Skip to main content

Runner bio

Greg at Natural Strides asked members of the racing team to send in a bio.  Here is mine:

I ran some in high school for basketball but it was mostly sprints. Running was punishment. It never occurred to me to run cross-country or do any distance running at all A mile seemed like a long run. I became really overweight in my 20s and was smoking cigarettes. However, when I was around 28 I had the urge to run, so I did. It wasn't far but it seemed like something I should be doing as a way out of an unhealthy, unhappy life. I only ran a few times then forgot about exercise for several more years.

In 2008 I began bicycling and my whole life changed. I began to lose weight and feel better. I was finally becoming the person that I always wanted to be. My wife Renee mentioned trail running to me. It was one of those ideas that sounded so outrageous yet intriguing. Trails are meant for hiking not running! Soon after I went to Pine Mountain in Cartersville, Ga. and gave it a shot. That was a rough introduction to trail running, but it sparked a flame. I loved being out in nature and just hearing my breath. I loved the pureness and simplicity.

In 2011, I entered my first trail race. It was great but I was astonished at how fast and fearless the top runners were. They made it look so effortless. Around the same time, I met Greg at Natural Strides and he helped me transition in to my first natural running shoes, Inov8 RocLites (which I still own). I had also discovered a wonderful shoe called Stems, which is like a hug for your feet and I still wear. I had walked into the store in a huge pair of Asics, which in hindsight, resembled battleships. Greg also provided gait analysis and gave me all manner of helpful tips and knowledge on running.

Today, I am in a pair of Vivobarefoot TrailFreaks for trails and Altra 3-sums for road. I aspire to reach the podium on most of my races and am active in duathlons and triathlons and anything else that sparks my curiosity. My next big race looks to be a trail 50k, courtesy of Renee's prodding.

Follow my journey at : bornonthetraintracks.blogspot.com

+Altra Running , +VIVOBAREFOOT , 






Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Weird week for fitness

I am doing the zero to 1 mile swimming program.  http://ruthkazez.com/ZeroTo1mile.html I am currently in week 5 which has me swimming about 0.6 miles nonstop. Yesterday went to Lake Allatoona for some open water swimming practice. I felt strong through the 1000 yards, which took 20 minutes. Sighting needs work. Finished up with 4 x 100s although it was hard to judge distance so I just swam for 3 minute intervals. Ran in to some chop right at the finish. Solid effort but I think I need to rest my right

Simple pleasures

In the chaos and clutter of our lives, sometimes we forget what makes us happy. Simple pleasure # 1 - The smell of coffee brewing in the morning and the taste of the first few sips.

Thundering Silence: Backpacking on the Appalachian Trail

Ventured out on my first backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail, or AT as its known in the hiking community.  I hadn't been backpacking since I was in the Scouts, when we did a 10-miler at Kennesaw Mountain. My wife Renee had never been backpacking although we had both been primitive car-camping before and we each share a love of the outdoors.  This trip had been in the making for a few years with us sharing a "Wouldn't that be awesome," conversation or two.  I also recall my dad saying how neat it would be to hike the entire AT when I was a kid, a lofty goal to be sure. Renee and I are both in pretty good shape from running and bicycling so we figured that a 2-night trip on the AT would be feasible.  We were right...mostly. We purchased our backpacking and camping gear the week before and took a practice hike at a local trail. We did a trial run at Sutallee Trace in Canton to test the waters and get the packs dialed in.  I felt some new muscles being wor...