Rogue Expeditions: The Moroccan Kick-off!

by Allison Macsas

22 runners. 8 days. Morocco.  Spearheaded by two people with a total of 15 days experience in the country.  Risky? Maybe so, but that’s how great things begin.

The back story:

In March 2012, my boyfriend Gabe and I took a two week vacation to Morocco, where we traveled around largely on our own. We knew that we’d need a guide to take us into the Sahara, but had no real basis for choosing one – we figured we’d head to the last village and ask around. Many villages away from the Sahara, heading into a guesthouse, we crossed paths with a man coming out, who asked if we’d like to visit the desert. Our independent nature and tout exhaustion led to an immediate “no thanks,” but something caused us to go back and talk with him. His name was Hamid, and we took an instant liking to him and what he had to offer.

We decided to mull over the proposed trip during dinner, and ultimately decided to go – we’d probably never be back in Morocco, and the extra expense would be worth it! It was nearly 10pm at this point, and we realized that we needed to let him know it was a go. Gabe headed across the plaza to a telephone kiosk to make the call, but couldn’t figure out how to dial the number correctly. He came back looking defeated, and we wrote offthe trip.

Ten minutes later, Hamid showed up at our table. The call HAD connected, so he called back the operator, found out that a foreigner had been trying to call, had her point out the direction that Gabe had gone and, lo and behold, he found us! We departed at 8am the next morning.

Taken the night that the Rogue Expeditions idea was created!

We spent a total of three days with Hamid, mostly at his family’s camp in the Sahara. On the second night, under the most amazing star scape we’d ever seen, we asked Hamid about other trips that he offered. He told us about a French client who returns every year with a group of runners. Instantly I blurted out that I “have a lot of runners!” and would come back with some. As the night wore on, Gabe and I got more and more excited about the prospect, and finally had Hamid convinced that we might be serious about it.

Several weeks later I brought the topic up at a training meeting and was told to go for it! I began by putting together an itinerary together with Hamid via email, nailed down his pricing, created a snazzy brochure, held an info session and voila! 20 people were signed up on the first day of registration. Gatherings were held, flights were purchased, packing lists created. Before we knew it, March rolled around…

—————–

Rogue has arrived!

Gabe and I arrived in Marrakech a day before the group to meet with Hamid, settle money matters and get our feet on the ground ahead of everyone else. The group arrived on Saturday afternoon – with all of their bags! – and settled in for a good night sleep.

Over the next seven days, we covered over 1000 miles of central Morocco, with vastly different landscapes and experiences each day. Regardless, we quickly settled into a comfortable rhythm and routine as we traveled and ran throughout the country.

Hamid explains our route

The guide: Hamid Bassadok is a 28 year old from M’Hamid, the “last village” before the Sahara. He began helping his uncle with a guiding service as a teenager, and these days runs the show. He is incredibly well-connected within Morocco, has an incredible amount of knowledge about the history, people and landscapes and, despite nothing more than a high school education, speaks more than six languages. He took all 22 of us to his family home where we were greeted with a huge range of snacks, endless cups of tea and turbans for our desert trip – incredible hospitality by any standards, but especially for a family that, by American standards, is quite poor.

Hamid worked non-stop all week to ensure that everyone was as happy and comfortable as possible.

Rogue 1 leads the way!

Our rock star drivers. The man at the bottom-middle joined us for the final run, in that outfit. 10 miles!

The transport: We had five Land Cruisers, four for people and one for food, wine and equipment. Each vehicle was numbered, and most people claimed allegiance to the car of their choice. Each driver was a trusted friend of Hamid’s, and each owned their own vehicle. Most of the drivers couldn’t speak much English, but that didn’t impede their ability to be unbelievable navigators (one driver told us that they were all born with NPS – Nomad Positioning Systems) and fantastic run supporters – more on that in a moment.

Breakfast in the Dades Gorge

Hungry we were not.

The food: So much food! Breakfasts involved a variety of fresh breads, butter, cheese, local jams (think fig & orange), honey, eggs, hot coffee and hand-squeezed (literally) OJ, right off the tree.

Lunches were more snacking affairs due to our running schedule – we’d have bread, dates, fruit, nuts & figs beforehand, then the same with the addition of fresh veggies and grilled meat afterward.

Dinners were HUGE and generally involved a lentil soup, some sort of tagine (could be lamb, chicken or beef, slow cooked in the traditional way with lots of veggies and herbs), a couscous full of veggies, kefta (meatballs), plenty of just-baked bread and fruit to finish it all off. We ate family-style each night, and the quantity of food seemed to increase each day as they noticed that we continued to eat whenever food was brought out. Devon made an early mistake of asking if there was more chicken – five heaping plates were soon presented! We ate very well, with the added bonus of everything coming from local oasis gardens (even the wheat for the bread), which are 100% organic.

Doooown we go!

Chuck picks up running buddies – Maria and Fatima – along the way

Devon: 7 marathons in 7 days!!

No maps needed!

Troy and Yvette

The running: As with the food…so much running! Excitement was high, the weather was beautiful and every day featured landscapes completely different from the day before – needless to say, lots of mileage ensued. Each day we’d arrive at the ‘departure area,’ where Yousef, our cook (he is actually a chef at a 5 star hotel), would have a changing tent and our big spread of snacks waiting for us. From there, we’d begin the run with a loud “Yellah!” which means “let’s go!” in Berber.

The terrain was completely different every day. We ran uphill, downhill, in the mountains, through villages, along palm oases, through Saharan sand and across a dry lake bed. There was little to no traffic to contend with, and wildlife was no concern, as the donkeys and camels weren’t too impressed with us. It was sometimes chilly, sometimes hot, sometimes windy, but always beautiful, open and free.

With 22 people we had a wide range of abilities, and most everyone had others to run with. The drivers would serve as a support team, and what a team they were! With one bringing up the front and another bringing up the rear, the three vehicles in between would patrol the course, ensuring that our water bottles were full, any turns well-marked and that we werewell-informed of the loosely-accurate remaining distance (just 2k left!).

Once you were ready to stop running, a vehicle would soon be by with a spot for you inside where you would ride for a bit, cheering on those who were still running and snapping photos. Once enough people were done for the day, we’d go on to the guesthouse where food and usually a swimming pool awaited.

 

 

 

 

The pools were sometimes a better alternative

The Plague & cold showers: It wasn’t all perfect, of course. Gabe and I came prepared with plenty of diarrhea medicine, but stomach issues thankfully never surfaced. Instead, a chest cold spread throughout the group and nearly everyone spent at least one day with a loud cough and overwhelming desire to sleep. Luckily, most people got over it quickly and on with the fun. It was a clear reminder that sharing your water bottle isn’t always a gesture of goodwill!

Additionally, I didn’t do the best job of forewarning people that in developing countries, hot showers are a rare, rare luxury. Though all of our hotels technically had one in each room, there is only so much water to go around in a small village and once it’s out, it’s out. We learned to take turns to let the tanks refill, wash quickly and fully appreciate the times that hot water spilled forth!

Ait Benhaddou

A gift from the pottery co-op!

Pre-run snack spread

The sights: While this was first and foremost a running trip, the travel element was just as important. Beyond the stunning views from the cars, the run routes and the hotels, there was much to see. We toured the Kasbah in Ait Benhaddou, where Gladiator and other films were made, visited both a pottery and a women’s rug cooperative where we got to see the processes and buy wares directly from those who made them, played in giant Saharan sand dunes, saw firsthand what drought can do to a massive lake and of course had plenty of opportunities to wander through markets and load up on scarves.

Everyone!

Dune rolling

The group: This group bonded! We explored together, we ate meals together, we ran together and we got The Plague together. We shared countless bottles of wine, lots of laughs and, though the final count is still being tallied, logged well over 1300 miles of running in some of the most beautiful and challenging places we’d ever been. Though the trip has been over for more than a week, our group Facebook page is lively and photos & inside jokes continue to flood my newsfeed. A post-trip party is already planned, and a care package to send back to Hamid is in the works. Despite a severe lack of campfire song skills, this group rocked.

I still have a hard time believing that this all came together, but Gabe and I both agree that it was a huge success and that Rogue Expeditions has a bright future. The chance to combine running with a travel adventure and to be able to share it with a group of Rogues is a dream come true, and we can’t wait to make it bigger and better each year.

Rogue Expeditions is just getting started, and spots for Morocco 2014 will be open soon. In the meantime, we have a smaller-scale Tahoe trip happening in July (one day left to sign up!) Stay tuned, and come explore with us!

(My full set of photos can be seen here)

Just what is the SeaWheeze?

    When I walked into lululemon at the Domain one early November morning in 2011 to train for my first 5k, I had no idea I would be running my first half-marathon 10 months later in Canada. I’ve never been an athlete or runner, but with the help and support of my amazing coaches, Jennifer Howard Brown and Stephanie Woodruff, and my fellow Rogue Lemon running community (shout out to Kelly, Donna and Christine), I crushed goals I never imagined were even possible.

It was really fate that I happened to see an ad for the inaugural SeaWheeze weekend on the lululemon website and somehow convinced my sister and best friend to join me for the adventure. In true lulu fashion, the event planners thought of every little detail to make sure their li’l SeaWheezers had a fabulous weekend. A training plan equipped with running form videos and pre- and post-run yoga stretching? Check. A SeaWheeze iPhone app for training which then communicated event news the weekend of the race? Check. Care packages in your hotel room? Check.

We drove into Vancouver from Seattle two days before the race so that we could explore the city. This city has something for everyone with its art scene, pubs, shopping, beaches, and mountains. Vancouver is designed for pedestrians and bikers with large, bike lanes and, unlike in Texas, cars actually yield to pedestrians. We didn’t need to hail a cab once during our entire trip.

 

Pre-race Activities: Friday morning we headed out to pick up our race packets. Instead of bibs we received race bracelets with our names. At first I was a bit disappointed because I knew this meant there wouldn’t be any race photos. But, who wants to use safety pins and cover up your fabulous lulu gear anyway? We also received flip flops from a local store that were designed exclusively for the race. They were perfect for post-race yoga and strolling around Vancouver.
Instead of a traditional race expo with various vendors, there was a SeaWheeze Showcase store which sold an exclusive line of lululemon clothing designed for the race. Think of Target . . . on Black Friday . . . on steroids . . . and you have the lululemon SeaWheeze Showcase store. People were going crazy hoarding clothes and grabbing whatever they could. I snagged a few items and hightailed it outta there to our next stop: The Luon Lounge. The Luon Lounge was a relaxation destination to hang out with other runners while receiving free manicures and massages.
The Race: This was by far the most well-dressed race I have ever seen. Almost everyone was wearing bright lulu gear. We stayed toward the back of the pack in the race corrals. My goal was just to finish the race and have fun. The course was truly breathtaking and took us through downtown Vancouver, across historic Burrard Bridge, past the very first lulu store, and around Stanley Park along the Sea Wall. In addition to views and great conversation with my bestie, there were plenty of cheer stations along the way to give us a burst of energy just when we needed it. I was so entertained during the entire race that I did not even turn on my music! I can’t say that for any other race I’ve participated in before or after SeaWheeze.

Post-race Activities: After the race there was a free brunch and more massages. I was in desperate need of a celebratory beer (like most Rogues) so we chose to have an early lunch at a pub near the finish line. Later that evening there was a concert with the band FUN and yoga on the beach. I heard really great things about both events, but we chose to do a little shopping, sunset watching, and celebrate our sweet victory instead.
When I look back on the weekend half a year later, what I remember most about that weekend was the air of excitement and positivity that permeated the entire weekend. I think we all knew we were fortunate enough to be a part of the start of something big. And spending a weekend with two of the most wonderful women in my life exploring a fantastic city? It was an epic weekend indeed. I signed up for SeaWheeze 2013 the day registration opened.

Whether you’re challenging yourself to your first half-marathon or shooting for a new PR, the SeaWheeze isn’t just another race. It’s an unforgettable weekend filled with ocean-side yoga, the chance to explore the amazing city of Vancouver, and memory-making to last a lifetime. So why don’t you join us this summer in Vancouver? I promise you won’t regret it.

If you’d like to be part of our mission to take 150 Austinites to SeaWheeze, please email chris@roguerunning.com ASAP. The race is expected to sell out very soon and we want to take you with us!

– Alyssa Sparks started running with the Rogue Lemons in Oct. 2011 building up to her first 5k, 10k and half marathon. She just set a new PR at the 3M Half Marathon.

When faster is not enough…

by Jimmy Ho

No one ever said this would be easy. Running my first marathon is the easiest thing I have done at this point. I was about to run my second marathon, with a a different goal the second go around.  My goal for my first was to finish under four hours and not walk any of it, and I ran a 3:35. My ultimate goal is to qualify for the Boston marathon, which at my age is a 3:05. Going into my second race, I thought could reduce the gap in half; anything less would be unacceptable.

I wanted to do the Panhandle Marathon in Lubbock because my wife’s family lives there, so it was killing two birds with one stone. I found out about the race at the end of April during the middle of my soccer season. I started to train at the end of May when soccer was over. My first time with Rogue I ran at a beginner level, and this time, I ran at an advanced level, cramming 800 miles into a four months period. Running 50 miles a week is definitely tougher than running 40; it is obviously a bigger time commitment. During training, I stayed relatively injury free. I had some inside knee pain on both legs. Icing them down helped a lot. I also developed this weird pain in my right foot that felt like I had jammed my pinkie toe. In August, we went on a no alcohol, white starches/breads, dessert, and cheese diet, and it definitely helped with training. I felt great. The only bad run I had during training was the 24 miler, but other than that, I had a lot of confidence going into the race.

We got to Lubbock on Thursday. When you are out of town, it is hard to eat healthy. I had lived in the Lubbock for a little bit so we ate at some of the familiar places. Lubbock has so many restaurants, and most of them are chains. On Friday, I was anxious to get the iPhone 5 that I had preordered and shipped to Lubbock. I was hoping I would not miss the UPS guy because if I had, the phones probably would have been reshipped to Austin. It finally came at 6pm after I waited around all day. I tried to keep Saturday low-key. I picked up my packet with our friend, Ginger. I am actually proud of her. She had never run further than a 5k, and I convinced her to run the half marathon. I can only imagine training for it with two kids when you are not a runner in the first place would be tough, but she did it. My wife and I then hung out with her mom, grilled out, and watched football. I actually took a nap during the visit. For some reason, I never napped after my long runs on Saturdays. I was always doing something. We went to check in at the hotel and met up with the Beef Team (a great group of people who love running and beef) for our pre race meal, then went to bed around 9:30.

Sleeping Saturday night was a struggle. It took a while to fall asleep, and I kept waking up. I got out about at 6am before the alarm would go off. I had a bagel, and Mother Nature was right on cue. The hotel was a mile away from the start line, so I walked there. I actually need the “warm-up” because my right hamstring was sore from kicking a football with Ginger’s kid, Hunter. The race started at 7:30 which I thought was kind of late. It was the inaugural race, and there were about 150 marathon runners. When the field took off, it spread out thin fast. There were a lot of turns within the first three miles, and right about then, I was running by myself. I had no music with me, so it was just the sound of my shoes hitting the pavement. It was a brisk morning, and I felt great in the beginning. I signed up thinking the race would be flat because Lubbock is so flat that if you stood on a penny, you could see Dallas or at least that is what they say.

Around mile eight, I made a quick pit stop and lost about forty seconds. In the first ten miles, the race included every hill in Lubbock. I did not even know these hills had existed. Thank goodness I train in Austin and attacked them with ease. For some reason during training, every time I see a hill, I always sped up it. It is speed work in disguise. When I finished the first half of the race, I was sitting at 1:35. I knew I was making good time. When I started the race, I had two packets of chews and three packets of gel. I tried Accel Gel for the first time, and I really liked it. The first 18 miles were pretty uneventful. The course took us through Mackenzie Park, Texas Tech, and Greek circle. Things started to go downhill at that point when my legs started to cramp. I had the same issues with cramping at the Houston marathon around the same mileage. However in Houston, I was able to turn it on the last six miles while I was trying to chase down Cassundra. This time I had no Cassundra, it was getting hotter, and I was starting to slow down. I feel like the sun is my kryptonite.

Around mile 21, I saw my wife. I had seen her a few times along the course, and it was good to see her out there supporting me. At this point, I thought about walking, but I did not want to let her I know I was hurting. The cramping and heat was getting to me. I almost cried thinking about how much work I put into the training, and I was blowing it on race day. The last five miles I kept thinking I could turn it on any second, but as the miles past, I was going slower. At mile 24, two people actually passed me. Normally I am the one passing people at the end. I finally crossed the line pissed off at 3:31. I told myself anything short of a ten minute PR would be disappointing. I somehow ended up finishing seventh, but I knew I could have done so much better. If I ran the race I had in mind, I could have finished fourth or fifth. Ginger finished her half before I finished. We were supposed to celebrate at brunch, so we went to Blue Mesa where I had a few mimosas. Later, we celebrated with some friends by shot-gunning beers in the front yard. Classy.

I have been mad at myself for the last week or so, but I am over it now. During the race, I thought about never running a marathon again, but I am ready to run another marathon.  So what is next? I am planning to do the Run for the Water 10 miler for my birthday. I will probably run the 3M half with a 1:30 in mind, and have a little fun running the Austin marathon. All of us have goals in mind, but at the end of the day, running is supposed to be fun, healthy, and something we enjoy. So just go out there and run and do not worry about anything else.

Until next time, Rogue, happy running.

Amazing Races!

September 29-30, 2012 was one of the most impressive race weekends we can remember here at Rogue, and it was just the first of the season! In no particular order, here are results from a variety of races – if we missed you or someone you know, please add it in the comments section!

CASA SUPERHERO RUN 5K

Travis Johnson: 16:50 (PR and overall WINNER!)

Josh Elliot: 19:43 (PR, 1st in age group!)

Troy Carter: 23:39 (3rd in age group, the day after a Mt. Bonnell 20 miler!)

RUN BY THE CREEK

5K:

Allison Macsas 18:02 (1st female, 4th overall!)

Michael Wedel: 18:45 (5th overall!)

Minh Duong: 20:44

Jenn Howard-Brown: 24:14 (PR, 1st in age group!)

Kelly Wilkinson: 29:53 (the day after a Mt. Bonnell 18 miler!)

10K:

Nicole Bowler: 37:01 (1st overall female!)

Scott MacPherson: 31:30 (2nd overall male!)

Darlene Streeter (first 10k!)

BERLIN MARATHON (haven’t received word on PRs, age group finishes, etc):

Ryan Bane: 2:56:53 (5 minute PR!)

Edward Morgan: 2:56:56

Amy Anderson: 3:37:26

Rudy Sanchez: 3:37:27

Ginger Bane: 4:13:23

Alicia Isaac-Curra: 4:14:12

Anna McGarity: 4:03:46

Brent Weber: 3:46:24

Cheryl White: 6:16

Connie Weaver: 4:25:28

Delia Garza: 4:18:29

Don Carnes: 3:49:56

Emily Timm Miller: 4:53:16

Gabriel Trinidad: 3:54:05

Garrett Williams: 3:33:57

Jessica Gonzales: 3:19:43

John Strohmeyer: 3:06:04 (8 minute PR!)

KB Schatz: 3:43:28

Kent Little: 3:30:18

Lori Sanchez: 4:39:56

Nathan Schatz: 4:00:24

Scott Maddeaux: 3:34:33

Lauren Pearson: 4:53:16

BIG SUR TRAIL MARATHON

Erik Stanley: 3:02:21 (1st place, COURSE RECORD!!)

Lise Plantier: 4:36:46

Jeff Freestone: 5:29:34

Nyleva Corley: 5:42:51

BIG SUR TRAIL HALF MARATHON

Ashley Cross-Stanley: 2:43:05

THE BEAR CHASE TRAIL RACE:

Todd Jones: 6th male, 50K!

Kristal Jones: first 50K race!

Meredith Terranova: 2nd female, 50 miler!

Sydney Pitt: 100 mile finisher!

TAHOE TRIPLE

Steve Caruso: Steve ran three back-to-back marathons (4:40, 4:37, ???) and then proposed to fellow Rogue Carolyn Gump – Steve takes the crown for the weekend!

Oxymoron

by coach Oscar Gonzalez

There are many oxymorons that we used in the English language.  Words such as JUMBO shrimp, girly man, awfully pretty, and black gold just to name a few.  However, after I started training for and running marathons I eventually came up with my very own oxymoron….”successful failure”.  Let me tell you about how this term came about.

My very first marathon was San Antonio 2009.  That had to have been one of the hottest damn summers I have ever trained in.  Despite the heat, every training run was AWESOME.  I felt like a million bucks every Saturday and every run during the week was equally as great.  I experienced no cramping, no dehydration and no injury.  I was training for a 3:45 and was confident that I would achieve my goal on race day.  Plus, the marathon was in November and I was looking forward to a nice, cool race.  BUT I forgot that in Texas weather is anything but predictable.  I walked out of my hotel and was greeted by a warm blast of air and a ton of humidity.  I stuck to my race plan…big mistake.  This was my first successful failure, although I had yet to realize it.  I cramped, I bonked, I died, I walked, I ran, I stretched, I failed, I ran a 4:22 but I finished.

My next marathon was, once again, San Antonio.  I wanted revenge for the previous year.  I trained a little harder, a little faster.  I was training alongside some of my group members that were faster than me the previous season.  However, my overall “A” race for this particular season was for Austin.  San Antonio was supposed to be a fun run.  I started out with the 4 hour or so group.  And by the half way mark I had almost caught up to the 3:45 group.  But this was also the point where I jammed my knee and that was end of that race.  DNFs suck.

I took a couple of weeks off and did nothing but mope around the house and then got back to training.  I was determined to make Austin my come back race and redeem myself.  I still trained with the faster group.  I still had my 3:45 goal.  I figured that Austin would definitely be a cooler race since it would be in mid-February.  I mean, it was in the 40’s when I ran the Austin half marathon the year before.  But, like San Antonio, it was warm.  Is this just my damned luck?  I ran a 4:03…an 18 minute PR.  I missed my goal, AGAIN, but I set a shiny new PR.  This is when I came up with the term successful failure.

I then signed up for Chicago and trained harder yet.  I was STILL trying to hit that elusive 3:45 goal I set back in 2009.  I figured that if I wanted a cool weather race, I had to leave Texas.  Well, you guessed it, Chicago was warm too.  WTH???  I just wanted to run a cool f!@#$% race.  Was that too much to ask?  This time, I just went out with my coach’s words in mind, “You do your best with the conditions that you were dealt”.  I ran a 3:54…a 9 minute PR, ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL FAILURE.

I don’t know about y’all, but these types of failures aren’t too discouraging. I could get used to failing and still setting a shiny new PR.  I might even qualify for Boston using this method, although, by that point, I might be in my 60s.

Anyway, the point of this is… DO NOT let a missed time goal make you throw in the towel.  It could have been a bad day.  In my case, all my marathons have been warm (to say the least) but a successful failure keeps me coming back for more.  I will eventually catch that goal from 2009.  Until then, I will accept a successful failure.  I will keep fighting and digging deep until I surpass the damned goal.

(Oh, and, if you want a cool weather race, you might want to avoid signing up for any marathon that I sign up for.  There seems to be a pattern.)

S.T.F.D

by John Schrup

I know whatcher thinking.  You’re thinking, how rude!

Maybe not.  More likely, you’re thinking, this guy again?  Wordy sumbitch.

Some time ago, yesterday, I had a conversation with someone in the group.  Nothing specific, but we were talking about the heat and humidity, and how hot the heat is, particularly when you add in some really humid heatness.  That was pretty much the gist of it.

And so yesterday I got to thinking, which is in and of itself not good, and what I was thinking was that we—endurance junkies, that is—need to slow the fuck down.  Whoa!Whoa!Whoa!  Hode up!  I’m trying to get my GDBQ and you’re telling me to STFD?  Dude, that’s a lot of capital letters!

Yeah, we need to slow down.  I’m not talking about in our daily lives.  I’m not gonna get all enlightenment on you, that’s for another day.  What I’m talking about is when you run.  You need to STFD when you run.  And here’s why:

One, it’s hotter than Hades and you’re going to slow down anyway.  In the summer, we practice running on feel, so you’re going to have to get used to running slower and being ok with it.  Your body is going to be working harder anyway to regulate your body temperature, so you’ll be working against it if you try to keep your pace consistent with your pace when the temperatures are cooler.  You will be able to handle the heat much easier if you are in the mindset that you’re just going to go from A to B, and not worry about how fast you got there.  Put down the GPS.

B, most of us run too fast on our easy days anyway.  If you aren’t recovering from the last workout or run, you’re not going to be prepared for the next one.   In large groups, the etiquette is to run as slow as the slowest in that group.  That’s how you do it, not the other way around.  On easy days—and in the summer almost all days are easy days—it is wise to run with people slower than you anyway, to keep yourself in check.  The longer you run easy—and most importantly, relaxed—the better you can program your body to run properly, rewiring your motor patterns, relearning how to run with some fluidity.

Third, if you really want to know what it is like to run easy, you’d do well to imitate the Kenyans.  It is well known that the Kenyans are, generally speaking, real, real fast.  But what isn’t discussed as often is how easy they run on easy days.  I talked to one guy who spent some time in Kenya training with the old FILA camp.   He told me that when the schedule called for a recovery day, he was surprised that the group would cruise along at seven minutes pace or slower.  And this is with a group that raced marathons at faster than five minutes per mile.  I’m no math whiz, but that’s almost 30% slower than race pace.  Are you running 30% slower than race pace on your recovery days?  Probably not.  So if you’re shooting for a 4 hour marathon and you are running 9:30’s on your easy days, chances are you aren’t recovering properly.

What was even more interesting was that every single day, easy or otherwise, the Kenyans will warmup at an effort that would be slower than most of our warmups.  Several years ago I ran with a group of Kenyans in Albuquerque.   And when I say ran with, what I mean is that I ran with them on their warmup.  From where we began to the track was two miles.  It took us nearly 20 minutes to get there.  The whole time I was thinking, Oh, yeah, maybe I’ll just do part of the workout with them, just a few quarters.  That lasted all of about 50 meters.

STFD!  You’re not going to be able to get in the volumes you need to get in to run really fast if you are injured.  And you’re not going to remain healthy if your body isn’t recovering from the previous run or workout.  Get out of that grey area.  Modulate your efforts.  Be easy so you can be fast.

Finding the fun when injury takes it way

by Tori Howard

Over the years I’ve had my fair share of running related injuries.  It seems I can’t escape it.  I’ve tried everything to avoid injury.  Year after year I’m battling some ill-fated pain that restricts my running.  I’ll admit that it has become tiresome.  I have never been known as a quitter but a person such as myself that is faced with running related pain time and time again starts to question what’s important when it comes to running.

Today as I ran the 3M half marathon as an injured runner, I questioned why I run and what I want to take away from my marathon training this season.  My season comes to an end on March 4th with the New Orleans Rock and Roll marathon.  Will I get to race on that day, will I reach my goal, or will I be forced to run easy with the hopes of avoiding a DNF?  I don’t know the answer to these questions.

Being injured season after season brings on a incurable loneliness.  I’ve missed workouts, reduced my mileage, and been forced to run slower than I would like as my training buddies continued on without me.  I know all these things are necessary in order to return to training, but necessary doesn’t make it easy.

I’ve met some incredible people through Rogue.  Friendships were instantly formed and we have been inseparable for months now.  We run together twice a week, communicate in some way at least five days a week and we always encourage and support one another.   I can’t imagine training for another marathon without them.

Over the past few weeks my injuries began to zap the fun out of running.  My husband, the one person that has supported me without fail since I started running marathons years ago, asked me to find the fun again.  He said that the fun may come from running fast, running with my dogs, doing a fun race or running with my Rogue friends.  I’m such a goal-oriented person that I often forget about the fun aspect.  For me, I get so caught up in the goal setting and making my goals a reality that when I don’t achieve them, I feel empty.  If you fail to find the fun in running and only focus on the goal, you ultimately set yourself up for the possibility of emptiness.

I’ve heard people say that running a marathon is not only about race day but also about the journey of getting there. The friendships born during this season have helped me to truly understand that.  The thought of not being able to race makes me sad, but the memories of fun times with my friends is something that will last long after race day is over.   So, as the end of this season draws near I realize that my injuries may keep me from achieving my goals but unreachable goals will not leave me empty.  26.2 miles of friendship and fun memories will leave me fulfilled and longing for more.

Sole Survivors “Paying It Forward”

by Coach Bobby Garcia

You have not lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you (Anonymous)

Greetings, fellow Rogues

I am writing to ask if you can help me and my team, the Rogue Team Sole Survivors, raise money for Team Rogue Elite. With your help we feel that our fundraising efforts will be very successful.  While this fundraising effort has been in the planning for several weeks the launching of it could not be more timely following the outstanding races at this past weekend’s Olympic Trials by two of our Team Rogue Elites, Allison Macsas and Scott MacPherson. Their performances and that of the other world class athletes filled our hearts with reverence at the highest level.

The concept of “Paying It Forward” means having an appreciation for something you have received and expressing that appreciation by doing something positive for someone else. I don’t know about you but I have received so much from Rogue Running and it has come in the form of learning to live a healthy lifestyle, developing physically, mentally, and spiritually, and giving birth to new friendships and relationships. I personally have received much from Rogue Running and now I want to play a role in “paying it forward.”

One of the true hallmarks of Rogue Running and a distinguishing characteristic amongst running organizations in Austin is the importance of community. I have been a member of Rogue Running both as a marathoner and as a coach since its inception. From the outset of this association I have realized Rogue Running understands the significance of investing in the Austin community and acts on it. In years past Rogue Running was the official marathon training partner of the Austin Marathon’s philanthropy program, 26 Miles for 26 Charities. The philanthropy program provided nonprofits in Central Texas the opportunity to increase community awareness while raising money to support their missions. Members of my team ran on behalf of and raised money for several nonprofit organizations in past years. The Rogue Team Sole Survivors have supported and helped raise money for Colin’s Hope, Marathon Kids, Girls on the Run of Austin, Blue Dog Rescue, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Hill Country Conservancy, Dell’s Children Medical Center of Central Texas, St. Jude’s Children Hospital, Austin Children’s Shelter, Live Strong Foundation, Glimmer of Hope Foundation, Alzheimer’s Association, and Team Asha.

This year I have made the decision that our fundraising efforts will be for one of our own, Team Rogue Elite.

Why are we doing this? Why are we helping raise money for this team? For several reasons and I will share a few with you.

1. We Have Received Help and Support From Others – Each and every one of            us in our life long journey has had someone do something that lifted us up. A simple act of kindness and selflessness. We have benefited from an authentic, genuine act of doing by others. From that experience we have learned and grown.
2. Strengthens our Rogue Running Community – I see it every time I am at Rogue. I read it on Facebook. Our Rogue Running community is one BIG LOVE AFFAIR. Yes,  we work hard and train hard. We push each other. And, we love to celebrate, socialize, have dinner, party, travel, and spend non-running time together.
3. I Have A Dream – With all due respect to Martin Luther King, Jr. I would  like to borrow his famous line. Each of these professional athletes has a dream to accomplish the goal of making and competing in the Olympics. They approach their training purposefully and with strong conviction in order to get closer to realizing their dream. They run their path with faith, love and purpose, and for that we all admire them.

On a Personal Note – I have had the pleasure and the privilege of getting to know each of the members of Rogue Team Elite. They are truly special in that they embody the essence of what is good. They are humble. They are giving of their time, their gifts, and their talents. You don’t hear a lot about them because they don’t make it a point to broadcast their accomplishments. They let their hard work and efforts speak volumes for themselves. And, we hear it loud and clear without their having to boast about them. A mark of a confident, secure, and humble athlete. They work hard to try and make ends meet in order to live, play, and train for their respective races.

How can we help raise money?

Soon we will begin selling raffle tickets at $10 per ticket. Buy one. Buy ten. Buy twenty. Buy more. Buy them for a fellow Rogue as a gift.

We are still working on a few other gifts but this is what we have so far:

1. Rogue Running Survival Bag of goodies
2. Rogue Outfitter – shirt, shorts, shoes, and socks
3. Rogue Running program of your choice
4. Six infared sauna sessions with Dr. Noah Moos, DC (TRE’s official team doctor)
5. Six hyberbaric chamber sessions with Dr. Noah Moos, DC (TRE’s official team doctor)
6. Photoshoot with Juliane Masciana (TRE member and professional photographer)
7. One week of lunches from Mel’s Meals
8. One hour massage with Doug Consiglio (TRE’s official team massage therapist)
9. Haircuts from Birds Barbershop, 2 winners for 2 cuts each
10. Kindle “like” reader
11. 3-hours of fun in the sun aboard a beautiful NAUTIQUE boat on Lake Travis with Sail & Ski Center. The Captain will pilot the boat, providing sight seeing, swimming, wake surfing and tubing. One winner plus five guests.
12. Wellness Starter Program (valued at $195) by Nutritional Wisdom
13. Wine Tasting and Appetizers for 10 – Margaret & Bobby Garcia (fellow Rogue and Sommelier, Edward Morgan, will be our guest) – 5 winners for two people each.
14. Dinner Party for 6 – Margaret and Bobby Garcia (fabulous 4 course meal with fine wines and champagnes) – 3 winners for two people each.

I hope you agree with me that for $10 per ticket these are pretty good prizes. Winners of the raffle will be announced at Rogue’s pre-Austin Marathon talk on February 10 (winners do not have to present to win). Details on when and where to purchase raffle tickets will be announced soon.

Rogue Running has shown Central Texas that it lives here, runs here, and gives here. I hope you will join me in doing something for someone who can never repay you.

Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love. ~ Mother Teresa

When to say when . . .

by Sarah Bremer

One of the most challenging and rewarding things I’ve found with running is that it teaches you (hopefully) to listen to your body in new and important ways.  Challenging because it’s SO hard to know when our bodies are telling us to back off . . . and rewarding because, often, when we do actually listen we’re able to avoid injury or over training and continue toward our running goals with only minor interruption.

I’m a type A personality . . .a lot of us are.  We push through everything, often thinking that if we don’t push through it’s a sign of weakness or personal failure.  In that type A-ness it’s easy forget how important it is to step back when we’ve reached THAT point – be it from stress (running, life, work or otherwise), fatigue, pain.  I find this to be especially true with running.

It’s hard to know which pains to run through . . . or just how tired is too tired . . . when to push forward and when to stop. I’ve found all my Rogue training companions to be a highly motivated and motivating group.  It’s easy to want to keep on keepin’ on when you’re surrounded by such enthusiasm for running. And on a challenging long run when you need to push through the small aches and pains simply brought on by running 20+ miles, you couldn’t ask for better support or encouragement.

I’ve been feeling off for a few months . . . I’ve struggled through several runs, battling dizziness and fatigue.  Until about two weeks ago . . . I’d been pushing through. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was really off – especially in my running.   I finally got up the nerve to go to the doctor and it turns out . . . I was right, my body was trying to tell me that it wasn’t working right.  This has all led to additional doctor visits and more tests . . . I still don’t have any answers to what exactly is wrong, but I have gained more confidence in my ability to listen to my body . . . especially when I’m running.  I’m not sure that I would have known something was so off if it hadn’t impacted my running the way these recent health issues have.

So, for the last few days, I’ve finally raised my hand, acknowledged that my body is telling me to back off a little.  I’ve said when.

I’m hoping, now, that today, after a few days of rest and a short break from long running, I’ll be back to feeling closer to my old running self.  For me, scary as this experience has been (and still is as it continues), I’ve found that I know my body better than I think I do . . . and there is great relief in that.  If pain or fatigue is impacting me enough that I can’t push through a run then chances are I’m right in thinking that things are off . . . it’s time to say when.

So many of us struggle with these issues.  We love to run.  For many of us it’s one of the highlights of our day . . . it’s that time we have to ourselves in days filled with the responsibilities and obligations of work and family.  It’s SO hard to let go of that time.  I think for me, struggling through injuries and not feeling well highlights how important running is to me . . . it’s absence is noticeable when it’s not in my life.  It’s been a hard reality to acknowledge that if I want running to be a part of my life 15 or 20 years from now then learning to listen to my body . . . to say when . . . is going to be as important to the long term as the mental toughness that comes from pushing through.

But, of course, there’s also knowing when “saying when” has gone on for long enough . . . a blog post for another day, perhaps.

Dear Schrup…

I got only two questions, one of which was from Gundi, and was way too hifalutin for the masses, so the default question is this:

What’s the deal with using multiple pairs of shoes? Should one have multiple pairs of the same shoe or buy a couple different types of shoes?–Waylon Calabrese

That’s a great question, and strangely enough it is asked often, but rarely by people who are named Waylon.  I suspect Waylon is bored.

First, training in multiple pairs of shoes is good for the economy.  If you aren’t up on your Twitter, we, as a general planet are having some financial issues.  The more shoes you buy, the more likely we are to get back to the roaring 80′s/90′s, when Porsches were plentiful and Luby’s served a prix fixe.

We look at training in different shoes from the same perspective as we prescribe training:  You have to work all the systems in order to become a better slash stronger slash faster slash healthier athlete slash runner.  We want to build you from head to toe, and not just focus on your aerobic system.  We know that your aerobic system will only grow to the point that your structure (your body–the musculo-skeletal body) will allow it.  It is why we do foot drills, dynamic stretching and General Strength exercises.  For the most part, gone are the days when we would just go out and run and run and run and run and run and call it Base Phase.  Sure, that does work to a degree, but we know that you increase your chances of success when you work all the systems in the midst of the running and running and running and running.

So let’s say you put on your, oh, adidas Adios, which is a fine, fine shoe by any standard.  This is your trainer.  You wear it each of the six running days per week.  Awesome.  Cool.  All good.  And as you get closer to race day, you wear your adidas Rocket for a couple of track workouts or tempo runs so you can get more familiarer with them before you race in them and thrash your legs.  You are running 40 miles per week in a shoe that is worth, I don’t know, 300 miles.  So, let’s call it two months.  As you wear your Adios every day, they begin to break down.  The midsole foam compresses but it doesn’t compress symmetrically.  That is to say that the shoe begins to get a bit lop sided, listing to the one side where you mostly load your foot.  And so every day your foot goes through the increasingly acute angle in the range of motion, every time you take a step.  Your foot becomes familiar with that and that stress increases, so too does your chance for injury.

But that’s not really what we’re looking for, is it?

We want different motions, different stresses, different responses.

The same way we run some on the roads, some on the trail, some on the grass and some on the track, all to stimulate different muscles so that our bodies produce different responses.  The same way we don’t do only hills, or only progression runs or only long runs.  Our bodies need different movements, different speeds, different efforts each day in order to improve.

And so we wear different shoes on different days.  Traditionally, we wore our standard trainers on our easy or long days, and our lightweight trainers or racers on days which required us to put in a bit of effort.  But now that shoes are becoming lighter and more flexible, much more racer-like than in the past, we can wear just about anything we want on any given day.  One friend wears the Adios and the New Balance 1400.  They are similar shoes in many ways–lightweight and flexible racers designed for the marathon–and subtly different–the Adios drops 11mm from heel to forefoot, and the 1400 drops only 8.  Both feel fast and protective, while the Adios is a bit firmer and stiffer all around.  I haven’t found a pattern in how this friend wears the shoes; likely they are chosen by which one is closest to the door when leaving for a run or workout.  But it doesn’t matter, either one works well for just about anything.

I still do recommend practicing race specific workouts with the shoes that you are likely to wear on race day.  You want familiarity in a few things, when it comes to racing, so that you don’t have any surprises in store for you.

I don’t know if that answers the question, Waylon; or even if I wrote something entirely understandable.  Maybe in the future, bring me an Americano and I’ll do my best to overexplain everything.

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We call him our Gear Savant for a reason. If you want to know the lineage of every aspect of a shoe, he knows it. If you want to know exactly how the Nike Pegasus 11 is different from the Nike Pegasus 28, he knows it. If you are the person who can never find the right shoe, then you haven’t met our very own Mr. John Schrup. We now offer a new, weekly blog series – Dear Schrup – where John will answer your tech questions about running shoes, apparel, and other gear. Any question is fair game. We will choose from the questions weekly, and John will respond via the blog on Wednesdays. Submit your questions via email to John (john@roguequipment.com) or post them on our Facebook wall.