Comments for Patrick Stinson

Comment on Sorry, Rude Boy by Patrick Stinson

Patrick Stinson — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:06:19 +0000

Hey Don!

Yeah! wait, no. well, sure.

Comment on Sorry, Rude Boy by Don Haering

Don Haering — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:04:29 +0000

My glasses are pretty grubby. Think I should give it a go?

Comment on The Reigning Son by michidude

michidude — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:57:30 +0000

Patrick !! Just back from a trail marathon myself and I got tingles and an adrenaline burtst from your story!! Rock on my trail running nut. booyah to u.

Comment on Goals, Stages, The Truth by Rob Whitney

Rob Whitney — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:15:57 +0000

Nice job in the Crow Pass race! OIA !

Comment on Goals, Stages, The Truth by Chad Burris

Chad Burris — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:47:11 +0000

Great job today at Crow pass Pat really good time. Looks like you hit your top 3 goal. See you at Klondike.

Chad

Comment on Goals, Stages, The Truth by Rhianne Waggood

Rhianne Waggood — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:41:32 +0000

I know that it is hard for some to understand training as a lifestyle but for those of us that understand, understand it very clearly it is not about winning or loosing a race or obsesing about being the biggest or the best, it is exactly what it is, a lifestyle. A lifestyle of finding balance within yourself, physical activity, pushing yourself because you know you can go harder, staying fit and it is about the realationships you have formed with those that share the same pasion as you. Everytime i have participated in one of the many local races in Anchorage i really strive to do better for myself, push myself to the end then enjoy why i am really there, which is to share in the experience that everyone in the race came to share. Everyone cheers everyone on during and after the race and when you have reached the end you are certain to find a friend with a nice cold beer to cheer with again. I love the social aspect of training and I love the friends I have to train with. We all motivate eachother and love what we do. It is all a balance and something we just do! Its a lifestyle!

Comment on Goals, Stages, The Truth by Harlow

Harlow — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:18:45 +0000

Yep, valid points, poor choice of characters to use as examples. Terrible choice.

I can think of some names in the mt running community that you might consider to have an unhealthy obsession. But Trond, Brad and Bill could write a book on the subject healthy competitiveness (see Trond and Brad’s prolouges above). And if you really know Bill, you know that the most amazing thing about him is his lack of ego and obsessiveness, despite all of his competitive successes.

These are three guys who hammered hard when they were young but were able to find balance as their lifes got susier. Now they are all raising kids who will grow up to be passionate about whatever they choose to do, compete for the right reasons if they choose to do so,and understand that competition is one small part of the fiber of life. And one day I suspect they will be proud as hell of their dads’ accomplishments.

Not that they need anyone advocating for them, but there you go……

Comment on Goals, Stages, The Truth by Brad P

Brad P — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:56:51 +0000

Well hello to you too Will - as it turns out, I just can’t seem to place you in my memory. And I’m fairly sure from your comments that you have no clue who I am. I find it interesting, that while there’s a strong show of intelligence by your management of large words into directly succinct sentences, I am left with the impression that you’re not a very mindful person. You made some incredibly gross generalizations about people you don’t know based on assumptions that I can only imagine come from inside you. Have you ever run with any of us? Have you ever had coffee with us and talked about running? Have you ever called any of us and asked why we run? Have you ever heard me say, as you suggested, that the most important thing in my life was to win.

Look Will, I go to run in the mountains for the same reason I go to the faucet to drink water. To live. It’s inside me buddy - for half of my life now. The competition aspect of it is what saved my soul. When I started running in the mountains 20 years ago, I was a heavy drinking, cigarette & pot smoking, rowdy partying commercial fisherman. When you’re 20 years old, you have an outlook on your life of who you might be, and at that time I saw myself as a fisherman. Not that that’s a bad life, but as it turns out it wasn’t enough. Being in the mountains has kept me from getting into trouble, it’s given me direction, and it’s put me in a place where I feel comfortable. I’ve met my closest friends in the mountains. Most importantly, it gave me hope during a very impressionable period of my life.

Is running and competing obsessive? Maybe. But it’s all about perspective. The number of times I mentioned “mountains” in the above and ensuing paragraghs could be considered obsessive for that matter. But that’s how I feel about the mountains. I raised 2 dogs while going into the mountains, one died at 14 and the other is 15 now. If you could ask them, I’m sure they’d say I didn’t take them into the mountains often enough. How obsessive is it when Habuk drags my dirty running clothes over to me signaling that it’s time to go for a run? —”We just went for a run ‘buk” It’s a lifestyle Will. It’s being compelled to go to the mountains, and loving being there - not forcing yourself.

Balance is all about your own personal life - how you structure it around the things you want to do versus the things you have to do. Honestly, I can’t think of a time when running got in the way of anything I needed to do - it’s quite the opposite generally. I intend to show my son the mountains, and as far as he wants to be up in them, I’ll enjoy that time with him up there.

As far as training time during the week, I spend loads more with my son Braun than running. In fact it’s uncalculable how much more time. Before Braun came into existence, I spent more time chasing women than I did running. (secret training method) On average I spend 45mins-1hour going into the mountains or running about 5 days a week. Figure that out boys - less than 5 hours per week. It’s not the time so much as it is the value put on that time while there. It’s about making the most out of that time. And never do I feel more in the moment as when in the mountains.

Sorry if I sound a little bit pointed in your direction Will, but I take it personally when someone insinuates things about me that aren’t based in any kind of reality. The points you made are valid, they just don’t apply to me. Maybe to you. Next time, please gather your information first.

See you on the mountain….

Comment on Goals, Stages, The Truth by Harlow

Harlow — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:48:37 +0000

Could not have said it better, Trond.

Comment on Goals, Stages, The Truth by Trond Flagstad

Trond Flagstad — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 06:24:41 +0000

After reading Wills comments I need to respond, and I question how well he knows me because what you are saying sounds more like a generalization of a type of person that I certainly am not.
One thing is for sure, physical activity, training and racing is a life, style and a great life style if you know how to enjoy it. I was done with my athletic carrier when in 1999 when I was 29 years old before I met my wife and had a kid. Even than I wasn’t obsessed by winning how can you be when you are a skier in Norway - if you won a lot you would be as rich and popular as Brett Favre. To say that I am putting my life on hold to train can’t be farther from the truth. As a matter of fact I hardly have time to train, raising a kid, being a husband, working a fulltime job and building a house at the same time.
Most people I know in Alaska and most of my friends are the same way. We are all training balanced to stay in shape and be as fit as we can with what time we have and enjoy racing each other on the weekends. Training smart becomes the key Yes, some of us have been athletes at a high level and have a training base that with some training (mostly muscle and brain memory) can yield some good results every no and then.
I ran Boston Marathon this year in 2.56 running an average of 15miles per week. Yeah maybe I could run a 2:30 if I put my life on hold but I am not willing to do that. My mountain running training probably averages no more than 8 hours a week. It’s hardly more than what the doctor recommends for a healthy life style. When you are older and have some good experience it comes down to what you do in those 8 hours and I’ll tell you that everyone of those 8 hours are pure quality sessions - that all it takes for me -try it and you’ll be surprised!
To me and my wife, an active lifestyle with physical activity, training and some racing is just a way of living and gives us great balance in life. Balance from stress at work, computers, thech gadgets, bills you name it. What do you want to do after a long day at work? Sit in front of the TV or go for a hike with your kids or a run with your friends.
We live in a great community with lot’s of great people that like to hike, bike, run, ski, BS, drink beer, have bonfires and talk smack about training but actually never do it, all this with kids and dogs running around, What a great way to grow up, it was for me and I hope my kids will enjoy it to.

PS, I know for a fact that Frodo wasn’t obsessed by training and winning still he kicked ass - and kicked real hard!!

Pro a balanced and healthy life style!

Train smarter than the next guy