Maniac questionnaire

March 18, 2007

Name Sean Meissner

Maniac # 92

State you live in Oregon

How many marathons / ultra marathons have you run? 27 / 72 (as of 3-16-07, #100 is tomorrow at Chuckanut!)

What was the first race you ever ran? (Any distance) 1983 Bloomsday 12 km in Spokane when I was 9. I ran it with my parents and sister. I remember my dad lifting me up so I could see the tens of thousands of people in front of and behind us. We finished in 1:56.

What was the first marathon you ever ran? What year did you run it? Did you have fun that day? Coeur d'Alene in 1995. I was 21 and a senior in college. I wanted a sub-2:45 so I could be on U of Idaho's top-10 list. I felt great at 9, so I picked up the pace. I started walking around 17. That last 10k in 60 min. was painful. I finished with painful blisters on my ankles, thanks to my sweet cotton socks, in 3:18:19. Coincidentally, I've run 2 other marathons in that exact time.

How long have you been a runner and why did you start running? I consider myself to have been a runner for 20 years now. Although I ran track (and Bloomsday) in grade school and junior high, I became a runner when I first ran cross country as a high school freshman in 1987. I had no idea what cross country was, but my sister told me I should run it, so I did.

Why did you decide to become a Maniac? Or what inspired you? tp!'s constant harassment of me at work. He e-mailed my boss and faxed me with threats that the Maniacs were going to stop membership at 100. As I write this, there are 499 members. I was tricked.

Of all the races out there in this world, which one would you most like to run? Swiss Alpine Marathon 78 km and Everest Stage Race.

If you could run a marathon / ultra accompanied by anyone either living or deceased, who would you choose and why? Sascha – my dog. After 2 ACL surgeries in 2004, she can't run 30 miles any more, but I wish she could. But I still get satisfaction by taking her on 20 milers. She prefers the tougher, slower paced runs so she has more time to stop and roll in stinky things.

What was you most memorable marathon and why? Tuscarora Trail 252 mile Stage Race in March, 2003. Running 30 – 50 miles a day (10+ hours each day) for 6 days in lots of nasty conditions, on a poorly marked trail, with sporadic aid, with 20 people I came to know extremely well, sleeping in a closet, trying to consume as many calories as possible at dinners, post-holing up to mid-shin on day 1 for 25ish miles, complete emotional breakdown at the end of day 1, logistical nightmare for RD's Clapper and Horton, nastiest day ever of running on day 4 in freezing rain for 40 miles – but I moved relatively fast just too stay warm, DNFing on day 5 after only 3 miles because of a stupid fall on day 2 where I banged my knee, then joining the 13 other DNFers in a support role for the 6 studs who would go on to finish, knowing that only 19 other people will ever completely understand what I went through.

If someone asked you to pick a race for him or her that they could run a PR at, which race would you suggest? Peterson Ridge Rumble for 60 km!

What was the furthest you’ve ever traveled for a race? To VA/MD/PA/WV for the Tuscarora race.

Do any of your non-running friends or family members thing that you’re crazy for running as much as you do? What are some of their comments to you? They used to, but now they understand how much running means to me, so they're all pretty used to it by now. They usually don't even ask me anymore what I did last weekend, or about races. Except for Mom – she's always interested.

If personal obligations or finances were not an issue, how many marathons would you run in one year? 25ish. Although I love races (whether to really race or just to run and hang out with running buddies), I really love to just go in the mountains with Sascha and run all day.

From what race did you receive your favorite finishers medal? Western States Silver Buckle in 2005 (a monumental struggle to squeak in under 24), Pigtail's FlatAss in 2006 (that ornament is still hanging from my rear view mirror), and a Pig medal from the Run With the Animals 5 km in 2002 in Deer Park, WA – it was Sascha's first race (that medal still hangs from my rear view mirror, too).

Where do you keep your finisher medals? In a box in my guest room.

Do you wear your race t-shirts? What do you do with the ones you don’t wear? At last count, I have 75+ tech shirts, and probably the same number of cotton shirts. I'm in the process of choosing the cool and memorable shirts so my friend can make a quilt for me. I wear some of the tech shirts for running, and some cotton shirts for hanging out. I also give lots away, as I apparently need to do again. I wish more races would have a no-shirt option for $10-$15 less.

If you could put on a marathon anywhere in the world, where would you have it? The Death Canyon 25 mile loop in Grand Teton National Park.

Maniac Yellow, or Maniac Black? Yellow!

What is your favorite pre race meal? Post race meal? Pre – veggie pizza the night before; pb&j sandwich, banana, and warm nuun the morning of. Post – KFC and Recoverite!

What is your energy gel of choice? Sport drink of choice? Vanilla Gu. I've experimented with lots of drinks and have found that water works best for me. I get my electrolytes from s-caps. When not running, I like to drink nuun and HEED.

Which race would you never run again and why? The Eagle 100 mile, and any races put on by that organizer. Advertised as a tough, but extremely well-marked race with fully stocked aid stations, I expected just that. I loved the ruggedness and beauty (ran through a herd of mtn. goats), but was disgusted with the terrible course markings and fully-stocked aid stations that consisted of oranges, ju-ju-bees, and warm water. There were flashing strobe lights to mark the trail at night – too bad the batteries died after 4 hours and runners had to just hunker down and wait out the night until continuing. There was a 20% finish-rate. After DNFing, I talked to the RD and he basically said that everyone who DNFed was out-of-shape, were wimps, and had no business being there. I was in the best shape of my life for that race, and I was not pleased.

What was the most challenging race or combination of races you’ve ever done and why? In addition to Tuscarora, definitely Quadzilla in 2004 (registered trademark of Annie Thiessen). Chris and I had a pretty epic battle in the Triple, then the Bizz was probably a beautiful course, but was just a get-through-it-suffer-fest for me. Also, Bridger Ridge Run 20 miler in 2001, 5:55:48. This was the first long distance mountain race I had ever run. By mile 11, I was puking black. Some guy saw me almost passed-out on the side of the trail, got me up, gave me plenty to drink from his camelbak, and walked with/dragged me to the next aid station. He was my angel that day. Then what got me back was sitting at the aid station, drinking lots of water and sucking on 2 lemon drops. To this day, you won't see me at an ultra without lemon drops.

What is a typical training week like for you? How many miles do you run? Any cross training? Most of the year, I'm a triple digit guy. It's lower (40-50) in the colder months when Sascha and I do some snowshoeing and cross country skiing. When running the 100 mile weeks, I do 1 – 2 long runs (usually weekend), Tues. is hill repeats, Wed. is tempo day, and Thurs. is track day (these 3 days are usually doubles – easier run in the morning or lunch, and workout after work), Mon. and Fri. are either easy or days off.

Do you have a training partner? If so, who is it? Sascha is the best training partner, ever – even if she likes to roll in stinky stuff. I love when she comes running up behind my with a big deer leg in her mouth! Fatboy is a great human training partner because he can talk the whole run. Bien, Bronco, and Kami all help me push myself.

What kind of shoes do you train in? Do you race in a different shoe? Trails – Montrail Highlander and Continental Divide, for training and racing. Roads training – currently Saucony Triumph in gold/black, a great color Maniac! Roads racing – Asics Speedstar in bright yellow, quite possibly the perfect Maniac shoe color.

What are your short-term running goals? 2:43 at Yakima, sub-9 at Miwok 100 km.

What are your long-term running goals? 100 ultras before July 31st, 2008 (my 35^th birthday).

Assuming you have time, what do you do for fun other than run marathons? Play with Sascha, take road trips (usually to cool trail ultras), hang out with friends and talk about running.

Who is your favorite Super Hero? Superman, Wonder Woman, Main Maniac (with cat on head) I'm going to have to go with Scooby Doo.