Perhaps I have been running long enough. Crossing 25 years of participation in running this year certainly has provided a lengthy enough timeline to witness some trends. One of the more interesting ones to me has been athletes using running as more than just a means to an end. I first started noticing this through my coaching. The background of people reaching out to hire me started skewing more towards people that I would consider as having alternative backgrounds. In fact, I had a former Division I offensive lineman reach out for help in preparing for an ultramarathon. Recently, Mark Bell, who is known in the world of powerlifting due to his massive total of 2,628 lbs, for which he squatted 1,080 lbs, bench pressed 854 lbs, and deadlifted 766 lbs, decided he wanted to start training more specifically for road races. He is currently working on a half marathon training plan, but has already unlocked the marathon distance. Mark is the literal version of the