This past December 10, I ran Brazos Bend, 100. I ran the 50 mile distance as a training run for my upcoming February 100 miler. We’ve chatted about that race in a previous post, so we’ll just leave that be. What we’re going to be discussing today is a person I saw on the trails at Brazos Bend.
There was a man running the 100 Miler pulling a tire. Pulling a tire!?! 100 miles of pulling a tire! Bear in mind I’ve heard conflicting stories that he “only” pulled the tire the first 50 miles of the 100. It doesn’t matter. Running while pulling a tire is HARD!!!
My friend (who I actually met for the first time IRL *In Real Life* at Brazos Bend), Joel Rodriguez, made this YouTube video from the race. Towards the end of this video, you can see the guy running with his tire. He’s just moving along like it’s no big deal. *My thanks to Joel for giving me permission to use his video!
My initial reaction to meeting this guy on the trails was, “Is he nuts!?!” To say I was intrigued would be putting it mildly. I was also VERY impressed and curious. I came home and started doing a little homework about the benefits of running with a tire and trying to decide if this would be something that would work for me.
Curiosity killed the cat, as they saying goes, and now, seven months later, I have my own tire pulling belt and tire!
YAY!!!
When I ordered my belt, I talked to MFH (My Favorite Husband) about buying a tire. He mentioned that we had a tire in our storage locker. That evening we drove over to the storage locker and brought home my tire.
It’s just a plain ol’ tire. It weighs 22 pounds…which I was soon to discover was PLENTY! I’m thankful that it doesn’t weigh an ounce more!
I chatted in a few running groups and asked for suggestions as to what color to paint the tire and a name for it. I wanted something fun. Something that would make, what could be a very difficult workout, something I would look forward to and enjoy.
A Mississippi running friend, Deanna, came up with the best idea ever!!! First off, the tire needed to be painted red.
Done!
The name needed to be, “Devil” so that when I was running, I could sing the song, “Running With the Devil” because who doesn’t love a little Van Halen! It was perfect!!! Those old songs from my High School years (now known as oldies) always put a spring in my step.
My neighbors have secretly thought I was nuts for quite some time. I’m up in the summer doing my long runs at 1:00am to beat the heat. I’m out there running in the winter cold and summer rain and heat. They smile as they drive by with a little wave, shaking their heads. It’s kind of funny, really!
Now, this past Saturday I was running with Devil when one of my neighbors drove by. I saw this person trying to discreetly take a pic with their cell phone. They tried but I saw and it thought it was the funniest thing ever! I am now certifiable in my neighbors eyes. LOL!!!
The other ones in my neighborhood who think I’ve completely lost it is the cows.
Remember I’ve told you how those baby cows keep sneaking out of the field? They were out Saturday morning, too! They HAD to check out the tire. I was laughing so hard!!!
This takes us back to why am I running with this thing, anyway?
There’s a simple answer. To get stronger.
Seeing as I have goals to run 100 milers, I need to be as strong as possible. There’s not many activities that will work your core along with your legs and help improve your form like this one. #multitasking Here’s an article from Ultrarunning.com that discusses briefly the benefits of running with a tire:
https://ultrarunning.com/featured/lugging-along-the-benefits-of-tire-pulling/
It’s an all around win. I get a solid workout and Paxton gets to play, too.
Happy Running, all!!!
#IRun4Aiden