WTM 2013 COUNTDOWN

Race Season coming to an end L

As the 2013 race season is coming to an extreme end with World's Toughest Mudder 2013 in 25 days I wanted to take some time to look back at  my training and where I picture myself in the next year. First and foremost my day to day training has been with World's Toughest Mudder in mind. Ultra distance running has consumed me for the last year. I went from no marathon experience in early 2012 to 4 marathons, and have ran 50 miles 3 times now. My mind is constantly thinking about training mainly because my full time job consists of me coming up with workouts for 9 classes per week in the GRC Fury Fitness Training at the Gypsum Recreation Center.   I am always coming up with new concepts and ways to get results for the athletes that coach. I typically test the workouts on myself first to see what I can add or subtract to make killer workouts for them.  This has brought me to doing 2-3 workouts per day sometimes.

In prep for WORLDS TOUGHEST MUDDER 2013

30# RUCK TRX pushups

Top priority for me is to gain maximum endurance and mental toughness. High mileage is not for me...well at least not in a consistent training plan. I found when I was running 75-90 miles per week that my body was breaking down and not recovering very well. My focus then shifted to lower impact means of cardio like the rowing machine and spinning. I also follow CrossFit Endurance's running program which consists of lots of sprint repeats. I've found these to give me an edge. Anyone can do it, but few do.. That’s the cold hard truth! It’s so much easier in my opinion to do a 10 miler than to do (10-15) 400m sprints repeats.  My ability to control my breathing on the longer runs has come from pushing myself to failure in these sprint repeats. This also gives me a mental advantage because a 6-7 minute mile pace for 10-15 miles now feels comfortable and easy due to the sprints that I have been doing for the past 17 months. Hills have also been huge in my training's. Running fast up-down hills builds the leg strength needed to run ulrta marathons. I am a huge believer in Olympic lifting as well, It builds strength that cant be duplicated any other way! So as prep time gets smaller and smaller I am really focused on making sure my body is 100% for WTM. Rolling out, stretching, and icing have been very helpful in getting ready for battle in New Jersey. I firmly believe in the “taper” before events like this. We train and train breaking our bodies down, but we sometimes forget to let them build back up after long months of races and rough training's.

What will be faced November 16th-17th

WTM 2012 LAP 4

WTM 2012 LAP5

Worlds Toughest Mudder is such a unique event. Giant obstacles, freezing cold water, electric shock, and ultra marathon distances make this one of the hardest races around. To train for this race you need to bring in unique methods to match up for what you will be facing for 24 hours. You must be comfortable being uncomfortable! I've done a few GoRuck Challenges and a 24 hour version called a GoRuck Heavy. These events force you to build mental toughness and push your body out of its comfort zone. These events lasted 13, 17, and 24.5 hours so they let me know what my weaknesses are, and what I need to do to be in shape to run through a freezing cold obstacle course for 24 hours. These GoRuck challenges give you a small taste of what our heroes and military go through. They know how to make warriors, and that's what you need to be to survive WTM! So I have really enjoyed getting to know the GoRuck community and all it has to offer. I like it so much that I will be doing GoRuck Selection which is a 48 hour challenge in June of 2014. It has proven to be the toughest challenge out there to pass with a 10% completion rate!!! Before I get too excited about that let me keep talking about World's Toughest Mudder prep. I live in the mountains of Colorado so I utilize the terrain for lots of my workouts. Its steep, and the elevation is high where I like to train at 7,200-8,400ft. I love going down in elevation to run races and yes it does make a huge difference!  I played college football in Kansas and for the first weeks of 2-a-days I always noticed the incredible endurance difference. After you get acclimated it goes away, but hey.. Ill take a few days of stellar performance over none.

Leslie St. Louis:Colorado Obstacle Racer, Spartan Pro Team, and VPX Team Xtreme Member had some questions for me so I will answer those here: 

How have you been training for WTM this year? Focused on ultra distance running so I can make it further than I did in 2012 (50miles) I also do lots of Olympic lifting, climbing, and follow the running program of CF Endurance. I do 95% of my running on trails with lots of elevation gain-change. 

How would you describe WTM to someone who's never been? Worlds Toughest Mudder is all alone in its own category. No other obstacle race matches its length as a 24 hour race. Obstacles are harder than your average Tough Mudder. Sounds like they want to add more obstacles to the course this year. Last year they had 32 obstacles per lap and it was 10 miles per lap.  The idea for this race is to complete as many laps as you can in 24 hours. Sounds pretty straight forward, but the cold quickly changes that! The cold is what makes this event the hardest obstacle race just based on temperatures alone. During the nighttime most everything freezes. The open water obstacles temp was hovering just above freezing at 37 degrees. To survive this race you must have a wetsuit and that alone won’t guarantee your survival. Luckily the guys at Xterra Wetsuits hooked me up with suits, so I am well taken care of in that aspect.  Your survival relies on how you handle the cold mainly. If you can keep a good pace and keep your bodies core temp up you have a great chance at lasting the full 24 hours of this race. To give perspective on what you see during this race is something like a war zone with minor-major injuries plaguing the battle field. Medical tents are empty during the day time hours, but as soon as that sun goes down the real race begins!!! Many were victim to hypothermia and injuries induced by the freezing temps. There were a few aid tents that had tiny heaters in them...these were traps to lure people into a "false heat" My advice to those who plan on trying a WTM is to NEVER STOP MOVING! Once you sit down your bodies temp drops and that tiny heater they offer wont keep you warm enough. Once you have to hit the course again it will be very hard for you to keep your core temp up and I witnessed this dozens of times as people dropped out. My buddy Bryan Shane uses a great quote that makes a lot of sense in these hard situations. "Slow is smooth and smooth is fast." Lots of racers jump out of the gate as if they were running a 5k mud run, but you have to control that adrenaline and slow your pace if you want to last the ultra distances and 24 hour duration of the race. You must save energy for the night time hours because it’s those hours that will try their hardest to Break you! You will hear voices telling you to quit, but you must ignore them and keep pushing forward. The best advice I can give to anyone thinking about doing WTM is get yourself a wet suit I can get you a 60% discount on that :), wait for winter temps of 35 degrees and below....then jump in a lake or natural body of water and swim around to see if you can handle the cold. Couple that with running in the wetsuit for 24 hours and navigating frozen obstacles and you have Worlds Toughest Mudder.....Oh yeah I forgot to mention the shock obstacles.....they suck at regular Tough Mudders, but now you have to multiply that for 24 hours straight. 

What are yourgoals this year, and what’s your strategy? Goal is 80 miles and to make top 10, but if time allows for more we will go for it! Did 50 miles last year @ WTM, and have became a much better runner this year, but I recognize that there are better runners than me out there. The question is do they have as much heart as me to stick it out through the elements??? Strategy is to never surrender or give up while moving forward no matter the cold or obstacles ahead. Bringing a tent to store gear in, but don't plan on sleeping or resting in it. Pit stops will include feet check, re-fuel and repeat. Plan on racing with my best friend T.J. Ricciardi, and my brother-in-law Brian Lisac. These two are some of the toughest people I know so I am thankful to be running with them for this race. Brian has been stricken with a lower leg injury that has been very painful to train with, but he keeps pushing through and will give WTM his all! His military experience will be a valuable asset for this race! I am very proud of these 2 and all they have accomplished this year!  

What do you think about the new rules and did they change your goal plans? Honestly Tough Mudder struggles with communicating what exactly will be on the course-how long it will be.. so the goal of 80 miles does revolve around how the course is laid out. Rumor has it that they want to make more and bigger obstacles than last year. This concept naturally cuts your mileage goals down, but factoring that in we still think 80 miles is possible if we take minimal pit breaks and keep a consistent pace. They offer you the chance to have a pit crew this year from 10am-10pm in the pit area....I don't think this will be a game changer as pit crews can only do so much. You still have to saddle up and get out on the course to take care of business yourself. It will be nice however to see my wife, kids and family in the pit area, my only worry is that the pit area will be too crowded with families which will make pit stops a little more challenging. I do like the new mileage prizes that they are offering and I have that 60 mile season pass award in mind especially since they will be offering 2 Tough Mudders in Colorado next year. I find it strange that they offer awards for 40, 60, and 100 miles....what happened to 80????

New Mileage Awards

1.    40 miles – World’s Toughest Mudder Brown Lap

a.       Awarded – Free Entry to any regular Tough Mudder

a.       Awarded – The Brown WTM Bib**

2.    60 miles – 60 Miler Award Orange Lap

a.       Awarded – 2014 Tough Mudder Season Pass

a.       Awarded – The Orange WTM Bib**

3.    100 miles – 100 Miler Award Gold Lap

a.       Awarded – Free entry to WTM 2014

a.       Awarded – Gold Tough Mudder 100 Kettle Bell

a.       Awarded – The Gold WTM Bib**

New Category Winners

1.    BLACK OPS – For the most laps completed between the hours of (10pm) and (7am). Only laps started after 10pm and completed before 7am will count towards winning the “Black Ops” award. Regular WTM lap completion rules apply. Nighttime rules apply.

a.       Awarded – The Black WTM Bib**

a.       Awarded – Free Entry to WTM 2014

2.    FASTEST LAP – Awarded to the participant completing the fastest first (1st) lap.

a.       Awarded – The Green WTM Bib**

a.       Awarded – Free Entry to WTM 2014

I've heard the "real" race begins at nighthave you found that to be true and why? This is true because of the cold; it takes a very strong willed athlete to keep pushing through the dark hours and the cold. Just to keep moving is hard at night and your vision for the obstacles gets sketchy!

What keeps you motivated during such a long event? My kids and wife! They sacrifice a lot for me to do these crazy races and go through all the long training days etc. I owe it to them to finish again and not give up!

What will you be wearing and eating this year? I will be wearing wetsuits by Xterra. I have the volt, the vector 4, vector pro, and vendetta suits which will be more than enough to keep me warm though-out this race. I wear poly fleece base layers underneath. Shoes I will be bringing my Inov8 Trail Roc 245s and 255s. Head lamp, and Smart wool socks for the feet and that's that. I eat a mixture of whey protein and electrolytes throughout the race, I have experimented with real food, but I get sluggish in 24 hour events so I will stick to the 350 calories per protein-electrolyte shakes. I will eat on course via the stations like bananas and sharkies if I feel I need it. 

What races have you done in 2013? GoRuck challenges in January and April, Tough Mudder Beaver creek 2 laps one with 40# tire, Gypsum Dirty Dozen 1st place age division, 3rd overall, Devil's Dash 5k 1st place 20-29 male, Leadville Trail 100 run DNF due to missing time cut off by 20 minutes, Gypsum Daze 5k1st place age division, NOGOA GoRuck Heavy, and Worlds Toughest Mudder 2013 TBA

Tough Mudder CO 2nd lap 40# Tire 2012

 I always get the question..."WHY DO YOU DO THESE CRAZY EVENTS?" My answer:"Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living. If your not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if your not demanding more from yourself-expanding and learning as you go-you're choosing a numb existence. Your denying yourself and extraordinary trip!" 

Leadville Trail 100 Run 2013

Defeated by this legendary race the Leadville Trail 100 Run. Being born and raised in Colorado you grow up hearing stories and news from the Leadville 100. It always sounded like a fairy tale, or some kind of legend that I couldn't relate to. 100 miles? I use to get angry at the sound of a 1 mile run. I never in a million years thought I would be lined up to take on this extraordinary race through the humbling mountains of CO.

Everything was going well leading into this monstrosity of a race. Training, nutrition, recovery, you name it. My best friend and race buddy T.J. Had everything mapped out. Race splits, paces, cut off times, and a brand new top of the line Suunto GPS watch. I felt so comfortable knowing he was the "brains of the operation." He is a great runner, friend, and we've been through some ugly shit together so I felt eerily comfortable. 

We were surrounded by our loving and supportive families and were ready to rock this race. Had some time to chat with people from many different states and countries. They were very frightened by the elevation. Keeping poker faces we knew that the elevation would not be our Achilles heal. We were trained for this terrain and this elevation. 

2:30am race day; alarm blasts off and it seems like I had just closed my eyes to sleep. It was a very light foggy sleep as I had so many thoughts rushing through my mind about the race. I get geared up, eat some food, take some supplements and meet everyone in the lobby to head out. Pre race nerves are there as this race will be the biggest test of mileage, terrain, and prestige. We make our way to the start at around 3:35am. Most every racer is there now chatting about what we signed up for. Families are in the stands looking like happy zombies ready to cheer their runner on. 

4am hits and we take off sticking to the game plan. No faster than 10 min mile pace which feels awkwardly slow, but knowing so much mileage and terrain is ahead I'm content with the slow "victory" jog as I call it. It's dark and my headlamp lights the way showing me who I'm running with. We are a herd of Ultra runners moving as one through the cool morning air. I see 70 year olds, 18 year olds and everyone in between. We come up to some tight technical single track and T.J. and I got separated. It was very difficult to pass runners at this stage so I kept calm and waited for about 40 minutes until I finally found him. At this point I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. I saw T.J. Limping down a fairly steep incline and I ran quickly to to catch up to see what happened. He sounded very disappointed. At this point approx 7 miles into the race I feel panicked which I normally don't. He says " I don't think I can go on." My heart breaks and my eyes tear up immediately. We trained so hard and sacrificed a lot to be at this race together. T.J. is my warrior race buddy! I feel sick at this point knowing he won't be able to finish the race. His foot in major pain, we slowly make it to the 13 mile checkpoint and aid station. We walk up to our families-pit crew with heads down and sadness fills the air. More tears flow as T.J. Cannot go on. At this point so early on and the wind taken out of our sails I think about continuing or not. I know T.J. Wanted me to continue so I got my gear right and water refilled and took off in a state of confusion and sadness. 

I run for about 20 minutes like a zombie trying to take in just exactly what happened. At no point prior to this race did I ever see myself running alone. As reality set in and the sun got brighter I got my BeastMode back ON and ran hard. The course lived up to the hype and some. Steep, steep, steep, and rocky. 

2nd checkpoint felt good at 24 miles. Went from being 40 minutes behind schedule at checkpoint 1 to being about 20 minutes ahead at checkpoint 2. Saw the fam, grabbed some fuel and water and took off! 

Mile 24-39 was tough. Ran on a long flat asphalt road for about 5 miles. It was hot and...well I hate asphalt. Finally made it to some trails and was keeping on target for pace etc. nutrition was probably the best part of this race for me. 350 calories per hour mixed in a shaker bottle and slammed down like a Viking. Never bonked, never  felt sick or any of the bad things I witnessed around me. I saw lots of pukers, other "sick" folks along the trail. I was drinking 3 liters of water every 10 miles...I felt great!!! As I made it closer to Twin Lakes it got fairly steep and my pace was slowing. Running down into Twin Lakes the steep down hill was treacherous. 5 miles of steep down hill after mile 30 is tough, but I made my way down into the 39 mile checkpoint with only 9 minutes to spare for the cut off. 

Changed shoes, grabbed more fuel and water and took off!!! I new at this point I needed to maintain a 24-min mile pace to make the cut off at mile 47. This was no regular cut off. This cut off was on top of a mountain above "timber line" which is above 12,000ft above sea level. I have tired legs and a steep run ahead!!! Going from approx 9,000ft to 12,000ft in a few miles is no easy task. My pace was perfect and ahead of schedule for a few miles in, then the trail head for Hope Pass hit. This hike is fairly easy on fresh legs, but after 40+ miles it gets a little wild! Needless to say I couldn't maintain the 24min mile pace up the mountain. With less than 1 mile to go the cutoff time hit like a stake to the heart. I was with 3 runners, all of them had in years past completed the Leadville 100. We all had to turn around in defeat and head back down the mountain to the Twin Lakes checkpoint. These runners were devastated like me. We chatted about coming back in 2014 and congratulated each other for making it to where we did.

The worst part of this race is (A.) Not being able to run with my main man T.J. and (B.) Being forced to stop when I wasn't ready to stop. Time cut offs are nasty, and I've never had to deal with them before. I know I could have made it further and I wanted to see what mile my limit was....lots of questions unanswered,  but Persevere I will!!!! T.J. Is the perfect friend and athlete; he always has a positive outlook and is always up for any challenge. We will be ready to slay Worlds Toughest Mudder in November.  We are HUNGRY for redemption. We Will   Survive the cold, the dark, the night!!! 

We are young when it comes to the world of Ultra running. We will learn, grow, and be victorious. We will be back in Leadville next year :) 

Thanks for being such a great friend T.J. You are such a killer athlete and I'm very fortunate to be able to have a race partner like you!!' Heal quickly and we will  conquer New Jersey brother!!!! 

Huge thanks to our families!!!!!!! You guys rock and pit crews have some tough jobs. Thanks for always being there with smiles on your faces :) love ya

51.6 Mile Run and New Sponsor TOG

..Approx mile 44 getting rained on..

6 loops of doom!  Last Thursday I set out on a 50 mile + journey. I found a loop that had massive hill climbs and lots of elevation change. The loop happened to be 8.6 miles. I did the math and found that if I did it 6 times it would be 51.6 miles. The lap format much like World’s Toughest Mudder is a nasty one when you throw in Ultra distances in.

I parked my car at the trail head, gathered my gear and took off at 6:30am. This trail was a Beast! Super steep and somewhat muddy from the night before. As most runners know the down hills are what tear your legs up..and they did just that. With over 6,000 feet of elevation change and steep hill after steep hill I had to grab my hiking poles. Hiking poles are my new favorite Ultra trail running buddy!! They can assist you on the steep up hills and help you fight the gravity of the downhill’s once your legs turn into jello. I was rained on, chased by a cow (protecting her calf), and went through a nasty lightning storm. I had my trusty 3.0 Liter Camel Bak that I carried the whole way.  I went through some 600 ounces of water, drank 2 quarts of pedialyte, and drank 8 servings of a protein-electrolyte mix. 

As always my family met me in support at some of the loops with loads of encouragement and smiles, I could not stay for too long as part of this training was trying to hit certain cut off times and only pit for certain amounts of time. When you run 50 miles all by yourself and have no one to talk to your mind plays games on you. This wasn't an ordinary race where there are aid stations or spectators randomly cheering you on. This is out in the wilderness all alone with you and only you. As strong as I have trained my body and mind, the first one to give me doubts is always the mind.  Its amazing what your mind does when it is in a state of trauma-pain-danger, it’s the old fight or flight mechanism. My body managed the terrain well, but the down hills break you! On one hand you need to pick up the pace and run quickly down them, but on the other hand the eccentric contractions blow out quads and this is where the hiking poles came into play. I used them to break my fall so to speak going down hills putting weight on them and letting my quads take a break.

..Always Reppin the CO..

This was my 2nd 50 mile journey, and this trail was a beast!!! 12 hours and 37 minutes later I came out of the wilderness victorious.. I could have ran faster if it were a “real race” but with the Leadville 100 drawing so near I didn't want to hurt myself. 50 is not so much of a time thing as it is a mind thing. Most people with average training can get through 50 miles with their “bodies” but its the mind that tells the body to stop or keep going and it (the mind) is much harder to train. This was more of a mind training than anything and that’s why I picked the loop format. It would have been easier on the mind to keep going on to 25 miles and turn around there…and not put myself through the same hills and the same loop over and over and over again, but it made for a harder training session! This loop system also gave me the "pit area" which will be utilized at World's Toughest Mudder. Its like having my aid stations all at one location so if I was out of water etc I knew I had to make it back to the pit.  Training is winding down now as the Leadville 100 is only 16 days away. Focus is on making sure my body is recovered properly and ready for war up in the mountains of Leadville. I plan on throwing in a 14er (14,000ft mountain climb) in this weekend with my dad and some buddies so that will be my last tough training session until the Leadville 100.  

I want to end this by giving a huge thanks to the TOWN OF GYPSUM (TOG) for sponsoring me with a an amazing donation. I love living in this community and I am very fortunate that it is such a supportive one. Nothing beats the small mountain town communities!!! Some of the toughest and most caring people around!!!

                                      Next write up will be about the 100 so stay tuned J

TOUGH MUDDER AND TIRE

 Run Tough Mudder with a Tire?

-It seems Tough Mudder isn’t tough enough anymore for some of the more veteran obstacle racers these days. We are either running the course multiple times or carrying heavy objects around it to make it harder in preparation for the harder races for example the Tough Mudder Championship Race “World’s Toughest Mudder.”  Mathew “Ultra Beast” Dolitsky has been a huge fan of tires for training and I’m a big fan of his. He has carried them through half marathons, marathons, and mud runs.  Looking at my peers that are in the elite category of racers my curiosity and competitive spirit got the best of me. I thought why not run a lap at Tough Mudder Colorado as fast as possible? Then grab a heavy tire and do it a 2^nd time. Sounded hard enough and crazy enough to me especially since the Colorado course is one of the hardest of Tough Mudders.. based off of terrain and elevation alone.

-Tire time!!!  I have a friend that owns his own tire business so I get huge tractor tires for the fitness classes that I coach so we can flip them and hit them with sledge hammers. I told him that I needed 30-40lbs tires off an SUV or truck and he brought me 2 tires both weighing 40lbs. My race bro T.J. Ricciardi was up for the tire challenge so with 80lbs of tires we set off for Beaver Creek Ski Resort and Tough Mudder CO. I live about 30 minutes away from the course so leaving late we showed up in just enough time to take off with the 2^nd heat of the day at 8:20am.  

-Sean Corvelle did a killer job as usual and gave us props on our WTM Bibs. We ran through the course pretty quick our first lap averaging mid 5 minute miles on the down hills. Great hills and tons of up-downs and elevation gain. Obstacles were heavy at the start and the end so there was a long stretch in the middle where it was just rough mountain side, and up -down switch- backs. We started with the 8:20 heat and finished in 2:15. Grabbed some protein and electrolyte shakes, went back to our cars and grabbed our 40lbs tires. Picking the tires up and knowing what the course was all about I new we were in for a long day.

-The course with a tire is very difficult :), especially a course with terrain like Colorado. Super steep and up at elevations over 11,000ft made for a great day of training! I have seen people use smaller tires for mud runs, but never anything as big as what we lugged around. Some obstacles were impossible with the tires like the tunnels, walk the plank, and under water tunnels. We did our best to bring the tires through every obstacle, but if they couldn't make it, we threw them down completed the obstacle then went back to grab the tires. I made it half way through the monkey bars and lost the grip I had of the tire with my legs and feet so the tire fell in the water. I finished the bars and politely asked the next person who fell in to grab my tire for me. This is where a smaller tire would have come in handy J

-Sean Corvelle saw us rolling out with the 11:40am group for our 2^nd lap with our huge tires and gave us a look like damn these dudes are crazy…which is pretty accurate J we got asked by at least 500 people as to why we were carrying the tires. Our answers were always the same. “Great Training, Challenging, and we are preparing for the Leadville 100 Trail Run and World’s Toughest Mudder 2013.” We got a lot of great props and as people past us they spread the word that the “tire guys” were coming! Funniest part of the day was when other mudders asked if we were supposed to carry a tire as part of the obstacles like "hold your wood" etc....and we would joke "Yea the tires are back there, you were supposed to grab one!" Over 6 hours later we came through to finish our 2nd lap and threw our tires down with delight. Shoulders are still tender from carrying that beast similar to the feeling after completing a GoRuck Challenge, but as usual the feeling of accomplishment was worth every sore muscle.

-To carry a tire through a Tough Mudder or not? My advice would be to start with a smaller tire, one smaller than a 40 pounder, unless you really want to torture yourself. Most athletes that think to carry a tire though a race are looking to challenge themselves so maybe a heavier tire is what you’re looking for. The best part about these races is that the bar keeps being set higher and higher for example most elite obstacle racers do at least 2 laps at Tough Mudder. I look forward to carrying more heavy things through the races. Seems like my GoRuck Challenge experiences are bleeding through to other events :). I look forward to carrying heaving things for long distances, and the endurance results that I get out of doing it make it worth while. Tough Mudder is designed to be done without a tire obviously, but if your looking to take your training, challenges, and your bad ass level up a notch give it a go!!!

Humble

Just got out of the hospital!             

 Last Wednesday I was doing weighted pull ups with 90lbs loaded on my weight belt and I felt a strain in my abs next to my belly button. First thing that came to my mind was a hernia....:( I know some buddies that have gotten sports related hernias before and my mind was rushing with thoughts of surgery, time off, time away from training, and  medical expenses. With pain coming from my belly button area, but no bulge I still felt like I should see the Dr.  I rushed to the Dr last Friday to get it checked out. She said she felt a bump-lump, but didn't think it was a hernia. She said take a few week off..(the last thing that I wanted to hear) and take some anti inflammatory meds. This answer wasn't good enough for me. I wanted a clear answer that I could see and understand. Not "well, you have a lump, but its probably nothing.."  I kept thinking to myself what if there is a hernia there and she just missed it, because the pain was bad enough to keep my attention.

I Scheduled an appointment with a hernia specialist in Vail, CO. He checked it out and said the same thing that the other Doc said. He then grabbed an ultra sound machine to make sure everything was good to go. I watched nervously on the monitor trying to see something...I had no idea what to look for, but he talked me through it. The muscle wall line is white, and if there is a hernia there it will be a black opening where you can see the protruding hernia. We both scanned the monitor and all my untrained eye could see was a solid muscle wall white line that didn't have any sign of blackness or hernia. He confirmed that there wasn't a hernia and I instantly smiled and was over come with adrenaline!  The lump was a fat deposit that isn't anything to worry about..crazy right!? He said just as you can pull a hammy or a quad, you can pull an ab! He said take it easy, but no restriction.  I said "Hell Yeah" awkwardly loud without hesitation and he looked at me like I was a weirdo, but not many understand how much I love to train and workout :)!

Humble,

Throughout this journey to become an elite ultra distance athlete I have eaten my fair share of the humble pie! It takes so much commitment and resiliency to stay on course with training and races! With the Leadville 100 run, World's Toughest Mudder coming up quickly and Tough Mudder CO just around the corner I am jacked to know I can TRAIN ON!!!

 Injury hides quietly around every corner and can take you down without warning, but you can't train scared! My training's have never been this rigorous and I am learning more about myself everyday testing my limits. I know dozens of elite athletes that are training like me for crazy events, and the injury bug has been spreading!  Recovery, recovery, recovery! Seems like I'm beating a dead horse, but I am constantly reminded by myself and others just how important recovery is.

To all the Mudders, Spartans, Ruckers, CrossFitters, and Racers training hard right now!  I want to say thank you for being a great motivation and inspiration to me! You guys have that same thirst for challenges,  and you aren't afraid to be uncomfortable!

"RUN WHEN YOU CAN, WALK IF YOU HAVE TO, CRAWL IF YOU MUST;  JUST NEVER GIVE UP!"
Dean Karnazes

HAPPY..HAPPY..HAPPY

*Humble

I cannot write or express in any words how happy I am to be back training! The past few weeks have been a dark place for me being sidelined. Sickness caused by over training  is a  hell where I don’t want to find myself ever again. I cannot stress enough the importance of rest and recovery. It seems so much more important to kill these runs and WODs than to focus just as hard or harder at recovering. I like most feel that I can work out fewer days with better results if I get more rest and go through the proper mobility work. Think of it as maintaining  a race car, you race it hard and beat it up…It will break down if you don’t put the right fuel in it and allow it time to cool down and get repaired. It wont function at its highest capacity. I was red lining my body, but not allowing for optimum recovery and my body broke down.

*Back in the Saddle

Back in the race now, with better fuel and plenty of recovery! I feel amazing. Gone through runs and WODs like a man possessed, and I am complimenting with plenty of clean diet, rest, recovery, and mobility tools! I have changed my days to 3 days ON, 1 OFF, 1 ON, 2 OFF. This system fits my training goals and race goals very nicely. When I go I go hard as hell, but when I rest I do everything humanly possible to repair and recover. Something that I was doing half assed before, meaning I didn't stretch quite as much as I should have. I Didn't ice as much as I could have, and my sleep wasn't great either. I am not leaving any stone unturned in the repair and recovery department. The 3 days I give myself per week to recover are vital for me and I can’t fall victim to sitting around and not stretching or foam rolling. Its easy to take it easy, but I need to do it correctly with eating super clean, using light cardio, ice, and mobility exercises.

*Cloud 9

Started coaching a Cross-Training-Circuit class 3 days a week, and I am totally stoked and motivated to get these athletes to another level! I love working with athletes and their fitness goals. I am very lucky to be working at a gym, working out as a part of my job description, and being around so many awesome people! I feel like I’m climbing a roller coaster with all the exciting events that are on the schedule this summer, fall, and winter. To add to the list of Epicness; One of my best friends Chris Correll is getting married this summer and I couldn't be more excited for him!!! Our boys Drake and Tyce change every day and give me the unlimited and ultimate inspiration that I need to get through my trainings,  and I am fortunate enough to have a super hot wife that knows how to cook some mean PALEO entrées!!! So to sum this all up I am on cloud 9 to say the least and I am very lucky and humble to have the friends and family that I do.

*Conquer yourself

When training this weekend don’t forget how lucky you are to be able to move around and train! There are many less fortunate people out there that cannot go for a jog, hike, walk, or lift! Enjoy it and don’t take it for granted. It can be taken away without warning so soak it up while you can and CONQUER YOURSELF!

“Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living. If you're not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you're not demanding more from yourself - expanding and learning as you go - you're choosing a numb existence. You're denying yourself an extraordinary trip.”


― Dean Karnazes, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner

Breaking Point

The past few weeks I've either been sick with a bad cold or fighting off some kind of sickness. leading up to the breaking point I Did a 16 mile trail run on 4-3-13, GoRuck Challenge on 4-6-13 that lasted 17 hours, did a nasty trail marathon on 4-14-13 in which I woke up at 3:50am to get an early start time, and loads of HIT and CrossFit WODs and hard miles in between those which were more like mini races and challenges than training. All this in combination with little sleep I was asking to put my body and immune system in harms way! I find that I am regularly on the verge of overtraining for these Ultra distance events. When I sign up for races or challenges like most people, I always have them in the back of my mind and they aid in the quantity and intensity of my workouts. The race named “Leadville Trail 100 Run” haunts my thoughts, and I find myself training a few times a day to combat these fears. The Fear of 100 miles over treacherous terrain at a starting point of over 10,000ft and a climax of 13,000ft elevation gives me Fear….without Fear you won’t succeed! It’s a balancing act you see. The trick is to find the limits you can take your body to in training without over training. Overtraining: is a physical, behavioral, and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual's exercise exceeds their recovery capacity. They cease making progress, and can even begin to lose strength and fitness. Overtraining is a common problem in weight training, but it can also be experienced by runners and other athletes. I prefer to use the term CrossFit Endurance Athlete which are proficient at both lifting and running. I have been doing several CFE Workouts per day and am continuing with running-intervals-hills as well sometimes only giving myself 1-2 days off a week. I can normally recover quickly enough to keep up this hectic pace, but recently my sleep hasn’t been very good. As I stated above overtraining occurs when your volume and intensity exceeds your recovery capacity. With our beautiful 8 week old newborn son Tyce being “nocturnal” it makes it a tough battle to keep my recovery capacity up with my volume and intensity. Meaning I am not getting enough sleep to keep up with the crazy workouts that I am putting my body through. My wife Brittany is a Saint. She is still breast feeding and gets up regularly with him. I have the duties of transporting breast milk AKA “liquid gold” to the fridge downstairs. This happens between 2-4am. I wake up a few other random times during the night. This might not seem like a big deal, but in the world of recovery, it’s a very big deal! Most nights I get about 5-6 hours of solid sleep with a few of mixed light sleep and rest. This translates into a botched recovery time.. meaning I am not recovering at the relentless pace to catch up to the volume and intensity of my workouts.

*Am I doing what it takes to recover?
I eat a very clean Paleo diet high in proteins mixed with lots of nutritious greens and some fruits. I take loads of pills-supplements that aid in recovery and help with my immune system. Diet is probably the biggest piece to the puzzle other than sleeping. You must eat to perform! And you must eat to recover! The other important piece is stretching and mobility. I highly recommend http://www.mobilitywod.com/  ideas from mobility WOD I stretch well after every WOD and run! Using a foam roller I work out most the knots and demons if you will. Ice, ice, baby…I also use ice baths and cold showers to speed up my recovery to work out the lactic acid and other bad shit that seeps into your muscles during intense WODs/runs.

*Do I have “Overtraining Syndrome?”
There have been several clinical studies done on athletes with the overtraining syndrome. Exercise physiologic, psychological and biochemical laboratory testing have been done. Findings in these studies have shown decreased performance in exercise testing, decreased mood state, and, in some, increased cortisol levels -- the body's "stress" hormone. A decrease in testosterone, altered immune status and an increase in muscular break down products have also been identified. Medically, the overtraining syndrome is classified as a neuro-endocrine disorder. The normal fine balance in the interaction between the autonomic nervous system and the hormonal system is disturbed and athletic "jet lag" results. The body now has a decreased ability to repair itself during rest. Heaping more workouts onto this unbalanced system only worsens the situation. Additional stress in the form of difficulties at work or personal life also contributes. I had quite a few of the above characteristics, so I dug a little deeper to find out what I need to do to avoid ever feeling like this again.

*After research I really woke up and have taken pride in my rest days!
It appears that there are two forms of the syndrome. The sympathetic form is more common in sprint type sports and the parasympathetic form is more common in endurance sports. The results from various measurements taken during exercise physiologic testing differ between the two forms, but decreased overall performance and increased perceived fatigue are similar. In the parasympathetic form there may be a lower heart rate for a given workload. Athletes training with a heart rate monitor may notice that they cannot sustain the workout at their usual "set point." Fatigue takes over and prematurely terminates the workout. Regulation of glucose can become altered and the athlete may experience symptoms of hypoglycemia during exercise.

*How do I treat my battle tested and over trained body?
The treatment for the overtraining syndrome is rest. The longer the overtraining has occurred the more rest required. Therefore, early detection is very important. Luckliy for me I noticed this in the 3-4 week period!!!!!! If the overtraining has only occurred for a short period of time (e.g., 3 - 4 weeks) then interrupting training for 3 - 5 days is usually sufficient rest. I rested for a solid week! After this, workouts can be resumed on an alternate day basis. The intensity of the training can be maintained but the total volume must be lower. It is important that the factors that lead to overtraining be identified and corrected. Otherwise, the overtraining syndrome is likely to reoccur. The alternate day recovery period is continued for a few weeks and then an increase in volume is permitted. In more severe cases, the training program may have to be interrupted for weeks, and it may take months to recover. An alternate form of exercise can be substituted to help prevent the exercise withdrawal syndrome. I definitely don’t want my overtraining to get this bad! I thought of it lightly before it actually happened to me as most do. I got a little cocky and pressed on into harsh workouts and runs even though my body was telling no. I blame it on Volbeat’s version of the song “My body” the lyrics go like:
My body tells me no but I won't quit 'Cause I want more 'cause I want more My body tells me no but I won't quit Cause I want more 'cause I want more
I love this song and it’s basically deep-rooted into my brain during training! With my nasty experience I had with overtraining, I will be singing this song happily on my REST DAYS!!! Rest, recover, and live to TRAIN another day.

Why 3 WODs are better than 1 for Endurance

Before I get into workout plans I want to touch on how important it is to me to have a goal/ priorities list. Why do you get out of bed every day? Please take a moment to think about that. I have 3 missions to succeed at once I wake up. 1.Family 2.Work 3.Training... I have sub goals and priorities that fall under the three main goals, but it's important to me to know why I'm getting out of bed and what I'm working towards. If I break things down like this it makes succeeding very visible and feasible. I challenge you to ask yourself why you get out of bed? Do you have enough goals/priorities? Or should you shrink your list down in order to put more time and energy into succeeding at the most important tasks at hand? I know life is chaotic at times and with 2 sons under 2 years old it can be hard to handle, but keep that chin up and have that never quit attitude! Be "UNSCARED"

Getting into the world of WODs and why I drank their "kool-aid" For those of you not familiar to the acronym WOD, it stands for Workout Of the Day. It is used by CrossFitters. I have been doing CrossFit since 2009. This approach to fitness has changed my life without a doubt! I did Olympic lifts in high school and college for football, but the programming style of CrossFit is what makes it so fresh and exciting. I rely on this method of surprise in my workouts meaning I only look at the workout the day of so I have little time to prepare and think about it. This keeps the suspense and surprise at a high level, just where I like it. So, CrossFit, in a nutshell, is a core strength and conditioning program which combines constantly varied, functional movements, and performs them at increasing intensity. It is evidence-based fitness that prepares the athlete for any physical contingency. We are the "sport of fitness". CrossFit develops 10 general physical skills: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordinaton, agility, balance, and accuracy.

As an aspiring Ultra Distance runner this approach seemed to make sense to me! Now I will be the first to tell you that CrossFit alone is not enough for an ultra distance running athlete. Please welcome CrossFit Endurance and my fitness role model Brian Mackenzie. To learn more on the infamous and controversial Brian Mackenzie please follow this link: http://www.gotrimax.com/TriMaxBmac.htm
 CrossFit Endurance is a program designed specifically for endurance athletes like me. It's core programming relies heavy on power, strength, and endurance. Building your body up for an endurance event instead of breaking it down with too many LSDs...or long slow distance runs. Interval speed training, time trials, and hill workouts are a main piece of the pie in that they build endurance very efficiently without putting in so many repetitive long slow distance runs. It's about running at a much faster pace in training than you will in your race which leads to faster times and increased efficiency because you are not over doing the mileage and your body learns to recover faster! Unlike your typical running program CrossFit Endurance stresses SKILLS. Just like every other sport, skill is a must to be successful. Running as a skill is something we don't think about a lot. Skill is vital though; as a swimmer practices their strokes constantly searching for the most efficient technique. Runners should practice their technique with the same tenacity. CrossFit Endurance takes skill training to a new level and for this I have improved how I move and run utilizing gravity more efficiently to propel myself through space. I have also cut down on lots of the soreness attributed to poor running mechanics which has lead me to perform on a high level more often.



Why 3 WODs are better than 1!

With the CrossFit Endurance model you do a strength and conditioning WOD, a skill based WOD, and an endurance WOD. These 3 pieces all work hand in hand. These 3 pieces are what I give most of my endurance success to. The work and effort you apply is up to you of course, this is where you, the training plan, and your work ethic can come together and achieve something special. You can search high and low on the Internet to find the perfect workout system, but in the end it comes down to you and how bad you want it. I have lots of friends in the endurance community and between all of them there are only a few ways to become a successful endurance athlete. I chose CrossFit Endurance as my weapon of choice to battle the endurance races. CrossFit Endurance is a very controversial topic among most endurance athletes. They say why take a chance on that program? I say why not? It makes perfect sense to me. I am a hybrid athlete when it comes to training because I have Love for, and am proficient at both aspects of anaerobic training speed and strength training and aerobic training where as most endurance athletes only work on or rely heavy on the later. I have some close friends in the exercise science world and to them this approach makes sense as well. I predict that this model will be the norm within the next 5-10 years for the endurance world because it will lengthen your career in endurance running, cut down on injuries, and it will help you to become a more well rounded and complete athlete. I Call it the Evolution of the Endurance athlete.

Visit CrossFit Endurance to learn more.

http://www.crossfitendurance.com/

Family: Truth Behind My Motivation

As a young married man and newbie father I have found the secret to my success! Whether it is work, workouts, chores, etc etc. My motivation is my family! They breathe life into me and for that I am so humble and thankful.

I've trained hard for years. Thought I was a very motivated guy. Put my time in the gym/runs, and I really thought I was crushing it. Needless to say I was far from crushing it. I've trained with older guys that had families and they always told me that you won't be mentally tough until you had a family. I thought to myself...this guy doesn't know how mentally tough I am, how could he know that I would become tougher if and when I had a family!? Like your diaper changing skills make you so tough I laughed :)

I have always been amazed by endurance athletes and their will power to never give up. Most of them carry a never surrender attitude and that caught my attention. Now I've trained for tons of different sports baseball, basketball, football, mixed martial arts, wrestling, track, and Ultra Endurance-Distance sports for example World's Toughest Mudder and the Leadville 100 Trail Run. All have their hardships in the training breakdown and in their given arena, but none come close to the training or mental toughness that is necessary to push your body to the point where you are competitive and successful at an "Ultra" distance which is anything further than 26.2 miles.

Now that I am lucky enough to enjoy two sons of my own I see what my older experienced training partners were saying about the mental toughness aspect that you are blessed with when you have children! It isn't the sleepless nights or all the diaper changing that make you tough! It's an unimaginable drive to succeed. As hard as I've trained in the past it can't hold a candle to what my training has reached recently since becoming a father. Whenever I feel weak or tired or sore I am fueled by my family. It is a never ending supply of adrenaline when I am pushed to the edge of training because in my Heart and in my Mind I am training to be a role model for my sons. I have a constant reminder and picture in my head of what a true champion and father should be, and that is a person who never quits and never surrenders whether it's at home, the workplace, a long grueling ultra marathon, or a hero WOD from CrossFit!

My family is my secret to my success and they inspire me day in and day out. No matter the pain, be it training or a race I draw on them to fuel me through. When it feels like I can't go any further I dig into that Unconditional Love and motor through for them. It's being linked together by the strongest of chains of something much bigger than me! I am so blessed to have the family that I have and their inspiration to me won't go wasted! I will stretch it to the the tops of mountains and into some very dark and sinister races and challenges. When I step foot into a training session or race I am armored and equipped with an unbreakable love in my heart and mind! For this gift is the gift of Life, and for these Lives I will do anything!

....Fueled daily by my loving wife Brittany Rivera, and sons Drake Westen Rivera, and Tyce Parker Rivera....

Must have GEAR

I have been through lots of shoes, backpacks, socks, compression gear, and headphones in the past few years. I wanted to share my thoughts and experiences with some of my favorite gear. My wife gives me the look every time I mention gear...I have too much gear in her eyes, but as most gear junkies say "you can always find a use for it..right!?" ;) Here are a few items that would benefit your arsenal of gear.

SHOES: Brand=Inov8.....Model=Trailroc 245.

These shoes have become a giant piece of my training! I use these shoes doing CrossFit workouts, Trail runs, and some road runs. Designed to be a trail shoe this shoe has it all. Comfort, very light weight, and great looks. I have ran almost 200 miles in these and they are still looking and most importantly working great. Most recent and longest trek was a trail marathon through mud, snow, and rock. They performed in such a way that I will never buy another brand of shoe! My feet felt as if I never ran the marathon. The trails were steep, slick, and rocky, but this shoe latched on like an expensive all-terrain tire. These are a must have if you cross train and trail run!
http://www.inov-8.com/New/Global/Index.asp?L=27

PACK/RUCK:

Just bought the 5.11 Rush 24 Multi-Cam pack.It is my favorite and trumps my line of Osprey, and CamelBak packs with it's bullet proof design and features. Now if I'm going out for a few days I will go with the Osprey pack, but for day hikes, Rucks, or daily use this is my new bag! It is light, but incredibly durable! Can fit an awful lot of gear in it too! zippers and compartments everywhere. It has a great look and fits my training days as a gym bag, a hiking pack, a Ruck for GoRuck Challenges, and daily commuter bag. Must have if you do any of these activities and at $150.00 on Amazon I couldn't beat the price!!!

http://www.511tactical.com/All-Products/Bags-Backpacks/Backpacks.html?gclid=CNmRkJCy17YCFQYw4AodQ2QAeQ



SOCKS:

I have tried dozens of brands and keep coming back to Smart Wool socks. You name the activity and I have a Smart Wool sock for it. I have used them at the World's Toughest Mudder, 2 GoRuck Challenges, 2 Tough Mudders, 5 14er climbs, and daily in WODS and runs. PHD RUN ULTRA LIGHT MICRO is my sock of choice for running and WODs so comfortable! If your looking at buying a new pair of socks look no further. Smart Wool is the best sock in my drawers, and whether it's cold or hot they have a sock that will do the job!
http://www.smartwool.com/




COMPRESSION GEAR:

Under Armor does a great job, but I have found a company that is better for cold weather! They are called Mysterioso and they make gear that keeps you warm in even the coldest environments. At the 2012 World's Toughest Mudder I found myself in very cold weather and in water just above freezing! This gear kept my core's heat in and I give it lots of credit for allowing me to stay and fight through the race! products are made from quick drying Polartec fabric that provides warmth without weight. This fabric has a 4-way stretch that won't restrict movement, and provides maximum comfort with its soft, velour-finish fleece interior. The flatlock stitching prevents chafing, while the durable outer layer is wind and abrasion resistant; the inner layer pulls moisture from the skin and keeps you dry whether you sweat or are wet. Must have if you are a cold weather athlete of any kind!
http://www.mysterioso.com/

HEADPHONES:

Beats by Dre is my go to brand on this one! The Power Beats are great for the athlete that runs and WODs. They stay on your ear during intense physical activity and sound great for a workout headphone! They have an extra long cord add on that you can take away if you don't need the added length,  but its there if you do need it. It has a built in Mic, and volume-song skip feature built onto the cord which is nice if you have your phone in a backpack or iPod running case. I have ran over 300 miles with these headphones and they make the long runs very comfortable because you can barely feel them in your ear! Another must have if you are an active person.
http://www.beatsbydre.com/earphones/powerbeats/beats-powerbeats,default,pd.html