Inspired, Determined, Tough: An Interview with Trainer Paul “Crazy Legs” Stofko
May 19, 2008 | in Fitness | 3 Comments Share
He's a dedicated trainer and inspiring athlete with mental toughness for days. Literally. I mean, the man ran a race that lasted over 35 hours! Check out our exclusive interview with trainer and athlete Paul "Crazy Legs" Stofko.
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With over 200 races under his belt including 12 ultras, 7 marathons and various 5 and 10ks, Paul "Crazy Legs" Stofko is a tough competitor. His certifications and degrees in training and exercise science make him an experienced expert in theory as well as practice.
Interview
Q: How long have you been a trainer?
A: I was certified in 1997, so 11 years
Q: Have you always been an athlete?
A: Actually when I was growing up I was not athletic. I was actually pretty heavy through 8th grade, and got into athletics in high school—wrestling and track. I then got into nutrition and learning more about health and fitness. In college I did Nutrition first and ended up in Exercise Science.
I started running when I was 15 just to keep fit; I didn't get into racing until my senior year in high school, running 5ks, 10ks and marathons.
Q: How does someone take the leap from cross-country to doing ultrarunning?
A: I didn't start ultras until 1999-2000; I went off to school in Flagstaff, Arizona, which is a higher altitude. There was a bigger trail running and ultrarunning community, so people asked me if I did any ultras. I then did a couple 50ks, some 50 milers, then in 2000 did my first 100 mile in California.
Ultrarunning goes hand-in-hand with trail running—it tends to be that type of trail surface.
Q: I read the recap of your 150 mile race in 2007...
A: The McNaughton 150 mile I just did in 2008, too; I won 2007 and came 3rd over-all this year. In 2007 I ran it in 35 hours and 22 minutes so I beat the 2nd place guy by 5 hours... I raced against Dave Goggins, an ex-Navy Seal and beat him last year, and he came back and beat me this year. It's kind of a back-and-forth kind of thing. But that race is more about survival than anything... (laughs).
Q: Ultrarunning must be all about mental toughness.
A: Yeah, we're considered sort of a "fringe" sport... Trail running is becoming more and more popular, and I think ultrarunning is the next big thing. Marathons used to be the ultimate test 20, 30 years ago, and ultra is starting to take over that, and hopefully it'll keep on growing.
Out here in Estes Park in Colorado we're putting together trail running weekends—a beginning ultra program talking about nutrition, the mental part of it and some group runs. You can check it out at the Active at Altitude site.
Q: If a client wants to progress in running—from 5k to 10k to marathons to ultras—how do you help them prepare for that?
A: The mental part is very important, and nutrition is huge. Nutrition becomes much more important in marathons, and then 50ks, 50 miles, etc.
In a marathon you hit the "bonk" at 22 or 24 miles, where in ultras you start to feel when you pass the marathon distance or 30, 32 miles—"uncharted territory"—and that's where the mental toughness kicks in. Just keeping constantly moving.
We never try to put time limits in when we're training our clients who are new to longer distances—just finishing is the important part with ultras, as well as new marathon runners.
Q: What area of fitness do you specialize in with your clients?
A: Athletic training is my specialty, but that's a small segment of my clientele. There really isn't that many ultra runners and high-end caliber athletes in the world, so that's about 5% of my client base. Weight loss is the majority of the reason I'm training people, as well as high school athletes getting prepped during off season.
Most of my clients are over 30 or 40 years old and are looking to lose weight and feel better. We also train older clients who are doing more functional exercises and rehabing. My background in Exercise Science helps with rehabbing and physical therapy.
Q: What athlete inspires you most?
A: Steve Prefontaine, who was basically the rock star of track and field. He ran for the University of Oregon, set all the American records in the late 60s and early 70s. He was the first athlete Nike sponsored. He died young in a car accident in '75. (See Paul's Pre's Posse site dedicated to Steve Prefontaine.)
Q: How do you prepare clients that want to train for a race?
A: Running is such an individual sport, you have to see what the person's running background and health history is. We do a general build-up in terms of mileage in a safe way. I have some general ideas, but I try to keep it open and work with them in 2 week increments and adjust the plan over time. "Are these working for you? Are you doing too much? Do we have to back off? Do more?" It's a constant communication with clients to assess where they are and how they're doing with their training.
People are not always able to do the same things; with experience as a personal trainer you learn what people are capable of doing as well as how they like to be trained. Before training them I like to find out their goals, their history, their background and what they enjoy.
Q: What's a favorite exercise you like to have pretty much everybody do as a base in their training?
A: I'm fond of the stability ball
Q: What do you recommend for clients that get stuck traveling for business or are on the road?
A: You should get a traveling kit you can easily take with you so you're less dependent on the location. What we're looking for are some bands of various resistances
My main concern is the cardiovascular; strength training is important, but if they're on the road or on vacation for one or 2 weeks they really lose a lot of their cardiovascular training quickly. Especially if their goal is to lose weight, chances are if they're traveling they're probably not eating too good out there. We usually write them up a quick program of exercises with cardio and the bands that they can get done in 30 minutes.
Q: What's the single best piece of advice you can give to beginners?
A: Consistency is a huge thing. Taking one or 2 days off tends to snowball. Two days turns into a week turns into 2 weeks turns into 4. If you can even just do 1 or 2 days a week, no matter what it is, at least having some activity keeps you from having these big gaps in your exercise, and is less of an obstacle to overcome in coming back.
You can't put fitness "in the bank". If you were athletic in high school or earlier in life, it's not something that you can withdraw from later. When a number of years go by, you have to start from ground zero again, whereas if you stay consistent it won't be as difficult to pick it up and improve.
Q: Are there any special projects you're working on?
A: I'm Race Directing the Crazy Legs 10k in Colorado. This year was its first year, and I'm working on organizing the 2009, which will probably be in May. It's a great trail race with a great community; it's not about egos and elitism. Everybody's equal in our race, and the last finisher is as important as the first person that crossed the line.
Credentials
- Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist from National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)
- Certified Personal Trainer from the American Council on Exercise (ACE)
- Certified Running Coach through the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA)
- BS in Exercise Science from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona
- AS in Dietetic Technology from Purdue University Calumet in Hammond, Indiana
- Personal Trainer at the Chilson Recreation Center in Loveland, Colorado
Contact Information
If you are interested in contacting Paul for training you may reach him via the following:
- URL: www.paulstofko.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/people/Paul_Stofko/107568449
- Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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Comments
Great photo too. I live in Eugene, Oregon and have seen many Pre shirts. But not this one.
Go Paul!
kara | May 22, 2008
kara,
That is a home-made Pre T-shirt. I was able to travel to Eugene last year to run the half marathon it was great.
paul | May 26, 2008
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Paul is so awesome. Excellent interview!!!! Very informative. Keep up the good work Paul!!!!!
DONNA RAU | May 19, 2008