RunKeeper

If running a New York startup weren’t enough, Philip James does his best to incorporate a healthy dose of risk into his fitness routine, as well. From climbing Mount Everest to training for an ultra marathon in the Sahara Desert, this wine entrepreneur knows a thing or two about what’s good for the heart.

Armed with my Withings scale, Wahoo heart and cadence monitors, as well as my trusty Fitbit and Runkeeper, I’ve never had so much information about my training – and, with the stress and sleep deprivation that come with running a company, my potential over-training. It’s worth the risk, as running is what keeps me connected to the outdoors. More importantly, running is what keeps me sane.

I yearn to be back in the mountains, and the solitude and exertion of running provide me as close a connection I can get while I run a company. Before my entrepreneurial life began, I lived in the Andes, where I taught English to underprivileged Bolivian children. I spent every weekend climbing, putting up difficult new routes in the Cordillera Blanca, and I later took that experience to the Himalayas to climb Everest. My climbing partner fell, broke his leg and nearly died on the summit ridge of the North Face, but I still prefer to spend as much time as I can outdoors.

While my next adventure won’t involve 65 days away from the office to climb, I’m currently running for sanity’s sake as much as to train for an ultra marathon through the Sahara Desert. So most weekends, when I’m home in New York, I get out of the city and into the hills and mountains upstate for long runs, carrying a rice-loaded backpack (for weight). Track me on Runkeeper, and when I’m able to run back-to-back off-road marathons, you’ll know I’m ready for the Sahara. Even if I don’t get there, at least I’ll be sane.

-Philip James

Are you or someone you know a Fitness Freak? Send us your stories to fitnessfreak@runkeeper.com

May 2nd 2011, just an average day out in the forest, riding my mountain bike with some friends. Or not…

By mid-afternoon, I had been admitted to the hospital with a broken back. An L1 burst fracture from going too fast and too hard off a jump. The result of a broken back was 8 pins, 6 weeks in bed and an extra stone in weight. For the non-metric crowd, I weighed 8kg more than before the accident, the harsh reality of no exercise and lots of bed time.

For those 6 weeks in bed and the 3 weeks after that, I had to wear a back brace. This is when it hit home how difficult it was to do anything, as it restricted any movement I once had. I needed to get rid of this quickly and the only way I could do that was to do exactly what the doctor said: exercise.

To help my recovery, I decided to buy a new road bike, even though I had never ridden one before. Hey, at least there were no jumps to tempt me! That first ride, after breaking my back, was a mile, which took a whopping total of 6 minutes. I didn’t care. I was “back on the horse” as they say.

It helped that my doctor encouraged me to keep riding. So, I started off small; going two, three or four miles at a time. By the end of the month I managed to ride 11 miles. This wasn’t just any 11 miles.

This was a ride to my girlfriend’s house, who had supported me and looked after me throughout my whole recovery. What a great first goal to achieve.

Quickly upping my training and ambition, I turned to RunKeeper to help me set new targets. Route planning was key, as my Mum wanted to know where I was in case I decided to repeat my stunt of May 2nd. More important was the ability to broadcast my rides live. I had always tracked my rides and other activities, but now I felt that it had more of a meaning than ever before. These were stats that were unthinkable two months prior!

The medical staff said it was a miracle I could bike. Heck, I was mere centimeters away from never being able to walk again.

Today, though, marks a memorable day: I rode my 3,000th mile since the injury. Well, 3,002 but who’s counting? It’s just over a year since i broke my back, and 10 months since my first ride again, and how do I know these crazy stats? RunKeeper.

For 2012, I have set a Goal of 5,000 Miles. Mad I know, but with a 30 mile round trip commute to work, I am pretty confident I can get there. So far, the elements haven’t been kind to me. Most of the roads are flooded at the moment, and over the winter, the snow certainly did not help, but I can’t seem to go more than a day without wanting to ride my bike. Essex (UK), where I live, has some beautiful country lanes and, had I not hopped on my bike, I would not have discovered any of these wonderful places. Cycling also slows everything down, villages become bigger when your not hurtling through them in a car.

Honestly, I can’t remember what it used to be like before I rode my bike almost every day. I certainly drank a lot less energy drinks! But this I am glad of, because I’m doing something that I really enjoy.

I recommend trying it before it’s too late. I see time as more precious now and enjoying it is more important than ever.

I thank my friends, girlfriend and, most importantly, my Mum for waiting on me hand and foot while I recovered. And a part of me thanks RunKeeper, too, for motivating me to ride, rain or shine (mainly rain at the moment).

-Alex Sweeting

Are you or someone you know a Fitness Freak? Send us your stories to fitnessfreak@runkeeper.com!

It all started on Thanksgiving 2011. I signed up with my girlfriend to run the Turkey Trot 5k in Fort Worth, TX. It had been years since I ran on a regular schedule and that 5K sure reminded me of it too.

I finished in about 39 minutes, but more importantly I regained my passion for running. I went out that very next week and bought a used treadmill. I found a running plan online that would ramp up my mileage to help me complete my first marathon by Dec 2012. I plan on running a half marathon in July 2012. I have pre-purchased 10, 5k-15k local races for the year to help keep me on track for my marathon goal.

At 275 lbs and 46 years old I knew I needed to start slow so to not injure myself or wear out my knees. I started out mostly on the treadmill since the impact would be cushioned and also it was winter so there weren’t many good-weather run days anyway. I recently mounted a TV and fan on the wall in front of my treadmill to help make it easier on those long mileage runs. I realized in December that I could add the treadmill runs to my RunKeeper. I also use the online route maps for my outside runs to select a route that aligns with my mileage goal for that day.

I needed a drastic diet change too, so I started eating as healthy as I knew how to. My eating habits changed and I immediately went to about 85% raw vegan. I don’t usually buy products from TV commercials but I bought the Montel Williams blender off an infomercial and started making salad smoothies for dinner every night and fruit smoothies for breakfast every day. I felt great and had tremendous energy. I eat about 5-6 times a day for about 1200-1500 calories.

I have been sleeping with a CPAP machine for almost 8 years for my severe sleep apnea. Once I lost about 30 lbs I was able to start sleeping without the CPAP machine and actually sleep all night without waking up. Something I have not been able to do for 8 years.

I’m 6’2” and my top weight last year was about 290 lbs. By February 2012 I weighed 225 lbs. I’ve lost over 50 lbs during the last 3 months. I’m not where I’m going to be, but I’m not where I was either.

- Steve Mayes

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