Hello, I am Rick Meyers. I’m late 50’s, married with 5 adult children and 4 grandsons. I live in PA with my wife. I currently am employed as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. This picture was my first 24-hour race in Erie, PA in 2011. I ran 111 miles.
The below picture is around 2004/2005. About 5 years after becoming very serious about my health. I quit smoking, eating bad foods, and started running. This is my wife, yea, she’s pretty hot. I did not go to the gym, didn’t even have a membership anywhere. I weighed about 225 when I gave up my bad habits and began walking. Eventually becoming a runner. Good foods, good exercise using my own body.
My Background
I am a practicing Nurse Practitioner. In fact, my medical background is quite extensive. I started my healthcare career as an EMT, really enjoyed helping people in emergency situations, so I went on to Paramedic training in Williamsport, PA. I graduated in 1990, worked as a paramedic in varous areas, however, my longest employment was in Chambersburg, PA. I went on to nursing school, graduating in 2000 with an associates degree. While working as an RN, I completed the BSN. I worked in emergency departments, then in trauma ICU’s, which I spent most of my career. I was also a flight RN for many years. I attended and graduated from Walden University with an MSN and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in 2016.
I was a fat guy, smoked 2 packs per day, drank 2-liters of Mt. Dew every day and ate terrible-fattening foods. I had an epiphany when my oldest daughter was in elementary school in 1999. I gave up all my bad, unhealthy habits and began an exercise program-walking.
When I quit my bad habits, I couldn’t walk 10 feet without feeling a bit winded. I mean, walk in a hurried manner. Walking at a slow pace, I could walk a few more feet. I stuck with walking and eventually started to jog a little each time. I continued this pattern slowly moved to longer periods of jogging, less walking. The first time I jogged a full 2 miles, in 22 minutes, I danced around like I just knocked out Apollo Creed!
I continued to jog, then run. I completed over 40 marathons, including Boston twice. Multiple 50k’s (31 miles), 50-milers, 100k’s, 100-milers, 24-hour races, multi-day races. I also raced in duathlons (run-bike-run) and triathlons. During my career as a runner, I was never injured. I learned how to run with proper form right from the beginning.
I opened a running specialty store in 2008. It was pretty successful for a few years until online market place killed it along with many other brick-n-mortars. I closed it in 2015, felt like a loss of a family member. During this time, I met a lot of cool people who were runners and/or wanted to become a runner. I taught running form, not coaching runners. My interest was to help folks to exercise without expensive gym memberships or equipment, but to use what they had and how to do it uninjured.
In 2012, while showing off for my kids at the local pump track, I tried a stupid jump but bailed at the apex of the ramp, landing on both knees, tearing the meniscus in both. The left knee was surgically repaired in 2014, however, I never had the right fixed. Now with it being so long ago, any surgery now may be unsuccessful and cause more problems, so in a few years I’ll need a full knee replacement. But, this was not from running. As a result, I can only run about 5-8 miles before my right knee becomes still and painful. I became a cyclist.
I currently ride mountain bikes, gravel bikes, and road bikes. My favorite is mountain bikes, but I have a genetic hand disease (see the blog post regarding Dupuytren’s disease). Although not the cause of my hand(s) issues, the vibrations from trail riding doesn’t help the hand conditions. I ride more gravel than anything. The vibrations are dampened by a shock fork, much less vibrations than on the gnarly trails with a full suspension mountain bike. I have completed multiple bike races in trails, gravel and road cycling. I use my bike as a means of transportation to/from work when feasible. I am training for the upcoming Unbound XL, its 350 miles of gravel in Kansas, the end of May 2025.
I created this blog as a safe place for men to discuss issues with their bodies and minds. I have noticed over the years changes in my body and mind, but have found very few people (men) whom are willing to openly discuss these changes. Most men seek help/advice from their healthcare providers, rightfully so, but typically do not fully disclose their concerns, so the person continues to have unanswered concerns. Believe me, in my employment, I see this on a daily basis. A male patient asks me a question, usually in follow up to one of my questions. When I ask him if he’d spoken to anyone about this concern in the past, I get the deer in the headlight look, or I get, “well, ya know, I told my doctor about this or that but. He/she gave me some suggestions but it didn’t help.” I then ask, “did you follow up with your doctor?” No is usually the answer.
I get it though. I have problems asking my doctors anything that seems small, or not as important as other medical conditions, but it still weighs on my mind. For an example, asking a doctor about erectile dysfunction will get you a prescription for erectile dysfunction. But, many times the “why” of erectile dysfunction is not answered. ED meds won’t give you a boner, the man still must receive stimulation; mental of physical.
A worried mind will steal an erection from a man. Anxiety, forget it, this will rob a man from all of his possessions. Unaddressed medical condition may prevent an erection or maintaining an erection. Physical concerns, like not attracted to your partner any longer. Sexuality may have been realized after the responsibilities of say, child rearing, employment, parents are no longer alive and secrets don’t have to be held any longer, etc.
So, what I’m saying is that this is a safe place to ask questions. I will not out anyone in any of my responses, but I will definitely answer the question(s). My biggest thing in life is communication, the more we communicate, the more we know we aren’t the only ones going through something, but also how to handle it or where to turn for more information.
Thus far, I have posted two topics that has occurred to me: swamp ass, and getting caught up in gym memberships. I also posted about my genetic hand condition, one that I had very limited information about until I was affected. I will also address some of my deepest feelings about me, my body, my mind. Not political or propaganda stuff, no time for that stuff here. Just genuine information that may help out one of my brothers.
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