To help you get to know us better, I recorded an interview with Sean.
Origin as a runner
Ward: What got you interested in running as a sport? How did you start running?
Sean: I would hang with my Dad when he ran the beaches of southern California, when I was five-six years old. But I would say that in seventh grade, though. I wanted to try out for a soccer team, and I think one way that I wanted to show dedication or thought would make me a tougher soccer player was to go out and run around town with a soccer ball and just bang it off tires, curbs and walls.
WS: So you literally were running around Portland, Texas with the soccer ball dribbling it and kicking it off stuff?
SD: Yeah. I found that it was kind of fun to do, or just kind of challenging and I really liked the challenge.
WS: Okay cool. What was your first race? Your first marathon? and Your first ultra?
SD: I want to say eighth grade right before my eighth grade year, I ran a July 4 race in a Corpus, a 5k.
First marathon was Rock n Roll San Diego, right before I turned 30, in 2001.
First ultra was ours. [Trail Rail Run 50 miler near Missoula, Montana] I don't know if I did a 50k beforehand or.
WS: No. We went straight from marathons to 50 milers.
SD: Yeah, well that's some frugal running right there.
WS: Yep. Get your money's worth.
Strengths and weaknesses as a runner
WS: What are your main strengths as a runner?
SD: I'm a bit of a minimalist. I just don't require much to get me out and run. I don't need much time, or money. I can always find opportunities to run or lift. I make opportunities happen. I'll do runs and lifts in the morning, the afternoon, during breaks in the day. I just make things work.
WS: Weaknesses?
SD: My weaknesses used to be beating myself up when I would suffer during a race. But that has changed. I don't know. Right now, not to sound arrogant or cocky, but I would say that I don't know what my weaknesses are right now. I've overcome beating myself up and that was a huge obstacle that I overcome a few races ago.
WS: What is your general approach to training, both in terms of running and overall fitness?
SD: Lifting and strength training is basically just as important as running.. I believe that I have to work on my upper and lower body strength just as much as my running. For me long slow runs have to be done, but just not as much. Long slow distances or whatever you call them, just bore the hell out of me after a while. I've been Twitter and I see these people putting in gigantic yet impressive 30 plus mile training runs. There's absolutely no damn way I can do that now.
WS: When it comes to being frugal, do you have a general approach or philosophy regarding spending money or saving money?
SD: Yeah I think it's always that I look at the price of something and I have this default mentality that there's a cheaper way of doing this. There's got to be a cheaper way regardless. I always approach spending that way. You go into a freaking convenience store and you see a coke for $1.89. I automatically think that's too damn expensive. I bet you there's another drink that's just a satisfying here that's less than that.
Training philosophy
WS: Do you have prepared training cycles or do you train by instinct?
SD: Yeah I do like instinctual training. When I wake up in the morning, I just do what feels right. I just know that I have to run a couple times a week and I have to lift a couple of times a week. And I know that when I lift 90% of the time, I know what I'm going to lift. When I know i'm going to run, I know what i'm going to run 90% of the time. I just cycle through these certain runs and certain lifts and then, I have a good idea of what my long run, is going to be at the end of the week. I just cycle through those workouts. I think how my body has learned to adjust to all these workouts and how it has gotten stronger. How I built this like solid foundation. Once I have that foundation, I say to myself, "Dude, your are gonna get faster. You're going to get stronger."
WS: Do you purchase lot of things during training and what are your spending or in do your spending habits change while training?
SD: Absolutely not--I tend to wear down my shoes. Everything I have I don't care--running with with socks with holes. I mean, I keep socks and shorts until they're completely destroyed. And it kind of goes back to what I said before I make a purchase. I always sit there and think ike anybody else; i'm online I see an advertisement on the side and i'm sitting there going : "Do I really need that? " And I'll explore how much it costs and stuff, but when it comes down to it, do I need this.? Do I really? And my default usually is no.
WS: So what made you pull the trigger on these on these new running shoes, besides the old ones were beat the hell?
SD: You know feet are pretty fucked up right now, and I was "Man, go for it ." The thing is those shoes, I've been investigating for a while. Those shoes are 160 bucks usually. I found them for 98 bucks. I had been looking for a while for those shoes... Basically, I was able to finally get a deal when I really needed them. I would say, probably 60 or 70% of the time I'm able to find some kind of deal on gear like this...
SD: Yeah here's another thing and... and, I probably, I probably bought into this theory because I'm a cheap bastard. I remember reading in Born to Run where the Stanford track team or cross country team how they were sponsored by Nike . The track coach noticed that a lot of his runners were instead of getting a brand new pair of shoes, they would keep the old ones , for like, ever. And he would ask, "Why are they doing this?" The kids responded, "I feel faster." When you start feeling that pavement hit the bottom of your feet, you're like, "Man, I feel fucking fast." It's good to be a cheap bastard.
WS: Have you ever regretted purchases for training?
SD: I want to say I bought a Mountain Hardware race pack about six or seven years ago that I thought would be better than the one I already had. The hydration pack should keep hydrated. I know this is cynical but companies tweak their stuff in there. I'm sure they are doing their research and talking to runners on what makes people comfortable and confident. People are willing to you to spend money on that updated research that they do. Spend money on those updated modifications. I fell into that once.
WS: It's almost like new cars
SD: Yeah, ultimately, you'll get there without all the new bells and whistles.
Frugal origins
WS: So tell me more about your like history with like frugality. Why is Dickson frugal? Where'd that come from?
SD: I always think of my mom. My mom is incredibly frugal, and she takes the exact same approach as I do. Where she looks at the price of something, and she automatically thinks there's a cheaper way of buying this . We kind of have to go back to like her history, My great grandparents immigrated over here from the Czech Republic. They arrived here with what little they had in savings. When they got off the boat in Galveston, they were they were robbed. And from that moment on, they made their way to just outside LaGrange Texas, and they basically had to scrounge and work hard for everything.
WS: You actually knew your great grandparents?
SD: Yeah. I remember when I was turning seven years old. We'd visited them there, and I remember my great grandmother. She didn't speak any English. It was the first or second time that we visited their house. But this one time, I remember walking up onto the porch and the house . There was paint chipping off everywhere . I remember how there was there was no furniture. Just an iron stove in the middle of room. I remember all my Czech relatives were sitting there drinking Pearl Light on the porch. It was near my birthday. And I remember gaps in the in the floor, where you can see the dirt below. My great grandmother knew it was my birthday and she handed me like a $5 bill. I looked at the $5 bill and looked at my great grandmother and I gave her back the $5 bill. I guess it was in front of my great uncles and aunt. They asked, "What are you doing ,son?" I responded, "She needs the $5 more than I do." They burst out laughing. I understood how these people are were just like any other immigrant that had come to America. They did what they had to survive. I see where my mom gets it from and how I get it from her. It's kinda like honoring my mom.
WS: I have the as like these questions for the rapid fire round:
1. Where's your favorite place to run in Austin?
SD: Town Lake. It's just a cool place to run.
2. What's your favorite race so far?
SD: Rocky Raccoon 100. When I PR'd Rocky like that...
3. Favorite post race food?
SD: It changes all the time. Just junk food.
4. What is one comfort item or gear that you simply must have during an ultra?
SD: My button up shirt. I got that from Thrift Town that $69 shirt for $8.99.
5. Bucket list race?
SD: I would say that I want to do a Tahoe race. Though my batting average for mountain races isn't that great. I don't really believe in bucket lists. I just choose races by feel.
Our next post will be the first in a series of budget tips for races and ultras. Expect that on July 13th. Don't forget to comment and subscribe.
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