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Ken: Hello everybody, we’ve got Brad Anderson on the line and we’re really excited to interview him. He’s one of our first interviews for this year and we were trying to look for a story about a runner in Utah that would inspire you and motivate you as you look forward to 2012 and setting your goals and working toward those goals in 2012. We feel that Brad is a great story and it’s inspiring to us. We hope that you will be inspired as well. Brad, thanks for doing the interview with us.

Brad: Good to be here.

Ken: Maybe to start out, could you give the utahrunning.com community a bit of background about how you started with running, and maybe some of the highlights from your high school career?

Brad: My dad was a runner and really as long as I can remember I wanted to be a runner. I thought it was cool. We’d go to some of his races and I was just kind of faster than a lot of kids my age. I’m drawn to it.

My first race was either a quarter-mile or half-mile road race in Liberty, Utah. I won it and I was hooked from then on. Growing up, I was never pushed to train. I’d do some 5Ks here and there and kind of kept winning my age group. I thought that was cool.

Then when I got into high school a funny thing happened. All the other kids catch up to you but I was regional champ my freshman year and placed in state. I was a 2A runner. Working through that I won some more regional titles. Kind of a highlight for me was my first state title my junior year. It had been a goal for such a long time so I actually won my first state title. That was probably one of my biggest highlight because of the hard work and all my goals had paid off. That’s a brief rundown of my running career when I was younger.

Ken: Which event did you win the state title?

Brad: I won the half mile and the mile. My first was the mile. My second was two miles. I should have won that one too but you know how it goes.

Ken: You started out having some great experiences with running, some fun experiences in high school and won a couple of state titles it sounds like, mile and you were in an accident. Would you mind sharing about that experience with us?

Brad: I was coming into my senior year. Over the summer I’d gotten faster than I’d ever been. One of my main goals was to take state in cross country. My two previous seasons I was sick at state and didn’t finish very well. My goal was to take state. I was faster than ever and really excited.

About a week into school my senior year there was a football game. After it they had movies at the seminary building so I was hanging out there. Some people hit me up about going down to Ogden to a Taco Maker. I wasn’t going to go but a girl — girls in general had a hold on me, if you will. I go down and get me a taco, so I said sure. I went to get in one car but there wasn’t enough room to buckle so I got into a different car.

Next thing I remember I woke up in the hospital but essentially going down Weaver Canyon we overcorrected right by the power station. The car rolled and kind of rolled down the driveway there at the power station. They said my head hit the road at 75 miles an hour and also hit a pole.

Things weren’t that great. They didn’t think I would be alive for my parents to make it to the hospital. That first night I wasn’t supposed to live through the night. The next few days they didn’t think I was going to live after that. Who knows maybe a coma.

All the news my parents got was not good. I’d never be able to live on my own again, things like that. Then after a week or so in there things kind of turned around for me. Instead of nothing happening, things started to go in the right direction.

My injuries were traumatic brain injury, which there is no cure for a brain injury. You just deal with it and your brain will learn how to do things again. After a few weeks I woke up from the coma. All the muscle in my left side had lost its memory so I couldn’t talk, couldn’t eat, couldn’t walk, and couldn’t move my left arm at all.

At that time I was moved to the University of Utah where I had to learn to walk again. My biggest question every day to therapist was will I run again. They’d say we don’t know. At the time I didn’t realize how serious my injuries were. I remember first thinking I’ll be out in time for state cross country, I’ll take state. I was like I’ll take state and set state records in track.

As time went on I sort of learned that maybe I wasn’t going to be out in time because it was more serious. But my goal was to run again. The longer things went on the more I realized I might not run again. I was optimistic but I made up my mind that if I wasn’t going to run again it was not because of anything I did, like I didn’t work hard enough in physical therapy or didn’t try again. I was realistic about it. I knew the injuries I had but I decided I wanted to run again and was going to do anything I could to do it.

Ken: You were pretty determined. At what point did the doctors start to give you a bit of hope that the road back to running again was a possibility?

Brad: It was always we don’t know. Every day I’d ask my therapist and one day she said probably not. That was when it kind of sunk in to me that this is pretty bad. Other than the optimistic hope of you do what you can, but I never from my recollection never had “you know, you may run again.” In my medical records too, it was talking to the family that I needed to kind of understand that I may not run again.

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When changing to winter running there are a few changes that will allow you to continue training through the winter. Clothing makes a big difference. There are fabrics that will wick away moisture as you sweat and still retain your body heat. Cotton should be avoided in the winter. Once you start sweating with cotton as the sweat cools it will freeze and make you even colder. The new fabrics will retain the body heat even while wet.

Layering of clothing is important. You want to be able to take clothing off if necessary. Don’t over dress. For winter running you should be uncomfortable in the cold while standing. If you are not you are over dressed.

The head and hands, wrist area, are areas where body heat can be controlled. Having a stocking hat or ear band and gloves that you can take on and off to allow you to regulate your body temperature as you run is helpful. In very cold weather mittens work best for keeping your fingers warm.

Tights and full, three quarter, or half tights work best for allowing you to have normal leg movement and keeping the legs warm. I will have my athletes warm up in full tights and then remove layers to three quarter or half tights to run a hard workout or to race.

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The wonderful Utah spring thaw seems to have taken hold. With the mercury rising and your log boasting more miles, it is important to consider how you are fueling those miles. I am often asked how much a training athlete needs to eat in order to maintain health and boost performance. The answer, of course, depends on various factors including age, height, weight, gender, medical concerns, and training regimen; however, there are some key pointers for all training athletes to consider.

• Eat breakfast – whether you choose to eat before or after a run should depend on what you want to get out of that particular training session and what your body is telling you. If you head out the door first thing in the morning for an easy distance run (under an hour), you are safe to have some water and head out the door with breakfast planned upon your return. Should you have a more intense session planned for the morning (tempo run, long run, or interval training), your performance and energy level will benefit from a light breakfast prior to the workout. Experiment with various carbohydrate rich foods to find what works best for you. Choices may include sport drinks, toast, cereal with milk, yogurt, sport bars etc… Since this pre-run breakfast is likely a smaller meal, a recovery snack (or breakfast part II) is a post-workout MUST.
  • EXAMPLES:
    • Breakfast After light morning run: 1 ¼  c cooked oatmeal topped with almonds, banana, and blueberries. Enjoy with a cup of milk
    • Breakfast split around workout:
      • Before workout – 8oz Gatorade; slice of toast with peanut butter, banana & honey
      • Post workout – 1 ½ cups cereal with 1 cup milk, & fruit
      • Stay Hydrated – keeping yourself hydrated during the day will help you stay in better touch with your body’s signals (i.e., hunger, fatigue, thirst). Remember that your hydration status is not dependent only on water consumption. Milk, sport drinks, fruits, veggies, soups, coffee, tea, juice – all of these foods and beverages contribute to your hydration status. If your urine is light yellow and you are going several times per day, you are on the right track. Keep a water bottle with you and get into the habit of drinking with meals.
      • Hungry? Pay attention to what your body is telling you. It is easy to get busy and forget that your body actually sends messages to your brain about when to eat and when to stop eating. Snacks during the day can help curb hunger and the potential to overeat if you do get too hungry. Plan snacks to support workouts. If you workout in the afternoon, consider having a light lunch and a recovery snack after the workout. Then have dinner. If you eat before your run in the morning, maybe a light mid morning snack before lunch will help keep your hunger at bay.  No matter when you incorporate your snacks, be sure to include both carbohydrate and protein for maximum performance benefit AND better staying power (adding protein helps keep you full a bit longer, and carbohydrate will replenish the “tank” after a workout or provide fuel for an upcoming workout.)
        • SNCAK EXAMPLES:
          • Whole grain crackers or pretzels & string cheese
          • Apple or banana with peanut butter
          • Veggies with hummus
          • Sport bar
          • Yogurt with or without  1/4c granola
          • 1/3 c Nuts & dried fruit
          • toast with peanut butter/almond butter & honey
          • glass of chocolate milk (great post workout snack)
          • Packet of instant oatmeal
          • Granola
          • Fruit with string cheese
          • Recover! Remember to recover with a carbohydrate & protein rich snack within an hour (preferably within 30 minutes) after long runs and interval sessions. You will recover faster, experience less muscle soreness, and be ready to go sooner than if you wait. Check out the specific recovery article on UtahRunning.com.

So what does a typical runner’s eating plan look like? Keeping in mind that portion sizes will vary based on the considerations listed above, runners should eat breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, an afternoon or post workout snack, dinner, and then possibly an evening snack based on hunger level, training volume, and goals. Here is an example of a 2600-calorie eating plan.

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 It was good to get some more “running” time in this week.  I felt stronger and overall better on my runs.  I think a lot of it had to do with having a running buddy to talk to and take my mind off the pain during each workout.  I finally feel like the time and effort I’ve put in over the last few weeks is starting to pay off.  The human body really is amazing how it can adapt and progress from the stress that is put on it.

**Go to  http://blog.utahrunning.com/postpartum-exercise-part-2-training-plan/ for a printable version of the postpartum training plan

**See RUN UTAH’s  April/May issue page 15 “4 For Core”and  June/July issue page 17 “Simple Strengthening Exercises” for some sample strengthening exercises

WEEK 4: Nov 7-13, 2011

 Monday 11/7/11                                                                                               daily mileage: 5

• 10 minutes of brisk walking. 25 minutes of running. 10 minutes of walking.
• Strengthening exercises: bridge squeezers (30 reps), bridge thigh abductors (30 reps)
• We met up today with some friends (Riley and Amy) in St. George for a week long vacation.   I have really been looking forward to this.  By the time we made it to St. George (and because of daylight savings) it was already starting to get dark when I headed out the door for my workout.  The air was slightly chilly and my legs felt cold, but once the blood started flowing I was fine.  From the condo, there isn’t a great direction to run.  Basically, the only place to go is to run along side the busy, noisy highway.  Not ideal, but I’ll take being able to go for a workout along a crazy road without pushing kids in a jogger any day.  I did the initial brisk walk and couldn’t help but look at my watch every couple of minutes to see if it had been ten minutes yet.  My body was antsy to run.  It’s funny how even though I’ve enjoyed the brisk walking within my training plan, I don’t feel like my workout has actually begun until I’m running.  The first half of my run I felt slow and sluggish, but I was running uphill.  The way back was better.  I actually felt like I was moving at a decent pace.  The cool down walk felt good.  My hips, butt, and back felt pretty good.  I’m still feeling the pinched nerve in my butt (at least that’s what I think it is), but it seems to have gone down in intensity since last week.

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This week was my first week of walking and running.  It was nice to move a little faster, but discouraging at the same time because I am so slow.  I know I just have to be patient.  Feeling heavy and sluggish is normal at this point.  My body has some added aches and pains this week too and I found myself worrying about the possibility of never getting back to the fitness level I want to be at.  I finally decided that I can’t think about that right now.  Have to just take it one day at a time and do the things I can do each day to make myself better.  I can’t compare myself now to other times in my life when I’ve been more fit.  I can only focus on progressing from where I am right NOW!

**Go to  http://blog.utahrunning.com/postpartum-exercise-part-2-training-plan/ for a printable version of the postpartum training plan

**See RUN UTAH’s April/May issue page 15 “4 For Core” and June/July issue  page 17 “Simple Strengthening Exercises”for some sample strengthening exercises

WEEK 3: October 31-Nov 6, 2011

Monday 10/31/11 Happy Halloween                                                                                                            daily mileage: 3.95

• 25 minute run (2.85 miles/8:45 pace), 15 minute walk
• No strengthening workouts
• I dropped Raelee off at a friend’s house this morning, so I would be able to attempt a run today and only have to push Teague in the jogger.  I ran in Kaysville with myDavisHigh Schoolrunners that I coach.  It was so good to run with them…it’s been a long time.  I wasn’t planning on running as long as I did, but since I’ve been on “maternity leave” I’ve missed out on all the girls’ boy updates and they HAD to fill me in.  My left hip felt a little tight starting out, but it loosened up after a few minutes.  My stride actually felt smooth rather than awkward like I was expecting.  My lungs were burning a little bit by the end of the run, but I liked it!  During the last few months of my pregnancy my left hip was giving me problems.  It would give out on me and was especially sore when I would first get out of bed in the morning.  I felt like an old lady—no offense grandma!  I can tell now that it is my weak link in my body.  I have a little twinge in my butt that I feel every once in a while and today it seems worse.  I’m wondering if my butt muscles are really tight (not in a good way) and pinching a nerve.  My plan is to try to keep it loose (I’ve been using the foam roller most days) and continue to strengthen the area.

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This week went pretty good. I enjoyed the weather and the workouts. The highlight of my week was the hike I did on Saturday. Here is a little video of the experience: Taylor Canyon Hike

WEEK 2: October 24-30, 2011

Monday 10/24/11
Planned Workout:
• 40 minute brisk walk
• Strengthening Exercises: push ups (2 x 10 reps), triceps dips (2 x 10 reps), leg lifts (2 x 15 reps), clams (2 x 15 reps), bridge-squeezers (30 reps), bridge-thigh abductors (30 reps), side planks (hold for 30 seconds each side)

Actual Workout:
• Nada for cardio
• Strengthening exercises: lifts (2 x 15 reps), clams (2 x 15), bridge-squeezers (30 reps), bridge-thigh abductors (30 reps), side planks (30 seconds each side)
• Let’s just chalk today up as “one of those days”. The jogger still has a flat so I needed to either get up early and workout before Ken left for work or do it when he got home in the evening. Since I didn’t get much sleep last night (little Teague had a rough night), I opted to do the workout at night. We ended up having family over for dinner and by the time I could head out the door it was pitch black outside. Needless to say, it didn’t happen. Lesson learned…get workout done in the morning or it won’t happen. I did do some strengthening exercises right before bed.
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