Issue 4
March 2018
By Kim Collings
1. Beast Profiles
2. Nutrition
3. Looking Ahead
1. Beast Profiles
Articles and interviews dedicated to reporting on the amazing people and stories of Your Beast Team!
The one and only……..*drum roll*………Patrick Olson!
What was your first OCR race and what made you decide to try it?
My first OCR was a Spartan race in 2014 in Washougal. I knew very little of OCR and had only seen some videos on YouTube about Spartan. I was going to sign up in 2013 but talked myself out of it, thinking I wasn’t ready for that level of a challenge. But I committed to doing it in 2014, went out and gave it my all, and had a blast while doing it. I was hooked right then.
How has OCR helped you overcome challenges?
There are always speed bumps in life. Some are bigger than others and some are quite small. But going through an OCR event I’ve learned that I am capable of a lot more than I give myself credit for. OCR’s have shown me that you always have more to give, either in the race, or in life. There are always new limits to be pushed and conquered. OCR’s have helped me by teaching me more about myself, and that things could always be worse. Even at my lowest point in a race, when all of the doubt and self pity comes in to my mind, I have to push it out and remind myself that things could always be worse. Most of the time that will put a smile on my face, and my spirits are lifted.
In addition to OCR, you do several running races. Tell us about some of the highlights and/or your most memorable running race.
I’ve done several running races, both trail and road. I like running trail races just because of the scenery. Living in the NW we have a ton of trails and lots of green mountains, rivers, lakes, and even some high desert areas too. But I also enjoy a nice road race. I’ve done several 5K’s, 10K’s, and half marathons, but this year I completed my first ever full marathon. A friend of mine asked if I want to do the Rock N Roll Marathon in Las Vegas with him. It took me a couple days to say yes to the idea, because I always told myself I wouldn’t run a marathon, that’s just dumb. Well, I ran a marathon and it was so much fun! My friend that talked me into doing the event backed out and didn’t even go, but I had made the commitment to get it done, and I did. Running that race was a fun and a big mental challenge. My mind kept wanting me to stop and take breaks. Trying to push through those times was tough, but I managed. I had a goal of 3:30, and came in at 3:46. Not bad considering it was my first ever marathon and I had no idea what to expect. Will I do another one, yes!
What do you love most about the OCR Community?
The positive attitudes that people have. I never see people walking around races all bummed out and not having fun. Everybody has a smile on their face and wants to be there. Every time I start up a conversation with someone I don’t know, I hear their story of why they are there, and see the excitement in their eyes as they tell me their story…… that fires me up!
I love we push each other too. It seems like there is always someone with a crazy idea, and before you know it, 15 other people are on board to do that crazy idea. That sense of team and drive to better each other is awesome and exciting to see.
Who inspires you?
Everybody inspires me. From to Elite athletes to the person just starting out on their journey. I get inspired from actions and stories. There was a guy at one of the Seattle races that was a very large guy. He was having trouble getting over the first wall to get into the starting coral. I jumped up and offered him a boost, he took it. I hopped over the wall, as we were in the same heat together. I started talking to him about his race, and he informed me that he was racing because he was in the healthcare field and thought, “If I’m telling my patients to be more active and eat better, I should do the same”. I love to hear stories like that, it gets me pumped!
What is your favorite OCR memory?
There are so many good memories from my first race, to my first trifecta, to my 2x trifecta, to running my first elite wave. But my most favorite memory so far is going to Tahoe this year for the Ultra Beast. Mallory had planted the seed for this trip early on in the year. We had a good group together to make the road trip down there. Myself, Zane, Lorenzo, Mallory and Charissa all piled into a van and started the road trip to Tahoe. Along the way, Lorenzo and I had a competition to see who could get the most steps, which I won, at rest stops, food stops and any other time the van stopped. But then we noticed that you could just move your arm around and it would count steps for you too! So by the end of the day, I think we were in the 35,000 range for steps.
Once we got to the village, I was in awe of the scale of things. It was my first time to Lake Tahoe, and the be honest the mountains scared me. But we were there to have fun and goof off as much as we could.
Sunday was race day for me. 6am start time for the Ultra Beast. In the starting coral I had a couple of friends with me racing, as well as Zane, Lorenzo and Mallory there to see me off. As I was standing there, I heard a voice coming up from behind me. I turned around just as Hunter McIntyre came up to me, put his hand on my shoulder and wished me luck on the run. That was pretty cool.
As we started off on our UB, heading up the first hill in the dark, there was Hunter yelling at us to get moving and encouraging everyone as they passed him.
At the end of my first lap I was surprised to see Zane and Lorenzo waiting for me. They ran alongside me as I came into the transition. They were hanging out with me as I changed and got some food to eat, flipping my crap the whole time too. They helped to lighten the mood and re-motivated me to finish. As I took off on my second lap there was Charissa. She was volunteering, but broke away to run over and give me hug and wish me luck on my final lap. It’s really awesome to have great friends like that.
When I came off of the the bridge coming back into the village, there they were, Zane, Lorenzo and Mallory. She unfortunately missed her cutoff time and didn’t finish. But all three were by my side as I came to the last few obstacles. I was in pain, I had nothing left in the tank, and had doubts about completing the herc hoist. As I came up to the rail, I grabbed the rope and pulled. To my surprise, it moved. I could hear Lorenzo, Zane and Mallory cheering me on. If they hadn’t been there, I don’t think I would have made the herc hoist. I got the bag to the top, no burpees for me! Next was multi-rig. I skipped it and rushed over to the burpee zone. I knocked out my 30 burpees and hugged my friends, and crossed the finish line. I was so happy that I finished and that I had my friends by my side. It’s an experience that I will always remember and cherish.
Tell us something about yourself that few people know, whether OCR related or not.
I have a dental implant. I was at work one day, working on a machine, when the guy who was working above me dropped a ratchet and it landed straight on my mouth. I knew right away that the tooth had broke. Being that it was a work related injury, they required me to go the ER first. Once I got in, the doctor said that I needed to go see a dentist, duh. So, off I went to the dentist. Mind you my tooth is pointing to the back of my mouth and still bleeding. Once I got into the dentist, he looked it over and decided there was no saving the tooth. It had broke at the gum line in the front and cracked up toward the back of my mouth. I got shot full of novocaine and had my tooth removed. They later had to go in and drill into my skull, place the stud, and eventually glue the fake tooth onto that stud, Not the most pleasant thing in the world, but it’s always cool when I get x-rays.
What are your goals for 2018?
50K, 50 mile, and 100 mIle races. I also want to keep up with OCR and running in general, but those are the three big goals for next year. Sprinkle in some triathlons, marathons, and long distance bike rides, 2018 is looking like a busy year for me.
2. Beast Nutrition
Banana Fun Facts
- The scientific name for banana is musa sapientum, which means “fruit of the wise men.”
- Bananas float in water, as do apples and watermelons.
- Hawaii is the only place in the U.S. where bananas are grown commercially, although at one time they were also grown in southern California and Florida. The overwhelming majority of the bananas Americans eat come from countries in Latin America and South America, including Costa Rica, Ecuador, Colombia, Honduras, Panama, and Guatemala.
- The type of banana you see in the supermarket is called a Cavendish banana. The preferred variety was originally the Gros Michel, which essentially became extinct by 1960, thanks to a fungus called Panama disease.
- Some cultures (most notably Japan) use the fiber in the banana plant to make fabric and sometimes even paper.
- The fastest marathon ever run by a competitor dressed as a fruit was 2 hours, 58 minutes, and 20 seconds—recorded at the Barcelona Marathon on March 6, 2011. The runner was Patrick Wightman from the United Kingdom, who dressed as a banana.
- The Banana Club Museum, located on Highway 111 in Mecca, Calif. (just south of Palm Springs), houses the world’s largest collection devoted to any one fruit. It contains more than 17,000 banana items, most of which have been donated by members. (To join the club, visit www.bananaclub.com.)
- Thanks to its oil, rubbing the inside of a banana peel on a mosquito bite (or other bug bite) or on poison ivy will help keep it from itching and getting inflamed.
- If you rub the inside of a banana peel on a scrape or burn, it will help the pain go away, keep the swelling down, and keep the wound from getting infected.
- If you rub the inside of a small piece of banana peel on a wart every night (or tape a piece of peel over the wart), the potassium in the peel can make the wart disappear in one to two weeks.
- If you tape a banana peel over a splinter, the enzymes help the splinter work its way out of your skin (and also heal the wound).
- To whiten teeth naturally, rub the inside of a banana peel on your teeth for about two minutes every night. If you gargle with salt water, this will heighten the effect. Expect results in about two weeks. It works because of the effect of the potassium, magnesium, and manganese in the banana peel.
- Bananas make great conditioner that helps restore dry, damaged hair. Mash a banana and add a tablespoon of heavy cream and a tablespoon of honey to the mixture. Then apply it to dry hair, cover your hair with a shower cap, and then wrap your head in a warm towel. Leave it on for up to an hour and then rinse thoroughly with warm water before shampooing.
- Rubbing a banana peel on your forehead can help cure a headache.
- Bananas and banana peels make great fertilizer (you can compost them, bury them whole, or cut them in small pieces and mix them with garden soil) because of their phosphorous and potassium content. Roses especially like them.
- Rubbing the inside of a banana peel on houseplant leaves makes the leaves shiny.
- You can use the inside of a banana peel to clean and polish leather shoes.
- Banana peels also make a good silver polish—just rub silver with the inside of a peel and then buff with a cloth.
Banana Oat Energy Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 2 bananas, mashed
- 2 carrots, grated
- 1 apple, grated
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup chopped peanuts
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Mix oats, bananas, carrots, apple, applesauce, and peanuts together in a bowl; spread into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/245062/banana-oat-energy-bars/
Photo Credit: Patrick Olson via Facebook, The Freeze
3. Looking Ahead