Category: Race

A Skate Trek Microadventure with Lauren Rains
Lauren Rains is the editor at large of Outdoor Minded Mag, one of Nerve Rush’s favorite websites. Lauren is struck by wanderlust and spends most waking hours of her life either 1) exploring the outdoors around the globe or 2) working on various passion projects, be it film, to microadventures, to cooking chili. You can read about her adventures in life, business and travel on her blog, The Mad to Live. You can also catch up with her on Twitter at @LaurRAINS.

Lauren took the time to chat with Nerve Rush about a recent microadventure that she completed. Lauren, take it away!

1. What is a microadventure? What is microadventuring?

A microadventure is basically a 12-48 hour (sometimes more) mini-expedition done through human-powered transportation (walk, bike, paddle, run, etc) that challenges you both mentally and physically, can be done in your own local backyard, and is one hell of a good time.

You see, I’m a traveler at heart. Wanderlust bit me in the butt when I was an awkward teenage girl, and while I’ve replaced awkwardness with sexiness ;-), the travel bug is still with me and going strong. I’ve lived all over from China to Argentina to France, so when I’m in the US, microadventuring is my way of traveling when I’m not technically traveling. It combines my love for travel and exploring, with my love for outdoor adventure and challenge.

While I typically look at microadventures as backyard adventure challenges to satisfy my wanderlust while I’m not traveling, this coming fall I will be embarking on my next world travel excursion and beginning my international microadventure series. After completing the Camino de Santiago (a 2 month walking pilgrimage across Spain) in August and September, I’ll be traveling to complete microadventurse around the world, including walking across Ireland by foot, kayaking the isles of Scotland, and then heading over to South East Asia to do things like SUP the western coastline of Thailand.

2. Deconstructing your most recent skating microadventure, tell us more about:

a) Logistics

The plan was to start at sunrise and get there before nightfall. It would be an entirely self-supported trip, and upon reaching my final destination in downtown Denver, I’d hop on the bus and head straight back to my apartment in Boulder where I’d pass out immediately.

Everything went according to plan except that by the time night fell, I still had 5 miles to go, and I forgot to bring a headlamp with me, making skating through the pot-holed filled streets of Denver quite an interesting challenge.

Below you’ll see a map of the route I took, which I found through a bike forum online where people were discussing the best way to bike from Boulder to Denver.

b) Clothing

While I love wearing top technology clothing, I decided to wear my “everyday” clothes on this trek:

Jeans, a loose tank top, an open button-down plaid shirt for the warmer part of the day, and my Patagonia goose down jacket I can’t live without for the morning and evening.

One of the great aspects of micro-adventuring is you don’t necessarily need all of the best, most expensive gear out there. I will say, however if I had chosen to do this over the summer, I would have sported a wicking base layer as wearing cotton will just slow you down and get heavy once you begin to sweat.

c) Gear

BOARD: I used a longboard from OZ Boards for this trek as my sponsor. I chose to seek out OZ as a sponsor because:
1. They are a Colorado-based company, and being that this is where I now reside, I felt proud to be supporting a local business doing great things in my own backyard.
2. They handcraft their boards with sustainable woods and use processes to make them – no bulk decks coming from China – this was made with 2 hands by a longboarder who loves what they do.
3. They’re a small business run by entrepreneurs with passion. I fit right into this category with my own endeavors and love supporting those who are on a similar mission.
BOARD COMPONENTS:

Wheels – Abec 11 Flashback wheels | Bearings – ABEC 7 | Board Length – 40” | trucks – Randall R-11 180mm

BACKPACK: I take my Kelty daypack with me wherever i go. It’s been with me on all my microadventures from the “50-Mile Walk Along the Atlantic” to “2 Days of Trekking the Himalayas.”

ACCESSORIES: I rocked a Solepack, which is a backpack accessory, that clips around either side of the bag and holds another pair of shoes. While this is perfect if you’re hiking to a rock climbing destination and need both pairs of shoes, I used this to hold some flip flops I could rock after reaching my destination 12 hours later, knowing my feet would be a bit tired of my shoes.

WATER: The Camel Pak is likely the greatest thing since sliced bread. When the sun is beating down and you don’t have the time or energy to stop and go, stop and go just to take a swig from your water bottle, the Camel Pak solves all of those problems.

d) Food & Energy

Water and Cliff Bars (white chocolate macadamia nut to be exact) throughout the day. I took a break around 3PM just outside of Denver to snack on an Italian sub. Upon reaching Denver, I went and got myself a hot chocolate and took it all in.

e) Physical Training

The most important part of training for this trip is to learn how to push with both feet. This is absolutely essential. Could you imagine skateboarding for 12 hours straight pushing on the same leg over and over and over again? Your leg would fall off after first turning to jelly.

Other than that, just be in decent shape. I rock climb a few days a week after work, so I’m constantly keeping my body in check. As long as you aren’t a couch potato, it doesn’t take a lot of training to be able to accomplish t his type of trek.

3. You told me you had a mentor. Tell us about him/her.

When it comes to adventuring, the mentor I who has inspired me the most is Alastair Humphreys. He’s the one who turned me onto the idea of microadventures, being that he was nominated as a 2012 Adventurer of the Year by National Geographic for a project he did called “A Year of Microadventures”. My goal is to become the twenty-something, American female version of him – same amount of badass, just I don’t have a beard to freeze to grow icicles on!

Al Humphreys is a jack-of-all-trades adventurer: telling his stories with beautiful writing and videos with amazing cinamaphotography and photography. He speaks about his experiences to live audiences, self publishes books, has a popular blog – I admire his success, his commitment, and his dedication to quality on all fronts.

4.) One of your upcoming spring microadventures is TAHOE CROSSING: A SUP Across Lake Tahoe at its Widest Point of 22 Miles. Tell us a bit about this.

This idea was inspired by another one of my mentors, Jenny Kalmbach, a professional SUP who is not just an amazing athlete, but an amazing woman. She’s been nominated and has won the Female Paddlers of the year in the SUP awards, and once did a SUP journey called Destination: 3 Degrees in which she and fellow pro SUP Morgan Hoesterey, crossed the channels in Hawaii to bring awareness to plastic contamination in the ocean. In fact, she did a piece on the online magazine I run, Outdoor Minded Mag, for our Outdoor Hours series about the part of the trip they paddled over 80 miles through the night to cross one of the channels.

The Logistics: I’ll be SUPing across Lake Tahoe in an expected 12 hours. This trip will be supported in that I’ll have a kayak with me there to film and photograph the adventure, as well as to help me navigate the boats as well as keep a cooler full of a few cold brews and a burrito.

I look forward to seeing if this will kick my ass more than skateboarding 30 miles in 12 hours from Boulder to Denver!

Where did you go on that first trek?

I titled the first trek “From Sea to Marsh”. I started at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, and didn’t stop until I hit the Saint John’s River 30 miles due west from the coastline. It was an extremely tough skate trek being that Florida is the flattest state in the US. There were no hills to glide down – it was one push after the next – through the morning, afternoon, and night. It kicked my ass, and I loved every moment of that day!

How big a challenge was it?

A big one!!! It was actually more of a mental challenge than a physical one. Sure, my legs felt like jelly by the end of it, but what was tough was going 12 hours on a solo mission skate trek. I remember at around 3 PM the sun was beating down, I was tired, I was hungry, and I knew I still had 15 miles to go. I wanted to turn back, and the only one there to tell me to keep going was myself.

I think moments like those are very important though – when you face a challenge and you and you alone must get yourself through it. It builds our life muscle.

What impact has skating had on your life muscle?

Skating has taught me how to enjoy the process of getting from A to B. And I don’t just mean this in terms of 2 cities, but in terms of going after the things that I want most in my life. Sometimes, we get so focused on our final destination and outcome, that we forget to enjoy the ride, and to focus on the steps we need to take to get there.

For the Boulder to Denver skate trek, I was so focused on getting to Denver before the sun set. Around 5 PM, the sun was fading and I still had a ways to go – and so I realized at that moment to stop rushing, to take it in, to let this be MY day, and to enjoy the process.

What do you do when you’re not skating?

I work a lot, but I love my work! I run Outdoor Minded Mag, which is an online digital magazine for world travelers that love outdoor adventures. I also run my own web design / media consulting company called Wild World Creative that caters to the travel industry. And when I’m not working, I like to just have a cold beer with friends. And when I’m not in the US doing that, then I’m traveling around the world and exploring. I also love rock climbing.
8 January, 2013
Norseman Xtreme Triathlon [Race Profile]

This race profile comes from Mark Vermeersch, a triathlete for Team Timex and independent consultant who traveled to Norway to race the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon, deemed the hardest Ironman-distance triathlon in the world.

In the fall of 2011, I watched the Norseman video for the second time, having heard about the race through the triathlon grapevine. The Norseman video drove me to sign up for the Norseman Triathlon in 2012, which also happened to be the race’s 10th anniversary. For those unfamiliar, Norseman is billed as the world’s hardest Ironman-distance triathlon, containing thousands of feet of vertical climb, not to mention the jump off the ferry into freezing water (at race start) and weather conditions that change quickly (and are often quite cold).

Though this sounds miserable at first glance, the scenery is beyond gorgeous. The Norwegian people are extremely supportive and the enthusiasm of the race organizers and participants is contagious.

It is a unique race experience, but not for the faint of heart. Going into the race, my training had been sporadic, which, in retrospect, was suboptimal (to say the least!) given the challenge presented by Norseman.

On race morning, I rolled out of bed at 1:15am for the 3:00am check-in. Per usual, I was quickly awake, myself, and for once, nervous for the race. Once 3:45 rolled around, it was time to hop on the ferry.

[youtube id=”vLKTxesPAHM” width=”600″ height=”350″]

For a point of reference, I’m the bald guy who looks like he wants to cry at 0:59! Though I was quite nervous on the ferry, once I plummeted into the cold waters 2.4 miles from Eidfjord, I realized it was just another race (a statement I made to my brother Matt in the first transition) and that I should focus on enjoying it (especially given that my training had been sub-par; my goal was just to get a black t-shirt, awarded to the top 160 finishers at the summit of Gaustatoppen mountain). Swimming went off without a hitch, as I put minimal effort in to conserve as much energy as possible for the bike and run portions. With a time in the high-58s, I was one of the first competitors to hit shore.

Exiting T1, the (roughly) 4,000 foot climb was quite enjoyable, as I passed about the same number of people who had passed me, again, focusing on conserving energy. The scenery was ridiculous, as we basically traveled along a river that had carved out a beautiful valley. Near the top of the climb, my support crew caught me for the first time.

Shortly thereafter, I threw on a coat, as the temperature had dropped from about 60 in Eidfjord to about 45. Let me tell you, descending a couple thousand feet in 45-degree weather is less-than-stellar. It was on the descent that the wheels fell off (figuratively). Looking at my watch, I was “only” 3:45 into racing with a 12-hour “ish” expected finishing time. It was after a 10-minute stop with my support crew on the road where I decided to mail it in; I didn’t have 8 more hours of racing left in the tank. Ultimately, a huge disappointment, especially given the time I had put into training and the trip.

Watching the Norseman video again today left me close to tears, as I want to finish Norseman SO BADLY. One thing is for sure, I WILL return in pursuit of the elusive black t-shirt.

Target date: 2014. Keep your eyes peeled for an update—and a picture of me in a black t-shirt.

1 January, 2013
Chase Norton’s 228-Mile Solo Trek Across Death Valley

It’s ironic that, as a child, Chase Norton used to spend more time indoors, tinkering with his computer, than outside. These days, he prepares for adventures like a 228-mile solo trek across Death Valley.

Born in Georgia, Norton moved to Honolulu to study at the University of Hawaii. It was the Napali Coast that changed him. At one point during his studies, Norton was out drinking with friends. Empowered from a recent hike, he naively boasted that one day he would hike the entire Ko’olau Mountain Range on Oahu.

Unknown to Norton at the time — the spine of the Ko’olau had never even been attempted.

On his first trip into the Ko’olau, Norton shouldered a sixty pound pack. Over time, as he gained experience in the mountains, learning to navigate the trails of volcanic terrain, Norton reduced his pack down to twenty pounds.

It only took him two tries – in March of 2012 Norton hiked the entire Ko’olau Mountain Range via the KST, or Ko’olau Summit Trail. His life as an endurance athlete was only beginning.

via Olivier Renck

Death Valley: Chase’s Way

On February 14th, Chase Norton seeks to hike the entirety of Death Valley National Park, a north-to-south path over 228 miles long. He will attempt the expedition solo, fully self-contained. He will cross canyons, dunes, summit ridges and valley floors.

Norton has teamed up with Olivier Renck, adventure photographer and videographer, to create a short film, Death Valley: Chase’s Way, that highlights the experience.

I asked Chase to write up some notes regarding his upcoming journey. Read below for his thoughts.

Solo: One Man’s Will to Adventure, Inspire, and Endure

The Mountains Are Calling: After five years spending every spare moment exploring Oahu’s terrain, untold hours pouring over topographic maps, and one failed bloody attempt, I became the first person to successfully complete an eight day trek along the entire summit of the Ko’olau Mountain range. I planned it solo and entirely self sufficient as to try and reduce any failures but of my own. Over time, these requirements would force a deep understanding and knowledge of my gear, the land, weather and my mind/body or else force me to become another statistic being airlifted out. As I prepare to leave Hawaii this month, I take with me the many lessons learned and am able to put them towards future adventures worldwide. The next challenge is possibly the antithesis to Hawaii’s mountains (a reason I love it) but stays true to me, a full 228-mile solo traverse of Death Valley National Park through its canyons, sand dunes, snow capped peaks and salt flats all while being captured in a short film, Death Valley: Chase’s Way.

Trekking: To feel at home. I enjoy the struggle and focus that I feel alone in the wilderness. To stand tall in the face of a challenge is not bred into us but learned through experiences of misery and hardship. I do not laugh while the darkness closes in nor rejoice at the calluses formed from my machete. Determination:grit:survive until the clouds part and I crawl out of my cave able to reflect:learn:grow. Mountains continue to teach me how to be a better man allowing me an attempt at being a true contribution to humankind. Personal growth does not come without injury and fear but I find they are unique lessons rarely taught and worth learning. This is why I trek: to make a better me.

Freedom: The Death Valley project is truly one of a kind, being a fully self-contained and solo backpacking trek from north to south across the largest park in the continental U.S. Many of the days are marathon plus mileage with the last day totaling nearly 50 miles. I will leave the roads behind and instead opt to run across sand dunes, canyons, ghost towns, summit ridges and valley floors. Beauty alongside misery while one discovers their limits and then breaks through them. This trek embodies an idea I love: To put everything you need to survive in a pack and just run for days and weeks alone.

A Message Within the Artwork: The journey is encapsulated within a short film we are going to create, Death Valley: Chase’s Way, which will be used as a message of inspiration in talks to schools and businesses through my recently founded business, Chase LIFE. I wish to inspire others to live more active adventurous lives while pursuing their passions. So many of us go through the motion of life, but are not really alive with drive and aware of our absolute potential. I hope to ignite this spark inside everyone to remind people to live life to the fullest and without limits. For the filming, I have teamed up with an experienced and National Geographic published photographer/videographer, Olivier Renck. I believe that Death Valley captured through Renck’s lens will embody not only the awe inspiring journey, but the incredible place itself. Nature has been the subject of novels, poems and films because of its ability to inspire. It is my hope that this film will be thought of as a work of art, capturing man alone enduring within the vastness of a beautiful landscape.

Join Me: We are seeking support in order to make the Death Valley project a reality. Kickstarter has allowed us to share this project with the masses and through a multitude of pledges/rewards that we created you can get involved and follow my journey through the desert. Be there with me through the adventure on whatever level interests you; emails from on the trail, a bound book of my trail notes, images of Death Valley by Olivier, or by receiving a copy of the short film.

Please visit the project to learn more about it and how you can get involved: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chaseway/death-valley-chases-way

You can reach Chase Norton on the web at thechasenorton.com

25 December, 2012
Rugged Maniac [Race Profile]
Deemed one of America’s best obstacle races, the Rugged Maniac is as straightforward and genuine as they come.

A 5K run with 25 obstacles, live music and bountiful stock of booze. Is there a better way to spend a weekend morning or afternoon? I think not.

After the race — or if you’re simply not racing and want to enjoy a good party — hang out at a designated festival area with activities like mechanical bull-riding, tug-o-war and, YES, an adult-size bounce house. Huzzah! Rock out to live music and snag a free craft beer while wearing your race t-shirt. That’s the way to do it.

While some compete for a timed finish, most come out to enjoy the 25 obstacles laid out over hilly terrains like forests, fields, ski slopes and motocross tracks., which will test your mettle in more ways than one. Some of them include:
- Climbing 20-f0ot walls
- Jumping over fire
- Navigating mud tunnels
Race heats are limited to 250 participants to avoid long lines.

2013 Rugged Maniac Obstacle Race Schedule

See below dates for the 2013 Rugged Maniac locations. For prices and more information, you can visit ruggedmaniac.com.
5 December, 2012
EXCLUSIVE: David Goggins 24-Hour Pull Up World Record: Take #2

This is a Nerve Rush exclusive article on one of our favorite athletes on the planet, David Goggins.

Update 9/28: A wrist injury prevented David from hitting his goal this time around. Congratulations to him and his girlfriend for raising awareness for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. You can read more about their joint world record attempt here.

“I haven’t slept well in 2 months.”

That’s what David Goggins says after September’s very public failure on The Today Show. After going on national television to break the world record of 4,020 pull ups in 24 hours, David had to stop – 2,588 pullups in – due to a partial tear in his forearm.

I would have never gone national television if I didn’t think I could have actually done it.

The culprit, a portable pull up bar that David brought into The Today Show studio. While it was portable, that also meant it wasn’t bolted down – which meant the bar would be physically swinging throughout the attempt. This caused David to have to compensate by using muscles not typically used on his training reps and eventually led to his forearm tear.

“I’m not one to make excuses. It was my bad. It was my call. It’s all on me.”

That said, he wasn’t satisfied with just trying, he needed to “clean up the mess.”

This is about redemption

David Goggins Pullup World Record Details

November 25th, 2012

Crossfit Brentwood Hills – Nashville, Tennessee

David Goggins is going to be re-attempting to break the world record in less than a week. While most people are gearing up for turkey and stuffing, David’s got one thing on his mind: breaking the record. Finding redemption.

After finding out about this new attempt via Crossfit Brentwood Hills, we got in touch with David via phone and got to personally interview David – one of our favorite athletes around here.

Right in line with the redemption theme, Goggins’ second attempt will be decidedly more low-key than the first nationally televised one. Hosted by Crossfit Brentwood Hills in Nashville, Tennessee, Goggins will again attempt to break the 4,020 pull up mark in 24 hours. His girlfriend Dawn Griner will be attempting the record for females by attempting to do 2,500+ pull ups in the same time frame.

We’re doing sorta the “low-budget Guinness record.” Goggins said. The cost to have a Guinness certified verification come out in person is close to $7,000, “so we’ll film the whole thing and submit the documentation for it on our own.”

On David’s last attempt, he finished over 2.000 pull ups in just six hours into the event. The current record stands after Stephen Hyland stopped 7:50 hours into the event and left the remainder of the 24 hours unused.

Driven By Failure

Despite failing publicly in front of “millions and millions” of people, David isn’t deterred.

A lot of people will give up after they tried and say ‘oh well, I tried.’ NO. Get back up and keep trying!

Because despite what most people would think, failure doesn’t stop him. Failure drives him

Failure is a powerful thing for your brain. I fail a lot. I’ve never done anything in my life the first time. I’m the king of failure.

He related that the second time he approaches things, he’s better focused, has a plan of attack, is dialed in, and (as he says), “I’m angry.”

“I would have never put myself on national television if I didn’t think I could do it, but I had to go on the next day and humbly say what I said. But I haven’t slept well in 2 months.”

This is more than just a record to David. He needs to see what he is made of.

Nothing Special

Despite evidence to the contrary, Goggins insists that he is nothing special.

“I am not superhuman. I am not a freak.” He insists that he is just working it out between him and God, so that “when I die, I can know when I’m lying in my casket that I every ounce of will I had, I used.”

While we’d love to still imagine that he is superhuman, David points out his girlfriend Dawn as a prime example of his point.

“I want to talk about my girlfriend Dawn. She is 39 years old. She never did sports. Never did running. Nothing. 6-7 months ago, she could do maybe 7 pull ups. Now she is doing workouts of 700 pull ups in 3 hours…anybody from any side of the street can do it.“

As the interview wound down, I had to ask David one last question.

“David, if you hit 4,021 (the record) before the 24-hour mark, are you going to stop there or are you going to keep going for the full 24 hours just to see what you’ve got inside?”

“I’ll let you answer that question”, he responded.

That’s what we thought.

______

Best of luck to David & Dawn on their joint attempt this upcoming Sunday in Nashville! Get after it.

David Goggins’ World Record Attempt Official Press Release

Pull Up World Record Event Information

November 25th, 2012

Crossfit Brentwood Hills, Nashville Tennesse

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20 November, 2012
8 Leadership Skills I Applied to Finishing My First Ironman
This is a guest post from Jarie Bolander, an engineer by training, entrepreneur by nature and leader by endurance. Jarie combines leadership and endurance athletics over on his blog, Leading from Within. You can also find Jarie on Twitter via @EnduranceLeader.

On July 28th, 2012, I achieved one of my life goals. I finish an Ironman distance triathlon. It ended up taking me 13:53:21 to complete the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run. Getting through the race took a tremendous amount of dedication, mental fortitude, support from family and friends and lots and lots of training.

My successful completion of an Ironman only occurred because I chose to stay positive and lead myself to victory by tapping into the following leadership skills:

1. Setting A Goal

All organizations and individuals need goals. Without goals, we are adrift on the sea of life.

Goals need to be specific and achievable for us and not what society might thrust upon us.

My Ironman goal was to finish. I had some rough time goals in mind for each leg but my real goal was to finish before the cut-off time of 16 hours. My specific goals for each leg were:
- Swim: Goal: 1 hr. (Actual time 1:10 hrs)
- Bike: Goal: 7 hrs. (Actual time: 7:06 hrs)
- Run: Goal: 5 hrs. (Actual time: 5:19 hrs)
- Overall: Goal: 13 hrs. (Actual time: 13:53:21)
You’ll notice that the actual times don’t add up to 13:53:21. That’s because there are two transitions (Swim to Bike and Bike to Run) that are timed separately. You’ll also notice that the time in the picture is different. My wave started 6 minutes later than the official race time.

Even though I did not hit my overall goal, I’m happy with my performance since I finished before the sun went down and the cut off time.

Next time, I’ll do better.

2. Devising A Plan

Goals are great but without a plan to achieve them, goals are just empty promises.

Plans are a good way to determine if your goal is actually achievable. Without a solid plan, your goals will be next to impossible to achieve.

My plan to complete the Ironman was to device a training schedule that got me in shape to finish–yet not consume–all my free time. I decided that the best plan was to train by time and not distance. That way, I could plan my life accordingly. I got this idea from Be Iron Fit —an excellent book on training by time not distance.

3. Gathering Support

All leaders need supporters to help them achieve their goals. Supporters are also how a leader gauges their organizations impact and reach. A solid group of supporters will be invaluable for a leader and their organizations ability to get stuff done.

My support network is wide and diverse. Some, like on the Impossible League, I have only met virtually, while others I see daily. These supporters were a vital part of my success because they believed I could do it and frankly, I did not want to let them or myself down.

4. Sticking to the Plan by Executing It

Once a specific and achievable goal is defined, a plan devised and support gathered, it is now time to execute the plan.

If the plan is solid, then it will be easy to implement. If it’s not, then the desire will be to constantly change the plan. This needs to be avoided since a constantly shifting plan is just as bad as no plan at all.

Executing my training plan was pretty simple —only train enough to finish. This meant I had to get the time in by training around my life. This also meant that I had to resist the urge to overtrain (e.g. Put in more miles instead of sticking to my time based training plan).

Another big aspect of training is getting started. There were some days I really just wanted to stay in bed but forced myself to train instead. Those were some of the best training days I ever had.

5. Zigging and Zagging When You Have To

Plans can and should change when conditions warrant. Every leader needs to know when the path they are on is just not going to get them there.
By zigging and zagging, you can adjust your plan according to the situation you find yourself in.

I had to zig and zag a couple of times to stay on my training plan and to complete the race.

The biggest zig and zag came 3 weeks before the race. I got a nasty cold that would just not go away. I had to stop training for 3 days to recover. Even after that, the cold lingered but it did slowly get better. I’m glad I rested when I did, because on race day, my cold was completely gone.

6. Helping Others Succeed

The main job of a leader is to build other leaders and help as many people as they can be successful. This is the only way to create an organization that can sustain itself and perform at a high level. The same goes for individuals.

The reason I love racing is because of the esprit de corp that endurance athletes have. I have never met an endurance athlete that did not want everyone to finish.

For me, helping others succeed is giving my fellow endurance athletes the encouragement to endure on. This takes many forms but the most powerful one is words of encouragement. I always say something positive to anyone I may pass or passes me.

7. Finishing Strong

Goals are meant to be completed and there is no better feeling than pushing hard to finish strong. Finishing strong is all about enjoying the final movements when the plan comes together, the team is excited and the finish line is in sight.

The picture that accompanies this post is me crossing the finish line. Notice that I’m in full stride, arms raised and smiling. Sure, I was tired and sore but I felt the energy of the crowd, the courage in my heart and the pride in knowing that I did it.

8. Thanking Your Supporters

A leader can never say thank you enough. It’s probably the most important two words a leader will ever utter other than I’m sorry.
Thanking supporters not only gives them the recognition they deserve but it also reinforces the fact that it took others to achieve the goal.

I had a lot of support in my quest to be an Ironman. Some of this support was from people I met on the course (thanks Michael), those online and all my friends and family. To all of you, thanks!

What’s Next?
The great thing about finishing a life goal is that inspires you to want to achieve another one. I’m not exactly sure what’s next but two things keep on popping up —an ultra-marathon or a Goruck. Whichever one I do (I might do both), I know that I’ll apply these same leadership skills to finish strong.
23 October, 2012
Best Action Sports Films of 2012

Yikes. From Garage Entertainment, Red Bull Media House, Surf Dive ‘N’ Ski, Sony Mobile and Maxum, this trailer reel previews Sessions, a movie for Australian extreme sports fans. The film is made up of 2012’s most gut-wrenching action sports clips. I want in.

18 October, 2012
GORUCK YOURSELF: My GORUCK Challenge Experience (Class 182)

Ouch.

That was the first thing on my mind after this challenge.

I knew it would be “tough.” I didn’t know it would hurt this much.

Ouch.

##

I learned about the GORUCK Challenge a few months ago after talking with the team at GORUCK and interviewing former specials ops agent Lou (we’re still trying to get him to elaborate on what he used to do).

The tag line – 8-10 HOURS. 15-20 MILES. GOOD LIVIN’.

Good Livin’? Sound more like pure hell. I signed up immediately.

“Good Livin’”

The interesting thing about the challenge is how little they actually tell you about it. 8-10 hours and ~20 miles is about as descriptive as they get.

They don’t tell you anything about the challenge, you don’t know where the meetup location is until the week prior and, did I mention that you do all of this while wearing a backpack filled with bricks weighing about 50 pounds? (6 bricks if you’re over 150 pounds, 4 bricks if you’re under).

Class Indy 182

Yea, this sounds nuts, even impossible, but I run obstacles races and write about gut-wrenching adventure – so I figured it was time to put my money where my mouth was and actually do this thing.

Unfortunately, after signing up, I realized the challenge was on the same day as my sister’s wedding – nothing deal breaking – just no time for me to rest beforehand. Oh, well, I figured. I can do without a little rest before the challnege.

After all: how hard can it be?

Those words would come back to bite me.

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The day of the challenge, I busted out of the wedding after the reception and went shopping. I grabbed an obscene amount of food and wrapped it all in plastic bags to stay dry (they told us we might get wet). I stopped by Menards to grab six bricks to throw into my ruck. After rushing to stuff it all in my ruck – I showed up at Monument Circle in downtown Indianopolis at 10 o’clock PM on the dot and found a bunch of people who had rucks and seemed to be milling about waiting for orders. I walked up, smiled and said

This seems like a group of people ready for some pain!

A group of them nodded and they circled around me looking expectantly at me. After a few moments, I realized what was going on: they all thought I was the lead cadre!

Unfortunately, I didn’t pick up on this fast enough and they realized pretty soon that I had as little of a clue to what was happening as they did.

We waited a few more minutes and the real cadre, Beaux, finally showed up. He was friendly enough, cracking jokes, downing a beer, and handing us our death waivers to sign (these always make me feel confident that the adventure I’m headed on will be good).

He seemed like a nice guy.

Keyword: seemed.

But, once the death warrant was signed – he turned evil. Barking out profanities and orders, he quickly got everyone in the monument area to pay attention to him.

As we scrambled to try and follow orders not only correctly, but in unison, we screwed up over and over and over again as he had us doing pushups, squats and all sorts of movements I’ve never done before.

I felt like I should be in the army and I suddenly remembered the fact that this whole challenge and company is ex-special forces.

What the hell did I get myself into?

I can’t necessarily say what the whole challenge as about – that’s part of the mystique of the challenge — every race is different and you never quite know what to expect. But, I can say we carried a freaking log about 5 miles, crossed a river illegally, carried buckets of water, did overhead press reps to house music while covering enough ground to make you want to get your legs replaced. (We also hunted zombies – seriously). It was awesome.

Just when you think you’re getting the hang of something

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– there’s a twist. The challenge is a combination between thinking on your feet and following orders and knowing when the appropriate time for each is (oh, did I mention the whole 8-10 hours and 20 mile thing with bricks thing?)

One of the GORUCK phrases is: Under promise – over deliver.

GORUCK lived up to that promise as well. When the sun started coming up around 5 or 6, I knew we were getting close to the 8 hour mark and started to think we were almost done – but no. We pushed right on past the 8 hour mark and went the full 10 hours (word on the street is some do even more) and finished at 8am at a war monument north of the circle in Indy.

After Beaux yelled at us one final time, shared a personal story and handed us our GORUCK Tough Patch – we walked back to the Indy monument where we started and sat down. For the first time in 10 hours, I dropped my bag off my back and put it at my feet. My shoulders were sorer than they’ve ever been, my feet ached all over and all I wanted to do was sleep, but I got my GORUCK Tough Patch – and it was totally worth it.

Ouch.

Ouch indeed.

So, the final verdict on the GORUCK Challenge: It was hard – really hard and it hurt – a lot, but I’m going ot do it again (I’ve lost my mind and I’m okay with it).

There’s only question left: Are you GORUCK Tough?

Want to sign up for the GORUCK Challenge? Find a GORUCK Challenge near you.

EXCLUSIVE NERVE RUSH BONUS

If you want to give a GORUCK Challenge a shot, use promo code “NerveRushOct” and get $20 off your registration fee. This is good through October, so be sure to grab your discount before the end of the month!

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For a little taste of our adventure Daniel Dumas recorded a short video of the entire experience (I make a cameo around the 3:11 mark).

[youtube id=”AOVDsQqM6t0″ width=”600″ height=”350″]

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P.C. (Post Challenge). One of the coolest things about the GORUCK Challenge is that if you’re crazy enough to do it – and finish – you find a community of other crazy people who this type of physical torture is fun. Once you finish your challenge, you can join the community and always know that there’s someone willing to do some gut-wrenching adventure – no matter where you are. GOOD LUCK!

16 October, 2012
How to Hack a Boston Qualifying Marathon

The following is guest post by Jason Fitzgerald. Jason runs Strength Running, a website that helps runners crush their goals. Just this week, Jason launched Run Your BQ — I’ll let him tell you more.

For most runners, running a Boston Qualifying (BQ) marathon time is a bucket list goal and comes with a lot of bragging rights. And with good reason: only a tiny fraction of marathoners will qualify and earn their spot on the starting line in Hopkinton.

Dubbed “the world’s most prestigious marathon,” Boston is unlike any other road race. It’s over 115 years old and has the fastest average finish time of any marathon anywhere.

Marathoners dream of being part of this history; feeling the thrill of seeing the Prudential tower rise on the horizon as they make their way past roaring crowds toward the famous finish line on Boylston Street.

I know what it’s like to qualify for Boston – I’ve done it twice and have a 2:39:32 marathon PR. But even more rewarding, I help runners qualify for Boston and run faster marathons through a special community called Run Your BQ.

RYBQ is a group of nearly 300 marathoners who are passionate about improving their time over 26.2 miles – even if they’re far from qualifying. More than just a library of training plans, 45+ articles on nutrition, pacing, and motivation (though we have those!), Run Your BQ is an interactive community that helps each other reach big goals like qualifying for the world’s most prestigious marathon.

What’s your background as a runner and coach?

I’ve been running competitively for over 14 years and ran 2:39 at the 2011 Philadelphia Marathon. I’m also the author of 101 Simple Ways to be a Better Runner and have been featured in media like Yahoo, The Huffington Post, Health Magazine, Shape, and Active.

I’ve been coaching for over two years and I’m proud that I’ve helped hundreds of runners get faster, prevent more injuries, and yes, even qualify for Boston! Slow or fast, there’s always a better way to train.

Why did you create Run Your BQ?

First, I found that a lot of the marathon training advice on the web was simply garbage. Suggestions like, “run on a track!” and “do intervals!” are unfortunately all too common. What’s a runner supposed to do – search the entire internet for a good marathon training plan?

Runners also can’t train in a vacuum all by themselves. You can achieve more and run faster (not to mention stay more consistent) when you have a support group pushing you to stay motivated. RYBQ gives runners a community of supportive runners to lean on with a thriving forum, regular live video chats where they get their personal questions answered, and a Feed to post race pictures, quotes, and status updates (like Facebook).

What’s next for Run Your BQ?

RYBQ is a growing group and we only accept new members a few times per year. We’re actually accepting new members right now – but only until Friday, 9/28. Click here and let us show you a video tour of the website, including many of our new features.

As we keep getting bigger, we’re always adding new tools to help our runners. We just added smart phone capabilities so you can view your workouts anywhere and we’re planning a map of our members for meet-ups at races and for workouts.

To see the video tour and learn more about Run Your BQ, check out the details here!

26 September, 2012
Tackling Adventure with Tim Moss

Ladies and gentlemen, Tim Moss is a beast.

The Nerve Rush team has spent hundreds of hours culling together extreme videos, amazing athletes and adventurers, so when we came across Tim and started poking around his site, we took a deep breath and asked, WHY HAVE WE NOT TALKED TO THIS GUY BEFORE?

I’ll let Tim tell you more about himself, but the short story is that he runs an online portal called The Next Challenge, where he encourages people to step outside their comfort zone and to dive into adventure travel. His site is chock full of articles, helpful resources and stories

Tim is the epitome of the Nerve Rush community, and we were thrilled to connect with him.

Take it away, sir.

Who is Tim Moss, and what does he do?

I am a person who enjoys physical challenges and trying new things. This has led me to climb new mountains, run long distances, travel around the world and so forth.

More importantly, it put me in a position where others would approach me for help with their own plans: How do I start fundraising? What training do I need to do? How do you write a press release? I built on this and started a website – The Next Challenge – to write about my experiences, provide resources and offer support and encourage to other people.

You broke a Guinness World Record in a rickshaw? Could you elaborate?

In 2005, I was on an around-the-world challenge using as many different transport methods as possible. Before the trip was up, I was already brainstorming new ideas from a carriage on the Trans-Siberian Railway. A few weeks earlier I’d hitched a lift in a rickshaw in Berlin and came up with a plan to travel around the UK on one of them.

It was 5 years before it came to fruition but, after doing some research on forums about the possibility of riding a rickshaw long distance, and signing up as a rider with a London-based rickshaw-taxi company (Bug Bugs – who later gave me the rickshaw I would use), I set off from Scotland to make my way back home.

During planning I discovered that a couple had only recently set a world record for the longest distance cycled in a rickshaw. I realised it wouldn’t take much effort to go further and, although initially sceptical, a survey on my website indicated a strong preference for me to attempt it. As they say, the rest is history!

Care to share one hilarious (and one terrifying) story from your challenges?

I spent about 6 months in Oman last year with my wife where we undertook all sorts of fantastic adventures. They often seemed to go comically wrong though. Our first venture into the desert almost ended prematurely when we got our car stuck in sand before we’d even managed to park and start walking. We spent about an hour digging it out with some Tupperware and the lid of our cool box.

On a subsequent trip we cycled 90-miles around a desert island on Christmas Day, nearly dying of dehydration by the end. We drove off to celebrate afterwards but when we tried to return to our campsite in the dark, we realised we had no idea where it was and spent several hours driving the circumference of this island, parking every few hundred yards to run onto the beach with a torch.

My scariest moments come from my earliest expedition which was a mountaineering trip in Kyrgyzstan. On one memorable occasion we found ourselves descending what felt like a vertical ice wall. Struggling to cling to the ice with our axes and the front points of our crampons, my teammate below, Thom, shouted “I don’t think I can hold on any longer” and slipped. He was, of course, tied to me and the added weight pulled me off the ice too. Ben, tied above us on the top of the rope, looked down to see where the added drag had come from and was met with the spectacle of the two of us dangling from the rope that was tied to his harness. Not a good moment.

Tell us about your first book! How’d that go?

I recently had the marvellous pleasure of seeing something that I’d written printed and displayed in bookshops. The book is called ‘How to Get to the North Pole: and Other Iconic Adventures‘. It’s a balance of armchair explorer and practical guide to classic challenges like cycling around the world or crossing a desert.

I wrote a couple of short articles on similar topics for my website like ‘How to Climb an Unclimbed Mountain‘. They were enjoyable to write and seemed to be useful and popular. So I decided to expand them into full blown chapters to combine into a book.

It was a very painful process to write at times. Unlike telling your own story, with a practical guide book like this, I couldn’t just rely on knowledge that was in my head. Every single sentence had to be checked and cross-referenced for fear of making a casual mistake or incorrect assumption. It was quite tough going towards the end but very satisfying. Researching it also meant getting emails in my inbox from legends like Sir Chris Bonnington, Borge Ousland and Ran Fiennes which was cool.

Given your site title, I must ask, What’s the next challenge?

The current challenge has been to swim the length of the River Thames. My wife and I started last year and aimed to carry on this summer. Unfortunately, I had an operation on my shoulder which has stopped me from even the gentlest of breast strokes. That, combined with some health issues over the last few months have sadly meant challenges have rather been on hold.

Hopefully we’ll be back in action soon.

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You can read more about Tim on his website, The Next Challenge.

11 September, 2012