February 29: could it be...?

It all started with this announcement sent out by my parents. In 2004, we had a great 40-year party on D-day and my parents had even make the trip to California (they have come every year for the past 10 years actually). 4 years ago I really started questioning if I was actually born on March 1 or February 29, a leap year... My parents are categoric, there is no arguing. Yet I thought that represented a funny blog opportunity as some of my friends wished me a good 11th birthday today!

An opportunity to look back at my rather short history. Look at how I started, being parked between 4 heavy wrought ironed armchairs to make sure I would not escape and cross the backyard! Oh well, I'm still smiling...
No wonder I still needed a hand to walk as I was 15-month old... Chinese and Japanese say: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step", yet that was a slow and late start for a runner, wasn't it?This steps were for visiting my new born brother, Jerome, the last of 6 siblings: With that, if I was indeed born on the 29th, that would make today my 11th birthday. 11 like the age I was given on this picture, in 6th grade:
11 like Grégoire's age, funny coincidence, isn't it? The picture below is not my 11th birthday but one year later. Close enough to play the game of finding the differences --and the similarities-- with...
...Greg's picture of his 11th birthday last month!
On a more "running" note, and to stay in the spirit of this blog, I had an early birthday gift last night with the joy of listening to Flyin' Brian Robinson at REI in Saratoga. Brian was the first person to hike the three cross-American trails (Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail and the Continental Divide Trail) in 12 months. In conditions which are hard to imagine, even for a one-day hike, between sub freezing blizzard to unbearable hot temperatures, from dry weather where finding water was a problem to pouring rain, lightening hazard, heavy snow.

It is hard to describe such a fate, which will remain in the history of endurance sport and hiking for many more years. A few numbers to try to give a perspective: Brian averaged 31 miles per day for 300 days. That's about 10 hours of power walking with a heavy backpack, each day. He covered 7,400 miles (close to 12,000 km). 7 pairs of shoes. Having to carry food for 6 days most of the time on remote and deserted trails. Eating 6,000 calories per day, with soup for dinner but dry/junk food the rest of the day (Brian used the word "junk").

Brian has a Wikipedia page, but there is more information on the website on which his Dad typed in meticulously Brian's day to day journal, back in 2001. When asked if he would publish a book to relate this fate, Brian said that the manuscript was ready, but not good enough to publish. But, more importantly, that he doesn't believe anyone can relate on paper the state of mind he reached during this journey. Something that Brian called as "getting so close to God" (specially at the time of this picture, taken at the finish of his record, by his brother):

But nothing replace the quality of the words Brian uses in his presentation. Not to be missed if he does it again next to where you live.

That was a great opportunity not only to catch up with Brian but also Sophia, his wife, Rob and Kate, Roger, Tom K. Brian and Sophia moved to Monterey and we are missing them for our Saturday morning runs in Woodside. I haven't seen them since Brian and I ran the first 30 miles at Western States together last year. He is now focusing on the Barkley 100-mile run, another amazing ultra running (or walking actually) goal. And we planned to meet again at Squaw in June.Thank you for such a birthday gift, Brian! You have such a contagious passion, commenting your great shots, I couldn't imagine you had already given this talk a hundred times! That's ultra-conferencing... ;-) Thank you Brian, and thank you, REI (yes, I'm a member)!

So long to close this unusually long month of February!

Palm Springs: an artificial oasis...

I'm in Palm Springs for a couple of days to attend our users' conference, Dialog 08, in South California. It is so great to meet our customers, to remind us who pays for our pay checks. Learn their expectations, how we are doing, what we can improve, inform them of the many things we are working on. A healthy dialog which we did not have for the past few years on such a large scale.
From a running perspective, this trip provides an opportunity to discover new trails. After a short but bumpy flight leaving this weekend storm over San Francisco, I had three hours between the check in and our first meetings in the afternoon. I quickly checked for directions on Google Maps, put my Brooks Trance 7 on and headed-up West toward the mountains. It was quite windy with big clouds over the mountains. As I was approaching the base of the mountains, 6 miles away from the hotel, I could see snow at the top, something intriguing with the warm temperatures (75F) at the bottom. I tried to find a trail and asked bikers if they would know any. They told me the only way to get there is riding the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Getting up to 8,500 ft (2,600 m), when we were at 300 ft... Okay, better find another and more attainable goal for today's run...

After some other trial and errors trying to leave the suburban area, I got on a trail going straight up another range of mountains. Exactly what I was looking for! However, I had now only one hour and a half before getting back to the hotel. Navigating with my Garmin GPS, I went from one trail to another, from one arid canyon to another, and the temperature and dryness were providing a good feeling of running in a desert especially as I was getting at the end of my only water bottle.

After more guesses I was down to Cathedral City then, after 6 flat and boring miles through the city, to our hotel (golf resort) in Rancho Mirage. 16.5 miles against the clock and only +1,000/-1,000 ft of elevation, which felt more with the heat and the sun. And only the 100 calories of one GU Energy Gel since my early breakfast at 6am...
Looking at the valley from above reemphasized this weird feeling I had about such a city built in the middle of a desert. Wondering how it finds water for about 50,000 inhabitants and several thousands tourists. And, worst, to water the numerous immaculate green golf courses...

The Water Education Foundation talks about two sources: ground water (underground) and local streams and reservoirs. Given that it poured rain the last two days but I didn't see a trace of water in my run, I doubt the streams provide much. On the other hand, the Desert Water Agency --desert water?-- talks about a deal which provides some water from the Colorado River. This I believe, and this corresponds more to what I feared. About this region, including nearby Los Angeles, or Las Vegas, displacing tons of water, over the mountains. The price of playing golf in the desert... And how sustainable is this, such an artificial oasis...?

Well, that made me appreciate even more the glasses of water I had upon my return to the hotel after the run and for the rest of the day. Every drop of them...

On a more positive note from a sustainability standpoint, Palm Springs has invested a lot in wind mills for its electricity and the wind is amazingly strong tonight. See Stuart's blog on the conference, DiaBlog, for a picture of the wind mill "farm" or field. 4,000 turbines which are claimed to provide all the electricity required by the Palm Springs and the entire Coachella Valley! I'm scheduled to organize a conference on wind power as an alternative energy, in the fall, with SiliconFrench, and I am eager to learn from specialists if it is or not such a good alternative as there is a debate around this question.

With that, so long from dry, windy and sunny South California!