Jul 9, 2021 | Apparel, Community, Newsletter, Nutrition, Testimonial, Training Advice, Uncategorized
by: Tom Clifford
WITHOUT LIMITS: 14 YEARS….HOW WE STARTED: 14 years ago we decided to start a business coaching runners and it turned out to be a little more than that:)
I met Kyle Shepard playing beer pong and told him I am going to start coaching runners at the track and he should come out. Kyle said. IGGHHHTT. I’ll be there. (I honestly didn’t believe him) but he showed up. Alecia Williams also showed up as she was my first client that I met in the gym and Erin Hogston a former UNCW hurdler also showed up.
That business was going to be named High Voltage running, because I loved the band ACDC. Really I loved Thunderstruck but that didn’t make sense to name a running group Thunderstruck. After some thought, I figured ehhh, High Voltage a little corny and took a vote with some runners that were already training with us. Without Limits stuck out as one of the great running films about Steve Prefontaine. So we moved forward with the name WITHOUT LIMITS and actually trademarked the name a year later.
The group grew and people improved. I learned a lot in those first years about working with ability levels from novice to good age group runners. Kristen Smith started helping me time from the beginning and is now still coaching and a Wilmington Firefighter. Kristen has been a tremendous coach over the years and we appreciate everything she has done!
(added: I can’t forget Anthony Enoch who took me to my first marathon in Myrtle Beach and is still a current friend and athlete)
In 2009 I got into triathlon. I enjoyed racing triathlon and really wanted to begin coaching triathletes as well. So after a year of studying triathlon and getting certified, we added triathlon to our list of services.
I then realized Wilmington did not have a full marathon in the city. The
NHRMC Wilmington NC Marathon and Half Marathon was born, formerly the Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Marathon as many of you remember it. We put together a great team of people to make the race happen. The race had 1400 runners in it’s first year and putting on events really got my juices flowing. The marathon grew to a near 4000 runners over the last 10 years and continues to change and adapt to our city and hopefully will continue to be successful.
In 2011 Annette Clifford quit her job to help me with the business. We now had just one source of income for our family and we just got married and bought a house. Annette fixed a lot! If it wasn’t for her our books would probably be backwards.
In 2012 we had a coaching breakthrough when Christa Iammarino qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the marathon. This was any coaches dream to be able to be on an athlete’s journey to an OTQ.
Also in 2012, I met Jon Carne from
Port City Apparel. Jon helped our brand improve drastically through apparel. We began creating our own race t-shirts for races. The race t-shirt industry just didn’t meet expectations with design and comfort. Jon really helped our company and our races create the best shirts you can get at a race!
2012 remained a great year as we had started our Without Limits Youth program with Colin Hackman. The goal was development of young athletes so they could go to High School developed and excited to run. Aaron Kolk came along and has been a tremendous coach for youth and adult and now triathlete coach for so many.
Now Without Limits, the Marathon and Without Limits Apparel were three main pillars of our company. I met Mike Duncan at Sage Island who helped us with branding and web design. With my brother Steve and Mike dialing in our logo we had a good branded logo that had meaning! WITHOUT LIMITS…..Embrace the Challenge.
Now Without Limits had some other coaches in other locations. Chris Bailey in Charleston. Matt Hammersmith in Greenville, Trey McCain in Columbia and Josh Estep in Raleigh area.
After going to one of Matt’s races in Greenville, that sparked and idea to create a trail relay that brought families, friends of all ages to compete in an ultra marathon style age graded relay race in a big field. The
Southern Tour Ultra was born. A combination of ideas into one. The Southern Tour was another pillar of Without Limits that added my kind of flavor. Woods, Beer, Running, Classic Rock Music and competitiveness! From Southern tour
Copperhead 20K and
Shakori 40 were both branches off the same concept with different distances and vibes at each event.
In 2019 three of our ladies qualified for the 2020 U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials which was another coaching honor to be on the Journey of Erin Hogston who was one of my first athletes, Brittany Perkins and Peyton Thomas.
In 2019 I met Shawn and Scott Tunis along with Diana Davis our dietitian and we created a vitamin and long run recovery shake line that will assist runners with better nutrition and recovery.
Runners Daily Vitamin
Of all of these highlights, there are so many accomplishments by athletes along the way that I am so excited to have been on their journey. Also so many people to thank. Beth Ann Soporowski for coming on board and helping us with back end work and sponsors, Maleia Tumolo Celia Wolff, JP Merchant and Angela Midget who all have brought great energy to practices.
While this may look like a good ol’ highlight reel, there were many struggles along the way. But I can say every single struggle made us a stronger company, better communicators and always lit a fire under us to BE BETTER.
We are Without Limits, and we appreciate the support from so many.
Visit us now and grab some apparel if you want:)
Mar 26, 2020 | Apparel, Community, Newsletter, Testimonial, Training Advice, Uncategorized
By Kyle Genaro Phillips
March 2020 will forever be etched in our memories. Over the course of the last fourteen days, our global community came to a grinding halt. There are a number of different personal responses, to include, denial, panic, and hopelessness against the backdrop of something that we collectively do not have a firm grasp or understand. I have taken a moment to reflect on what this experience means to me during a period that Winston Churchill aptly phrased as the “end of the beginning.”
Readiness is something that is dogmatic in the Marine Corps ethos. As a battalion commander at the School of Infantry for two years, we constantly preached “readiness” to our newly minted Marines. The refrain went something like this: “the time to prepare for combat is not when you are on the precipice of conflict. Train every day like it’s your last to prepare for war.” Readiness was the mantra. Be ready. Study, be physically fit, prepare your family for the possibility of deploying for combat. Since September 2001, our military has rightfully seen the benefits and consequences of our state of readiness.
The current global pandemic has provided an opportunity for all of us to take inventory of our personal state of readiness. What is our readiness – physically, financially, and spiritually for the unknown challenges that we will face in the future? The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated in a clear fashion that our physical readiness may have a very real impact on our individual ability to be resilient in the face of unknown health crises. Do we exercise? Do we smoke? Are we eating healthy meals? Do we get adequate sleep in order to maintain the best and healthiest version of ourselves? Physical readiness is not something that we can flip a switch, take a pill, or order from Amazon. Physical readiness takes discipline, teamwork, and dedication to the process to ensure our individual well-being. While it’s never too late to start, we have a finite ability to improve our physical conditioning. Don’t delay.
The current crisis has also demonstrated the necessity of financial readiness. Everyone in some way has been impacted financially by the outbreak of the coronavirus. Financial planners have often preached that we should have 6 month’s salary saved for emergencies. Additionally, are we disciplined to keep our debt to income ratio low so that we have credit when we need credit. Our individual financial resiliency contributes to the overall financial resiliency of our community and country. While we may not be able to immediately change our financial position in the light of the current volatile environment, at some point we will be back to a stable economy where we must balance our current needs and wants with the necessity to build economic resiliency through savings and low debt.
Finally, our spiritual readiness is critically important. What is the status of our relationships, both personally and professionally? Do we have a firm spiritual base to weather the rough seas that undoubtably will present themselves in our life? Do we have a loving relationship with our family and those closest to us? This we can change. Be kind. Show empathy. The individual positivity displayed in the face of extreme circumstances has the same exponential effect as the viral crisis we face today. Our spiritual readiness must be constantly nurtured. In hard times, spiritual resiliency is perhaps the hardest to muster in the absence of a lifelong commitment to fostering a foundation upon which to build.
Readiness is critical to our individual and collective achievements. Let us all reflect on where we are now, physically, financially, and spiritually. We all can improve. Let us be accountable for ourselves with the support of our friends and community. The current crisis will pass. Resist the urge to just “get back to normal.” Together we can work for a better normal. Through our disciplined approach to our personal readiness we will persevere. Start now.
(Kyle G. Phillips is an active duty Marine with nearly 22 years of service. The views presented are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD, DON, or the Marine Corps.)
Mar 22, 2020 | Community, Nutrition, Training Advice, Uncategorized
By: Diana Davis, RDN Without Limits Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
March 22nd 2020
In the midst of our current situation in the world of handwashing, sanitizing, social distancing, work from home, self-quarantine and cancellations it’s great to know that what we eat to fuel our bodies can boost our immunity and help protect us from coronavirus. There are foods that enhance immune function and we need to eat a varied diet rich in plant-based phytochemicals to fight off the pathogens that make us sick. The good news is, the more vegetables and fruits you eat, the better for your immunity.
Research has identified immune-boosting vitamins: beta-carotene, vitamins B6, B12, C, D, E and folate as well as minerals: iron and zinc. Choosing a menu loaded with whole plant foods from the produce section of the grocery store (or the frozen food versions of the same) is the best way to obtain these nutrients along with the fiber and prebiotics they contain. Some great examples of immunity boosting foods include vegetables: garlic, onions, leafy greens, bell peppers, broccoli, mushrooms and fruits including apples, citrus fruit, kiwi, mango, and strawberries.
Knowing what to eating and then actually doing it can be challenging. To make it easier, I have created an incredible 2-week Immunity-Boosting Nutrition Plan to help you get started. This meal plan contains some of my favorite healthy-and-delicious recipes, step by step directions, grocery lists and nutrition facts. This plan can help you fuel your body for life or for training and is appropriate for all members of your household. This is a great introduction to following a meal plan and getting into a strong routine to do meal prep each week to support your success.
![Three Without Limits Ladies Heading to the U.S. Olympic Trials | Team is the Answer!]()
Feb 4, 2020 | Community, Newsletter, Testimonial
By: Coach Tom Clifford
(Wimington, NC)
Three exceptional women from Without Limits, Brittany Perkins, Peyton Thomas, and Erin Hogston all qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials which will be held on February 29th, 2020 in Atlanta Georgia.
BRITTANY PERKINS (30): Mother of Ruby Perkins, Wife to Matt Perkins and Works at Live Oak Bank as a Loan Operations Specialist
ERIN HOGSTON (39): Mother to Levi and Wyatte Hogston, Wife to Chad Hogston. Erin also works as a Real Estate Agent.
PEYTON THOMAS (24): Currently enrolled as a PhD candidate at UNCW in Marine Biology.
Brittany (left) Peyton (Center) Erin (Right)
It all started after the 2018 Boston Marathon when horrible weather conditions at the event meant exceptionally challenging racing conditions allowing American men and women to place abnormally high compared to the international athletes who typically dominate the field. I received a call from both Brittany and Erin, who had recently run 2:53 (Erin) and 2:54 (Brittany) at the NHRMC Wilmington Marathon just a few weeks before. Both were inspired seeing Desiree Linden win the race and several American men/women and masters runners place in the top 10. All 3 of us met and went over what it would take to run under 2:45 to qualify for the US Olympic trials (also known as an Olympic Trials Qualifier or OTQ). I said to them, “you are both talented, and this will be a process, but with hard work, dedication and WORKING TOGETHER, it is possible.”
Brittany and Erin committed to their goal. Equally as important, their husbands were also on board. Family support is a huge part of achieving such a challenging endeavor as an OTQ! Brittany and Erin are committed spouses and mothers, so a significant aspect of the discussion was ensuring the sacrifices that were about to face did not negatively affect their families.
The goal race was Houston, January 2019. We had 9 months.
Erin (38 years old at the time) was going to need to drop 8:30 off her best marathon time and Brittany (29 at the time) was going to need to drop 10 minutes off her best marathon time. Significant goals for any marathoner, let alone runners who already posted sub-3 hour marathons.
As the first week in October approached, we kicked off the training program with the Run for the Ta Tas 5K. Both ladies ran impressive 5K times but it also signaled the reality that we had a lot of work to do. The hot, humid early fall made for difficult racing and training and we needed some cool weather. In the middle of the training cycle, Brittany ran a 5:30 pace at the Richmond 8K which was a huge confidence booster. However, Brittany injured her hamstring which turned out to be a nagging injury for several weeks in the training. Erin sprained her ankle earlier that August and she had to back off training for 5 weeks in the middle of the training schedule. Both athletes were going into unknown territory. Neither of them had raced even a half marathon under 6:20s, so now having to do it over 26.2 was daunting. Knowing that they had some obstacles in the first training plan with unexpected injuries was also nerve wracking.
We decided we would do an all women’s half marathon in early December. Most of the race was on gravel. Brittany had major digestive issues and Erin’s ankle was just not in the best shape even though she had hit some decent workouts. We got Erin on the Alter G for a few weeks but almost threw in the towel on Houston all together. I didn’t want her to race if she was going to injure herself more or run slower than her last marathon.
Brittany Perkins
Finally we get to race day in Houston 2019. Brittany pulled off an unbelievable race and hit her OTQ in 2:44:15. She took 10 minutes off her best time. The biggest lesson for her was how much benefit she received from resting in the middle of training. The recovery played a key role even though she had some nagging pain in her hammy. Erin ran a 2:48:40 which was a 6 minute PR. Even though she was disappointed, she really took it in perspective and saw her opportunity for improvement. I honestly knew it was a long shot for both girls to take so much time off their previous marathon, but they raced up to their potential and we were all proud of that!
ALONG CAME PEYTON THOMAS AND LET’S NOT FORGET ABOUT ANN MARIE PIERCE
After Brittany got her time, now it was Erin’s decision on whether she was going to spend the next year training for another opportunity to OTQ. Along came Peyton Thomas, a Baylor University Graduate that began the PhD Program for Marine Biology at UNCW. In March 2019, Peyton ran the NHRMC Wilmington HALF Marathon in a blazing 1:15:20, only 2:20 off the A-Standard for the Olympic Marathon standard (in the half). After she ran that, she decided to go for the OTQ in the Full Marathon at California International Marathon (CIM) in December 2019. Ann Marie Pierce won the NHRMC Wilmington FULL in 2:48, motivating her as well to try to qualify. However for Ann Marie, she was blessed with getting pregnant, postponing her OTQ. With a new beautiful baby boy, Ann Marie will have to look to 2024:)
MOVING FORWARD TO CIM
A group of us began training for CIM in December. Erin and Peyton were our two elite women going for the OTQ. CIM markets and sets their race up for men and women to get the O
Peyton Thomas
TQ standard – if you are close, you have a great chance. Between summer and fall, Erin battled a TFL injury. This is a girl who rarely gets injured, but that first marathon cycle was hard on her body. She learned her weaknesses and worked on them all summer, but it was mentally tough trying to get back in shape. I encouraged her and promised her that if she kept her drive, confidence, and grit and just kept believing in the process, she would achieve her goal. It is super difficult training here in Southeastern NC. Dewpoints keep temps and heat indices in the 90-100 degree marker, so we had to think outside the box for our summer build.
CALIFORNIA INTERNATIONAL MARATHON
CIM weekend came, and it was like a bunch of caged animals – motivated, confident and ready to run fast. We were psyched! It was abnormally humid in California that day so hydration was going to be an issue. PEYTON QUALIFIED! In her first attempt, Peyton dropped a 2:42 and puked at the finish line. Peyton has so much more to give and I am so excited to see what she can do in Atlanta. Peyton is a full time student right now, so here “career” is still ahead of her. We are excited for Peyton. Erin came out just short at CIM. She ran a 2:46:30, another PR but not enough to qualify. Erin ran a hell of a race, however she started a little fast and she had a few issues with her nutrition at the water bottle tables.
THE NEXT 6 WEEKS
The flight home was time to reflect and time to think. I watched a hockey special about the Detroit Red Wings. It was all about the Russian 5 and how it took years to build up that team. When they should have won, they lost, but never gave up…then won 2 Stanley Cups in a row. THE LESSON? STAY IN THE GAME, WHEN YOU THINK IT’S OVER YOU ARE PROBABLY ON THE VERGE OF A BREAKTHROUGH!
Erin Hogston
I knew Erin could do it and she had nothing to lose if she decided to attempt the race again in Houston 2020. It was 6 weeks away. The most pressing question was how do you recover, build and taper AGAIN. Well, its tricky. We did a lot of research and talking. We began chipping away at workouts and communicating daily to see how everything was feeling. After 2 weeks, Erin decided she was going to try. She bought her flights and paid her entry. She had the CIM Marathon in her body as a big boost in fitness, and she had to be reminded that she was as fit as ever RIGHT NOW! We did some key workouts and 2 major semi long runs. She crushed everything, it was just enough but not too much. She had to be mentally and spiritually ready…….well……
HOUSTON 2020
Erin is on her way to Houston. She went alone, and we all had to bite our tongue because her husband Chad Hogston decided to show up Saturday before the race to surprise her with his support. That might have just been the icing on the cake……She executed a perfect race! Started out just as we planned and finished with a bang! 2:44:28. What an amazing story from a girl who grew up sprinter, and was a 400 meter hurdler at UNCW.
We are proud of all of our athletes at Without Limits. There is no question that TEAM and SUFFERING TOGETHER is the reason for success. Every day, we see regular people, husbands, wives, business owners, beginners, nurses, doctors, teachers, people who grew up foreign to running GET OUT THERE AND TRY! These ladies all started by TRYING and putting themselves and their goals publicly out there. If you are afraid of your goal, know that it might just be worth setting. You can’t put a timeline on it, just keep seeking it! Why not….you create your own reality of what you want to do. Ask God for guidance and strength and to give you the wisdom to take the right paths on your journey. If you do this…… You are WITHOUT LIMITS!
- This article was written by Coach Tom Clifford and edited by Kyle Phillips
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Nov 28, 2019 | Nutrition, Testimonial, Training Advice, Uncategorized
Want to dial in your nutrition, energy and weight before your next big race? Not sure what or how much you should eat each day when you are training for a marathon or half marathon? Love to cook and eat healthy but just can’t find the time to figure it out on a busy schedule? Join Without Limits Race Ready Online Nutrition Program.
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Each month you will receive:
4 weeks of healthy meal plans to meet your increased nutrition needs for training for your goal race.
Easy to follow & delicious “clean eating” recipes
A weekly grocery list for everything you will need to prepare all your meals and snacks
Nutrition information for everything on the plan
Race Ready Carb Loading Plan for last 3 days before your goal race.
A private Facebook group with other athletes who join the Race Ready Online Nutrition Group
Online Group Coaching from Without Limits Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Diana Davis
A Without Limits Race Ready Recipe Book – as a free bonus gift for signing up by 12/20/19!
Pricing:
Early Bird Special: 12 weeks for $ 225 if you sign up and pay by 12/20/19 (PLUS BONUS RECIPES)
12 weeks for $250 if you sign up between 12/21/19 and 12/31/19
Monthly Custom Meal Planning Program – $100 per month
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According to one of Diana’s clients, “Having someone tell me what to eat has been brilliant! I use the provided grocery list to check my pantry and cruise through the grocery store in record time. I batch cook or prepare some of the breakfast and snack items ahead of time to avoid pitfalls. I am so satisfied with nutritious and delicious food, that I have no desire for empty calories. I have healthy dessert options- hello, date turtles and inside out almond-joys!?!?- when I want to indulge. My weight has corrected itself in a safe and gradual way without impeding my performance. Diana’s kind and gentle demeanor, expertise and firsthand knowledge of athletic performance have helped me embrace the challenge of cleaning up my act in the most enjoyable and tasty way.” – Heather B.
