Rich Roll – From Middle Aged and Overweight to Vegan Ultraman

Written by Matt Frazier

Late one night after a long day of work, just before his 40th birthday, Rich Roll polished off some fast-food cheeseburgers as he watched TV before heading to bed.

As he walked up the stairs, Rich had to stop, bend over and catch his breath before he could continue. Sweat was on his brow. The stress and busyness of life on the partnership track at a law firm had taken their toll on the body of this former Stanford swimmer.

Instead of blaming his work or coming up with another excuse, Rich did what most people don’t. He seized the moment. He decided then and there that things would change — that things had to change.

It’s hard to believe that just two years after the staircase incident, Rich finished one of the most grueling endurance events on the planet — Ultraman, essentially a double Ironman-distance stage triathlon — in 11th place, no less. And the following year, Men’s Fitness magazine named him one of the 25 Fittest Guys in the World. (Oh, and did I mention Rich did it all on a plant-based diet?)

In this episode of No Meat Athlete Radio, Doug and I had the absolute pleasure of hanging out with Rich, author of Finding Ultra and now host of the wildly popular Rich Roll podcast, to pick his brain about the behaviors and mindset that allowed him to make such dramatic changes, going from overweight and unhealthy at age 40 to one of the most famous vegan athletes in the world — all in the span of about two years. (more…)

Bryon Powell of iRunFar.com – Ultrarunning Basics

Written by Matt Frazier

It’s been a busy few months, with wrapping up the No Meat Athlete book and our recent trip to the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival, but No Meat Athlete Radio Episode 9 has finally happened — and it’s worth the wait.

The focus of this episode is ultrarunning — but not superhuman, I-run-a-marathon-every-day-before-breakfast ultrarunning.

Instead, the purpose of this episode is to help marathoners or half marathoners (or even runners who aren’t there yet, but have big aspirations) take the plunge into the sometimes-intimidating world of ultarunning.

To add some expertise the conversation (my co-host Doug and I have each done 50-milers, but still consider ourselves relative ultra newbies), we asked author Bryon Powell of iRunFar to join us for an interview. Bryon has completed dozens of ultramarathons, including several 100 milers, and is the author of Relentless Forward Progress, a guide to ultramarathons that Doug and I have both used extensively in our training.

After talking to some listeners in NYC, it sounds like most of you are listening to the podcast while you run, and like it when the episodes last for miles and miles so you don’t have to fiddle with your iPods. So we didn’t hold back — this one is about 85 minutes long, and packed with information. And a small disclaimer: my mic’s audio during the interview section is a little funky, so I apologize for that. But hang in there, Bryon’s knowledge is worth it!

Click the button below to listen now:

Rescuing New Year’s Resolutions

Written by Matt Frazier

This week, the one between Christmas and New Year’s, is my favorite of the year. After the holiday celebrations have wound down, we finally have the opportunity to relax, to look back on the past year, and to get excited about all the possibilities in the next.

Last week, I wrote about why I still love New Year’s resolutions, even if they seem to have gotten a bad rap recently. In this eighth episode of No Meat Athlete Radio, Doug and I go a little bit deeper into the process of goal setting, as we discuss when, why, and how you can most effectively plan to do something great in the coming year.

Enjoy these last few days of 2012, and I hope that you’ll use them to think just a little bit harder than usual about what’s next for you. January 1st may not be inherently special on its own, I know, but there’s no reason you can’t choose to make it so.

Thanks so much for being a reader of No Meat Athlete this year. We’re truly grateful for your time, attention, and interaction, and we’re going to make 2013 our best year yet.

Here’s what we talk about in this episode:

Why is New Years a good time to set goals? (2:10)
Do you lose motivation if you postpone due to planning? (4:45)
How big to make your resolutions (9:05)
The importance of small wins (14:30)
Why and how you should write down your goals (17:30)
Seeing yourself as the person who achieves your goal (21:00)
The power of accountability (23:30)
Share your goals (32:00)
2013 No Meat Athlete plans (34:15)
Quick-fire round! (39:00)

Help us out: If you’re a fan of the NMA podcast, we’d be immensely grateful if you’d take a second to leave us a review on iTunes.

Click the button below to listen now:

How to Get Started (or Re-Started) with Running

Written by Matt Frazier

A few months ago, I wrote a post called How I’ve Begun Changing My Life, One Habit at a Time.

Surprisingly, that post ended up getting more links from other sites than just about anything else I’ve written here, and generated tons of emails from readers excited about creating their own habits.

The ideas in that post spawned my own running streak, where I ran for 70 consecutive days. And my podcast co-host Doug, since starting his own streak, has crossed the 100-day mark and is shooting for 400 (!) days.

But I know how hard it is to start a fitness habit; I’ve been there often after taking breaks that last a little longer than planned. And though it’s much easier to get back into it after a break than it is to start from scratch, the principles for getting started or re-started aren’t so different.

Since “How do I get started with running?” is a question we constantly get in the 1-800-Flowers.com Inbox, Doug and I figured it’s a subject worthy of a podcast episode. (Note: we don’t really have a sponsored inbox, just a disorganized and overflowing gmail account.)

This episode is a long one, and it’s packed with info — so packed that after listening to it, we decided we need to lighten it up next time! But it’s an important topic, and if you’re struggling with getting started, then I think you’ll find a lot of helpful stuff here.

Increasing Running Mileage During Training

Written by Matt Frazier

And we’re back!

To be honest, after we recorded our last episode back in January (!), I wasn’t sure when or if we’d do another No Meat Athlete Radio.

Podcasting, although fun, turned out to be a lot more work than writing a regular blog post, and I admit we were a bit ambitious in our goal of putting out a new episode every single week, or twice a month at the least.

But recently we brought on Doug Hay to the No Meat Athlete team (DC runners, check out his blog here), and Doug convinced me we could (and should!) make the show happen again: once a month, a little longer than before, and a little more chill than before. Just two dudes hanging out, talking about running and vegetables (along with the occasional guest, who I hope is not always a dude).

So that’s what we went for in our Ali-like return to the podcasting ring, along with a lot more reader participation (we’ve been asking a few questions on our Facebook page to get your input).

And this month, since we’re heading into fall race season right now, we focused our conversation and reader questions on a timely topic: increasing your mileage as you get ready for a half marathon or marathon and how that impacts your diet, pacing, psychology, and a lot more.

Give the show a listen, let us know what you think of the new format, and please, feel free to get involved when we throw out some questions on Facebook and ask for your input on each month’s topic. Enjoy!

In this episode, Doug and I talk about:

Catching up (4:27)
How to get enough protein (12:22)
When to eat your protein (16:12)
Good pre-run snacks (18:40)
Calories question (22:55)
Hydration (25:55)
Pace (30:42)
Preparing mentally (38:55)

Click the button below to listen now:

Get Inspired with Vegan Bodybuilder Robert Cheeke on NMA Radio

Written by Matt Frazier

When Ben and I sat down to talk about possible guests for the No Meat Athlete podcast, there was absolutely no question as to who should be the first.

To call either of us bodybuilders would be an insult to the entire sport. And yet both of us are ardent fans of Robert Cheeke.

So why a vegan bodybuilder for our first guest, when for so long this website has focused largely on running?

Consider it a testament to Robert’s captivating personality and infectious enthusiasm for veganism and fitness.

Simply put: Hearing Robert Cheeke speak makes us proud to be vegan athletes and inspires us to do it better. We think you’ll agree, and that’s why we’re thrilled to have had Robert as No Meat Athlete Radio’s first guest.