She鈥檇 run regularly for 15 years. He did a desultory two-mile run now and then.
He saw her run six miles and thought, 鈥淚f she can do that, surely I can.鈥� But up till then he鈥檇 felt as if he might have a heart attack beyond two miles.
鈥淭ry running slower,鈥� she told him.
So he did, and he did the six-mile run. Then he thought, 鈥淭hat was easy.鈥� So he said, 鈥淚 think I鈥檇 like to run a marathon.鈥�
And she said, 鈥淚鈥檒l run it with you.鈥�
So they ran a marathon, but that was just the beginning.
He is John Lin. She is Joanna Haug. They鈥檙e two 91探花study coordinators (he in Pathology, she in Radiology) who met and became friends while working on a large clinical trial, and it would be an understatement to say they鈥檝e come a long way together. Or perhaps we should say, they鈥檝e gone a long way together.
鈥淲e鈥檝e somehow managed to talk each other into getting into these really challenging situations,鈥� Haug says with her clipped British accent.
Lin just laughs in reply. He laughs often, in fact. He鈥檚 clearly a guy who doesn鈥檛 take life, or himself, too seriously. 鈥淚t鈥檚 when the endorphins kick in,鈥� he says of the running. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 when you get all the gargantuan ideas, during the first five miles when you say, 鈥極h, this is so easy. Let鈥檚 run a ridiculous amount more next time.鈥欌��
鈥淗e just comes up with these over-the-top ideas and I say, 鈥極h, yeah, yeah. Whatever you come up with, I鈥檒l do it,鈥� 鈥� Haug replies.
The two did their first marathon in Yakima in 2002, after training for several months. 鈥淲e鈥檇 run three to four times a week 鈥� a few 5 or 10 mile runs and then 15 or 20,鈥� Lin says.
He admits he was nervous about the marathon, worried he wouldn鈥檛 be able to do it, but says the experience turned out to be fun, and surprisingly easy. 鈥淚 thought it would be really challenging 鈥� a stereotypical goal to achieve in one鈥檚 life. Then it was so easy, so I thought, let鈥檚 run a little bit further.鈥�
And they did. In the last year alone they鈥檝e done three ultra marathons 鈥� 50k and 50-mile runs done on trails. Quite a bit different from marathons.
Haug describes marathons as a middle class, urban phenomenon full of optimism, cheering crowds, food stands and music. 鈥淚n the ultra, you鈥檙e completely by yourself and nobody cares that you鈥檙e out there,鈥� she says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 one food station in 15 miles. And hardly anyone does this. You鈥檙e down from a few thousand people in a marathon to 30 in an ultra.鈥�
The first time they did an ultra, near Granite Falls, Lin got lost on what he calls poorly-marked trails and ended up tumbling down a forested slope. 鈥淚 was worried because I thought I was horribly behind and I couldn鈥檛 see any other runners. I ran an extra two miles or something to get back on the proper course. I had cuts all over my legs from the fall.鈥�
But this less-than-joyous experience didn鈥檛 deter him, or his faithful companion. 鈥淲e had more fun at Mt. Si because they have lots of food. They also mark the trail well,鈥� Haug says.
To prepare for the ultra runs, Lin and Haug had to ratchet up their training. Gone were the 10-mile runs, now considered 鈥済arbage runs鈥� because they aren鈥檛 long enough to do much good. Instead, they鈥檇 go out to the mountains and run six hours at a stretch about once a week, which might make you believe they鈥檙e dedicated athletes 鈥� fanatic about their health. But you would be wrong. When asked if they run for their health, or to keep their weight down, both deny it. Lin even smokes. In fact, he smokes more when they鈥檙e in training for a race.
Haug says to Lin, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 like running. I love hiking. I mean, do you like running?鈥�
Lin: 鈥淣o, I hate running.鈥�
Haug: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why his smoking goes up.鈥�
Lin: 鈥溾�機ause it鈥檚 this horrible dread of running.鈥�
Which leads to an obvious question: Why do they do it?
鈥淚t鈥檚 just kind of interesting to see what your body can do,鈥� Lin says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 psychological.鈥�
Haug emphasized,鈥淚t鈥檚 not psychological in terms of using your mind to overcome pain. It鈥檚 more changing the way you think about what you can do. Anyone could do it. All you need to do is set out a plan for yourself and execute it. For me it鈥檚 all a matter of self discipline. Wherever those physical limits are, I haven鈥檛 reached them yet. And I think it鈥檚 intriguing at my age 鈥� I鈥檓 47 鈥� that I can do more and more.鈥�
Haug is equally intrigued by Lin, who is 31 and able to run a long race with minimal training, despite being mostly inactive the rest of the time. 鈥淚t鈥檚 effortless for him,鈥� she says. 鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 even appreciate how effortless it is. He鈥檚 a natural. If he properly trained, he鈥檇 be amazing.鈥�
But Lin isn鈥檛 setting any major fitness goals. In fact, both friends say they probably wouldn鈥檛 continue running at their current pace if either moved away. 鈥淲e egg each other on,鈥� Haug says. 鈥淲e get these stupid ideas.鈥�
What Haug does do on her own is walk 鈥� at least she sets out to walk. Over the summer she planned a walk across her native England 鈥� 鈥渢he 200-mile skinny part,鈥� she hastens to say. But on the way she ran into some ultra runners who were doing the same route at a 30-mile-per-day pace. She joined them, not because she found the running attractive but because it meant she could put her pack on a support van and get meals provided.
Lin is less ambitious, admitting that walking his dogs is about all the exercise he gets when he鈥檚 not preparing for an ultra.
So what鈥檚 next for Haug and Lin?
鈥淚鈥檝e been thinking of this run in Oregon,鈥� Lin says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not longer but it goes along the Pacific Crest Trail. I figure, at least go for better scenery.鈥�
Haug doesn鈥檛 believe the part about it not being longer. 鈥淲hatever it is, it鈥檒l be twice as big as it was before,鈥� she says. 鈥淥n principle.鈥�