News

What’s your go-to way to stay active and fit? Cycling? Running? Kayaking? Bowling? Lifting weights? Taking the dog for a walk? Playing Frisbee?

Folks along the Central Coast are taking part in a wide variety of outdoor activities – and a lot of indoor ones as well – at this very moment. A slew of opportunities await each one of us every day, from the very young to the young at heart. 

We’re living through the Big Bang in the ultra-running world; as more runners conquer the marathon, they’re trading up to ultras. Ultra-marathon finishes have increased a whopping 400% over the past five years.

 
At age 20, Andrew Frudden is a fit, handsome young man with striking brown eyes, clear complexion and rosy pink cheeks that accompany his overall health and his enthusiasm for his new life.
 
Today, no one would look at Andrew and imagine that just three years ago he was a 480 pound teenager with diminishing hopes of a full life, disabled not only by his burdening weight, but by the overwhelming fear that he might not live to see 20.
 

I grew up in San Luis Obispo. It was an idyllic and active childhood thanks to my amazing parents. I was one of those kids whose parents would literally tell me go outside and play until dinner. This resulted in frequent tromps all around Bishop Peak where I invariably got muddy at the pond. It also included daily trips to the SLO Swim Center for swim practice. The smell of chlorine wafting over the pool on a summer morning makes me want to dive in and crank out a few 1000 meters (time has allowed me to romanticize those killer workouts).