Aug 23, 2023 | Community, Newsletter, Nutrition, Training Advice, Uncategorized
Have you noticed feeling fatigue, tired or heavy legs during running, difficulty completing workouts, or not recovering well before the next session?
You may have low iron stores (as measured by low serum ferritin). In fact, many athletes experience some form of nutrition related fatigue that is related to one of the following:
- Under fueling in general, not eating enough energy (calories) to support training.
- Not taking in enough carbohydrate during the time just before, during or after training.
- Eating inadequate iron to support the demands of running and suffering from lower production of hemoglobin and red blood cells – that carry oxygen to working muscles.
Low levels of hemoglobin in the blood, or low levels of the iron storage protein ferritin, can have a profoundly negative impact on your ability to have successful workouts and races.
Low ferritin levels can cause poor performance, even when hemoglobin levels are normal.
Research with high school cross country runners has shown about 3% of boys and 40% of girls were iron deficient at the beginning of the season and even higher numbers were seen by the end of the season.
There are 3 primary sons for why female runners are at greater risk for iron deficiency:
- dietary intake of iron tends to be very poor.
- menstrual cycles cause a substantial loss of blood. This increases the body’s demand for iron.
- running training itself causes an additional loss of iron – this happens primarily through gastrointestinal blood loss.
Distance runners can suffer from impaired performance even at iron levels at the low end of the “normal” reference range. (12 – 200 ng/ml for women; 12 – 500 ng/ml for men)
Athletes with ferritin levels at the low end of “normal” for the general population were found by researchers to exhibit many of the same symptoms as athletes with clinically low iron (<12 ng/mL).
Runners should aim for ferritin levels above 40 ng/mL to avoid fatigue and impaired performance from iron deficiency.
The best and easiest way to fix iron deficiency is the most obvious one: increase the iron sources you consume. This can involve increasing your dietary intake, taking an iron supplement, or, preferably, both.
Meat, especially red meat is rich in heme-iron, the form of iron that is readily absorbed and least impacted by factors that impair the absorption of non-heme iron (found in grains, beans, and vegetables). In fact, eating varied meals that contain both heme- and non-heme iron improves absorption of the plant-based sources. Meat, poultry and fish all share this ability to improve absorption of non-heme iron foods.
There is a significant benefit of iron supplementation in iron deficient athletes, both when it comes to increasing serum ferritin levels and to increasing aerobic performance.
Runners Essentials Daily Vitamin Formula by Without Limits is designed to support the endurance athlete’s needs for key nutrients including iron. The form – Ferrous Fumarate is less likely to cause GI problems (constipation), and the dosage – 22 mg (or 122% of Daily Value) is intended to prevent diminishing iron stores. It is recommended that you take the 2 capsules with a Vitamin C rich juice to increase absorption, apart from meals, antiacids, tea, or Calcium supplements which can inhibit iron availability for absorption, or at bedtime for better GI tolerance.
![REBRANDING]()
Oct 19, 2022 | Apparel, Community, Newsletter, Nutrition, Testimonial, Training Advice, Uncategorized
We all go through challenges, and after 16 years in business I hit a major challenge with
Without Limits. REBRANDING! Running a business
is a journey of ups and downs.
Without Limits turned out to be my career, which I never would have predicted a long time ago. It turned out to be better than expected and I thank God for giving me that blessing.
So why did we rebrand? I could say it was time for a change, and maybe it was, but unfortunately a much bigger athletic company than mine thought our brand looked too much like theirs and change was inevitable.
The decision was easy, don’t fight this, instead, make things better!
We are who we are, and we don’t want anyone else to think we are trying to be them. So for all of my friends and followers, WOL is Without Limits and that is what it was called from the start.
Our journey continues and our story gets better and stronger. We want to thank all of our athletes and the folks that support our events and wear our gear! Our mission continues to set goals and break through our old limits. Limits are not always defined by speed. While getting faster and improving performance is a part of endurance sports, so is mental improvement and overcoming obstacles in sport and in life. All this trickles down to our inner core of improving the SELF. WOL is what people have called Without Limits since we started. There is no symbol to define without limits than the words and letters themselves!
Embrace the Challenge and continue to LIVE WITHOUT LIMITS!
A big thanks to our athletes, coaches, colleagues, friends , and most importantly my wife
Annette Clifford! She took over the administration and helped me tremendously when we first got married in 2011. She gave up her job with a big unknown. We developed a brand together have some amazing people around us!
Cheers to the future and thank you for your support!
Jan 7, 2022 | Community, Newsletter, Testimonial, Uncategorized
The Journey to Without Limits
by Kim Baldwin
January 2022
September 2015. I was lying in an ICU bed thinking to myself, how the F*ck did I get here?
Six months before that, I had started a slow descent into a darkness I had never known. I was close to weighing 300lbs. And I was training for the SMART Ride, a 160-mile bike ride from Miami to Key West, in November. When I began to experience chest pain and shortness of breath, I told myself it was due to my weight and to shut up. This is what being 300 lbs. means. For months, it was nothing but me, my bike and the horrible stories I told myself. My daily practice was punishment through starvation, mileage, self-bullying. Rinse. Repeat.
By mid-September, I just not feeling well. So what did I do? Compete in the Wrightsville Beach Triathlon, just as I always had. My thinking was, well, you are getting a cold, you really don’t eat, you weigh a lot. This is what happens. Shut up. Continue with the punishment.
That September race day, I entered the water, found my spot, and took off when then gun fired. All very normal. I made it about 10 strokes into Banks Channel. Out of nowhere, I felt a wave of nausea tear through my body, from the bottoms of my feet up. Then I couldn’t breathe. I remember thinking, “I’m gonna be one of those triathletes who dies in the swim and everyone will say, ‘At least she died doing what she loved.” The ironic thing? I did all the swimming, biking and running not from a place of love (or mild enjoyment) but from a place of pure, unadulterated punishment.
My hand shot up. The lifeguards raced over, got me on the coast guard boat and took me immediately to the docks at Sea Path Marina where the paramedics were waiting for me. I knew something wasn’t right but when they checked me out, my vitals were ok. They let me go. In my mind, I convinced myself, again, that this is what happens when you are completely out of control with your weight; never mind I had done that swim hundreds of times with no issues.
Two days later, I ended up in the ICU. Both lungs were filled with blood clots and I had what they call a saddle pulmonary embolism. (This is not something you want to Google.) When the doctor came in my room his jaw hit the floor. He couldn’t believe I was alive. People don’t live through what I experienced. I wasn’t supposed to be here.
While taking months off from work and going to pulmonary rehab, I got much needed time to think. I knew I couldn’t ruin the do-over I had been gifted. I couldn’t spend the next half of my life living in darkness, anger, shame and blame.
For the next three years, I dug deep. I did the work. I unraveled my childhood trauma and started to see how that impacted every single strand of my life, especially my relationships with food and exercise. With the help of a nutritionist specialized in eating disorders and a therapist specializing in childhood trauma, I slowly started coming out of the darkness. I started to understand the stories I told myself were just that, stories.
I learned my eating disorder probably started when I was about five or six years old. I uncovered the root of my depression, anger, shame and toxic thinking. And I finally understood how it all was inextricably linked. I starved myself as a form of punishment. I exercised as punishment. Food brought me no joy. In fact it brought me the exact opposite. Who eats for pleasure? Running is fun?
In the movie “28 Days,” one of the characters, upon leaving treatment, wants to adopt a dog. His therapist says he can have a dog if he takes care of a house plant for a year. If the plant doesn’t die, he can get a dog.
That’s what my three years of doing the work was for me. I lost 100 lbs., got my mind right, and felt stable enough – mentally, physically, spiritually – to start exercising again. I wanted to see what a body with 100 lbs. less could do.
I joined Without Limits (WOL) and started with swim practice twice a week. Then I added run practice twice a week, signed up for Training Peaks and all of a sudden, I had a coach and long runs on Saturday.
Intimidated. That’s how I spent the first few months of swim and run practices. I felt so insecure. I was the slowest one. I didn’t want to get in anyone’s way. Did I really belong? Were my old thought pattern and stories creeping back in?
After one particular run practice I left in tears. I didn’t realize anyone noticed. Coach Kristen called me the next morning. She said to me, “Boo, you belong.” Somehow, she knew. That day, it all changed. I needed to get out of my own way. So I did.
Then COVID hit. All of a sudden everything was shut down. Even swimming at Wrightsville Beach was shut down. The gift of COVID was that I realized just how important running and swimming were to my mental and physical health. I needed movement. It was my way out of the darkness. It relieved my anxiety. It allowed me to properly fuel my body. Talk about a 180!
There was another COVID gift. I realized just how important WOL was to me in other ways. The coaches gave me accountability and encouragement. And I made friends too. Amazing friends! Relationships of any kind are almost impossible when you tell yourself stories. So in those first few months of the pandemic, it was like time stood still. I was able to reflect on what I was missing. I saw how important this community of athletes is to me. The friendships I’ve made far outweigh any PR.
Six years later, post-clots, mental breakdown and eating disorder diagnosis, I’ve never been better. Sure, I have my days. We all do. Now, I sit with my feelings, try to understand them, and then move on. Sometimes I work them out on the track or in the pool. Sometimes I groan with the ladies at Starbucks post-workout. The one thing that remains consistent is when I leave practice, my cup is always full.
I couldn’t have imagined me being a member of WOL. But here I am, one of its ardent supporters. My original assignment was to write about why I joined WOL. But honestly, it’s more about why I stay. It has truly been a journey. And one that is nowhere near over.
Nov 12, 2021 | Community, Newsletter, Testimonial
If you’ve ever run the streets of Charleston or participated in a local race, there’s a good chance you were passed with a greeting from a speedy blonde-haired woman saying, “Granny, coming through!” For some, it’s incentive to speed up to not let “Granny” beat them. Others might walk away feeling defeated, having been smoked by “Granny.” Still, it’s likely it put a smile on the faces of anyone who saw or heard Cherry Kent (or “Granny”) come by at her usual 8 minute/mile pace.
And, that’s exactly why Cherry Kent runs.
“I just really do love it,” said Kent. “It’s a great sport. Racing is what got me hooked, but once I started racing, it motivated me… Health was a side benefit. I just really liked the competition.”
This year, Cherry Kent turned 65 years old. On November 7, 2021 she ran the New York City Marathon, her 49th marathon and ninth NYC Marathon. She’s run the Boston Marathon 15 times and tells her tales of marathoning with vivid memories of both pain and love.
In fact, in 2019, she ran the Boston Marathon and could barely walk for days after, due to a lower back injury. She was not proud of her time that year and even considered giving up marathons completely.
Now, at 65 years old, that’s all changed. She ran her third fastest NYC Marathon this year with a finish time of 4:09:18 (~9:30 minute/mile pace).
“The coaching from Without Limits and strength training has improved my running experience,” said Kent. “As you get older, you need to incorporate more strength training and having a plan, with pickups, for the long runs helped a lot.”
Cherry joined Without Limits in 2019, around the same she was considering retiring from her marathon career.
Now, she has a new goal.
“I’ve qualified for the Boston Marathon in 2022. That will get me to 50 marathons. I’ll try to keep an open mind about it after that,” said Kent.
Having run 49 marathons to date, she understands the work that goes into having a successful race and the often-painful recovery after a marathon.
She stays with her friend Chancy every year when she runs the NYC Marathon. And, through the years, their experience surrounding the race has changed.
“We call it the ‘geriatric adventure’ now,” Kent said laughing. “If I do NYC again, I will have to make more accommodations for after the race for our ‘geriatric adventure.’”
Cherry Kent is a competitor amongst people of all ages. She started running 37 years ago. Some years, she completed four marathons in a year. She’s run hundreds of 5ks, 10ks, half-marathons and completed dozens of triathlons.
The thing she loves most about running is the connections she’s made.
“I’ve met so many friends. I know so many people through it.”
She met her husband Matthew Kent through running years ago.
“We would not be together if not for running,” said Kent. “It’s great that we support each other. We also get mad at each other, too. If we offer too much advice, we will yell at each other… And, if I get too old to race, I’ll still be supporting him at races.”
Cherry Kent is an inspiration to her Without Limits teammates and coaches, and frankly, anyone who crosses her path. But, even with her speedy 24-minute 5ks and blazing fast marathons, she finds a way to be the least intimidating person at races. If her speed doesn’t catch your attention, her humor and ability to laugh at herself is sure to draw you in.
“After one race, when they were calling out awards, they pronounced my name as ‘Shimmy Cracker’,” said Cherry Kent. “I don’t know how they got that, but after that, several people called me Shimmy Cracker.”
So, whether you refer to her as Granny, Shimmy Cracker, or any other affectionate name, Cherry Kent will put a smile on your face…even when she’s leaving you in the dust.
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:)
![REBRANDING]()
Jun 23, 2020 | Community
June 23rd 2020
By: Coach Maleia Tumolo
Tips For Running Your First Ultra Marathon
I run……A LOT! Most days, I’m hitting the trails or pavement for hours at a time. Trying to log miles for my next Ultra. But I wasn’t always an ultra runner. Actually, until a few years ago, most of the races I have done didn’t last over an hour and were triathlons. But because of
those triathlons, I found a love for being on trails. I soon realized that I also loved climbing mountains and putting one foot in front of the other for many miles. My ultra journey has been quite an adventure. I’ve trained months for some races and signed up just days before others. However, each and every one has been an adventure and a learning experience. Below, I have compiled a list of tips that I have learned through the years. I believe these are important for those wanting to run their first Ultra.
- Commitment: Commit to training. Commit to starting. Commit to doing all the preparation needed to finish. Race day will be hard, tedious, uncomfortable, and the day will be long but your commitments will keep you in constant forward movement.
- Don’t push your pace: It is not a sprint and it’s not a marathon. For most it’s a long jog in the woods. So start easy, take your time, make good choices and if you want to speed up later there are plenty of miles at the end.
- Food…….and more food!: There is a little chance of you making it across the finish line of an ultra marathon, let alone doing so feeling strong, if you don’t nail your fueling strategy. By the time you reach the starting line you should have an understanding of what you can stomach during a race. Keep in mind fueling is very specific to the individual racer.
- Cheers: My best advice is drink before you’re actually thirsty. Since Ultras last several hours it’s critical to stay hydrated. Carrying a hand held or a hydration vest is beneficial since aid stations are few and far between.
- Pick things up and put them down: Cross training is an important component of your ultra training. Working your muscles in different ways is one of the best ways to prevent overuse injuries.
- Everyone walks and that’s ok: Even the very best ultra runners hike during hilly races, so it makes sense to train for this. In the words of Dean Karnazes “run when you can, walk if you have, crawl if you must”…it all counts as moving closer to the finish line!
- Use your poles!: If you are up against a really long distance or technical mountains, poles can be your best friend, but you must practice with them prior……A lot! There is an art to running with poles and it would be wise to master that before race day.
- You need skills: Nearly all ultras are run on trails which means steep inclines and declines, rocky footing, and a variety of surfaces to cross. Naturally, the best way to prepare for the variety of terrain is to practice so I recommend getting on the trails as much as possible. Ideally on the same type of terrain as your race.
- Be positive!: Remember it’s supposed to BE FUN! Sure there may be some low points but you’ll have to dig deep. Just a small amount of positivity and self love can get you through the rough patches and across the finish line that much faster.
So who is ready to start this new chapter in their running and in their lives….Test the limits of the human body and mind?
