You can click to play the interview below and also you can click the “Download” button to download the MP3 file.

UtahRunning.com:  Well, hello, everybody. This is Ken Richardson with UtahRunning.com. We appreciate you listening to this interview that we’ve got today. We’re really excited to interview a renaissance man, Cory Johnson. He owns Old School Body Shop, he’s into ultra‑running, he’s great at metal artwork, and he also is an auctioneer. So he is a jack of all trades, but today our interview is going to focus on that ultra‑running piece, and he’s going to tell us a little bit about himself and will hopefully be able to share some tips with you out there in the UtahRunning.com community.

So, Cory, tell us a little bit about your running background.

Cory Johnson:  Well, as far as my background, I’m going to maybe just gracefully hit on high school. I was a sprinter back in high school and went to state a couple years in a row in various events. After graduation from that, I kind of went into a slump of 18 years and never had any activity as far as physical activity. Then I guess you would say I woke up one day to sort of a midlife crisis, so to speak, and got into running. I actually did a 100‑miler before I’d ever run even a marathon. But I kind of jumped into that whole trail‑running thing approximately about eight years ago, and it just kind of went from there.

UtahRunning.com: OK. You say you ran a 100‑miler before you even ran a marathon?

Cory:  Yes. I think that was back in 2004. A guy named Tim Olson kind of got me interested into it and was doing a training run one time, and he’d started talking about the Wasatch 100. I’d asked him a few questions about it and then kind of dropped the subject. And later on, a couple weeks later, I just figured I’d check into it, and all of a sudden, there I was, signing up for it and training for it. I actually failed my first attempt at Wasatch, made it to about mile 13 and had to shut it down. I actually went into the race injured, not knowing what the injury was, because I’d just been starting the running deal and I’m thinking, “How could a body break down like this? People don’t get injured running and doing activities like that.”

But I had my eyes opened. And apparently I tore my IT band, several months prior to the attempt at Wasatch, and didn’t even really know what was wrong until later that year, I went and had Jeff Harrison look at it, and he kind of put his tools in there, and sure enough it was tore.

So he loosely stitched it back together and sent me on my way. I signed up for the next race after that, and I’ve kind of been doing ultra‑running ever since.

UtahRunning.com: And you’ve had some great successes. I’ve heard that you’ve done some pretty incredible things, that, really, you have been able to stay healthy and train well and done some great things. What are some of your running successes, maybe some highlights over the past eight years?

Cory:  Well, I don’t know if you’d consider them highlights, but I guess my second attempt at Wasatch, I finished that, and I think I’ve ran that one seven or eight times now. And back in 2007, I’d actually signed up for seven 100‑mile races in one year, and they call one of them the Rocky Mountain Grand Slam and the other one the Western Grand Slam. I think, looking back, logistics‑wise, to get those done, in itself, is a feat, let alone run them, because it kind of took you from one end of the state to the next.

So I kind of got lucky that year, as far as getting into the races. Several of them were lotteries, and I kind of got lucky there and was able to finish all of them.

And then there, from after 2007 on, I’ve ran approximately four or five of them a year. I average around 2,500 to 3,000 miles a year running, and about 99 percent of that’s all on trails.

And up until last year, I kind of changed my training program, got introduced to the CompuTrainer or a stationary‑bike program and started doing that, and actually reduced my mileage to about 1,500 miles a year and improved my running times two to four hours.

UtahRunning.com: Really.

Cory:  So a lot of junk miles were put in, and I just thought that’s what you did. I’m kind of getting smarter, I guess, as the years go on.

UtahRunning.com: So you spend a lot of time spinning as well, then.

Cory:  Yeah, I like to do that Monday, Wednesday, Friday, in the mornings, up at a buddy’s house. And he’s kind of got a program going there, that max‑testing program. The guy that trained Lance Armstrong, he’s got kind of an online site, so we’re sending all of our results into him, and he’s critiquing them and giving us back our results and saying we’ve got to do this and this. The whole idea behind it is to get past that lactic‑threshold curve. And once you kind of tap into that zone and get past it, you can actually recover in a more intense effort, rather than having to stop and get your wind again, and kind of maintain that. So that’s helped out quite a bit.

UtahRunning.com: Yeah. Increasing that threshold that your body can take so that you can work at that level for longer.

Cory:  Right. Right.

UtahRunning.com: That’s great.

Cory:  Actually, this is the second year in doing it, and it’s kind of worked out quite well. Little easier on the joints.

UtahRunning.com: Have you done bike races as well?

Cory:  Last year, I signed up for the Leadman Series in Leadville, Colorado. And I guess to answer the question, up until last year my bike experience was very little. I’d done several centuries just on the road over the years. The Leadman competition there in Leadville, it consists of going down four different times to Leadville and actually racing five, all in a period of a couple months. So it starts off with a mountain marathon. The next event’s a 50‑mile mountain‑bike race. After that, it goes to‑‑well, I’ve got to kind of think here‑‑a 10K the next day, and then it goes to a 100‑mile mountain‑bike race, and then it follows up a week later with a 100‑mile foot race. So I was able to actually get that done. And those two mountain‑bike races, the 50 and the 100, was my 8th, 10th time on a mountain bike, ever.

And so we kind of got it done, and it was quite fun and was fairly competitive with it all. I think I wore my brakes out quite a bit, more so than everybody else.

But I was able to do it and enjoy it. So I got introduced to that biking and mountain biking, so I’m kind of looking at mountain bikers a little bit different now when I get up there on the trail.

UtahRunning.com: Right. When you’re running, you’re a little more aware of those mountain bikers, huh?

Cory:  Yeah. I kind of get off the trail for them, because I know what it’s like to fall.

UtahRunning.com: So you spend quite a bit of time on the bike, quite a bit of time out running. What would be a typical, longer Saturday run or a longer run during the week? About how much time…?

Cory:  Leading up to the season, like this Saturday, I’ve got a couple buddies, we’re going to head down and do the Zion Traverse. I’ve never really been there, or don’t know a whole lot about it, but it’s kind of around Cedar City and heading south. So we’re going to run 50 miles Saturday. A couple weeks, we’re going to go down and do the rim‑to‑rim‑to‑rim. So we kind of pick a Saturday and do our long runs. It ranges from 20 to 50 on a Saturday. Of course, if you’re leading up to a 100‑mile race, we kind of back off a bit, don’t do as much running. But I’ve found myself doing a lot more recovery than actually running and biking, because you figure Monday, Wednesday, Friday on a bike and you’re trying to get your running in between. You’ve got to have some downtime. So I think the downtime is harder to do than the actual running and cycling.

UtahRunning.com: Right. But it’s just as important; to make sure you’re recovered and healthy.

Cory:  Yeah, it’s huge. And to find that time and to adjust your thinking towards that’s kind of tough, because you’re just used to, “Oh, I’ve got to get out and do that and that and that.” But I guess, more or less this year, we’re trying to get more scientific and more schooled, than just putting in those junk miles and being more efficient and a little more quality workouts.

UtahRunning.com: Right. With that training and recovery, what do you do, as far as nutritionally, to help that recovery and to help healing when you’re doing those long trail runs? What nutritional strategies would you recommend or do you use yourself?

Cory:  Well, what we’ve been doing the last couple years is kind of the school of hard knocks, over the years, trying to figure it out, because I’ve ran races before without any nutrition, and I don’t know what kind of gets me through it, just stupidity‑ness or whatever. Kind of what we’ve been doing now is, actually, it’s a website that we just came across, and it’s more for bodybuilders. So we’re actually using their product.

But to answer the question, every hour, races, logistics‑wise, and trying to map out eight stations and where you can put a drop bag, do you got to carry, or whatnot.

We try to take in about 250‑300 calories every hour, all in liquid form, and we will actually run a 100‑mile race ‑ whether it’s 24 hours or 40 hours ‑ and never eat anything solid.

Then we’re alternating a water bottle in between that hour. Try to get back those calories every hour is the key, I think. Now don’t quote me on this, because I’ve broken down plenty of times, but it appears to be working better than in years past.

Although, the beginning of this year, our first race was down there in Moab, the Red Hot 50. Even though I’ve improved my times, my calf muscle still locked up on me, somewhere around mile 23, so it was kind of a struggle to get in there.

Still, the nutrition, the strategy that we’ve been doing, far exceeds what I’ve been doing in the past. I kind of like it, and we’re trying it. Every now and then, I’ll take down a Power Bar gel or something like that, but it’s kind of rare that I’ll do that anymore.

UtahRunning.com: The thing is, really, you’re getting your calories consistently throughout the whole race, throughout the whole run.

Cory:  Right.

UtahRunning.com: How about overall fluid intake?

Cory:  Yeah, the powder drinks, if you’ve got 20 hours to make it through two scoops of powder, it’s probably down to about 16 ounces, so around 15‑16 ounces an hour. We’ll come into an aid station and I’ll drink that 250‑300 calories, then I’ll carry a water bottle and drink that. Then the next hour, I’ll slam another one and do that rotation throughout the whole event.

Towards around 70‑80 miles, at least last year, I had a tendency to not want that every hour. As you get slower, as the race gets longer, you don’t drink as much as what I’m speaking about, but you still get through it, and you know the recovery afterwards is very minimal.

There have been several 100‑milers that I’ve completed that I haven’t even had any recovery to speak of.

UtahRunning.com: It’s been because of your fueling strategy during the race.

Cory:  Right.

UtahRunning.com: OK.

Cory:  That’s what I want to blame it on.

UtahRunning.com: It sounds like you’ve got some good experience under your belt and you’ve got good strategy. What races do you have planned for this year? What’s in the future for you? What future goals and plans do you have?

Cory:  Well, we’re going to do these training runs, get them over with, and then we’ve already started our 50‑milers. The Buffalo was the first 50. We’re going to go and do Squaw Peak and Soho, then after that is going to start the 100s. The first 10 of the year is up there in Sheridan, Wyoming, the Bighorn 100, up there in the Bighorn mountain range.

That will start it in June, then in July I’ll go over to Silverton, Colorado. They call that the Hard Rock 100. I’ve actually completed that one five times, and raced it six.

Three years I went into the race and had an Achilles issue, it was really tight. Not giving much thought to the opposing tendon, or the muscle I guess you’d call it, the anterior tib, the lift of the foot. That took the brunt of the work, and that shut down on me about mile 82.

Even though I had 16 hours to complete a fairly respectable run, it took me three hours to get down to the next aid station, which was only a good mile. I blew it there.

The Hard Rock 100, to me, that’s kind of my favorite race. It’s considered one of the toughest races in the world. You’ll go somewhere around 13‑plus thousand foot, 12 different times. You start at around 9,000‑foot elevation, you’ll be in that elevation that whole race. They give you 48 hours to complete it.

UtahRunning.com: Wow.

Cory:  I ran that in 33 hours to 40 hours in times past. It makes you figure out what you’re made of, and what you really want to be doing out there, by the time you get down to that race.

UtahRunning.com: You usually have 36 hours for most 100‑milers, right?

Cory:  Yeah.

UtahRunning.com: Now, when you’ve got 48, it’s because you’re at such a high elevation and the…

Cory:  Yeah.

UtahRunning.com: The range, it sounds like.

Cory:  I’m assuming it’s because of the difficulty and whatnot. After that race in July, we’ll have a downtime in August, and I actually signed up for the Leadville 100 mile mountain bike race again, but after that the next 100 is going to be the Wasatch 100 which, kind of ironically, even though I’m an automatic entrant for the race, I forgot to sign up for that race.

That would have been my eighth attempt. I can’t figure out what happened there, but I called the race director and he doesn’t want to break no rules or nothing, so I was still left holding the bag. Now I’m going to help run an aid station, Brighton at mile 75, instead of do the run.

But I’m sure I’ll end up pacing a buddy at some point there, too. After the Wasatch, after that gets over with in September ‑ it’s like the first, second weekend in September ‑ I’m going to go back to Colorado. They’ve got a race over there, and it’s a new course called the Run Rabbit Run.

There’s about a $20,000 purse, and it’s drawing the big boys to that area. A lot of the elite runners are going to be there, so I may see what it’s like to see them up ahead, and may get a chance to chase them all night long.

UtahRunning.com: That sounds like fun.

Cory:  Yeah. A week after I get that one done, if I get it done, then I’m going to come back here and do the Bear 100, and that’ll start in Logan and end up in Bear Lake. Then that’s going to complete the 100s that I’ve got signed up, unless of course I go and do one more in California, but I don’t like to think of them until I’m done with one race.

UtahRunning.com: Take them one at a time, huh?

Cory:  Yeah. That’s what I have lined up for the year. Of course the training, keep that going, and the recovery and nutrition‑wise.

UtahRunning.com: That sounds like fun. Definitely, I’ll be interested to see how the year goes for you. I’m curious how that Run Rabbit Run ends up.

Cory:  Yeah, I’m kind of curious, myself. I belong to a mountain racing team called the Wasatch Speed Goats. Speed Goat mountain racing team. There are about nine nannies and 17 billies on the team. Between all of us, from one end of the state to the next, in any given year we’ve probably completed… somebody’s done the math on it, and don’t quote me on this 100 percent, but they say you can go around the world a time or two, with all the miles that all of them have been putting in over the years.

That sounds kind of impressive. I don’t know if all of that’s true or not, but I’m going to run with it.

UtahRunning.com: Yeah, well I believe it. That’s a whole bunch of people running a lot of miles, and if you put it all together, I could see it.

Cory:  Yeah. I got a lot of good people around here, that help me and that I train with. There’s a lot around in the area that are clearly faster than I am, but I can definitely get the races done, with their help. We go out of state, no matter where it is. I’ve been to France and done the du Mont‑Blanc over there. People outside of the state, they know that Ogden, Utah has some good ultra runners. We always call ourselves the Ogden Boys, and we’re kind of well‑known in different parts of the state. Whenever we go there, they say, “Here come the Ogden Boys.”

Last year, there were three of us that went to that Bighorn. Tom Remkes, he’s been a 30‑plus year ultra runner, and Bryce Warren and me. We all finished that race together, pretty much came in together. Me and Tom were together, and Bryce was just a couple minutes behind, but there the Ogden Boys were.

I like that, when we get away from Ogden and away from Utah, you get a smile when you see the Ogden Boys roll up to the line.

UtahRunning.com: That’s cool. That’s a lot of fun. What advice would you give, from the Ogden Boys? If you had to give advice to aspiring runners, or maybe even somebody who was considering diving into ultra running, what advice would you give to them?

Cory:  I’d probably say, “You’re probably going to get into something that you really don’t know what you’re getting into yet, but really just take it slow. Hit the trails. “There’s a lot of information on them trails. You’ll hook up with a lot of people, whether you’re on the Shoreline or you go to Salt Lake, or wherever. You’re going to see some good people on that trail, and a lot of them have good advice.”

I’d just say, “Ask them questions. Listen to them. Follow their advice and go into the whole thing slow. Don’t go in there and jump into a 100‑miler before you get a marathon done.”

UtahRunning.com: That’s sage advice.

Cory:  Yeah.

UtahRunning.com: We appreciate you taking the time, Cory, and we’re excited to see what people have to say about your experiences, and to share your advice with them as well. Thanks again for your time.

Cory:  OK, I appreciate it. Tell your wife that I appreciate her efforts.

UtahRunning.com: All right, I will.

Today while I was running pushing my two kids on the Ogden River Parkway I came across this mural.  It is one of the many cool paintings on the back wall of the rodeo grounds that skirts the edge of the paved pathway.  For some reason though, this particular one caught my attention.  

“Be the Change YOU want 2 C in de World”.  

I’ve heard this saying before, but I actually thought about it deeper today.  Maybe I needed something on my mind to pass the time while I was running.  (Time passes slowly when you are running by yourself and pushing a double jogging stroller for five miles–my 7 month old and 3 year old aren’t exactly long conversationalists.)  

So I thought to myself, “What is the change I would want to see in the world?”  Lots of things crossed my mind, but since I was out running on a beautiful day, I concluded that I would like to see more people being physically active.  I have grown to realize how important this is.  In fact, I’ve become passionate about it.  I really would like to see more people setting aside time each day to workout.

Why?  Because I know what it does for my body, mind, and attitude.  Through coaching, I’ve also seen the positive effects on others.  I’ve seen it build confidence, discipline, and teach life skills.  The effects are numerous and so positive in more than just the physical aspect of it all.  As my thoughts turned inward again, I thought, “Am I being that change I want to see in the world?  Am I setting aside excuses and getting out the door everyday?”  ”Am I being a good example to my family and friends?”

Lately, I can feel myself settling.  Being content with 3-4 days a week of running.  Life is busy with two little ones, a husband training for the Olympic Trials, managing a website, coaching, and fulfilling church callings.  But, I am a better person in all other areas of my life when I make my health and fitness a priority.  Of course life has to have balance, but it is like the oxygen mask idea on airplanes.  Put yours on first and then help others with theirs.  Make your health a priority and then you will be better able to help others around you.  

So, I’m recommitting to be a more consistent, dedicated runner for myself, my family, my friends, and YOU!  So join me… recommit to being physically active and “Be the Change We Want to See in the World!”

by Janae Richardson – Runner | USATF Certified Coach

Below is a really interesting and fun infographic that we thought our community would enjoy!

Running Music for a better running experience!

Question & Answer:  Frequent bathroom breaks while on the run aka “Runner’s Trots”

Question:   I am so hopeful you have time to respond to this question. I am a runner. I average about 40 miles a week, and compete in marathons and halfs. I am pretty fit. 5’7” 135lbs. I love running, and try to keep a good diet. The problem I have though, which doesn’t seem too rare, but is embarrassing, is that every time I go for a run, or run on my treadmill, I have to go to the bathroom. Sometimes, even multiple times before I can get my miles in. I don’t eat fatty foods, so I am confused on what to eat. I live in a rural area, so there are no bathrooms on the road like the city offers. So often times I have to find a discrete place to relieve myself. And I go a lot throughout the day, definitely more than the average person. I know this is kinda funny, and I wouldn’t blame you if you are chuckling right now. But it has become increasingly bothersome, and I need to know what to do, or eat. Is there any way to stop this from happening? Thanks for your time!!! John

Answer:   Hi John.  Thanks for the question.  Unfortunately over the years I have coached many people that have had this problem.  I think the first thing to do would be to start logging the foods you are consuming and see if there is some sort of sensitivity you are having to certain foods.  Be sure and track your BM’s (Bowel Movements) & exercise.  Many people are sensitive to foods that contain fructose (the sugar found in fruit).  If this is the case you can simply avoid having fruits, foods or juices with fructose before or during runs.  Some electrolyte beverages, bars and gels contain fructose, so be sure and read labels.  Dairy, spicy, fatty and high fiber foods can also be problematic for many runners so you will want to avoid these before a run too.  Some food sweetners can also cause problems (ie. sorbitol, aspartame etc…) so be on the lookout for these in sugar-free gums, candy, breath mints, etc…High doses of Vitamin C can cause the “trots” so review any supplements you might be taking.  Dehydration can also trigger bowel movements so be sure and stay hydrated with water.  Be careful with beverages that tend to dehydrate (diuretics) like coffee, tea, alcohol and foods containing caffeine.  Warm beverages can also stimulate gastric emptying.  You might also consider not eating anything too close to running (within two hours) since there is a decreased blood flow to the intestines while running and it may compromise digestion and cause the stomach to be upset.  After logging your foods, and if you can not detect any sensitivity to foods or food patterns then your problem may be related to the muscles or something else.  Another possible cause would be that the muscles in the intestines & stomach are being stimulated to contract more rapidly with the “jarring” of running.  I wonder if you would have the same result using an elliptical in lou of some running to see if it makes a difference.  You could give it a try and see.  Stress or having the “jitters” can exacerbate this problem so be sure and stay relaxed.  If not, then unfortunately I don’t think there is an easy fix to this, but I have had some clients find that using anti-diarrhea over-the-counter medications, like Imodium, before races and important workouts to be helpful.  I would caution you against doing this too much.  It would also not be a bad idea to consult physician to rule out anything else that could be going on.  There are other diseases that could cause this problem like colitis, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), celiac (gluten intolerance), etc… It’s worth getting it checked out just to be sure.

Happy Running,

Coach Lora Erickson

“Blonde Runner”

USATF certified running coach

www.BlondeRunner.com

Ellie Kate Simmons, a 7 year-old second grader from Jordan Ridge Elementary School in South Jordan, Utah finished her first ever running race, the 30th annual 13.1 mile St. George Half Marathon, this past weekend. Ellie finished in a time of 2:37 and was the youngest runner on the course.

Ellie was inspired to start running after finding out that her mom, Anne Johnson Simmons ran the 26.2-mile St. George Marathon 30 years ago when she was just 8 years old. Ellie and her mom began training soon after her baby brother was born last July. They started out just walking to school each day which eventually turned to running to school and then each week they would add 1 more mile to their training program until they could run 13- miles. Ellie said the best part about the race was the Gatorade at the aid stations and meeting a new friend, 38 year-old Debbie Labaron from Clearfield, UT who caught up to Ellie to find out how old she was and ended up running and visiting with her and her mom for many miles. Ellie was also running for a special cause and wore her pink running outfit to honor her 71 year-old grandmother, Linda Simmons, who was supposed to be running with her but underwent colon cancer surgery a few weeks ago and was not able to participate this year.
What’s next for Ellie? Her mom, aunt and uncle are race directors for southern Utah’s new Top of Zion Relay in June and northern Nevada’s Ruby Mountain Relay in August, both part of the Run Back Country running series, so she will keep up her training so she can run those relays with her cousins and maybe even join her parents and grandmother on the St. George Marathon course in October. Running is part of Ellie’s family tradition and she wants other kids to know that you are never too young to start living a healthy and active lifestyle.

“you’re not afraid of snot rockets.  That’s when I crossed into true runner-dom.”

–Bethany Dawn Larson

“…you have calloused toes, missing toenails and rubbed raw between your thighs and underarms.  Glide this!”

–Lily Campbell Wheatfill

“you skip the shower to get that extra mile.”

–Felicia Nicole

“you have more running clothes than regular clothes in your laundry pile”

–Fabricio Gutierrez

“you plan your vacations around a race.”

–Clayton Blackham

“You go through surgery and the first think you ask is when you can start running again.”

–Benjamin Hooley

“you’ve ran 5 or more miles (or however far you go) on a Saturday hours before the rest of the neighborhood has even thought about waking up.”

–Dan Wybrow

“you have had to take an emergency bathroom break, even though you’re less than a mile away from home.”

–Ben Van Beekum

“You get more excited over a new pair of running shoes instead of heels and have to show them off to everyone.”

–Kellie Bywater

“your muscles hurt from another door sport (snowboarding to be exact) and you say to yourself ‘running will ease that out just a bit’ and you log 5 miles to ‘warm ‘em up’.”

–Liz Cloyd

“…you have more miles on your running shoes than your car!”

–Jace Zemcik

“…you feel no shame running off into the woods to do your business.”

–Barbara Weiner Wolf

“You carefully monitor the color of your pee and are upset with yourself when it is too yellow.”

–Neal Clarke

“you pee your pants to beat a PR”

–Cami Moyes Jensen

“…you spend an hour on your foam roller before you go to bed.”

–Jarrod Garr

“you refer to St. George and Ogden as races not cities.”

“the journal you keep is in miles and time not feelings or thoughts”

–Darcy Robison Rees

Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/utahrunning

You can click to play the interview below and also you can click the “Download” button to download the MP3 file.

Ken: Hello everybody, we’ve got Brad Anderson on the line and we’re really excited to interview him. He’s one of our first interviews for this year and we were trying to look for a story about a runner in Utah that would inspire you and motivate you as you look forward to 2012 and setting your goals and working toward those goals in 2012. We feel that Brad is a great story and it’s inspiring to us. We hope that you will be inspired as well. Brad, thanks for doing the interview with us.

Brad: Good to be here.

Ken: Maybe to start out, could you give the utahrunning.com community a bit of background about how you started with running, and maybe some of the highlights from your high school career?

Brad: My dad was a runner and really as long as I can remember I wanted to be a runner. I thought it was cool. We’d go to some of his races and I was just kind of faster than a lot of kids my age. I’m drawn to it.

My first race was either a quarter-mile or half-mile road race in Liberty, Utah. I won it and I was hooked from then on. Growing up, I was never pushed to train. I’d do some 5Ks here and there and kind of kept winning my age group. I thought that was cool.

Then when I got into high school a funny thing happened. All the other kids catch up to you but I was regional champ my freshman year and placed in state. I was a 2A runner. Working through that I won some more regional titles. Kind of a highlight for me was my first state title my junior year. It had been a goal for such a long time so I actually won my first state title. That was probably one of my biggest highlight because of the hard work and all my goals had paid off. That’s a brief rundown of my running career when I was younger.

Ken: Which event did you win the state title?

Brad: I won the half mile and the mile. My first was the mile. My second was two miles. I should have won that one too but you know how it goes.

Ken: You started out having some great experiences with running, some fun experiences in high school and won a couple of state titles it sounds like, mile and you were in an accident. Would you mind sharing about that experience with us?

Brad: I was coming into my senior year. Over the summer I’d gotten faster than I’d ever been. One of my main goals was to take state in cross country. My two previous seasons I was sick at state and didn’t finish very well. My goal was to take state. I was faster than ever and really excited.

About a week into school my senior year there was a football game. After it they had movies at the seminary building so I was hanging out there. Some people hit me up about going down to Ogden to a Taco Maker. I wasn’t going to go but a girl — girls in general had a hold on me, if you will. I go down and get me a taco, so I said sure. I went to get in one car but there wasn’t enough room to buckle so I got into a different car.

Next thing I remember I woke up in the hospital but essentially going down Weaver Canyon we overcorrected right by the power station. The car rolled and kind of rolled down the driveway there at the power station. They said my head hit the road at 75 miles an hour and also hit a pole.

Things weren’t that great. They didn’t think I would be alive for my parents to make it to the hospital. That first night I wasn’t supposed to live through the night. The next few days they didn’t think I was going to live after that. Who knows maybe a coma.

All the news my parents got was not good. I’d never be able to live on my own again, things like that. Then after a week or so in there things kind of turned around for me. Instead of nothing happening, things started to go in the right direction.

My injuries were traumatic brain injury, which there is no cure for a brain injury. You just deal with it and your brain will learn how to do things again. After a few weeks I woke up from the coma. All the muscle in my left side had lost its memory so I couldn’t talk, couldn’t eat, couldn’t walk, and couldn’t move my left arm at all.

At that time I was moved to the University of Utah where I had to learn to walk again. My biggest question every day to therapist was will I run again. They’d say we don’t know. At the time I didn’t realize how serious my injuries were. I remember first thinking I’ll be out in time for state cross country, I’ll take state. I was like I’ll take state and set state records in track.

As time went on I sort of learned that maybe I wasn’t going to be out in time because it was more serious. But my goal was to run again. The longer things went on the more I realized I might not run again. I was optimistic but I made up my mind that if I wasn’t going to run again it was not because of anything I did, like I didn’t work hard enough in physical therapy or didn’t try again. I was realistic about it. I knew the injuries I had but I decided I wanted to run again and was going to do anything I could to do it.

Ken: You were pretty determined. At what point did the doctors start to give you a bit of hope that the road back to running again was a possibility?

Brad: It was always we don’t know. Every day I’d ask my therapist and one day she said probably not. That was when it kind of sunk in to me that this is pretty bad. Other than the optimistic hope of you do what you can, but I never from my recollection never had “you know, you may run again.” In my medical records too, it was talking to the family that I needed to kind of understand that I may not run again.

Ken: Describe that road back to running and tell us about some of the challenges you had both physically being able to do it again, and some of the challenges you had facing that huge obstacle to overcome.

Brad: When muscle loses memory, both legs don’t work together like normal. I didn’t have the lift in my leg and also the muscle tone was really high. My legs tired and would shake and turn to the outside. When I got out of the hospital I went through times where I said I wasn’t going to run again. That didn’t last long.

After a few months of being home I was so out of shape. I remember I was in physical therapy — when I was in the hospital there were times I couldn’t sit up straight. I had no energy to do that. Or I would walk my wheelchair down to physical therapy and be too exhausted to do anything. I’d go back to my room. I was so out of shape.

I remember the first time running on the sidewalk, it was maybe fifty meters. It was so hard to do that. It was little by little. I remember one night thinking I would go down to the track and run a mile. I went down there at 11 at night and ran a proud 100 meters just running. My leg wasn’t lifting, almost tripping. I was so frustrated. I bent over every garbage can to throw up. There were several experiences like that thinking I was going to come back and it was going to be easy; all I have to do is dig in and run.

I realized this is really going to be an obstacle for me. When it really turned around was when I started dating Amber, my future wife. For me it was embarrassing for me to run. Before I had a great stride. I was known as the runner. I was embarrassed about what people were thinking.

When I started dating Amber she came to physical therapy with me. It was that time when she said people aren’t saying, “whoa look at him run,” they’re saying, “wow, look at him run!” She kind of helped me see it for what it is. That’s when I had another one of those moments where I decided I love to run, and I want to run again. I don’t care what other people think and I’m not going to let what they think keep me from doing what I want to do.

Ken: That’s great. I think that’s one thing I’ve noticed and learned from your experience, is that you can overcome that fear or concern about what other people think or what other people might say. You can do it for yourself.

Brad: Right, and the other thing I learned is people don’t care about you as much as you think. They’re more worried about their stride and if they look dumb when they run. Once I realized that it made it easier. People are worried about if they look dumb, not as much if I look dumb.

Ken: I think that’s a great lesson we can all learn, that we can do it for the love of the sport, for the love of running. Also, I think one thing I take away from that is that people, other people can help us to be inspired, to progress, to work hard, and to overcome challenges.

Brad: Right.

Ken: What other advice would you give aspiring runners or maybe somebody who is worried about that; they fear what other runners may think of them, or they are afraid of setting a goal because they might not achieve it. What advice would you give to the, perhaps some lessons learned from your experience?

Brad: One thing I’ve always liked about running is how it’s competitive on any level. I used to run to win races. Now I run because I love to run. I’m still trying to get faster. I still do intervals. I want to be the fastest I can be. Really with anyone starting running it’s the fear of what other people are going to think. What people are going to think most the time is wow, they’re running.

It inspires other people when they see someone running because running is not easy. It’s not a game. It’s hard to do. You get a lot of respect from people when you run and put your heart and time into something that’s not easy. I’ve never regretted it. As hard as it’s been to get back running again, it’s the greatest thing I’ve ever done.

Even when I was faster, running means more to me now because it doesn’t come easy like it did. Running always came easy to me. Coming back now I’m not doing it because I’m the fastest. I’m running because I love to run. When I was younger I thought I ran because I was fast and because I won. It wasn’t until I couldn’t run anymore that I realized why I ran; I love to run. Winning was an extra perk to it but I love it. It’s just as much fun to me now as it was when I won.

Running is kind of a metaphor of life, if you will; what you put into it with running, as opposed to other sports, hard work always pays off in every sport but running is more of a direct correlation of what I put into it I get back. I love that aspect of it and that’s why I plan to always run.

Ken: That’s great. I think we can all learn a bit from your experience and I hope that it’s inspiring to all of you out there that are part of the utahrunning.com community. We hope you will share that love of running with others like Brad has. One thing Brad does to help share his love of running here in Utah is he has the Gerald Anderson Memorial Run. He mentioned his dad earlier in the interview. They do a race in his memory. Brad, do you want to mention anything about that race, or anything else you’d like to close out with?

Brad: The race is done for my dad the second weekend in June. We’ve done it every year and it’s been a lot of fun to do that. Everyone out there, get out there running. The running community is a great community. If you see a runner on the road and don’t even know him, it’s another runner, you have to say hi to another runner. It’s a great community. I encourage anyone who has been thinking of running or who has been doing little, get into it. It’s a great sport and a great community.

Ken: Thanks Brad, we appreciate it.

Brad: Thank you.

When changing to winter running there are a few changes that will allow you to continue training through the winter. Clothing makes a big difference. There are fabrics that will wick away moisture as you sweat and still retain your body heat. Cotton should be avoided in the winter. Once you start sweating with cotton as the sweat cools it will freeze and make you even colder. The new fabrics will retain the body heat even while wet.

Layering of clothing is important. You want to be able to take clothing off if necessary. Don’t over dress. For winter running you should be uncomfortable in the cold while standing. If you are not you are over dressed.

The head and hands, wrist area, are areas where body heat can be controlled. Having a stocking hat or ear band and gloves that you can take on and off to allow you to regulate your body temperature as you run is helpful. In very cold weather mittens work best for keeping your fingers warm.

Tights and full, three quarter, or half tights work best for allowing you to have normal leg movement and keeping the legs warm. I will have my athletes warm up in full tights and then remove layers to three quarter or half tights to run a hard workout or to race.

Workouts may need to be adjusted because of the temperature. The faster the pace of the workout the more difficult it is to do in cold weather. I will quite often add a 400 at the start of a workout to make sure they are completely warmed up. For example, even if we are running mile repeats I will start with a 400 at the beginning of the workout and then go to the mile repeats. This makes sure that they have a good blood supply to the muscles before getting into the hard part of the workout.

Another workout I like when it is cold is to combine a tempo run, 3 to 5 miles depending on their level, then take two minutes recovery for each mile ran. After the recovery they then run a normal interval workout. Something like 8×400, or 400, 600, 800, 1000. A tempo run insures that you are completely warmed up and makes it easier to run fast on the track in cold weather.

Hydration in the cold weather is just as important as in the hot. Runners tend to not think about it in the cold. It is just as easy to get dehydrated in the winter as in the warmer weather. Because we are cold we do not think to drink. Several times in my coaching career during the winter I have had athletes that were struggling with workouts and I couldn’t figure out why until we did blood work and found that they were dehydrated. Force yourself to drink in the cold weather.

Good luck with your winter running.

by Paul Pilkington – Weber State University Head Distance Coach | Elite Athlete

The wonderful Utah spring thaw seems to have taken hold. With the mercury rising and your log boasting more miles, it is important to consider how you are fueling those miles. I am often asked how much a training athlete needs to eat in order to maintain health and boost performance. The answer, of course, depends on various factors including age, height, weight, gender, medical concerns, and training regimen; however, there are some key pointers for all training athletes to consider.

• Eat breakfast – whether you choose to eat before or after a run should depend on what you want to get out of that particular training session and what your body is telling you. If you head out the door first thing in the morning for an easy distance run (under an hour), you are safe to have some water and head out the door with breakfast planned upon your return. Should you have a more intense session planned for the morning (tempo run, long run, or interval training), your performance and energy level will benefit from a light breakfast prior to the workout. Experiment with various carbohydrate rich foods to find what works best for you. Choices may include sport drinks, toast, cereal with milk, yogurt, sport bars etc… Since this pre-run breakfast is likely a smaller meal, a recovery snack (or breakfast part II) is a post-workout MUST.
  • EXAMPLES:
    • Breakfast After light morning run: 1 ¼  c cooked oatmeal topped with almonds, banana, and blueberries. Enjoy with a cup of milk
    • Breakfast split around workout:
      • Before workout – 8oz Gatorade; slice of toast with peanut butter, banana & honey
      • Post workout – 1 ½ cups cereal with 1 cup milk, & fruit
      • Stay Hydrated – keeping yourself hydrated during the day will help you stay in better touch with your body’s signals (i.e., hunger, fatigue, thirst). Remember that your hydration status is not dependent only on water consumption. Milk, sport drinks, fruits, veggies, soups, coffee, tea, juice – all of these foods and beverages contribute to your hydration status. If your urine is light yellow and you are going several times per day, you are on the right track. Keep a water bottle with you and get into the habit of drinking with meals.
      • Hungry? Pay attention to what your body is telling you. It is easy to get busy and forget that your body actually sends messages to your brain about when to eat and when to stop eating. Snacks during the day can help curb hunger and the potential to overeat if you do get too hungry. Plan snacks to support workouts. If you workout in the afternoon, consider having a light lunch and a recovery snack after the workout. Then have dinner. If you eat before your run in the morning, maybe a light mid morning snack before lunch will help keep your hunger at bay.  No matter when you incorporate your snacks, be sure to include both carbohydrate and protein for maximum performance benefit AND better staying power (adding protein helps keep you full a bit longer, and carbohydrate will replenish the “tank” after a workout or provide fuel for an upcoming workout.)
        • SNCAK EXAMPLES:
          • Whole grain crackers or pretzels & string cheese
          • Apple or banana with peanut butter
          • Veggies with hummus
          • Sport bar
          • Yogurt with or without  1/4c granola
          • 1/3 c Nuts & dried fruit
          • toast with peanut butter/almond butter & honey
          • glass of chocolate milk (great post workout snack)
          • Packet of instant oatmeal
          • Granola
          • Fruit with string cheese
          • Recover! Remember to recover with a carbohydrate & protein rich snack within an hour (preferably within 30 minutes) after long runs and interval sessions. You will recover faster, experience less muscle soreness, and be ready to go sooner than if you wait. Check out the specific recovery article on UtahRunning.com.

So what does a typical runner’s eating plan look like? Keeping in mind that portion sizes will vary based on the considerations listed above, runners should eat breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, an afternoon or post workout snack, dinner, and then possibly an evening snack based on hunger level, training volume, and goals. Here is an example of a 2600-calorie eating plan.

Breakfast:

• Fruit Smoothie: mix 1 ¼ c fresh berries, 1 container vanilla yogurt and 1 c OJ
• 1 slice whole grain bread with 1 Tbsp peanut butter and 1 teaspoon 100% fruit spread

Snack:

• 1 string cheese w/ 15 whole grain crackers
• 8 dried apricot halves

Lunch:

• Salmon or Tuna salad sandwich in whole wheat pita pocket (1 10” pita pocket with 4oz fish, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 tea balsamic vinegar, 2 small sliced tomatoes, fresh herbs and 3 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese)

Snack:

• 1 cup grapes
• Luna bar

Dinner:

• 1.5 c whole wheat pasta tossed with olive oil (1.5T), red bell pepper, tomato, and fresh parsley)
• 3-5 oz grilled chicken – can be mixed into the pasta
• 1 cup steamed or roasted broccoli

Snack:

• ½ cup plain yogurt mixed with ½ cup vanilla ice cream with 1 cup fresh fruit

by Kristi Spence MS, RD, CSSD – Masters of Science, Registered Dietitian | Sport Dietitian | TOSH Sport Science | Elite Athlete: Half-Marathon/Marathon

 It was good to get some more “running” time in this week.  I felt stronger and overall better on my runs.  I think a lot of it had to do with having a running buddy to talk to and take my mind off the pain during each workout.  I finally feel like the time and effort I’ve put in over the last few weeks is starting to pay off.  The human body really is amazing how it can adapt and progress from the stress that is put on it.

**Go to  http://blog.utahrunning.com/postpartum-exercise-part-2-training-plan/ for a printable version of the postpartum training plan

**See RUN UTAH’s  April/May issue page 15 “4 For Core”and  June/July issue page 17 “Simple Strengthening Exercises” for some sample strengthening exercises

WEEK 4: Nov 7-13, 2011

 Monday 11/7/11                                                                                               daily mileage: 5

• 10 minutes of brisk walking. 25 minutes of running. 10 minutes of walking.
• Strengthening exercises: bridge squeezers (30 reps), bridge thigh abductors (30 reps)
• We met up today with some friends (Riley and Amy) in St. George for a week long vacation.   I have really been looking forward to this.  By the time we made it to St. George (and because of daylight savings) it was already starting to get dark when I headed out the door for my workout.  The air was slightly chilly and my legs felt cold, but once the blood started flowing I was fine.  From the condo, there isn’t a great direction to run.  Basically, the only place to go is to run along side the busy, noisy highway.  Not ideal, but I’ll take being able to go for a workout along a crazy road without pushing kids in a jogger any day.  I did the initial brisk walk and couldn’t help but look at my watch every couple of minutes to see if it had been ten minutes yet.  My body was antsy to run.  It’s funny how even though I’ve enjoyed the brisk walking within my training plan, I don’t feel like my workout has actually begun until I’m running.  The first half of my run I felt slow and sluggish, but I was running uphill.  The way back was better.  I actually felt like I was moving at a decent pace.  The cool down walk felt good.  My hips, butt, and back felt pretty good.  I’m still feeling the pinched nerve in my butt (at least that’s what I think it is), but it seems to have gone down in intensity since last week.

Tuesday 11/8/11

• Yoga Baron Baptiste Level 2 DVD
• I had a hard time holding some of the poses for some reason today.  I was doing it without my yoga mat, so maybe that was the difference.  I had an idea during the DVD today though.  I think my new goal is to be able to get through the DVD without making a mistake—holding all the poses for the entire time without falling.  That would be pretty cool.

Wednesday 11/9/11                                                                                          daily mileage: 5 

• 52 minutes total. 10 min brisk walk. 30 min running. 12 min brisk walk.
• Strengthening exercises: push ups (2 x 10 reps), triceps dips (2 x 10 reps), leg lifts (2 x 15 reps), clams (2 x 15 reps), bridge-squeezers (30 reps), bridge-thigh abductors (30 reps), side planks (hold for 30 seconds each side)
• This week has been nice.  Not only has the weather in St. George been perfect to run in, but I haven’t had to push the jogger on any of my runs so far.  I could get used to my husband being around all the time.  Plus, I’ve had a running buddy this week too.  We are spending the week with friends so I’ve been able to run with my friend Amy.  Nothing like good conversation to take my mind off of how out of shape I am.  Today we ran on some trails with the beautiful desert views around us.  Good stuff!

Thursday 11/10/11                                                                                          daily mileage: 4

• 31 minutes of running.
• Strengthening exercises: static doorway (2 x 30 seconds), full body clench (3 x 15 seconds), lunges-forward, backward, plie (10 reps on each leg), push ups (2 x 10 reps), triceps dips (2 x 10 reps)—push ups and triceps dips are getting a lot easier…yeah!
• Today Amy and I went and ran on a paved pathway.  I was picturing a flat pathway along a winding river, but instead this path had some steep climbs through some rolling hills.  My legs felt like lead.  I was pretty tight and sore in my hips/butt today.  I think I am feeling the two running days in a row.  Ken and I gave each other a good rub out and that seemed to help loosen things up a bit.

Friday 11/11/11 (now that doesn’t happen very often!)

• Yoga Baron Baptiste Level 1 DVD—30 minutes
• An hour bike ride on the trails in St. George!
• It was nice to have a break from running today.  Yoga felt good and then the bike ride was awesome.  The trails in St. George are so fun.  It was good to get out and do something with Ken.  We laughed that it is November and we are just getting out for our first mountain bike ride of the season.  Sad, but true.  One down side to having kids—working out together is rare.

Saturday 11/12/11                                                                                             daily mileage: 6

• 64 minutes total.  19 min brisk walk. 35 min run. 10 min brisk walk.
• The boys (Ken and Riley) were doing their long run in the morning and then Ken and I were planning on heading home soon after that.  So, Amy and I opted to push the kids in the joggers in order to get our workout in.  We drove to another paved pathway for our run (this one WAS by a winding river and for the most part flat—thank goodness!).  It was crazy getting the kids, and joggers, and car seats, and diaper bags out the door but we finally did.  Then when we got to the pathway Teague woke up and I had to feed him so he would last through the workout.  Thankfully Amy was easy going and cool with hanging out until me AND my kids were ready to run.  We walked for 19 minutes, ran for 35 minutes, and walked for 10 minutes.  I really enjoyed this run.  The weather was perfect.  I actually felt strong and my breathing seemed under control even with pushing the double jogger.  It was just what I needed.  It was nice to have the week end on a good note.  I’m looking forward to running more next week.

 TOTAL WEEKLY MILEAGE: 20

by Janae Richardson – Runner | USATF Certified Coach