The Fitness Buff Show

The popularity of obstacle races has soared in the last 18 months, to the point where 2 million people will participate in 2012. With the increased numbers has come a concern about safety. In April, 30-year-old Tony Weathers, by all accounts a very fit athlete and strong swimmer, drowned during the Original Mud Run near Dallas. The November issue of Men's Health magazine chronicles what happened to Weathers and examines the safety of obstacle races. Men's Health editor Ben Court joins us in this episode of The Fitness Buff Show.

One of the more interesting concepts in the sport of obstacle mud racing is "Hero Rush," a 5K race created by firefighters. Taking a page from firefighter training, Hero Rush mimics the actual challenges firefighters must perform on an everyday basis as part of their jobs. Hero Rush, now a national series, stages its last event of the year Nov. 3 in Ocala, Florida, but already has a dozen races on the docket for 2013. We speak to Hero Rush event director Stuart Kaul during this edition of The Fitness Buff Show.

Given the number of obstacle races that have sprung up in the last year, it's a bold statement to call yourself "The Baddest Mud Run." But Daniel LaPlaca, the event organizer, believes he's put together a killer race in Brooksville, Fla., on Nov. 3-4 that will stand out in the crowd. LaPlaca joins us in this episode to preview the event that will crown "The Baddest Mudder."

T.J. Murphy was 47, newly divorced, depressed, and pondering a knee replacement, the results of a lifetime of running. That's when he walked into a CrossFit "box" in Southern California. As an endurance sports journalist, he was a little skeptical of this gritty, sinewy world of Spartan gyms and tattooed Millennials. Soon he was a CrossFit devotee who no longer needed a knee replacement. In his new book Inside the Box, Murphy chronicles the meteoric rise of CrossFit and how it transformed his body and his life.

Obstacle racing has taken over the endurance sports world, upstaging running, triathlon, and everything else. Is it just a fad or a new category? In this episode we speak with Randy Yoho about his Mud Endeavor, a new obstacle mud race coming to Brooksville, Florida on Oct. 6.

Given the number of obstacle races that have sprung up in the last year, it's a bold statement to call yourself "The Baddest Mud Run." But Daniel LaPlaca, the event organizer, believes he's put together a killer race in Brooksville, Fla., on Nov. 3-4 that will stand out in the crowd. LaPlaca joins us in this episode to preview the event that will crown "The Baddest Mudder."

Shelby Chesnes is a surfer, stand-up paddleboarder, and all-around fitness and nutrition buff. "Growing up in (Jupiter) Florida, I was always outdoors," says the 21-year-old, who is Playboy's Miss July. "After graduation, I became obsessed with exercise and nutrition, so now I work out almost every day. It makes me happy and helps me feel good about my body and myself." Chesnes, a budding entrepreneur who opeates a mobile spray tanning business, joins us in this edition of The Fitness Buff Show.  

A lot of triathletes have attempted an Ironman, but how many have tried to do two triathlons in one day? Triathletes in Central Florida will have that opportunity on July 28 when two sprint triathlons take place 100 miles apart. The Top Gun Triathlon, which takes place at beautiful Fort De Soto Park in St. Petersburg, has a typical early morning start time. The Twilight Triathlon, which is held in Crystal River, begins at 7:30 p.m. The races usually take place a week apart but due to a quirk in Leap Year scheduling coincide this year. The races have joined forces to encourage athletes to attempt the "Sunrise Sunset Triathlon." Chris Mohling, race director for the Twilight Triathlon, joins us in this episode to discuss this unusual triathlon doubleheader.

Obstacle racing continues to be the fastest-growing segment of the endurance sports industry. In this episode, we speak with Adam Morejon, race director for the Hog Wild Mud Run, which takes place July 21 in Dover, Florida, not far from Tampa. Morejon, part of a longtime triathlete family, previews the race, which includes age group awards, a free kids' race, and several signature events.

In his new book MIND OVER BUSINESS, sports performance psychologist Ken Baum (along with writer Bob Andelman) explains how to reach peak performance in business and in life through Baum's Mental Edge techniques, which include positive thinking, visualization, and goal-setting. Using concrete exercises that instill a lasting drive, readers are able to maximize their education and experience to discover talents they didn't know they had. Baum joins us in this episode.

The Spartan Death Race is perhaps the most challenging event in endurance sports. Participants have no idea how long the race will last - the 2011 event took 45 hours - or even exactly when it will start. Only 20 percent of the field finishes and the challenges are grueling. Last year's event began with athletes squatting with 10 to 30-pound rocks...for six hours. At one point they had to carry 40-pound logs for 24 hours. Only 35 of 155 starters were left standing when it was called - including two Florida women who appeared on this show beforehand. This year, two young men from South Florida - Cyrus Writer and Chris Karagianis - join us to talk about their preparations for this year's Death Race, which takes place June 15 in Pittsfield, Vermont.

Since the launch of her influential health website, HealthyTippingPoint.com in 2009, twenty-eight year old Caitlin Boyle has cemented her place as one of the most prominent health and wellness bloggers on the web. Receiving more than 800,000 hits a month, HealthyTippingPoint.com attracts women of all ages seeking Caitlin's helpful tips to better eating, wellness, and living the best life possible. Her tips for great living now can be found in the new book Healthy Tipping Point: A Powerful Program for a Stronger, Happier You. The perfect motivational guide to lifelong wellness, Healthy Tipping Point incorporates how-to tips, recipes and inspiration to reaching one's own tipping point toward a lifetime of health and happiness. Caitlin Boyle joins us on this episode of The Fitness Buff Show.

You might think the world's biggest triathlon club comes out of San Diego or Hawaii. But the St. Pete Mad Dogs actually hail from the Tampa Bay, Florida area and on May 18-20 will host the 27th annual Madeira Beach Triathlon. In this episode, we'll speak with longtime Mad Dogs president Tim Hudson about the team and the upcoming race.

Matt Miller had no business being alive. In November of 2008, the 20-year-old University of Virginia student went for a long bike ride near Charlottesville with two buddies and collided headfirst with an oncoming Porsche. He landed on his face, crushing every bone in his face, essentially losing all of his teeth, and experiencing severe brain trauma. Only through a remarkable chain of events did he make it alive to the hospital, where doctors gave him little chance to live. If he did, they figured, he was looking at years of rehab and likely brain damage. Instead, Miller walked out of the hospital in three weeks, aced a physics exam, and two years later completed Ironman Cozumel - during his first semester of medical school. Michael Vitez, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer, chronicles Miller's story in the adrenaline-charged book The Road Back. Vitez joins us in this episode.

Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove have redefined the rules of training in their terrific "New Rules of Lifting" series. Now they've teamed up once again for "The New Rules of Lifting for Life," which shows you have you can get the most from your strength training regardless of age. Lou, a longtime friend of the program, joins us four minutes into this episode.