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Siberian Express By Debora Bear

Running Chicago 25 Years Ago By Jim DesJardins

Hiking The Inca Trail By Monica O'Hara

The Pacer New Year's Resolution List By Monica O'Hara

River-to-River Relay Teams Being formed - April 12, 2003

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On the Cutting Edge of the Fitness Revolution
By Kate Fitzgerald

Does anyone wonder why, no matter how much we run, some of us never seem to lose that beer belly or set of saddlebags?

You’re skinny as a rail for a week or two surrounding the marathon. You might be able to fit into your high school jeans now and then, but only after jaw surgery, or a fierce bout of Montezuma’s Revenge. A few weeks later (or even hours, depending on intake), that certain layer of fat always comes creeping back.

If this sounds familiar, read on. However, if you have the natural metabolism of a furnace and you need to “work” to keep weight on, go have another milk shake or something.

I hope you’re sitting down as you read this, because it might change your life as you know it.

On Jan. 19 (page one, section 9), The New York Times reported a new fitness movement that could revolutionize things for us runners. According to several experts, we may lose more weight and look better if we quit running and doing aerobic activity altogether and concentrated instead on lifting weights. Only lifting weights.

It’s a radical idea, telling dedicated cardio addicts they’re wasting their time running, but that’s the gospel according to Adam Zickerman, author of “Power of 10: The Once-A-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution.”

His theory is that muscle burns more calories around the clock, and if we do a certain magic mix of weight training—as little as 20 minutes a week!—we’ll begin to look better than we do now. It all sounds rather effortless, unless I misunderstood things. (I’m extrapolating here, but we might look like supermodels and rock stars if we get the mix right.)

In another book touted by the NYT, Jorge Cruise’s “Eight Minutes in the Morning,” the promise is that we can skate by on a mere eight minutes of weight training a day. The effects of cardio activity stop as soon as we take off our track shoes, according to these guys, whereas we keep “training” all day long when we concentrate on weights. It sounds so simple! (Who got this lunatic running thing started in the first place?)

The fact that muscle burns more calories and boosts metabolism is not a new idea. But virtually eliminating cardio is definitely a new twist. (Yet…should America be hearing this, when six out of 10 of us are clinically obese? But that’s another story.)

I want to run with this (so to speak). Is it possible I’ve wasted decades pounding out the miles and pulverizing my cartilage, when I could have looked like Elizabeth Hurley all this time with a whole lot less effort (and injuries)?

Imagine--I can throw away my running shoes! No more frigid, dark winter workouts on the treacherous, icy path. No more risking heat stroke running under the sweltering sun on triple-digit summer days. I can now stay home and admire my biceps; take up a second career with all my free time.

Am I falling for this? Hell yes! For as long as this fad lasts…or until my current set of running injuries clears up, whichever comes first.

Over the last 10 days, I’ve ventured into the weight training area of my gym for the first time. I’ve talked to guys about dumbbells and bar bells. I even have a copy of “Weight Training for Dummies” in my book bag.

One detail nags at me. People in the weight training room look about the same as the folks in the cardio room. In fact, there might be more people in the weight room who look like apes, which is a tiny bit disturbing.

But I’m not going to over-analyze things when I’m in the grip of a new craze.

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The Siberian Express
By Debora Bear

Over the rivers and through the woods, to finish and celebrate later at
Sarge’s tap with free beer we ran, the faster runners knew the way, to lead
the race through Kickapoo State Recreation Area. Jim DesJardins and Debora
Bear ran the 7.6 mile trail for the 19th annual Siberian Express on the Wild
Wild Wilderness Course Saturday, January 4th. This was our first “Kennekuk
Road Runner Event”; one of a series of trail runs in this area, close to
Danville, Il. The advertisement made the run seem brutal. “No aid
stations, no cancellations or refunds, no dogs, no bandits, no headsets, NO
WIMPS. You are on your own” it warned. We sort of figured that there would
be about fifty hard core runners. Instead, we were pleasantly surprised by
the turn out and the friendly people. Five hundred forty three people
finished, there were men and women of all ages, and there were even some
people on the course cheering us on.

We drove down the morning of the race, as it started at noon. A little
confused as to where to go initially, we followed a friendly motorist into
the state park area (he honked when he saw me looking with a confused face
at the neon green flyer) and then a middle aged runner accompanied us to get
ready. This man had run the race many times, including after the blizzard
in 1999 with 10 foot drifts, in bitter cold temperatures, in freezing rain,
and was back for more. His hot tip was to spray your shoes and socks with
WD-40 to repel the water. Claimed it kept him warmer and dryer. We arrived
about twenty minutes before the race began. This was just enough time to
pick up our race numbers and make a quick stop in the port-o-potty. After
having run the Cross Country Challenge in Gilberts Il., and several cross
country races in high school, I had planned on a tough course. I was
pleasantly surprised.

The race began on a paved road which quickly led into an open prairie trail
and then rolling hills in the forest. There was about a half inch of snow
packed down on the path and enough room in most areas to run at least two
abreast. The ground was mainly even, albeit a little slippery. The runners
spread out nicely at the beginning and passing was possible by running in
foot deep snow around the others. The tree branches were nicely covered
with snow, we ran along and over several rivers; some crossings with
bridges, others with stones. There was no main “obstacle” to purposefully
make one wet or muddy, like in some other races I have run. There were two
particularly hard up hill parts, some rolling hills, and the most difficult
part was a VERY steep downhill. So much so that several men warned the
approaching runners to either use a rope they provided, or slide down on
your behind. I chose the rope; about 50% of those around me did the same.
Jim apparently chose the rope as well (of course he had to tell me that
later as I was no where near him). Neither way proved to be a particularly
quick or easy way to get down. I began running feeling pretty good and so
ran at a decent pace until the first hill, around three miles into the run.
After that, I just tried to hold my pace and passed only those runners who
had slowed considerably. Without clocks, water on the course, or even mile
markers, it was difficult to judge pace or time and so it seemed like a fun
run and not a “race” per sea. Jim ran without training or a particular goal
in mind. Nevertheless, he finished in a very respectful 55:10, and placed
50th overall. For this he was the last runner to be handed a free t-shirt.
I finished 289th at 112:37. Plaques were handed to us as we entered the
finish shoot.

This was Jim’s idea of the way a race “should be”. No frills. The basics
were there; race numbers, a start, people on the course to point you in the
right direction, a clock at the end and a finish shoot. I didn’t even see
water at the end, but it was apparently on the side. After the race, we
followed the others to the post race party at “Sarge’s Tap” for free beer,
snacks, and music. T-shirts, burgers, and running clothes were on sale to
raise money for the “Kennekuk Road Runners Scholarship”; there was also a
raffle. This had Jim thinking about the Pacer’s Trick-or-Treat Trot.
Hmmm….. how much could it be simplified? And just imagine how many
participants if there was free beer at the post race party!

Instead of staying in the host hotel, Days Inn, Jim splurged and treated me
to our first stay at a Bed and Breakfast. He had prearranged for a room at
“The Lamp Post Inn”. This was supposedly to make up for our first weekend
trip together two years ago when we stayed at Kettle Maraine Inn. (We had
to clean the room before bringing our stuff in and I felt like showering
after leaving). The Lamp Post Inn was a hundred year old large brick house
with four or five bedrooms. The owners had partially renovated the building
themselves and are also antique dealers. It was decorated very femininely
and had some nice touches. Of course Jim noticed where corners were cut in
the renovation process, for instance the doors in our room were made from
different types of wood (stained the same color, but he noticed how the
grains are different). We were warned ahead of time that the owner’s wife
would be out of town, and hence the cooking would be limited. The husband
was very nice and nevertheless served up a very good breakfast of fresh
fruit and yogurt, pancakes, eggs, and coffee. We had the place to ourselves
which got us both thinking that it would be great to gather a group of
Pacers to join us next year. We really enjoyed ourselves; lets make this
run an annual event and rent out the whole bed and breakfast with our
friends as well. For more information on the Kennekuk Road Runners, they
have a web site at www.kennekuk.com, the Siberian Express was a Grand Slam
Event with Scott Hendren as race director. More information about the bed
and breakfast can be found at www.lamppost-inn.com.

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Running Chicago 25 Years Ago
By Jim DesJardins

It was September 25th, 1977, when I lined up at the start line of the Chicago Marathon at Daley Plaza. I had never seen so many runners in my life-there must have been a few thousand of them. This was going to be my first race, and I did not know what to expect. My only familiarity with running a marathon was watching Frank Shorter finish 2^nd in the 1976 Olympic marathon on TV, and having heard of the Boston Marathon.

A couple of months prior, I had completed a bike trip to Mackinac Island with a friend of mine, and had shed most of my beer belly. After getting back, I was determined to stay in shape, but didn’t want to even look at my bicycle. So I decided to start running to retain the fit look that I now had. In the middle of August, I noticed an article in the local community newspaper for the 1^st running of the Mayor Daley Marathon (the original name for the Chicago Marathon).

The original, or older, Daley had died a couple of years ago, having left a legacy that is unparalleled in modern American politics as the boss of the “Chicago machine.” The new mayor that replaced him was Michael Bilandic, who was a marathon runner. Among Bilandic’s running friends was a person named Lee Flaherty, CEO of Flair Merchandising. Lee Flaherty became the race director of the marathon, and his Flair Merchandising was the main sponsor. His connections with the Mayor’s office enabled the race to be put together with a minimal amount of problems.

I did not know very much about training for a marathon, and I found that I was not alone. This was before Jim Fixx’s book on running, and the many to follow. Somewhere, I had read that you should build up to a long run of 20 miles. However, I was not very knowledgeable about pacing. This became evident on one of my first long runs, when I hooked up with an older guy on the south lakefront ( I was living in Hyde Park at the time). After running together a bit, he advised me that “If you’re going to run with me, you’re going to have to slow down.” It was some of the best running advise that I have ever received.

My running gear at this time, which was typical of many runners, was some tennis shorts, a cotton T-shirt, older white cotton socks, and a pair of Brooks Villanova running shoes ($ 20.00 at Vertels). The $ 5.00 race fee provided me with a race #, and a Mayor Daley Marathon T-shirt. There was no goody bag.

Race day was a typical early fall day with the temperature in the mid 60s, and sunny. At the start of the race, we headed north-I believe down Michigan Ave for a while. There were not as nearly as many spectators, as currently watch the marathon. I believe that we continued to run north, going down Lake Shore Dr for a while, and turned around near Hollywood. We then headed south, and if my memory is correct, we were on the lakefront. I distinctly remember being on the lakefront, going south on the stretch between Oak St Beach and Grand Ave.

I was still feeling good as I passed Soldier’s Field, while some of the lead runners went by in the other direction, as they were about to finish. As I rounded McCormick Place on the lake side, the great master runner, Alex Ratelle, passed me going towards the finish line (he ran a 2:38 at age 53).

The 20 mile mark was at the Promontory point at 55^th St., where we circled the point, and headed back north. It was in this area, that I remember seeing a runner with the remains of a 6-pack of beer. Since this was near the area that I lived, I had a couple of people cheer me on at this point.

It was around 39^th St, at about the 22 mile mark that I really “hit the wall.” I had heard of this wall, and he proved to be a very formidable foe. I was now walking some. Although I thought I had consumed an adequate amount of water, I discovered that I was very dehydrated.

By the time I hit McCormick Place for the 2^nd time, I was a couple of miles from the finish line, and I was just walking at this point. I believe the finish line was on the sidewalk just east of Lake Shore Dr, by Buckingham Fountain. I remember sprinting to the finish line with a time of 4:32.

The winner was Dan Cloeter, from the University of Chicago Track Club (UCTC) – I was to soon join the club as I decided to take running more seriously. According to the results I received in the mail, I finished 1,459 out of 2,025 official finishers.

Although I like the current course of the Chicago Marathon, I prefer the old course, as I think that it better highlights the best attributes of Chicago. There is also something special about running a marathon for the first time, and sharing the experience with others. This was also a simpler time in the running community, and people did not have expectations about the quality of a race. I miss the old days when we did not know anything about running a race, and did it because it was something new and different.

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Hiking The Inca Trail
By Monica O'Hara

Joanne Kaeding, Jennifer Leslie, Deb Bear and I were sitting around at a Saturday morning breakfast at Panera’s last summer when the idea of a group of us going down to Peru to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu first materialized. Since I had first laid eyes upon the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu during a geography class in fifth grade, I had always wanted to visit there. So the thought of traveling there with three good friends was an opportunity I did not want to miss. We scheduled the trip right after the Chicago Marathon. Joanne and Jennifer headed out to Peru together on Wed, Oct. 16, and Deb and I met in customs at the Lima airport early on Saturday morning, Oct. 19 at 12:40 am. (Most of Peru is in roughly the same time zone as Chicago.) We spent the night in an airport bar (not as bad as it sounds - they actually had couches there where we could take turns sacking out), then caught our 6 am flight to Cuzco where we met up with Joanne & Jennifer at Hostal Corihuasi. We took a nap; got a briefing on our upcoming Inca trail expedition, then explored Cuzco for the rest of the day. The "town" (500,000) is set in the mountains and is breath-takingly beautiful. It’s one of the oldest cities in South America, and has many ancient churches amid bustling shops and restaurants. Even though we were there in the off-season, it was full of tourists. Our hotel was sparsely furnished, but very lovely, and very inexpensive ($20 per person, per night, for a double room). That included breakfast (with excellent coffee) and plenty of hot water for a long, leisurely morning shower! On Sunday we hired a taxi driver who drove us up to Pisac, where we explored several outdoor market, then headed over to the Sacred Valley visit the Temple of the Gods. I’d forgotten how much I loved hiking in the mountains (not a whole lot of thosearound Chicago!), scrambling up and down the rocks and trails, and a tunnel. The views were spectacular from 11,000 feet, and the ruins were magnificent. We were really lucky to have such gorgeous sunny weather, as the rainy season had just started.

The big hike began bright and early Monday morning. We departed Cuzco at 4 am sharp and arrived at km 82 around 8 am, with two stops along the way, one for breakfast, and the second to pick up another couple from the Netherlands. Our group consisted of us four Chicagoans; three Italians, Marta, Giselle, Matteo, who worked as physicists, and the Dutch couple, Martin and Wendy, who were expert fencers. Our tour guide, Santiago, was very friendly had a great sense of humor, and joining him were ten porters and gourmet cook, all who were also very nice. The tour company they work for is called Exotic Adventures.

Day 1. We (and hundreds of other tourists) began the hike at km 82 in Piskakucho. The trail went gradually uphill over about 14 km. It really got challenging in the last mile or so when we found ourselves climbing up stone steps that seemed to go on forever. The true Inca trail is mostly paved with stones, forming steps in the steep areas. I got ahead of the group and was waiting for them at the wrong place (I'd gone about a quarter mile too far), and, unfortunately, it was in some of the hardest terrain; so I had to jog back down to where we were camping near Yukcaachimpa. The weather was warm and sunny. We had a fabulous dinner and I shared a tent with Deb. I'd forgotten how hard it is to sleep on the ground, even with a mattress. Needless to say, I didn't sleep too well the first night. It was very cold out, which made it very hard to leave the warm sleeping bag for those two visits to the bushes. Luckily, the cold I’d picked up after the Chicago marathon the weekend before seemed to be improving with the clean air and benadryl pills.

Day 2. We started the day hiking up those stairs, and to more stairs leading to Dead Woman's Pass. (I know-how she felt!) This was our highest altitude, at 4200 meters (14,000 feet). A great view, but freezing cold up there in the heavens, looking down on the clouds. From there we followed the twisting trail made of stone steps down to a valley and then over another, lower mountain pass, for a total of about 15 km. We camped just below the second mountain at Chacquicocha. Just as we got there, the heavens opened up and we were hit with a drenching night of rain. Still, our cook prepared a great meal and there was plenty to talk about with our fellow campers - especially about how sore we were!

Day 3. Luckily, it was a little bit shorter day. Santiago took us off the main Inca trail to a little used side route, where we could catch a glimpse of Machu Picchu from the side of an opposite mountain. We got a break from the stone steps, although we'd become quite agile at hopping up and down them like goats (though nothing like our porters, who literally ran up and down the steps with 50 kg packs on their backs). We visited several ruins that were very impressive. We got to camp around 4 pm at Winaywayna - and were a little surprised that our tents were set up along the edge of a cliff - one false step and you could drop 100 feet. (Needless to say, the visits to the bushes were limited!) Deb remarked, “I have never looked at such a spectacular view from within a tent.” We were only about an hour from Machu Picchu, and before dinner, Santiago took us to another nearby ruin called Huinay Huayna. That night the skies opened up around 2 am, and we had a rather scary, but spectacular, thunderstorm outside, complete with lightning.

Day 4. We woke up at 4:30 a.m. The rain had stopped, and we rushed to get ready. We hiked out to the Sun Gate leading into Machu Picchu. Normally, it is a spectacular view to see the rising sun light up the ruins, but that morning, the clouds were still heavy and we couldn't get a good view the place. But the closer we got, the more the clouds dispersed, and by the time we entered the sacred grounds, it was hot and sunny. Machu Picchu was a religious school for the Incans, and was mysteriously abandoned during the time of the Spanish conquest, although the Spaniards never found it. The ruins were not discovered until the 1920's. It was even more magnificent than I had imagined. We spent four hours touring it, with Santiago educating us on its layout and history.

By then, the site was filling up with crowds of visitors who had taken the train and bus out to the ruins. By the early afternoon, we were ready to go, so we caught the bus to the nearest town, Agua Calientes. We had lunch there, and Joann and I went to find an internet café while Jennifer and Deb soaked in the hot springs. Another torrential thunderstorm began, and the spring that Deb and Jennifer were in was struck by lightning!

We took the train and the bus back to Cusco, and arrived there about 9:30 pm. We were exhausted, and I felt pretty sick (lunch did not agree with me!). The next morning we had an easy day of shopping and hanging out. Deb, Jennifer and I caught a morning flight on Saturday from Cuzco to Lima. We were not impressed with Lima. It was a huge city of 8 million and teeming with slums. We did some sightseeing downtown, then heading to a more touristy area called Mira Flores. We walked along the beach (not a very pretty one), and then went to an upscale coffee house, where our enjoyment of our drinks was marred by the behavior of two businessmen at the table next to us, who were staring at us rudely. They eventually left, but too my horror, I discovered that they had stolen my backpack from under our table while I was getting a refill of my coffee. Luckily, all my money and my passport were in my pockets, so they only got away with some my gifts, my cell phone (luckily, the battery was dead), and a few personal items. Still, it really put a damper on our spirits. But we did have a nice dinner, and headed back to the airport for our evening flight back to Chicago, thrilled to have enjoyed such a wonderful adventure.

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Pacer New Year’s Eve Resolutions

Again, many thanks to Monica O'Hara to sharing her home and hospitality with fellow Pacers New Year's Eve. A fun event for the evening was the anonymous collection of New Year's resolutions. Can you find yours, or better yet...someone else's ?

Stretch every day
Say one nice thing to one person each day!
Do more speedwork
Busco la amor de mi vida… una mujer quien es muy amable, chistoso y mas importante – una mujer quien tiene una corazon bastante y grande
To run Boston
Less TV – more art/running/travel
Make Debora & Jeannett happy and finish work on the apartment
Procrastinate less
Do Ragbrai (Bike Ride Across Iowa)
Leave the demons of 2002 in 2002
Be more kind and generous
Be on time more often
Get a clone! Have more fun!
Help three people to feel better about themselves
To continue my running routine and hope to stay healthy
Lose 5 lbs and become a better lover this year and for years to come
Squeeze more out of my days and get up earlier & exercise
Continue making the next day better than the previous day
Figure out what I want to be when I grow up
Run more with the Pacers
Be a better Pacer.

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The 2003 River-to-River Relay Race

has been scheduled for Saturday, April 12, 2003, with the Pacers currently in the process of forming teams for this annual event. The race consists of teams of eight runners over an 80-mile course. Each leg of the race ranges in length from runner 2.5 to 4 miles, with which each runner completing three legs (sections). The race starts at on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River Valley (Pine Hills) , and follows country roads through the Shawnee National Forest to its finish at the Ohio River in Golconda.

All interested runners are encouraged to contact us at [email protected].

A previous PaceSetter article on this fun event may be found at http://lincolnparkpacers.org/NewsJune02.htm A map of the course is located at http://rrr.olm.net/smallmap.html

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Welcome To The Lincoln Park Pacers Running Club
P.O. Box 14835, Chicago, Illinois 60614 Phone: 1 (773) 588-1253 E-mail: [email protected]