What brought you into enduraLAB in the first place? My dad, Fred, is what brought me to the LAB initially. After running the Cowtown Marathon this spring and being a little disappointed in my results, it was clear that I needed to build up my overall strength instead of focusing only on running. Dad has been a member of the LAB for quite some time and recommended that I check it out. I think it was first a social run, then a Buds-and-Suds and I was hooked! I have really enjoyed the workouts and community, but the biggest benefit of joining the LAB is spending time and being active with my dad. I can't think of a better way to start the day.
How did you exercise before enduraLAB? I love being outside and prefer to get my exercise outdoors, but, since it’s not always feasible to workout outside, especially in the Texas heat, I have done a variety of things including CrossFIT, spinning and yoga. For the past couple of years, I have focused on running.
What healthy changes have you made since starting enduraLAB? Before joining enduraLAB, my training consisted of a speed training day, a long run day and, not always successfully, one more run a week. I wasn't incorporating any strength into the mix and my consistency varied. Since joining the LAB, I have been able to stick to a more consistent schedule to get in my workout.
Tell us what you do outside of the LAB? Outside of the LAB, I work at TCU for the Neeley School of Business, and beyond that, I am a little boy wrangler--constantly chasing my 2.5 and 5 year-old boys.
How have you grown as an athlete since joining the LAB? Physically, I feel like I have gotten so much stronger in just the few months that I have been at the LAB... I could barely do a burpee when I started! That is NOT to say that I enjoy them now, but at least I know that I can get through a workout without keeling over. Also, the structure of the workout has been a great tool to get stronger mentally as well. Training for a marathon took mental preparedness to sustain a low-level long-term discomfort. Working through the exhaustion and struggle of a really tough workout at the LAB has helped to train my mind to push through a greater but less sustained discomfort.
What is a goal you have set for yourself in the next 6 months? The next year? I'd like to run another marathon!
If there was a workout named after you, what would it consist of? Maybe a modified mini Murph with a run, some pull ups, wall balls, air-squats and some more running.
What advice would you have for a new person starting at enduraLAB? Listen to your body so you don't get hurt! It gets easier, sort of. Talk to your fellow gym mates because they are generally pretty awesome.
Where did you go to college? Sewanee: The University of the South
