Laughter In The Clinic

“If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane.”
― Robert Frost

One of the things I do lately is looking back. If we're talking about racing, then literally looking back is usually a fruitless endeavor as there's mostly nobody back there. But, when you're out on a long solo run in the woods, you have a long time (some of us longer than others) to reflect, and two of the things that involve most of my time these days are my work (Physical Therapy) and running. I've been a PT for almost 43 years and ran my first marathon over 34 years ago, so these paths parallel each other fairly closely and sometimes actually cross. As I was bounding down a switchbacking single-track this morning, I was trying to come up with the things I hear over and over again in the clinic, and seeing that I am coming up blank for a running theme for this post, I thought I would show you what I encounter daily trying to extract information from patients. Now, you have to understand that some of these patients are runners, and generally they have a stoic "No bone is showing so I can run on it" attitude, but the typical patient is generally of the "I think I overdid my home exercises" approach, when what they did was lift their leg 15 times instead of 10!

I work in an outpatient clinic, and getting folks to do their exercises is sometimes near impossible, but there is a repeatable theme they come up with. It doesn't matter if your a runner, a Physical Therapist, or a typical off-the-street patient, you will never do home exercises as much as told to. They're boring, they're repetitive, and you won't see instant gratification. Don't argue...you won't do them...no, you won't!!

When I first see a patient, I do  a subjective and objective evaluation. The subjective is just asking them about their condition and the objective is all the measurements. Nothing funny about the objective, but the subjective is a trip sometimes:

ME: "How much pain do you have?"

PATIENT: "Hard to say. I have a high pain tolerance.”. Ha! They'll tell you how they gave childbirth in the back of a car, had teeth pulled without Novocaine, or eat Jalapeno peppers like candy. But, just try to move the involved arm or leg and they are squirming around like they're on fire. What they usually show is an extremely poor tolerance of pain...or even a poor tolerance to slight discomfort. It is classic.

RUNNER: "I don't know. I just ignore it.". They figure if they can "run" at all, it is safe, or necessary to do so. Had a runner tell me once "It's not a sharp 5k pain, it's more like a constant marathon pain". Actually, that was a pretty good description. 




ME: "Describe your pain"

PATIENT:  "I have no pain, it’s just sore.”. This is another classic. No pain, huh? Then I ask them, "try to grade your pain on a scale of 0 to 10 with 10 being the most". You'd be surprised how many people are walking around joking and laughing with 10/10 pain!! I thought you said you had no pain! I try to tell them that 10 is Emergency Room pain..."I told you I have a high tolerance of pain". Huh? If you're rating it a 10/10, then you don't have a very good idea of what your pain is.  Also, another classic along these lines is when I ask them their pain level and they say "Oh, it's not bad, about 8/10". I try to tell them they don't look like they're in that much pain. Then they say they thought "0" was the highest, so then they tell you their revised pain is 4/10!?! (Shouldn't it be 2/10?). I usually subtract 2-4 points from what they tell me. Low pain tolerance.

RUNNER: They usually can't accurately grade their pain level either because they deal with pushing themselves daily through "pain" just to run. They usually grade low on their pain level, so I usually add 2-4 points to them because they're afraid I'll tell them to stop running if the pain level is too high. High pain tolerance. 

Me: "How are you doing with your home exercises I gave you?".

PATIENT: “ No problems at all … what were they again?”. Speaks for itself doesn't it? Of course you have no problems with exercises that you don’t do. Or the classic is when I ask the patient to show me how they've been doing their exercises at home. They look at me like a deer in the headlights and they respond with "I don't have my exercise sheet with me"! Now, they are supposed to be doing the 3-5 exercises I gave them 2-3 times per day for the past 5 days. Don't you think their memory would be a LITTLE better? 

RUNNER: "Ok, I guess, but they're too easy...so, I did 100 instead of 30...and used 10# instead of 3#...and I tried testing out my knee on a hill run instead of a flat track, but it really hurt on the way down so I only did 5 repeats".

Speaking of memory, I had a patient just tell me this past week "I heard blueberries are good for you, but I can't remember why". My response was, "Well, apparently, you aren't eating them!".



ME: “How would you describe your pain?”

PATIENT: “A constant and unrelenting pain”

RUNNER: "A constant and unrelenting ache"

ME: “Where is the ache now?”

BOTH: “Nowhere at the moment” 

I just shake my head. Someday I'll write a book. Meanwhile, my 9 out of 10 ankle pain is telling me to do my exercises, but I think I'll go for a trail run instead. You know, I think that constant rolling them over on rocks and roots keeps them loose. Why don't my patients take their rehab as seriously?

I'll see you all on the roads - AL 

"One child lost is too many...one child saved can change the world"

You Can Always Add, But You Can't Take Away

"You don't have to do something epic. Just do something." - Tia Bodington

In the past week, I was presented with, and humbly accepted the Birmingham Track Club's Lifetime Achievement Award. This is a very coveted award that I am still trying to grasp the fact that I was even considered as a potential recipient. This was totally unexpected and greatly appreciated. Having been a member of the BTC since it was 2 years old (1978), I've seen many changes since we were just a bunch of goofballs who wanted to wear the same shirt. If you were a member of the BTC, you were considered FAST. I mean, this was THE TRACK CLUB, not the jogging club. Everybody knew everybody and everybody knew everybody's times and everybody's birthdays (so you knew what age group they were in). Few folks in the Track Club ran just for fun. Almost everybody raced. There were no 5k's back then...just 10k's (with a 2-mile Fun Run), Half Marathons, and the occasional Marathon. In 1981, I ran a 41 Mile Ultramarathon up in Tennessee with a couple of BTC guys. The next year, we had 11 BTC members descend on that race, all sporting our "Birmingham Track Club Ultra Team" tank tops. We smoked the competition and I've been hooked on these crazy long races since. But, the Track Club has changed it's focus and now we are a group of all types of runners and walkers. There are fun runs, social events, and and many more group runs all around the Birmingham area than my rattled mind can keep track of. Over the many years (sometimes you just don't like that word "many"), the BTC has always been an integral part of my running life. I began running when I was 31 years old (we won't count that one High School year that I just ran to get a HS Letter), and I'm still moving forward almost 4 decades later.

I run. I have been a runner for almost 36 years since I first ran around the UAB track for 2 miles back in '78. That seems like an absurd statement because that first run nearly killed me. I do not feel old enough to have done anything for 36 years. I've been a Physical Therapist for about 43 years, and I love it, but I take pride in the fact that part of my personal identity is deeply intertwined with running and endurance sports. I am tickled that my old favorite running shoes from those early years, the Nike Waffle Trainer, Elite, the LDV, and my all-time favorite running shoe, the Saucony Freedom Trainers are part of the "vintage collection". Me, vintage? Ouch.

I often get asked by old friends, patients, and acquaintances, "Do you still run?". Well… yes of course I still run. That question seems so silly to me. My pace can now be timed with a sundial, but running is such a natural part of my life ...it is like asking "Do you still brush your teeth?"... "Do you still eat?". Yes, why wouldn't I still run? I am a runner. And running has helped me meet so many truly good people along the way. At he BTC End-of-the-Year Party, I was approached by several folks thanking me for training them to run their first marathon. Most of them don't run long distances anymore, but I am so thrilled that they still lace up their shoes and get out there for a run these days. At least I didn't kill their enthusiasm way back when. I am still a runner and they are still runners. Isn't that cool?

We can never live our lives perfectly, just as all our runs are certainly not perfect (Ha! That's a good one!), but perfect days or not, there's no guarantee how any of us will be remembered by family, friends or colleagues. Who we are is hard-wired in our DNA, and I guess you thank your parents for that. I guess me being a member of the Track Club was the social equivalent of my dad being a member of the Moose Lodge (honestly, kinda like Ralph Kramden was a member of the Raccoon Lodge in THE HONEYMOONERS - boy, hope I didn't lose a lot of readers there!!). But, my "club" was a little more physical than the Moose (Meese? Mooses?). I can't even begin to estimate how many runners have trotted along side me down the road or trail, in sun, rain, cold, and whatever, and I would just think we were having a good time. But it's all part of shaping a fragment of a lifetime.

It is how we live over the long term, what emotions we evoke, whom we lift up, inspire or sometimes disappoint, that determines our legacies, great or small. We all want to be remembered in good light, but it just happens. Surround yourself with good people, treat them how your parents taught you to, laugh a lot, and most of the time, the sun shines. Yes, I got a Lifetime Achievement Award and the BTC has about filled up a Lifetime, but I'm still trying to figure out exactly what I achieved to deserve it. But I sure do appreciate it. Wonder if the guys in the Moose Lodge had it so good. Now, let's go for a run (real slow!).

I'll see you on the roads - AL

"One child lost is too many...one child saved can change the world"

Thinking About POINT TWO!

"Each of us is born with a 70 year warranty, but only a few read the instructions" - George Sheehan


I always get a kick when a non-marathoner says to a marathoner something about the marathon being 26 miles long, as in "Did you really run 26 miles?". I love when the response is "POINT TWO!!". That 2/10th's of a mile is the crowning kick-in-the-pants from that damn Queen of England who wanted to see the Olympic Marathon finish in front of her nice cushy throne chair. What a legacy - "Peasants, I want my fat butt comfortable, so now till the end of time, if you want to run a FULL marathon, you've got to do that POINT TWO!".

So, now that I'm doing many more Trail runs than I am doing certified road marathons, that got me thinking about the mentality of trail and ultra runners. We (trail runners) simply don’t give much thought to exact distances and certainly not to the specificity of a road race distance. Rarely (very rarely) do trail races come out to an exact distance, close to an exact distance, or even close to the advertised distance, so it makes little sense to focus our training on exact distances. One of the races I do just about every year is our local Oak Mt 50k. It's generally conceded that the actual distance is around 33 miles, but it's a 50k, so it's "around" 31 miles. Generally, there is an unwritten allowance of about a 10% variance that runners will have no problem with. When we do a trail race, much of the Facebook discussion is not "what was your time?", but "what distance did your GPS show?". Then it sounds like a bunch of Saudi Arabians bartering for a carpet before a distance is settled on that everyone was happy with and that's that. Of course, if based on the reading of several GPS's, the decision of how far ANY run will be is whatever the longest reading was!

When on a long training run on the trails, my main focus is usually on the time spent out there... "How'd your run go?"..."Oh, it went fine. Did about 3 hours". And for some reason, I'm also obsessed with vertical gain (how much I climbed)...I'll get back to that in a minute. The distance piled up running (a loosely interpreted term) is merely a by-product of the run. Most trail runners will say "I ran X hours at Red Mountain", not primarily reciting the distance covered. Their sole focus is on time and (for me) vertical gain. Seeing as my 20 miler had over 3000 feet of vertical gain over all kinds of obstacles that God finds humorous to put in my way, my time wasn't in any way comparable with the same distance on the road. Four miles per hour is pretty good clip for me on the trails. That time spent on my feet was far more valuable than the distance I ran because my mental awareness had to be focused on fueling and effort instead of pace. But let’s be honest, what I was really focused on was nothing. For the most part, I spent several hours daydreaming about future runs, past runs, what's to eat tonight, how my fantasy teams are doing, and other extremely important stuff. Analyzing the run will come later with a beer in my hand.

That’s one thing that is so great about running on the trails. We aren't bound by some incremental mileage number forced upon us (once again, by the British). I don't have to obsess about that POINT TWO. I get to worry about obstacles like rocks, roots, and ruts....and hills. I said I'd come back to this. For a long time, I've tried to come up with some kind of grading system based on elevation gained per distance traveled. In other words, if I do 10 mile run and I have 2300 feet of elevation gain, how tough is that run Every run and trail is different, but there should be some way to make me feel better after a self-perceived crappy run. If I can say "Well, this run rates an 8 on the "Al-difficulty-scale", then I might feel better. ULTRARUNNING MAGAZINE does have a 5-level grading system based on elevation per mile and difficulty of the trail itself. And I did find this "Hike Difficulty" calculator which I'll use sometimes. Are any of you as nutso as I am? If so, have you come up with any type of rating system? Of course, if I do come up with a good rating system, then I'll probably start worrying about the POINT TWO of the rating! I'm getting a headache...better go for a run.

I'll see you on the roads - AL


"One child lost is too many...one child saved can change the world."

Turn The Page

"I'm stricken by the wonder of it all: the everythingness of everything, in cahoots with the everythingness of everything else" - Diane Ackerman

This time of year usually means reflecting on the past 365 days and looking ahead to the next 365...you know, like making goals.Like trying to figure out how you're going to get faster while not changing one thing in your training. Of course, anyway you look at it, my running is a very loose interpretation of training. My daily early morning slog pace IS my racing pace. When I pick up a running magazine and they start talking about tempo runs, fartlek, pickups, etc., my eyes quickly glaze over and I go to the next article which is usually about something like eating chia seeds and mango paste to become a better runner. And then, my friends, I'm done for the night. Ok, back to reflecting.

The boring numbers don't tell a story. They say I ran 1370 miles. For me, that doesn't sound like a big Whoop, but I'm proud of every mile I put in. Back in the 80's (the year, not the temperature), I put in 4-5 years of 3000+ miles, which was a big Whoop. Hardly missed more than a day a week running back then. Now, Strava says I ran 190 times last year. That's a little more than every other day. It also says I ran 303 hours...that averages 1 hour and 35 minutes a run. That impresses me the most...of course some of those runs were 9+ hours which skews the average, but more on that in a bit.

I love trail running and have transitioned at least half of my miles to the dusty, muddy, and mostly hilly trails. Can't say how much elevation I've climbed up, but I do know that for some twisted reason, for all the complaining about hills I do, I seem to seek them out. There's nothing like getting (somehow) to the top of a long steep climb with hands on your knees, your lungs on the ground, quads completely shot, thinking "Now...that...was...great"! However, when going up these hills, I feel like a fully loaded 18 wheeler lumbering up the hill with my hazards on. Whatever!

I "ran" several races this year. I did one road marathon, 4 trail 50k's, a 3-day, 53 Mile Stage Trail Race, and numerous long trail races thanks to the Southeastern Trail Series. Somehow, despite more trips up the Yellow/White Connector than I want to remember, I managed to come in first in the Grand Master's Division of the 7-race Series. As my very good friend, Bill Tucker, likes to say "You don't have to get faster. You just have to get older". David Tosch was the Race Director of the Series, and I swear, he's got a part of his mind that is just plain twisted. Despite his beloved Y/W Connector, there were some "trails" that were merely flags placed arbitrarily in the woods or over leaf-covered rocks. Then there were the downhills on the Blue or White Trails where I could swear all he did was roll a beer keg down the mountain and said "There's my trail!".

I made many new friends and renewed some old ones through the evolution of BUTS (the Birmingham Ultra Trail Society). We began this year as just a bunch of guys and gals that wanted company to run trails with and BOOM! The idea exploded and we now have a slew (I think that means probably a couple of hundred) of new trail runners. Many of these folks came over from the Birmingham Track Club. I've been a member of the BTC since I began running almost 36 years ago, and have watched it grow from a bunch of guys and gals that wanted company to run on the roads with (sound familiar?). The BTC is 1000+ members strong and now I doubt I know 10% of them. When I see race results, whereas I used to know everybody, now, I might as well be looking at results from Tulsa, or Boise, or Tampa. But, we're all comrades in this great sport.

I ran in Boston 2 weeks after the '13 Marathon. It was surreal to run part of the course and cross the finish line so soon after the horror that so quickly marred our sport. Boston will always be very special to me, and that special place will always have a dark shadow that we'll never shake. Definitely the worst part of my '13 running reflections.

I ran mostly alone, but I also ran with many folks that I am more than proud to call friends, some old, some new. I ran with my son to a lighthouse at Cape Cod and ran out of water, and I  ran by myself for hours at Oak Mountain and ran out of water. My favorite runs were any of the many runs I had with my "lost brother" Moha. A better friend nobody could ever want on the trails, roads, or just about anywhere. We've run together strong and we've run together pretty wimpy, but we run together. Several times, 30 miles is just a funfest for us. A full day funfest, but a funfest nevertheless. 

So, 2013 comes to a close, but that's all. 2014 is rarin' to go, full of surprises. You can have plans if you want, but life is full of sharp left turns. Try to roll with them. I'll lace up my Hokas and see what the next run has in store. I hope you all have a good new year, filled with unexpected, but certainly, good memories.

I'll see you on the 2014 roads - AL

"One child lost is too many...One child saved can change the world"

My Unintended "Bearly" Ultra At Red Mountain

"I run 17 miles every morning. People ask me how I keep my teeth from chattering in the wintertime. I tell them I leave them in my locker." - Walt Stack

So, after completing the much blogged about Southeastern Trail Series here in Birmingham, I was ready for a break. The last race came a few weeks ago with the Tranquility 50k, and when I somehow came across that finish line, I thought "well, that's enough of that for a while". My legs were tired, I had completed what I had set out to do (complete the "Long Series" - the longest races), it was almost the end of the year, and I figured a little break was the (cough, cough) smart thing to do. In other words, I was just ready for a little break. In 35 years of running, I hardly ever plan for breaks, but my ankles were telling me that if I want to keep doing this stuff, it might be a good idea to back off a little bit once in a while. 

The problem lies that I have the mind of long distance runner and that mind is a long way from my ankles. Any of you out there that are in the same endurance boat as me know what that mind does...it warps any rational thinking into making you believe that every run that comes along that is marathon distance or longer, in the woods, up a mountain, through a creek, from sunrise to sunset, has got to be a good idea, right? For some twisted reason, you have to do it. So, here I was, literally a few days after the Tranquility 50k (my 3rd 50k of the year) and I am reading about the race being put on by our local club, BUTS (Birmingham Ultra Trail Society). We just formed this year and our (free) membership exploded. I can't tell you how many members we have because pretty much you said you wanted to be a member, liked the Facebook page, and voila! you're a BUTS member! Ok, back to the race, the Bearly Ultra Trail Run, a 27 mile run (get it? Bearly  ultra? Bearly intentionally spelled wrong due to the Bear Logo) at Red Mountain. Now, I had every intention of NOT running this race, UNTIL I saw that because it costs money to do some of the cool things BUTS did this year, like buy beer and reserve State Park sites, and order shirts, and buy beer, we were going to have to start charging a nominal membership fee (not yet determined). Now here's the baited hook - if you run the Bearly Ultra, your dues for '14 are paid! Now, I'll gladly pay $100+ a couple of times a year on new running shoes, but I'll drive across town to save a dime and the twisted mind says "hey, pay the 50 buck entry and get free dues (never considering that dues will be way lower than that). So, the hook was set and I HAD to run another race before the end of the year. 

I didn't let my feet in on the secret until the morning of the race when I began to go through the race rituals I've built up over the years and they got wise..."Hey, Al, what's with the PB&J sandwich followed by a banana? And you NEVER pin your Dad's Purple Heart Pin to your shorts unless you're racing. And why all the Gu? One or two are usually enough. Something's up, isn't it?". The truth is, I put in far fewer miles before this race then I usually have. And mentally, ha, that's a good one. I figured, Ok Al, just get out there and get 'er done. The course was 3 loops of 9 miles each with about 900' of elevation. The first 3-4 miles of each loop was pretty hilly, but no crazy-ass climbs like in David Tosch's Series Races. I figured, as I'm slow as cold molasses and my ankles just don't like hills, each loop would be around 2:45 each (told you I was slow). THEN, on the Thursday before the Saturday race, Dan Ripple, the RD, sends out a last rah-rah email to everybody, and there, buried deep in the email, was the tiny print of cutoffs he was instituting...nobody could start the 3rd loop if they finish slower than 5 hours for 2 loops, and there was an 8 hour race cutoff! OK, this meant absolutely nothing to no one because they're all way faster than that, but now my gut said whoa Nellie! Yeah, like I just thrive off new pressure.

December in Alabama should have cold, brisk wind from the North, but this day brought temperature in the 70's with a chance of thunderstorms. Fortunately, this is my favorite weather, so good so far. Then, my buddy, Moha, decided at the last minute to join me for at least one loop. He had run the Rocket City Marathon a week ago and hadn't put in a running step since. If you're a (semi) reader of this blog, you know that Moha and I (known as lost brothers) have put in thousands of miles together over many years, but his balky knee has kept him off the trail for about 6 months. It was great to have him show up. Back to the race...two miles into it, the two lost brothers took a wrong turn and got lost and did an extra 1.3 miles ("Just wanted to make sure it was an ultra...27 miles was cutting it too close"), so right off the bat, we were behind and had to pick it up (ha!) to make up for lost time. At 4.5 miles of each loop was the BUTS Aid Station, music blaring, cheese & bacon quesadillas cooking, and all the support and fun any runner could ever want. Plus, they had my all-time favorite aid station food - watermelon! Because we had picked it up, we actually did our 1st "long" loop in a speedy 2:21. 

Moha decided he felt pretty good to do another loop..."I'm ok". "How's your knee?". I'm ignoring it. It will learn". The 2nd loop was not as pretty. My legs were reminding me that I have one speed (or slower) and although I was trying to push harder, all that came back was "I'm givin' her all I've got, Captain" (Scotty, Star Trek, 2009). Moha kept pushing me despite my whining. Mo is from Iran and although he's been here for a couple of decades, if he, or I, gets tired, we get hard to understand. At one point when he asked me to repeat something for the 3rd time, I said, "God Moha, learn the damn language" at which point he calmly says "If I haven't learned it by now, I'm not going to!". It was funnier at 17 miles. 

We struggled that loop, I was close to toast and we finished the 2nd loop in 5:02 (remember the lately instituted cutoffs?). 
Big Dan, the Evil RD: Good going Al, you made the cutoff!
Me: No, I didn't
Dan: Yes, you did!
Me: No, damn it! I didn't
Dan: You ran extra the first loop. Go on.
Me: Rules are rules. What about people behind me?
Dan; Ain't nobody behind you. Get going!

Mo had to get something quick from his car and I made an effort not to loiter, so I told Mo he'd catch me. Now, I've been running ultras for 30 years so I know how to get in & out of aid stations quick. At this point, I found an even faster way...just forget to fill your water bottle! Yep, a half mile down the road I realize I have an empty bottle...CRAP!! Do I run back? No, there's a big time factor there and a HUGE embarrassment factor. Fortunately, the race Gods were just having fun with me, because heading back towards the start is David Christy, the best dang Race Photographer in the world (See his site here). He poured his whole water bottle into mine...what a literal lifesaver. Moha caught me and the 3rd loop actually went better than the 2nd. It never fails to amaze me, but when you're dead tired, with many hours and miles behind you, if you're with a friend, you can still laugh and genuinely have a great time eating the rest of the race up. Folks doing 100 milers often talk about being dead at 60 miles, but their pacer got them through...and I think what the hell did they talk about for 40 miles? Nothing and everything, that's what! Went through the BUTS A.S. for the third time...had watermelon for the third time, slammed down a couple of Mt Dews and was off.  When we went through the marathon distance, Mo announced "Good, now I don't have to run for another week!".The two sweepers, brother/sister Jimmy & Lisa, caught us, but we nosed them out at the tape. We always seem to bring in the sweepers. We finished in 7:44, well under the the dreaded cutoff. 

For a race I really didn't necessarily want to do, once again, it was a great memorable time. In just about all my races, there comes a time when you just want to chuck it all, but every single doggone time, you cross that finish line and you have no clear recollection of feeling terrible. You can say you felt bad, but you don't feel it. All you feel is "God, I love this sport". 

Tomorrow morning, I'm getting on a plane to Boston for Christmas, and you know what? I'm not bringing my running clothes. No running for a week...just playing with my grandkids. Should be a ball. Hope you all have a great holiday.

I'll see you on the roads - AL

"One child lost is too many...One child saved can change the world"

Someday is Today

"When you're about to quit, remember why you started"

Back in 1995, I was training runners for old Vulcan Marathon here in Birmingham. Even though I had been directing the training clinic for 11 years at that point and had been long distance running for 16 years, I was having a little bit of a running burnout. Oh, I still enjoyed running, but the newness, the passion, the goals, they were all starting to fade. I ran the Boston Marathon for the first time that year, and after that, it was almost like "Well, what could top that?". I had sworn that I would never run Boston again because it had been everything I had hoped it would be and it would NEVER be as good, so I didn't want to tarnish the memory. I did, in fact, go back 4 more times over the years, but you know what? Even though it was an incredible experience each time, I was right, it was never as good as that first time.

OK, back to 1995...well, early 1995...I was doing a long solo run in Homewood, preparing for Boston, when I ran into a group of about 6-7 runners. Seeing that we almost were running in a parallel universe, I asked if I could join them, figuring the company would take some of the remaining 10 miles of sluggishness out of my legs. I asked what they were training for and they said the Napa Valley Marathon. That seemed like a long way for such a large group from Alabama to be going, but it turns out they were running with a fund-raising group called Team-in-Training. I knew absolutely nothing about the group, so they explained that TNT was a part of the Leukemia Society of America (later to become the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America) and they in return for raising monies mostly for research, would receive training, gear, and get a trip to Napa Valley.  During our run, they found out I was a Physical Therapist and asked if I would come to one of their meetings and talk about...well, whatever I could talk about! I wound up doing about 4 talks before they headed out to California and I promptly more or less forgot about TNT.

A few months later, a friend of mine, Julie Green, asked if she could stop by my work to talk to me. She told me that she was now working with the Leukemia Society and was directing the Team-in-Training program. Turned out the current coach was quitting and some of the running group had mentioned me as a replacement. As I was already doing the Vulcan group and pretty active with the Birmingham Track Club, I really wasn't that interested, but Julie is very persistent (hard-headed) and finally swayed me into taking up the reins. Julie, who was not a runner at the time, still tells the story that the only reason she ran her 1st marathon was because I I told her I didn't think she could!  She was a businesswoman, wore high heels, didn't have time to train. What would you say?  I was only trying to keep her from getting hurt, but she got fired up seeing all these runners and went from Zero to Marathon in five months! She even raised the money as a participant.

So, I got my passion back, and for the next 15 years, until 2010, I was the Run Coach for B'ham's TNT program and had excellent help from friends of mine along the way, Ken Harkless, Charles Thompson, and Prince Whatley. To this day, Ken and Prince are still actively involved in TNT coaching. From the first day, we would preach the word that every dollar raised would make a difference. Slowly, we saw survival rates improve and would pound into our trainees that this is good, but MUCH more is needed. Each event brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars to be funneled towards research. We ran and we prayed for "a Cure" of this horrible disease.

Then came the Big Breakthrough...the development of Gleevac in 2001. The drug Gleevec is an example of how funds raised through Team in Training are helping patients. Gleevec is a molecularly targeted treatment for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) – a cancer that, before Gleevec, had at least an 85% death rate. Gleevec is a drug that uses cancer cells to attack other cancer cells found in a body while not destroying healthy cells. The 5-year survival rate dramatically improved from from 15% to almost 95% today! The researchers for Gleevac were almost exclusively funded through TNT. We now felt a direct connection between our efforts and the results of those efforts.

In 2010, I reluctantly turned the coaching reins over to Ken and Prince. TNT will always have a very special place in my heart, but like other passions that pass with time, I lost direct connection with the program, the runners, the mission. That is until this week...maybe you caught it on the news....when I received an email from the LLS:

Dear Al,

Just three and a half years after a clinical trial demonstrating the first successful and sustained use of genetically engineered T cells to fight leukemia, LLS-funded researcher Carl H. June, M.D., and his team at University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia presented more promising results this week at The American Society of Hematology (ASH) conference in New Orleans. 

The latest results involved both adults and children with advanced leukemias. For these patients, this therapy was the last option available, as all previous therapies had failed. Among the first 59 patients who received this experimental cellular therapy, 89% of patients were cancer free after treatment.

"These findings show real promise for critically ill patients, who have run out of options. And they clearly demonstrate the ability of LLS-funded researchers to use innovative bioengineering methods to activate the immune system to kill cancer cells." said Lee Greenberger, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. 

Because of support from people like you, LLS has been able to invest $15 million in Dr. June's work, with an additional $6 million committed through 2017. Your donations are having a real impact for blood cancer patients today. 

Thank you,

John E. Walter

President & CEO

Do you realize how HUGE this news is? Using running as a vehicle, Leukemia now is at the Tipping Point of a cure. Without TNT, research would never have gotten the funding through Government channels alone, and discoveries like these could still be decades away. TNT has generated $1.4 BILLION (that's Billion with a "B") for research since it began in 1988.  I always said our goal should be to put TNT out of commission. I am so proud to have been a part of TNT, as every single participant should be. You did this! We did this! Someday TNT won't be needed anymore. Someday Leukemia will be cured. The new LLS slogan...Someday is Today!

I'll see you all on the roads - AL

"One child lost is too many...one child saved can change the world"

A Race Series, A Race Director, A Race, And Race Friends

"Buy the ticket, take the ride" - Chris in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas when he realizes he is way over his head

As I've mentioned several times in these posts, I'm not a big fan of writing race reports (though I do enjoy reading them, especially from folks that I know). So, with that said, I am NOT going to write a race report of my 50k trail run yesterday, but just try to reflect on some of the thoughts I had before, during, and after.

This has been a rather long several months with races plastered on my calender because of a new Southeastern Trail Series that began this year. A good friend, David Tosch, decided to put together this series as a way to boost trail running around the Birmingham area. Now, David, you have to understand, is a very quiet, humble runner who has done (at least) the Pinhoti, Leadville, and Grindstone 100's. He also goes out of town to do stage races, shorter ultras, and backpacking trips. When he's not doing that, he'll fly out of town just to volunteer at some 100 mile race (I know he was at Leadville this year). He never talks about it, so you have to squeeze this out of him like squeezing juice from a lemon! I have been doing ultras for many years (make that many, many) and most of them have been in the Southeast. Basically, you would see the same cast of characters at all these races, whether they be in Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, or Alabama. Back in the 80's, 90's, and early aught's, there were very few Alabamians (except for the excellent Huntsville group) that would dive into these longer-than-marathon distances. We were a fringe group, even to ourselves. Even at the old BTC 50 Mile Runs held in the early 80's and in the early years of the Original Oak Mt 50k Trail Runs, put on by Scott and Jackie Parker, there were usually fewer than 10 local runners doing these (out of 100+ runners). 

So, along comes David and he says "By golly, I'm going to try to cattle prod this group of runners that I know is out there" (David doesn't really say "By Golly"). In 2012, he put on a Trail Run at Oak Mt State Park that had a 10k, a 50k, and a 12 Hour Run. It was run on a 3-mile trail we grizzled runners (well, me and my buddy Mohammed) call "The Sissy Trail". It's very lightly rolling, around a lake and never more than 3 miles from the super-stocked Aid Station. It was a huge success and raised money for Camp Smile-a-Mile, a local non-profit camp for children with cancer. New runners came on board thinking there's nothing to this trail running stuff and like that commercial, they started clamoring "We want more, we want more, but sometimes there's only less". So, David, and his super energetic wife, Marye Jo, seized the opportunity and set up the Southeastern Trail Series...supposedly a gradually increasing distance series of  7 runs in 7 months. I say supposedly because David also throws in some "extras" that are not in the "gradually increasing" category. The series officially begins in April with a hilly 3/6 mile run (you can sign up for the long or short series), but then, the 2nd in the series is the aforementioned Run4Kids run. Boom! 50k right off the bat (unless you choose the 12 Hour option). So, much for gradual. Then, he throws in an "extra" 9/18 mile run the week before one of the Series's 11/22 mile scheduled runs! Geez!! Yes, also getting hooked in are some new trail rookies that think "I want some of that", but have little idea of what "that" entails. And these courses are all very difficult with rocky climbs of an average of 100-125'/mile (10-12 story building!). And the Yellow/White Connector is legendary - this is David's baby - a 600+ ft climb up a very rocky single track over exactly one mile. The fastest I've ever done this climb is over 21 minutes, and I was shot to hell when I got to the top! This climb is in just about every one of David's races AT LEAST ONCE! Had it twice in the 50k yesterday. Ugh!!

Two other things about the race yesterday. 1) Last week I went up to OM for a training run. The leaves were so thick on the trail, I actually got off course for a mile and a half. That was ok, but I had never seen it that thick. Well, yesterday during the race, I noticed that for a couple of miles after each trail intersection it was raked! Turns out David had gone up there Friday to clear the trail - holy cow! 2) The quote of the day was from Kyle S. at the Peavine Aid Station (Kyle did a great job staying at the top of the mountain ALL day). There is a West Ridge Trail at the top of the ridge which is very windy. I had expected to run on it for about 2 miles and then cut down to a fire road, and have to cut back up a 1/4 mile hill towards the AS. But then, running on the WRT a little longer than expected, to my surprise, following the trail markers, all of a sudden I was joyed to see the Peavine Aid Station. I told Kyle my surprise, and his comment was "NEVER trust Mr. Tosch". It cut out one small hill, so thanks again, David!

Now, because of David taking the reins to flush out the local trail runners, a local group of trail guys & gals decided to form a loosely knit group called BUTS - the Birmingham Ultra Trail Society - as a takeoff on the Georgia group, GUTS. Well, BUTS has exploded and, although I don't have specific numbers, I'm sure their membership is well over 100 (probably bolstered by this year's no membership fee!). We now have shirts, hats, visors, stickers, and our own end-of-the-year Ultra, The BUTS Bearly Ultra, a 27 mile run at Red Mountain (the race fee will include membership for 2014). I don't believe all of this would have come together without the nudging from David. And in 2014, there will be another Trail Series with the addition of the Lake Martin 100, 50, and 27 mile runs in March. Wow! It's like a rock rolling downhill.

And so, yesterday, as the sun was setting on a cold, windy, cloudy day, I completed this year's Southeastern Trail Series. My ONLY goal was to beat the cutoff (sundown!), and I did that with about a half hour to spare. I wasn't last this time, but close. But, there at the finish were a few folks, but of course there was David and Marye Jo, clapping like I had won. Marye Jo's main concern was that the Red Beans and Rice might not be warm enough...I told her I would eat it raw, I was so hungry!

Thanks to all that had a part in the series, from the top to the bottom. I will definitely take part again next year as my mind still lives about 20 years younger than my body. I'm glad I can still do this stuff. I'm thankful for RD's like David and Marye Jo, and all the new friends I've made through BUTS. Now, time to put my feet up, have a beer, and get ready for the next trail.

I'll see you all on the roads - AL

"One child lost is too many...one child save can change the world."