From Couch to Marathons
/
Dave Porfiri is a good friend who I met through producing the Fitness Truth show. Dave is a television producer too and we actually shot a Fitness Truth episode on his first few days at the RRL. (Watch it HERE) Since then, Dave has taken off and never looked back. He has run over 35 races including a life goal of a Marathon and a couple of back to back Tough Mudders. I caught up with Dave to ask him some questions about how it is all going.
Hey Dave,
How many marathons and other races have you run so far?
I'VE RUN SIX MARATHONS AND OVER 30 RACES OF SHORTER DISTANCES.
Impressive!, Tell us about your transformation. Where were you athletically and how did you make the big change?
TWO YEARS AGO I DECIDED TO GET OFF THE COUCH, LARGELY DUE TO YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT. ALTHOUGH I WAS NOT REALLY OVERWEIGHT AT THAT TIME, MY FITNESS WAS SORELY LACKING. FOR SEVERAL YEARS THE ONLY EXERCISE I HAD DONE WAS BRISK WALKING THREE MORNINGS A WEEK. IN RETROSPECT IT WAS PRETTY LAME, BUT I GUESS IT WAS BETTER THAN NOTHING. GETTING INVOLVED WITH THE RRL AND CROSSFIT WAS A MAJOR LIFE CHANGE FOR ME. I DOVE IN HEAD FIRST TO SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN AND THE TURNING POINT FOR ME WAS
PARTICIPATING IN MY FIRST ATHLETIC EVENT SINCE MY SCHOOL DAYS. IT WAS A LOCAL OBSTACLE RACE AND CROSSFIT CHALLENGE CALLED THE HELLBENDER. I WAS ON A TEAM WITH TWO OTHER RRL MEMBERS AND I WAS VERY WORRIED ABOUT NOT LETTING THEM DOWN BECAUSE I KNEW THEIR FITNESS WAS SO MUCH BETTER THAN MINE. BUT THEY WERE VERY SUPPORTIVE AND WE ENDED UP COMPLETING THE DAY'S EVENTS IN A RESPECTABLE FASHION. THAT GAVE ME TREMENDOUS CONFIDENCE. ABOUT A MONTH LATER, I RAN MY FIRST 5K RACE AND STILL HAD LINGERING WORRIES ABOUT BEING ABLE TO FINISH IT. I FINISHED IN DECENT TIME AND I HAVEN'T LOOKED BACK SINCE. INCLUDING THE SIX MARATHONS, I'VE RUN OVER 35 RACES SINCE THEN - 5K'S, 8K'S 10K'S, 15K'S, HALF MARATHONS AND OBSTACLE RACES. I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT I'M AT A POINT NOW WITH ALL THE SHORTER RACES THAT I AM PRETTY MUCH SETTING A NEW PERSONAL RECORD EVERY TIME I RACE.
What was your inspiration?
MY INSPIRATION TO GET OFF THE COUCH WAS MULTI-FACETED. IT REALLY STARTED WITH YOU MAKING THE SIMPLE INVITATION TO JOIN THE RRL. YOU NEVER ONCE MADE ME FEEL UNWORTHY BUT TO THE CONTRARY, YOU CONVINCED ME THAT IF I PUT IN THE TIME, I COULD TRANSFORM MY LIFE. I WAS ALSO INSPIRED BY THE FACT THAT I WANT TO REMAIN VERY ACTIVE AS I AGE. I'M 46 AND HAVE TWO PRE-TEEN DAUGHTERS. I WANT TO BE AROUND FOR THEIR WEDDINGS AND FOR ANY GRANDKIDS THAT COME ALONG. I DON'T WANT TO BE SITTING IN A CHAIR WATCHING TV IN MY 70'S AND 80'S. AT THAT AGE, I STILL WANT TO BE RUNNING, HIKING AND OTHERWISE VERY ACTIVE. BUT IT STARTS NOW. I FEEL LIKE RIGHT NOW EVERYTHING I AM DOING IS LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR MY HEALTH AND FITNESS FOR THE LAST THIRD OF MY LIFE. AS FOR ONE LAST THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT HAS INSPIRED ME, I LIKE TO TELL PEOPLE THAT I AM GOING THROUGH A MID-LIFE CRISIS BUT CHANNELING THE ANXIETY IN A POSITIVE DIRECTION. INSTEAD OF HAVING AN AFFAIR OR CHANGING CAREERS, I AM FOCUSING ON BECOMING A LEGITIMATE ATHLETE.
It is easy to say you are going to make a change, easy to start working toward a goal, but in your case, you have committed and surpassed your goals only to make new ones, even more aggressive ones. What do you attribute this to?
I'M A VERY GOAL-ORIENTED PERSON. ALWAYS HAVE BEEN. I'M HIGHLY MOTIVATED BY SETTING GOALS AND ACHIEVING THEM. I GET BORED VERY EASILY, SO I MUST HAVE GOALS. I STARTED OUT JUST WANTING TO RUN MY FIRST SHORT RACE, BUT OVER TIME THE GOALS EVOLVED INTO WANTING TO RUN FASTER AND TO RUN LONGER RACES. I WILL KEEP DOING WHAT I'M DOING AS LONG AS I KEEP SETTING GOALS AND ACHIEVING THEM. ON THE FLIP SIDE, IT CAN BE VERY DISCOURAGING TO SET A GOAL AND TO FAIL. LUCKILY, THAT HAS NOT HAPPENED A LOT TO ME YET, BUT WHEN IT DOES HAPPEN, I START QUESTIONING MY TRAINING AND MOTIVATION AND I TRY TO ANALYZE WHAT WENT WRONG. IN MOST CASES, I SIMPLY SET A GOAL THAT WAS NOT REALISTIC.
Tell us why you selected a marathon as your goal originally?
I'VE ALWAYS BEEN FASCINATED WITH THE MARATHON EVERY SINCE I WAS A KID GROWING UP IN MIAMI. IN 1981, MY MOM TOOK ME TO SEE THE ORANGE BOWL MARATHON. I STILL REMEMBER HOW SURREAL IT WAS GETTING UP BEFORE DAWN AND SEEING ALL THESE PEOPLE LINING UP ON THE STARTING LINE. I ACTUALLY MADE A LITTLE SUPER-8 MOVIE ABOUT THE RACE AND MY MOM DROVE ME AROUND TO DIFFERENT VANTAGE POINTS SO WE COULD TRACK THE PROGRESS OF THE WHOLE RACE. AT ONE POINT WE ACTUALLY DROVE ON THE STREET BEHIND THE LEAD RUNNER'S POLICE ESCORT AND I GOT SHOTS HANGING OUT THE WINDOW! ANYWAY, THAT EXPERIENCE WAS ALWAYS IN THE BACK OF MY MIND AND OVER THE YEARS I THOUGHT ONE DAY IT MIGHT BE COOL TO TRY RUNNING A MARATHON BUT I NEVER REALLY CONSIDERED MYSELF WORTHY. AT ONE POINT IN THE MID-90'S WHEN I WAS LIVING IN LOS ANGELES, A FRIEND OF MINE STARTED TRAINING FOR A MARATHON AND INVITED ME TO GO TO SOME OF HIS SPEED WORKOUTS. I TRIED THAT A FEW TIMES BUT I QUICKLY GOT BORED. AT THAT TIME IN MY LIFE I WAS MUCH MORE INTERESTED IN HIKING AND BACKPACKING OUT IN THE WILDERNESS AND THAT ACTUALLY KEPT ME PRETTY FIT. I DIDN'T REALLY HAVE THE TIME TO DEDICATE TO RUNNING. FLASH FORWARD TWENTY YEARS AND I FELT I WAS FINALLY AT A GOOD POINT IN MY LIFE TO MAKE THE KIND OF TIME INVESTMENT REQUIRED FOR PROPER MARATHON TRAINING. I HAVE TO SAY I DIDN'T SET OUT WITH THE MARATHON AS A GOAL INITIALLY BUT RATHER FOCUSED ON SHORTER RACES. ONE BY ONE, AS I RAN THOSE SHORTER RACES, MY CONFIDENCE AND FITNESS INCREASED TO THE POINT THAT I WAS READY TO TACKLE A MARATHON. THE TURNING POINT WAS MEMORIAL DAY OF LAST YEAR WHEN I COMPLETED MY FIRST HALF MARATHON. I WAS ABLE TO FINISH THAT WITHOUT STOPPING AND THAT GAVE ME THE FINAL MOTIVATION I NEEDED TO FOCUS ON A MARATHON.
What additional training did you do while working toward the first marathon?
LOTS OF CROSS FIT AND DEDICATED OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING TRAINING WITH A LOCAL STRENGTH COACH. ON SATURDAYS, I PARTICIPATED IN GROUP RUNS WITH THE LOCAL TRACK CLUB. THERE'S A GUY THERE, BILL BROCK, WHO HAS BEEN VERY ENCOURAGING. HE ALONG WITH YOU AND STEVE FAUER, MY STRENGTH COACH, HAVE SEVERAL THINGS IN COMMON. YOU ARE ALL NON-JUDGMENTAL AND MATTER-OF-FACT ABOUT WHAT I NEED TO DO TO ACHIEVE MY GOALS. ALSO, YOU ARE ALL GOOD AT JUST GIVING LITTLE NODS OF ENCOURAGEMENT ALONG THE WAY. THAT IS THE KEY FOR ME. JUST TO HAVE SOMEONE TELL YOU 'YES, YOU CAN DO IT' IS GREAT MOTIVATION. I DON'T KNOW IF I WOULD HAVE EVEN ATTEMPTED THE FIRST MARATHON WITHOUT THE CONTINUING ENCOURAGEMENT OF YOU GUYS AND MY FELLOW ATHLETES. LATELY, I'VE ALSO GOTTEN TO KNOW A LOCAL RETIRED HIGH SCHOOL TRACK COACH, VAN TOWNSEND, AND HE TOO HAS BEEN A GREAT INSPIRATION AS I WORK ON IMPROVING MY TIME AND MY RUNNING FORM. WHEN I GO TO HIS SPEED WORKOUTS, I AM DEFINITELY THE SLOWEST PERSON THERE AND MOST OF THE OTHER RUNNERS ARE HALF MY AGE, BUT VAN DOESN'T TREAT ME ANY DIFFERENTLY. IN HIS EYES, I'M AN ATHLETE WORKING ON A PERSONAL GOAL AND I'M NO LESS IMPORTANT THAN THE FASTER PEOPLE THERE, AND THAT REALLY MEANS A LOT TO ME.
What are your new fitness goals?
RIGHT NOW I AM VERY FOCUSED ON IMPROVING MY MARATHON TIME. THERE ARE GUYS MUCH OLDER THAN ME RUNNING FASTER MARATHONS, SO I KNOW ITS IN MY REACH TO GET THERE. I ALSO LOVE OBSTACLE RACES. I JUST DID TWO TOUGH MUDDERS ON BACK TO BACK WEEKENDS AND I WANT TO TRY ALL THE OTHER ONES OUT THERE. THOSE ARE APPEALING BECAUSE THEY ARE OBVIOUSLY MUCH MORE ABOUT TOTAL BODY FITNESS AND I DON'T WANT TO BECOME TOO ONE DIMENSIONAL. THE STEREOTYPE OF THE DISTANCE RUNNER IS A VERY THIN, ALMOST SICKLY LOOKING PERSON. I DON'T WANT TO BE THAT AND THAT IS WHY I CONTINUE TO BE RELIGIOUS ABOUT WEIGHT TRAINING. LUCKILY, MY STRENGTH COACH IS CUSTOMIZING MY TRAINING SO THAT I CONTINUE TO GAIN POWER, SPEED AND STRENGTH, BUT I DON'T BULK UP TOO MUCH. I LOVE CROSSFIT TOO AND WANT TO CONTINUE WITH THAT BUT IT HAS BECOME A HUGH CHALLENGE FOR ME TO CONTINUE THAT WITH THE SAME INTENSITY I HAD INITIALLY WHILE ALSO RUNNING HIGH MILEAGE WEEKS. I HAVE LEARNED MORE AND MORE THAT REST AND RECOVERY IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL FOR ME. I USED TO FEEL GUILTY ABOUT TAKING A DAY OFF, BUT NOW I AM THE OPPOSITE. I'VE BECOME VERY GOOD AT READING MY BODY AND I JUST KNOW WHEN I NEED TO TAKE A DAY OR TWO OFF. I COME BACK STRONGER AND BETTER THAN BEFORE WHEN I DO THAT. WHEN I DON'T LISTEN TO MY BODY AND PUSH TOO HARD, I SOMETIMES GET SICK OR REALIZE THAT WHAT I'M DOING IS COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE AND I'M NOT MAKING ANY PROGRESS.
What advice do you have for someone that is in a similar situation to you before you made the transition?
LOOK FOR INSPIRATION AND LATCH ONTO IT. IF IT IS NOT COMING FROM WITHIN, THAN LOOK FOR EXTERNAL INSPIRATION. DO IT FOR YOUR KIDS OR YOUR SPOUSE. KNOW THAT YOUR DAY-TO-DAY QUALITY OF LIFE WILL IMPROVE IMMENSELY IF YOU COMMIT TO FITNESS, NOT TO MENTION THAT YOU WILL GAIN CONFIDENCE. IN AN EVER AND FAST-CHANGING WORLD, CONFIDENCE CAN BE IN SHORT SUPPLY. WE ARE ALL BOMBARDED WITH CHALLENGES IN OUR LIVES AND WE CAN ALL USE ALL THE SELF-CONFIDENCE WE CAN MUSTER TO GET THROUGH THE DAY-TO-DAY GRIND.
ALSO, JUST MAKING A COMMITMENT TO A PARTICULAR RACE IS A GREAT MOTIVATOR. ONCE I DECIDED I WAS GOING TO RUN MY FIRST 5K, I HAD SOMETHING TO TRAIN FOR THAT WAS CONCRETE. FOR ME, TRAINING FOR THE SAKE OF TRAINING IS VERY HARD. WHEN I'M TRAINING, I WANT TO BE THINKING ABOUT WHAT MY NEXT SPECIFIC GOAL IS. IT COULD BE TO TRY SOMETHING NEW, LIKE A NEW OBSTACLE RACE OR TO IMPROVE MY TIME ON MY NEXT 10K.
What have you learned about gear, shoes, pre and post race diet, training…etc?
I'M STILL LEARNING A LOT ABOUT THESE THINGS AND IT IS CLEAR THAT THERE IS NO CONSENSUS. THERE'S A LOT OF MARKETING HYPE OUT THERE AND IT CAN BE VERY FRUSTRATING TO SORT THROUGH ALL THE BS AND FIND OUT WHAT THE TRUE SCIENCE IS. SO, I READ A TON AND TRY TO ARM MYSELF WITH AS MUCH INFORMATION FROM AS MANY DIFFERENT SOURCES AS POSSIBLE. I'M WEARY OF 'DRINKING THE KOOL-AID' OF ONE PARTICULAR PHILOSOPHY TO THE DETRIMENT OF ALL OTHER OPTIONS. I THINK THERE IS SOMETHING POSITIVE YOU CAN TAKE FROM JUST ABOUT ANY DIET OR TRAINING PHILOSOPHY. RIGHT NOW, MY DIET IS CARB-HEAVY BECAUSE OF ALL THE RUNNING I'M DOING. I REALIZE THAT IS A NO-NO IN SOME CIRCLES, BUT IT WORKS FOR ME AND I'VE MANAGED TO LOSE SOME WEIGHT IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS. I'M BIG ON POST-WORKOUT RECOVERY DRINKS WITH CARBS AND PROTEIN. I'VE FOUND THAT WHEN I DON'T DO THAT, I'M DEFINITELY MORE SORE THAN USUAL THE NEXT DAY. PRE-RACE AND DURING RACE NUTRITION IS SOMETHING I'M STILL EXPERIMENTING WITH. I DON'T THINK I'VE FOUND THE BEST STRATEGY FOR ME. I HIT THE WALL HARD EVERY TIME IN MY MARATHON RUNNING, EVEN WHEN TAKING GEL PACKS WHILE RUNNING. I HAVE BEEN TRAINING ON AN EMPTY STOMACH ON PURPOSE, EVEN ON MY LONG RUN DAYS. I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS TO TRY TO TRAIN MY BODY TO BE MORE EFFICIENT AT BURNING FAT, BUT NOW I'M BEGINNING TO THINK THAT I NEED TO DO THE LONGER RUNS WITH SOME KIND OF PRE-RUN NUTRITION AS WELL AS NUTRITION DURING THE RUN ITSELF. I'VE RECENTLY READ ON SOME BLOGS THAT THE STOMACH WILL SHUT DOWN IN A LONG RUN TO HELP THE BODY FOCUS ON THE RUN ITSELF, MAKING GEL PACKS USELESS. THIS PROBABLY EXPLAINS WHY THEY HAVEN'T REALLY WORKED FOR ME. BUT SUPPOSEDLY, THAT CAN CHANGE BY TRAINING WITH THE GEL PACKS. SO THAT IS SOMETHING I'M PROBABLY GOING TO EXPERIMENT WITH. FOR ALL THE RACE DISTANCES, I'VE BEEN MAKING GREAT SPEED GAINS LATELY EXCEPT FOR THE MARATHON BECAUSE OF THE GLYCOGEN DEPLETION PROBLEM.
AS FOR GEAR, I'M RUNNING WITH ZERO DROP ALTRA SHOES. INITIALLY, THEY CAUSED ME A LOT OF ANKLE PAIN, BUT THANKFULLY THAT HAS GRADUALLY SUBSIDED. I WORE OUT THE FIRST PAIR AND AM JUST BREAKING IN A NEW PAIR. THEY ARE DEFINITELY NOT CUSHY SOFT SHOES. YOU DEFINITELY FEEL EVERY POUNDING STEP WHEN YOU RUN IN THEM, BUT I BELIEVE THERE IS A LOT OF SOUNDNESS IN THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THE SHOES. AS FOR OTHER RUNNING GEAR, I WAS WEARING COMPRESSION SHORTS BUT STOPPED DOING THAT IN THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS. I'M NOT SURE WHY, BUT I JUST PREFER RUNNING IN STANDARD RUNNING SHORTS AND I DEFINITELY DON'T THINK MY SPEED HAS SUFFERED.
What injuries, if any, have you encountered?
THANKFULLY NONE AND I ATTRIBUTE THAT MAINLY TO THE STRENGTH TRAINING THAT I HAVE BEEN VERY CONSISTENTLY DOING FOR TWO YEARS. YOU CAN'T BEAT THE FLEXIBILITY AND MUSCLE DENSITY THAT YOU DEVELOP IN A WELL-RUN OLYMPIC STRENGTH TRAINING PROGRAM. ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO, I BRUISED MY SHIN ON A FAILED BOX JUMP DURING A CROSSFIT WORKOUT. I WENT TO THE ER BECAUSE I FEARED THAT I MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN A STRESS FRACTURE. WHEN THEY X-RAYED ME, THE ER DOC TOLD ME THAT HE WAS AMAZED AT MY BONE DENSITY AND THAT HE HAD NEVER SEEN ANYONE MY AGE WITH SUCH STRONG BONES. TO ME, THAT WAS A BIG ENDORSEMENT TO CONTINUE WITH THE WEIGHT TRAINING.
I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY DISCOURAGING IF I GOT HURT. I'VE BEEN SICK A FEW TIMES (USUALLY WHEN I'VE STRAINED MY IMMUNE SYSTEM TO ITS LIMITS BY OVER-DOING IT) AND THAT WAS BAD ENOUGH. THERE'S NOTHING MORE FRUSTRATING FOR ME THAN TO BE CONSTRAINED FROM WORKING OUT FOR LONGER THAN TWO DAYS. WHEN I HAVE TO WAIT A WEEK OR MORE TO RECOVER FROM AN ILLNESS, IT IS AGONY FOR ME.
How did you overcome these injuries?
BOUNCING BACK FROM ILLNESS IS ALWAYS A BUMMER BECAUSE I DEFINITELY LOSE CARDIO FITNESS AND HAVE TO WORK REALLY HARD TO GET IT BACK. NOT SO BAD WITH STRENGTH FITNESS THOUGH.
What advice do you give someone getting ready to run their first marathon?
RUN A TRIAL MARATHON FIRST. IF YOUR GOAL IS A JANUARY MARATHON, RUN ONE IN OCTOBER AS A TEST. I THINK THERE IS A LOT OF VALUE TO DEMYSTIFYING THE MARATHON. THERE IS A LOT OF SPECTACLE WITH ALL THE PEOPLE INVOLVED AND IT CAN REALLY CONTRIBUTE TO PRE-RACE JITTERS. IF YOU DO A TRIAL MARATHON BEFORE YOUR "REAL" ONE, YOU CAN ELIMINATE A LOT OF THOSE QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ABOUT WHAT THE RACE WILL BE LIKE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO FINISH IT. JUST RUN ONE TO SEE HOW YOU DO IN RACE DAY CONDITIONS. IF YOU FINISH IT, SO MUCH THE BETTER. THAT IS ESSENTIALLY WHAT I DID. I HAD THE GOAL OF A JANUARY RACE AND DECIDED ON A WHIM TO RUN ONE IN OCTOBER JUST TO SEE HOW I WAS PROGRESSING IN MY TRAINING. AT THAT POINT, MY LONGEST RUN HAD ONLY BEEN 18 MILES. I WOULD HAVE BEEN HAPPY TO HAVE RUN AS FAR AS I COULD DURING THE RACE AND DROP OUT, BUT I JUST KEPT GRINDING AWAY AND I WAS ABLE TO FINISH IT. IT WAS A SLOW TIME TO BE SURE, BUT IT GAVE ME A TREMENDOUS CONFIDENCE BOOST, SO MUCH SO THAT I DECIDED TO RUN ANOTHER RACE THE NEXT MONTH AND IN THAT ONE, I WAS ABLE TO IMPROVE MY TIME BY TEN MINUTES. THE THIRD ONE I RAN WAS THE "REAL" ONE I HAD BEEN TRAINING FOR ALL ALONG AND I WAS ABLE TO IMPROVE MY TIME BY ANOTHER 30 MINUTES! SO, IT WAS DEFINITELY NOT A CONVENTIONAL MARATHON TRAINING STRATEGY, BUT FOR ME, IT WORKED.
Have you done any other events recently?
What did you think about it?
I JUST FINISHED TWO TOUGH MUDDERS IN EIGHT DAYS - NOT SOMETHING I RECOMMEND FOR ANYONE. I'M REALLY SORE RIGHT NOW AND HAVE SCRAPES AND BRUISERS EVERYWHERE, BUT IT WAS FUN AND CRAZY. THE RUNNING PART OF THE MUDDER IS PROBABLY THE EASIEST THING FOR ME OBVIOUSLY - ITS TEN MILES. THE BIGGER CHALLENGE WERE THE THINGS THAT REQUIRE UPPER BODY STRENGTH - THE MONKEY BARS, THE WALL CLIMBS, HAND WALKS, ETC. I WAS ABLE TO CONQUER EVERY OBSTACLE HOWEVER, THANKS AGAIN TO MY CONTINUING OLYMPIC STRENGTH TRAINING. TWO YEARS AGO, I NEVER COULD HAVE ATTEMPTED ANYTHING LIKE A TOUGH MUDDER. NOW HONESTLY, IT WASN'T THAT PHYSICALLY CHALLENGING - MORE OF A MENTAL CHALLENGE THAN ANYTHING ELSE. WHEN YOU HAVE TO DO OBSTACLES CALLED "THE ARCTIC ENEMA," "ELECTROSHOCK THERAPY," AND "FIRE IN YOUR HOLE," IT CAN BE A LITTLE INTIMIDATING. BUT IN RETROSPECT, NO OFFENSE TO MUDDERS OUT THERE, A MARATHON IS A LOT HARDER.
What are you training for now?
AFTER I REST A FEW DAYS, I'LL GET BACK INTO THE GRIND OF MY TWENTY WEEK MARATHON TRAINING PROGRAM THAT I'M CURRENTLY DOING. MY NEXT MARATHON WILL BE IN OCTOBER AND I HAVE A SPECIFIC TIME GOAL. BETWEEN NOW AND THEN, I'M GOING TO CONTINUE TO RUN AS MANY SHORTER RACES I CAN. I'LL PROBABLY END UP RUNNING 3-4 5K'S, A COUPLE OF 10K'S, MAYBE ONE HALF AND AN OBSTACLE RACE.
Thanks Dave! Great story!
