Idaho Springs, CO — His feats are impressive, legendary. At age 57, Marshall Ulrich went 3,063 miles on foot, running about 60 miles a day for 52 days straight, from San Francisco to New York City. He was attempting to break a world record set by a man half his age and ultimately set two new records, completing the third fastest trans-American crossing in history.
You can imagine that being married to a guy so driven and prone to extremes requires a strength of its own, a special brand of emotional endurance. Ulrich’s wife not only puts up with this craziness but embraces it as an essential part of him. How? Why?
Ulrich wrote about all of this in Running on Empty: An Ultramarathoner’s Story of Love, Loss, and a Record-Setting Run Across America, now available in paperback (Avery, $16). A central element in the book is a recounting of how Ulrich met his wife, Heather, late in life and how she taught him to love again after great personal tragedy and previous marriages. He credits her not only with helping him to become a better man, but also with being crucial to his completing this epic, record-setting transcontinental run.
Some “how to” tips for women in a relationship with a “crazy” man:
– Let men be men. All of us need to express ourselves in unique ways, and for one man, it may be running across the U.S., while for another, it may be a guys’ getaway in Baja, Mexico, and for another, it may be watching a show about Bigfoot.
– Respect that thing you think is silly or risky or even dangerous, as it can bring out the best in both of you. It isn’t anti-feminist to embrace the dreams and aspirations of men who want to test their mettle, whether that’s in sport, business, finance, or any of the other classically male area of contest. This also applies to men who want to explore the arts and other creative pursuits. The truth is that most men like to succeed, no matter their particular interest. Support them in it.
– Agree that this is a reciprocal arrangement, where both partners are committed to seeing the other become the fullest versions of themselves. If you can find it in your heart to encourage him in something you’d otherwise ignore or even dismiss, he can do the same for you. Who knows what you might accomplish together?
Running On Empty is both a gripping love story and an inspirational look into the lives of a couple who have experienced more than most people can comprehend – and who insist that everyone’s capable of much more than they may think.
While the book centers on the transcontinental run and the importance of and strain on the Ulrichs’ marriage, it also includes stories and lessons learned from Marshall Ulrich’s nearly three decades of athletic accomplishments in extreme endurance sports:
He began running ultra distances in his thirties just after his first wife died, and in his forties he set records on some of the world’s most difficult courses. Ulrich won the infamous Death Valley Badwater Ultramarathon an unparalleled four times, has finished the race more times than anyone else, and he still holds the record for the original 146-mile course. (He’ll run it for the 18th time in July 2012 with Heather as his chief support.)
He started adventure racing while still in his forties; competing in multi-day events with a team of other hard-core athletes. He’s one of only three people to compete in all nine Eco-Challenges, contests that make the TV show Survivor look like a resort vacation. At the same time, he became an innovator in the sport of ultrarunning, finishing feats of endurance no one had accomplished before.
In his 50s, he ascended all Seven Summits on first attempts, including reaching the peak of Mt. Everest in 2004. Yet the sight of Heather at base camp dwarfed the elation he’d felt at the top. Outside magazine crowned him an “Endurance King,” Trail Runner named him one of the Legends of the Trail, and Adventure Sports highlighted him as an athlete “Over 50 and Kicking Your Butt.”
Four years later, in 2008, he completed the run across the United States with Heather by his side, acting as his crew chief. He broke the Masters and Grand Masters records and outpaced all but two of his peers, both of whom were 20 years younger than Ulrich when they ran it.
Since then, Ulrich has continued to take on new challenges. This summer, he plans to complete the first-ever circumnavigation of Death Valley National Park, going 800 miles on foot in one of the hottest places on earth. Heather will provide emotional, logistical and loving support–as always.
Women Can Now Get The Help They Need For A Smooth Transition Through Menopause
Michigan City, IN – Menopause affects women from all around the globe – it may be different for each one but it will definitely have some kind of an effect on them. The key is to minimize the negative effects so that this will be a time of celebration rather than a time of dread.
Doctors Lovera Wolf Miller and David C. Miller are the authors of Womenopause: Stop Pausing and Start Living (O-Books) and they wrote it for just this reason. Their book is filled with the latest scientific information and solutions to help women feel their best during this vital time – more like a makeover geared to feeling fit, feminine and fabulous in four weeks!
Unfortunately, our culture has become obsessed with maintaining the appearance of youth – which does nothing to help the anxiety level of the 6,000 women a day reaching menopause right now! Their list of concerns just keeps growing: Will I lose my looks? Can I keep this weight off? Is my health going to deteriorate? Am I still sexy? Can I still be smart? Can I continue to be me?
Womenopause provides readers with a guide to help them create their own ‘designer’ treatment plan that is tailored to their individual needs, and it covers everything from bone preservation, hormones, hot flashes, breast health, brain power, skin, fitness, sleep, sex – a multitude of things that women deal with while going through menopause. This book doesn’t profess to be a ‘cure’ but it certainly is an invaluable tool. It cuts through all the hype and ill-informed opinions that have plagued women for years and kept them on a roller coaster ride of ‘trends of the day’ – and instead offers real solutions that work!
The credentials of these professionals speak for themselves. Dr. Lovera Wolf Miller is a board certified obstetrician and gynecologist, a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology, and a NAMS certified menopause practitioner. Dr. David Miller is boarded in pain and anesthesiology, taught neuroanatomy at UCLA, was an instructor of courses in physiology and neurophysiology, and is also a NAMS certified menopause practitioner. Please visit their informative websites at: www.womenopausebook.com and www.womenopauseinteractive.com
It’s Gonna Take More Than One Night Of Wine And Honesty To Fix The Baggage These Friends Bring To A Wedding
Los Angeles, CA – Most women will agree that it’s pretty much a necessity to have at least a few loyal and trustworthy friends in their life – friends who sometimes know them better than they know themselves. Such is the scenario when four friends come together for one of their weddings in Rebecca Bloom’s Eat, Drink and Be Married (Self/iuniverse), only to discover each of them is hiding a piece of themselves from each other.
When college girlfriends on opposite sides of the country leave busy schedules behind to join their former roommate for her wedding in Lake Tahoe, they not only bring suitcases packed with ‘what-not-to-wear’ bridesmaid dresses, but baggage of a more emotional kind.
Supported by a variety of diverse characters determined to wreak havoc on their carefully organized lives, each woman is forced to come to terms with her past before she walks down the aisle. A bottle of booze, a multitude of laughs, a hankie or two worth of tears, and seventy-two hours in the presence of those who know and love them the most produces the perfect recipe for four women to Eat, Drink, and Be Married.
Already receiving great reviews on Amazon.com, Eat, Drink and Be Married immediately draws the reader into the entertaining world that surrounds Bloom’s endearing, eclectic characters – making readers a little envious of such close-knit friendships. The writer’s rich telling of the dialogue that occurs when best friends get together for a special event makes for a page-turner that every modern woman can enjoy!
Eat, Drink and Be Married is ‘chick lit’ at its absolute finest and funniest and needs to be made available at every bridal salon in the country – where brides and their best friends can have an opportunity to identify with its characters, their situations, or both!
Rebecca Bloom’s previous novels, Girl Anatomy and Tangled up in Daydreams were featured in numerous national and regional publications including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, In Style and others, in addition to various electronic outlets including EXTRA, Good Day Live and Dallas Morning News. In addition, Bloom also served as the executive editor then editor at large for Los Angeles Confidential Magazine.
For more information on this talented writer, please visit: www.rebeccabloom.com.
Ridgewood, NJ – Life would be so perfect and carefree with immeasurable wealth…right? You Never Know (Wheatmark, Inc.) is an extraordinary novel by Lilian Duval that questions our assumptions about money and power. The story contrasts two families that are friends; one suffers great tragedy and struggles financially, while the other has enjoyed an affluent lifestyle. Everything changes when one decides to buy a lottery ticket.
Having struggled through his young life with a condescending father, alcoholic mother, and an artistically gifted younger brother, Tobias Hillyer’s life changes forever during a Christmas visit home when a tragic automobile accident leaves both of his parents dead and his younger brother Simeon seriously injured. Tobias, always one to do the right thing, abandons his dreams of finishing college to take care of his brain-damaged sibling. He works a low-paying job, marries his brother’s psychiatric nurse, and tries to settle into the middle class.
On the other hand, Martin, his college roommate, seems to have everything going his way. He finishes college, marries well, and lands a high-paying job with Lehman Brothers in New York. In spite of their differences in incomes, the two families stay in touch.
When Tobias buys a lottery ticket on a whim – and wins – he believes his problems are finally over. Strangely, as the roles are reversed, Tobias and his wife now get to live out their fantasies and Martin now faces bankruptcy.
As problems arise and life gets more difficult and less predictable for Tobias, who nearly loses everything he holds most dear while trying to get his head around this staggering amount of money, it is Simeon who surfaces as the unexpected hero by realizing his own happiness and success as a result of his own efforts. As “Simmy” sets out on his own personal life journey, he leaves the family with a gift that brings them full circle and grants Tobias inner peace.
You Never Know is more a story of triumph than defeat, and what stems from one winning ticket makes for an exciting and surprising read filled with unexpected twists and turns to the very end, proving that while chance can change lives in a split second, results can last a lifetime.
While Lilian Duval implies in her novel that her characters may have been affected by the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center Towers in 2001, she and her husband are actual survivors of this attack and know first-hand how this experience forever changed their lives.
For more information on Lilian Duval and her extraordinary novel, please visit her website at: www.lilianduval.com.
Avoiding Regrets and Bad Choices: Missed Ops is a Guide to a More Successful Life
New York, NY – As DEA and FBI Special Agents, Keith Nelson and Anthony Rienzi witnessed first-hand the consequences of bad choices. They’ve turned that knowledge upside-down to write Missed Ops: When Opportunity Knocks Know What NOT To Do (Health Communications, Inc.). The result is a straightforward and practical look at using other people’s missed opportunities as a guide to leaving regret behind and building a better future.
“We have demonstrated strategies for breaking generational cycles of dissatisfaction and failure,” Keith Nelson says. “Our book can have a positive impact on the lives of those who have regrets about not taking advantage of past opportunities, while also proactively helping those who have not yet made major life decisions, ensuring they make the best ones.” The book shows how to recognize opportunity when it knocks and how to objectively appraise and critique the advice and counsel of others before making an informed choice.
Based on candid interviews from a wide variety of people, Missed Ops is highly readable and informative. “We wanted to outline what readers should not do when faced with a personal, educational or financial opportunity. Experience is the best teacher, but only if it’s someone else’s experience,” adds Anthony Rienzi, co-author. Throughout the book, readers develop an ability to view the outcome of other people’s mistakes and gain knowledge as if they experienced it personally.
In their careers as DEA and FBI Special Agents, the authors received in-depth training in using fact-based interviewing techniques and investigative analyzing skills. They applied these same skills to break down missed opportunities to identify what went wrong and how it could have been corrected. Through analyzing their personal experiences and interviewing other people, the authors determined common facts of failure and created an outline of skills and techniques for seizing opportunity.
“Missed Ops is not a one-size-fits-all solution,” Nelson says. “Instead it is designed to be a roadmap to help the reader make successful choices when faced with opportunity during his or her own unique journey.”
MISSED OPS offers an uncommon perspective on how to get off the treadmill to nowhere that is characterized by struggle, disappointment, and failure. Readers will learn practical strategies for successfully climbing the socio-economic ladder, attaining personal goals, fulfilling lifelong dreams, and passing along valuable guidance and wisdom to future generations.
Hinsdale, IL – Thousands of people will resolve to lose weight in 2012. Unfortunately, many will fail because of a tragic misconception that they are overweight due to overeating. Instead, the cause of lifelong weight problems and fatigue may be hypothyroidism, a disease easily treated by the step-by-step sensible plan of diet and exercise presented by Dr. Kevin Dobrzynski in his groundbreaking book The Hypothyroid Diet (Morgan and James, publisher).
January is Thyroid Awareness Month. Hypothyroidism is a devastating epidemic affecting 10 to 27 million Americans, often caused by an autoimmune disorder, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Most sufferers are women, and many are misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or mistreated. When she was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and subsequently thyroid cancer, Dr. Dobrzynski’s wife Amy did not get better despite medication and surgery. Her husband was determined to help her lose weight, fight fatigue and feel normal again, and their success is documented in The Hypothyroid Diet.
A licensed practitioner of natural medicine, Dr. Kevin Dobrzyski has a thriving practice helping people use exercise and nutrition for a happier, healthier life. “Combining alternative medicine with exercise creates a healthy option and balance to give you the freedom while staying in control of your own healthcare,” he explains. Driven by a desire to help his wife, he studied the effects of the immune system, thyroid function and the interplay of nutrition and exercise.
Medication is often not helpful. For many women, it simply masks the cause of the problem without addressing the crippling symptoms of weight gain, fatigue, cold hands and feet, depression, hair loss, brain fog, short term memory loss, insomnia, low libido, heavy menses and body aches and pains. After she struggled for months, Dr. Dobrzynski developed a program for his wife to follow.
“It was a small change in diet with a couple of added nutritional supplements, and in a matter of weeks she lost eight pounds, got an energy boost and started to feel normal and hopeful.” His research showed that when the patient’s immune system is supported, results are swift. Through the simple plan outlined in The Hypothyroid Diet, Dobrzynski shows people what to eat and drink and what to avoid, and how to work a program that beats the disease. “It also helps hypothyroid patients determine if they have a food allergy or sensitivity, which is a common theme among thyroid patients and can cause their symptoms to get worse.” he continues. “The program helps them stabilize their blood sugar so they can lose weight and also helps eliminate food cravings.”
With the introduction of this new book, Dr. Kevin Dobrzynski offers thousands of women new hope for the treatment of obesity, fatigue and other overwhelming symptoms of hypothyroidism. The Hypothyroid Diet may be the key to a healthier, happier life in 2012.
The First Book Of Its Kind On One Of The Greatest Sources Of Religious Inspiration Of All Time
Torrance, CA – A Buddha is one who has attained the highest level of enlightenment in the Cosmos and Buddhism teaches that the Cosmos contains innumerable worlds similar to ours, with countless number of Buddhas. Buddhism also teaches that there are fifty-two levels of enlightenment, the highest of which is called the “enlightenment of a Buddha.”
The Story Of Buddha: A Graphic Biography (Ichimannendo Publishing) by Hisashi Ota is believed to be the first book on the life story of Buddha and his teachings in Manga – a revered practice by the Japanese of using comics for explanation and illustration.
When the Buddha was a young man he was called Siddhartha and he dealt with similar struggles that we have today. He was born as a crown prince and was blessed by having an extremely beautiful wife. He had it all – money, fame, position, wealth – there was nothing he needed yet even with all of his possessions he was not totally happy. He felt there was something missing in his life and he wondered how there could be meaning in the same routine day after day.
That is when he went in search of happiness…and a search for answers to the age-old question, “what is the meaning of life?” began. Little did this dissatisfied prince from the foothills of the Himalayas know that 2,600 years later he would be considered one of the world’s greatest sources of religious inspiration!
Hisashi Ota, the author of this remarkable book, was born in Japan and graduated from Nagoya University’s School of Science.
