I'm currently reading the book by Dean Karnazes - totally inspiring, a great read and if you get the chance to read it do! You will find it difficult to put it down except to go out running!
The man is a great runner, but also down to earth who puts his amazing running down to hard work.
I found this interview with Dean Karnazes ... a good read.
Ready to Be
Inspired? A Must-Read on the Story of Dean Karnazes
Ultramarathon Man
Running a marathon was once
something to brag about. It’s no longer so special. In 2003, a record 460,000
people completed one of this country’s many marathons. Last fall, 6,000
finished New York. And so those intent on proving themselves have moved beyond,
to “ultras”- races of 50, 100, even 200 miles. The undisputed king of the
ultras is Dean Karnazes (pronounced kar-NASS-iss), who has not only pushed the
envelope but blasted it to bits.
“The way other people seek
physical comfort and blissful well-being, I seek extremes,” writes Karnazes in
his new book, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner
(Tarcher/Penguin, $19.95). “Why run 10 miles when you
can run 100? Moderation bores me.”
Among his feats:
- Ran 262 miles nonstop, the equivalent of
10 marathons.
- Swam San Francisco Bay.
- Ran a marathon to the South Pole. (The
air was so cold, minus 40 degrees, it froze his face mask so he couldn’t
eat or drink.)
- Mountain-biked for 24 hours.
- Ran 146 miles across Death Valley in
mid-summer to the top of Mount Whitney. (The 120-degree heat melted his
sneakers.)
- Won the 2004 Badwater Ultramarathon,
“the World’s Toughest Footrace,”covering 135 miles in 27 hours, 22
minutes.
- Ran 100 miles all night to the start of
the Napa Valley Marathon, and then completed the race in 3:15.
- Competed in a 199-mile team-relay race –
alone. At one point, he was so wiped out he couldn’t stand. He ran the
last mile in under six minutes, then went to an amusement park with his
kids
Along the way, Karnazes has
staggered, crawled and vomited. His blisters have been plugged with Super Glue.
While running, he has eaten whole pizzas and cheesecakes. He has even fallen
asleep. This fall, he plans to run 300 miles nonstop, roughly the distance from
here to Pittsburgh. The other day, Karnazes, who lives in San Francisco, met me
at the Art Museum, and naturally we went for a run. Our trot along Kelly Drive
was short (my recently broken foot is still tender), but Karnazes, barely
breathing, was there to remind me that pain is just weakness leaving the body.
Unlike most runners, who tend to
be ectomorphic beanpoles with narrow shoulders, spindly arms and sunken chests,
Karnazes, 42, has the heroic physique of his classical Greek ancestors. At
5-foot-9, 155 pounds, he is a compact mesomorph, with muscular arms, a ripped
torso, a vivid six-pack, and quads Michelangelo might have painted. Little
wonder Sports Illustrated Women named him “one of the sexiest men in sports.”
Some of this is genetic, but Karnazes also works at it. A competitive surfer
and windsurfer, he does 200 push-ups, 50 pull-ups, and 400 sit-ups twice a day.
Off-season, Karnazes runs 50 to 70
miles a week. When prepping for a big endurance test, he’ll ramp up to 80 to
120 miles. He doesn’t let training infringe on family time (he has a daughter,
10, and a son, 7). So, after tucking his kids into bed on a Friday, he’ll run
75 miles through the night and meet his family the next morning in the Napa
Valley for breakfast. Or he’ll rise early Saturday, run a marathon before
breakfast, and another on Sunday.
He says he has never had an
overuse injury. No stress fractures, shin splints, plantar fasciitis. Never a
twinge of arthritis. Never any stiffness. (He must be bionic. I ran 50-mile
races in my 20s and couldn’t walk for days.) More amazing: He doesn’t stretch. “I’ve tried it, but I just don’t see the benefit,” he says. He approvingly quotes Jack LaLanne: “Ever
see a lion warm up?” He changes his
shoes every 300 to 400 miles and rotates several pairs.
They are neutral in design, with
no motion control. “I have good biomechanics,” he explains. He avoids sugar, sweets and processed
foods (except during an ultra, when his fuel needs can be staggering, to wit:
28,000 calories). Instead, Karnazes, who owns a natural-foods business, eats
plenty of tofu, soy yogurt, salad, fruits and vegetables. Several nights a
week, he dines on salmon, “a miracle food.” His body fat is below 5 percent.
His resting pulse: 40. His blood pressure: 105/60.
Many long-distance runners are
running from something. For Karnazes, it was the death of his beloved sister in
a car accident, as well as a life of yuppie emptiness. His book is seamed with
philosophical gold and wise lessons (run with your heart, not your legs; when
the distance seems impossible, take baby steps toward something just ahead).
