Extol Sports August 2017 | Page 12

Faster than a Speeding Lifetime
THE ATHLETE NEXT DOOR
By Grant Vance | Photos by Danny Alexander

Corey Queen

Faster than a Speeding Lifetime

N o relation to Green Arrow ’ s alter ego Oliver Queen , Corey Queen has proven himself to be a hero of many sorts . His history of fighting an unhealthy lifestyle reigns over the past seven years . And although he isn ’ t exactly the protector of a crime-ridden city , he ’ s proven to be a hero to family , friends and – most importantly – himself .

Now a personal trainer for Bluegrass Phoenix Personal Training and Nutrition , a company he started , Queen is set on mentoring anyone who chooses to embark with him on his heroic journey . Throwing a BANG ! at weight loss here , a POW ! at fitness there , Queen sees no end in sight for his war on the tyranny of lackadaisical health practices .
With great health , comes great responsibility , he might tell you – he ’ s completed 42 different races and fitness competitions over the course of those seven years , after all . Recently competing in a Spartan Challenge , Queen is not one to shy away from a long , challenging race . It wasn ’ t always that easy for him , however ; whether it ’ s a radioactive spider , tragic memory or crashed alien space-ship , every hero has an origin .
From the clutches of childhood abuse , mental health issues and a now fateful health scare , Queen is no different .
Year One
The year is 2010 . Corey Queen is casually going through his day , carrying on a discussion at work . He begins to tell a story about his wife , Damary , when something particularly strange happens .
“ I ’ m telling this story about my wife , and I could see her in my head , but I couldn ’ t remember her name . This went on 90 seconds , which doesn ’ t sound like long , but when you ’ re married … it is ,” Queen said . “ So I jokingly posted on Facebook ( about it ). … Twenty minutes later , my wife called me and asked when I was going to the doctor … then if I had checked my Facebook after the post . I found about 20 comments of ( friends warning me ) this is the first sign of a stroke .”
After some slight resistance , Queen followed through with the wishes for a doctoral visit , not realizing how fatal a slight-though-significant memory lapse can truly be . First , he was directed to get a CAT-scan , which tested negative for a stroke .
It may not have aligned with the original scare , but it wasn ’ t all good news .
“ The doctor asked if I had been sleeping well . I said no . I ’ m an adult survivor of child abuse . … If I made anything below a B , I would wake up to a backpack of books ( being thrown at his head ),” Queen said . “ So , I grew up to be a light sleeper , because I never knew when it was coming .”
Despite the circumstance , the doctor recommended a sleep study . The results calculated a halt in breathing nine times within a 90-minute span of sleep , with 90 percent blockage another five .
“ So ( the doctor ) said , ‘ We ’ re going to have to get you a CPAP machine ,’” Queen said . “ But then ( the doctor ) said , ‘ So here ’ s the thing : Most people I tell to come see me in six months . Looking at you , you won ’ t live three . You ’ ve got to lose weight , you ’ ve got to get active . I ’ ve had this conversation with 20 people this week and 19 probably walked out and went to McDonalds . … Are you comfortable having ( your kids ) call another man ‘ Dad ,’ because you won ’ t be around . “ I left that doctors appointment shook .”
Meanwhile … a Heroic Training Montage
Queen took the doctors orders to heart , calling his wife immediately and beginning research on what his best strategy would be . Fitness can be hard to keep on its own accords , and soaring back into the game will almost always include a lousy jump or two before flight is achievable .
“ I immediately started to think , if I ’ m able to sacrifice one hour a day , which isn ’ t a lot to sacrifice . I spend an hour a day doing a lot of useless stuff ,” Queen laughed . “ But I researched what I could do that would burn the most calories consistently . No matter how hard I looked , it kept coming back to running .”
To Queen , running was the last thing he wanted to commit to regularly . Joking he would sooner jazzercise or buy Richard Simmons ’ workout DVDs ( leotard and all ), the act of running was about as daunting as it could be .
“ I tied up my sweatshirt and my running shoes , and I went running ,” Queen said . “ I called my wife about 20 minutes later and asked her to come get me … she asked where I was , and I told her to open the front door and turn right .
“ I went a quarter of a mile before I felt like my lungs had left my body .”
The drive was there , and Queen refused to let his first attempt at running discourage him from his mission . After a good deal of research , he stumbled upon a book called Marathoning for Mortals . Almost as if this was his pinnacle “ overcoming the fear of bats and becoming
10 EXTOL SPORTS / AUGUST 2017