Joe's young son is diagnosed with a rare brittle bones disease (Osteogenesis imperfecta or O.I.). He wanted to do something big to raise money for his son, while being a positive living breathing role model to his son and daughter.
What better way to do that - then to do something HE HAD NEVER DONE....RUN! He was a Non-runner. He had been Bodybuilding for decades and was Jacked and built like a Greek God. But that came with a lot of thick (non-endurance) muscle and weight to carry. His biomechanics were not at all use to running - let alone trail running - let alone an ultramarathon race of 54 miles!
So we had our work cut out for us - but Joe is a special driven Dad that has a ton of heart and grit.
He had started by running on the treadmills only for a few weeks before starting to work with me. He was already dealing with pain and various nagging injuries. He had shin splints, hip flexor issues, and more.
Then Joe explained what he wanted to do and Why. He said like it or not I'm going to do an Ultramarathon! Not a 10K, then a 1/2 marathon, then a full marathon then finally an ultramarathon. I need to do the big one now - I can't wait a year - I need to do this now for my son. He wanted to know if I could get him over his injuries and train his body to be strong for his first ever trail running race - WHICH HAPPENED TO BE A 54 MILE Rocky Hilly Trail Race around a lake in Northern California.
Joe worked so hard and did everything I asked him to do and poured 200% effort into everything. While also running a business and being a single Dad! We worked on healing and strengthening his Trail Running Power Chain. It's kind of like biomechanical angering. We tailored everything specific to his goal of running this race.
We also spent time teaching/ learning all the little techniques from my All of my Trail Racing experience. We even got his shoulders ready to handle the weight and dynamics of running with gear and/or water bottles over that kind of distance. Talked about everything from hydration, to problem solving what is going on with your body, and more.
He Did it!! It was brutal terrain. It was raining the whole time, rocky, muddy, hilly, and very very LONG! But when preparation meets a Strong WHY and a big heart - we can be UNSTOPABLE! The feeling must have been amazing when he got near the finish line and saw his kiddos... priceless. His son and daughter where there running with him across the finish line! He raised thousands of dollars towards his son's disease and cause. And was an amazing example to both his kiddos. We need more good Dads like Joe.
