My Ultra Biography

After reading the Ultrarunning List for months and learning how to write an ultra biography, it's time to complete mine and introduce myself on my birthday.

Name:	Chihping Fu
City/State/Country:	Fremont, CA, USA
E-mail:	chihpingfu@yahoo.com
Occupation:	Software Build/Release Engineer (aka. SCM)
Height:	5'10"
Weight:	160 lb
Birthplace:	Taipei, Taiwan
Date of birth:	4/3
Years running:	10 (since 1997)
Years running ultras:	3 (since Quicksilver 50K in 2004)

PRs:

• Mile - 5:40 (speedwork)
  
• 5K - 18:50 (Oracle 5K in 2004?)
  
• 10K - 39:55 (Mercury News 10K in 2002, a bandit runner)
  
• 1/2 Marathon - 1:29:43 (2004 Home Depot San Francisco Half)
  
• Marathon - 3:19:19 (2001 Silicon Valley Marathon)

Shoes I run in: any name brand running shoes marked down to $40.

Favorite running surface: wooded trails

Some ultras I have completed:

• a couple of PCTR 50K's in SF Bay Area (since 2004),
• Stevens Creek 50K (2006),
• AR50 (since 2005),
• Ruth Anderson (since 2006),
• Miwok 100K (since 2006),
• Quicksilver 50K/50M (since 2004),
• Ohlone 50K (since 2005),
• TRT 50M/100M (since 2005),
• RDL 100M (since 2006),
• Firetrail 50M (since 2005),
• HK50 (since 2006),
• Quad Dipsea (2005).

Favorite ultras: Those I've run and others trail ultras I have not run.

Ultra achievement I am most proud of: finished strong weekly ultras in 2006 - Miwok 100K, Quicksilver 50M, and Ohlone 50K. The same challenges come again this year by adding Diablo 50M.

Typical training week: 8-10 miles daily during weekday and 20 (hilly Ohlone Wilderness Trail) - 40 miles (flat Alameda Creek Trail) on Sunday

Injury history:

• shin splints for six months in my first year of running (1997-1998).
• ball pains lingering for a year after finishing San Francisco Marathon in 2002.
• None for trail running except ankle twist when wearing Inov 315 this year.

Favorite ultra foods: salted potatoes, brownies, juicy fruits, all brand and flavors of gels, chicken soup.

Favorite ultra beverages: any sports drink, coke

Things I like most about ultras: people, stories, trails, camaraderie, accomplishment, and cheaper than road races ($$/mile).

Things I hate most about ultras: No but I normally spend time figuring out how to get to the race start and return home with minimal impact on environment

What got me started doing ultras: I was kind of idle and lack of motivation after running road marathons for years. A friend (Eric Belden) mentioned about Quicksilver 50K in 2004. I began to train on hills but still had doubts in myself. When I finished the race, I was glad to run beyond marathon and appreciate the terrains. I started to get addicted to run ultras.

Why I do ultras: a great way to reveal myself and enjoy the most of trails in short period of time with the help from volunteers (Thank you all).

Where I found out about the list: told by my friend Rajeev Patel (the Poetic Runner) when I was looking for a ride to my first 100 miler - TRT100 in 2006.

Short-term ultra goals: Complete my this year race calendar listed on http://ultrafamilyman.blogspot.com/ (just did Ruth Anderson 100K), in particular, my target race - Wasatch Front 100, and four ultra slams next year when I'm in WS100 for the first time (a two-time loser).

Long-term ultra goals: Keep working on my Ultrailrunning Family Man blog. Complete most of the USA 100 milers and all ultra slam series listed in www.run100s.com. And the beautiful Tour du Mont Blanc.

Fantasy ultra goals: run beyond time (day and night and my age) and beyond distances (> 100 miles). For example, multi-day solo run touring an area such as run across or around Taiwan, etc.

Favorite ultra quote(s): I actually enjoy reading other's "favorite ultra quotes". They always inspire me!