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 

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

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!!

This past weekend I competed in the Monument Valley 50 miler.

The best way to describe the experience was “Life in a Day”.  I experienced the whole spectrum of emotions throughout nine hours of sand dunes, mesas, hogans, and even found moments of desert isolation.  I hollered with joy running down Mitchell Mesa, I had my breath taken away by the beauty of the valley in the Arches Loop, and I welcomed the darkness of exhaustion while staggering my way towards Brigham’s Tomb.  It was exhilarating.  It was exactly what I wanted and needed from the race.

Special episode this week as I try to explain to my buddy Brady Manriquez the why, what, and how of my experience.  We talk about the constantly changing mindset throughout the miles, share tips on motivation to endure such a long event, and attempt to explain how my emotional and mental benefits from an ultra completely overshadow the pain and discomfort.

This is just PART ONE of our race report!  In a few days we will release Travis and Brady’s stories which I promise will completely blow your mind.

Enjoy! If you’re enjoying the podcast, help grow the tribe by spreading the word! Subscribe to iTunes, leave us a review, tell a buddy, do all that super fun social media sharing you kids are into these days, etc.

Love you guys! Enjoy the week!

Ridiculously excited this week as we welcome Adam Casey to the podcast!

A month ago in Nederland, Colorado I spent a few hours running with Adam.  We were cruising along, chatting and instantly I knew I wanted him to share his story on the podcast.

Because, quite frankly, Adam’s lived a life.  His journey to where he is now, a computer programming major at University of Colorado, has been unconventional.  He’s been a former Mizzou football player, a U.S. marine, a biologist, a cancer survivor, and, most recently, a sky diving badass.

He also started the nonprofit I Do It For Her which supports under-privledged children in the Saint Louis area and individuals with lofty life goals who believe that “the best weapon in a world deterred by the risk of failure are individuals who are willing to accept the challenge to better themselves through adversity.”

On this episode Adam shares stories from his time attempting BUD/S training ….or to us common folk Navy SEAL training.  Commonly known as the absolute hardest training cycle in the world, Adam paints a picture of day to day life, describes a few of the extreme mental, physical and emotional obstacles a trainee faces, and explains why he NEEDED to attempt it (even while concealing a debilitating illness).

This one gets real and gritty.

Life is all about the journey, the peaks and valleys, and, unfortunately, Adam has been forced into exploring the deepest depths of the valleys.  As an eternal optimist, I can only believe that his new chapter of life is in Colorado to give him the opportunity to start adventuring up some peaks!

Thanks again to Adam for chatting with me and for everyone who listens week in and week out.  Super grateful for you!

Link to Adam’s nonprofit: http://www.idoitforher.com

All of our previous episodes: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464

Adam’s Ted Talk:

BUD/S

This week we are joined once again with Travis Steffen (episode 10) .  Travis is a successful entrepreneur and athlete working in the heart of the insanity that is Silicon Valley.  Through the last ten years he’s created multiple businesses from scratch, played college football, pursued MMA, fought in Thailand, completed triathlons and ultramarathons, climbed mountains, competed in body building competitions and so on and so on.

How was he able to step up and confront all of these challenges?

Travis attributes his success to regimented discipline, daily goal setting, and a focused mindset on success.

On this episode Travis shares his intense morning routine, his affinity with lists, what drives him to set lofty goals, how he visualizes a “life trophy case”, his hilarious experience running his first marathon, and how he plans on finishing his first 50 miler.

We also reopen the “City Slickers 1 v. City Slickers 2” trial….in which I present some very damning evidence.

As are most of my conversations with Travis, this one is all at once enlightening, silly, inspiring, highbrow, lowbrow, and brings a smile to face!

Enjoy!

Check out our previous episode here: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464/like-a-bigfoot-10-travis-steffen

There’s so much I could write about as I attempt to describe Jason Schlarb in a few short paragraphs. He’s a professional runner, Altra sponsored athlete, world traveler, family man, and an all around good dude. He’s ran (and won) an insane amount of trail races all around the world, he’s explored mountains, beaches, jungles, and deserts, and was the first American to finish UTMB in 2014 (the Super Bowl of Ultrarunning), amongst so much more! The dude is legitimately one of the best ultra runners on the planet!

Best of all he’s a Coloradoan who, like most people who live here, loves being outdoors and exploring the wilderness. Running, hiking, climbing, or skiing, he’s a badass mountain athlete through and through.

In this episode we nerded out about Colorado before discussing one of the state’s craziest and most intense races- the Hardrock 100, a race Jason won in 2016 as he finished alongside ultra running superstar Kilian Jornet….you know…the dude who’s trying to set the fastest known time up Everest.

Hardrock is a special race through Jason’s backyard in the San Juan mountains, the area widely known as the most scenic part of Colorado. It’s a race designed by tough people FOR tough people and always breeds the quirkiest, most epic stories of grit, endurance, and badassery that comes with enduring one of the toughest 100 mile races in the world.

I’ve been geeking out over Hardrock every since I first read about it in Born to Run, so I was stoked for the opportunity to chat with someone who not only ran it, but WON the whole freaking thing!

Oh yeah….Jason was also part of a three man team who became the first to traverse the entire course in the WINTER, which you can see in the documentary posted below and also on our Facebook group.

Hope you enjoy the episode half as much as I enjoyed recording it!! If you find some wisdom through the amazingness that is Jason Schlarb, help us out by sharing it with your buddies, checking out our other episodes, or subscribing to our show on iTunes.

Thanks again to Jason! Good luck at Hardrock this summer! I’ll be there cheering you on, in awe of all the crazy hardrockers!!

Skiing the Hardrock:

Jason surfing down..I mean running down Grant Pass:

Jason’s UTMB Race Report:

Imagine walking sunrise to sunset day after day for 2,650 miles through brutal winter weather.  We’re talking summiting gigantic frigid mountains, freezing cold river crossing, waist deep snow, without seeing other hikers for weeks at a time through intense wintry wilderness.

Those are only a few of the obstacles Shawn Forry and his hiking partner Justin Lichter faced while successfully completing the very first WINTER thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail.

Thru-hikes have always fascinated me.  What it must feel like to immerse yourself into the wilderness with nothing but the winding trail for months at a time.  In fact, every time I did a day hike on the Appalachian in Virginia I would unsuccessfully try to get into that headspace.  Beyond the completely awesome story of the winter PCT, I was pumped to chat with Shawn just so I could nerd out on some of the billion of questions I had for an experienced thru-hiker.

On this week’s episode Shawn shares stories from the winter PCT trek, explains how his thru hiking career began and the factors that drive him to continue, how he’s created a mindset that helps push him through seemingly insurmountable adversity, and so much more!

After reading Shawn’s history on his website www.shawnforry.com, I have to honestly believe he is one of the most experienced thru-hikers in the world having trekked over 20,000 miles in various countries over the last 14 years.  The Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest, Continental, El Camino De Santiago, Hayduke, Great Himalaya Trail, are some of the highlights of his extremely impressive resume.

Shawn was a pleasure to talk to and I hope that this inspires you to get outside and immerse yourself in the beauty of a local trail….or do a really long walk….or realize that you have the power within you to achieve a seemingly impossible goal!

Enjoy the convo and we’ll get back at you next week!!

“We don’t lack the science, information, or technology to get healthy.  We lack the art to know how to use those things properly.”

This week’s Like a Bigfoot Podcast is with the author of the upcoming book “The Art of Health Hacking” TJ Anderson.

TJ is an advocate for human optimization through continual learning, testing, and adapting your habits to chase your ideal physical, mental and emotional health.

He’s also just a really positive, life-embracing, loving dude who just oozes positivity and I had a great time chatting with him.

While some health-hacking authors focus on the nitty gritty details, TJ has embraced the idea the of differentiation- teaching a diverse group of people how to teach themselves to optimize healthy habits in a way that works for their own individual backgrounds, needs, and bodies.

What has worked for him may or may not work for you….so his book acts as an overall blueprint of HOW to pursue YOUR experience by choosing to focus on behavior change and strategies you can use on your journey to better health.  He shares strategies to help you explore new routines and guidelines how to turn the ones that create positive changes into lifelong habits.

Once again, the book is “The Art of Health Hacking” and right now TJ is looking to crowdsource the publication at www.publishizer.com.

You can purchase the book and support TJ by helping him find a publisher by visiting https://publishizer.com/the-art-of-health-hacking/.

For more updates from TJ visit his website http://www.thisistj.com

To check out all the other great episodes of the Like a Bigfoot Podcast head over to https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464 or subscribe on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/like-a-bigfoot/id1160773293?mt=2

Thanks for TJ for podcasting with me this week and thanks for you for listening! You guys rock!

Since we last spoke to Brady Manriquez (episode 1), he has lost 15 more pounds, overcame set-backs in the form of an emergency surgery, began pumping iron, and discovered the great form of exploration known as trail running.  All this in preparation for his very first race- a 14.5 miler in the absolute breath-taking Monument Valley smack dab in the middle of the Arizona/Utah desert.

In this episode we break down Brady’s pre-race plan along with my own (I’m running the 50 mile Monument Valley ultra the same day), wax poetically about everything we know about Monument Valley, discuss ways to really make the most out of a big destination race, the origin of the name “Like a Bigfoot”, and so much more!

While you are listening to Brady’s story, realize that a year ago he hadn’t even dreamt of running one mile, not to mention running 14.5, let alone running 14.5 in a desert trail half marathon!  His story is proof that you can accomplish whatever it is you want as long as you are consistently taking sustainable steps towards your goal.

Although he’s lost 75 pounds, his biggest benefit has been regaining strength, athleticism, and confidence.

The dude is a status quo crusher by every definition of the term!  Some would have continued down the path of “same old, same old”, but Brady decided to set off on his own path and rediscover the control he has over his own health and therefore his own life.  Thinking about that inspires me every SINGLE day.  He represents the epitome of the “Like a Bigfoot” mindset.

CONSISTENT HARD WORK + TIME = SUCCESS.

Enjoy this week’s episode!

If you missed Brady’s first appearance on the show (and the first episode of this podcast), look for it here:  https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464/like-a-bigfoot-1-brady-manriquez

You can find all of our episodes by clicking this little link: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464

Get after it this week!