Hundred Mile Training Versus Mixed Martial Arts Training: Which is Tougher?

Hey look, Jason isn't dead! Yes, I know this is my first post in almost four months, but the lack of running makes it tricky to write about... well, running. However, a reader that also follows me on Facebook asked an intriguing question a few days ago: Having experienced both hundred mile training and MMA …

Quick 2013 Recap, 2014 Preview… Including New Trail and Ultra Book

This past year was a significant deviation from our previous few years. Here's a quick and dirty review: We semi-settled down in the San Diego area, We ran a total of one race this year, the San Diego Trail Marathon, which I DNFed at the 26 mile, 384 yard mark. 🙂 We had a bout …

New Goals; New Adventures

Over the last few weeks, I've been contemplating new goals. I haven't really had too many goals over the last few years; I've just enjoyed flowing through life. I feels like it's about time to get some direction. The following are the goals I'm considering for 2014 but haven't made a firm commitment: 1. Run …

“Crossfit Can Be Dangerous?!?” Further Evidence People Can Be Really Fucking Clueless

Over the last few days, this article has popped up several times on my Facebook news feed. A quick synopsis for lazy folks: The extreme nature of some Crossfit workouts coupled with a culture of pushing the body to the extreme can put people at danger of rhabdomyolysis (a potentially fatal condition where destroyed muscle cells …

Running for Conditioning: Back on the Horse… Sort Of

My cardiovascular conditioning has been on a steady decline since Grindstone last October. It wouldn't normally be a concern as I don't plan on running any races in the near future, but the lack of cardiovascular fitness is beginning to affect jiu jitsu and boxing training. I'm planning on entering a local tournament in October, …

Weight Loss Experimentation: Calories in/ Calories Out in the Real World

I love trying new physical adventures. Over the years, I've played a wide variety of sports, both team and individual. Each one presented different physical and mental skills which helped me grow as a person. Each one was a unique puzzle that challenged me in a new way. I've been looking for a new challenge …

Your Perspective is Wrong: The Reason to Experience New Things

My last post on our temporary poverty situation led to reflection on a variety of things related to my experiences over the last few years. I've noticed a pretty distinct pattern, which is probably related to my serial hobbyist nature: It's nearly impossible to have a remotely accurate perception on any experience until you've been …

BRUcrew Update: A Journey to Become More Social, Courageous, and Empathic. Or Awesome.

Last week I wrote a post the BRUcrew idea, then a follow-up post explaining how to overcome the fears associated with the challenges. So far, we've had six challenges, and I couldn't be happier with the results. The Facebook group (where the challenges are posted) has about 80 members, most of which have done at …

New Year’s Resolution: Change the World

The end of the year always brings about the opportunity to reflect on the past year and plan for the next. As you can probably tell by the tone of my last few posts here and over at The Sexpressionists, I've been doing a lot of reflecting lately. Our traveling journey over the previous year …

Industrial Athletes and Minimalist Shoes: Can it Reduce Workplace Injuries?

Since Cyber Monday, I've been working for UPS helping to deliver packages. There are several reasons I took the seasonal job, some of which are related to running. I was in a bit of a funk and needed to take a break, but needed an activity to maintain my fitness level. Spending many hours five …

First BRUcrew Workout This Thursday!

After several delays, I'm finally ready to begin the BRUcrew workout group! The process of getting settled in San Diego took longer than expected, and the Chile trip took some preparation. All that has passed, and I'm ready to begin! The first group will meet this Thursday (November 29th) at 5:30am at Los Penasquitos Park …

The BRUcrew Tribe: Fitness for Those That March to ther Beat of a Different Drum

Over the last few years, I've had a dream of starting a fitness group that was loosely based on the idea of an ultramarathon training group, but incorporated other elements like weight training, speed work, hill repeats, running form coaching, and ultra-specific situational training. I wanted the group to be based on outdoor fitness (because …

Sleep Deprivation Ultramarathon Training

Doc Ott recently wrote a blog post about his strategy for ultra training. He essentially came up with a method that allows him to hit high mileage and still spend time with his family. His methodology brought back not-so-fond memories of my early days as an ultrarunner. I was more or less in the same …

Thermoregulation and Running: A Cool Idea

The Evil Moisture Wicking Clothing? In a previous post, I theorized about the role a moisture-wicking shirt played in three crappy runs over the last seven months or so. After reading your comments and doing a little research, my "ah-ha' moment wasn't quite so revolutionary. The conclusion is pretty obvious: Moisture wicking clothing does more …

Great Asses = Great Runners

In usual fashion, The Maple Grove Barefoot Guy inspired this post.  Christian writes about the need for strong hips/ass as a prerequisite to good running form.  I couldn't agree more. I'm a huge fan of strength training for runners as a form of crosstraining.  I have an entire section of my book dedicated to weight …

Pretty Strong: Merrell Aims to Solve the Female Barefoot Riddle

Sometime last year, Emily Snayd (a friend from Merrell and a crazy-fast runner) started asking me questions about women and barefoot.  Specifically, why aren't there more women running barefoot and in minimalist shoes?  She had made the transition and was posting shockingly fast times.  She clearly saw the benefit, but noticed the barefoot community consisted …

Wannabe Elite Road Runners are Nauseating

You know the type. You find them at the local 5ks and marathons lined up at the front of the pack wearing a brand new foot coffins and a singlet advertising a company they wish would sponsor them.  They scoff at the idea of people running for enjoyment and believe you have no business being …

A Sampling of Our Ultramarathon Crosstraining

Here's a video of the type of training Shelly and I do.  A I've mentioned before, most of our workouts are inspired by Crossfit and Kemme Fitness.     ###

What is the Ideal Weight Training Program for Ultrarunners?

In my last post on weight training, I was purposely vague in order to stimulate discussion, though it was implied the question was geared toward runners.  Now we'll look at a very specific case- weight training for ultrarunning. Our goals for weight training are specific.  We want to: Make our bodies more resilient to damage …

Ninety Percent of the Exercises You Do at the Gym are a Waste of Time: The “Gym Fit” Problem

This post was inspired by a post written by Tucker Goodrich on Barefoot Ted's Huaraches Google Group here. Some exercises people do in the gym are absolutely worthless... except training you to do that exact exercise. The question: what exercises fit into this "worthless" category? I'm a huge fan of functional fitness, which is based …

Maffetone Versus Crossfit Endurance: Which Is Better

If you participate in any of the barefoot and minimalist forums (Runner's World, Barefoot Runners Society, Ted's Google Group) you've probably come across a thread about the Maffetone method.  This sudden upsurge of interest in Maffetone interests me, especially because it comes on the heels of a burst of interest in high-intensity interval training (Crossfit …

Barefoot and Minimalist Shoe Running In The Winter: A Concise How-To Guide

Winter presents many problems for the barefoot runner.  Okay, it's really just one problem.  It's damn cold!  And for those of you in the north- snowy. I'm well-versed in the issues facing barefoot runners in the winter.  I grew up in Northern Michigan, went to college on the shore of Lake Superior, and spent my …

Merrell Road Glove Review

The Merrell Road Glove.  Simply put, it is to roads what the Trail Glove is to trails. Merrell took the formula that made the Trail Glove a success, worked out a few details based on feedback from the barefoot running community, and developed a shoe that did exactly what a good minimalist shoe should- make …

A Whole Lotta News!

Merrell Bareform clinic and group run at Ramsey Outdoor in Succsunna, NJ, Merrell Barefoot Jam in NYC, NYC Barefoot Run, the trip to the Pacific NW, Born to Run, and a free ebook dedicated to homemade gym equipment! Merrell Bareform Clinic and Group Run Let's start with this one:  this Friday (September 23rd) we'll be …

The Greatest Secret To Running Success

Is it goal-setting? No. Yasso 800's? Nope. Tracking every run with a Garmin and uploading it to Daily Mile? Not at all. Running with a smile on your face? Well, sometimes.  But that's not much of a secret anymore. So what is this secret holy grail that will make you a tremendous runner?  It's so …

Goofy Ultra Training Ideas

Western States is 53 days away.  That gives me a little over nine weeks to dial in my training.  So far, everything is going according to plan.  I divide my training into various elements that will ultimately help me over the 100 miles.  Here are the basic elements of my training: Long runs- Usually one …

How to Spot a Crazy Person – Why One Man Simply Can’t Run

[The following is a guest post by Pete Kemme.  I frequently mention Pete here and finally convinced him to make a guest appearance.  I regard Pete as one of the leading experts on functional fitness.  His crazy-ass brutal crosstraining workouts have helped me finish run ultras on relatively low mileage.  Check out Pete's fitness site …

How I’ll break Out of a Rut- Lets Fight the Late Winter Doldrums Together

[The following post was written by Jesse Scott.  Jesse is one of the writers I recently recruited to occasionally write for BRU.  Check out his blog "In Search of Solid Ground" to read more of Jesse's writings.] Something I dislike doing is explicitly telling others what to do. We’re all individuals with our own wants, …

Gymboss Interval Timer Review

When people begin barefoot running, they usually start at very low mileage.  This is a wise strategy, but may be difficult for runners accustomed to high mileage or high intensity.   When they ask for an alternative to running while they make the transition, I always suggest burpee pullups. I also recommend programs like Pete Kemme's …

Barefoot Sports Besides Running

I started consciously playing with the idea of skipping shoes in sports when I was in tenth grade.  As a hobby, I spent a lot of time placekicking and punting footballs in my back yard.  At some point, I decided to try punting without shoes. As much as I would like to say it was …

Barefoot-related News and Such: Competitor.com, Merrell Feedback, Free eBook, and Inov-8 News

Some random news: Competitor.com Article I recently began writing a four-part series about barefoot running for Compertitor.com.  It's always fun to reach a new audience.  Feel free to help out a fellow barefoot runner and share the story far and wide. 🙂 Merrell Early Feedback Merrell released their new shoes to a few local stores.  …

Overcoming Winter Laziness: The Nine Day Trifecta Plunge

Winter sucks.  Nothing saps my motivation like the combination of cold and darkness.  I should be rigorously training for Western States.  Instead, I have been lazily lounging around inventing excuses to avoid physical activity.  Over the last two weeks I've run a total of seven miles.  Since that training volume won't help me get to …

Great Form Running Tip #289: Run on Ice

Most runners avoid ice.  They run around it.  They wear YakTrax.  They stud their shoes.  They move to warmer climates.  Whatever. Why do they avoid it?  Running on ice is hard.  It's scary.  There's a chance you could fall and seriously hurt yourself.  It's too bad.  Ice is one of the best coaching tools available... …