Like a Bigfoot

Motivation, Mindset, Positivity, Endurance, Adventure, Perseverance, and Possibility

Month: April 2017

Like a Bigfoot Podcast #36: Eric Schranz — Host Of The Ultrarunner Podcast

This week I was fortunate enough to chat with Eric Schranz, the host of the absolutely wonderful Ultrarunner Podcast!

Years ago I binged a bunch of his episodes and then decided to sign up for my first 50k.  So yeah…it’s his fault that I’m an ultrarunner!

In fact, if you are curious about looking into the sport of ultrarunning, I would highly suggest that you check out the URP as it is a great resource to learn all about this crazy sport.  Each week, Eric shares a wide variety of stories from the world of ultrarunning.  From elite athletes to regular every day folks to simply some insane people running some insane events!

He also highlights the diverse nature of the sport; everything from 100 mile point to point mountain runs to self supported stage races to events where participants literally run for days around high school tracks.  All the while learning tips of the trade, hearing wild adventure stories from his guests, and nerding out over some of the biggest events in the sport.  Seriously, one of the best sports podcasts out there!

I was excited to geek out with Eric about podcasting and the sport of ultrarunning while hearing more about his own running career.

In this episode he tells us the best event to start with for all the people pursuing their first ultrarunning event, explains the joys of alpine horning (is that the correct verbiage?), enlightens us on the benefits of running circles around the a city park for 24 straight hours, and why ultrarunners need to be adaptable.

We had a great chat and I fully believe that the content on Ultrarunner Podcast is at an all time high in the over the last few episodes (Barkley Marathon, TransAmericana, etc) so please check it out! www.ultrarunnerpodcast.com

Eric also shares the “URP Daily News” which is a daily update on all things trail running, outdoor sports, running wisdom, and beer.  http://ultrarunnerpodcast.com/category/daily-news/

If you enjoyed this episode, please check out the rest of the Like a Bigfoot episodes.  Not all the stories are ultrarunning related, but I promise that you will find motivation, achievement strategies, stories of adventure, wilderness and plenty of tales with blisters and suffering!

You can find them on Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464

Or subscribe to the iTunes feed for a new episode every single week https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/like-a-bigfoot/id1160773293?mt=2

Next week we are sharing stories of insane endurance events from race director Candice Burt (Tahoe 200, Bigfoot 200, and much more).  See you then!!!

Keep Bigfootin’!

Like a Bigfoot Podcast #35: James Campbell — Author of “Braving It: A Father, A Daughter, An Unforgettable Adventure in the Alaskan Wild”

“I want an indelible bond with my daughter. I want her to remember this trip for the rest of her life. I want her to remember me after I am gone. I want Awe. I want to feel alive. I want Aidan to be filled with life and wonder.”

– James Campbell, Braving It

Very excited to bring you this week’s episode with author, adventurer, and family man James Campbell.

Author of “The Color of War”, “The Ghost Mountain Boys”, and “The Final Frontiersman”, I reached out to James specifically to hear about his latest book”Braving It” which tells the story of bringing his 16 year old daughter Aidan on three separate trips to the far north wilderness of Alaska.

As a parent, and specifically a father of daughters, the book really connected with me.  The end goal is to raise self-reliant, confident human beings, but reaching the moment where your child is becoming more independent and is preparing to “leave the nest” has to be an extremely tough time.  I feel like a wilderness experience like James gave his daughter is of utter importance in both parent and child understanding the evolution of the relationship.  Plus, how many teenagers get a chance to spend months in the peaceful quietness of nature….all while gaining a respect for hard work and learning how strong they actually are.

Oh yeah…and there were Polar Bears.

In this episode James shares the stories from the Alaskan tundra including canoeing rapids up the Hulahula River to the Arctic ocean, how they dealt with hiking and camping in bear country, why an adventure was something both him and his daughter wanted to share, and the time they had to face down a polar bear.

Thanks so much to James for chatting with me! Within ten seconds of talking with him I knew it was going to be a great conversation!  Definitely recommend checking out “Braving It”.  I have read it twice now and it really is a phenomenal read.  Now I’m starting  “The Final Frontiersman” and will probably add it to the book recommendations in the future.

Thank you for tuning in this week and for checking out all the rest of our episodes at https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464

Help support this podcast by leaving us a review on iTunes and sharing it on whatever your social media platform of choice is!

Go out and have an adventure this week!

Like a Bigfoot Podcast #34: Jake Reed — Sports Science, Strength & Conditioning, and the Power of Beards

I’m stoked to share this week’s episode!  An academic, a scholar, a….a…..a super smart dude.  Professor Jake Reed!!

Jake is one of my oldest friends and has recently become a Professor of Strength & Conditioning and Physiology of Exercise at the University of Northern Iowa.  He’s also a Sports Scientist working with the U.S.A. Women’s Rugby team and a sport performance consultant for Renaissance Periodization.  Previously, he worked as a sports scientist for the Texas A & M Football team and pulled double duty at Eastern Tennessee State as their head rugby coach and strength coach for the university’s volleyball team.

He also hikes, goes fishing, strength trains, brews beer, and grows one fantastically manly beard.

Jake is a fascinating person and is hands down the hardest worker I have ever met . He sets big time goals and pursues them with intention, intelligence, and unrelenting energy.

I’ve been so inspired by his journey to get his PhD and am enthralled by all the areas of sports he has dipped his toes in.

In this episode we chat about lessons he’s learned as a strength and conditioning coach, his triathlon training plans, basic beliefs about strength training, how he analyzes sports science data and how to develop the best athletes possible….oh yeah and his amazing, big-enough-to-be-a-bird-house BEARD!!

Enjoy!

(P.S.- Jake had no current pictures of said beard but I saw it over Skype and I gotta say…it’s real and it’s spectacular!)

Also check out Renaissance Periodization here: https://renaissanceperiodization.com

Find the rest of our episodes on Soundcloud here: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464

And subscribe to the Like a Bigfoot podcast on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/like-a-bigfoot/id1160773293?mt=2 

 

Like a Bigfoot Podcast #33: Will Seeber — 14erQuest, 51 Winter Summits and over 250,000 Ft of Elevation Gain

https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464/33-will-seeber

This week the Like a Bigfoot Podcast proudly brings you Will Seeber’s story of his 14ersQuest- where he attempted to summit as many of the Colorado 14ers as possible in brutal winter conditions.

As a self confessed 14ers nerd, I followed Will’s story this winter and am beyond stoked to have been able to chat with him about the experience.  There’s just something about climbing mountains that is magical and I can only imagine the peace you find and challenges you face while soloing one of these bad boys in the tranquility of winter.

Seriously, try to imagine climbing in negative temperatures and savage winds, you are miles from the nearest sign of civilization, you seen the morning post-holing through knee deep snow, and now you have to climb up and down exposed cliffs.

And then you have to wake up and do it all over again the next day….  The experience sounded INTENSE to say the least.

In this episode Will shares how to persevere through the savage weather, the importance of warmth, why you must set ridiculous goals, the best mindset to persist through such a long quest, how to control your emotions when faced with slick rocks and exposed cliffs, and so much more.

By the end he completed 51 summits in 90 days, hiking over 640 miles and gaining 250,000 feet of elevation.  Two hundred and fifty THOUSAND feet of elevation!!!

Thanks again to Will for sharing his story and best of luck for whatever he decides to pursue in the future!

For the rest of our episodes check out: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464

Subscribe to iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/like-a-bigfoot/id1160773293?mt=2

If you are a 14ers geek like me, we have recorded a few episodes about 14ers, climbing and mountaineering.  Pair them up…..like yummy peanut butter and jelly.

Calvin Johannsen’s 14ers Project 1: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464/like-a-bigfoot-episode-2-calvin-johannsen-9516-1023-am

Calvin Johannsen’s 14ers Project 2: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464/like-a-bigfoot-calvin-18-johannsen-2

Joel Bown’s “Endless Winter” Mountaineering Trip: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464/16-joel-bown-1971-endless

 

Like a Bigfoot Podcast #32: Monument Valley Ultras Race Review 2 — Brady Manriquez and Travis Steffen

This week Brady Manriquez and Travis Steffen are back on the show to discuss their experiences in the Monument Valley Ultras.

Brady finished off his very first half marathon, 13.1 beautiful miles running through the desert.  A culmination of a year long discovery of running.  He recaps his strategy to deal with the pre-race jitters, how he handled running in the sand, and the importance of embracing happiness and rolling with the punches.  The race ended with a bunch of letters from friends and family and a finish with a great time!

Travis’s story is probably one of the most unique race reports of ALL TIME!  The dude terminatored his way through a 50 mile race on pretty much ZERO training because he wanted to experience pain and misery in an attempt to see how much he can withstand physically, mentally and emotionally.  The last few hours, he dug deep as he trekked through rain, wind, and darkness in only a soaking wet t-shirt and some running shorts.

We dig deep into Travis’s mindset during the race.  How can we grow by purposely seeking out hardships?  What do you learn about yourself when you are stripped of all common comforts and put through the ringer?  Why do we crave pushing the limits?  Whereas a lot of trail runners treat the experience as a social one, Travis really craved an individual quest, observing his inner emotional struggles while the miles went by.

It’s a crazy story!

Also…..before recording this episode I would have been 100% sure that no one in history had used a mantra that is also a title of a Nic Cage film to finish an endurance event….

Congrats to both these guys! Glad I got to experience an amazing event with my family and two of my favorite people in the world!

If you want to have an awesome adventure in the beautiful southwest, I highly suggest checking out the race series put on by Ultra Adventures.  Zion, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and a bunch more.  I will for sure be participating in more in the future.

If you missed part one, you can find it here:  https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464/31-monument-valley-ultramarathon-race-report-part-1-chriss-journey

Be sure to subscribe for new podcasts every single week:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/like-a-bigfoot/id1160773293?mt=2

Enjoy!!

 

© 2024 Like a Bigfoot

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑