<h2><strong>Who says it can't be you?</strong></h2>
Some people are out there doing some pretty amazing things... and often I find they simply fell into it by accident. No grand designs of fame, fortune, and conquering. Simply... "I want to run Boston"... or... "I'd like to stay fit in the off-season". And then, before you know it... you're crushing several 100 mile ultramarathons in a year and setting world records running marathons in 7 continents... at 42 years old... like Mike Wardian.
<h3><strong>OK... so maybe he's special... but the point remains!</strong></h3>
I only just learned of Mike Wardian's existence around the time I ran the Millinocket Marathon. From that point in time, either my awareness of him or his star power skyrocketed... maybe both. What I have seen of this man is the kind of thing I hope to see in the rest of the world. He's unlocked the secret... and I'm thrilled to share it with you guys today.
<h3><strong><em><span style="color: #ff0000;">For the full interview with John Kelly about his incredible Barkley Marathons 2017 finish (plus more!) check out the podcast episode on</span> <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/so-this-is-fitness/id1185769801?mt=2&amp;ls=1">iTunes here</a><span style="color: #ff0000;">, on</span> <a href="http://subscribeonandroid.com/sothisisfitness.libsyn.com/rss">Android here</a><span style="color: #ff0000;">, or on the web player at the bottom of this post. </span></em><span style="text-decoration: underline; color: #f54545;"><em>Don’t forget to hit “subscribe”!</em></span></strong></h3>
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<h3>Mike Wardian has figured it out.</h3>
&nbsp;

I am thoroughly and completely impressed by Michael Wardian as a human being. He is, simply put, extraordinary. I could list off his superhuman accomplishments but we'd be here all day. The bottom line is... he's reached deep down in the well and found something within himself that he has piped directly to the surface... and the world has responded positively to it. It's not just his accomplishments I'm impressed with, though. As I said... I'm impressed with him as a human being.
<h3><strong>Mike is a special kind of person</strong></h3>
He's quickly rising to the top ranks of the running world. Mike is a big fish who's little, obscure pond is growing and being discovered. He's collecting accomplishments of such magnitude that the only people who can truly understand them... are those who are very "plugged in" to the running world. I told my dad last night that my podcast guest this week was Michael Wardian - a man who ran 7 marathons in 7 continents in 7 days... and he stumbled over himself unable to understand how someone could logistically and physically do 7 marathons... in 7 continents... in 7 days. We didn't even GET to the part where he won the whole thing by posting a 2:45 average time in each one. Through all this, though... one thing sticks out to me, in particular, about Mike.
<h3>Mike Wardian is about as normal and humble as they come.</h3>
Despite his super-human feats and impressive running resume... he's just a guy having fun running. He fully understands how fortunate of a position he's in, and he doesn't take it for granted. He gets to do what he loves, hold down a steady job that allows him to do it, and his family supports him.
<h2>Most importantly - he doesn't let anything hold him back.</h2>
Mike just turned 43. That means that, just months ago, he not only finished... but WON... the World Marathon Challenge... at 42 years old. And he set records while doing it! This year he plans to run some of the toughest 100 mile ultramarathons out there - Hardrock 100, Western States Endurance Run, and others... not to mention all the other marathons and ultras he'll do. <strong>At 43 years of age.</strong> Like I said before... he's a regular guy. he found something he enjoys, he works at it, and he excels.
<h3>Who's to say we can't all do the same?</h3>
When you get right down to it... aside from current conditioning level and past accomplishments... there's not a whole lot that separates people like you and me from Mike Wardian (as crazy as that might sound). He simply doesn't let anything hold him back. He has let go of any percieved limits he once thought he had. Now? He just works for it and DOES it. He lives life limitless. We should all take a page out of his book and try it. Give a listen to episode 33 of the podcast for my chat with him and you'll see what I mean about him. I think you'll like him.
<h3><strong>What's in this episode:</strong></h3>
<ul>
 	<li>Darrell is legit!</li>
 	<li>Virtual Training is a thing</li>
 	<li>Hills are WAY steeper in person</li>
 	<li>Mike Wardian joins us for a chat!
<ul>
 	<li>Living the dream</li>
 	<li>Winning the World Marathon Challenge</li>
 	<li>Running a marathon in Antarctica</li>
 	<li>What REALLY happened out there during the 2017 Barkley Marathons</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Episode Resources</strong></h3>
<ul>
 	<li><a href="http://www.mikewardian.com">Mike's Website</a></li>
 	<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/michaelwardian/">Mike's Facebook</a></li>
 	<li><a href="http://www.worldmarathonchallenge.com/">The World Marathon Challenge</a></li>
 	<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barkley_Marathons">The Barkley Marathons wikipedia page</a></li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Connect with So THIS Is Fitness</strong></h3>
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