Fat Kid Introduction (Mike)

Hi all - I spent most of the decade making up my 20's as a powerlifter; twice a week listening to Heavy Metal and moving as much Heavy weight as possible.  I had a couple long breaks; first when I attempted to join the Peace Corps and then again during grad school.  My powerlifting career culminated in 2010 when I attended my first ever powerlifting meet.  Unfortunately, I received bad information about the type of bench shirt I would be allowed to use and essentially had to lift raw after I had already set my weights for the meet.  Three attempts at 407lbs and none were successfull.  Regardless, I've moved on and decided to join my brother in cardio sport.

My favorite cardio sport is cycling.  I always enjoyed watching the Tour de France and I took a leap in '06 after graduate school and bought a Cannondale Synapse.  Cycling is time consuming and I haven't had the opportunity to ride as much as I'd like some years.  Some of my highlighted events include:  2-day 116 mile ride from Louisville to Lexington for MS Kentucky in 2009, 2-day 137 mile ride from Lewisburg to Snowshoe and back for MS West Virginia in 2009, and 66 mile Mountain Mamma Road Bike Challenge with 6,464 ft of vertical climb in 2009.

I've managed to get my weight down from 230lbs during my powerlifting days in 2010 to around 210lbs.  However, running continues to be a challenge for me.  I first started running races with Matt in 2008.  Back in those days I was a run/walk/run runner.  Oddly enough, my times were faster employing that method.  I'm slow, but I find it much more rewarding to run a full race from start to finish.



I've recently taken up swimming with the hope that I'll someday be able to complete triathlon events that feature swimming.  Matt and I have participated in several mini-triathlons that replace swimming with kayaking.  We actually help sponsor the Capital City Challenge (Run-Row-Ride) mini-triathlon in Charleston, WV.

Here are some of my personal highlights as of today:

Max Bench Press (Raw) - 390lbs

Max Bench Press (Shirted) - 435lbs

Longest Bike Ride - 75.43 miles from Lewisburg, WV to Cass, WV (5:16)

Best Climb - Climb#2 on Sceinic Highway 150; 4.9 miles with 1,448ft elevation gain

Most Ridden in a Year - 1,002 miles in 2009.

Longest Run - 8.45 miles (1:39.22)

Best 5k Time - 29.47  (2010 Outrunning Hunger - Huntington, WV)

Best 4 Mile Time - 41.04  (2011 Joker 4-Mile Run - Charleston, WV) 

Best 5 Mile Time - 58.46  (2011 Run For Your Life 5-Miler - Charleston, WV)

Best 10k Time - 1:03.56  (2009 Ready River Run - Greenville, SC)

Most Ran in a Year - 154.62 miles in 2011

Longest Swim - 1,200 yards (48 laps) (37.24)

In closing, these stories have not been embellished, because - they need no embellishment.  They are simply, horrifyingly, the story of my life as a recovering powerlifter turned cardio sport participant.  Thank you.