CityView Magazine

editors corner T his month's issue is themed Health & Fitness. January. It's naturally a time to evaluate your overall fitness goals in the New Year. I readily admit that I do not take running too seriously, but I enjoy it. Besides time to myself, it allows me to indulge in dark chocolate and other goodies. I'm a fair weather runner, but I've made myself get out in the rain and the cold lately. Much to my surprise, I did not melt. I did not get sick. And after the heat and humidity of summer runs, I kind of liked it. In this issue we hear from serious runners. On page 44 meet a woman who runs the country. Not in the political realm, but literally speaking, logging 55 miles a week. My pastor, an avid runner and triathlete, Michael Fletcher, addresses how he incorporates running and fitness into his family's lifestyle. Fayetteville has a very active running community, made of both die-hard and recreational runners. UltraRunning magazine named Fort Bragg's very own, Master Sgt. Mike Morton the ultra marathon runner of the year in 2012. Morton represents the U.S. Army Special Operations Command and won the 135-mile Badwater race across Death Valley in July 2012, along with setting records at both the Umstead 100Mile Race and the KEYS 100-Mile Race in Florida. The year culminated when he won his 24-Hour Championship at Katowice, Poland setting an American record with his 172.457 miles.  In 2012 there were 717 ultra marathon races held in North America. Check out more running stories on our website and meet one local woman who is training up to tackle the 100-Mile Umstead Race again this March.  CityView is proud to claim Terry Sanford's Cross Country Coach as one of our own. Longtime running enthusiast Al Munoz can be seen running along Morganton Road at a brisk pace, everyday. His passion for running spans to local students as he coaches them on to greatness, like Terry Sanford's Phillip Hall, who won the state's 3-A Cross Country title. Al's kind heart and encouragement combined with his knowledge of the mechanics of running make him a success and a treasure in the Cross Country running community. 2 013 was quite the year. And it's the year that led us to Fort Bragg and Fayetteville. Though I was a little hesitant about the move, time and time again I have reiterated to friends and family my love for this city. And there is a flourishing fitness community here in Fayetteville 2013 was also the year I began my most grueling fitness journey to date. I decided to start participating in National Physique Committee (NPC) competitions. The majority of my time spent away from work and home…was in the gym. It was a complete lifestyle change from diet to exercise (pumping iron was the name of the game). I credit the many gyms here to reaching out to the community and helping those in their own fitness journey. Some of those include our own advertisers, NUCO, Omni, The Fitness Studio Downtown and The Fitness Boutique. I credit my husband Casey, trainers Rickie and Francis, the J's Fit Factory team and the numerous friends who lifted weights, drank protein and walked on a high incline beside me. In this issue, as Kelly mentioned, we take up on the topic of running. Whether you run for a hobby or run for your faith, two Fayettevillians tell why it's good for body and soul. Speaking of longevity, in the spirit of Valentine's we feature couples that have had longlasting, fulfi lling and happy marriages of 30 years or more. It's a pictorial feature by our own talented photographer, Anna Lester. Looking for love and a recipe to complete to seal the deal? We are also featuring our city's most professional singles and two couples who heat things up in the kitchen…culinarily speaking. Here at CityView, we hope you enjoy this issue and your start to 2014. Happy New Year! facebook.com/cityviewnc 10 | January/February • 2014

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