Marshall Ulrich and Kirk Mahoney

Running on Empty is the title of Marshall Ulrich‘s book about his run across America in the autumn of 2008, in which he covered 3,063 miles in 52 days at the age of 57 years old.

Marshall completed the third-fastest transcontinental crossing to date and set new records, too.

I got the book two months ago, when I met Marshall and heard him speak while he was in Houston for three days to promote it.

Pages Soaked with Emotions
… and Rum Punch!

I finished reading Running on Empty only yesterday, having taken it with me last month to Barbados to attend a wedding and subsequently but unwittingly soaking it with a bottle of rum punch that broke in the same piece of checked luggage on the flight home.

The wedding-related activities and the beauty of Barbados were so distracting that I never cracked open the book while I was there. But I was glad that I continued reading Marshall’s book once I got back home and let the punch-soaked pages dry.

Still, it took several sessions to get through Running on Empty — not because of the writing quality (It’s excellent!) but because it is a much deeper book than I had anticipated.

The emotions that Marshall expresses in Running on Empty are strong, and I believe that this book will resonate with any endurance runner or walker.

When you read it, you will feel as if you were out there on the road with him every single day.

Mental Tricks Galore

As the author of Mental Tricks for Endurance Runners and Walkers, I was especially keen to learn what mental tricks Marshall used to cover his 3,063 miles from the city hall of San Francisco to the city hall of New York.

I recognized in Marshall’s book several racing tricks that I cover in mine, including:

#1 – The Conversations Trick
#5 – The Anticipation Trick
#8 – The Environment Trick
#9 – The Be-Like-Mike Trick
#12 – The Pick-Off Trick

I recognized in Running on Empty other mental tricks that I cover in my book, too:

• “First Thing”
• “Memories”
• “Charity”
• “Good Example”
• “Tracking”
• “Race-Day Rewards”
• “The Importance of Celebrating…”
• “Be Kind to Yourself After…”

Happiness and Love

Besides Marshall’s emotions-charged “This is not my foot.” story about psychological dissociation, the mental trick that especially caught my attention in Running on Empty came from his advice that the support crew has a responsibility to ensure,

“The runner is as happy and content (and undistracted) as can be expected.”

THAT, to me, is the essence of your success as an endurance runner or walker — that you do whatever you can to be happy with the sport.

And, if you are as fortunate as Marshall to have the loving support of your partner — in his case, from his wife Heather — then you will not be endurance walking or running on empty.

So … if have you read Running on Empty, what would you say about it? Please leave a comment below!

4 the Park is a 4-miler held the first Saturday in April as a fundraiser for Memorial Park Conservancy, the charity that supports Houston’s Memorial Park, one of the largest urban parks in the USA.

I walked and ran 4 the Park last month, walking the first and third miles, and running the second and fourth miles.

I know, I know. It’s not an endurance race like a marathon or half marathon. And there are no medals for finishers of this race.

But it was for an excellent cause — enhancing a park whose 2.9-mile crushed-granite path gets some three million visits annually.

And it reminded me of how far I have come since my 5K days … and why I got into foot-racing in the first place — for the fun of it!

So, if you have not completed a non-endurance race in the last few years, then I encourage you to find and enter a shorter race such as 4 the Park.

I guarantee that it will put long-lasting smile on your face!

By the way, the post-race freebie tents that you see in the video are only a small fraction of all the tents that 4 the Park hosts exclusively for race entrants. My friends and I would have to say that this is THE most extensive collection of post-race freebies that any of us have ever seen. So, if you expect to be in Houston the first weekend of April, then seriously consider signing up for this race. You will leave not only smiling but also satiated!

What is your favorite non-endurance race, and why? Please help me to encourage other endurance racers to occasionally participate in shorter races by leaving a comment here. Thanks!

Oh, and if you believe that you have seen an even better collection of post-race freebies than what 4 the Park offers, then be sure to include that in your comment! Good food and other freebies after a race are always welcome!

Here are scenes from the Seabrook Lucky Trail Half Marathon in Seabrook, Texas, on 20110319 (the Saturday edition of the two-day event).

Yes, it really was as serene as this — at least for the walkers.

If you participated in one of the Seabrook Lucky Trail events on Saturday or Sunday, then please leave a comment about how this video compares to your memories.

I would love to hear from you!