The Stubborn Tortoise

I ran my first race in almost six months. It went well, except for the men who decided not to alert me that they were passing me, or who scared the hell out of me when they passed, or who almost ran me over on the course.

I am a 12-year veteran of trail races.

I am accustomed to the "on your left," courtesy.

Or "good job, runner!"

Yesterday, I seldom heard this, as guys nearly mowed me over because they thought they were going to win a course record.

It was a seismic shift in my experience with this sport and kind of concerned me.

One of the reasons I love this sport is for its egalitarian nature, and support of each other.

I didn't feel much of that yesterday at my FAVORITE race of the year.

Once I finished, I spotted some political signs asking people to vote Republican and mentioned Trump, Vance and Cruz.

The election was 11 days ago. Why are you showing these signs, much less at a dang trail race, where the expectation is to be egalitarian?

The offenders claimed that the "wind" (2 mph) blew away their signs of support for runners and left behind the hideous political crap.

They sat there for awhile, with those signs intimidating anyone who felt otherwise.

They obviously cared little for anyone who wasn't invested in their "cause."

Your team won. Yay. Just stop bringing your beliefs to MY happy place.

Essentially what the headline says.

You may not like the first half because of my personal views. But, I encourage you to stick around.

I'm baaaack!

Running/strong hiking is my new thing, which demonstrates that I am improving after a long hiatus.

Happy to be back.

Deepak Shukla has been a runner since he was a teenager. The sport comes easily to him, although he has had his share of finishes and DNFs.

The 38-year-old digital marketing manager did the Chicago Marathon, his first, in 4:40.

From there, he crossed over to the dark side: ultras. Rather than completing a 50K or 50-mile race, he opted for a 100K.

From there, he tackled the hundo, with mixed results.

In December, he will attempt his first 200-mile race: the Centurion Winter Downs, a single loop around the south of England (He is English, after all.) Runners get 96 hours to complete this feat.

We talk about his running career, the ups and downs of ultras and whether he listens to music on race day.

Very interesting person, now based in Northwest Italy.

It's something that every woman will experience, yet we're left feeling overwhelmed, demoralized and confused when this life change hits.

It is especially challenging when you're an active woman and it feels like overnight you've got a swim ring around your middle and your pants don't fit.

Mironda Meyer, a Concord, Vermont-based coach, is one of the administrators of Facebook's Menopausal Athletes page. She has a great website full of resources.

This is an episode for both women and men.

I was fortunate to interview Kenneth Anderlitch in December 2022, shortly after he spent 19 days running 840 miles across Texas to raise almost $57,000 for Pay it Forward SA. This organization provides resources for those in recovery.

On Sept. 20, Kenneth embarked on an even bigger challenge: to run from Washington, D.C. to San Antonio. He expects this 1,800-mile journey to take about six weeks. His goal is to raise money for a new program called Families in Recovery, which allows families to remain together while they heal in treatment.

You can read about his journey, watch a documentary, and contribute here.

I read ⁠an article⁠ about how running clubs in New York City are overrun (ha ha) with singles looking to meet others. The problem is, the subjects said, these clubs are almost as useless as dating apps.

It got me thinking about my own experiences. First and foremost, the trail community is my tribe. I unwittingly found a group of like-minded people who are altruistic, tough and don't mind getting dirty. I have had a few instances where I've met some guys whom I thought shared a connection, especially an aid-station volunteer I met at Pedernales Falls in 2013, when I DNF'd due to heat exhaustion. We had some great conversations but nothing came of it, and that was fine.

I did a little crowdsourcing yesterday on some FB trail forums and found a few people who met their spouse or significant other through the trail/running scene. Others have not.

Bottom line: I don't run races or volunteer with an ulterior motive. But sometimes, friendships and potential romances are forged in the unlikliest of places.

t helps to keep things in perspective when you're beating yourself down. And other stories.

I have been attempting to recommit to running/power hiking for about a year and a half. This time, I am getting serious. I miss spending hours on my feet on weekends. I've been committed to running/hiking a few times per week and at least once on the weekend. I think I just needed the mental break.

Courtney Lumpkin Classen weighed 334 pounds in 2012. She had gastric bypass surgery and began walking, and then began to run...she has finished multiple marathons and her first 50K in March. She has her sights set on a 50-miler.