tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91873433650586196472011-08-27T08:49:00.531-04:00A Chronicling of the Fuzzy Footfalls of a New York Marathon Coach & Soon-To-Be TriathleteSpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.comBlogger261100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-32178313272291383352011-06-05T16:21:00.001-04:002011-06-05T16:23:04.853-04:00

In the weeks following the 2011 Boston Marathon, a random twist of fate brought the good people of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) to me and I was invited to participate in nutrition and endurance testing while they were in NYC for the 2011 NFL Draft.  My first thought was, “this can’t be for real, why the hell would I be chosen for such a thing?!”  But it was real and after sitting

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-25854529035470432572011-05-03T13:05:00.007-04:002011-05-03T13:32:03.108-04:00

When I look back at my experience at the 2011 Boston Marathon and try to find the words to adequately convey all that transpired I’ve been at a loss. What transpired on April 18th fell well short of expectation yet far beyond anything I could have ever imagined. Happiness and bliss, heartbreak and sorrow, pain and peace, a myriad of descriptors ineptly fall from my lips giving no credence to a

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-76249068156082881402011-04-22T11:46:00.001-04:002011-04-22T13:41:32.626-04:00

It is none too often that I can reasonably and factually say that I don’t have something to say, whether it’s inane, meaningless babble purged from the stagnant, dusty recesses of my brain or the lofty, intellectual, Sasquatchian lexicon laden musings of my absurdly nerdy synaptic bundles, but over the last eight weeks I’ve lost me words. I’ve been absolutely flummoxed, staring blankly at the

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-72706054711682755542011-02-02T13:20:00.001-05:002011-02-02T13:22:27.168-05:00

In the beginning, there was absolutely no way in hell you would ever be able to squeeze me into a pair of tights.  I grew up with a ballerina sister and those things were reserved for the daintily feminine.  But, as I got into winter training and fighting through the brutally cold and variable weather patterns of the Northeastern United States, tights became a necessity, one that I took to very

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-68988462880041596862010-10-15T17:48:00.000-04:002010-10-15T17:48:25.627-04:00

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SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-24741493039277696052010-09-03T14:18:00.003-04:002010-09-03T14:19:00.263-04:00

In the beginning, the running shoe was the simplest piece of athletic footwear, you just slipped it on without thinking about anything at all, went out the door and ran. Well, those days are long since gone and what we are seeing now is that running shoes are now one of the most technically distinct, diverse, and talked about. Seriously, runners are starting to be as bad as friggin’ Roadies and

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-38018592850738489562010-05-21T13:46:00.001-04:002010-05-21T13:46:52.813-04:00

T’was a week ago this Saturday A most beautiful morning I have to sayOne perfect to run a blistering paceWith a sinister smile upon my faceDuring the Healthy Kidney 10k. I was sure that I would dominate the whole waySprinting up hills while others just faded awayBut as it would beSomething happened to me And this wasn’t to be my day. All was well during miles 1 to 3Unleashing my legs and setting

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-80690064070966908862010-03-16T13:18:00.004-04:002010-03-16T14:06:10.430-04:00

We’ve heard of the great running myths and legends: the Runner’s High, the Second Wind, the Wall, but there is one such legend that is talked about more than all of those combined. A nefarious (thank you for bringing that word back into my vocabulary Chris Russell!), mythical creature that feeds on each and every runner at the end of their training season, laying dormant until all of the hard

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-630220440678466742010-02-01T17:49:00.011-05:002010-02-01T18:18:34.826-05:00

Last week while doing recovery speed work in Central Park with the Tuesday Night Twitter group I was asked why I ran the Manhattan Half-Marathon as a training run and not as a race? To be honest, that isn’t the first time I was asked that question, especially since Sunday’s course was two loops of my regular training route, so why would I go ahead and pay for something I can do for free?! The

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-24067589255655561352009-12-29T13:13:00.007-05:002009-12-29T14:03:54.416-05:00

The fall marathon season is now closed, many a runner is nursing their aches, illness and fatigue and “now is the winter of our discontent.” The streets and trails are mottled with breathy hisses and moans of discomfort, but the subtext is wrought with hope and aspirations for the spring season. Sick? Perhaps. Psychotic? More than likely. Music to my ears? Most definitely. But what about those

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-45436976880034413052009-11-25T14:08:00.003-05:002009-11-25T15:22:57.911-05:00

It is the question to end ALL questions: Why? People look for answers in all facets of life, but none are looked at with more skepticism, disbelief and rolled-eye inquisitiveness than that of the endurance athlete. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers (and sisters – sorry William, the ladies rock!) are constantly asked why it is we do what we do and, to be completely honest, I typically hear

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-30145170950087178892009-10-15T22:09:00.004-04:002009-10-15T22:56:17.380-04:00

The Chicago Marathon has come and gone and the fall marathon season is in full swing. Every week more and more runners will lose their marathon virginity and much like that first time, they are nervous, edgy, excited, panicky, freaked and frustrated. With that in mind, everyone take a nice deep breath, hold it for a count of five … exhale … and RELAX!!!!! Remember, this is supposed to be FUN! I

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-8942772230920243672009-10-06T13:44:00.003-04:002009-10-10T15:21:24.420-04:00

Over the last couple of months training my gallant, gaggle of galloping gals I have been posed numerous queries about running and training, but none so tricky as this one to explain: How do you train the brain to own the last 10k of the marathon without ever having run that far or run that race distance before? There are all sorts of answers to this question that I am sure you can find on every

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-84029597582649956262009-09-17T10:37:00.003-04:002009-10-07T13:13:20.638-04:00

WE WON!!! 1st Place in the Ultra Division!

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-53305265767487437142009-08-18T14:44:00.008-04:002009-08-18T15:22:36.033-04:00

After running Sunday’s NYC Half-Marathon in some pretty grueling hot conditions I thought that I should talk a little about training and racing in the triple-H (Hazy, Hot, Humid). You know what I am talking about, the type where you look out the window at 6 a.m. excited to throw down a nice long run – beautiful, sunny, slight breeze in the trees to keep you cool. Then you open your door and it’s

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-72287677865501759492009-08-10T11:00:00.008-04:002009-08-11T10:33:50.956-04:00

There are so many amazing things to be excited about when it comes to running and we all love to hear about and make the sport so enriching: the beautiful scenery of trail running, getting that “runner’s high,” running a sub-whatever mile for the first time, the camaraderie of the running community, passing people during a race, hitting a PR, qualifying for Boston. But, what about those nasty,

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-32046246830763250552009-08-05T08:50:00.007-04:002009-08-06T11:16:42.175-04:00

It has been a year since I broke into the World of distance relay running, something which I have become rather enamored with ever since that first experience. What race could have possibly stolen the pitter-patter of my loping heart … The River to the Sea. Oh yes, that’s right folks my relay virginity, as disgusting as it may sound, was claimed by “The Dirty”, a.k.a. New Jersey. It is an

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-38935678828853279812009-04-10T21:22:00.006-04:002009-04-11T10:50:55.381-04:00

Last year when I ran the Cherry Blossom 10-miler it was the last gasp of my running season. I had already injured my left foot with an undiagnosed ailment, which to this day baffles my sports medicine physio, and had pulled myself out of the Boston Marathon. I figured at that point, and my doc agreed, that there wasn’t much more damage I could do so I might as well go and try and enjoy it since I

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-91050219148847521972009-03-26T11:06:00.002-04:002009-03-26T11:25:13.677-04:00

It’s been a while since I have posted anything and perhaps that is indicative of one of the symptoms that I have been exhibiting over the few weeks. Now, there is some debate as to whether I have actually fallen victim to OTS, so I suppose I will leave it up to, my audience and peers, to be the final judge and jury regarding me having Overtraining Syndrome.Over the last several weeks I have

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-82764114575132031232009-02-22T21:55:00.011-05:002009-02-25T12:52:51.205-05:00

Going into this weekend I had a very specific plan in mind, one that required strict adherence. The plan was simple: 25 miles from Friday through Sunday (5 easy miles Friday, push through a 5K race Saturday, 18 easy miles Sunday) . Not too difficult, right? Pretty straight forward. But, there is always that game of degrees that we runners like to play where we are constantly redefining and

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-31450281322514238112009-02-10T23:04:00.013-05:002009-02-18T12:20:17.171-05:00

Last year, at about this time, I injured my left foot in the most bizarre way and was forced to hang up my shoes and defer out of the Boston Marathon. Then last week, I was jumping out of the shower after a decent training run, slipped and kicked the side of the tub. Within a half an hour after that most graceful of stumbles I felt the pain and discomfort that I felt a year ago – same spot, same

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-18903501012952744012009-01-28T14:57:00.014-05:002009-01-28T16:44:34.962-05:00

Heading into my Boston training I have been tinkering and toying with my training strategy and in doing so have tested my legs quite a bit. The training plan I set out for myself has me doing between 40 and 50+ miles weekly, something that I have not consciously gone out and tried, but know that I am capable of doing. One thing I haven't been sure of is how my body would react to the high

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-22703291410188700342009-01-19T15:44:00.006-05:002009-01-19T16:52:22.450-05:00

Coming to the close of last week I had altered my training schedule, scaling it back a little, so I could be prepared for the first throwdown between myself and Mangorunner. This was something that bothered me to some extent, because I hate to amend my training schedule to the shorter end of my mileage, but it made the most sense and my body was having a hard time adjusting to the higher mileage.

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-23430059302472453402009-01-14T00:19:00.011-05:002009-01-15T14:19:32.064-05:00

I am sure that I am not the only one that gets up in the morning over the Winter, opens the window for five seconds and instantly utters one simple, primally fueled phrase: f#ck it's cold! Accompanying that phrase is an autonomic response where your body shudders for a second and unconsciously returns to bed forcibly repeating through every nerve in your body that, "there is NO WAY in hell we are

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-2927961821033073702009-01-06T00:37:00.007-05:002009-01-09T07:48:20.200-05:00

After a week of relative consistency it came time to give my body a little test to see where it is and what could be more perfect than to execute this test at the first race of the Boston Build-Up series in CT. So, on a cold, crisp sunny Sunday morning I ventured out to Scarsdale to meet Coach Adam and to catch a ride out to the race. I was pretty excited about this race since I have not lined up

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9187343365058619647.post-75953394651596461382009-01-02T09:49:00.013-05:002009-01-04T21:01:55.637-05:00

I never thought I would have such a hard time getting my first entry together or even come up with a topic to discuss, but then it came to me, as most of my good thoughts do, during a run, over the Holidays back in Massachusetts.The purpose of this blog is to chronicle my training through the 2009 Boston Marathon and to discuss the many issues that will in all likelihood arise during those frigid

SpeedySasquatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858386422497843078noreply@blogger.com7