Bluff Springs Lincoln National Forest

I recently had an epic running adventure in the Lincoln National Forest just south of Cloudcroft, NM. Bluff Springs waterfall is a beautiful little spot along the Rio Peñasco Rd off of Sunspot Scenic Byway. Water tumbles over a bluff that is adorned by a hanging garden of riparian vegetation including mosses and ferns as well as a smooth algae covered stone. Tall majestic spruce and fir trees tower above the cliff. A short trail leads to the top of the waterfall where water weeps out of the Sacramento Mountains into a lush marshy area before plunging over the scarp.

Bluff Springs, NM

Everyday is Earth Day

Earth Day was last weekend where many people went out to hike or run a trail, clean up a park or plant a tree. Well, without fear of sounding like a Birkenstock wearing hippie tree hugger who greets everyone on the trail with namaste, I have to admit that, to me, everyday is Earth Day. I spend almost every morning running a trail and taking in nature. The visual beauty of West Texas where I live is stunning, but there are also the smells, sounds and even the feel of the Earth that I enjoy when I’m out on the trail. 

Moonrise Quitman Mountains in W. Texas

Running With Gilbert’s Syndrome

I slacked off on my blogging last year because I hadn’t been running much and didn’t feel there was anything worth writing about. I haven’t done a race since last June, but am getting back on track now that I’m healthier. I’ve been training for a few spring races and am looking forward to the Bataan Memorial Death March (26.2 miler) later this month and the Jemez Mountain 50 Miler in Northern New Mexico in May.

Bataan Death March 2017

Last year was a rough year for me health wise. I began feeling bad last spring and decided to back off on my running in the summer to determine what was going on. I was having a lot of fatigue, dizziness, irritability, insomnia, chills, asthma and brain fog. At the time I thought I was having food sensitivities, but my doctor thought it was acid reflux. Doesn’t every male over 50 have acid reflux? Anyway, he put me on some acid reflux meds and things went downhill from there. By October I became very sick with a low grade fever, chills and high counts of liver enzymes, bilirubin and ammonia. 

Rattlesnake Bite, Again!

While I was out of town running my 50 miler last month, my personal trainer and number one running partner was bitten by a rattlesnake. Cara and Maddie went to her parents’ ranch for the weekend since I was traipsing around in the mountains morning, day and night. Our dog Lucy, along with six other dogs were out on a walk with the family when Lucy started to limp while holding her front paw up. On closer inspection, the family noticed she had two puncture marks on her front leg. 

Why I Run

Too Much Running Tied to Shorter Lifespan, Marathon Runners are no Healthier than Couch Potatoes, The Hidden Health Risks of Jogging. These are just a few running related news headlines I saw in the past year. Why do I run for so long then? People ask me this all the time. Most articles in the news and on the internet seem to assume several things about people who run —that they run to live longer, get healthier or to lose weight. After all, running is such a miserable activity that no one of sound mind would ever do it for fun, right?

Mammoth Rock, Franklin Mts State Park

On Plantar Fasciitis

Recently I was I asking my better half to help me come up with a title to a blog post I was writing. After some discussion, she said, “Don’t worry too much about it, only three people read your blog anyway.” Ouch! Unfortunately, she is mostly right, BUT, I have noticed that I get a lot of hits when I write about plantar fasciitis (PF), that dreaded ailment that causes so much heel pain.

If you search the internet for plantar fasciitis advice, you will certainly find thousands of articles, forums and products promising cures, instant relief and prevention tips. It seems that everyone suffering from it turns to the web for answers.

Diet? No Thanks!

Gluten-free, low-fat, Paleo. Which diet is right for you? How about the Cookie, Baby Food or Volumetrics diet? Seriously, who comes up with this stuff? It certainly is confusing to know how to eat when a new study is published every week touting new claims or pooh-poohing the foods you thought were healthy. What is good for you today will cause cancer next week. 

Read: Red Wine Health Benefits ‘Overhyped’

News Week rated 32 of the most popular diets categorizing them based on weight-loss, heart-healthy, diabetes, etc. I haven’t read about them because I don’t diet. It’s too complicated so I just try to burn as many calories as I put in. Eating natural unprocessed food is more important to me, but occasionally it’s just necessary to grab a Whataburger. Bacon? You betcha, but not everyday. Everyone is different so if you are having success with the Cookie diet, more power to ya. 

Is it Low T?

Are old men the only ones who watch the nightly news? Is it me or is every other commercial for some prescription medicine? Arthritis, hypertension, overactive bladder, ED,  low T. Seriously, low T? Is this a good idea? The way I see it, younger guys have more testosterone and older men less and that’s what keeps the universe in equilibrium. Let’s not go tipping the scale here. If you do decide to use low T gel make sure to read the fine print on the instructions, “Do not apply to any other parts of your body, such as your...is flammable... let dry before smoking...etc.” Like I said before, is this a good idea?