cool one. Cool as in nice, appealing, awesome, groovy! Not as in semi cold.
It was HOT and humid Saturday Temperatures reached 99 degrees with humidity in the 90's by late morning.
Fellow Rockhopper Travis and I were in charge of Aid station number one and four. Runners in the marathon  came through our aid station at mile 1.6, mile 11.5, 14.7 and 24.6 (the half marathoners only saw us twice).
Joe Prusaitus, the race director, knew what he was doing by placing an aid station so close to the end in this race. He later told me it took him 11 hours to measure the course and thought "these runners are in for a rough day!" Actually he was a bit more unreserved. It truly was a great move to put and aid station near the end. Runners were arriving at our aid station out of water. This after covering only three miles from the last aid station. Some did not carry a water bottle. Not a smart move running trails in the Texas heat. The runners described the course as very technical, and rocky. Joe is known for making his races as tough as possible. Many years ago I volunteered to help clear some trails at Hill country state natural area, the site of two of Joe's races, after they had become overgrown with foliage. As I was trimming some bushes he said, "Hey don't cut off too much. We don't want to make it too easy. We may attract too many roadies out here."
Travis went out for a 9 mile  run after things slowed down and came back confirming what the runners were saying. It is HOT and the course is a tough one. We spent most of the late morning and early afternoon pouring ice water on runners heads. And placing ice on their necks and on women's chests! I've never done that before! Just one asked me though. The rest did it themselves. I have never seen so many runners want to sit down at an aid station. Especially so close to the end. Some stayed for over 15 minutes. At one time we had 5 runners sitting around talking. 4 left and one called it a day. Some of these guys were accomplished ultra runners! At least one of them is a 100 miler who's finished in the top 10 more than once at 100 milers. This race, this day, was not an easy one.
I enjoyed the opportunity to help my fellow runners at this race. I enjoyed being thanked for being out there. I hope that when I run a race and thank the volunteers they like it too.
I volunteered because I love trail running and enjoy helping other trail runners in their adventure.
Others in our Rockhopper group volunteered too.
Many of my friends ran and were very successful.
Kelli, first female in the Marathon. Rachel second. Rolando, 6th male.
Amanda first female in the half. Her husband Lalo, (aka, Killian) third.
Elizabeth, Jason, Josh, Scott, Rosie, Jessica, and the best "gutting it out till the end" effort, Rich!
I hung out with the gang for a while after the race and smiled all the way home.

Running with good friends

It always makes for a harder yet better run when running with a friend. Especially when running with a talented runner like my good friend Brian.
This afternoon we met at Eisenhower park. The temperature was hovering around 90 and comfortable, in the shade. The light breeze made things not so bad as we prepared to start but when we hit the trail we were out in the open and it was hot. We later commented on how training in these conditions help our conditioning and prepare us somewhat for running at altitude.
Running with someone makes you push just a little harder. And if you're not feeling it, they'll slow down for you too, Today I was feeling well and did not want to slow down my running partner. We ran all the way up all but the steepest hill. It felt good even though I was sucking wind after cresting each hill.
I also like running with close friends because they don't mind if I re-tell my stories. I'm notorious for telling the same story twice, three times, or more.
Running with friends that are stronger than you are helps you improve but sometimes I get a little concerned that I may not be up to par. I'm nervous now thinking about running my my good friend Lalo this Friday morning. He's a FAST ultra runner!  But he is my friend. He'll be nice to me. And he hasn't heard half my stories!