Introduction for BigBearRunning

Before my transformation.

My name is Steve Bowling and I am a beginner trail runner pushing boundaries; and now, pushing myself harder and further has not only become something that I do, it's become a way of life.

To begin this epic tail, we need to backup 3 years to a day in January 2015 when I looked in the mirror and though to myself "what have you done?" I couldn't believe I had let myself go that far, I stepped on the scale and it read "err." I pushed on the counter a bit and the scale fluttered back into a readable range of 330.  My fast food, fast pace life had finally got the best of me and I thought to myself now is the time. Now, there are a couple things I should clarify, my weight has gone up and down a lot over my life with times of working out where I could take myself down to a just above average size and then usually fall back into the beer and pizza phase and put most of it back on. I was always active, but my poor diet usually got the best of me. I have always been big, I probably never had a BF % under 25 even when working out, but it never bothered me much, until now that is....

My first 10km

I was done, now was the time. I've always known the basics to proper diet, but usually ignored them for the most part because, lets face it, pizza is delicious!  The first steps were small, switching to eating 6 times a day,  healthy foods, going to the gym, doing lots of cardio and before you know it the first 30lbs had fallen off [more on this in a future post]. I was starting to get positive comments from people and this inspired me to continue, so I downloaded a calorie counting program. Next thing you know I was down around 245lbs which is where my running career really started, with my little sister and her husband (Leap Frog and Little Fox) convincing me that I should train and run the Vancouver Sun Run.

I went down to the running store and got myself some runners and some shorts and a shirt and started trying to run. It was pretty hard at first with my longest run at about 2- 4 km, but I had signed up for the race and I was determined to do it. Somehow I kept pushing on until next thing you know I was running 10 km runs. I went down to Vancouver and had a great weekend and ran my first race. It was such a fun time I wanted to go further so I signed up for the Kelowna half marathon at thanksgiving, finishing that at just short of 2 hrs. I was feeling pretty happy with myself for how far I had come. Little did I know that my life was about the change...... forever......

My first half

Now this would be the time that I was told about trail running. It was described as a beautiful scenic way to run, being just like running on the road but through nice mountain trails around a lake. With a description like that and a love for the great outdoors who could say no? So we all signed up for the Around the Lake Give'r Take 30 km at Cultus Lake. This was going to be the longest distance I had ever gone in my life and further than I had ever envisioned myself coming - but here we were.

After my first trail race

Race day was a cold wet morning, I was wearing street running shoes, regular shorts and a running shirt. With a borrowed race pack stuffed with all kinds of bars and candies that had come from my sister's running stash, I had no idea what to expect. All I could think about was the nice mountain trails and how fun it was going to be. As the race started everyone sort of funneled through the chute and the park and out onto the road, thinning out before the trail head. I felt good and had a good pace, until the first climb that is. I watched people pulling themselves up the first section using trees and branches as the trail was wet and muddy. The first hill seemed to go on for miles. My body was sore as I wasn't used to any kind of real elevation change yet, my running shoes had horrible traction in the mud and I was slipping and falling all over the place, thinking to myself what have I gotten myself into? Somehow I managed to push on and make my way to the backside of the lake where there was a well stocked aid station with lots of delicious food. My legs ached by now, my feet were cold and wet and it was starting to rain. I grabbed some yummy candies and headed on up the next climb, which also seemed to drag on forever. By now the pain had started coming into my core which also was not used to this kind of torture. I climbed and climbed and climbed wondering whether my heart was was going to give up first or my legs. I was grumpy, I thought "this is nothing like the description, why would my sister tell me this was a good idea?" I marched on, pushing up the hill I finally saw a man at the top. He started clapping and cheering and as I crested the hill there was a table with a whole bunch of mini cups filled with beer. The volunteers told me that I was at the top of the last climb and it was all downhill from here. Every part of me was sore, I had nothing left. I drank a couple oz of beer and continued down the trail. I somehow managed to get down to the beach and cross the finish line where my sister laughed and said "Sorry, I forgot how hilly this course was". At the time I was not amused, but looking back now I see the humor in it.

Hiking the Chief

I went down to the store shortly after and bought a pair of trail shoes and started finding trails to run. I wanted to run all the trails and all the mountains. Somehow out of this crazy race experience I had found a true appreciation for the sport of trail running. I found myself googling course profiles and picking races that looked fun. I went on to complete a marathon distance trail race (Wandering Moose), a couple half marathons (Hallow's Eve, Phantom) and 27 km trail races (Dirty Duo,and brigade), a 50km trail race (Kal Park 50) and most recently, my first 50 mile trail race (Tenderfoot Boogie). I'm currently training for the FatDog 70 miler in August.

Chris (LittleFox) and Jenna (LeapFrog) have been my inspiration through all of this, helping with gear, food, training plans, and trail tips and tricks. They have probably forever changed my life, and now I have been added to their trail running blog! I look forward to sharing all my race reports and gear reviews so hopefully everyone can run their best run!


-BigBearRunning

RED FAM - Still Streaking

We're half way through April and I'm still going strong. The RED FAM (run every day for a month) streak is now at 15 days, for a total of 112 miles. I had started off April with a slow week, but I'm building again and hope to hit 250 miles for the month.That might be tough though, because despite getting into a routine of running every day, some days are harder than others to get off the couch. This was especially evident in the two days following a 25 mile run. It always feels amazing once you're out there, just takes some motivation! So, to any of you streakers out there, keep streaking! We're halfway there!

How To Tell If You Have A Running Addiction

Today, I'd like to share with you the story of a young man and his struggles with  a running addiction.

He's been running for a few years and each year his runs get longer and longer. In the past week alone he ran over 200km. He would get to a point that he was so tired and sore that he didn't want to run anymore, but would wake up the next day and feel the urge to run again. This isn't a new phenomenon either. After running a long race all he would want to do is run more! This is especially concerning given that after a race is when he should be trying to recover by not running! He would be sore and tired and blistered, but within a day after the race his mind says "OK, that's enough resting, let's get going!" Resisting that urge is remarkably difficult to do and often times impossible.

Are you addicted to running?

This young man has all the tell-tale signs of a running addiction.

(Without detracting in any way from the plight of those with other addictions, I would like to point out how an addiction to running fits almost all of the signs of a typical addiction. The main bullets below were taken from helpguide.org, with the sub-points illustrating how it fits with running.)

Running is a common name for the prolonged elevation of the heart rate, stimulation of the mind and forward movement of the body through a series of repeated leg and arm gestures. Runners are those individuals who run on a regular basis. While running, runners will experience what is known as a runner's high. Following exposure to the runner's high, runners may become addicted to running and pursue the runner's high multiple times a week, and sometimes even several times a day.

If you have some of these symptoms you may have a running addiction.

Common signs and symptoms that you have a running addiction

• You’ve built up a tolerance. You need to run more to experience the same effects you used to attain with shorter running sessions.
• You run to avoid or relieve withdrawal symptoms. If you go too long without running, you experience symptoms such as restlessness, insomnia, depression, and anxiety.
• You’ve lost control over your running. You often run more than you planned, even though you told yourself you wouldn’t. You may want to stop running, but you feel powerless.
• Your life revolves around running. You spend a lot of time running and thinking about running, figuring out how to do it, and recovering from running’s effects.
• You’ve abandoned activities you used to enjoy, such as hobbies, sports, and socializing, because of your running.
• You continue to run, despite knowing it’s hurting you. It’s causing major problem in your life such as pain, injuries, mood swings and other effects to your social and personal relationships.

The effects of a running addiction.

If you think you know someone who is a runner and has a running addiction look for some of these tell-tale signs.

Physical warning signs

• Bloodshot eyes, pupils larger or smaller than usual
•  Often seen in those engaging in running for extended periods which may occur during or throughout the night
• Changes in appetite or sleep patterns. Sudden weight loss or weight gain
• This is especially noticeable following an ultramarathon, or what is known as binge running
• Deterioration of physical appearance, personal grooming habit
• As the addiction progresses and more time is devoted to running, certain things like shaving are neglected.
• Unusual smells on breath, body, or clothing
• This is most noticeable to observers after the runner has been running for some time
• Tremors, slurred speech, or impaired coordination
• These symptoms may be present following unusually intense or prolonged exposure to running

Behavioral signs

• Drop in attendance and performance at work or school
• The addiction to running can be quite profound in some and may provoke them to choose running over their regular obligations.
• Unexplained need for money or financial problems. May borrow or steal to get it. 
• As with any addiction, money is required to sustain the habit. For running, these funds are required for running supplies such as shoes, or races so that runners aren't alone in their struggles.
• Engaging in secretive or suspicious behaviors
• This is most evident for those who prefer running early in the morning or late at night as they sneak out of their houses wearing nondescript black clothing and attempt to avoid disturbing their family or neighbors.
• Sudden change in friends, favorite hangouts, and hobbies
• Changes in friends and hangouts will reflect the current state of the runner's addiction, whether they are just starting running, or have been engaging in this for many years. The extreme cases involve moving to locations that facilitate the addiction, such as Vancouver's North Shore, or to Colorado.
• Frequently getting into trouble (fights, accidents, illegal activities)
• This is an uncommon symptom of running but sometimes runners will experience falls and injuries from running in new locations. They may try to avoid explaining their injuries to others who do not run.

Take this test to find out if you're an addict.

Psychological warning signs

• Unexplained change in personality or attitude
•  These changes can take place over several months such as an increase in positive attitude and are strongly linked to successful completion of these so called races.
• Sudden mood swings, irritability, or angry outbursts
• Changes within the span of a running session such as irritability near the end of long session or mood swings dependent on the runner's level of energy. Anger can also be expressed toward long, painful and unexpected uphill sections or towards running partners or race directors that made you to take this route.
• Periods of unusual hyperactivity, agitation, or giddiness
• These periods of hyperactivity and agitation most often coincide with a reduction in a runner's frequency and distance of running, whereas giddiness is often expressed just following a race.
• Lack of motivation; appears lethargic or “spaced out”
• These signs are often observed well into a race and can lead to a runner receiving a DNF, a potential side-effect of participating in races. These behaviors are also seen while the runner is at work as they are recovering from a lengthy running session or are simply thinking of the next time they will be able to go running.
• Appears fearful, anxious, or paranoid, with no reason
• This is especially apparent while running in the dark as any noise may be perceived as an attacking animal. As well, runners may exhibit some of these signs prior to races as they become quite concerned that they will be unable to keep up with the other runners.

If you're concerned about your running addiction, or that of someone else, seek advice from close friends, family and a running coach to help further the addiction. Group sessions are available on a weekly basis at your nearest running clinic and can provide the support needed to deal with this addiction.

Keep calm and run on!

-UltraChris