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| "I hated being called 'fluffy'" |
Tony Horton, founder of the “P90X” series of exercise videos, said it best: “Think 'Can Do' not 'look like'”. I run so that I can finish ultramarathons and Iron-length triathlons. And, as a famous winner of marathons once said, “I run because I like to eat.” It's a combination of those two items.
How long have you been running? How did you get started? Why did you choose running over other activities?
I began running in 2009, after taking a hiatus for nearly 20 years. I got started because (and this is no joke) my best friend called me “Fluffy”. I hated being called “fluffy”. I was also single and wanted to attract the best girlfriend I could. I was also watching The Biggest Loser, and one of their final challenges was a marathon. I thought, “Well, if they can do it, so can I!” So my fatso-calling friend and I both signed up for the San Francisco ½ Marathon, and the rest, as they say, is history. Fortunately for me, I haven't had to choose running over anything else – I still do everything else I love to do.
How do you motivate yourself to run regularly? What about on the days the weather is bad or your are feeling particularly lazy?
For me, I have to have a race on the horizon. It might be 30 weeks away, but I need to have a goal. It goes back to the answer in question #1.
Do you use a running coach, or read any books to aid in your training?
My schedule as a pilot is very different than the “Long run on the weekends” typical person, plus I mix ultrarunning, triathlons, marathons, tennis, dancing, rock climbing, and trail running into a weird mix. As a consequence, I read everything I can from the experienced folks in each discipline, and go from there. That said, my favorite books and philosophy comes two folks: Don Fink's “Be IronFit”, and Hal Higdon. I mix the two (I convert Hal's suggested distances into time, and use that, for example, and determine which heart rate zone I want to train in for each run – something else from Don Fink).
How do you fit running in with your daily schedule?
With careful consideration of FAU's. For those unfamiliar, those are “Fiancee Approval Units”, which will soon convert to SAU's, or “Spousal Approval Units”. Life is balance, but if you follow the philosophy of training by time, and not distance, it quickly comes much easier to plan your schedule. Also, I don't watch television. I like watching some movies and TV, but I always watch shows on my schedule, not theirs.
Do your friends and family support your running or think you are crazy?
Yes. But they also find it inspiring.
What is your favorite running terrain (road, trail, treadmill)?
Least: Treadmill. I ran the Comrades Marathon in South Africa in over 11 hours and enjoyed it all. I've run numerous ultra trail runs over 7 hours and had a blast. Ten minutes on a treadmill and I want to kill myself. But my favorite is definitely trail running. It's good cross training, strengthen your knees, and the scenery and wildlife is just... awesome. I love exploring places only runners or hikers ever get to see.
Each race is its own unique challenge, but I ran a 30k trail run where I went out too early too hard and too fast, and boinked at about 20km when I ran out of water. The last 10k was a killer. Despite it not being the longest, my failure to pace myself and thinking I was stronger than I really was made it one of the hardest I've done. Even harder than a Spartan Race.
What is the most enjoyable race you’ve run to date?
Nothing in the world beats Comrades. In the Guiness Book of world records, the Comrades Marathon is the largest ultramarathon in the world (over 19,000 people each year run the race), has the best support, the friendliest natives, and rightfully calls itself “The Ultimate Human Race.” Since its origins trace back to 1921, it has traditions that rival Boston. In fact, one person described it as the Superbowl, the Boston Marathon, and the World Series rolled into one. It's the closest an average person can come to feeling like an Olympian. When I finished (near the 12 hour deadline at 11 hours, 11minutes), there were still over 10,000 people in the soccer stadium screaming, yelling, pounding, and cheering for us “Normal” people. It's a life-changer. Watching people scramble at the 12hour deadline can also be uplifting, and heart crushing. I did see a lot of human carnage on the side of the road during that race. That said, for pure, simple care-free fun, nothing beats a Spartan Race/Warrior Dash/Tough Mudder.
Have you ever been injured due to running? What were the ramifications?
Other than typical over-use injuries – IT band, plantar flasciaOUCHis, lost toenails, stubbed toes, and scrapped knees from trail runs... Nothing serious! You need to push your limits, but not so hard you hurt yourself badly. So far.
Do you use any music or run tracking devices when you run, or are you a naked runner.?
I always run naked during races, but generally listen to audio books during long training runs (some of my training runs exceed 3 hours. Nothing like listening to Stephen King on a dark night to keep you moving forward) or music for shorter runs. If I'm in a group, though, I talk. A lot
How do you get yourself through the difficult parts of your runs? Do you have a personal mantra or do you just give up?
I have several mantras, but the one that comes the repetitive one during the Iron-length triathlons or really difficult marathons/ultras, is a line from Black Hawk Down. “It's nothin'”. It symbolizes that, tomorrow, I will not even be able to remember anything from the race anyway, so the struggle I have at that moment will be a faded memory – nothing – after the finish. I also visualize myself at the finish, crossing the finish line, and how proud I will be to let everyone know I finished. I imagine that feeling of being a finisher. In aviation we call it “Chair Flying”, but it's simply visualizing success. I focus on that, and that feeling, and “It's Nothin'”. When I paced the Morgan Hill Marathon my group heard that phrase a few times more than they probably wanted!
A lot of runners know that “Who has the runs” has a double meaning. How do you deal with the occasional “problem” that plagues every runner at one time or another?
Run to the best place to take care of business. And then take your time and don't rush back out. The time you spend sitting will give your legs a break, and when you launch out of there, you'll feel much lighter and happier! The lack of GI distress will allow you to more than make up for the lost time. Besides, running is supposed to be fun. If it's not, you're not doing it right.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about taking up running?
Think “Can Do” not “Look Like”. Set a goal and go for it. Get a good shoe fitting (don't try to fit your own shoes!), and you are capable of far more than you realize.
What is your next big race? In 2012, I've set ambitious goals. The Rome, Italy, Marathon. The Napa Valley Vintage 1/2-Iron-length Triathlon (I failed to finish the swim in 2011). A back-to-back finish at Comrades. And the HITS Iron-Length Triathlon in Lake Havasu, Arizona. Everything else is in support of those 3 goals. I hope to beat 2,000 miles run within the year (last year in 2011 I ran 1,800 miles).
What is your immediate running goal?
To get faster. And to train smarter, not harder. Set a goal to each and every run, but not set that goal in stone. Sometimes, it's to reverse split. Sometimes, it's to do lazy sprints. Sometimes, it's to get my cadence perfect for a mile. Sometimes it's to “feel” my heart rate at a particular zone/number, and see how accurate I am. Every run has fun challenges. Sometimes, I might set out with one goal, and change it in the middle of the run to something else. And be okay with it.
What is your ultimate running goal? That's a really tough question after Comrades. I actually have no desire to qualify for Boston. But I would love to run a marathon at both the North and South Poles, and from base-camp at Mt Everest. But I doubt I'll do any of those unless I win the lottery or somebody pays me to do it. So, after Comrades, I'd like to run 12 marathon in 12 months, and then run a marathon not only in all 50 states, but on each continent, too (except maybe Antarctica. That's expensive!
Do you have a way we can keep track of your progress (Twitter, Facebook, Blog, etc)
Certainly! You can follow me at:
Twitter: capnchas
Blog: http://captainchas.com
DailyMile: Chas M.
Google+: Chas Melichar
I have several mantras, but the one that comes the repetitive one during the Iron-length triathlons or really difficult marathons/ultras, is a line from Black Hawk Down. “It's nothin'”. It symbolizes that, tomorrow, I will not even be able to remember anything from the race anyway, so the struggle I have at that moment will be a faded memory – nothing – after the finish. I also visualize myself at the finish, crossing the finish line, and how proud I will be to let everyone know I finished. I imagine that feeling of being a finisher. In aviation we call it “Chair Flying”, but it's simply visualizing success. I focus on that, and that feeling, and “It's Nothin'”. When I paced the Morgan Hill Marathon my group heard that phrase a few times more than they probably wanted!
A lot of runners know that “Who has the runs” has a double meaning. How do you deal with the occasional “problem” that plagues every runner at one time or another?
Run to the best place to take care of business. And then take your time and don't rush back out. The time you spend sitting will give your legs a break, and when you launch out of there, you'll feel much lighter and happier! The lack of GI distress will allow you to more than make up for the lost time. Besides, running is supposed to be fun. If it's not, you're not doing it right.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about taking up running?
Think “Can Do” not “Look Like”. Set a goal and go for it. Get a good shoe fitting (don't try to fit your own shoes!), and you are capable of far more than you realize.
What is your next big race? In 2012, I've set ambitious goals. The Rome, Italy, Marathon. The Napa Valley Vintage 1/2-Iron-length Triathlon (I failed to finish the swim in 2011). A back-to-back finish at Comrades. And the HITS Iron-Length Triathlon in Lake Havasu, Arizona. Everything else is in support of those 3 goals. I hope to beat 2,000 miles run within the year (last year in 2011 I ran 1,800 miles).
What is your immediate running goal?
To get faster. And to train smarter, not harder. Set a goal to each and every run, but not set that goal in stone. Sometimes, it's to reverse split. Sometimes, it's to do lazy sprints. Sometimes, it's to get my cadence perfect for a mile. Sometimes it's to “feel” my heart rate at a particular zone/number, and see how accurate I am. Every run has fun challenges. Sometimes, I might set out with one goal, and change it in the middle of the run to something else. And be okay with it.
What is your ultimate running goal? That's a really tough question after Comrades. I actually have no desire to qualify for Boston. But I would love to run a marathon at both the North and South Poles, and from base-camp at Mt Everest. But I doubt I'll do any of those unless I win the lottery or somebody pays me to do it. So, after Comrades, I'd like to run 12 marathon in 12 months, and then run a marathon not only in all 50 states, but on each continent, too (except maybe Antarctica. That's expensive!
Do you have a way we can keep track of your progress (Twitter, Facebook, Blog, etc)
Certainly! You can follow me at:
Twitter: capnchas
Blog: http://captainchas.com
DailyMile: Chas M.
Google+: Chas Melichar
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