Lift Heavy Run Long Podcast - Inspire. Be Inspired.

On this episode of the Lift Heavy Run Long Podcast we get a chance to hangout with yet another very interesting and awesome individual, Scott Hollis.  Mr. Hollis is a Lawyer and also a member of our gym, Olive Branch CrossFit.  We got to talk about all kinds of different topics including the importance of having a Lawyer when opening a business (especially a CrossFit gym) and the beauty of the CrossFit Community.  Enjoy the show!

**I forgot to press "record" on the camera until about minute 15 of the podcast, so if you watch it on youtube....be patient. Have an outstanding day!** This was EASILY one of (if not the) funnest episodes ever!  Not only do we have an awesome guest host, we got to hang out with the most interesting man in the world!  Dan is an amazing man, and has done so much for our local community here in our gym (Olive Branch CrossFit).  He's gonna be going back up North, and we won't be getting to see as much of him as we do now.  So we convinced him to sit down, hang out, and chat with us for a bit....and WOW was it a TON of fun and super interesting.  We also got the privilege of having a very special guest host, Amanda Horrell!  I hope you enjoy the show as much as we enjoyed recording it.    

Beefcake #29 Mic Drop- A performance so solid, that there is nothing more to be said. I am not sure when and where the phrase "mic drop" originated. The first time that I became aware of it was when I saw Eddie Murphy do it in the movie, Coming to America, after exclaiming, "Sexual Chocolate" and then exiting, stage left. While the origination of the term "mic drop" remains in question, the meaning of it is pretty clear. The mic drop is what is left, when there is nothing more to say. It is the spiking of a football, the shattering of a record, the home run ball that will seemingly never land. It is the sacking of the quarterback, which requires no celebration- just a hand clap, and a jog off the field. It is the knowledge that you nailed it, and it is not up for discussion. It is the walking back to the dorm, when you know that you aced it. The mic drop is the delivery of a performance, which leaves nothing else to be demonstrated and no real reason for debate. It is a speech delivered with such profound im

Melly Maronde "Not fast.. just furious!" Melly started her fitness adventures later in life. It wasn't until she was 37 years old, to be exact. Since then, she has participated in several CrossFit events, but migrated to the endurance side of things. To date, she has completed 20 half marathons: road, trail, and on the rowing machine. She has completed three full marathons, and seven ultra marathons, including a painful 100 miler. Melly also completed several cycling distances from 30 miles to 60 miles, as well as competed in  several Triathlons.She is a self-described "weekend warrior". She trains weekly to maintain her fitness and condition, but considers herself to be very much an average athlete (which might be an overly humble statement).  Most weekends you will find her doing something crazy, somewhere in the world. During the week, she spends her days at work and the evenings with here family: a husband, a son, 5 cats and two dogs. When it comes to training, Melly trains in her garage gym. She uses a

Beefcake #28 I need certainty. I do better with "yes or no", "black or white", "go or stay home" scenarios. If there is uncertainty, or any grey areas, I will turn them into a rainbow of problems. Unfortunately, the world doesn't work this way. Change is always changing, and certainty is a strip of bacon, which is right next to the couch, just out of reach. I want the bacon so badly, but no matter how hard I strain, I just can't reach it. I can continue to wiggle and strain- always reaching for the bacon, or I can just relax on the couch, and appreciate its comfort . I'm certain that my life will not ever contain a great deal of certainty. Growing up, change has been something to fear. I don't feel as I adapt very well, and I am scared that I won't have the skills for whatever change is about to occur. I resist change whenever I can, and most always feel threatened when I see it coming . Usually, this is because I feel like something is going to be taken from me. I have always tended to side with Chicken Lit

Beefcake #27 The sound from above mimicked that of an earthquake. The "booms" and "thuds" sounded like a thunderstorm, which was raining shot puts. I couldn't imagine that the upstairs of our house would hold up a great deal longer. If the second floor of my home came crashing down into my bedroom, I would not have been the least bit surprised. The madness and the chaos coming from above was as intense as any that I have ever heard. As the ruckus continued, I took a moment, allowed myself to enjoy the goosebumps that were running throughout my body, and I gave the most sincere thanks to whomever/whatever is responsible for my existence. Judging from the pounding coming from the other end of my ceiling, I knew that this was not the end... but only the beginning. As I laid there smiling, I took the opportunity to steal a glance at my beautiful wife, as she contently read her magazine. I watched as she enjoyed the sounds of the house, as it shook on it's foundation. You see, the thundering from above was cause

Ty Draney “You don’t have to be crazy but it helps…” was a phrase that Ty heard a lot growing up on a dairy farm in southeast Idaho, near the Wyoming border, and has come in handy as he’s tried to explain the reasoning for how and why he adventures in his free time. A life-long runner who started his career by winning the 100-meter and the mile runs at his middle school track meet in 7th grade- in his sweet LA Gear high-tops, Ty spends his time playing with his family, teaching Spanish, coaching high school track and cross country, training for ultra-marathons and the occasional indoor mile on the track. Ty has been coaching for over 15 years. He has coached more than 40 all-state athletes, 5 state championship teams and has been named regional and state coach of the year 14 times. During this same time he has competed in some of the most grueling mountain races in the world. He has placed top 5 at Hardrock, Wasatch, Bear, and Bighorn 100 races. He has won at least one race at every distance from 50k to

Beefcake #26 I am kinda in a hurry. I need to get to my meeting, but I still have to pick the kids up from school, grab dinner, and drop them off at the house. I feel tense, and my brain feels scattered. It's moments like this when I should pause, and take deep breaths....but who has time for deep breaths when you are busy freaking out? The kids are eating in the backseat of the car when Andie tells me, "Daddy, my tooth hurts." Well crap. Can't she see that I am in a hurry? Ain't nobody got time for that. Now is just not a "convenient" time in my life for someone I love to have a problem. As we arrive home, thank God, Amanda is pulling in the driveway. She will know what to do, and be able to guide me in the right direction. She takes a look and gives a directive. "We will give her some Tylenol and call the dentist." Damnit. What if the dentist can't see her? What if it gets worse in the middle of the night? Do I call her usual pediatric dentist or my dentist? What time do they open? When should I

Ed Thomas Ed Thomas is 57 year old endurance athlete, who, believe it or not, did not enter the field of ultra running until he was 51 years of age. Ed has always been an athlete but didn't start distance running until June of 2010. Since Oct. of 2010,  He has ran over 20 marathons and 20 ultra marathons (along with a plethora of shorter distances). You might  say that Ed went "all in" when he started running. In 2014,  he had two top tens in 100-milers, won a 12-hour race, as well as a 50K. Ed completed the Arrowhead 135,  and this past April I ran the Barkley Marathons. 2017 is going to contain l heavy racing schedule, along with some difficult challenges. Ed likes his races to be difficult. He wants them to be hard. He believes that nothing comes easy in life, and you can't accomplish anything in life without the risk of failure. I feel sure that you will enjoy.   Peace, Love, and all things Beef related, Beefcake

Beefcake #25 I went to dinner with a friend of mine yesterday evening. My friend's name is Gary, and I think a lot of him. He is more like a mentor or confidant, but also someone who I enjoy spending time with. He has been there with me since the early days of my sobriety, and I still rely on his advice, his wisdom, and willingness to be a listening ear. I was speaking with Gary about my most recent obsession (as I always have to have one). I have a habit of falling in love with a hobby, and becoming so passionate about it, that I spend a large amount of my time obsessing over it. I want to learn everything that there is to know about whatever it is that I am focusing on for the moment. I want to be the best at it. I want to know the most about it. I want all of the shiny equipment, and I want to know all of the "ins and outs". I want to understand the inner workings, how it came about, and what is it's purpose. I want to know how I would handle each hypothetical situation and be fully prepared to handle any

Beefcake #24 He was addressed as the keynote speaker, and the audience was proud to have him. He was esteemed and respected. He was known for his action and his efforts. He was known for his results. This is how his message was delivered: "There are unloved children who go to bed hungry at night within a five minute drive from where we are sitting, and you don't even give a sh*t.... The keynote speaker paused, and slowly surveyed the room- making direct eye contact with many people in it. He then continued by saying, ...and what's even worse is that most of you are more concerned with the fact that I just said 'sh*t' than you are that there are starving children" Boom...went the dynamite. This dude was on fire. He was preaching the Truth. He spoke with bold letters, all caps. The audience slouched a bit and took inventory of what he just said. It got me to thinking about where I place my concerns. What are the areas which I really want to see change and make a difference, and when am I just seeking the

Beefcake #23 "We are the sum total of our experiences"--not exactly sure Most of us have heard the above quote. It sounds good, and I think I believe it. I have this friend of mine. He coaches youth league sports. He is as good of a coach, mentor, and person as you will find. He seems to have been born with the gift of contagious enthusiasm, optimism, and spunk. He makes life look easy, but only because he works his butt off to get what he wants, while people like me are busy complaining what we don't have. This is his identity. This is who he is. I don't know when it started, or how he obtained it, but he has it. This identity belongs to him. We recently had a conversation regarding the players on his team. His question was this: "How do I get my kids to play with that fire? How do I get them to love the sport, to be aggressive, to want to win?" While I am far from having the answer to this question, it made me think about where my own fire originated. It made me reflect on where and when I developed enthusi

Beefcake #22 Tough Mudder 2016- Pulaski, TN The task ahead of us was an obstacle course, which covered over ten miles of rolling hills, and included twenty three obstacles. My body type is not exactly designed for jumping, climbing, and shimmying through miles of less-than-level terrain, but I guess that comfort is not really the market that the folks at Tough Mudder are trying to captivate. It was of no consequence, as I was going to be accompanied by Amanda, and six of our adventurous friends. The company was perfect. The weather was perfect. The event was perfect. The day started off with a kind gesture. As we were leaving the parking lot of our hotel, heading towards the event, we had a nice exchange with an older lady. After a simple, "good morning, how are you?", we began a conversation and she offered us each a "Honey Crisp Apple" from her home city in Michigan. She was proud of her apples, and she was proud of where she came from. I immediately liked her. The apple was delicious, but probably more-so

Beefcake #21 The proverbial cork had been popped. The fuse had been blown. The butt had been chaffed. The serenity was lost. I had overheated. I was done. I was raging. I was friggin hot. Words cannot even express the level of frustration that I reached yesterday. My God, I was angry. I was old school angry- like shaky, crying, fixin to bust someone's head kind of angry. I was pissed. I took Amanda's vehicle back to the dealership to have an alignment issue resolved, which was supposed to have been resolved two weeks ago. On top of long wait times, incorrect information, an outstanding demonstration of incompetency, and an entire dealership of apathetic employees, there was a team smart ass-ed service writers in charge of "providing me with customer care". It was a disaster. I really had no place that I needed to be, as I could work from my computer inside their customer lounge. However, the wait time reached a level of ridiculousness. It was abundantly clear that the person in charge of my service was over

Beefcake #20 Life is tough. No one will dispute this. Things get out of whack, and they can get out of whack quickly. Many times, the misery and dissatisfaction can be so subtle, and grow so slowly, that you don’t even realize that you are circling the drain. Other times, life looks you square in the eye, gives you a full frontal attack, and kicks you square in the teeth, day after miserable day. I thank God for that. I need that. It sounds strange, but I do. Picking up on subtle hints is right up there with figure skating, as far as my natural talents go. I needed the head-on, world’s most aggressive bum-rush approach to giving clarity to what my life had become when I was in my biggest mess, to date. And, I need it in order to address most areas of dissatisfaction in my life. I circled the drain for quite some time, descending rather slowly, but the ultimate demolition, the 10ton wrecking ball, the Tyson upper-cut came on rather quickly. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I needed a good head bashing, ego c

LHRL Podcast #25 Have you ever thought competing in a Strongman competition? Sounds crazy, I know. But, it might be much more of an attainable goal than one might realize. This week on the LHRL Podcast we speak with Kalle Beck of StartingStrongman.com. Kalle Beck has been competing in Strongman competitions Since 2007, competitive highlights include winning California's Strongest man and multiple state championships. 3 top ten finishes at Nationals two invites to the Arnold World Championships including 6th place in 2013. In 2014 Kalle founded StartingStrongman.com one of the top sources for information and news on the sport of Strongman.

Episode #19 What's your song? Really. When you wake up in the morning, what music begins to fade-in? When you walk out your door each day, what band is playing? When you get to work, what music accompanies you? What is your theme song? What is your intro music? This week I had an encounter at the gas station. As I was walking into Exxon, there was a gentlemen holding the door open for me.  This young man was very much different than I am, but I appreciate his style, and quickly realized that we were from very different backgrounds. His attire was in opposition to the way that I typically dress, as his clothes were looser, and hung a bit lower than I typically wear mine. But, I'm not exactly Giorgio Armani, so I will just leave that alone. He was dressed in the way that the people who are bad for our country, say are bad for our country...so I kinda liked him. I thanked him for the courtesy of holding the door for me, and he graciously responded with , "Yes, sir." He followed up with asking me if I was

Episode #18 In the early 1500's, there was an English horse stable owner named William Hobson. As the story goes, Mr. Hobson had quite a large stable, which housed upwards of forty horses. William rented his horses by the week or month, usually to mail carriers, but the horses could be in whatever capacity they were needed. Many people relied on Hobson and the availability of his horses for the sake of their own welfare. Upon entering the stable, one would expect to have the freedom to evaluate which horse they needed for the job, and evaluate fair pricing from there. However, this is not how Mr. Hobson chose to do things. Here's the catch, if you were to choose a mount within the stables of William Hobson's place of business, you had to choose the horse in the stall closest to the door....essentially giving you no choice at all. This practice was designed to keep people from only renting the best horses, at the risk of having them overworked. So, because of Hobson's style of horse lending, the term "Hobson

This week on the Lift Heavy Run Long Podcast, we got to chat with Elijah Hassertt. Elijah is an excellent example of the discipline and motivation necessary to compete at a high level in both strength and mountain running events. Elijah ran his first half marathon at the age of fourteen under the encouragement of his mother. He then ran cross country in high school, while beginning the physical training by which he would become known. He studied and trained to obtain multiple training certifications to include Training for Warriors. Following his passion, he developed his own brand, Never Defeated Athletics. His athletic achievements include a Deadlift of 585 pounds, multiple ultra marathon wins, and various other ranging accomplishments. At only 22 years of age, Elijah is now training other strongman competitors, ultra-runners, and everyday superheroes in a constant pursuit of excellence.  

Beefcake #17 Sooooooo, this was it. The big Four-to-the-Zero. "Over the hill", is what they call it. My 40th birthday came and went, as I was enjoying the sun and the sand, while on vacation with my family. There was nothing else that I rather had been doing. It was really just another day, but it also called for a period of reflection. As I sat in my beach chair and took inventory of the things around me, I reflected on where I am today, where I thought I would be, and where I am going. Overall, I honestly don’t know if I could be any more satisfied. That is not to say that I don’t want more “stuff” or have goals and aspirations, but at the end of the day, I am quite a happy individual. I was fortunate to have been going through my mid-life crisis in my late twenties-early thirties. I feel like I got a big chunk of the ass-kicking, that each of us are seemingly required to endure, out of the way pretty early. As I sat with my toes in the sand, I rubbed on my big, pasty belly and thought about my receding h