85: Meb Keflezighi - Achieving Your Dreams Through Hard Work (1/2)

MEB. IS. HERE!!!!!!!!  Meb is one of the nicest, most inspiring guys you will ever meet. Everything that’s said about his being such a sweetie is TRUE!!!!! Meb will make you be even more proud to be American (that is if you are an American) and to work even harder to achieve your running, health, and life goals. If you want to learn the "11 Strategies to Live the Running Lifestyle" (many of which Meb discusses during the interview), head over to therunninglifestyle.com/join. Meb and I discuss (boy do I like saying that!!!!!) the following:

• The VERY hard road he and his family took to come to the United States
• The not-great childhood memories he has and how he has used those memories to help him work hard for years and years to create a long, phenomenal running career
• You can learn more about his tough childhood in Run to Overcome
• What his second book, Meb for Mortals, discusses and how you can apply it to your own life and running journey
• How sports grew his self esteem and helped him make friends
• What you need to do to execute the best plan
• The highs and lows he has been through as a runner
• What he did with his wife when his friend Ryan Shea had died and his injury made it so he could barely stand up
• His favorite indulgence for his sweet tooth and how he watches his weight to be able to perform at peak performance
• What he believes is the key to success
• What he did after not qualifying for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing
• Why Meb attributes his success to hard work and mindset
• Why it’s sweeter to come back and win after you’ve been injured
• One of his most memorable NYC Marathon finishes
• A snapshot of the NYC Marathon course and what to look forward to if you get to run it
• What the MEB Foundation is and stands for
• The perks of running with Meb for the Meb Foundation in NYC and Boston
• The importance of being mentally and physically healthy
• When his next marathon is
• What his future plans are
• How a product named ElliptiGo , which was thankfully created in 2012, has extended his career
• Why the ElliptiGo is so much fun, how he uses it, and what it allows him able to enjoy
• When he puts the hammer down on the ElliptiGo

Next week, Meb and I (it is such an honor to say that) discuss more in depth about his training on the ElliptiGo, when and how he uses CEP compression socks, how he develops his own shoes with the designers from Sketchers, an in-depth discussion of his win at the 2014 Boston Marathon and how he did it, one of his favorite running community memories, if he is going to run a fall marathon, his plans for the Olympic trials and then hopefully the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, how to support other runners, and what are the keys to success for runners (and really anyone for that matter).

Our runner of the week is Chris Brogan, a business owner who uses running as a way to challenge himself and lead a healthier lifestyle. Chris specifically discusses:

• Being a Runner at 300+ pounds
• The surprising challenge he incurred at his one and only marathon and how he overcame it
• Why he has cut his mileage back
• What he enjoys about Spartan Races
• How Keep.Google.com helps him keep track of affirmations and the training that goes along with reaching his goals
• Mark Rippitoe and strength training for runners
• How Mark trains on the road
• Why he isn’t doing anything into the ground anymore
• Why you "have to play to win"
• Why to commit
• How he is going for a six pack instead of a keg

Our Go-to Real Food Dietitian, Serena Marie, RD, dives in deep about why to eat a nutrient-dense diet and specifically addresses:

• Why to choose a nutrient-dense diet instead of a fat adapted diet
• The simple carbs Serena recommends for performance such as raw honey, rice cakes and raisins
• Why use fat for fuel
• Why males and women with conditions such as PCOS can do well on a high-fat diet
• How to train for a high-fat diet 7-10 days before a race
• Why less than 100 g of carbs can wreak havoc on the body
• What are great sources of fat and sugar for a race which includes Coconut Manna placed in small plastic bags, honey stingers (caffeinated gel, not wafers), Jason’s nut butters, plantains in palm oil, honey roasted nuts (this has worked for me in the past), and sushi rice with bacon or coconut oil with honey
• Why Serena recommends Strong & Kind bars over Kind bars (we especially like the Thai Sweet Chili Flavor)
• How to read a nutrition label on fuel bars
• If you do better with liquids, have home made bone broth with coconut water and honey
• Why we’re big fans of ENERGYbits, how it helps prevent sugar lows, the nitric oxide in the bits which helps with fatigue, and how to use the before, during and after the run
• A Plan B to ENERGYbits, which doesn’t have nitric oxide to help prevent fatigue is Great Lakes Collagen

You can check out Serena's blog post about today's episode HERE.

As requested, Serena and I discuss how our training for the Chicago and NYC Marathons is coming along. We have a special “promotion” going this week to encourage you to help Action for Healthy Kids feed more kids with healthy school breakfast and lunch programs and provide fitness equipment. It’s DUMP YOUR CHANGE CUP WEEK!!!! Simply go to your local bank, get a picture of you dumping your coins and collecting your cash, then please visit:

https://donate.actionforhealthykids.org/events/kari-serena-run-new-york-city-chicago/e46192

and donate your cash. Our goal is to raise $250 by next week. I know we can do it!  Email us a picture at http://www.therunninglifestyle.com/contact/ and we’ll post it on our Facebook page and blog. Every penny counts. The kids and us thank you in advance.

Products Discussed in depth:
ElliptiGo
ENERGYbits input "RUNLIFE" to receive a 25% discount on all products at checkout
Honey Stingers
Strong & Kind Bars, Sweet Chili Flavor
Strong Bars, Madagascar Vanilla
Great Lakes Collagen

Contact:

Meb Keflezighi:

Website: MarathonMeb.com
Facebook: /MarathonMeb
Twitter: @runmeb
Instagram: @runmeb

Chris Brogan:

Website: ChrisBrogan.com
Business: Owner Media Group
Twitter: @chrisbrogan

Serena Marie, RD:

Website: www.SerenaMarieRD.com
Facebook: /SerenaMarieRD
Twitter: @SerenaMarieRD
Instagram: SerenaMarieRD