It has been said 100 times. The ladies we work out with every day are the finest in the land.
The daily grind in boot camp is brutal. The miles and exercise alone are hard. Then throw in hills, ants, dog doo doo, extreme Hot & Cold, moody boot camp instructor, homicidal traffic, broken bones & cars broken into.
Our girls meet the challenges every day with beauty, grace and dignity. While there are endless benefits, we can't help but notice that these young ladies seem to grow younger with the years. Also, any chick that is willing to do situps and pushups on wet grass before the sun comes up is cool.
So, one of our illustrious beauties caught the eye of The Butcher, The Baker and The Candlestick Maker. With so many suitors beckoning, The Baker (boot camp stud) has won the heart of our darling.
The fall racing season is upon us. Every year, there is a lull in the foot racing scene after Peachtree. As summer ends, football begins. Along with football is school, other after school activities(that get little attention), Midtown Music Fest, and racing.
For school kids, fall running is cross country. For the citizens, its road racing, obstacle course racing, occasional XC & triathlons. Most of us like "Fun Runs."
Some of us race other people and or the clock. Some of us like to challenge ourselves over LONG distances. If either we are going fast or far, there will come a point of doubt in our minds during the race. It doesn't matter how long we have prepared. It doesn't matter how phenomenal our fitness. When "pushing" happens, doubt creeps in.
Fear can be helpful in racing. Fear of losing/not finishing may be enough. We have often said "he was more afraid of losing than he was afraid of dying." Racing scared works as long as we are not afraid of dying. Of course, no one ever really dies. It just feels like we are doing to die.
Running mad is another way toward racing success. Developing hate toward competition and seeking the destruction of our rivals may be the most American way to win. In the distance events, all that's required are a few doubters. As long as someone does not think we can make it, we will make it to spite them and prove them wrong.
While fear and hate are great motivators that give us the power to win/finish, there is another way. Many people believe that Love is the greatest power of all. The favorite urban legends of super human achievement include the many stories of mothers lifting a car off their children. How does a 135 pound lady lift 3,000 pounds? It's got to be Love.
So how do we access this Power in racing? A Carpenter from 2,000 years ago said it like this: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
In football, there are cheerleaders and a huge crowd there to raise the spirits of the competition. In foot racing, it can be a solitary effort. So where does the power come from? Someone special who completely believes in their ability, they can see the race to its finish. For the rest of us, when doubt creeps in, how is that overcome?
Faith & hope. Someone who truly believes in a spirit of the universe, greater power, creator, or God can direct their minds toward that thing. When human power no longer suffices, turn toward a greater power. The power of prayer has been used in every endeavor ever know to humankind. Whenever we want to be relieved of pain and suffering in racing, pray. If it hadn't worked so many times for me, I wouldn't believe it.
People just want to be a part of the party. Folks like to connect with other folks. When eyes meet and words are shared, something happens. It is not always good, but it is something.
College football is upon us. College football is modern religion. Some folks spend more time, energy, spirit and money supporting their favorite shade of uniform than they spend on their children. We love to talk about football. College football connects more folks these days than the common cold.
Religion and politics have always been a big draw for the masses. People love to rally behind ideology, morality and all various social issues. This year has been big for both.
Running and exercise is our favorite way to get together. We call it fitness and fellowship. What do we talk about during our workouts?... Religion, politics and College Football!
Everyone is an athlete at their core. Sahara, Evan & I had the opportunity to run with a gentleman that helped bring new meaning to the term "Athlete." Kevin is a student Athlete that attends school at KSU. He has a 3.4 GPA, attends student events and has found time to write a book.
Kevin is severely disabled. There is not a whole he can do for himself. He needs constant attention. BUT, strapped to 3 wheeled bike, he is free. He can steer his way through foot traffic at the river, in a road race or anywhere else and propel himself by his own power. We have seen him maintain his heart rate at 200 beats per minute for 40 minutes. I have never seen anything like it. It would be the equivalent of me running a 26 minute 10K.
So it begs the question. What can I do in a day to get closer to that as a runner? The first step is to commit a minimum of one hour a day for 5 or 6 days a week. If there is a willingness to try every day, then I have a chance.
The second step to develop a routine of "rolling out" sore muscles. Every HS & College Cross Country and Track team makes rolling a part of practice. Stretching goes with rolling. We recommend rolling then stretching. If it hurts when you use a foam roller, you need to foam roll more often until it quits hurting. The other option is to get a massage twice a week.
Step 3 is sleep. When I am working out every day and rolling every day, I am tired at night. At 9:30pm, I can choose to watch TV and/or stay on the computer or I can go to sleep. If I stay up past 9:30pm, the workout will suffer in the next two days. Most folks skip a workout in the next two days after staying up late. Being committed to fitness training includes getting sleep.
Step four is nutrition. When I am working out every day, taking care of my body by rolling out, and getting enough sleep, I usually try to show some discipline with nutrition. Let's face FACTS. Hauling my ass down Peachtree Road at 150 pounds is a hell of a lot easier than it is at 180 pounds. This idea that being thin "looks unhealthy" is a matter of perspective. To someone who is fat or obese, being thin is unhealthy. On the 4th of July when I step to the line in front of Sixty Thousand people with an Elite race number, there are no fat people with-in sight.
Kevin has been a huge inspiration to us and has helped us recommit ourselves to honoring our gifts.
The food industry and mainstream commercialism is killing the American Man. What is Okay? Being Fat is okay. Being fat is normal. Being fat is funny. Being fat is sexy. Being fat is celebrated.
Sugar is in everything. The American man is consuming 20 tea spoons of sugar every day. Excess sugar turns to fat. Also, processed sugar is toxic. Try this... take your sugar intake to ZERO for two weeks. At the end of two weeks, eat a bowl of ice cream. See if you don't wake up with a screaming headache. Gentlemen, sugar is the hardest thing to combat. It takes your full attention and discipline.
Also, American culture has been built on a foundation of drinking. Outside of fitness type exercise, American men get together to drink alcohol. Its starts in high school and escalates in college. While most Men drink less later in life, the older body is less capable of processing beer & wine the older we become. The fat beer drinking American (doesn't even have to be drunk) is today's picture of masculinity. Guys, your friends really don't care if you drink or not. It is possible to watch a football game without drinking.
Also, porn is prevalent. The sex slave is booming right under our noses. Mary Frances Bowley runs Wellspring Living, a nonprofit organization in Atlanta that helps young survivors of human trafficking get their lives back by providing shelter, education and counseling. "In Georgia, we know there's a range from 200-300 girls that are trafficked each month in our city. And tonight there will be 100 girls that will be exploited in metro Atlanta," Bowley said. "So the numbers are huge." Men are providing the demand for this. In case you need real man reasons to stop playing with yourself, know that every champion boxer abstains from "letting it go." NO guy about to fight for money is going to give his chi away before the brawl. No fighter would ever play with himself. Masturbation is pointless and a complete waste of energy. Eating & Drinking like a pig and watching porn (or worse) is robbing men of mind body and spirit. While men are just enjoying the short term simple pleasures in a life of leisure, they are really growing old fat, stupid and creepy. "Monk Life" is a term I use to describe a simple day that eliminates sugar, alcohol and sex (especially masturbation). The idea is to eat just what is needed to fuel an active lifestyle, drink mostly water and read or meditate with any free time at night (No TV, NO Computer).
Stripping away the garbage that is killing the American Man is the way to find the masculine power that is inside every dude. The hippies would say "tune out and tune in."
What is American Pharoah thinking about in this picture? He ain't thinking about anything. What about the physical pain he must feel to run this fast and win? Nope. This horse, just as any other horse, will run until it dies. He doesn't know he is a triple crown winner with millions in winnings. He has no concept of self.
We have a very strong concept of self. We have carefully spent a lifetime developing a personality that defines who we are. We have names, titles, possession, ideas, concepts, beliefs, prejudices, and much more that define us as separate and unique from each other and the rest of the world.
The title of this is "I". In a workout or a race, this "I" will speak. It says, "I" cant do it. "I" am dying. "I" wont make it.
If WE recognize this voice as just a passing thought, WE can motor through the workout/race, keep the tempo up and wait for the flow to return. WE can also key on the people around us in the workout or race and together, accomplish much more.
Chip Owens - 35:58, 1st Place Age Group 45-49
John Owens - 39:54, 6th Place Age Group 14 and under
Evan Owens - 41:39, 1st Place Age Group 12 and under
We are very grateful to everyone who cheered for and congratulated us for our efforts in the Peachtree Road Race. We are especially thankful to the folks who support us and work out with us every day.
While winning is neither the end we strive for nor an outcome we shy away from, honoring the gift is always in the front of our minds. Winning is contingent on the maintenance of our physical fitness.
Winning isn't done in a race. Winning is done every day. The daily workout is not a means to an end. It is the daily maintenance of our physical condition that allows us to honor the gift.
We pride ourselves on being THE low mileage program. No running program gets more results out of less miles than Peachtree Road Boot Camp.
The secret sauce is in the exercise. Boot Camp produces elite level fitness through a combination of running and body weight exercise. Each day, we get together for an hour. During that hour we cover about 3.5 miles. All along the way, we stop and exercise. Some days we do squats and lunges, other days its push ups and sit ups. The point is, our heart rate never drops to rest. We maintain an elevated heart rate the entire hour. Additionally, the body weight exercise develops lean muscle that supports fast running.
The solid performances in the 2015 Peachtree Road Race are the result of an 18 week training/racing period. Each day we count how many miles we run and how many repetitions of exercise we perform. At the end of the week, we add up our total in a "book". Our book is our daily journal that we write in to record our daily physical output. Below is the weekly mileage and repetition count for the last 18 weeks.
16 miles, 1,900 reps
21 miles, 2,100 reps
26 miles, 4,200 reps
17 miles, 4,200 reps
23 miles, 3,100 reps
33 miles, 3,100 reps
22 miles, 3,000 reps
27 miles, 2,700 reps
33 miles, 3,300 reps
28 miles, 3,740 reps
34 miles, 3,400 reps
38 miles, 3,800 reps
42 miles, 3,000 reps
32 miles, 3,600 reps
38 miles, 4,200 reps
30 miles, 3,300 reps
31 miles, 3,100 reps
23 miles, 3,600 reps
We believe 200 body weight exercises produces the cardiovascular equivalent of running a mile. A 4,000 rep count week produces the fitness of running twenty extra miles without any additional pounding of pavement. Having elevated fitness without having to run for it allows us to run faster for the fewer miles we run, making us more comfortable running faster paces.
Peachtree Road Boot Camp works out 5 days a week, every weekday. Our weekly average is 18 miles, 3,000 reps. We average about 700 calories burned an hour (3,500 calories burned a week).
While the Peachtree Road Boot Camp formula of running/exercise is proven to produce elite level fitness, thin, fast and strong bodies, most folks come to enjoy the company of the awesome people that have adopted this discipline.
