tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70979900265733715932024-02-20T11:45:23.299+04:00ComradesMarathon4AutismI will be taking part in the Comrades Marathon in South Africa,to raise awarenss and funds for the Els for Autism Foundation and the Dubai Autism Center. I am running the race for Ben Els, who is the son of South African golfing legend Ernie who was diagnosed with autism 4 years ago. I contacted the Els for Autism Foundation and Ernie was delighted to hear that I want to run for Ben and raise awareness for the disorder.
There is no known cure for autism.Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.comBlogger161125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-13305672771276004002011-11-10T01:14:00.004+04:002011-11-10T01:41:53.674+04:0020122011 taught me a lesson about Ultra Marathon running......it is not as easy as it seems. I finished the 2010 Marathon des Sables in Morocco in 72 hours, and I thought that if I can run 250km across the desert that I would be able to manage 82km on a paved road, with as much water as I would like, surrounded by close on 20 000 other runners, and thousands more next to the road cheering on runners, pushing them on between Durban and Pietermaritzburg.<br /><br />I am not looking for excuses, but my Comrades Marathon race was over before I even crossed the starting line. A torn hip-flexor muscle that I picked up on the 16th April 2011 sealed my fate, even though I resisted the pain, the advise of a specialist, friends and event he running great, Zola Budd. I went into that race with such high hopes, believe that I can run a the distance under 11 hours, make everyone proud that have supported me through the the MDS, and my charity foundation, the Ernie Els for Autism Foundation. After 65km of running, I pulled out of the 2011 Comrades Marathon due to a badly injured hip-flexor. I got into a sweeper van, with tears in my eyes and a heavy heart, vowing never to run this God forsaken run again. Ever. <br /><br />Now I am back. Back for the down run. With the believe that I will complete this race, the race of races, The Comrades Marathon. <br /><br />Bring it. I will be ready.Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-71659241202484631962011-05-27T21:48:00.000+04:002011-05-27T21:49:36.630+04:00I am ready....Second last day before the Big C! It is unbelievable how fast this day is getting closer, the last few months dragged a bit, and now we heading towards Sunday like a freight train...I am trying to focus on positive outcomes as much as possible, it is very easy to lose focus and be negative about the whole race, thinking about cut off times, pace vs time, comfort levels ect. I am being a Zen as possible!!<br /><br />This morning I went back to Gateway mall for a little walk and some coffee. As I was waiting in line at Vida I bumped into John Smith, South African rugby captain. This was a nice little surprize and I took a photo with him.We chatted about the Comrades for a while and about my autism charity. He is a true gentleman.<br /><br />I got home around lunch and headed into town for some pasta and a few beers, carbo loading made easy! Later in the arvi I got home and slept for an hour or so. I finished my day with a long walk along the Umhlanga beaches and I am feeling very settled and calm. I am ready.Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-52257910223476388952011-05-26T19:28:00.002+04:002011-05-26T19:54:08.751+04:00Building up to the Big Day!Woke up early this morning at 4am and I am not sure if it is nerves or the 2 hour time difference between the UAE and South Africa! As you know I came with a good friend Mariana, her sister Lynette is also running the Comrades this coming Sunday. We are staying in Umhlanga and at 7h30am this morning we set off for a run in the rain and wind and it was very good on the legs. I am trying to save my legs as much as possible but still keep them moving every day.<br /><br />We headed along the beach towards the town center and stopped in at the Vida Cafe for a well deserved coffee as we were freezing our bums off! After a 5 minute coffee break we headed back towards the apartment and decided to explore a trail near where we live. Running in Africa is so good for my soul and I and happy that in a couple of months we will be back for good, and I can get out there and get my running fix again!<br /><br />Running in the UAE limits you a lot as it is very seasonal. When I left to come to Durban it was already 44 degrees during the day, making running very unpleasant, Night time runs are not much better as it hovers around the 30s and humidity is at its peak between 60 and 80%. So coming home and being able to run in nature in cooler tempretures is a blessing! You feel so alive when you in Africa, it is great for you soul!<br /><br />This afternoon we went to the Expo to have a squizz around and pick up my race pack. My race number for Sunday is 12496 and after opening the race pack I realized this is it, I am now part of the Greatest race on earth, the Ultimate Human Race, the Comrades Marathon! I am feeling very relaxed at the moment but I am sure come Saturday evening I will be full of butterflies. I will run my own race, and the only goal on the day is to finish. Any time set will be used to measure myself when I return for my next race. <br /><br />Often people ask what is next after completing a race like this, well, it is simple, I want a green Comrades race number. This means you have completed 10 Comrades Marathons, and your race number becomes yours for life, no one will ever wear that number again. So that is my next goal!!! Gooi mielies!Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-83317780057639607062011-05-26T19:19:00.001+04:002011-05-26T19:28:17.223+04:00Day 1 in DurbanArrived in Durban today after an 8 hour flight from the UAE. I have expected the weather to be cool but it has been much colder than what I anticipated with overcast conditions and rain. On the way to Umhlagana I turned the radio on, and the local radio station was interviewing Bruce Fordyce. According to Fordyce the forcast for Sunday will be clear skes and 21 degrees with some cloud cover in the afternoon. So I am hopeful the weather will be improving over the next couple of days! Going to the Comrades Expo tomorrow, hope to pick up some cool gear.Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-24336253832680060112011-05-23T12:53:00.003+04:002011-05-23T13:05:22.003+04:00Amby Burfoot's Comrades Experience - The Up Run<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTr3_jSGG5a1nSX6B_2hG0_Mi6UJCE8H8OCu_WCjYEZoRsi8IH0ka5zUfPeu637laCTDvDyWeC5wurR_LJ4HNRzi0xpbnjlarl5KClcYJ_Gh68WfgDBqs3i_6xNTBOP5mfyfXS6mVHQ/s1600/untitled.bmp"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 210px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609833325091846226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTr3_jSGG5a1nSX6B_2hG0_Mi6UJCE8H8OCu_WCjYEZoRsi8IH0ka5zUfPeu637laCTDvDyWeC5wurR_LJ4HNRzi0xpbnjlarl5KClcYJ_Gh68WfgDBqs3i_6xNTBOP5mfyfXS6mVHQ/s320/untitled.bmp" /></a> Every run is a new adventure, and every race serves only to expose some piece of us. The greater the race distance, the deeper the unpeeling. This makes South Africa's 55-mile Comrades Marathon a long and probing quest.<br /><br />The distance alone makes the Comrades intimidating. The infamous climbs make it torturous. Midway, the course snakes upward through the Valley of a Thousand Hills, an English appellation as accurate as it is terrifying.<br /><br />On Comrades Marathon morning in Durban two years ago, I walked out of my hotel's back door at 4:30am and followed everyone else towards the start a mile away. As I did so I had time to consider what had brought me there.<br /><br />The answer couldn't be simpler. The way I figure it, Comrades has to be the world's greatest race. It's 55 miles long – the type of distance that usually lures about, oh, 71 runners. Comrades has enough magnetism to draw 12,000. Everyone in South Africa is a Comrades aficionado, thanks to the continuous 12-hour live national TV coverage. It has the most extraordinary traditions, like the matter of race numbers and their colours. International runners get blue ones. Runners in their 10th Comrades wear yellow. You complete 10 and you get a green number for all future entries. You own this number. No one but you will wear it again – ever.<br /><br />At the start all ears eagerly await the sound of a cock's crow. In 1948, local runner Max Trimborn, one of 44 entrants that year, couldn't contain his nervous energy on the starting line. So he cupped his hands, filled his lungs, and issued a lusty rooster crow. The other runners so enjoyed this act that they demanded repeat performances in subsequent years. Trimborn obliged for the next 32, sometimes adorning himself with feathers and a rooster vest. By the time of his death in 1985, Trimborn's crowing had been preserved on tape. These days, greatly amplified, it still starts the Comrades Marathon: "Cock-A-Doodle...Go!"<br /><br /><br />But perhaps the greatest of Comrades rituals is the course switch. In odd years the course drops down 2,300 feet from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. In even years it reverses itself, scrambling up into the hills. I ran Comrades once previously, in 1993, a 'down' year; the race in 2006 was like a new and completely different experience, full of unexpected challenges.<br /><br /><br />A race this long demands a plan and a goal. I've got both, but mainly the latter. The plan is to take it easy. While I haven't done any long runs, I'm in good shape, based on a recent 1:29 half-marathon. I aim to extend my endurance with walking breaks. When I feel good, I'll run. When I get tired, I'll walk. You see how easy these ultra marathons are?<br /><br />My primary goal is more specific: I want to run all the way up Polly Shortts. Animal lovers can name Africa's 'Big Five' in a flash: elephant, buffalo, leopard, lion and rhinoceros. Those who run the 'up' Comrades are just as quick with its Big Five hills: Cowies, Fields, Bothas, Inchanga and Polly Shortts, the last and most treacherous. When I first heard these names back in my college days I could barely suppress a chuckle. Polly Shortts? I couldn't picture anything but a girl in a miniskirt. (Hey, it was the 1960s, okay?)<br /><br /><br /><br />The day before the race, I have lunch with nine-time winner Bruce Fordyce, now 51, a South African who's regarded as the greatest ever Comrades runner. I tell him that I simply want to run all the way up Polly Shortts. Fordyce's face comes alive, breaking into a wicked grin. "Oh, you'll not be running up Polly," he says. "By the time you get there, you won't have much run left in you."<br /><br /><br /><br />The first miles pass easily, almost eerily. In these early miles, there's little room for walking breaks. The roads are narrow, the pack thick. After 5K, I spot several openings and scoot to the side of the road to walk for a minute or two. I seem to be alone in this approach. Everyone else is still running. That's okay. The more strength I save now, the more I'll have later, when I really want it – when I meet my Polly. A bright sun rises in the east, bathing the verdant countryside in brilliant colours. "This is easy," I tell myself. "You can do this all day."<br /><br />At about nine miles, I reach the first hill, Cowies. It's no big deal – just a long, gradual slope up and around a big shoulder. I take a few short walk breaks. All fine. Just a few more miles to the half-marathon mark.<br /><br /><br />The first killer hill, Fields, begins at about 14 miles. It's long, steep, and grinding. Since almost everyone is walking, I decide to do the same and make some new friends. That's one of the great things about an ultra. When you go this long and slow, there's time for bonding. Comrades was started in 1921 to pay tribute to South Africa's World War One vets. These days, "comrades" refers more often to your training and racing partners.<br /><br /><br />I talk to two guys running together. The stories tumble out. One is running his fifth Comrades, the other is a newbie. "I had to find something to celebrate my 50th birthday," he says. "Some men get divorced, some men buy fast cars. I decided to run the 'up' Comrades."<br /><br /><br />Miles covered: 26.2Elapsed time: 5:10Mind: With the worst hills done and gone, maybe it's time to think negative splitsBody: Thank goodness the second half is mostly flatOverall: When this thing is done, it would be nice to take a vacation.<br /><br /><br /><br />A mile beyond the marathon mark, we run through the Flora Halfway Celebration, basically the longest balloon arch/water stop/musical revue I've ever seen. It's at least 200 metres from one end to the other. I drink a little Coke, eat half a baked potato (a Comrades speciality), and try to relax. This might be possible except for one supreme obstacle: Inchanga. It fills the view ahead, soaring ever higher like a rollercoaster on steroids. Yes, the scenery is spectacular, but an ultra crushes your appreciation for aesthetics. I walk most of Inchanga. It takes 30 minutes. All I see is black asphalt with narrow zigzag fissures. I'm still thinking: "Save yourself for Polly."<br /><br /><br />Beyond Inchanga, we pass the Ethembeni ('Place of Hope') School for blind and physically handicapped children. Its students line the roadside in their wheelchairs, with canes, on crutches. No Comrades runner, no matter how fatigued, can pass here without acknowledging their own good fortune. I jog over to the kids and give as many high fives as I can. These smiling kids are inspirational, but I'm sinking fast. I plod up four or five unnamed hills – things are starting to get fuzzy by this point. Each is followed by a punishing descent.<br /><br /><br />Miles covered: 39.3Elapsed time: Eight hours (2:50 for the last 13.1)Mind: This sucksBody: This sucksOverall: This – how should I put it? – sucks<br /><br /><br />Polly, Polly, where are you? I've been walking for three miles, from about the 45-mile mark. It's a desperate move – one that I hope will conserve what little strength I have left. Maybe, I tell myself, maybe I can still run up Polly Shortts.<br /><br /><br />A large sign announces the appearance of Polly Shortts. I lift my eyes – a mistake. Ahead is the sharpest hill of the day, rising upward until it slithers out of view. I'm guessing there's more of the same over the horizon. I see hundreds of runners. All are walking. And there is no chance, despite my resolve, that I will run Polly Shortts. My tank has passed empty. So I trudge onward, sidling over to a green-numbered runner, one of the veterans. I explain how, prior to today's ordeal, I believed the 'up' Comrades might be easier than the 'down'.<br /><br /><br />"Listen to me, mate," he says. "This is my 17th Comrades, and all those years I've heard runners talk about how the 'up' run is easier on the body. But I'm telling you, it's not. This 'up' run is just one big piece of hard work. It keeps coming at you and coming and coming, and it never gives you a break. Never."<br /><br />I walk every step of Polly Shortts, and every step of the remaining six miles to the finish. As we get closer to Pietermaritzburg, the course turns blessedly, run-ably downhill, and I still can't break out of my walk. A spectator bolts from her lawn chair, and races to the sidewalk, her eyes fixed on mine. "You're a hero," she yells into my face. "Don't stop. You can do it."<br /><br /><br />Half a mile from the end of the race, I hear the first faint echoes from the finish line announcer. Here, in another 60 minutes, running's most dramatic moment will be played out. With precisely 11 hours, 59 minutes on the time clock, the director of the Comrades Marathon marches to the finish line. There, he turns his back to the oncoming stream of runners, raises a gun and waits for the seconds to tick down.<br /><br />Pandemonium breaks loose. Thousands of spectators look to the frantic flow of runners struggling for the finish. Some are sprinting with joyously upraised arms, some walking, some literally crawling on their hands and knees. The crowd breaks into a rhythmic, throbbing chant: "Go...Go...Go...Go!" The atmosphere is electric, the suspense building. The national television audience skyrockets in the final minutes, as all of South Africa tunes in for the tense Comrades conclusion. Who'll make it? Who won't?<br /><br />At 12:00:00 on the race clock, the gun is fired. The Comrades Marathon is over. Those who fail to break 12 hours will receive no medal for their effort. No time. They won't appear in the official results. They will become, in effect, a non-runner. You could tell your friends that you ran Comrades. You could say you finished in around 12:05. But you didn't. Because there will be no record of it.<br /><br />There is some solace only for the first non-finisher. He or she becomes an instant hero, interviewed live on TV and pictured on the front page of every newspaper. To many South Africans, the Comrades runner who goes all that distance, for nothing, is more symbolic, of something, than the race winner.<br /><br />I beat the 12-hour cut-off by 55 minutes, but I've also run the worst race of my life. When I finally reach the City Oval cricket grounds on the edge of Pietermaritzburg and run through the corridor of spectators thumping on tin advertising signs, I can only console myself that I didn't quit. Sometimes the best you can do is not very good at all, and those are probably the most important times to stick it out. But I've got what I wanted, what I wanted badly – a Comrades 'up' medal. Every runner should have one.<br /><br /><br /><br />Miles covered: 55Elapsed time: 11 hours, 5 minutes.Mind: Nice to be sitting downBody: Not sure I can stand up againOverall: Thank goodness that’s doneAdam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-17990352453762358752011-05-19T08:37:00.004+04:002011-05-19T08:40:52.170+04:00The Up Run ProfileThis is whats awaits runners on that last Sunday in May 2011. This is what will define every runner, and when you cross that finish line you will be one of the select few to have taken this personal journey to self discovery.<br /><br /><br /><p align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdKIb9Q5n15RwxF0kOikLGY2KKrdEu5ycC4nplajLNUaLwH6n2Q5elhzmKRftnuTf8GBibtwGOVtVdk-PUsrovnVxawUnFPbqnpuRvhbRvwwCGWq6DtKC-YElVOpfk9BMzIZSPdeREBA/s1600/225847_10150251754101183_579356182_9444498_1273627_n.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 133px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608281863577713410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdKIb9Q5n15RwxF0kOikLGY2KKrdEu5ycC4nplajLNUaLwH6n2Q5elhzmKRftnuTf8GBibtwGOVtVdk-PUsrovnVxawUnFPbqnpuRvhbRvwwCGWq6DtKC-YElVOpfk9BMzIZSPdeREBA/s320/225847_10150251754101183_579356182_9444498_1273627_n.jpg" /></a></p>Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-60407628656924934692011-05-19T08:33:00.000+04:002011-05-19T08:34:28.743+04:00Courage<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-ae3tFI8wXE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-13622434227626728072011-05-19T07:49:00.003+04:002011-05-19T08:31:06.155+04:00The Long Run.When I did the Marathon des Sables in Morocco last year, I thought that I will never become so emotionally involved in a run again, ever. But with a just over a week to go before the run, my mind is all over the place with race thoughts and stategies I will need to follow to finish this beast.<br /><br />The torn hipflexor muscle has put me back quite a bit, and if it was any other race I dont think I would have done the race. I feel a bit under cooked with regards to Km's on my legs, so I am pretty sure it will be a long tough day for me come next Sunday. I will need to draw on my MDS experience to get me through the day, and the good thing of the Comrades vs MDs is that it is only one day, 89km, done.<br /><br />I am aiming to to run the race between 11 and 11:30 hrs, and would be super stoked if I get in before the 12 hours cut off. <br /><br />I am leaving for Durban on the 25th May and will fly directly into Durbs. I am joined by my good friend Mariana, who's sister will also take part in the Long run this year. All that is left now is to get my thoughts in order and focus on everything positive. I will finish this race.Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-90927014827763047372011-05-17T02:44:00.000+04:002011-05-17T02:45:52.813+04:0011 days to go!!<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mLYxVL_qpl0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-58612449685799141712011-05-17T02:14:00.001+04:002011-05-17T02:38:45.876+04:00Running on EmptyAs a runner I am always looking for inspirational people in the running world, and since I started with ultra running I have come across some true legends. They are all unique in their own way, and inspire you in different ways, from folks like Karnazes and Engle, Caballo Blanco and Barefoot Ted, Jenn Shelton and Ryan Sandes, but one man stands out head and shoulders above the rest, Marshall Ulrich.<br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iJsnRCD0O2A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />When you ask a young child what they want to be when they grow up, you get answers like "I want to be a fireman", or "I want to be a doctor". Well, when I grow up I would like to be Marshall Ulrich. Marshall is an old school runner and I believe he is one of the most humble human beings on earth. He has achieved so much in is life time, that it would be hard for any person to try and match what Marshall has done. <br /><br />When I am running Comrades next week, I'll be thinking of Marshall when it gets tough, as he ran across America from San Fran to NYC, averaging between 70 and 50 miles per day, for more than 46 days, day in and day out. Respect!<br /><br />Marshall has a book out which I am reading at the moment called Running on Empty. Please get it as soon as possible!!! It is availible on Amazon and iBooks as a download.Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-19408034981563024262011-05-16T21:57:00.003+04:002011-05-16T22:46:32.075+04:00The Last Great Race on EarthIt begins at the break of a new day,that one day each year, were a special band of people, that select few, of every gender, every race, every creed, every age, and from every walk of life, and from every corner of the earth, come together.<br /><br />They are here to begin a journey, that at it's conclusion,no matter how far they have travelled, every single one will have been defined. Whether we finish the race or not,it is the fact that we stood shoulder to shoulder at the starting line, that makes us winners. True winners of this auspicious occasion.<br /><br />There is not one, when the sun sets on that day, will not stand tall. In amongst the fastest, and the slowest ,can say with pride, that they took part in that day of days, the race of races..... The Comrades Marathon.<br /><br />It is not just a race, its much more than a race, it is a mountain which every single participant will attempt to cross, to summit, or to conquer. Its a life changing event, one in which everyone will dig deep into their human reserves, in order to overcome some of the biggest obstacles and challenges that each and everyone will ever face in their lives. And on that day, whether they are running against the clock, or running to their own beat, each one is a giant, giants among men.<br /><br />This is more than merely a seething mass of humanity, who come together on that appointed day. This is 18000 champions, 18000 winners, 18000 heroes, each and everyone there to take part, and to realize everone else's dreams, aspirations,their hopes and their goals. All to become one with one another.<br /><br />There are those who will make is laugh, those who will make us cry, and some that will make us blush, and so many that will make us proud. It is here we learn the meaning of heroism, the meaning of respect for each other, and the true understanding of sacrifice. We discover that to help a fellow athlete or friend, is indeed to help ourselves. Whilst kilometers fall away behind us, it is the road that lies ahead that makes us true to ourselves, and make us true individuals.<br /><br />Everyones personal best is measured not in time, but in endurance,and also in the believe of ones own abilities, no matter how small or brave that individual might be. The ones that stand tall on that day, are each and everyone. Those that ends their race, whether is be in pain or glory, will carry those traits like medals forever. And to those who venture out on this occasion for the very first time, with a fleet or heavy footing, are to discover this is not a race or a marathon, it is a journey, a journey of discovery. One in search of ones inner self. A day in your life you can proudly say, that you have taken part in one of the most gruelling challenges know to man. The Ultimate Human Race. <br /><br />To the true Comrades, they will have found that all have become one and are revered by all. And that in its self, is the miracle called the Comrades Marathon. The greatest ultra marathon in the world. Come and experience it. See you on the staring line - 29/05/2011.Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-56778576068033001592011-03-15T23:17:00.003+04:002011-03-15T23:21:48.544+04:00The Human Race - How it all began.<div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhIvLnPNJ9fR5tp2bqjahvqoCdbJZak7ufDRuzSIvfRhU-Volu8aBu5Ql7Q_DtUTIMcLo4SbRWexEngsrNM1QFsvprYXHr2X2CLHqSaxMVLHeW0Gql3iIw9Qi368snl9lGExYZo8AAg/s1600/ComradesWeb.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 284px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 284px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584388660935437522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhIvLnPNJ9fR5tp2bqjahvqoCdbJZak7ufDRuzSIvfRhU-Volu8aBu5Ql7Q_DtUTIMcLo4SbRWexEngsrNM1QFsvprYXHr2X2CLHqSaxMVLHeW0Gql3iIw9Qi368snl9lGExYZo8AAg/s320/ComradesWeb.jpg" /></a>Arguably the greatest ultra marathon in the world where athletes come from all over the world to combine muscle and sinew and mental strength to conquer the approx 90 kilometres between the cities of Pietermaritzburg and Durban, the event owes its beginnings to the vision of one man, World War I veteran Vic Clapham. Vic Clapham was born in London on 16 November 1886 and emigrated as a youth to the Cape Colony in South Africa, with his parents. At the outbreak of the South African War (Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902) he enrolled as an ambulance man into the Cradock Town Guard at the age of 13. He later moved to Natal and worked as an engine driver with the South African Railways. </div><div><br />With the outbreak of the Great War 1914-1918, Vic Clapham signed up with the 8th South African Infantry, and fought and marched 1700 miles of the eastern savannahs of Africa in pursuit of Glen Paul Von Lettow-Vorbecks askari battalions. </div><div><br />The pain, agonies, death and hardships of his comrades which he witnessed during those awful days left a lasting impression on the battle-hardened soldier, especially the camaraderie engendered among the men in overcoming these privations. Thus when peace was declared in 1918, Clapham felt that all those who had fallen in this catastrophic war should be remembered and honoured in a unique way, where an individuals physical frailties could be put to the test and overcome. Remembering the searing heat and thirst of the parched veld through which he had campaigned, he settled on the idea of a marathon and he approached the athletic authorities of the day to sound their views. His enquiry led him to the doors of the League of Comrades of the Great War a corpus of ex-soldiers who had formed an association to foster the interests of their living companions who had survived the War. </div><div><br />Clapham asked for permission to stage a 56 mile race between Pietermaritzburg and Durban under the name of the Comrades Marathon and for it to become a living memorial to the spirit of the soldiers of the Great War This was strenuously resisted by the League, but Clapham persisted maintaining that if a sedentary living person could be taken off the street given a rifle and 60lb pack and marched all over Africa then surely a fit and able athlete could complete the distance. Applications in 1919 and 1920 were refused but in 1921 the League relented and gave permission and 1 for expenses, which was refundable. </div><div><br />The first Comrades Marathon took place on 24th May 1921, Empire Day, starting outside the City Hall in Pietermaritzburg with 34 runners. It has continued since then every year with the exception of the war years 1941-1945, with the direction alternating each year between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, the so called up & down runs. </div><div><br />The Comrades Marathon is a cherished national treasure and attracts thousands of runners, spectators and television viewers every year. We invite you to participate in this great event and experience the worlds greatest race. For the longest time this race has been on my bucket list, so, in 74 days I am hoping to tick that box and look for the next big adventure!</div><div> </div><div> </div>Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-71811404639304547112011-03-14T19:58:00.003+04:002011-03-14T20:05:15.397+04:0015 Famous Athletes Who Are Vegetarians<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Roxanne</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">McAnn</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">from</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Nursingschools</span>.<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">net</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">have</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">asked</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">me</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">share</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">article</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">below</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">with</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">my</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">readers</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-error">In</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" class="blsp-spelling-error">book</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" class="blsp-spelling-error">Born</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_20" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" class="blsp-spelling-error">Run</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_22" class="blsp-spelling-error">McDougall</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_23" class="blsp-spelling-error">also</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_24" class="blsp-spelling-error">explores</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_25" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_26" class="blsp-spelling-error">benefits</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_27" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_28" class="blsp-spelling-error">becoming</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_29" class="blsp-spelling-error">vegetarian</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_30" class="blsp-spelling-error">runner</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_31" class="blsp-spelling-error">as</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_32" class="blsp-spelling-error">done</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_33" class="blsp-spelling-error">by</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_34" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_35" class="blsp-spelling-error">Tarahumara</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_36" class="blsp-spelling-error">Indians</span>. I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_37" class="blsp-spelling-error">am</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_38" class="blsp-spelling-error">very</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_39" class="blsp-spelling-error">keen</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_40" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_41" class="blsp-spelling-error">put</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_42" class="blsp-spelling-error">this</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_43" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_44" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_45" class="blsp-spelling-error">test</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_46" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_47" class="blsp-spelling-error">see</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_48" class="blsp-spelling-error">how</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_49" class="blsp-spelling-error">my</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_50" class="blsp-spelling-error">body</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_51" class="blsp-spelling-error">responds</span>! <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_52" class="blsp-spelling-error">Let</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_53" class="blsp-spelling-error">me</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_54" class="blsp-spelling-error">have</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_55" class="blsp-spelling-error">your</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_56" class="blsp-spelling-error">thoughts</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_57" class="blsp-spelling-error">on</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_58" class="blsp-spelling-error">this</span>:<br /><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_59" class="blsp-spelling-error">Humans</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_60" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_61" class="blsp-spelling-error">especially</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_62" class="blsp-spelling-error">those</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_63" class="blsp-spelling-error">who</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_64" class="blsp-spelling-error">do</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_65" class="blsp-spelling-error">lot</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_66" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_67" class="blsp-spelling-error">physical</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_68" class="blsp-spelling-error">exertion</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_69" class="blsp-spelling-error">need</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_70" class="blsp-spelling-error">quite</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_71" class="blsp-spelling-error">bit</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_72" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_73" class="blsp-spelling-error">protein</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_74" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_75" class="blsp-spelling-error">keep</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_76" class="blsp-spelling-error">their</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_77" class="blsp-spelling-error">bodies</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_78" class="blsp-spelling-error">healthy</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_79" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_80" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_81" class="blsp-spelling-error">optimal</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_82" class="blsp-spelling-error">shape</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_83" class="blsp-spelling-error">While</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_84" class="blsp-spelling-error">meat</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_85" class="blsp-spelling-error">is</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_86" class="blsp-spelling-error">great</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_87" class="blsp-spelling-error">source</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_88" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_89" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_90" class="blsp-spelling-error">essential</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_91" class="blsp-spelling-error">nutrient</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_92" class="blsp-spelling-error">it</span>'s <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_93" class="blsp-spelling-error">certainly</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_94" class="blsp-spelling-error">not</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_95" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_96" class="blsp-spelling-error">only</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_97" class="blsp-spelling-error">one</span>; <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_98" class="blsp-spelling-error">many</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_99" class="blsp-spelling-error">athletes</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_100" class="blsp-spelling-error">have</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_101" class="blsp-spelling-error">opted</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_102" class="blsp-spelling-error">out</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_103" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_104" class="blsp-spelling-error">eating</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_105" class="blsp-spelling-error">meat</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_106" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_107" class="blsp-spelling-error">favor</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_108" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_109" class="blsp-spelling-error">plant</span>-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_110" class="blsp-spelling-error">based</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_111" class="blsp-spelling-error">sources</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_112" class="blsp-spelling-error">Some</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_113" class="blsp-spelling-error">might</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_114" class="blsp-spelling-error">think</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_115" class="blsp-spelling-error">it</span>'s a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_116" class="blsp-spelling-error">disadvantage</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_117" class="blsp-spelling-error">but</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_118" class="blsp-spelling-error">many</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_119" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_120" class="blsp-spelling-error">these</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_121" class="blsp-spelling-error">athletes</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_122" class="blsp-spelling-error">have</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_123" class="blsp-spelling-error">won</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_124" class="blsp-spelling-error">countless</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_125" class="blsp-spelling-error">medals</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_126" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_127" class="blsp-spelling-error">competitions</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_128" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_129" class="blsp-spelling-error">have</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_130" class="blsp-spelling-error">gone</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_131" class="blsp-spelling-error">down</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_132" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_133" class="blsp-spelling-error">history</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_134" class="blsp-spelling-error">as</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_135" class="blsp-spelling-error">some</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_136" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_137" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_138" class="blsp-spelling-error">best</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_139" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_140" class="blsp-spelling-error">their</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_141" class="blsp-spelling-error">sports</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_142" class="blsp-spelling-error">If</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_143" class="blsp-spelling-error">you</span>'<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_144" class="blsp-spelling-error">re</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_145" class="blsp-spelling-error">vegetarian</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_146" class="blsp-spelling-error">athlete</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_147" class="blsp-spelling-error">or</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_148" class="blsp-spelling-error">aspiring</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_149" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_150" class="blsp-spelling-error">be</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_151" class="blsp-spelling-error">one</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_152" class="blsp-spelling-error">here</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_153" class="blsp-spelling-error">are</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_154" class="blsp-spelling-error">some</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_155" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_156" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_157" class="blsp-spelling-error">greats</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_158" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_159" class="blsp-spelling-error">sporting</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_160" class="blsp-spelling-error">history</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_161" class="blsp-spelling-error">who</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_162" class="blsp-spelling-error">show</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_163" class="blsp-spelling-error">you</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_164" class="blsp-spelling-error">just</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_165" class="blsp-spelling-error">what</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_166" class="blsp-spelling-error">can</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_167" class="blsp-spelling-error">be</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_168" class="blsp-spelling-error">done</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_169" class="blsp-spelling-error">with</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_170" class="blsp-spelling-error">hard</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_171" class="blsp-spelling-error">work</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_172" class="blsp-spelling-error">lots</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_173" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_174" class="blsp-spelling-error">veggies</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_175" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_176" class="blsp-spelling-error">some</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_177" class="blsp-spelling-error">amazing</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_178" class="blsp-spelling-error">talent</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nba.com/history/players/walton_bio.html"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_179" class="blsp-spelling-error">Bill</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_180" class="blsp-spelling-error">Walton</span></a>: <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_181" class="blsp-spelling-error">Bill</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_182" class="blsp-spelling-error">Walton</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_183" class="blsp-spelling-error">was</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_184" class="blsp-spelling-error">never</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_185" class="blsp-spelling-error">one</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_186" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_187" class="blsp-spelling-error">stick</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_188" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_189" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_190" class="blsp-spelling-error">mainstream</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_191" class="blsp-spelling-error">when</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_192" class="blsp-spelling-error">it</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_193" class="blsp-spelling-error">came</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_194" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_195" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_196" class="blsp-spelling-error">personal</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_197" class="blsp-spelling-error">life</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_198" class="blsp-spelling-error">but</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_199" class="blsp-spelling-error">on</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_200" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_201" class="blsp-spelling-error">court</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_202" class="blsp-spelling-error">he</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_203" class="blsp-spelling-error">is</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_204" class="blsp-spelling-error">remembered</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_205" class="blsp-spelling-error">as</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_206" class="blsp-spelling-error">great</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_207" class="blsp-spelling-error">player</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_208" class="blsp-spelling-error">winning</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_209" class="blsp-spelling-error">three</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_210" class="blsp-spelling-error">straight</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_211" class="blsp-spelling-error">College</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_212" class="blsp-spelling-error">Player</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_213" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_214" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_215" class="blsp-spelling-error">Year</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_216" class="blsp-spelling-error">Awards</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_217" class="blsp-spelling-error">during</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_218" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_219" class="blsp-spelling-error">time</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_220" class="blsp-spelling-error">at</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_221" class="blsp-spelling-error">UCLA</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_222" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_223" class="blsp-spelling-error">named</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_224" class="blsp-spelling-error">an</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_225" class="blsp-spelling-error">MVP</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_226" class="blsp-spelling-error">during</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_227" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_228" class="blsp-spelling-error">time</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_229" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_230" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_231" class="blsp-spelling-error">NBA</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_232" class="blsp-spelling-error">This</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_233" class="blsp-spelling-error">Hall</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_234" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_235" class="blsp-spelling-error">Famer</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_236" class="blsp-spelling-error">didn</span>'t <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_237" class="blsp-spelling-error">do</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_238" class="blsp-spelling-error">it</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_239" class="blsp-spelling-error">with</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_240" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_241" class="blsp-spelling-error">help</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_242" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_243" class="blsp-spelling-error">animal</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_244" class="blsp-spelling-error">protein</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_245" class="blsp-spelling-error">however</span>. A <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_246" class="blsp-spelling-error">committed</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_247" class="blsp-spelling-error">vegetarian</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_248" class="blsp-spelling-error">Walton</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_249" class="blsp-spelling-error">is</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_250" class="blsp-spelling-error">still</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_251" class="blsp-spelling-error">active</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_252" class="blsp-spelling-error">off</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_253" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_254" class="blsp-spelling-error">court</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_255" class="blsp-spelling-error">today</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_256" class="blsp-spelling-error">as</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_257" class="blsp-spelling-error">an</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_258" class="blsp-spelling-error">announcer</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://veggietestimonial.peta.org/psa.aspx?CID=e16eb785-0f3e-475f-aacf-ff2065433634"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_259" class="blsp-spelling-error">John</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_260" class="blsp-spelling-error">Salley</span></a>: <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_261" class="blsp-spelling-error">John</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_262" class="blsp-spelling-error">Salley</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_263" class="blsp-spelling-error">isn</span>'t <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_264" class="blsp-spelling-error">just</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_265" class="blsp-spelling-error">basketball</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_266" class="blsp-spelling-error">legend</span> — <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_267" class="blsp-spelling-error">he</span>'s <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_268" class="blsp-spelling-error">also</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_269" class="blsp-spelling-error">an</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_270" class="blsp-spelling-error">outspoken</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_271" class="blsp-spelling-error">advocate</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_272" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_273" class="blsp-spelling-error">vegetarianism</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_274" class="blsp-spelling-error">often</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_275" class="blsp-spelling-error">doing</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_276" class="blsp-spelling-error">work</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_277" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_278" class="blsp-spelling-error">PETA</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_279" class="blsp-spelling-error">The</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_280" class="blsp-spelling-error">first</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_281" class="blsp-spelling-error">player</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_282" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_283" class="blsp-spelling-error">NBA</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_284" class="blsp-spelling-error">history</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_285" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_286" class="blsp-spelling-error">play</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_287" class="blsp-spelling-error">on</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_288" class="blsp-spelling-error">three</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_289" class="blsp-spelling-error">different</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_290" class="blsp-spelling-error">championship</span>-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_291" class="blsp-spelling-error">winning</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_292" class="blsp-spelling-error">franchises</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_293" class="blsp-spelling-error">Salley</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_294" class="blsp-spelling-error">calls</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_295" class="blsp-spelling-error">vegetarianism</span> "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_296" class="blsp-spelling-error">best</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_297" class="blsp-spelling-error">damn</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_298" class="blsp-spelling-error">way</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_299" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_300" class="blsp-spelling-error">eat</span>– <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_301" class="blsp-spelling-error">period</span>" <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_302" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_303" class="blsp-spelling-error">one</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_304" class="blsp-spelling-error">might</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_305" class="blsp-spelling-error">be</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_306" class="blsp-spelling-error">inclined</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_307" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_308" class="blsp-spelling-error">agree</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_309" class="blsp-spelling-error">with</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_310" class="blsp-spelling-error">him</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_311" class="blsp-spelling-error">after</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_312" class="blsp-spelling-error">seeing</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_313" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_314" class="blsp-spelling-error">performance</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_315" class="blsp-spelling-error">on</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_316" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_317" class="blsp-spelling-error">court</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Moses"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_318" class="blsp-spelling-error">Edwin</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_319" class="blsp-spelling-error">Moses</span></a>: <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_320" class="blsp-spelling-error">Track</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_321" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_322" class="blsp-spelling-error">field</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_323" class="blsp-spelling-error">star</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_324" class="blsp-spelling-error">Moses</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_325" class="blsp-spelling-error">won</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_326" class="blsp-spelling-error">two</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_327" class="blsp-spelling-error">gold</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_328" class="blsp-spelling-error">medals</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_329" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_330" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_331" class="blsp-spelling-error">Olympics</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_332" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_333" class="blsp-spelling-error">set</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_334" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_335" class="blsp-spelling-error">world</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_336" class="blsp-spelling-error">record</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_337" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_338" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_339" class="blsp-spelling-error">event</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_340" class="blsp-spelling-error">an</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_341" class="blsp-spelling-error">amazing</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_342" class="blsp-spelling-error">four</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_343" class="blsp-spelling-error">times</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_344" class="blsp-spelling-error">His</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_345" class="blsp-spelling-error">powerful</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_346" class="blsp-spelling-error">performance</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_347" class="blsp-spelling-error">on</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_348" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_349" class="blsp-spelling-error">track</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_350" class="blsp-spelling-error">was</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_351" class="blsp-spelling-error">fueled</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_352" class="blsp-spelling-error">by</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_353" class="blsp-spelling-error">pure</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_354" class="blsp-spelling-error">vegetable</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_355" class="blsp-spelling-error">goodness</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_356" class="blsp-spelling-error">as</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_357" class="blsp-spelling-error">Moses</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_358" class="blsp-spelling-error">was</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_359" class="blsp-spelling-error">longtime</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_360" class="blsp-spelling-error">vegetarian</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.vegan-nutritionista.com/tony-gonzalez-vegan.html"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_361" class="blsp-spelling-error">Tony</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_362" class="blsp-spelling-error">Gonzalez</span></a>: <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_363" class="blsp-spelling-error">Atlanta</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_364" class="blsp-spelling-error">Falcons</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_365" class="blsp-spelling-error">superstar</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_366" class="blsp-spelling-error">tight</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_367" class="blsp-spelling-error">end</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_368" class="blsp-spelling-error">Tony</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_369" class="blsp-spelling-error">Gonzalez</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_370" class="blsp-spelling-error">isn</span>'t a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_371" class="blsp-spelling-error">strict</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_372" class="blsp-spelling-error">vegetarian</span> — <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_373" class="blsp-spelling-error">but</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_374" class="blsp-spelling-error">it</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_375" class="blsp-spelling-error">isn</span>'t <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_376" class="blsp-spelling-error">necessarily</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_377" class="blsp-spelling-error">all</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_378" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_379" class="blsp-spelling-error">doing</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_380" class="blsp-spelling-error">Gonzalez</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_381" class="blsp-spelling-error">experimented</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_382" class="blsp-spelling-error">with</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_383" class="blsp-spelling-error">veganism</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_384" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_385" class="blsp-spelling-error">vegetarianism</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_386" class="blsp-spelling-error">but</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_387" class="blsp-spelling-error">was</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_388" class="blsp-spelling-error">talked</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_389" class="blsp-spelling-error">into</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_390" class="blsp-spelling-error">having</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_391" class="blsp-spelling-error">few</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_392" class="blsp-spelling-error">servings</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_393" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_394" class="blsp-spelling-error">chicken</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_395" class="blsp-spelling-error">or</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_396" class="blsp-spelling-error">fish</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_397" class="blsp-spelling-error">week</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_398" class="blsp-spelling-error">by</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_399" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_400" class="blsp-spelling-error">team</span>'s <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_401" class="blsp-spelling-error">nutritionist</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_402" class="blsp-spelling-error">The</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_403" class="blsp-spelling-error">bulk</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_404" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_405" class="blsp-spelling-error">Gonzalez</span>'s <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_406" class="blsp-spelling-error">diet</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_407" class="blsp-spelling-error">however</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_408" class="blsp-spelling-error">is</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_409" class="blsp-spelling-error">veggie</span>-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_410" class="blsp-spelling-error">based</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_411" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_412" class="blsp-spelling-error">this</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_413" class="blsp-spelling-error">football</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_414" class="blsp-spelling-error">star</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_415" class="blsp-spelling-error">holds</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_416" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_417" class="blsp-spelling-error">record</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_418" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_419" class="blsp-spelling-error">most</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_420" class="blsp-spelling-error">single</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_421" class="blsp-spelling-error">season</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_422" class="blsp-spelling-error">receptions</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_423" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_424" class="blsp-spelling-error">most</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_425" class="blsp-spelling-error">career</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_426" class="blsp-spelling-error">reception</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_427" class="blsp-spelling-error">yards</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.vegetarian-diets.com/martina-navratilova-plant-based-diet-is-the-best"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_428" class="blsp-spelling-error">Martina</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_429" class="blsp-spelling-error">Navratilova</span></a>: <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_430" class="blsp-spelling-error">Tennis</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_431" class="blsp-spelling-error">champ</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_432" class="blsp-spelling-error">Navratilova</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_433" class="blsp-spelling-error">has</span> 18 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_434" class="blsp-spelling-error">Grand</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_435" class="blsp-spelling-error">Slam</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_436" class="blsp-spelling-error">singles</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_437" class="blsp-spelling-error">titles</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_438" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> 31 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_439" class="blsp-spelling-error">doubles</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_440" class="blsp-spelling-error">titles</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_441" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_442" class="blsp-spelling-error">her</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_443" class="blsp-spelling-error">name</span> — <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_444" class="blsp-spelling-error">an</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_445" class="blsp-spelling-error">all</span>-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_446" class="blsp-spelling-error">time</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_447" class="blsp-spelling-error">record</span> — <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_448" class="blsp-spelling-error">leading</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_449" class="blsp-spelling-error">Billie</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_450" class="blsp-spelling-error">Jean</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_451" class="blsp-spelling-error">King</span> (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_452" class="blsp-spelling-error">another</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_453" class="blsp-spelling-error">vegetarian</span>) <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_454" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_455" class="blsp-spelling-error">call</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_456" class="blsp-spelling-error">her</span> "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_457" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_458" class="blsp-spelling-error">greatest</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_459" class="blsp-spelling-error">singles</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_460" class="blsp-spelling-error">doubles</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_461" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_462" class="blsp-spelling-error">mixed</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_463" class="blsp-spelling-error">doubles</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_464" class="blsp-spelling-error">player</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_465" class="blsp-spelling-error">who</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_466" class="blsp-spelling-error">ever</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_467" class="blsp-spelling-error">lived</span>." <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_468" class="blsp-spelling-error">Throughout</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_469" class="blsp-spelling-error">her</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_470" class="blsp-spelling-error">career</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_471" class="blsp-spelling-error">Navratilova</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_472" class="blsp-spelling-error">has</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_473" class="blsp-spelling-error">been</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_474" class="blsp-spelling-error">committed</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_475" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_476" class="blsp-spelling-error">vegetarianism</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_477" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_478" class="blsp-spelling-error">is</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_479" class="blsp-spelling-error">an</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_480" class="blsp-spelling-error">active</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_481" class="blsp-spelling-error">spokeswomen</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_482" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_483" class="blsp-spelling-error">organizations</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_484" class="blsp-spelling-error">such</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_485" class="blsp-spelling-error">as</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_486" class="blsp-spelling-error">PETA</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.earthsave.org/lifestyle/carllewis.htm"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_487" class="blsp-spelling-error">Carl</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_488" class="blsp-spelling-error">Lewis</span></a>: <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_489" class="blsp-spelling-error">It</span>'s <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_490" class="blsp-spelling-error">hard</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_491" class="blsp-spelling-error">not</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_492" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_493" class="blsp-spelling-error">have</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_494" class="blsp-spelling-error">heard</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_495" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_496" class="blsp-spelling-error">this</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_497" class="blsp-spelling-error">Olympic</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_498" class="blsp-spelling-error">great</span>, a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_499" class="blsp-spelling-error">man</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_500" class="blsp-spelling-error">who</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_501" class="blsp-spelling-error">was</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_502" class="blsp-spelling-error">called</span>, "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_503" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_504" class="blsp-spelling-error">greatest</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_505" class="blsp-spelling-error">athlete</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_506" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_507" class="blsp-spelling-error">ever</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_508" class="blsp-spelling-error">set</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_509" class="blsp-spelling-error">foot</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_510" class="blsp-spelling-error">on</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_511" class="blsp-spelling-error">track</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_512" class="blsp-spelling-error">or</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_513" class="blsp-spelling-error">field</span>." <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_514" class="blsp-spelling-error">Lewis</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_515" class="blsp-spelling-error">has</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_516" class="blsp-spelling-error">won</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_517" class="blsp-spelling-error">ten</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_518" class="blsp-spelling-error">Olympic</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_519" class="blsp-spelling-error">medals</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_520" class="blsp-spelling-error">over</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_521" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_522" class="blsp-spelling-error">course</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_523" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_524" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_525" class="blsp-spelling-error">career</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_526" class="blsp-spelling-error">nine</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_527" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_528" class="blsp-spelling-error">them</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_529" class="blsp-spelling-error">gold</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_530" class="blsp-spelling-error">Lewis</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_531" class="blsp-spelling-error">isn</span>'t <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_532" class="blsp-spelling-error">just</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_533" class="blsp-spelling-error">vegetarian</span>– <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_534" class="blsp-spelling-error">he</span>'s a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_535" class="blsp-spelling-error">vegan</span>– <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_536" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_537" class="blsp-spelling-error">began</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_538" class="blsp-spelling-error">this</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_539" class="blsp-spelling-error">diet</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_540" class="blsp-spelling-error">before</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_541" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> 1991 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_542" class="blsp-spelling-error">World</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_543" class="blsp-spelling-error">Championships</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_544" class="blsp-spelling-error">His</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_545" class="blsp-spelling-error">new</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_546" class="blsp-spelling-error">diet</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_547" class="blsp-spelling-error">didn</span>'t <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_548" class="blsp-spelling-error">seem</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_549" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_550" class="blsp-spelling-error">hurt</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_551" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_552" class="blsp-spelling-error">performance</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_553" class="blsp-spelling-error">as</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_554" class="blsp-spelling-error">he</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_555" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_556" class="blsp-spelling-error">others</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_557" class="blsp-spelling-error">felt</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_558" class="blsp-spelling-error">he</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_559" class="blsp-spelling-error">ran</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_560" class="blsp-spelling-error">some</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_561" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_562" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_563" class="blsp-spelling-error">best</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_564" class="blsp-spelling-error">races</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_565" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_566" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_567" class="blsp-spelling-error">career</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_568" class="blsp-spelling-error">at</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_569" class="blsp-spelling-error">that</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_570" class="blsp-spelling-error">meet</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nba.com/history/players/parish_summary.html"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_571" class="blsp-spelling-error">Robert</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_572" class="blsp-spelling-error">Parish</span></a>: <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_573" class="blsp-spelling-error">One</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_574" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_575" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_576" class="blsp-spelling-error">greatest</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_577" class="blsp-spelling-error">NBA</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_578" class="blsp-spelling-error">players</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_579" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_580" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_581" class="blsp-spelling-error">history</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_582" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_583" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_584" class="blsp-spelling-error">game</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_585" class="blsp-spelling-error">Robert</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_586" class="blsp-spelling-error">Parish</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_587" class="blsp-spelling-error">is</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_588" class="blsp-spelling-error">Hall</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_589" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_590" class="blsp-spelling-error">Famer</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_591" class="blsp-spelling-error">inducted</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_592" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> 2003. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_593" class="blsp-spelling-error">While</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_594" class="blsp-spelling-error">well</span>-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_595" class="blsp-spelling-error">known</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_596" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_597" class="blsp-spelling-error">this</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_598" class="blsp-spelling-error">jump</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_599" class="blsp-spelling-error">shot</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_600" class="blsp-spelling-error">Parish</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_601" class="blsp-spelling-error">is</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_602" class="blsp-spelling-error">also</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_603" class="blsp-spelling-error">is</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_604" class="blsp-spelling-error">famous</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_605" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_606" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_607" class="blsp-spelling-error">vegetarianism</span>– <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_608" class="blsp-spelling-error">just</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_609" class="blsp-spelling-error">showing</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_610" class="blsp-spelling-error">that</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_611" class="blsp-spelling-error">even</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_612" class="blsp-spelling-error">huge</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_613" class="blsp-spelling-error">athletic</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_614" class="blsp-spelling-error">individual</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_615" class="blsp-spelling-error">doesn</span>'t <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_616" class="blsp-spelling-error">have</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_617" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_618" class="blsp-spelling-error">eat</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_619" class="blsp-spelling-error">meat</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_620" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_621" class="blsp-spelling-error">fuel</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_622" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_623" class="blsp-spelling-error">body</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ecorazzi.com/2010/05/05/mike-tyson-has-gone-vegan-we-repeat-mike-tyson-has-gone-vegan"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_624" class="blsp-spelling-error">Mike</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_625" class="blsp-spelling-error">Tyson</span></a>: <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_626" class="blsp-spelling-error">Mike</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_627" class="blsp-spelling-error">Tyson</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_628" class="blsp-spelling-error">is</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_629" class="blsp-spelling-error">recent</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_630" class="blsp-spelling-error">convert</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_631" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_632" class="blsp-spelling-error">an</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_633" class="blsp-spelling-error">animal</span>-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_634" class="blsp-spelling-error">free</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_635" class="blsp-spelling-error">diet</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_636" class="blsp-spelling-error">committing</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_637" class="blsp-spelling-error">himself</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_638" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_639" class="blsp-spelling-error">early</span> 2010 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_640" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_641" class="blsp-spelling-error">fully</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_642" class="blsp-spelling-error">vegan</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_643" class="blsp-spelling-error">diet</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_644" class="blsp-spelling-error">It</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_645" class="blsp-spelling-error">seems</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_646" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_647" class="blsp-spelling-error">have</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_648" class="blsp-spelling-error">done</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_649" class="blsp-spelling-error">wonders</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_650" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_651" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_652" class="blsp-spelling-error">prize</span>-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_653" class="blsp-spelling-error">winning</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_654" class="blsp-spelling-error">fighter</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_655" class="blsp-spelling-error">as</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_656" class="blsp-spelling-error">he</span>'s <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_657" class="blsp-spelling-error">slimmed</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_658" class="blsp-spelling-error">down</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_659" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_660" class="blsp-spelling-error">says</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_661" class="blsp-spelling-error">he</span>'s <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_662" class="blsp-spelling-error">happier</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_663" class="blsp-spelling-error">now</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_664" class="blsp-spelling-error">than</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_665" class="blsp-spelling-error">he</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_666" class="blsp-spelling-error">has</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_667" class="blsp-spelling-error">been</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_668" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_669" class="blsp-spelling-error">years</span>– a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_670" class="blsp-spelling-error">turnaround</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_671" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_672" class="blsp-spelling-error">man</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_673" class="blsp-spelling-error">famous</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_674" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_675" class="blsp-spelling-error">ear</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_676" class="blsp-spelling-error">biting</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_677" class="blsp-spelling-error">crazy</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_678" class="blsp-spelling-error">tattoos</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_679" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_680" class="blsp-spelling-error">jail</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_681" class="blsp-spelling-error">time</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Namath"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_682" class="blsp-spelling-error">Joe</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_683" class="blsp-spelling-error">Namath</span></a>: <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_684" class="blsp-spelling-error">Anyone</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_685" class="blsp-spelling-error">who</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_686" class="blsp-spelling-error">knows</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_687" class="blsp-spelling-error">football</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_688" class="blsp-spelling-error">has</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_689" class="blsp-spelling-error">heard</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_690" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_691" class="blsp-spelling-error">this</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_692" class="blsp-spelling-error">legendary</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_693" class="blsp-spelling-error">player</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_694" class="blsp-spelling-error">inducted</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_695" class="blsp-spelling-error">into</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_696" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_697" class="blsp-spelling-error">NFL</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_698" class="blsp-spelling-error">Hall</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_699" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_700" class="blsp-spelling-error">Fame</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_701" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> 1985. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_702" class="blsp-spelling-error">This</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_703" class="blsp-spelling-error">Super</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_704" class="blsp-spelling-error">Bowl</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_705" class="blsp-spelling-error">Champion</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_706" class="blsp-spelling-error">once</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_707" class="blsp-spelling-error">said</span>, "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_708" class="blsp-spelling-error">It</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_709" class="blsp-spelling-error">shows</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_710" class="blsp-spelling-error">you</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_711" class="blsp-spelling-error">don</span>'t <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_712" class="blsp-spelling-error">need</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_713" class="blsp-spelling-error">meat</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_714" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_715" class="blsp-spelling-error">play</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_716" class="blsp-spelling-error">football</span>," <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_717" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_718" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_719" class="blsp-spelling-error">success</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_720" class="blsp-spelling-error">on</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_721" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_722" class="blsp-spelling-error">field</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_723" class="blsp-spelling-error">makes</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_724" class="blsp-spelling-error">that</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_725" class="blsp-spelling-error">abundantly</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_726" class="blsp-spelling-error">clear</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Fielder"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_727" class="blsp-spelling-error">Prince</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_728" class="blsp-spelling-error">Fielder</span></a>: <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_729" class="blsp-spelling-error">Prince</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_730" class="blsp-spelling-error">Fielder</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_731" class="blsp-spelling-error">decided</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_732" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_733" class="blsp-spelling-error">be</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_734" class="blsp-spelling-error">vegetarian</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_735" class="blsp-spelling-error">after</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_736" class="blsp-spelling-error">reading</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_737" class="blsp-spelling-error">about</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_738" class="blsp-spelling-error">how</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_739" class="blsp-spelling-error">chicken</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_740" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_741" class="blsp-spelling-error">cattle</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_742" class="blsp-spelling-error">are</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_743" class="blsp-spelling-error">treated</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_744" class="blsp-spelling-error">on</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_745" class="blsp-spelling-error">farms</span>, a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_746" class="blsp-spelling-error">decision</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_747" class="blsp-spelling-error">that</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_748" class="blsp-spelling-error">made</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_749" class="blsp-spelling-error">national</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_750" class="blsp-spelling-error">news</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_751" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_752" class="blsp-spelling-error">caused</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_753" class="blsp-spelling-error">many</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_754" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_755" class="blsp-spelling-error">speculate</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_756" class="blsp-spelling-error">that</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_757" class="blsp-spelling-error">it</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_758" class="blsp-spelling-error">might</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_759" class="blsp-spelling-error">affect</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_760" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_761" class="blsp-spelling-error">performance</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_762" class="blsp-spelling-error">on</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_763" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_764" class="blsp-spelling-error">field</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_765" class="blsp-spelling-error">Yet</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_766" class="blsp-spelling-error">Fielder</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_767" class="blsp-spelling-error">is</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_768" class="blsp-spelling-error">home</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_769" class="blsp-spelling-error">run</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_770" class="blsp-spelling-error">champ</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_771" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_772" class="blsp-spelling-error">has</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_773" class="blsp-spelling-error">hit</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_774" class="blsp-spelling-error">over</span> 110 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_775" class="blsp-spelling-error">home</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_776" class="blsp-spelling-error">runs</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_777" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_778" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_779" class="blsp-spelling-error">years</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_780" class="blsp-spelling-error">since</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_781" class="blsp-spelling-error">he</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_782" class="blsp-spelling-error">went</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_783" class="blsp-spelling-error">veggie</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_La_Russa"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_784" class="blsp-spelling-error">Tony</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_785" class="blsp-spelling-error">La</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_786" class="blsp-spelling-error">Russa</span></a>: <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_787" class="blsp-spelling-error">While</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_788" class="blsp-spelling-error">La</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_789" class="blsp-spelling-error">Russa</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_790" class="blsp-spelling-error">might</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_791" class="blsp-spelling-error">be</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_792" class="blsp-spelling-error">more</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_793" class="blsp-spelling-error">famous</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_794" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_795" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_796" class="blsp-spelling-error">work</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_797" class="blsp-spelling-error">as</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_798" class="blsp-spelling-error">coach</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_799" class="blsp-spelling-error">than</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_800" class="blsp-spelling-error">as</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_801" class="blsp-spelling-error">baseball</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_802" class="blsp-spelling-error">player</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_803" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_804" class="blsp-spelling-error">accomplishments</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_805" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_806" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_807" class="blsp-spelling-error">field</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_808" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_809" class="blsp-spelling-error">athletics</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_810" class="blsp-spelling-error">are</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_811" class="blsp-spelling-error">nothing</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_812" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_813" class="blsp-spelling-error">shrug</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_814" class="blsp-spelling-error">off</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_815" class="blsp-spelling-error">La</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_816" class="blsp-spelling-error">Russa</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_817" class="blsp-spelling-error">is</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_818" class="blsp-spelling-error">star</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_819" class="blsp-spelling-error">manager</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_820" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_821" class="blsp-spelling-error">both</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_822" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_823" class="blsp-spelling-error">National</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_824" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_825" class="blsp-spelling-error">American</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_826" class="blsp-spelling-error">leagues</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_827" class="blsp-spelling-error">becoming</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_828" class="blsp-spelling-error">only</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_829" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_830" class="blsp-spelling-error">sixth</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_831" class="blsp-spelling-error">manager</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_832" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_833" class="blsp-spelling-error">history</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_834" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_835" class="blsp-spelling-error">win</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_836" class="blsp-spelling-error">pennants</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_837" class="blsp-spelling-error">with</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_838" class="blsp-spelling-error">both</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_839" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_840" class="blsp-spelling-error">one</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_841" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_842" class="blsp-spelling-error">only</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_843" class="blsp-spelling-error">two</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_844" class="blsp-spelling-error">mangers</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_845" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_846" class="blsp-spelling-error">win</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_847" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_848" class="blsp-spelling-error">world</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_849" class="blsp-spelling-error">series</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_850" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_851" class="blsp-spelling-error">both</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_852" class="blsp-spelling-error">leagues</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_853" class="blsp-spelling-error">He</span>'s <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_854" class="blsp-spelling-error">also</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_855" class="blsp-spelling-error">committed</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_856" class="blsp-spelling-error">vegetarian</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_857" class="blsp-spelling-error">stating</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_858" class="blsp-spelling-error">that</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_859" class="blsp-spelling-error">he</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_860" class="blsp-spelling-error">decided</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_861" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_862" class="blsp-spelling-error">stop</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_863" class="blsp-spelling-error">eating</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_864" class="blsp-spelling-error">meat</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_865" class="blsp-spelling-error">after</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_866" class="blsp-spelling-error">seeing</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_867" class="blsp-spelling-error">PBS</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_868" class="blsp-spelling-error">program</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_869" class="blsp-spelling-error">on</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_870" class="blsp-spelling-error">how</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_871" class="blsp-spelling-error">veal</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_872" class="blsp-spelling-error">comes</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_873" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_874" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_875" class="blsp-spelling-error">table</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.peta2.com/outthere/o-spotlight702.asp"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_876" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ed</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_877" class="blsp-spelling-error">Templeton</span></a>: <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_878" class="blsp-spelling-error">Those</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_879" class="blsp-spelling-error">familiar</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_880" class="blsp-spelling-error">with</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_881" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_882" class="blsp-spelling-error">skateboarding</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_883" class="blsp-spelling-error">world</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_884" class="blsp-spelling-error">will</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_885" class="blsp-spelling-error">know</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_886" class="blsp-spelling-error">this</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_887" class="blsp-spelling-error">skater</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_888" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_889" class="blsp-spelling-error">artist</span>'s <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_890" class="blsp-spelling-error">name</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_891" class="blsp-spelling-error">well</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_892" class="blsp-spelling-error">Templeton</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_893" class="blsp-spelling-error">owns</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_894" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_895" class="blsp-spelling-error">operates</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_896" class="blsp-spelling-error">skateboarding</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_897" class="blsp-spelling-error">company</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_898" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_899" class="blsp-spelling-error">is</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_900" class="blsp-spelling-error">well</span>-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_901" class="blsp-spelling-error">known</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_902" class="blsp-spelling-error">skater</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_903" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_904" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_905" class="blsp-spelling-error">own</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_906" class="blsp-spelling-error">right</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_907" class="blsp-spelling-error">He</span>'s <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_908" class="blsp-spelling-error">also</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_909" class="blsp-spelling-error">vegan</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_910" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_911" class="blsp-spelling-error">has</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_912" class="blsp-spelling-error">been</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_913" class="blsp-spelling-error">since</span> 1990, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_914" class="blsp-spelling-error">citing</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_915" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_916" class="blsp-spelling-error">influence</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_917" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_918" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_919" class="blsp-spelling-error">friends</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_920" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_921" class="blsp-spelling-error">readings</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_922" class="blsp-spelling-error">about</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_923" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_924" class="blsp-spelling-error">meat</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_925" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_926" class="blsp-spelling-error">dairy</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_927" class="blsp-spelling-error">industry</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_928" class="blsp-spelling-error">as</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_929" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_930" class="blsp-spelling-error">reasons</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_931" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_932" class="blsp-spelling-error">making</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_933" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_934" class="blsp-spelling-error">change</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.scottjurek.com/html_page.php?id=bio"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_935" class="blsp-spelling-error">Scott</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_936" class="blsp-spelling-error">Jurek</span></a>: <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_937" class="blsp-spelling-error">If</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_938" class="blsp-spelling-error">you</span>'<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_939" class="blsp-spelling-error">ve</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_940" class="blsp-spelling-error">never</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_941" class="blsp-spelling-error">heard</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_942" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_943" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_944" class="blsp-spelling-error">sport</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_945" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_946" class="blsp-spelling-error">ultramarathoning</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_947" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_948" class="blsp-spelling-error">name</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_949" class="blsp-spelling-error">alone</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_950" class="blsp-spelling-error">should</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_951" class="blsp-spelling-error">alert</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_952" class="blsp-spelling-error">you</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_953" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_954" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_955" class="blsp-spelling-error">fact</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_956" class="blsp-spelling-error">that</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_957" class="blsp-spelling-error">it</span>'s a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_958" class="blsp-spelling-error">pretty</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_959" class="blsp-spelling-error">intense</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_960" class="blsp-spelling-error">sport</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_961" class="blsp-spelling-error">This</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_962" class="blsp-spelling-error">hardcore</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_963" class="blsp-spelling-error">athlete</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_964" class="blsp-spelling-error">made</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_965" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_966" class="blsp-spelling-error">change</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_967" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_968" class="blsp-spelling-error">vegan</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_969" class="blsp-spelling-error">diet</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_970" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> 1999 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_971" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_972" class="blsp-spelling-error">hasn</span>'t <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_973" class="blsp-spelling-error">looked</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_974" class="blsp-spelling-error">back</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_975" class="blsp-spelling-error">finding</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_976" class="blsp-spelling-error">new</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_977" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_978" class="blsp-spelling-error">innovative</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_979" class="blsp-spelling-error">ways</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_980" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_981" class="blsp-spelling-error">fuel</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_982" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_983" class="blsp-spelling-error">body</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_984" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_985" class="blsp-spelling-error">several</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_986" class="blsp-spelling-error">marathons</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_987" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_988" class="blsp-spelling-error">loads</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_989" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_990" class="blsp-spelling-error">training</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_991" class="blsp-spelling-error">every</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_992" class="blsp-spelling-error">year</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_993" class="blsp-spelling-error">It</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_994" class="blsp-spelling-error">seems</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_995" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_996" class="blsp-spelling-error">have</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_997" class="blsp-spelling-error">done</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_998" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_999" class="blsp-spelling-error">body</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1000" class="blsp-spelling-error">good</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1001" class="blsp-spelling-error">as</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1002" class="blsp-spelling-error">Jurek</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1003" class="blsp-spelling-error">is</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1004" class="blsp-spelling-error">one</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1005" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1006" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1007" class="blsp-spelling-error">sport</span>'s <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1008" class="blsp-spelling-error">leading</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1009" class="blsp-spelling-error">champions</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pelotonmagazine.com/Feedzone/content/6/210/5-Minutes-With-Dave-Zabriskie"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1010" class="blsp-spelling-error">David</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1011" class="blsp-spelling-error">Zabriskie</span></a>: <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1012" class="blsp-spelling-error">Cyclist</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1013" class="blsp-spelling-error">Zabriskie</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1014" class="blsp-spelling-error">has</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1015" class="blsp-spelling-error">won</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1016" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1017" class="blsp-spelling-error">US</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1018" class="blsp-spelling-error">National</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1019" class="blsp-spelling-error">Time</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1020" class="blsp-spelling-error">Trial</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1021" class="blsp-spelling-error">Championship</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1022" class="blsp-spelling-error">whopping</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1023" class="blsp-spelling-error">five</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1024" class="blsp-spelling-error">times</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1025" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1026" class="blsp-spelling-error">has</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1027" class="blsp-spelling-error">placed</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1028" class="blsp-spelling-error">well</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1029" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1030" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1031" class="blsp-spelling-error">Grand</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1032" class="blsp-spelling-error">Tour</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1033" class="blsp-spelling-error">making</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1034" class="blsp-spelling-error">him</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1035" class="blsp-spelling-error">an</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1036" class="blsp-spelling-error">incredibly</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1037" class="blsp-spelling-error">accomplished</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1038" class="blsp-spelling-error">road</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1039" class="blsp-spelling-error">bicycle</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1040" class="blsp-spelling-error">racer</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1041" class="blsp-spelling-error">Along</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1042" class="blsp-spelling-error">with</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1043" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1044" class="blsp-spelling-error">love</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1045" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1046" class="blsp-spelling-error">cycling</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1047" class="blsp-spelling-error">Zabriskie</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1048" class="blsp-spelling-error">also</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1049" class="blsp-spelling-error">has</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1050" class="blsp-spelling-error">passion</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1051" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1052" class="blsp-spelling-error">veganism</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1053" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1054" class="blsp-spelling-error">converted</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1055" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1056" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1057" class="blsp-spelling-error">diet</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1058" class="blsp-spelling-error">recently</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1059" class="blsp-spelling-error">after</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1060" class="blsp-spelling-error">learning</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1061" class="blsp-spelling-error">about</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1062" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1063" class="blsp-spelling-error">impact</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1064" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1065" class="blsp-spelling-error">meat</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1066" class="blsp-spelling-error">industry</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1067" class="blsp-spelling-error">has</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1068" class="blsp-spelling-error">had</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1069" class="blsp-spelling-error">on</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1070" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1071" class="blsp-spelling-error">environment</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1072" class="blsp-spelling-error">He</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1073" class="blsp-spelling-error">admits</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1074" class="blsp-spelling-error">that</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1075" class="blsp-spelling-error">it</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1076" class="blsp-spelling-error">was</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1077" class="blsp-spelling-error">struggle</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1078" class="blsp-spelling-error">but</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1079" class="blsp-spelling-error">believes</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1080" class="blsp-spelling-error">that</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1081" class="blsp-spelling-error">ultimately</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1082" class="blsp-spelling-error">it</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1083" class="blsp-spelling-error">will</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1084" class="blsp-spelling-error">be</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1085" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1086" class="blsp-spelling-error">best</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1087" class="blsp-spelling-error">thing</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1088" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1089" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1090" class="blsp-spelling-error">body</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1091" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1092" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1093" class="blsp-spelling-error">training</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://supervegan.com/blog/entry.php?id=776"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1094" class="blsp-spelling-error">Salim</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1095" class="blsp-spelling-error">Stoudamire</span></a>: <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1096" class="blsp-spelling-error">Salim</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1097" class="blsp-spelling-error">Stoudamire</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1098" class="blsp-spelling-error">is</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1099" class="blsp-spelling-error">an</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1100" class="blsp-spelling-error">imposing</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1101" class="blsp-spelling-error">man</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1102" class="blsp-spelling-error">standing</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1103" class="blsp-spelling-error">at</span> 6'1'' <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1104" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1105" class="blsp-spelling-error">weighing</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1106" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1107" class="blsp-spelling-error">at</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1108" class="blsp-spelling-error">almost</span> 200 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1109" class="blsp-spelling-error">pounds</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1110" class="blsp-spelling-error">He</span>'s <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1111" class="blsp-spelling-error">also</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1112" class="blsp-spelling-error">vegan</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1113" class="blsp-spelling-error">This</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1114" class="blsp-spelling-error">point</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1115" class="blsp-spelling-error">guard</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1116" class="blsp-spelling-error">has</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1117" class="blsp-spelling-error">stated</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1118" class="blsp-spelling-error">that</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1119" class="blsp-spelling-error">he</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1120" class="blsp-spelling-error">became</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1121" class="blsp-spelling-error">vegan</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1122" class="blsp-spelling-error">simply</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1123" class="blsp-spelling-error">because</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1124" class="blsp-spelling-error">he</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1125" class="blsp-spelling-error">always</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1126" class="blsp-spelling-error">wanted</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1127" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1128" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1129" class="blsp-spelling-error">doesn</span>'t <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1130" class="blsp-spelling-error">mind</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1131" class="blsp-spelling-error">if</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1132" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1133" class="blsp-spelling-error">teammates</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1134" class="blsp-spelling-error">tease</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1135" class="blsp-spelling-error">him</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1136" class="blsp-spelling-error">over</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1137" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1138" class="blsp-spelling-error">meal</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1139" class="blsp-spelling-error">choices</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1140" class="blsp-spelling-error">stating</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1141" class="blsp-spelling-error">that</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1142" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1143" class="blsp-spelling-error">new</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1144" class="blsp-spelling-error">diet</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1145" class="blsp-spelling-error">has</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1146" class="blsp-spelling-error">improved</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1147" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1148" class="blsp-spelling-error">endurance</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1149" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1150" class="blsp-spelling-error">energy</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1151" class="blsp-spelling-error">on</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1152" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1153" class="blsp-spelling-error">court</span>.<br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://www.nursingschools.net/blog/2011/03/15-famous-athletes-who-are-vegetarians/">http://www.nursingschools.net/blog/2011/03/15-famous-athletes-who-are-vegetarians/</a></div><div align="center"> </div>Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-77286573949480315942011-03-07T21:15:00.002+04:002011-03-07T22:08:28.858+04:00The best shoe might be no shoe at all.....This is an interesting article written by Chris McDougall for NYT:<br /><br />UNTIL he met a reclusive tribe of near-mythical athletes at the bottom of a Mexican canyon, Micah True could never figure out why his running injuries got worse as his running shoes got better. Then, the Tarahumara Indians taught him a lesson that even Nike is now starting to embrace: the best shoe may be no shoe at all.<br /><br />Mr. True, 53, from Nederland, Colo., wasn't the only one baffled by the injury mystery. For years kinesiology professors, physical therapists and athletic-shoe designers have been puzzling over the same paradox: if running shoe protection and cushioning have improved, why haven't injuries among joggers decreased?<br /><br />''The technological advancements over the past 30 years have been amazing,'' said Dr. Irene Davis, the director of the Running Injury Clinic at the University of Delaware. ''We've seen tremendous innovations in motion control and cushioning. And yet the remedies don't seem to defeat the ailments.''<br /><br />Since the running boom of the 70's, giants like Nike, Adidas and New Balance have rivaled Silicon Valley for speed of R. & D. rollout, releasing improved products nearly every six months. One shoe, the Adidas 1, even has microprocessors that analyze foot impact and adjust cushioning with each stride. New Balance has a motion-control shoe so finely engineered it costs $199.99.<br />Still, 65 percent to 80 percent of all runners -- joggers and elite marathoners alike -- are injured in an average year, according to Dr. Davis. Aching Achilles tendons, sore knees, inflamed arches and hobbling plantar fascia pain are as common today as they were when boot camp grunts were jogging in canvas Converse ''Chuckies.''<br /><br />''Since the first real studies were done in the late 70's, Achilles complaints have actually increased by about 10 percent, while plantar fasciitis has remained the same,'' said Dr. Stephen Pribut, the president of the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine. And so Mr. True began to wonder, does it even matter what footwear runners use? Or could protective shoes be contributing to the problems they're meant to prevent?<br /><br />Mr. True had been hampered by repeated injuries while competing in ultramarathons in the early 90's. While fighting for first place in the Leadville Trail 100 Ultramarathon, a grueling 100-mile course over steep, rocky trails, he suffered a stress fracture in his tibia. It was there that Mr. True met the Tarahumara runners, who had traveled from Mexico to win four of the top five places while wearing homemade huaraches fashioned from strips of old tires.<br /><br />Hoping to discover their secret, Mr. True followed the Tarahumara back to their canyon-bottom home. There they taught him to run lightly on the front of his foot instead of heavily on his heel. He experimented with running on his own homemade huaraches before trying the Bite running sandal, with its deft mix of ancient sparseness and modern cushioning. Eleven years have passed since Mr. True changed his technique and footwear, and even though he now regularly runs 40 miles over hazardous terrain, he has not had an injury since.<br /><br />''If my gringo feet could handle it, going barefoot would be even better,'' he said.<br />During the past decade two barefoot-style training methods for runners have been developed based on the same principle: that legs, not shoes, are the best shock absorbers. That is, you land on your forefoot, instead of your heel, and paw back.<br /><br />Dr. Nicholas Romanov, a sports physiologist in Naples, Fla., created what he calls the Pose Method, and Danny Dreyer, a running coach in San Francisco, started a program known as ChiRunning, both of which have already won legions of disciples among joggers, trainers and triathletes. Essentially these programs teach runners something they thought they knew: how to run. ''The problem is, the fancy running shoes have allowed us to develop lazy feet,'' Dr. Romanov said. Pose runners, consequently, prefer the thin-soled Puma H. Street, which is actually a casual shoe.<br /><br />Surprisingly, even Nike now sees the sense of running ''shoeless.'' Just one year after releasing its most structured shoe ever -- the Air Max 2004, with airbags and a motion-control footbridge -- the company has switched tack by offering the Nike Free 5.0, a shoe it claims will ''re-evolutionize'' running by enabling people to run as if they were barefoot. With its gauzy heel, stockinglike upper, and thin sole, the Free 5.0 looks more like a slipper than a sneaker.<br /><br />''We found pockets of people all over the globe who are still running barefoot, and what you find is that during propulsion and landing they have far more range of motion in the foot and engage more of the toe,'' said Jeff Pisciotta, the senior researcher at the Nike Sports Research Lab in Beaverton, Ore., who headed the Nike Free project. ''Their feet flex, spread, splay and grip the surface, meaning you have less pronation'' -- twisting of the foot -- ''and more distribution of pressure.''<br /><br />Their feet, in other words, get a workout with every step. Nike tested the theory by having a group of students at the German Sports University in Cologne run warm-ups for six months in the Frees. These students showed a significant increase in foot strength and flexibility compared with those who ran in their regular shoes, Mr. Pisciotta said. Presumably, he said, ''a stronger, healthier foot means less chance of injury.'' The idea for the Free was born after two Nike researchers, visiting the Stanford track team, found that their sponsored runners ran sprints barefoot. Vin Lananna, their coach, had encouraged them to take off their shoes. ''I felt that as shoes became more elaborate and intricate, the feet were getting weaker,'' said Mr. Lananna, who is now director of athletics at Oberlin College in Ohio. Mr. Lananna had always outfitted his team in Nike's cheapest and least structured shoe. The one time he experimented with Nike's best, his team was plagued by plantar fasciitis and Achilles problems. He now likes his runners to use the Frees.<br /><br />Paula Radcliffe, the world record holder in the women's marathon, also has converted to the bare-is-best philosophy. Even though the Free 4.0 will not reach the market for six months, Ms. Radcliffe, of London, has secured a few prototypes and is wearing them for a third of her 130 weekly miles. ''The deconditioned musculature of the foot is the greatest issue leading to injury,'' said Dr. Gerard Hartmann, an exercise physiologist in Limerick, Ireland, who works with Ms. Radcliffe and who was consulted by Nike on the Free's design. ''Only 2 to 3 percent of the population has real biomechanical problems, so we're basically creating new problems by treating ones that don't exist,'' he said.<br /><br />But the key to successful barefoot-style running, Dr. Hartmann stressed, is learning how. Nike, he said, has had an obligation to re-educate runners, since its technology may have contributed to sloppy mechanics. ''We have discussed expanding the instructional role,'' said Mr. Pisciotta from Nike. ''But biomechanics are so personal.'' All runners must find people who can tell them ''what can help and what can hurt.'' Dr. Davis agreed that ''just slapping special shoes on your feet won't help.'' She demonstrated by using me as a guinea pig for a series of diagnostic tests. At 43, I have five marathons to my credit and do about 40 average weekly miles. I know how to run -- or I thought I did.<br /><br />First I ran in bare feet, then in the Nike Free 5.0 and finally in Nike's most popular cushioned shoe, the Pegasus. The amount of impact, Dr. Davis found, was significantly higher during the Free and barefoot sessions. But slow-motion video replay revealed that I was landing on my heel then slapping down my forefoot. My right foot was twisting outward, while my left knee was dipping to the right. These irregularities were nearly invisible, but severe enough to aggravate my twingey Achilles.<br /><br />By learning to land on my midfoot, I could correct these problems, Dr. Davis said. But I should be careful, she warned, because tinkering with a new gait can suddenly load the heel and Achilles with unaccustomed stress and cause a whole new set of injuries. The Nike Free ''should be the first shoe sold with an instructional DVD,'' Dr. Hartmann said. ''You have to respect that this shoe can revolutionize the way people run, and no revolution comes without its casualties.''Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-11179392904257963552011-03-07T20:41:00.007+04:002011-03-07T21:02:10.654+04:00Born to Run review.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIDpIg9CWcXA4rfSSmHVe1bmIxxlQGxVzA3VS0CX8JjUR3sSUNXRzOgUA46W6Po7gSFDHfVN1hocj2w5Vp1w5zZ59Fb8tz9YeQYQrFHPCzx_T6zNTtOCG_7IAv1yd6Bp7cn-01o7SnQ/s1600/BorntoRunfinalcover_sized.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 167px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 275px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581380642419659970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIDpIg9CWcXA4rfSSmHVe1bmIxxlQGxVzA3VS0CX8JjUR3sSUNXRzOgUA46W6Po7gSFDHfVN1hocj2w5Vp1w5zZ59Fb8tz9YeQYQrFHPCzx_T6zNTtOCG_7IAv1yd6Bp7cn-01o7SnQ/s320/BorntoRunfinalcover_sized.jpg" /></a> While we were on holiday in South Africa last month I picked up a book called Born to Run by Chris McDougall. It is one of those books that has the ability to change your life, and I was honestly bummed out when I turned the last page in the book. I just did not want it to be finished! I would recommend this book to all runner out there! Below is a review by Amazon.com<br /><p align="left">Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.</p><p align="left"><br />Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practiced techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner while enjoying every mile of it. Their superhuman talent is matched by uncanny health and serenity, leaving the Tarahumara immune to the diseases and strife that plague modern existence. </p><p align="left">With the help of Caballo Blanco, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, the author was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a fifty-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of Americans, including a star ultramarathoner, a beautiful young surfer, and a barefoot wonder. With a sharp wit and wild exuberance, McDougall takes us from the high-tech science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultrarunners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to the climactic race in the Copper Canyons. Born to Run is that rare book that will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that the secret to happiness is right at your feet, and that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.</p><p align="left"><strong>Question:</strong> Born to Run explores the life and running habits of the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s Copper Canyon, arguably the greatest distance runners in the world. What are some of the secrets you learned from them?<br /><strong>Christopher McDougall:</strong> The key secret hit me like a thunderbolt. It was so simple, yet such a jolt. It was this: everything I’d been taught about running was wrong. We treat running in the modern world the same way we treat childbirth—it’s going to hurt, and requires special exercises and equipment, and the best you can hope for is to get it over with quickly with minimal damage.<br />Then I meet the Tarahumara, and they’re having a blast. They remember what it’s like to love running, and it lets them blaze through the canyons like dolphins rocketing through waves. For them, running isn’t work. It isn’t a punishment for eating. It’s fine art, like it was for our ancestors. Way before we were scratching pictures on caves or beating rhythms on hollow trees, we were perfecting the art of combining our breath and mind and muscles into fluid self-propulsion over wild terrain. And when our ancestors finally did make their first cave paintings, what were the first designs? A downward slash, lightning bolts through the bottom and middle—behold, the Running Man.<br />The Tarahumara have a saying: “Children run before they can walk.” Watch any four-year-old—they do everything at full speed, and it’s all about fun. That’s the most important thing I picked up from my time in the Copper Canyons, the understanding that running can be fast and fun and spontaneous, and when it is, you feel like you can go forever. But all of that begins with your feet. Strange as it sounds, the Tarahumara taught me to change my relationship with the ground. Instead of hammering down on my heels, the way I’d been taught all my life, I learned to run lightly and gently on the balls of my feet. The day I mastered it was the last day I was ever injured. </p><p align="left"><br /><strong>Q:</strong> You trained for your first ultramarathon—a race organized by the mysterious gringo expat Caballo Blanco between the Tarahumara and some of America’s top ultrarunners—while researching and writing this book. What was your training like?<br /><strong>CM:</strong> It really started as kind of a dare. Just by chance, I’d met an adventure-sports coach from Jackson Hole, Wyoming named Eric Orton. Eric’s specialty is tearing endurance sports down to their basic components and looking for transferable skills. He studies rock climbing to find shoulder techniques for kayakers, and applies Nordic skiing’s smooth propulsion to mountain biking. What he’s looking for are basic engineering principles, because he’s convinced that the next big leap forward in fitness won’t come from strength or technology, but plain, simple durability. With some 70% of all runners getting hurt every year, the athlete who can stay healthy and avoid injury will leave the competition behind.<br />So naturally, Eric idolized the Tarahumara. Any tribe that has 90-year-old men running across mountaintops obviously has a few training tips up its sleeve. But since Eric had never actually met the Tarahumara, he had to deduce their methods by pure reasoning. His starting point was uncertainty; he assumed that the Tarahumara step into the unknown every time they leave their caves, because they never know how fast they’ll have to sprint after a rabbit or how tricky the climbing will be if they’re caught in a storm. They never even know how long a race will be until they step up to the starting line—the distance is only determined in a last-minute bout of negotiating and could stretch anywhere from 50 miles to 200-plus.<br />Eric figured shock and awe was the best way for me to build durability and mimic Tarahumara-style running. He’d throw something new at me every day—hopping drills, lunges, mile intervals—and lots and lots of hills. There was no such thing, really, as long, slow distance—he’d have me mix lots of hill repeats and short bursts of speed into every mega-long run.<br />I didn’t think I could do it without breaking down, and I told Eric that from the start. I basically defied him to turn me into a runner. And by the end of nine months, I was cranking out four hour runs without a problem.</p><p align="left"><br /><strong>Q:</strong> You’re a six-foot four-inches tall, 200-plus pound guy—not anyone’s typical vision of a distance runner, yet you’ve completed ultra marathons and are training for more. Is there a body type for running, as many of us assume, or are all humans built to run?<br /><strong>CM:</strong> Yeah, I’m a big’un. But isn’t it sad that’s even a reasonable question? I bought into that bull for a loooong time. Why wouldn’t I? I was constantly being told by people who should know better that “some bodies aren’t designed for running.” One of the best sports medicine physicians in the country told me exactly that—that the reason I was constantly getting hurt is because I was too big to handle the impact shock from my feet hitting the ground. Just recently, I interviewed a nationally-known sports podiatrist who said, “You know, we didn’t ALL evolve to run away from saber-toothed tigers.” Meaning, what? That anyone who isn’t sleek as a Kenyan marathoner should be extinct? It’s such illogical blather—all kinds of body types exist today, so obviously they DID evolve to move quickly on their feet. It’s really awful that so many doctors are reinforcing this learned helplessness, this idea that you have to be some kind of elite being to handle such a basic, universal movement. </p><p align="left"><br /><strong>Q:</strong> If humans are born to run, as you argue, what’s your advice for a runner who is looking to make the leap from shorter road races to marathons, or marathons to ultramarathons? Is running really for everyone?<br /><strong>CM:</strong> I think ultrarunning is America’s hope for the future. Honestly. The ultrarunners have got a hold of some powerful wisdom. You can see it at the starting line of any ultra race. I showed up at the Leadville Trail 100 expecting to see a bunch of hollow-eyed Skeletors, and instead it was, “Whoah! Get a load of the hotties!” Ultra runners tend to be amazingly healthy, youthful and—believe it or not—good looking. I couldn’t figure out why, until one runner explained that throughout history, the four basic ingredients for optimal health have been clean air, good food, fresh water and low stress. And that, to a T, describes the daily life of an ultrarunner. They’re out in the woods for hours at a time, breathing pine-scented breezes, eating small bursts of digestible food, downing water by the gallons, and feeling their stress melt away with the miles. But here’s the real key to that kingdom: you have to relax and enjoy the run. No one cares how fast you run 50 miles, so ultrarunners don’t really stress about times. They’re out to enjoy the run and finish strong, not shave a few inconsequential seconds off a personal best. And that’s the best way to transition up to big mileage races: as coach Eric told me, “If it feels like work, you’re working too hard.” </p><p align="left"><br /><strong>Q:</strong> You write that distance running is the great equalizer of age and gender. Can you explain?<br /><strong>CM:</strong> Okay, I’ll answer that question with a question: Starting at age nineteen, runners get faster every year until they hit their peak at twenty-seven. After twenty-seven, they start to decline. So if it takes you eight years to reach your peak, how many years does it take for you to regress back to the same speed you were running at nineteen?<br />Go ahead, guess all you want. No one I’ve asked has ever come close. It’s in the book, so I won’t give it away, but I guarantee when you hear the answer, you’ll say, “No way. THAT old?” Now, factor in this: ultra races are the only sport in the world in which women can go toe-to-toe with men and hand them their heads. Ann Trason and Krissy Moehl often beat every man in the field in some ultraraces, while Emily Baer recently finished in the Top 10 at the Hardrock 100 while stopping to breastfeed her baby at the water stations.<br />So how’s that possible? According to a new body of research, it’s because humans are the greatest distance runners on earth. We may not be fast, but we’re born with such remarkable natural endurance that humans are fully capable of outrunning horses, cheetahs and antelopes. That’s because we once hunted in packs and on foot; all of us, men and women alike, young and old together. </p><p align="left"><br /><strong>Q:</strong> One of the fascinating parts of Born to Run is your report on how the ultrarunners eat—salad for breakfast, wraps with hummus mid-run, or pizza and beer the night before a run. As a runner with a lot of miles behind him, what are your thoughts on nutrition for running?<br /><strong>CM:</strong> Live every day like you’re on the lam. If you’ve got to be ready to pick up and haul butt at a moment’s notice, you’re not going to be loading up on gut-busting meals. I thought I’d have to go on some kind of prison-camp diet to get ready for an ultra, but the best advice I got came from coach Eric, who told me to just worry about the running and the eating would take care of itself. And he was right, sort of. I instinctively began eating smaller, more digestible meals as my miles increased, but then I went behind his back and consulted with the great Dr. Ruth Heidrich, an Ironman triathlete who lives on a vegan diet. She’s the one who gave me the idea of having salad for breakfast, and it’s a fantastic tip. The truth is, many of the greatest endurance athletes of all time lived on fruits and vegetables. You can get away with garbage for a while, but you pay for it in the long haul. In the book, I describe how Jenn Shelton and Billy “Bonehead” Barnett like to chow pizza and Mountain Dew in the middle of 100-mile races, but Jenn is also a vegetarian who most days lives on veggie burgers and grapes. </p><p align="left"><br /><strong>Q:</strong> In this difficult financial time, we’re experiencing yet another surge in the popularity of running. Can you explain this?<br /><strong>CM:</strong> When things look worst, we run the most. Three times, America has seen distance-running skyrocket and it’s always in the midst of a national crisis. The first boom came during the Great Depression; the next was in the ‘70s, when we were struggling to recover from a recession, race riots, assassinations, a criminal President and an awful war. And the third boom? One year after the Sept. 11 attacks, trailrunning suddenly became the fastest-growing outdoor sport in the country. I think there’s a trigger in the human psyche that activates our first and greatest survival skill whenever we see the shadow of approaching raptors.</p>Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-74053467748547284882011-03-07T20:29:00.002+04:002011-03-07T20:37:39.963+04:00Two Oceans and ComradesI have been considering running the 2 Oceans as a prep race for the Comrades Marathon in May, but everyone I talked to who has a bit of running savvy advised against it. Some believe that as novice Comrades runner I need to be on the Comrades starting line with a fresh as possible pair legs. Running the 2 Oceans combined with all the traveling will not give me enough recovery time as the two races are only a month apart. I am a bit bummed out as I would have like to run in the Cape, will have to try and fit it into the calender for 2012!Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-76305791131072968992011-03-07T19:33:00.001+04:002011-03-07T19:41:22.640+04:00My running hero!<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/goZNN8h6M6E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-91503827991612360372011-03-06T15:46:00.000+04:002011-03-06T15:47:16.649+04:00Born to RunI have just finished the book; Born to Run by Chris McDougal. I would recommend it this to all runners as it would change the way you look at running completely. Here is a video on the Tarahumara who is featured in McDougal's book and looks at barefoot running vs running with traditional running shoes. You decide which one is best! <br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FnwIKZhrdt4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-25266290507294858792011-03-06T14:50:00.005+04:002011-03-06T15:40:00.393+04:00Back to our roots.... Vibram 5fingers<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The concept of Less is more; is very fitting,no pun intended, for the lastest edition to the Vibram FiveFinger shoe family. For some reason the fivefingers massively appeals to me, and I think it is because I am pretty much a barefoot rebel. Even as a child I use to get the shoes of my feet as soon as I can after school and church. Working as a part time lifeguard also gave me the opportunity to work barefoot as much I like. Over the last year or two there has been a massive push from the barefoot community to promote barefoot/minimalist running and this has been getting a lot of attention from running magazines, running shoe companies and runners to discuss and figure out if barefoot running is really that good for you and if modern shoes are in fact doing more harm than good. I think I have found my answer to that question....</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzLn62CVtt5iFmTGjUg5RTYWd5vZCBN8ajm-GQ9o9WZ0teKSAhRZ81abiy5WtkbfTg5WCqD0jouHYOzJQ0We_gYGikvqCNJMhd-QL83gInWq9mz5ssVWAViBQrujdoI96IHXO6pFp0g/s1600/vibram-fivefingers-bikila-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzLn62CVtt5iFmTGjUg5RTYWd5vZCBN8ajm-GQ9o9WZ0teKSAhRZ81abiy5WtkbfTg5WCqD0jouHYOzJQ0We_gYGikvqCNJMhd-QL83gInWq9mz5ssVWAViBQrujdoI96IHXO6pFp0g/s320/vibram-fivefingers-bikila-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580918055811703378" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;">A couple of months back my mate in Australia send me a pair of the Vibram KSO Fivefingers and I loved it from the word go. First thing when you put them on is realize how happy your feet feels inside the Vibrams. It is very much like being barefoot, except for the thin layer of rubber protecting your feet from sharp objects. I did a few runs with the KSO and started increasing my running distance slowly to help my feet adjust to the new way of running. Yes, I did say new way of running! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">With traditional running shoes we are told that the heel strike is the most efficient way of running as we land "softly" on our heel, and words like support and softer impact is used to sell the lastest technology in running shoes. I have been fooled in the past by this believing more support and softer cushioning is the answer to running better, while picking up injuries along the way and trying to find the next shoe to counter the new problem. From sore feet and cramps, shin splints and tender ankles, I have tried pretty much every running shoe brand out there, spending thousands of $ along the way to find the perfect pair. And dont get me wrong, I have had some shoes that I really liked, like the Brooks Ghosts to name one. I liked them so much, I even bought a second pair should Brooks discontinue the Ghost series. But looking back now I wish I discovered barefoot running earlier in my life and did not get sucked into cleaver marketing campaigns to help running shoe companies make millions out of runners who does not know any better. Then one day, on a whim, I went out for a 6k barefoot run.......................................................and like they say, the rest was history.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">While we were in South Africa I managed to pick up a pair of Bikila Fivefingers and decided to take them out for a run the same day. I want to take them off road first, as you need to be careful when transitioning from traditional running shoes to Vibrams. I ran up the side of Table Mountian, the area overlooking Camps Bay, and as soon as I got onto the trail I realized just how special the Bikila's really are. You have minimum support and the shoe promotes forefoot striking, keeping you light on your feet while skipping over rocks along the trails. I'm a massive fan of the fivefingers now, I managed a 38 minute 8km time trail on Saturday and felt really good. This is not a shoe that I would run more than 20km at the moment, as my legs are still adjusting to the Bikilas. For the Comrades I will run with my Newtons, also a neutral shoe that promotes forefoot striking, but more about that later.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div><div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjci33Wda_ASaIT_Esyz6c1G5Xu9i6EnAOCxsnbFLUOSEYZlXdwF_8rdy9htOu9I-PfigmP8ZSn9wvpoGLJuEAbtqxfbaXlgMHfntRtPn_M6hgc_AnEYHt8GEbvaK6WzjnUpROPLX0sjA/s1600/vibram-fivefingers-bikila-2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjci33Wda_ASaIT_Esyz6c1G5Xu9i6EnAOCxsnbFLUOSEYZlXdwF_8rdy9htOu9I-PfigmP8ZSn9wvpoGLJuEAbtqxfbaXlgMHfntRtPn_M6hgc_AnEYHt8GEbvaK6WzjnUpROPLX0sjA/s320/vibram-fivefingers-bikila-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580917965878926450" /></a><br /></div><div>This is the new Bikila's and the Vibram description of the shoe:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(119, 119, 119); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; ">Built on an entirely new platform, the Fivefingers Bikila encourages a more natural and efficient forefoot strike. This Vibram running shoe features a Dri-Lex covered 3mm polyurethane insole, which is thickest under the ball, to provide excellent plating protection. Below the Bikila, a 4mm anatomical pod outsole helps distribute impact without hindering ground feedback that’s essential to a proper running form. The single hook and loop closure secures your foot within the Bikila as you sprint down your favorite path. A more athletic padded collar and topline finish out the running shoe performance and style. With reflective material on the strap and heel, you stay more visible in low light situations. Hit the road in the Mens Vibram Fivefingers Bikila.</span></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52ftcK_-A56uJ5hLn_U_2WtTElNsEEe5qO6BxFuZhyxFj2K58OVhJDzGWQP9x78w08gxGbFQ5kBGXCatY3SzbQBCLhOw5x9o_mCG_90ItjAushYbV2XSk3dvCw-uFMvrAaLiY0N04OA/s1600/vibram-fivefingers-bikila-5.jpg"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52ftcK_-A56uJ5hLn_U_2WtTElNsEEe5qO6BxFuZhyxFj2K58OVhJDzGWQP9x78w08gxGbFQ5kBGXCatY3SzbQBCLhOw5x9o_mCG_90ItjAushYbV2XSk3dvCw-uFMvrAaLiY0N04OA/s320/vibram-fivefingers-bikila-5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580917850248330546" /></a><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div>Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-89568066068743673782011-03-06T14:32:00.002+04:002011-03-06T14:43:11.110+04:00Less than 3 months to Comrades 2011<div><br /></div>I have been a bit slack with updating the blog and I will now make sure I update the blog as much as possible. After the Dubai Marathon I decided to take a little break from running as it can get a bit much after the MDS and Comrades lurking. I managed to qualify for the Comrades, goal 1 for 2011 achieved, next was to go to SA and enjoy a 2 week holiday. Any running I did while on holiday was purely for pleasure and not for Comrades.<div><br /></div><div>A of the 1 March 2011 I picked up the Comrades training again with 3 months before the big day. First bit of bad news is that my Comrades running partner, Haydn Holmes is out with a bad ankle that will not heal in time to give Haydn enough time to prepare for the race in May. I am pretty bummed out as I am sure the Comrades with have been a big stoke for Holmsy to finish, but I suppose there is always next year. Hope you recover quickly Hayd's and get back on the road soon brother.</div><div><br /></div><div>In posts to follow I 'll talk about my new NEwton running shoes, Vibram 5finger Bikila's, and the running bible, Born to Run.</div><div><br /></div><div>I will leave you with a bit of inspiration for 2011!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jnqpYKx8Fvk" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div><br /></div>Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-9652300997313513532011-01-23T21:11:00.001+04:002011-01-23T21:15:23.814+04:00The Dubai Marathon by adamduplooymds at Garmin Connect - Details<div><br /></div><a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/64379268?sms_ss=blogger&at_xt=4d3c6143d14d4c64%2C0">The world most boring race! The Dubai Marathon by adamduplooymds at Garmin Connect - Details</a>Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-13641842921105598442011-01-20T11:31:00.003+04:002011-01-20T12:09:12.386+04:00The Dubai Marathon 2011 is here!The time has finally arrived to start my 2011 running campaign for Autism and Cancer awareness. I will be running the 2011 Dubai Marathon as my qualifying run for the Comrades Marathon which will take place in May. I am running with a good friend, Haydn Holmes, and this will be his first marathon, also attempting to qualify for Comrades 2011! This will be my big run for the year and in between the Dubai Marathon and Comrades Marathon I will also run the 2 Oceans Marathon in South Africa. I am hoping to run in a few other races and will confirm this as we move forward.<br /><br />Tomorrow`s marathon is also special as I will be on the road with two of my Marathon des Sables tent buddies, Jimmy Mac and Denis TB Conroy. Looking forward catching up with the boys over a few cold beers after the race. Denis will head back into the Moroccan desert in April to run the 2011 MDS! Good luck with that! I would also like to wish another good friend, Mariana Marxie Marx, good luck with her 42km run. Mariana has been racing all over the place in Triathlons and cycling races, so I am expecting her to wax the run tomorrow. As for myself and Haydn, we just need to focus on the 4h45min time goal we set as the Comrades qualifying time is 5hours. <br /><p> </p><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 175px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564174415244509874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZAfgvRXoJtnECUXhhCXERBPhcDgDuIrgi8Pzo8bwt_BTEHHhnT3y6-KaRWfXsJdfzgAcfsNIccjeTumQLJyiQuH9iIhDyJjGYbtaNQS5KFWsABrvhS99bxduQaup1MbW6Ghn1lS2lww/s320/hailenew_22012010.jpg" />My goal is to raise awareness for Autism and funds for the Ernie Els Autism Foundation. Please feel to make a contribution to my effort and forward this on to all yorur friends and family and help me reach my target of USD 10 000. </p><p align="center"><a href="http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/adam-duplooy/adamduplooy4autism">http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/adam-duplooy/adamduplooy4autism</a><br />I am hoping there will be at least 5 donations made by the end of my run tomorrow! Show your generousity please and help with the fight against autism!!</p><p align="center"> </p>Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-41983994224507699772011-01-07T08:18:00.007+04:002011-01-07T08:29:30.793+04:00Smile, Breathe, and Go Slowly by Dave CarterI found Dave Carter on Facebook and he is a very inspirational runner, he is an Ultra distance athlete with a great passion for life. Below is a facebook post that I would like to share with you:<br /><br /><br />During this past year or so I have been on quite the path of discovery. One of the discoveries I made is that I do not like clutter and I do not need stuff! Well, maybe some running stuff. But that is about it. Through all of my Zen ramblings and reading I kept coming up against these minimalist challenges. People who aspired to reduce their belongings to number 100 or less. Some are more hardcore than others. Some have enough corollaries that it starts to defeat the purpose. Just the other day I started thinking about further reducing my clutter. I run pretty lean, but there is always room for improvement. I did a quick Google search and came up with this site: <a title="http://www.zenhabits.net/" onmousedown="'UntrustedLink.bootstrap($(this)," href="http://www.zenhabits.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.zenhabits.net/</a> This is a site written by Leo Babauta. He has well over a 1000 posts that he has compiled since 2007. I do not know much about Leo’s background at this point and I have only read 4-5 of his posts. I have seen enough to know that I will really enjoy exploring what is below the surface of the tip of this iceberg. An impactful, but simple affirmation he quoted by the 14th Dalai Lama extracted some great musing by me last night. So I am going to continue to peel back the layers of the road he has already hoed and filter some great topics with my usual twist on life, running, etc.<br /><br />The tagline on the main page of his blog of course was Smile, Breathe, and Go Slowly. Props to Leo for capturing the essence of 1,000 posts with 5 simple words. So I figure this was a great place to start.<br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 190px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 265px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559294848845539666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySkKTLd2G3ANqIiCNmPgGnTZ4x4VEr4WLEY_EJ__4wFae3MmCYLomD4kslrnjtTQ8cdIhvnDHWr3uyLdslUNjB02UojZdVWdohNQ_q8pr2TiB3H0QIakRvQSBJ0L1MApDgix-wdskqg/s320/buddy+the+elf.jpg" /><strong>Smile:</strong> We all have heard how it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile. Like Buddy the Elf says: “Smiling is my favorite!” A great smile is contagious. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you. I believe the same is true of a smile. Such a simple way to greet a loved one, friend, or complete stranger. This is a very powerful non-verbal. It sets the tone for the entire interaction. I know we all sometimes forget to smile. Sometimes I will purposefully remind myself to smile. When I run Ultramarathons is the perfect example. We all know that running 100 miles straight is going to be painful and uncomfortable, but it is up to me if I am going to be miserable. There always comes a moment when things get the worst out on the course. It is usually when I am alone, cold, and in the dark in the middle of the wilderness somewhere. Everything hurts on some level and sometimes there are very painful and difficult situations to overcome. This is the place I am always trying to push myself. This is the penultimate moment I knew was going to occur when I signed up. It is the moment I will have to overcome if I am to be successful on that day. This is what I came here for! One trick I have taught myself is when I catch myself at that moment of complete misery, when I think it cannot get any worse, and I want to quit, I simply remind myself to SMILE. I do this very purposefully. I actually relish the moment when I have pushed myself that far out there. It is an amazing feeling that is very hard to describe that overcomes me. I can feel it spread across my body and feel my energy levels rise and the pain subside a bit as I break into the biggest grin I can muster. Sometimes I even laugh out loud. A deep from-the-gut blast that reverberates across the woods. (Does a Dave Laugh make a sound if no one is there to hear it?) So remember, when things get tough, just the simple act of smiling can make a difference. If nothing else people will wonder what you are up to?<br /><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Breathe:</strong> Awaking each morning and being able to live and breathe is a gift! Breathe deeply. Savor it. It is relaxing. Cleansing. In a tough situation it can give you a moment to do a reset on your entire perspective. Breathing and taking things in is closely tied to being able to have stillness in your life. Stillness and quiet where you can remove yourself from the crazy chaos of your day for just a moment to breathe deeply and purposefully. Many times when out on the trail for hours on end I find myself focusing within to the pattern and flow of my breath. This usually happens when I am running solo. I become completely present in that moment on the trail. All the white noise thoughts that we normally have dashing and darting around in our head go quiet. It is just me with my breath in my lungs and my feet on the trail. Truly transcendental. Way better than any runner’s high I have ever had. Breathing and being still is all about being present. I know I just described being “still” while I run. I am talking about creating a quiet mind. These are the moments when it all melts away. Eventually you reconnect with the rest of the chaos around you, but amazingly, many times you solved a problem or gained a new perspective without even realizing it. Breathe and be still. It is as basic as things get.<br /><br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 103px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559294766255216994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQhv3CLNHpvrfn-nT6CSRw-F70TtE1kIcAAikr4Z6uNuoFwKfYBr6nmpSEGMy2Wh4pufWZYT2VAkT8Tfp_lHr_6rnR31T8az1HauzFrp1UUIx2P319Ppu59wNwCsQYAzokcgwjfMphg/s320/deathvalleysky_nps.jpg" /><br /><strong>Go Slowly:</strong> One of my favorite quotes I always see posted on the trail at ultrarunning events is this: “Go out slowly and then taper off.” I also like to remind myself to take the time to enjoy my settings. Don’t be in such a hurry to run 100 miles that you don’t see the hawk soaring above or to stop at the top of a great overlook and take in a great vista. One of the things I love about trail races is that they are usually in very remote locations well away from city lights where you can actually see more than about 20 stars. How about the Milky Way from horizon to horizon?! When I was in Death Valley last summer I could not take my eyes of the sky. It was incredible. One time I counted 7 shooting stars just in the time I was looking at the sky while I was peeing! So, I always make sure to make myself stop and stargaze during the overnight portion of a 100-mile race. Even if it is for just 2 minutes. It makes me feel small and insignificant as I stand there under a billion points of light, most of which do not even exist anymore. Yet here I am. All the sudden I now feel large as well. Like Uncle Walt said: “I am immense, I contain multitudes.”<br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559294626082204898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic48sZ_1nHttr6wUkL7nPzXQs4uSEx3ncRwd-9ryrlGGblHRkRa4fBjmP-EFRIO9ObWhcekifgrPgdFUi6ja29uul7pzYG4afSZcoYdoNy1zif2lETpqrOAiP1jfvCpK3arPGLZXOyPQ/s320/frosty.jpg" /><br />Another great example: I was driving to the airport to go to Badwater in Death Valley last summer. Bags packed and everything. As I am driving down the road I see this guy on the shoulder of the highway riding a bike. He had on a bright green vest and had several of those long yellow flags on the bike sticking out at various angles. He is pretty loaded down with gear and bags and there is a cardboard sign affixed to the rear. At 70 mph I somehow make it out: “Coast to Coast”. I think cool. Some adventure he is on! So I decide to stop and talk to him. I pull over and let him catch up to me. I have a bike rack on my car and I take a very relaxed posture so he does not think I am some crazy. He rolls up with a big grin on his face. I guess this happens to him with some regularity. We trade intros and I start peppering him with questions. Turns out he was on his 7th crossing of the US on a bicycle. In addition to that he has cylcled across most of 5 other continents. Forrest Woolridge was his name. He goes by Frosty. Duh! We stood on the side of the road and talked for almost an hour with tractor trailer’s whizzing by. He was one of the most interesting people I have ever met in my entire life. FYI. He left San Francisco in June and was hoping to make Washington D.C by September 1st. His route took him through Death Valley about a month before we met. Slow down and remember to take things in. You miss a lot at 70 mph all the time.<br /><br /><br />Another aspect of Going Slowly has to do with being “busy”. As a society we over-commit. At work and in the course of our personal lives we tell ourselves we have to do more , more, more! Every little bit of time gets used up by some actions or activity. As a result, our days become very harried and we lose control of our own time because we have so much to do. Oh no! What if we do not get THAT done? Lao Tzu, father of Taoism, said: “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” We create so many self-imposed tasks that are completely unnecessary and irrelevant. We try and pack as much as we can into one day. This results in us completely frazzled trying to get ready and whiz off to the next occurrence. Whatever THAT might be! Give yourself a cushion on time so you do not have to eat while standing at the counter while yelling at the kids to get their stuff together to run out the door to practice after being at school all day and you have been at work and up since 6:00 without a moment to yourself, but if you can just keep going and get through dinner (fast food in the car) and homework and baths and the kids to bed you might have 5 minutes to yourself before you pass out. BLAH BLAH BLAH! That was the worst run-on sentence in the history of ever. That is what most people’s lives have become: A big run-on sentence of what? Simplify. Take time to disconnect from media. The iPhonePadTouchPodamajobbers can be set aside for a while. I am guilty. TimeSuck, I mean Facebook. I have said too much.<br /><br />Smile.<br />Breathe.<br />Now go slowly my friends.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559294488555436994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgl7pwOoCne8ov2b2tmSG159OvOBlt_fsYOdZ7qHGGHQvGpQx7BOW9WjelKVzrT8o0B3vSOJd8G9W1QWFuZ9qU_HIwZ4fmQG23saZA0y5rms2YMWG4-cnaoTPvNtZ1tDE4SOct9FT0A/s320/DPP_1231.JPG" /><br /><br /><p> </p>Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-51778716221966817602011-01-07T07:55:00.006+04:002011-01-07T08:15:49.843+04:00Denis Conroy`s Blog<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicqI2-IgHHM7_1hi2dGRzQ4OzlkDktGp043-8ZsgeeTY9dD9em0Gg6QQVfGRPyNhbeyI21BP4m0Cs6F1mvrLiwdH4AJQRTYgqN90fIrDTKHzxanMisj9NcPxg4OH4eTYE4sgEgjrWW-g/s1600/I-Phone-Piccies-017.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 238px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559292631633419074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicqI2-IgHHM7_1hi2dGRzQ4OzlkDktGp043-8ZsgeeTY9dD9em0Gg6QQVfGRPyNhbeyI21BP4m0Cs6F1mvrLiwdH4AJQRTYgqN90fIrDTKHzxanMisj9NcPxg4OH4eTYE4sgEgjrWW-g/s320/I-Phone-Piccies-017.jpg" /></a><br />I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">met</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Denis</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">last</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">year</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">at</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">MDS</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Morocco</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">You</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">always</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">hear</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">that</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">people</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">you</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-error">meet</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-error">at</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" class="blsp-spelling-error">MDS</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_20" class="blsp-spelling-error">will</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" class="blsp-spelling-error">be</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_22" class="blsp-spelling-error">your</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_23" class="blsp-spelling-error">friends</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_24" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_25" class="blsp-spelling-error">life</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_26" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_27" class="blsp-spelling-error">Denis</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_28" class="blsp-spelling-error">is</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_29" class="blsp-spelling-error">fine</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_30" class="blsp-spelling-error">example</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_31" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_32" class="blsp-spelling-error">this</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_33" class="blsp-spelling-error">When</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_34" class="blsp-spelling-error">we</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_35" class="blsp-spelling-error">arrived</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_36" class="blsp-spelling-error">at</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_37" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_38" class="blsp-spelling-error">first</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_39" class="blsp-spelling-error">Bivouac</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_40" class="blsp-spelling-error">we</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_41" class="blsp-spelling-error">walked</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_42" class="blsp-spelling-error">around</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_43" class="blsp-spelling-error">looking</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_44" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_45" class="blsp-spelling-error">tent</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_46" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_47" class="blsp-spelling-error">found</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_48" class="blsp-spelling-error">Denis</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_49" class="blsp-spelling-error">sitting</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_50" class="blsp-spelling-error">alone</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_51" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_52" class="blsp-spelling-error">tent</span> 124b <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_53" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_54" class="blsp-spelling-error">asked</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_55" class="blsp-spelling-error">if</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_56" class="blsp-spelling-error">we</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_57" class="blsp-spelling-error">could</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_58" class="blsp-spelling-error">pull</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_59" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_60" class="blsp-spelling-error">We</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_61" class="blsp-spelling-error">all</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_62" class="blsp-spelling-error">hit</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_63" class="blsp-spelling-error">it</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_64" class="blsp-spelling-error">off</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_65" class="blsp-spelling-error">right</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_66" class="blsp-spelling-error">away</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_67" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_68" class="blsp-spelling-error">friendship</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_69" class="blsp-spelling-error">was</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_70" class="blsp-spelling-error">born</span>.<br /><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_71" class="blsp-spelling-error">On</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_72" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_73" class="blsp-spelling-error">double</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_74" class="blsp-spelling-error">marathon</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_75" class="blsp-spelling-error">stage</span> I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_76" class="blsp-spelling-error">had</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_77" class="blsp-spelling-error">really</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_78" class="blsp-spelling-error">hard</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_79" class="blsp-spelling-error">time</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_80" class="blsp-spelling-error">getting</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_81" class="blsp-spelling-error">through</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_82" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> 82<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_83" class="blsp-spelling-error">km</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_84" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_85" class="blsp-spelling-error">after</span> 33 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_86" class="blsp-spelling-error">hours</span> I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_87" class="blsp-spelling-error">could</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_88" class="blsp-spelling-error">finally</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_89" class="blsp-spelling-error">see</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_90" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_91" class="blsp-spelling-error">Bivouac</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_92" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_93" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_94" class="blsp-spelling-error">distance</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_95" class="blsp-spelling-error">Most</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_96" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_97" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_98" class="blsp-spelling-error">runners</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_99" class="blsp-spelling-error">have</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_100" class="blsp-spelling-error">been</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_101" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_102" class="blsp-spelling-error">camp</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_103" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_104" class="blsp-spelling-error">about</span> 10-12 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_105" class="blsp-spelling-error">hours</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_106" class="blsp-spelling-error">before</span> I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_107" class="blsp-spelling-error">arrived</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_108" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_109" class="blsp-spelling-error">my</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_110" class="blsp-spelling-error">tent</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_111" class="blsp-spelling-error">mates</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_112" class="blsp-spelling-error">thought</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_113" class="blsp-spelling-error">that</span> I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_114" class="blsp-spelling-error">must</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_115" class="blsp-spelling-error">have</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_116" class="blsp-spelling-error">dropped</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_117" class="blsp-spelling-error">out</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_118" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_119" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_120" class="blsp-spelling-error">race</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_121" class="blsp-spelling-error">due</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_122" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_123" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_124" class="blsp-spelling-error">state</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_125" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_126" class="blsp-spelling-error">my</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_127" class="blsp-spelling-error">feet</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_128" class="blsp-spelling-error">as</span> I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_129" class="blsp-spelling-error">had</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_130" class="blsp-spelling-error">some</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_131" class="blsp-spelling-error">serious</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_132" class="blsp-spelling-error">blisters</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_133" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_134" class="blsp-spelling-error">infection</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_135" class="blsp-spelling-error">going</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_136" class="blsp-spelling-error">on</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_137" class="blsp-spelling-error">Not</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_138" class="blsp-spelling-error">Denis</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_139" class="blsp-spelling-error">he</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_140" class="blsp-spelling-error">went</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_141" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_142" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_143" class="blsp-spelling-error">admin</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_144" class="blsp-spelling-error">table</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_145" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_146" class="blsp-spelling-error">check</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_147" class="blsp-spelling-error">if</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_148" class="blsp-spelling-error">they</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_149" class="blsp-spelling-error">have</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_150" class="blsp-spelling-error">my</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_151" class="blsp-spelling-error">name</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_152" class="blsp-spelling-error">down</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_153" class="blsp-spelling-error">as</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_154" class="blsp-spelling-error">DNF</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_155" class="blsp-spelling-error">however</span>, I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_156" class="blsp-spelling-error">was</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_157" class="blsp-spelling-error">still</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_158" class="blsp-spelling-error">out</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_159" class="blsp-spelling-error">there</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_160" class="blsp-spelling-error">heading</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_161" class="blsp-spelling-error">back</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_162" class="blsp-spelling-error">towards</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_163" class="blsp-spelling-error">camp</span>, 1 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_164" class="blsp-spelling-error">slow</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_165" class="blsp-spelling-error">step</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_166" class="blsp-spelling-error">at</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_167" class="blsp-spelling-error">time</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_168" class="blsp-spelling-error">As</span> I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_169" class="blsp-spelling-error">got</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_170" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_171" class="blsp-spelling-error">within</span> 2<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_172" class="blsp-spelling-error">km</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_173" class="blsp-spelling-error">or</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_174" class="blsp-spelling-error">so</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_175" class="blsp-spelling-error">from</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_176" class="blsp-spelling-error">camp</span> I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_177" class="blsp-spelling-error">spotted</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_178" class="blsp-spelling-error">lone</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_179" class="blsp-spelling-error">figure</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_180" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_181" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_182" class="blsp-spelling-error">distance</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_183" class="blsp-spelling-error">walking</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_184" class="blsp-spelling-error">towards</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_185" class="blsp-spelling-error">me</span>, I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_186" class="blsp-spelling-error">when</span> I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_187" class="blsp-spelling-error">realized</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_188" class="blsp-spelling-error">it</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_189" class="blsp-spelling-error">was</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_190" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_191" class="blsp-spelling-error">mad</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_192" class="blsp-spelling-error">Irishman</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_193" class="blsp-spelling-error">Denis</span> I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_194" class="blsp-spelling-error">could</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_195" class="blsp-spelling-error">not</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_196" class="blsp-spelling-error">believe</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_197" class="blsp-spelling-error">my</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_198" class="blsp-spelling-error">eyes</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_199" class="blsp-spelling-error">Denis</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_200" class="blsp-spelling-error">got</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_201" class="blsp-spelling-error">permission</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_202" class="blsp-spelling-error">from</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_203" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_204" class="blsp-spelling-error">organisers</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_205" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_206" class="blsp-spelling-error">walk</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_207" class="blsp-spelling-error">me</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_208" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_209" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_210" class="blsp-spelling-error">last</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_211" class="blsp-spelling-error">couple</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_212" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_213" class="blsp-spelling-error">km</span>`s <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_214" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_215" class="blsp-spelling-error">that</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_216" class="blsp-spelling-error">lifted</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_217" class="blsp-spelling-error">my</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_218" class="blsp-spelling-error">spirt</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_219" class="blsp-spelling-error">so</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_220" class="blsp-spelling-error">much</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_221" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_222" class="blsp-spelling-error">believe</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_223" class="blsp-spelling-error">that</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_224" class="blsp-spelling-error">act</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_225" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_226" class="blsp-spelling-error">kindness</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_227" class="blsp-spelling-error">did</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_228" class="blsp-spelling-error">lot</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_229" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_230" class="blsp-spelling-error">get</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_231" class="blsp-spelling-error">me</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_232" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_233" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_234" class="blsp-spelling-error">eventual</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_235" class="blsp-spelling-error">finishing</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_236" class="blsp-spelling-error">line</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_237" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_238" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_239" class="blsp-spelling-error">MDS</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_240" class="blsp-spelling-error">You</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_241" class="blsp-spelling-error">don</span>`t <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_242" class="blsp-spelling-error">meet</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_243" class="blsp-spelling-error">people</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_244" class="blsp-spelling-error">like</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_245" class="blsp-spelling-error">Denis</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_246" class="blsp-spelling-error">everyday</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_247" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_248" class="blsp-spelling-error">am</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_249" class="blsp-spelling-error">stoked</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_250" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_251" class="blsp-spelling-error">be</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_252" class="blsp-spelling-error">able</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_253" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_254" class="blsp-spelling-error">call</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_255" class="blsp-spelling-error">him</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_256" class="blsp-spelling-error">friend</span>!<br /><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_257" class="blsp-spelling-error">In</span> 2011 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_258" class="blsp-spelling-error">Denis</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_259" class="blsp-spelling-error">will</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_260" class="blsp-spelling-error">have</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_261" class="blsp-spelling-error">another</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_262" class="blsp-spelling-error">crack</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_263" class="blsp-spelling-error">at</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_264" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_265" class="blsp-spelling-error">Marathon</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_266" class="blsp-spelling-error">des</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_267" class="blsp-spelling-error">Sables</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_268" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_269" class="blsp-spelling-error">attempt</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_270" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_271" class="blsp-spelling-error">put</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_272" class="blsp-spelling-error">some</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_273" class="blsp-spelling-error">demons</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_274" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_275" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> 2010 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_276" class="blsp-spelling-error">MDS</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_277" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_278" class="blsp-spelling-error">rest</span>. I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_279" class="blsp-spelling-error">know</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_280" class="blsp-spelling-error">you</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_281" class="blsp-spelling-error">can</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_282" class="blsp-spelling-error">do</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_283" class="blsp-spelling-error">it</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_284" class="blsp-spelling-error">buddy</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_285" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_286" class="blsp-spelling-error">use</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_287" class="blsp-spelling-error">my</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_288" class="blsp-spelling-error">motto</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_289" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> 2010....<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_290" class="blsp-spelling-error">Never</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_291" class="blsp-spelling-error">Never</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_292" class="blsp-spelling-error">Never</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_293" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ever</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_294" class="blsp-spelling-error">Quit</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_295" class="blsp-spelling-error">One</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_296" class="blsp-spelling-error">mile</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_297" class="blsp-spelling-error">at</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_298" class="blsp-spelling-error">time</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_299" class="blsp-spelling-error">Below</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_300" class="blsp-spelling-error">is</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_301" class="blsp-spelling-error">link</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_302" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_303" class="blsp-spelling-error">Denis</span>`s blog, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_304" class="blsp-spelling-error">have</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_305" class="blsp-spelling-error">look</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_306" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_307" class="blsp-spelling-error">support</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_308" class="blsp-spelling-error">Denis</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_309" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_310" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_311" class="blsp-spelling-error">quest</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_312" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_313" class="blsp-spelling-error">conquer</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_314" class="blsp-spelling-error">MDS</span> 2011.<br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://www.ayearontherun.com/">http://www.ayearontherun.com/</a></div><div align="center"> </div>Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097990026573371593.post-88709879905076158372011-01-07T07:45:00.003+04:002011-01-07T07:53:08.298+04:00First Run of 2011 in the bag!<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Towards</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">last</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">couple</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">days</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> 2010 I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">made</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">my</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">new</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">year</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">running</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">resolutions</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">first</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">have</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-error">fitness</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-error">assessment</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" class="blsp-spelling-error">done</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_20" class="blsp-spelling-error">be</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" class="blsp-spelling-error">able</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_22" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_23" class="blsp-spelling-error">track</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_24" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_25" class="blsp-spelling-error">monitor</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_26" class="blsp-spelling-error">my</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_27" class="blsp-spelling-error">progress</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_28" class="blsp-spelling-error">as</span> I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_29" class="blsp-spelling-error">prepare</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_30" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_31" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_32" class="blsp-spelling-error">Comrades</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_33" class="blsp-spelling-error">However</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_34" class="blsp-spelling-error">my</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_35" class="blsp-spelling-error">body</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_36" class="blsp-spelling-error">had</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_37" class="blsp-spelling-error">other</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_38" class="blsp-spelling-error">plans</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_39" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_40" class="blsp-spelling-error">me</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_41" class="blsp-spelling-error">from</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_42" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> 1<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_43" class="blsp-spelling-error">st</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_44" class="blsp-spelling-error">January</span> 2011 I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_45" class="blsp-spelling-error">was</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_46" class="blsp-spelling-error">struck</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_47" class="blsp-spelling-error">down</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_48" class="blsp-spelling-error">with</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_49" class="blsp-spelling-error">manflu</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_50" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_51" class="blsp-spelling-error">note</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_52" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_53" class="blsp-spelling-error">it</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_54" class="blsp-spelling-error">took</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_55" class="blsp-spelling-error">me</span> 6 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_56" class="blsp-spelling-error">days</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_57" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_58" class="blsp-spelling-error">get</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_59" class="blsp-spelling-error">rid</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_60" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_61" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_62" class="blsp-spelling-error">cold</span>. 6 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_63" class="blsp-spelling-error">Days</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_64" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_65" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_66" class="blsp-spelling-error">new</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_67" class="blsp-spelling-error">year</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_68" class="blsp-spelling-error">lost</span>!<br /><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_69" class="blsp-spelling-error">Yesterday</span> I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_70" class="blsp-spelling-error">felt</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_71" class="blsp-spelling-error">strong</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_72" class="blsp-spelling-error">enough</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_73" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_74" class="blsp-spelling-error">attempt</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_75" class="blsp-spelling-error">an</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_76" class="blsp-spelling-error">easy</span> 5<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_77" class="blsp-spelling-error">km</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_78" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_79" class="blsp-spelling-error">ended</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_80" class="blsp-spelling-error">up</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_81" class="blsp-spelling-error">running</span> 15<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_82" class="blsp-spelling-error">km</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_83" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_84" class="blsp-spelling-error">relative</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_85" class="blsp-spelling-error">comfort</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_86" class="blsp-spelling-error">giving</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_87" class="blsp-spelling-error">myself</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_88" class="blsp-spelling-error">very</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_89" class="blsp-spelling-error">good</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_90" class="blsp-spelling-error">mental</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_91" class="blsp-spelling-error">boost</span>! I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_92" class="blsp-spelling-error">only</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_93" class="blsp-spelling-error">have</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_94" class="blsp-spelling-error">two</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_95" class="blsp-spelling-error">weeks</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_96" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_97" class="blsp-spelling-error">get</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_98" class="blsp-spelling-error">ready</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_99" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_100" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_101" class="blsp-spelling-error">Dubai</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_102" class="blsp-spelling-error">Marathon</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_103" class="blsp-spelling-error">that</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_104" class="blsp-spelling-error">will</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_105" class="blsp-spelling-error">serve</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_106" class="blsp-spelling-error">as</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_107" class="blsp-spelling-error">our</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_108" class="blsp-spelling-error">Comrades</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_109" class="blsp-spelling-error">Marathon</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_110" class="blsp-spelling-error">qualifier</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_111" class="blsp-spelling-error">Need</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_112" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_113" class="blsp-spelling-error">run</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_114" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> 42k <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_115" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_116" class="blsp-spelling-error">under</span> 5 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_117" class="blsp-spelling-error">hours</span>. I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_118" class="blsp-spelling-error">hope</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_119" class="blsp-spelling-error">we</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_120" class="blsp-spelling-error">will</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_121" class="blsp-spelling-error">be</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_122" class="blsp-spelling-error">able</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_123" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_124" class="blsp-spelling-error">breeze</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_125" class="blsp-spelling-error">through</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_126" class="blsp-spelling-error">it</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_127" class="blsp-spelling-error">without</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_128" class="blsp-spelling-error">too</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_129" class="blsp-spelling-error">much</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_130" class="blsp-spelling-error">difficulty</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_131" class="blsp-spelling-error">as</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_132" class="blsp-spelling-error">this</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_133" class="blsp-spelling-error">will</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_134" class="blsp-spelling-error">be</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_135" class="blsp-spelling-error">my</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_136" class="blsp-spelling-error">Comrades</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_137" class="blsp-spelling-error">partner</span>`s <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_138" class="blsp-spelling-error">first</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_139" class="blsp-spelling-error">Marahton</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_140" class="blsp-spelling-error">attempt</span>. I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_141" class="blsp-spelling-error">have</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_142" class="blsp-spelling-error">no</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_143" class="blsp-spelling-error">doubt</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_144" class="blsp-spelling-error">that</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_145" class="blsp-spelling-error">Haydn</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_146" class="blsp-spelling-error">will</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_147" class="blsp-spelling-error">apply</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_148" class="blsp-spelling-error">his</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_149" class="blsp-spelling-error">mental</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_150" class="blsp-spelling-error">strenght</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_151" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_152" class="blsp-spelling-error">endurance</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_153" class="blsp-spelling-error">sport</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_154" class="blsp-spelling-error">background</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_155" class="blsp-spelling-error">well</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_156" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_157" class="blsp-spelling-error">order</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_158" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_159" class="blsp-spelling-error">us</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_160" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_161" class="blsp-spelling-error">meet</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_162" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> 5 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_163" class="blsp-spelling-error">hour</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_164" class="blsp-spelling-error">mark</span>.<br /><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_165" class="blsp-spelling-error">So</span>, 2011 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_166" class="blsp-spelling-error">is</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_167" class="blsp-spelling-error">now</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_168" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_169" class="blsp-spelling-error">full</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_170" class="blsp-spelling-error">swing</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_171" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_172" class="blsp-spelling-error">am</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_173" class="blsp-spelling-error">looking</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_174" class="blsp-spelling-error">forward</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_175" class="blsp-spelling-error">to</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_176" class="blsp-spelling-error">great</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_177" class="blsp-spelling-error">year</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_178" class="blsp-spelling-error">on</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_179" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_180" class="blsp-spelling-error">run</span>!Adam du Plooyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462350305454843506noreply@blogger.com0