Links

Knowledge:

Mark’s Daily Apple:  Former world class endurance athlete Mark Sisson overcame the breakdown of his body that conventional wisdom prescribed for him, but instead pushed him to improper training, poor diet, and poor lifestyle, by taking his health into his own hands.  He discovered the best ways to take care of yourself and shares his wisdom daily on his fantastic website.

MovNat:  Erwan Le Corre has taken the world of exercise by storm with his program of Natural Movement (Mouvement Naturel in his native French, hence MovNat).  The program uses the movements that we evolved performing most commonly on a daily basis (and that our bodies expect to perform regularly) and builds from easier to tougher until we can move efficiently and in the ways most advantageous for us.

Well.org:  Dr. Pedram Shojai has been traveling the world and meeting with luminaries in the health world who aren’t afraid to think differently about the maladies of the modern day and what their true causes are.  His ideas on nutrition, exercise, mediation and spirituality, and lifestyle will change the ways you think about the world and the way we exist in it.

Authority Nutrition: Kris Gunnarsson has a knack for getting to the heart of the matter with his health information and finding simple, clear ways to summarize information that can seem cryptic or confusing. He breaks through the mysteries and mythology of nutrition and states the evidence plainly.

Katy Says:  Biomechanist Katy Bowman is storming the world with her new outlook on movement and how it affects health in ways that most people aren’t even considering.  From the best ways to overcome everyday aches and pains, to transitioning to barefoot or minimalist shoe lifestyles, to making your house over in a way that promotes healthful living and movement throughout the day, she has become the go-to source for life improvement in ways that you’re not considering yet.

Exuberant Animal:  Frank Forencich is an educator in health and performance, and thinks differently about the world than just about anyone else out there.  He has an  uncanny gift for looking past the hype of the modern world and seeing its effects for the sometimes dangerous, sometimes beneficial ideas that it’s throwing at us.  While others are looking for ways to work either for or against the modern world, he’s looking to work alongside it and to better ourselves with a natural mindset.

Races:

There are a ton of obstacle course races out there, some at the national or even international level, and some that are local or regional.  I’ve pulled out a few of the notable ones here and will add to these as I hear more.

Tough Mudder: Considered by many to be one of the big “bucket list” kinds of races – this 8-12 mile course likes to define itself as a “challenge” instead of a race as the goal is simply for everyone to finish – but not by making the race tough.  Teamwork, guts, and cooperation are the big concepts in this series.

Spartan Race:  The other side of the coin from Tough Mudder, the Spartan Race is a massively challenging race – and there’s no doubt that it is a race.  Yes, cooperation and teamwork play a big part in completion as they do in all these events, but in a race where there are penalties for failing an obstacle (30 burpees) you know that competition is a big part of the game.  Spartan has three levels of race: the 5K Sprint, the 8-mile Super, and the 12-mile Beast.  Plus there are lots of variations on these including things like Hurricane Heats, Ultra Beasts, and the granddaddy of them all, the Spartan World Championships.  Check it out.

Warrior Dash:  Frequently called “The Gateway Race,”  as it’s the race that a lot of people start their OCR passion with before moving on to other races, it’s a fitness party.  It’s a fun 5K, fairly challenging but not overwhelming, and you will have a great time.

Mud Ninja:  I would be remiss without mentioning my favorite of the races, the Mud Ninja.  It’s a local Ohio race with one event each year, but that event is a real butt-kicker.  The proceeds for the race go to Autism Speaks, a charity near and dear to my heart, and the atmosphere there is superb.  And when it says MUD Ninja, it means you are going to be absolutely filthy by the end, there’s really no way around it.  There’s more mud and more mud-related obstacles in this one than any other I’ve run.  If you’re in Ohio in late July, check this one out!

News:  

Obstacle Racing Media:  my favorite place to get OCR news – they’ve got a huge host of people reporting for them, and their podcast featuring Matt B. Davis is always a fun place to get news, interviews, race recaps, cutting editorials on the industry, and more.

Mud Run Guide:  With a fantastic race finder and more news on the world of OCR, Mud Run Guide is a quality place to find what you’re looking for in the industry as well.

Outside Online:  The famous outdoors magazine features great articles on OCR from time to time, and it’s also just great for anyone who loves being outside!