Any Runners Here...?

I know a few are...... This would be rather challenging I suppose.......:sweatdrop:



It's been a while since we've heared anything from Brian Townsend, but apparently it's not because he's been chillin' out at some beach or something like that. Believe it or not, the American high stakes poker pro has been training day and night for an upcoming Sahara Desert Race and therefore had very little time to spare for poker.
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Townsend is doing the race together with a friend who tried to convince him to take part already 2 years ago. In total, the two friends will be running 156 miles over 5 days through the extremely hot Sahara desert - starting October 28 in Egypt.

Below are parts from his latest blog post:
[I]
I am doing this race with my good buddy, Deyl Kearin. He first told me about this race two years ago. I remember looking at him and saying that he was insane for even considering it. Then four months ago I went to him and said we should do it, so that's how we ended up here. For those who don't know, this is a 5 day (technically 7 days but you only run 2k-10k the final two days) 156 mile race through the sahara desert where you carry everything but your own water.[/I]
[I]Obviously running 156 miles in the extremely hot Sahara desert isn't going to be easy - especially if you're a poker player by trade! However, Townsend has been taking this task pretty seriously as he described his training with the following words:[/I]
[I]Today I ran 20 miles in 3.5 hours. 7 miles were to Jericho beach in Vancouver and the remaining 13 were going up and down the same 3 mile stretch of soft sand beach over and over. The girls playing volleyball thought I was insane, but I guess I am kinda that weird running guy now. I have been wearing a 20 pound pack to train but lightened the load to 15lbs today.[/I]

That seems very challenging for someone who doesn't seem to have marathon training experience.
I wish them all the best for sure, but for this sort of adventure to have a measure of success typically requires years of running base and experience.

This sort of adventure (well 50 & 100 mile events) had always been a someday goal for me when I was marathon training on a regular basis.

The Sahara race is a part of the 4 Deserts Series, More info on that craziness can be found at [URL]http://www.4deserts.com/[/URL]

Wow! Thanks for posting that up Jamie!

By no means am I ANY sort of runner at all, except for when one of my cats gets out the door. He likes to eat the other neighbourhood cats out sunning themselves... Due to a perforated disc, running is LONG in history for me....so when the cat gets out, I quick grab the little bag of treats on the way out the door...

I was good at track and field and running in high school, but that all went by the wayside when I took up smoking...sadly enough. I could run faster than just about everyone, but never cared much for the long distance stuff. In HS gym...we had to run a 2 mile course up through the 'rocks' (Niagara Escarpement) once per week through the months of favourable weather and I just hated that. 100yd dash...different story. THAT i liked,...so this desert thing just stunned me when I read it! Never knew THAT existed...

Had no idea it was part of a larger event either. Hey...running in sand is tough,....but through SNOW!? :O In ARCTIC temps?! MAN! Then taking part in ALL those events....?!!! And the scenery in some of those countries is absolutely beautiful!

I DO though 'thoroughly' enjoy 'watching' the NY Marathon... not for the run itself, but rather for the scenery...

Where else ya gonna get a guided tour of NY short of being there yourself?! Sitting on the couch is the best way to participate in a marathon I say! :D

Other than running up through the rocks at school,.......now and then for some reason beyond me, my gym teacher Mr. Yeats would make me run a dozen laps around the track after inadvertantly, (NOT) bouncing an occassional volleyball off his head when he entered the gym for class....lol.... TRUE!!! Small town here....everybody knows everybody else...

He's now about 75yrs old or so,.......plays tennis with an assortment of old geezers and geezerettes like my 83 year old mother twice a week for 2 or 3 hours...

She also cycles anywhere from 30 - 50 km per week in one ride usually through the temperate months with her friend weather permitting! Shocking!!!

She used to go swimming twice a week too...

I have the unsettling feeling that she'll outlive me!

I started running in feburary of this year, could not do much the first few months at 220 lbs, now i'm up to three and a half miles and if I go to the park almost four miles and I lost a few pounds i'm at 180. I don't think I will be in any runs, I just do it for myself and I enjoy that.

Keep it up Dan! 40lbs is a ton! Going on what reformed chubbies have said, they feel WAY better and healthy after slimmin' down...

If you have ever seen just exactly what it IS that you loose,...you'd be disgusted...

Picture a 40 LUMP of Crisco (white lard,...looks like solidified PUSS)... That's essentially what you've lost...

Just keep thinking about THAT! It will be great incentive to keep it OFF!

Thanks for the info on the Sahara race. Sounds super tough!

I'm a runner. Usually about 8 miles a week. Been running for 6-7 years now and I love it.
I normally get up early on Saturday morning to do my running for the week. Early enough that nobody else is up yet (between 5 & 6am).
I love the peacefulness of the early morning. I'm thinking I'll get up tomorrow and run, since I missed it today...

Later,
Kurt

I am a relunctant Runner(6 Foot Tall and weigh 100Kgs). My wife drags me out of the house and we both run 5.9klms every second day.