Motivated to Succeed

March 28, 2024

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Location:

Pittsfield,MA,

Member Since:

Jul 02, 2008

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Boston Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

 

 

  •  2006 Mohawk Hudson River Marathon (NY)
  • 2007 Vermont City Marathon (VT)
  • 2011 BPAC 6 Hour Run (NY)
  • 2011 Mind the Ducks 12 Hour (NY)
  • 2012 Maple Leaf Indoor Marathon #1 (IN)
  • 2012 Maple Leaf Indoor Marathon #2 (IN)
  • 2012 BPAC 6 Hour Run (NY)
  • 2012 Mind the Ducks 12 Hour (NY)
  • 2012 Memorial Day Marathon (MA)
  • 2012 Around the Lake 12 Hour (MA)
  • 2012 Hancock Shaker Village 50 (MA) 
  • 2012 Bay State Marathon (MA)
  • 2012 First Descents Marathon (DE) 
  • 2013 Maple Leaf Indoor Marathon #1 (IN)
  • 2013 Maple Leaf Indoor Marathon #2 (IN) 
  • 2013 Circular Logic Marathon (IN)
  • 2013 Lake Waramaug 50M (CT)
  • 2013 BPAC 6 Hour Run (NY)
  • 2013 Ragnar Cape Cod Ultra Team (MA) 
  • 2013 Memorial Day Marathon (MA)
  • 2013 Relay For Life No. Berkshire (MA)
  • 2013 Ragnar Adirondack Ultra Team (MA)
  • 2013 BayState Marathon (MA)
  • 2013 One Day At the Fair Marathon (NJ)
  • 2013 West Palm Beaches Marathon (FL)
  • 2014 Arena Attack XL Center Marathon (CT)
  • 2014 Maple City 6-Pack Marathon #1 (IN)
  • 2014 Maple City 6-Pack Marathon #2 (IN)
  • 2014 Maple City 6-Pack Marathon #3 (IN)
  • 2014 Maple City 6-Pack Marathon #4 (IN)
  • 2014 Maple City 6-Pack Marathon #5 (IN)
  • 2014 Maple City 6-Pack Marathon #6 (IN)
  • 2014 Circular Logic Marathon (IN)

 Personal Bests:

  • 400 - 1:01 (2004)
  • 800 - 2:16 (2004)
  • Mile - 5:12 (2004)
  • 2Mile - 11:27 (2004)
  • 5k - 19:44 (2005)
  • 10k 40:46 (11/22/07)
  • 15k - 1:07:40 (11/11/07)
  • 13.11 Half - 1:38:31 (12/9/07)
  • Marathon 3:59:18 (1/25/14)
  • 50 miles 11:44 (5/14/11)

Eagle Scout with Bronze and Gold Palms (2002)

Biked from Ticonderoga, New York to Old Orchard Beach, Maine in August of 2005 (Total of about 290 miles

Short-Term Running Goals:

200 miles @ 72 Hour Race in May

Under 200 #

Sub 4:00 Marathon

 

 

Long-Term Running Goals:

QUALIFY AND RUN IN THE BOSTON MARATHON.

Personal:

I am 27.  Have done 33 marathons and ultras. Really trying to get in shape to get back to running the miles I want to. I love to read and worked for four years in a bookstore. I like to keep track of the books I read. Currently I work as a 6th & 7th grade history teacher at the only charter school in Berkshire County, as well as serve as the coach for the cross country team! Been experimenting as a pescatarian (eating only fish) since August 10, 2011. 

 

Just earned my Master's Degree in Adolescent Education for Social Studies. I have the most wonderful WIFE in the entire world.. EMMA! October 16, 2010

Run when you can, walk when you have to, crawl if you must. Just never give up! - Dean Karnazes -

We are all teachers and we are all students in this sport. - Dean Karnazes -

The simple act of putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward at an accelerated rate can be one of life's greatest - and simplest - pleasures. ~Dean Karnazes 

"Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, your values become your destiny." - MK Gandhi 

"The marathon mercilessly rips off the outer layers of our defenses and leaves the raw human, vulnerable and naked. It is here you get an honest glimpse into the soul of an individual. Every insecurity and character flaw is open and on display for all the world to see. No communication is ever more real, no expression ever more honest. There is nothing left to hide behind. The marathon is the great equalizer. Ever movement, every word spoken and unspoken, is radiant truth. The veil has been obliterated. These are the profound moments of human interaction that I live for." - Dean Karnazes 

 

Benn Griffin


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2014 Books I've Read: 

 

 

 

 

Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Vibram Five Fingers KSO Lifetime Miles: 367.52
Vibram Komodo Sports (yellow) Lifetime Miles: 570.38
Vibram Bikilas (red) Lifetime Miles: 655.87
Vibram Bikilas (blue) Lifetime Miles: 414.89
Altra Lone Peak Lifetime Miles: 155.19
Lizzy Miles 2012 Lifetime Miles: 58.60
Vibram Komodo Sport (black) Lifetime Miles: 195.60
NB Trail Minimus (orange) Lifetime Miles: 101.74
Altra Instinct (grey) Lifetime Miles: 389.78
Vibram Bikilas (red #2) Lifetime Miles: 10.60
Vibram Bikilas (green) Lifetime Miles: 230.05
Altra Adams Lifetime Miles: 2.00
Merrell Road Glove Lifetime Miles: 46.11
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
5.000.000.00

 Micah True - Caballo

Micah True - "Caballo Blanco" - 1954 - 2012 

 

8:00 PM - The news of Caballo Blanco's death has been hard to understand, and harder to accept. When I first heard that Caballo went missing, I immediately had thoughts to the numerous times I've read Chris McDougall's Born to Run in which the elusive White Horse makes appearances, only to vanish into the woods and deserts and fog. When I heard that Micah went missing, just weeks after his signature Copper Canyon Ultra Marahon (CCUM), I assumed one of two possibilities - that he was taking time to pursue a personal quest through the woods and trails or that he had once again felt the pressures of corporate sponsorships, media coverage, and personal emails and letters and sought to fade into the limelight. Never once in my mind did I suspect that the indefatigable, the indomitable, the infallible Caballo would possibly be hurt or worse.

Growing up in a home with two parents (both marathoners), running became a passion of mine. From a young age, I sought to challenge myself, to push my limits and then extend them. Until just five years ago, I thought 26.22 miles was my limit. I had done two marathons and did not feel that I possessed the skills or strength to break past the arbitrary marathon distance. I have read countless books, novels, and how-to guides, as well as almost every issue of both Running Times and Runner's World since 2003. And yet, there was something tantalizing about the character portrayed by Christopher McDougall in his bestselling book. There is something elusive and inspiring about a man who sees the sport of ultra running for what it is - a personal quest to push one's limits, to transcend the monotony of daily life and treadmill runs, track workouts, and dime a dozen 5k and 10k races.

Perhaps the thing I admired about Micah's portrayal by McDougall was his tenacity and unbreakable spirit. Rather than conform to expectations, he defined his own life, his own path, and his own goals. What more can one ask for than to live the life you wish? I feel that with the death of Micah True, the ultra running community has lost something special. He brought the spotlight away from corporate greed and back to the simple joys of running for the sake of running. As he helped cover the lives of the legendary Tarahumara in Copper Canyon, he not only brought people's attention back to the basics, but he helped elevate the sport of ultra running to something more than simple competition. His ideals were pure, original, and tangible. He sought out ways to capitalize on the skills and knowledge he had acquired from the Tarahumara and to give back to the tribe that had embraced him when everyone else seemed to push him away.

So what does Caballo's death mean for the sport of ultra running? It seems that with anyone who passes away with some reasonable level of fame, that there is a mad dash to try to "get to know" and understand the individual. Working in the bookstore when Michael Jackson died, I can tell you first hand, people crave revisiting and giving a great deal of attention and care to them despite the fact that he/she has already passed on. What I fear is that the death of Caballo will have the following repercussions:

1) A run on McDougall's Born to Run in hopes of learning Micah's "secrets"

2) The loss of purity behind Caballo's Copper Canyon UltraMarathon - As much as I would love to see another dedicated runner step up to the plate and become an advocate for what the race stands for, I see corporate sponsorship eroding the real reason he developed the race.

3) A souring of relations with the Tarahumara. As people try to seek out the Holy Grail of trails and training grounds that Micah trained and raced on, I foresee people in seek of personal gain and enlightenment at the expense of the natives who live there. I fear that the Tarahumara will recede away from the spotlight and seek to be even more secretive and elusive and untrusting.

4) A new "craze" and increase in barefoot/minimalist running as previously mentioned readers in #1 seek to find personal transcendence.

So what does the death of Micah True - the fearless White Horse/Caballo Blanco really mean for the sport? It temporarily is shedding light onto our introverted love affair with running. One could hope it will effect it positively, but I fear that there will be an increase in people seeking to capitalize on his death. Time will tell. One thing is for certain, however. Micah's impact on the ultra running community is great, meaningful, and most assuredly long-lasting.

Here's to you, Caballo. May you forever be able to run the great trails in the sky with great food, greater friends, and even greater stories to share with one and all.

 

5 miles for Caballo tonight on the treadmill. 48:30 total, good for  9:42/ mile

Vibram Komodo Sports (yellow) Miles: 5.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
Comments
From JD on Wed, Apr 04, 2012 at 18:43:34 from 97.117.112.193

that was great Benn - he truly was an original - thanks for the words!

From Benn Griffin on Thu, Apr 05, 2012 at 08:53:49 from 72.43.210.34

I will miss him. Got to keep moving though. That's what he would want us all to do.

From rAtTLeTrAp on Thu, Apr 05, 2012 at 09:07:00 from 174.253.221.132

I passed up a chance to run copper canyon last year with a friend. I'd never heard of Micah before reading Born to Run. His story was so inspiring and so much better than the "barefoot agenda" behind McDougal's book. I really wish I would have gone and met him now. RIP Caballo Blanco

From Benn Griffin on Thu, Apr 05, 2012 at 10:25:35 from 72.43.210.34

He is one of the few people that ate, breathed, lived, and died doing what he loved. If only we could all be so lucky. Guess it really hits home for me - I need to make the most of every day. You never know when it might be your last.

From rAtTLeTrAp on Thu, Apr 05, 2012 at 12:01:24 from 174.253.220.158

Amen brother! I thank God for every day and every step.

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