The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-387 – Gene Keeps Getting Faster

(Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4387.mp3]
Link epi4387.mp3

MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks – http://www.marathonbq.com/qualify-for-the-boston-marathon-in-14-weeks/

Hello and welcome to the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-387.  This is Chris, your endurance partner for today’s workout.

Today we have a chat with Gene Dykes who is currently knocking down most of the over 70 distance records.  He’s found some sort of fountain of youth and just keep s getting faster.

In section one I’ll give you an update on my 100 miler training and what I’ve learned.  In Section two I’ll talk about the aging athlete.

Buddy the elderly wonder dog is hanging in there.  He goes the first 2 miles of all my trail runs with me.  He got 5 runs in last week.  Then he sleeps.  I sometimes have to carry him up the stairs when his back hips don’t work.  And I don’t expect him to jump up into my truck anymore.  It’s ok.  He’s done his part.  Now it’s my turn.

I’ve been training consistently.  Typically 6 miles Tuesday, 10 Wednesday and 6 Thursday then back-to-back longs on the weekends.  It’s not a bad cadence.  The trails are drying out.

The mosquitoes are out but those only get me if I stop too long.  As we get into the summer the deer flies will show up and I’ll have to get some of those sticky patches.  They are real pests.

I booked my hotel for the ultra.  And I got some wonderful news today.  Dirtdawg and JustFinish aka Mike Croy and Kevin Green are going to crew and pace for me.  Both those guys have run this course.  This is a big bonus.

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I got a haircut this weekend, actually on Memorial Day.  The place I usually go was closed for the holiday.  I went to a lower end clip joint chain that was open.

I was a bit afraid with the guy I got.  I haven’t had high quality experiences with this chain.  But I had a business trip and needed to get it cleaned up.

The kid was wearing a wrinkled white tee-shirt, looked rather slept-in, with a sleeveless black denim vest covered in studs.  Quite disheveled.  He had goth tattoos all over him and piercings.  Showing my age and upbringing I wondered if putting my grey head in his hands was a smart thing to do.

I had just finished reading Catra Corbett’s new book about how she was a goth meth addict before she got in to ultra-running.  But, looking at this kid I figured he was a bit overweight to be an addict.

Besides, it’s not hard to cut my hair, what’s left of it that is.  You can’t really screw it up.

He did a very precise job.  Worked me over like I was some important bonsai topiary.  Even worked on my crazy old-man eyebrows.

I really need to work on my assumptions and stop profiling people.  We all turn into our parents at some point, don’t we?

On with the show!

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I’ll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don’t have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member’s only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.

M

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The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles.

• • Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you!

Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com

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Section one – 100 Miler Training – https://runrunlive.com/training-report-100-miler-from-the-front-lines

Voices of reason – the conversation

Gene Dykes

I’m sure you can make some of the awkward pauses go away, but I suppose trying to figure out what to do when we were talking over each other will be tougher.

I had fun – it’s always fun to talk about running!

 

I’ve attached a couple recent pictures that were pretty good:

 

One shows me during a 24-hour track race a couple weeks ago (I only ran for 14 hours of the Dawn To Dusk To Dawn, though) where I set USATF age group track records for 50K, 50 miles, 100K, and 12 hours.

 

The other shows me at the finish line of the Rotterdam Marathon on April 8, where I ran 2:57:48 to eclipse Ed Whitlock’s 3:00:23 world age 70 record.

 

Section two – Running into the Sunset – https://runrunlive.com/running-into-the-

sunset

Outro

OK my

 

friends you have set an impressive age group record while progressing to the end of episode 4-387, nice work.

Two of my

training buddies, from my age group had a good day at the Vermont Cities marathon over the weekend.  They got great weather.  Overcast and cool.  Brian, who ran a 3:35 at Baystate with me in the fall, knocked out a 3:29 change! And Tim powered through to a 3:16.    Now officially the slow guy again!

Watched an great documentary on Netflix called Chuck Norris vs Communism about the impact of bootleg videos on Romani

ans in the 80’s.  It’s been out for a while but I hadn’t seen it yet.  Really well done.  You’ll like it.  Especially if you lived through that era.

I have a big weekend coming up.  If I can pull it off I’m going to run 35 on Saturday and another 20 on Sunday.  Yikes!

I had a good week – got all my runs in.  I had a business trip to Salt Lake and I used that to practice more of this miserable, exhausted running that I’m supposed to be practicing.

Ran 6 miles Tuesday morning.  Flew out late to Salt Lake.  Got about 5 hours sleep. Got up and went exploring Wednesday morning.

I was originally aiming for the mountains but I ran by a canal, maybe a river, with a wide path so I turned onto that for the bulk of my run.  I ended up getting around 9 miles in, partly because I was running short on time and partly because I ran into a fence.

The canal trail literally ran into a chain link fence.  I think it was because there was a school nearby and they were trying to keep the kids out.  There was a kid size hole at the bottom.  You know how they bend up the corner of the chain link to get under?  But, I made the decision that I wasn’t going to wriggle under a fence in the suburbs of West Jordan to get that last mile in.

It was a nice run.  The trail was wide and crushed rock and flat.  It ran behind people’s houses.  A whole line of ¼ acre lots.  It’s always interesting to look into people’s backyards in a voyeuristic way.  Some people had gardens, some had chickens and some had angry dogs.

The river or canal itself was what I would call grey water.  I don’t know if that is just the color of the water in Salt Lake or if it is some sort of legacy drainage system.  It didn’t smell bad, but it didn’t make me want to go for a swim either.

Since it’s spring the canal was full of wild ducks and their little gangs of ducklings.  I was subjective to maximum duckling cuteness the whole time as they scurried and paddled away from this strange lumbering thing on the trail in the slanting morning sun.  I even passed a couple ‘joggers’ out there.

On my way back, when I left the trail I had to navigate the now bustling streets of suburbia.  At one point I was coming up to an intersection and saw a crossing guard.  These are the community volunteers who are posted at busy intersections near schools with a reflective vest, a held held stop placard and a righteous attitude.

As I was lumbering up the sidewalk towards the intersection I caught the vigilant woman’s eyes and gave her the conspiratorial nod.  She moved out and stopped traffic for me!  I tipped my hat and said “You’re the best!”

The world is a good place filled with good people.

I’ll see you out there!

 

MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks – http://www.marathonbq.com/qualify-for-the-boston-marathon-in-14-weeks/

Http://www.marathonbq.com

https://runrunlive.com/my-books