Tag Archives: The Rich Roll Podcast

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Have a Bernie Bar and Relax

So, I opened up a box that came in the mail the other day and to my surprise, it was a box of Bernie Bars from my skiing friend Mark Hutchinson up in Vermont. Hutch is a retired postal service employee and ex-ski coach at Stowe, and knows Bernie from his routes around Randolph Center. I joked with Hutch about where my Bernie Bars were, and lo and behold- they showed up. LOL!! Hutch and his lovely wife Nancy are fun people to ski with, they are avid hikers, and enjoy everything about the Green Mountains of Vermont. In typical Vermont fashion, their political persuasions are more towards the left of center, and I have always admired their zeal to persuade folks towards their way of thinking.(Ethan Allen would be proud ) I personally am becoming more and more a-political, but Hutch keeps me informed on the happenings in the government world and relays his experiences to me. Rich Roll said the other day on his podcast that the most effective way of communication is to not give advice, but rather relay experiences. The Hutchinsons have lots of experience with Nancy and her avid hiking and writing, and Hutch with his ski racing and coaching background. And they are well read on the political scene in Vermont.

Mark and Nancy skiing with us in Bend last winter.

The cool thing about skiing and hiking is that both sports attract those of us who love the outdoors, no matter what we do for a living, what our political persuasions are, whether we have faith or no faith, and have different educational backgrounds. Rarely will you hear a heated political debate on the slopes or the trails. Rather the conversation tends to be about ski technique, ski areas, the conditions of the day, and in hiking, remarking on the beauty of the trails and the great day together. You make really good friends on the ski slopes and hiking trails, many of those friendships last a lifetime – like mine with Hutch and Nancy.

Hutch and I in Mammoth several years ago.

Nancy is a school teacher and a gifted writer and we have shared experiences with our passion for writing. Hutch is a real student of ski technique, and we have many conversations about that topic. He sends me videos all summer which I love to get, seeing that I can talk about skiing all summer too. But rarely do we get into a political discussion. My view is what do we really know? What is spin and what is not? On either side of the spectrum. I don’t get too excited because there is not much I can do about the world today other than perhaps cast my vote to get someone in or out of office. Also being kind to people helps, because you never know what they are going through. Kindness is definitely a way to make a difference- one person at a time, one neighborhood at a time. Politics is not really that important to me (maybe it should be?) – but Hutch keeps me in the game. I have learned things that I did not know before. And he sent me Bernie Bars!

Lifetime friends Eric and Hutch at June Mountain, California.

I have spent a lot of time skiing with Hutch, especially when our friend Eric was laid up and could not ski at times. Hutch and I would go out and ski and never look at a map. We just went wherever we felt like going. LOL! Hutch has a wonderful sense of humor and he makes me laugh when we ski and maneuver our way around a ski area. He finds the funny things about skiing and has me in stiches, as many times he was my room- mate on our guys ski trips – organized by Eric Durfee. I tend to think that Hutch missed his calling. I have videos of him commenting on camera up at Whiteface and at June Mountain out in California. He is so articulate on those videos and also humorous. I have posted them to the amusement of my ski friends.

So, the upcoming election cycle has a lot of people with their shorts in a wad. There is going to be a lot of political division even more so than what is taking place right now. It is good to educate yourself, but like Rich Roll says, just relay your experiences in conversation and don’t ruin a good friendship with a political discussion that will really not make much of a difference anyhow. Enjoy your friends. Eat a Bernie Bar and enjoy it as people all around you lose their heads. Ski with a friend, hike with a friend, and enjoy the outdoors because the older you get, those quality days left are really what is important anyhow. Thanks for reading.

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Support Your Local……..

Frick Park winter ride with Jeff Chetlin. 

Tired of the limited ski terrain due to terrible weather, and the huge “EPIC” crowds at our local ski resorts for the Holidays, our posse called an audible and met our pal Jeff and his wife Julie for a winter ride in Frick Park in the city of Pittsburgh. We included what I call the Tour de Death through Homewood Cemetery and it was a truly pleasant outing in the city with very little mud. We like to support our friend Jeff who has made nothing short of a miraculous recovery from a stroke. In fact, he bought a new E-Bike and re-assumed his role at the front of the pack, smiling like a butcher’s dog.( Thanks Mike Lange) He has appreciated the support while he has been recovering and is now fully on his way to living his life the way he wants to live it with his ever- energetic wife Julie. The key is support of friends. He would do the same for all of us and it was truly our pleasure to see him relish in the support of all his “outdoor type” friends. 

Bob K up and over the roller in Frick Park. Yes- literally an old cement roller that the local “Slagforce” installed for all of our enjoyment. 

Jeff always says that the mountain bike crowd is the most friendly and supportive group of people whom he knows. That is saying something seeing that he is a skier, mountain biker, snowmobiler, and avid, all -around outdoor sportsman. I would tend to agree. 

Thinking about support, especially locally, our favorite ski area of Laurel Mountain has had a rough start with the weather as well as some mechanical issues due to a power surge which damaged the chair lift motor and the snowmaking pump motors. Not to mention that during a recent storm, RT 30 was closed due to an accident and nobody could get to the resort. Our crowd has made it a mission to support Laurel during this time and show up even if all the terrain is not open. The folks on the staff there work extra hard to make Laurel a viable option during the winter, and it is a shame that they have been dealt a tough hand of cards in this early season. But again, our ski crowd,( many of whom are also in the mountain bike crowd), actively support what is going on in our local little ski area. We want to see it thrive and therefore show up even when conditions are not optimal. Happy to report that Laurel got a nice snowfall New Years Eve. Things are looking up. 

Hoping Laurel Mountain looks like this again soon. 

I think a lot about the slogan- ” Support Your Local…….” Every time I see a police officer, I thank them for their service. They have a tough job “protecting and serving” all of us in these tumultuous times. I thank anyone who has or is currently serving all of us in the military. Lots of local people who selflessly serve all of us. I support our local church as being part of a community of believers is important to me. John Guest, the famous evangelist, always says that you need not go far to support someone in need. The elderly in your neighborhood, local charities, a friend who is down. John says you don’t have to be a missionary overseas. Just look around your local neighborhood, workplace, school, and you will see opportunities to ” support your local…….” Give the local store support instead of spending your money in some big box store. Support the local businesses as they are trying hard to make it in this world today. There are so many opportunities to ” support your local……” I listened to the latest Rich Roll Podcast and his guest, Simon Hill, ( noted Australian health and fitness expert), said a very interesting thing. He was talking about service and serving others and said that one of the number one ways to lower stress and reduce blood pressure markers is to be of service to others. It has been clinically proven in testing individuals for health markers ,( cholesterol, blood pressure, VO2 max, etc.) that lifestyle changes like service can actually improve a number of markers in individuals who are looking to improve their health.

Darrell Porter and Ozanam helping us support Ronald McDonald House Charities. 

As we move towards 2024, Janet and I are trying to make more of an effort to support worthy local causes. Not that the big ones are not important, but keeping it local among business support, church support, charity support, is critical to keeping in touch with the local community. We are all in this together. 

Gretl Dupre restored Camp Soles. An outdoor camp for kids. Locally in our Laurel Highlands. 
The always smiling Gretl at her beloved Camp Soles. A wonderful opportunity for local kids to experience the great outdoors. 

Think about supporting your local friend, neighbor, family member, business, ski area, camp, and so many other opportunities in 2024. My mother always said…..” Happiness is like a perfume that you can’t sprinkle on others without getting a little on yourself.” So true mom. Happy New Years to all and enjoy the outdoors. Thanks for reading. 

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Rich Roll Rocks

Rich Roll- ultra distance athlete and successful Podcast host.

Last year, my friend Jeff Chetlin turned me on to a great podcast by Rich Roll. You can google him to find out all about his podcast and his amazing lifestyle change over the years. But suffice to say that he is impressive as is his list of guests on his daily podcast. I also read his book which is a good one too.

I have listened with great intent to his interviews with world class athletes like Lyndsey Vonn, Lance Armstrong, and Rebecca Rusch. Rich brings out the best in all of them by asking provocative questions and allowing them to expand during his usual 2 hour show. The interesting thing about world class athletes is their drive to which Rich is intimately familiar as he himself is a national class ultra athlete.

The Rich Roll Podcast

Rich is aging like many of us and it is interesting to hear his guests who speak on what it takes to stay healthy. I heard a Rich Roll podcast with Drs. Dean and Anne Ornish who spoke at length about plant based eating and how that lifestyle can be a “fountain of youth” for many of us. They also spoke about mitochondria health in our cells and as we age, how it is compromised. I first heard of NADs (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and how we can refurbish our cells taking a product called Tru-Niagen. I take it every day because I believe that the science is there. Rich has varied guests in the medical field who talk about health in general but also as it relates to those of us who are trying to stay healthy through exercise as we age.

Rich on an ultra distance training run.

Recently Rich had Dr. Peter Attia as a guest who has worked with many world class athletes. The discussion centered around Zone 2 training. Now, as I listened, I thought back to where I had first heard that term. It was from the Heart Rate Monitor Book published by Sally Edwards in 1993. I had a monitor in those days and found the discussion on training in zones particularly enlightening. Sally Edwards as well as Dr. Attia find that training in Zone 2 which is basically a heart rate zone where you can exercise and still have a conversation, is the most beneficial. The heart rate zones are different based on the conditioning of the athlete, but the basic premise is not to always be in zone 4 or 5 which is aerobic to anaerobic in scale and often hampers one’s ability to be conditioned. He spoke about lactate levels which are blood lactate readings taken basically in a lab environment where an athlete’s blood is taken regularly during exercise to find the optimum level at which lactate levels begin to build in the muscles leading to lactic acid formation. If you can be aware of your levels, keep your heart rate in zone 2 and not go above your recommended levels, the training benefits are optimized. The discussion also included awareness of watts produced during exercise and the balance between watts and lactate levels. Watts seemed to be more pertinent in the discussion than heart rate but many casual athletes do not have a watt meter attached to their bike as world class cyclists do.

Now Rich Roll even admitted during the interview that most people who exercise are not at the level at which lactate measurement is a consideration. Most of us can relate to heart rates that are in different zones and if we stick to training or exercising in zone 2 – the conversational zone, it will be more beneficial and also……..more enjoyable. Pain is not always gain.

Dr. Peter Attia- google him.

Perhaps the most interesting thing to me about the interview with Dr. Attia was the discussion on what goals we have as we age. Dr. Attia stated that as an aging athlete, we need to consider what we would like to do in our later years as octogenarians and above. Do we want to be able to get up off the floor without using our hands? Do we want to easily get up out of a chair? Do we still want to race? Do we want to ski? Do we want to have sex? All of these things are considerations and if we outline them, we can “back cast” to the present time and lead a life that will make those things possible barring any catastrophic health issues. Bottom line in the discussion for us mortals is just to keep moving. I always quote Scot Nichol of Ibis Bikes when I asked him how long we can ski and ride like we do. His standard answer is ” just keep doing it.” ” Don’t even think about it.”

If you get the chance, tune in to the Rich Roll Podcast. It can get technical but for most of us who exercise for health with our racing days behind us, his discussions with his guests are enlightening. I won’t be undergoing any lactate testing any time soon but I recently did get a Garmin Fenix sports watch that gives me way more information about my daily exercise and lifestyle than I could ever utilize. But it does give me some benchmarks that I can use as I “forecast” to the future and see how long I can keep doing the things that I like to do. Garmin, Rich Roll, and books like ” How Not to Die ” by Michael Greger M.D. keep me in the game. Friends do too and to have a group of people who have similar interests on the slopes and trails keep me motivated and engaged. Zone 2 keeps it fun too. Thanks for reading.