One of the most important things as Christians that we need to remember is to put God first. Just as Lauren Daigle sings in her song, "First", we need to bring our needs, our desires, our wants and our problems to God first before anyone else or before we do anything else. When we bring everything to Him first, then we are truly honoring Him as bel…

Every year people by the scores set resolutions for the next year in hopes of losing weight, getting out of debt, spending more time with their kids, making better choices, etc and unfortunately many of those resolutions and desires fail and the individuals are frustrated and give up entirely. Fortunately many do not give up and many do achieve the…

It's crazy to think that Christmas is almost here. Literally, the most wonderful time of the year because of the one, true gift that we've been blessed with oh so many years ago. That blessed holy night, when Mary, the mother of Jesus, gave birth to the savior of the world. Isaiah 9:6 captures it best, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is giv…

We absolutely love this time of year....as it is often stated, "It's the most wonderful time of the year" and we cannot disagree. In fact, Christmas, is the most wonderful time of the year because Jesus is the reason for the season and it's a joy to celebrate His birth and life. Join us this week as Melissa and Anthony touch on the Christmas story …

Have you ever had questions or frustrations that you wanted to get off your chest and unload on God but where afraid it wasn't something we should do as Christians? It is perfectly fine to question God and many throughout the Bible, including David, Jonah and Job questioned God and were right in doing so. It comes down to the way you question and t…

Psalm 37:23 states, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way." Isn't that such an encouragement? God has laid out a path for us to walk even when we are given free will to do things that we choose. God grants us that freedom, but delights in us when we choose His will over ours. In this week's episode Melissa a…

As we approach Thanksgiving we enter a season of thanks and reflection. Many of us will immediately say and respond that we are thankful for our health, for our jobs, for our families and anything else that comes to mind. These are all wonderful things to think about and be thankful for. But Melissa and I would like to challenge you to prayerfully …

As it says in the word of God in Joshua 1:6-9, "Be strong and courageous...". We must be willing to obey God without hesitancy to step up to the waters' edge and attempt impossible things know that if God doesn't come through there is no 'Plan B'. Melissa and I dig deep into how God stacks the odds against his followers and allows the opportunity t…

Much like David was faced with setback after setback in the Old Testament, we are reminded that when there is a set back that is an opportunity for God to make it a stepping stone for success. We all will face setbacks and challenges during our lives, but it's up to us to decide what we are going to do with it. Will we forget everything and run? or…

This is our official podcast launch with the new format: The Sharpened Runner. The whole focus of this podcast is to share the love of Christ and to encourage and enlighten other runners who are like-minded. We have been called to unite runners to train their body, guard their heart and sharpen their mind and spirit. We are under constant bombardme…

I have my friend Melissa Martinez on to share some insight she received after running the Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd last week. She really feels that we need to focus on the reasons we run and ultimately finishing the race we have begun. This associates with the physical races we sign up for and run, but is taken even deeper when it is compared to our …

In this week's podcast I go to the vault and uncover something that has been locked away for a decade. I was part of a leadership conference in September 2011 in Shawnee, Oklahoma at my church, Living Word. It's amazing how even 10 years later the words I spoke resonate and speak to me today as I hope they will resonate and speak to you as well. Af…

In this third installment of the men of faith series I sit down with my best friend and brother, Brandon Crites. Brandon and I met on social media almost 2 1/2 years ago and haven't looked back. We have had a great friendship and it just gets better every day. I enjoyed this episode with Brandon because even though we talk about some running, we al…

In episode 2 of my "Men of Faith" series, I chat with my friend from Georgia, Jack Johnson. Jack and I met on Instagram in 2019 and we aired a podcast episode on the 4th of July in 2020 that can be heard here: Season 1: Deep South series: https://runningfordistance.podbean.com/e/jack-johnson-tiger-blood/ In today's episode Jack and I talk about a l…

In this 7 part series I will be visiting with several different men whom I have a lot of respect for and many who have been on the podcast previously and are successful runners and athletes. This series will touch on faith and the importance it has in their daily lives but also as athletes, fathers and husbands. We will touch many different areas d…

#runningfordistance #gotheultramile #TimWillis In this week's episode I get to chat with ultra runner Tim Willis who resides in Miami, Florida. Tim is a Physical Therapy Assistant, running coach, ultra runner and recently published author of The Ultra Mile: The Joy, Freedom and Opportunities of Running that releases on May 10th on Amazon. We talk a…

In this week's episode I sit down with a local runner from the Tulsa, Oklahoma area, Deanna Whitham. She is a wife, stay-at-home-mother of a 2 1/2 year old and also an up and coming runner. She began as a soccer player through school and then developed into a half marathon runner and most recently completed her first marathon during COVID-19 last y…

Melissa Martinez is my guest this week on the Running For Distance podcast. She comes from north central Missouri and has an amazing testimony behind her ability to run, the desire to become a race director, running 100 milers and sharing the gospel with others along the way. Melissa is bold and not ashamed. She compares ultra running and the perse…

#runningfordistance #run_free_and_strong #podcast In this week's episode I had the privilege to chat with fellow YouTuber, Reto, from Run Free and Strong. We've followed each other for a while and have had good dialogue back and forth in supporting one another and our own running journey. I enjoyed my discussion with Reto as we dive into his backgr…

In this week's episode I sit down with the current head coach and teacher from Sapulpa (OK) High School. We dig into a lot of coach Kip's philosophies of coaching and how he handles adversity and uses it to help train and coach the young men in the game of soccer, but also prepare them for the game of life. Coach believes in more than just winning …

I sit down and chat with Stu Humber from Lutterworth, England. Stu will begin his quest to tackle the 6633 ultra on March 1st. COVID-19 shut the race down in 2020 and forced them to go virtual this year. Stu will tackle the event pulling his sled for 380 miles around his hometown. He shares the challenges and obstacles he has faced leading up to th…

In this week's episode I sit down with Laura Kay Eriks from Illinois. This conversation was literally fresh off the completion of the Rocky Raccoon 100 on her birthday weekend and what a sweet gift it was to finish yet another 100 miler. Ultra marathons are nothing new for Laura. She has been running them for the last decade after her original atte…

In Episode 3 of season 3 I sit down and visit with none other than Anthony Bailey. He is a fellow YouTuber who I have become acquainted with and have enjoyed a lot of discussion back and forth on our channels. Anthony has a remarkable story to share in overcoming Domestic Child Abuse, alcohol and drug abuse and also battling his own struggles over …

In this week's episode I recap a lot of what took place in 2020 for me and how things transpired and ultimately changed from Scarecrow Runner to Running for Distance. I share the journey of the first year of this podcast and also my adventure into YouTubing and where it has lead me and then also jump into what is currently happening with me in my t…

Hello 2021 and welcome to the new format and new look. As many of you may or may not know, Running For Distance is the new look, name and brand for this podcast going forward. I felt like it is a good touch for what I want to cover in these weekly podcasts. Whether we are running 1 mile, 50 miles or 100 miles, we are always running for some kind of…

In the final episode for 2020, I sit down with Lauren Beihoffer of Tennessee. I became friends with Lauren on social media through Instagram, Lauren_Runswild and later on Facebook and have followed her running adventures as well as her own podcast she hosts "Run Wild with Lauren and Bud". In this episode we chat about Lauren's beginning roots of be…

#mentalmindset #positivity #livestream In today's episode of the Scarecrow Runner podcast, I visit with friend, coach and certified running and mindset coach, Cliff Pittman. We dive deep into how to overcome with mental mindset. Cliff was a previous guest in Season 1 Episode 5 and am excited to have him back today. Included in this episode: Process…

I had the opportunity to sit down and visit with Kara and Jen a few weeks ago on the back-end after my recent 50 miler to chat with them about their own 50 mile adventure. What started as a challenge ended up being a massive accomplishment for the two of them. Their journey lead them on a discovery to find their true heroes and inspires an entire c…

This week I sit down and had a live conversation on YouTube with my friend and fellow runner Chris Furlong all the way from Melbourne Australia. Chris currently is very active on his YouTube channel, CLFurlong where he documents his running journey's and training and interacts with people all over the world. In this episode we cover a lot of inform…

This week I feature Nick Fiedler (Feed-ler) currently living out west in Arizona, but is originally from Alabama. Nick started off as someone who knew nothing about running but started with just a normal pair of shoes and ran a mile as hard as he could and would repeat this on a regular basis through his first year of running. In our discussion you…

This week I got to literally sit down with my friend Brian Hoover in person and then virtually after a recording snafu on my laptop. None-the-less we powered through it like so many of us have during 2020 and were able to capture a great episode. This is the second podcast I have recorded with Brian. You will recall back in Season 1 - Episode 7 I h…

In this week's episode of The Scarecrow Runner podcast I visit with Brodie Sharpe. Brodie lives in Melbourne, Australia where he is a physiotherapist, a published author with several articles and also the host of the Run Smarter Podcast. Brodie has a passion to help educate others in injury prevention, clear up misconceptions around running and ult…

I had the distinct honor to sit down and visit with ultra runner and founder of MS Run the US, Ashley Schneider. Ashley founded MS Run the US in 2009, a 501(c)3 charitable organization to raise awareness and raise funds to further multiple sclerosis (MS) research and help those living with disability due to their MS symptoms. Ashley was inspired by…

This week was a special treat as I got to chat with The Ultra Running Guys, Jeff Winchester and Jeremy Reynolds from North Carolina. These two awesome guys have been building a great ultra running presence up in their town of Leeland, North Carolina. Both guys started out as so many of us have as non runners and then eased their way into running in…

In this week's episode of The Scarecrow Runner podcast I had the privilege to sit down and chat with Brian Rosser who also manages Rosser Runs here on YouTube. It was a joy to just banter back and forth about ultra running and the sense of adventure. Check out his YouTube at Rosser Runs. Brian shares a lot about his background as we dig into his pa…

This week I sit down with Karen Sparks. Karen comes from the great state of Texas and brings with her a story of triumph over tragedy, but as Karen would describe as the 11 year burn. Karen was married for 11 years, had the fairy tale wedding and so many hopes and dreams until it all was taken from her in what she describes as the 11 year burn. Kar…

In this week's episode I have the opportunity to visit with someone who I have a lot of respect for and have grown to become friends with over the past few years. JP Brose is the kind of man you want your kids to be around. He is a mentor and a leader. He has coached kids of all ages and taught them the value of sportsmanship, the skills needed for…

Today I talk with Lexi Haefer currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada but originally from the small town of Flippin, Arkansas, known as the home of Ranger boats. Isn't that flippin' awesome? She is a High School chemistry teacher who also teaches honor's students and is also a part time retail associate. She is a 50 state half marathon club member an…

This week I had the distinct privilege to chat with Tanner Kern. Tanner is a former D1 offensive lineman at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. Football had been in his blood his entire life; including his dad who played at the University of Connecticut. So when Tanner suffered an injury and was told he couldn't play football anymore it took him to …

This week's episode features RRCA running coach and former DJ at Z104.5 the Edge here in Tulsa, Cindy Knull. This episode was a real treat for me as we dive into Cindy's passion for running at a young age and then take a stroll down memory lane of year's gone by when talking about Cindy's past as a radio DJ for a rock station here in Tulsa, Oklahom…

In this week's episode I sit down with an amazing individual whom I have known for many years. Jessica Vaughn has held her ACSM Personal Training Certification since 2016. She has been a personal trainer as well as corporate wellness director, and group fitness instructor since 2015, and has been prepping herself and clients for bodybuilding shows,…

In this week’s episode we sit down and talk with husband, father and founder of Active-Futures, Jeff Forrester. Jeff and I cover so many great topics and had a great conversation. Jeff shares how to: Actively plan and executing your goals and overcoming adversity. Not taking our faith for granted and quit taking on a pocket-like faith. Adding value…

This week we visit with Chris DT Gordon of Michigan. Chris was an outstanding guest and I really enjoyed chatting with him and listening to his testimony on how he became a scar bearer in his battle with Necrotizing Fasciitis. Chris contracted this flesh eating bacteria back in 2015 and spent more than 2 months in the hospital and 6 months of Physi…

This week I was joined with one of my F2E teammates, Aaron Dana. Aaron has a background in soccer and up until July last year never really spent time running. He mainly would run for conditioning, but that was about it. It wasn't until his friend Brandon Rizzo enticed him to start getting some exercise and hiking mountains with him that his passion…

The scripture reference for today's motivation is Matthew 6:34 and encouraged me to not worry about tomorrow and the things going on around me, but rather to focus on today and the ways that I can further the kingdom of heaven. We are to be about our Father's business, so why worry about things we don't have any control over.…

This week I had the privilege to speak with Becky Croft from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Becky is the only certified Chi Running coach in the region and has been certified since this last December, but has been practicing it for many years after she was trying to correct her 'heel' strike. She implemented this running style because how important and efficient…

This week's episode features Stephanie Scocchera (pronounced sko-cara) who resides in sunny Florida, but with a name like that you would expect her to be training along the countryside of Italy. Stephanie and I have been following each other on social media for a few years and thought it would be fun to have her on as as guest. We covered so much i…

This episode was a super special one for me because I had the chance to sit down and chat with my sister Ashley. We had a lot of fun with this episode and there was definitely some sibling rivalry going on with this one. I get to hear from my sister and what has fueled her desires to run as she embarks on a 10K trail race later this fall where she …

This week's final installment of the Deep South Series - Georgia features Brad Lord from Macon, Georgia. Brad was a perfect bookend to this series. We had a great conversation and covered things ranging from musical interests to his background as a PE teacher and football coach to being heavily involved in F3 (Fitness, Faith, Fellowship). Brad has …

On this week's episode I sit down with John Robert McKay, A.K.A. the Blind Donkey Runner. Many would think John would not be able to run due to being visually impaired, but that doesn't stop this thoroughbred. John became legally blind at the age of 2, but that doesn't prevent him from enjoying something he loves to do and that is run. I enjoyed th…