Saturday, April 3, 2010

Running the Sahara


Running the Sahara
I finally saw the movie "Running the Sahara" last night. I've heard about it for a while (it came out in 2008), but like most movies we wait until it comes out on TV.

The movie, if you haven't heard of it, is a documentary about 3 men (one from Canada, one from Taiwan, and one from America) who decide to run across the Sahara desert (4,500 miles).
Matt Damon is one of the producers and also does the narration.

I thought the movie was great. Even my non-runner wife enjoyed it. The struggles that they face amazing--including countless blisters, cramps, muscle fatigue, sand storms, high heat (140 degrees at one point), dehydration, etc, etc.

These guys ran about a marathon and a half a day for 111 days straight. No days off. Across sand. In blazing heat. Consuming massive amounts of liquid and food. Losing upwards of 40+ pounds. Getting lost. Across countries. Against incredible odds.

I can't imagine the wear and tear that this type of event would take on someone's body. My body can barely endure a 1/2 marathon. These guys were running 30-50 miles a day for over 100 days in a row. One of the guys said he had just taken up running late in life, got hooked, and became an ultra runner. This movie is definitely worth checking out if you're a runner.

Running Update
The latest Runner's World has an article that talks about coming back from injury and it states that if you've been off for more than a month, you should treat it like you are starting over. Well, I definitely feel like I am starting over (after being off for 3 months). I'm trying to take it slow, and run injury free. This week I had several 3 to 4 mile runs, and I am not running two days in a row to give my body the chance to rest in between runs.

8 comments:

Stacey said...

I saw Running the Sahara several months ago and loved it. Amazing. Oh, and I actually met Matt Damon in Hawaii last summer...tha's just my claim to fame (:
I think you are being smart with your come back to running...those rest days are important as you build back up the mileage. Good luck. I know it is hard, I have been there, several times...Have a great weekend.

Unknown said...

I've decided that running 3 days per week works best for me. So I hardly ever run two days in a row. and so far, so good! So I think the article is dead on!

Christina said...

I liked the movie too and can't imagine the stamina it took. I was kind of ticked at the guy at the end to keep running and leave his friends.

Unknown said...

I really want to see it. It's not on Netflix yet, though. I guess I'm going to have to pick it up somewhere.

SeeGirlRun said...

I'm with you. I've been running again for about a month after a long layoff. I've been running 3 days a week and recently added a fourth that will be a low-mileage-recovery-easy-kind-of-run on Mondays after my soon to be long-run on Sundays. Have to be careful of those (*$#&%*$ overuse injuries.

Laura

Mel-2nd Chances said...

Great review, I want to see this!! 3 days/week, with no back to back days has been working for me as well :)

Runningmyspace said...

I would love to see that movie! I hope to some day do a 50KM run, but it's kilometers away right now in my head. I am coming back after an injury and it's slow.

Unknown said...

Running the Sahara still premieres in theaters across the country - you can find more details at www.facebook.com/RunningtheSahara and www.runningthesahara.com

Charlie Engle, one of the three runners, also has another film Running America debuting this month. www.facebook.com/RunningAmerica and www.runningamerica08.com