It started on the skislopes the day after Thanksgiving 2009, Drew Brazier decided he needed to change his lifestyle. He was out of shape and couldn’t enjoy this special time with his children and wife. At 6’4 and 340+ lbs, Drew was out of breath and hurting from skiing, but had a changed mind. With motivation and conviction he was determined to change, and now a couple years later he is running ultramarathons. I found his story inspirational and he allowed me to interview him for Runningrunners.net.
Can you tell me a bit of your back-story, were you always heavy before you started running or were you athletic in your early life?
Running for me was a passion in my early youth. In elementary school I was king of the 40 yard dash. I challenged anyone to a foot race. I grew up (kind of) and played basketball and football in high school. My freshman year of football I was 6 ft tall and 140 lbs. Coach pulled me aside and challenged me to eat tons of peanut butter, hit the weights, and bulk up for the next season. My sophomore year I was 6 ft 4in and 240. Colleges started showing interest in my football skills. By my senior year I was up to 290lbs. I went on to play college football and got up to about 310lbs playing weight. After my playing days I stopped the cardio but kept the 6-7,000 calorie diet (not kidding). I spent a few years just getting chubby. Exercise always seemed like a good idea. I would try it about once a week and quit after about 10 minutes. It hurt and I hadn’t found the motivation to get in shape. My last weigh-in was over 340lbs. Who knows how big I really got.
Please tell us about the day your life changed on the ski slope and what led up to this decision?
Very simple. My body hurt so much. I could feel my knees just falling apart. My back could no longer support my big ole’ belly. I started to think about how inactive of a father I was preparing myself to be. I was looking foolish in front of my wife. I could only remain in my skis for a few hours. As soon as we got in the car to head home, I turned to my wife and informed her I was making a change. I shaved my head, entered a weight loss competition, and it was on! That day I started educating myself about healthy eating and got up the next day for exercise. I did not really write down a goal to start. I just knew that I needed to start right then while motivation was high. It seemed that the first goal was clear and needed no clarification, lose some weight! After the first couple of weeks I then started to set weekly/monthly goals.
Obviously it had to be extremely difficult to start exercising and dieting, how did you overcome the desire to quit?
The most difficult part about starting to exercise daily was the physical discomfort, which actually only motivated me more. First, I never looked at the process as a diet. To me, a diet is simply something to set one up for later failure. Instead, I started a healthy lifestyle. Healthy living needed to be fun and enjoyable and something I could sustain. The lifestyle perspective encouraged me to easily overcome the desire to quit. Lives are full of ups and downs. Likewise, a healthy lifestyle is full of positive and negative days and all that matters is that I had more positive than negative days! Second, there were days where I did not want to exercise. So, my simple rule was that I would never be able to make the decision to not exercise on any given day until I had exercised for 10 minutes. This eliminated backing out and quitting!
Why did you start running, and what was it like those first couple times that you went out to run?
Literally, it was one step at a time. I started running to shed some pounds. It was 1 mile, then 2, 3, and all of a sudden I found pushing myself through a difficult run rewarding. I enjoyed focusing on my form and how my body responded to running. Yes, it did hurt when I first started running. My knees were pretty banged up from being big and my football days. Currently, my knees have no pain!
Could you tell us a bit your current training regimen and how you currently eat?
Training is fun and demanding. My first goal in training is to not jeopardize relationships with my wife and kiddos. Thus, I am up very early and typically finish my daily running while all are asleep. Yes, some longer runs do go a bit later in the morning. A typical week is between 60-70 miles. When I am peaking for a race I get up into 80 miles per week. I try to get in 6-10 miles per day during the week. One day is a long run of 25-30 plus miles. When I am peaking I will do a long run back to back. Usually 20-22 miles two days in a row.
Recovery is huge. So assuring I get a good meal immediately following a run is important. My eating is about every 3-4 hours. I pay attention to how my glycemic index is making me feel. I can feel that my body needs some food and I eat. Each meal is around 400-500 calories. During the morning and day I make sure to eat carbs, protein, and good fat in each meal. Tons of fruit before 6pm and good veggies all day long!
What was the hardest part of your whole experience?
Helping people understand I was not slipping into an eating disorder. Some people start to wonder when they see their loved one lose a lot of weight. I recognized then, and now, that they sincerely cared. I believe now that most see I am not out running for hours because I want to lose weight. The running is because I love the sport and the challenge!
What would you say to someone who is overweight and doesn’t think he or she can do what you have done?
First, do not compare yourself with others. It is fine to be inspired by others but be careful not to hold yourself to the standard of another person. The journey is unique to the individual. Second, be patient, tenacious, and diligent. Do not take the 12-step perspective that once you messed up you have failed and have to start it all over. What I mean is just because you ate a brownie it does not matter. Just keep working at it! Third, set small goals and get excited when you reach them! Fourth, fill your cabinets with food that will only help you make healthy decisions.
When you finished your first race did you have a feeling of accomplishment or just a desire to run another race?
I feel a sense of joy during every race, including my first. To me it is not finishing the race. Yes, the finish line is great, but when you are doing an ultra you must tell yourself there really is no finish line. To really answer your question… each race does give me the desire to race again, usually a few days later I feel the desire!
How did you decide to get into something few people even know about ultramarathoning?
It seemed challenging. So, without thinking I asked my wife if I could register for a 50K and signed up! I did not give myself time to think. I had my name in and paid in full. I had but no choice then to prepare. When I got to my first race and started meeting others I knew I was with the right company. Ultra runners are a different type of people!
Please tell us about your favorite race story.
My favorite race story was my first 50K. I had full leg cramps in both legs from miles 20-28. At one point I had to crawl, but I never stopped moving forward. About mile 25 I swore to never run an ultra again. By mile 30 I was thinking about my next race plans! This race taught me so much about myself and respect for the mountain. Every race is a learning experience and should be!
I am fascinated with ultra long distance races, can you tell me about your eating/fueling during a race and how you keep going after 15-20 miles and still have another 10-15 to go?
Hydration is obviously key. I make sure to sip about every 15-20 minutes. Not big quantities of liquid at once, instead just always drinking. I do like to drink plenty of electrolyte drink throughout. I make sure to eat regularly, both gels and actual food. I have even started to eat Quinoa on some runs. I like to eat almond butter on tortillas! The trick is to not wait until you feel hungry. This is why I eat regularly. Finding motivation to keep going after 30 miles and you still have more than double that mileage to go is done by small goals. I set goals from one aid station to the next. I rarely think about the big picture!
What kind of reaction have you gotten from people who have known you for years? Do you get people who know you but don’t even recognize you?
People are generally excited for me! Some people that I had met once or twice when I was bigger don’t even recognize me when I am standing next to them now. It has happened twice where I have been in a public place next to people with whom I used to work. They looked right at me and said hello and just kept on going. They had no idea who I was!
What is the best part about your new life?
Well, I was happy when I was bigger. I just was limited. The best part is that I am preparing myself to be a youthful father for many years to come. In addition, my kiddos are seeing that it is fun to have a healthy lifestyle. Between my wife and I they have enough of example of getting out and having fun! I also love running ultras because it is like hiking on steroids. I can do a 50 mile run thru the mountains and see so much beauty!
Was your family the biggest factor in losing weight and how did they motivate you to keep going?
Yes, all of my family was supportive. My wife has lost over 100 lbs in the past few years. She is the biggest inspiration. We always supported each other and never got onto each other if the other wanted a bowl of ice cream. We cooked healthy meals for each other. She is a healthy food chef!!!! We allowed each other time to get out and exercise. We were always happy for one another’s success!
What are your future goals and challenges?
Enjoy the ride. I see so many people who “don’t have time” for this and that. Just work, work, work! Don’t get me wrong I put in my 50+ hours/ week, but I work to enjoy life. I like to incorporate my running and healthy living into my work, and I want to continue to be more innovative with this. I want to run the Hardrock 100 in the future. I want to run a ragnar* as a one man team! I want to not lose sight of the simplicity that is running and life! Most of all I want to be a good father and husband and inspire others to reach their goals and dreams!
For more information about Drew Brazier, please visit his website itaintadiet.com He seems like a great guy and if I am ever in Colorado I would love to run some trails with him.
*According to Ragnarrellay.com
“Ragnar is the overnight running relay race that makes testing your limits a team sport. A team is made up of 6-12 individuals; each individual runs 3 legs. The legs of the race vary in difficulty and distance, from 3-8 miles, allowing elite and novice runners to run together. Over 2 days and 1 night, teams run across 200 miles of the country’s most scenic terrain. Pair that with crazy costumes, inside jokes, a great finish line party and unforgettable stories. Some call it a slumber party without sleep, pillows or deodorant. We call it Ragnar.”
This post was written by Andy - who has written 89 posts on RunningRunners
I ran cross country and track in high school and college. I focused on the 5000 and 10,000 meter races with pr‘s of 16:02 in the 5k and 34:27 in the 10k. After college I got out of the habit of running regularly. I ran sporadically throughout the past several years and have gotten out of shape. I needed motivation to get back into running, so I started this website to rekindle my love of running and encourage users to share their personal running stories. I’m going to track my runs and write about them here. I hope this will motivate and encourage you in your running as well. 
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What an inspirational interview!! I figure that since I am starting at 206, that I have no excuse. There is also some hope for you as well.
This was a GREAT INTERVIEW. Some of the words he has said only could come from someone who has understanding. There is a difference between making a lifestyle choice and a diet choice which he pointed out and is very important. I think that people who read this interview could understand it is a lifestyle change that he enjoys
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