This is part 1 of 7 in a series featured on Becoming Ultra. Hey it's the host, coach, and runner, Scott.  My dad died last year.  He was 62.  I am running a 100k on his birthday in his home state of West Virginia to remember in a week.  I'd love to share the journey with you until Season 5 starts, the day after his birthday. On this show, my training for the last 6 months. Thanks for listening!

Bone chilling, amazing and awe-inspiring would be a few ways to describe our next guests body of work.  A California based photographer go to the ends of the earth to capture amazing athletes, mostly surfers, engaging the wild around them. The juxtaposing of athlete and artic swell will leave you speechless.  In this episode we learn how he got to where he is today.  A self taught photographer who has built his own career out of talent and passion will share some great stories of his journey.  And he is an athlete too. You can't imagine the conditions he has to overcome to get these shots and we dive into the mental toughness it takes to withstand bitter cold and crazy weather.  We hope this show takes you to places you never imagined, before you knew they were possible.  Enjoy our newest Athlete On Fire show!

Since Ryan just broke a record at World's Toughest in Chicago, we wanted to share this show again to see what makes him so great!  Ryan Atkins is a world class athlete who is dominating the obstacle racing scene.  He has been travelling alot and on this episode he shares what has been going on and spends most of the show giving you an inside look at what it takes to compete and win the World's Toughest Mudder. He spares no details and we are pumped to share this amazing content with you on the Athlete On Fire Network!

This episode was a gift from my dad, the original Athlete On Fire. 3:00 Early days in West Virginia 9:00 Tony McKenna Story 13:00 Inspirational quotes "If you are not where you want to be, you are nowhere." "Failure is not an option." 14:30   Why he started coaching. 15:45 Mentors/Coaches that mattered to him 18:15  Failure 20:50 What in his life gave him an advantage. "I had three months to live." "The chemo was the hardest thing I've ever gone through." "The tumors had shrunk, the spots were gone." "My temp shot up to 107 and they thought I was dead." 25:20  The conversation with his dad he'll never forget.  "Do you think I'll make it?" "Yeah." "why?" "Because you hate to lose." 27:30  Weird habits 28:20  Inspiring books and movies 29:30 Why do ya want to wake up tomorrow morning? 29:50 Is Legacy important to you? 30:20 For every kid he has ever coached "Coach you don't know what you did for all of us."

A crazy and horrific accident at the age of 8 and the lightbulb moment 22 years later began a movement in an individual that will speak to everyone who knew there was an athlete deep down but didn't know how to find it.     Max Conserva is an athlete, speaker, and coach who has transformed the way he thinks so he could transform the way he lives. A truly inspiring athlete.

We all justify why we can't or won't do something we really want.  Like making more money, winning losing weight, getting faster.  It doesn't matter.  When we tell the world we want something but tell ourselves something else, it's time for a little tough love.  We hope this helps you out of some of your default excuses!

That early morning workout is more important than you think. Free up the later part of the day and get hurt less often. That injury, it's on you.  What are you going to do now? The mentality of being hurt. Enjoy the show.

A running set that you only need a cheap watch to complete.  And no fitness. And ideally no other thoughts but push a little harder this time.   A bodyweight workout completely by feel for 10, 20, or 30 minutes.  You finish by grading with one number instead of hundreds of reps.   Get out of your head today.

You ever have a workout buddy that actually makes you less motivated? How do you keep the mindset where it needs to be? The rules for training with others. Father's Day fun facts on the show. Three stories about dad that are pretty funny. Lots of hustling. Shout out to Leadville runners.

My dad has been gone for 8 months.  How about a deep Letterman style countdown on 8 things we can't control but can learn from?  DONE. Perspective for athletes and of course, humans.