When Angie and I go to a big city marathon she leaves all the logistics to me.
This includes finding the hotel, finding the expo, finding the starting line, getting back to the hotel, and parking the car in crazy downtown environs. (In New Orleans we paid $35 to park for 1 hour!)
We recently ran the Kentucky Derby Marathon in Louisville, KY -a city of 741,096 according to their Wikipedia page.
Here are my tips for getting to the starting line stress free. Continue Reading →
*[Audio Content Available For Members Only. Click Here to Join Now]
Ben does 15-20 triathlons a year. This means he is not unaccustomed to stripping down to Speedos to hit the water.
Lucky for him he’s tri-ripped (a ripped triathlete).
After perusing his website I (Trevor) see that once you are tri-ripped, you can pose for half of all photographs with your shirt off.
The last time I had my shirt off in public I spent all day sucking in my non tri-ripped stomach.
The problem is . . . even though I am in pretty good shape because of marathon training my muscles are concealed under a cozy blanket of fat.
The Skinny Fat Look
This happens when runners have a lot of fat deposits along the waistline (love handles, muffin tops, gut) yet skinny legs, arms, and chest. This skinny fat look stems from a combination of low amounts of muscle, a lot of aerobic training, and a high carb diet.
And after reading that last paragraph you never need to see me shirtless.
The Fit Fat Look
Ben describes this as a runner who is built more like a rugby player. The body has stored its fat in various places throughout the body and copious amounts of exercise can’t blast it away. That’s because the real problem is often a hormonal imbalance which needs to be diagnosed by a hormone specialist. Also, the fit fat runner is dealing with the same dietary and exercise imbalances of the skinny fat runner.
Where to Go From Here
I would love to be an endurance runner with a more athletic looking body. I want less body fat and more toned muscles. I want to rip my shirt off at the next family gathering and say, “Somebody call a veterinarian cus’ these puppies are sick!”
And if you are like me and are tired of being skinny fat or fit fat then listen to my take-a-ways from this episode. Three simple action steps. Continue Reading →
This picture was taken at about mile 12 of my recent half marathon in Port Angeles, Washington. Angie is turning me into a lean mean running machine.
I was planning on just taking it easy and running alongside my Dad (2:18:01) the whole way. But suddenly I felt a competitive streak and decided to push hard, throttle on, and surge ahead. My Dad said, “Go for it”. Or maybe he said, “Run Forest!” I can’t remember.
I felt like a gazelle. The weather was hospitable. The scenery was spectacular. I wanted to RUN FAST!!! But I could hear Angie’s voice in my head telling me to save some gas in the tank for my later miles. She was right.
Lately I have been haunted by a strange sensation in my calves. It feels like a small electrical spark under my skin. I can’t say that it is a sharp or deep pain . . . just a mild twinge now and again.
My brain had me convinced that my calf muscles were ripping apart. Maybe these strange twinges were microscopic tears? Maybe my muscle fibers were cleaving with each awkward foot strike?
Soon I was running on my tip-toes in order to save my calves from utter ruin.
I’ve heard of runners who rupture a ligament and hit the pavement face first. Everything is fine then all of a sudden “snap”! Perhaps it was about to happen to me!
Plausible explanation don’t you think? Continue Reading →
*[Audio Content Available For Members Only. Click Here to Join Now]
In this podcast episode Angie interrogates me about my training for the Little Rock Half Marathon.
Many of you know that I am a new runner. The furthest I have ever run is 10 miles, reluctantly.
I am taking on the half marathon challenge to prove to myself that I have what it takes. And because I think it will be a cool thing to brag about to my co-workers.
Here are my startling revelations from the first six weeks of my training Continue Reading →
