The Last Man to Run

Recently I became aware of Drew Manning, a crazy but brave personal trainer here in Utah who gained 70 pounds - SEVENTY - to empathize with the overweight and to show that you really can have incredible transformation in your life if you decide to make the necessary changes. You can check out his website http://www.fit2fat2fit.com and you can find him on facebook https://www.facebook.com/fit2fat2fit/info . Doing something like that takes incredible mental toughness. Especially when you go that far to the other spectrum. It's not like gaining 15lbs or 20lbs, where you can always come back from that. When you go as far as he did, not only is there a lot of work to do, but it's also more difficult to come back because your body is just not the same. Props to Drew for achieving such a feat and inspiring tens of thousands to do the same. Visit his facebook page and see how many people are turning and making serious physical changes and improvements. You can also see ho...

I don't know what it is about running, but as much as I dislike it, I thought it'd be easy to get to do it. Mainly because that's how life is, the things we dislike seem to show up at every corner while the things we like are filled with obstacles. As it turns out, I have had a ton of obstacles in running. Everything from injury to sequential illnesses to work to more injuries. Ugh!! I think it's because of how good it is for me. Truth is, running is good for you period. Even with the petty running (it really is petty because it's barely next to nothing) that I am doing, my body is seeing change, I am slimming down even if slowly, month by month I am seeing noticeable change. To me that's good enough. If you're trying to get started in running, try this: Day 1: Go 1 to 2 miles, maybe 3 or 4, whatever pushes you. If you have to stop and walk a few times as long as you finish the course. Now feel the empowerment that comes from doing something you didn...

I think the main reason why I'm enjoying this is because I'm pushing myself but I'm not frustrating myself. Do you know why a lot of those people with gym memberships who don't see success, may never see success? Because they all do the same mistake over and over, they decide they're going to work hard to make sure they succeed. In doing this, they push themselves hard, they make sure they hit "burn-out" because that means they gave it all they had. Next day, they wake up and they can't even move, let alone go back to the gym for another hardcore session of fat busting exercises. So they don't go which then turns into never going back, period. I really believe that the same principle applies when starting to run. The best gym in the world is absolutely and completely ineffective when you're not there. "You gotta push yourself" and "This is how you get results" is a lie because you won't push yourself and you won...

What the heck? Let me tell you how things have gone the last 3-4 weeks. After my awesome discovery of running and its physical benefits, not to mention the fact that I think I can be good enough at it, the universe has decided to conspire against me. Here's a recap: 3 weeks (monday june 11) ago I injured my feet by being stupid - this entails running in shoes that are too tight and too small. Oh yes, also not running shoes, basketball shoes. I know, I was a freaking moron! Really? Really Brigham? Really? Apparently either of those 3 alone can bust you up. Oh yes, and going barefoot style running also - guilty again. After 3 weeks I am ready to start running again. Feeling great! I did a couple half miles a week apart during my injury, despite the fact that your not supposed to run for a couple of weeks with this kind of injury . However, every time I did it I felt better. So I went for 1 mile. Great! I finished it without stopping. Feet? They feel good. Rest of body? About t...

HOLY COW!! HOLY COW!! I just wanted to see if I could do something I always said I'd never do and couldn't do. However, I think I just found the most effective gym membership. Ok, look, I know it's still nothing to write about - despite the fact I'm doing it anyways - but the truth is that I have made more progress with my physical goals in 2 weeks than I have in 6 months of gym work and diet. Granted, I didn't work out faithfully, but in 6 months I should have seen some progress. It's not like I had been eating whatever I want during lunch break. Truth be told, most times I don't even eat a real lunch. So, again, it's nothing to brag about but I just want you to see the results of 2 short weeks. Heck, I would have been happy to get them in a month and a half. Now, do you think I'm motivated to keep going? Do you think I have found another reason to run? And do you think I am becoming a believer? This is 2 weeks of light work (light work doesn...

I've been running basically every other day, this is my 4th run, and I wanted to make it count. So I set out on an easy route that we usually drive, it's longer than I have done but it's a straight shot. No turns. Getting up there got to be a little hard, I got winded a couple of times and the bottom of my feet were hurting again from the unaccustomed style of running-barefoot, which causes you to slap your feet a little more when you run. However, it keeps you from using your heels as a landing pad for all of your body weight multiplied by the force you're landing with. As I was getting to the half way mark of my run, the sun set and I came to a rather dark section of sidewalk. I felt a car pull next to me. It was a cop! He was scouting me!! Apparently, a man with a Camelbak and barefoot running shoes looks suspicious, which is refreshing since I actually thought I could only look ridiculous. "Yes, Mr. Officer. I did go buy these funky shoes so I could pull...

DISCLAIMER: I do this for all those who have wanted to give running a try but don't know how to feel about it. I hope my experiences will allow you to vicariously live the first and most feared days of training. Ok. So this time was only a little over 1 mile, but the fact that I even went out after the beating I took last time, makes me feel like a new man. Are you wondering what it feels like to not run and then push yourself hard? Let me answer in 2 ways. 1- On a personal level: It feels awesome. Learning or re-learning that you can accomplish anything you put your mind to, is really empowering. It doesn't matter if it's a great distance or not. All that matters is that it's a challenge to you, and that YOU accomplish it. You are only accountable to yourself. In fact, this makes it easier to get out and do it. No one is going to tell you that you didn't do as much as someone else on their first try. However, this is also why it's so dangerous, because n...