Ben Lamers Has A Unique View From The Front Of The Pack
My guest today is someone that, based on his social media accounts, doesn’t take life too seriously.
Although judging by the marathon win in his race results, he does take his running seriously.
I am looking forward to trying to keep up with Ben Lamers as we go a few easy miles today.
Ben Lamers
Becoming A Runner
The earliest memory of running for Ben Lamers was when he was forced to run in school.
When just starting high school, the cross country coach encouraged Ben to join the team.
Along with running on the cross country team, Ben also ran track for four years of high school.
Without even realizing it, running had slowly become a part of his daily life.
Ben didn’t run on a team in college, yet he still continued to run.
At his first job after college, Ben’s boss suggested joining a local running group.
It didn’t take long for Ben to be peer pressured into a variety of running events.
Watching his friends accomplish goals was what spurred him to push beyond what he thought was possible.
Roads Versus Trails
Ben regularly runs on both the roads and the trails.
Each is very different and requires a certain mindset to really excel.
On trails, speed will only get you so far.
Ben has found that experience plays a big factor in success on the trails.
Trails vary in both elevation and how technical they are which will greatly affect pace.
Ben often tries to run by feel rather than sticking to a certain pace when on trails.
On both roads and trails, it is easy to fall into certain traps of starting at a pace that is inappropriate for the specific athlete.
Bad races will happen to everyone, but Ben views them as a chance to work on his weaknesses.
Ben Lamers
A Winning Recipe
Winning a marathon is something that very few people have ever done.
Ben is a part of that select group after he won his first marathon this past year.
The race he won was a local race that he was familiar with.
He knew heading into the race that he had a strong chance to win the entire thing.
In past races, Ben was often in contention for the top 3.
Bigger marathons that Ben knows he won’t place allows him to experience less pressure and focus more on his time.
Due to the smaller size of the marathon he won, he had a much different strategy than he otherwise would.
Winning a marathon was something he never expected he would do, but he loved the experience.
Ben Lamers
Something For Everyone
Ben has run two of the six marathon majors.
He loved the New York City Marathon but had the opposite feeling about Chicago.
His negative feelings toward the race could be partially due to the fact that the weather was less than ideal.
Regardless of how Ben feels about certain races, there are more than enough options for everyone.
He prefers smaller races with easier logistics so that he can focus more on his performance that day.
The reason Ben sticks with running is simple.
He enjoys both the sport itself and the community of runners he has met.
Mentioned In This Episode:
Stay connected with Ben Lamers by following him on Instagram and Twitter.
Ben Lamers is a not too serious guy with some serious race times. Winning a marathon is at the top of things he thought he would never do. Click To Tweet
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