New Beginnings + The University of Richmond Men

It's been a wonderful opportunity. I recently joined up with the Windward School in Mar Vista, California to coach their middle school and high school student in cross country. Alongside the leadership of Frances Santin Jones, also my former role model in high school, we are both working to explore the potential of kids age 10- 18 in their running endeavors.

There are so many elements that go into teach a child who is brand new to running. And interestingly enough, I called this blog "Runnin' Child" unbeknownst to me that I would be working with children.
I'd like to share with you all my experience in coaching kids but first wanted to welcome you back to the blog as I kickstart a new year.

And last but not least, this national college Track and Field news has really rattled the sport this week, as the cherished and talented men's program at the University of Richmond has been cut. I urge all of your comments and thoughts to be heard. My thoughts and strength goes out to Amy Van Alstine and Jenn Ennis, two amazing women I've had the opportunity to run with since a young age who have also run for Richmod. I hope that we can all make enough noise to influence the school to reconsider the "reconfiguration"of its athletic program.

Have your voice heard here and sign the petition to save the University of Richmond Men's Track program: http://signon.org/sign/save-richmond-track.fb23?source=s.icn.fb&r_by=5633421.

Surgery + Your Biggest Life Hurdles

Ugh! The word makes my shoulders tense. After starting this running journal, my knees were hurting, again. I couldn't figure it out. It had been almost six years of this chronic knee pain without any concrete answers, except for "degeneration". Which leaves room for endless amounts of physical therapy and little visions of a finish line. Rheumatory arthritis had even come into question.

I scheduled my second MRI, made an appointment to see a new doctor at Mass General, and bam, I found myself sitting on the ever-so-comforting doctor's table going over the MRI sheets. Mom even made the trip up.
Dr. Bert Zarins instantly pointed and said "Yes so here...", I knew what that meant and tears rushed down my face. With a tear on the patella tendon, it was clear. It was big. It needed, surgery.

Here I am now though, sitting at my desk looking out at a beautiful spring day in Boston. In retrospect, the past six weeks have been one of the hardest processes I've had to endure.  However, everyday gets better. Just two days ago I hopped on the bike and slowly did revolutions. Now, I'm just incredibly excited just to see what I can do tomorrow.

For those of you who are thinking about surgery or perhaps about to face it, I have a couple of tips. I also think that these can be applied to any emotional trial you are facing in life. I truly hope they help!


1. Patience- If it's never been a friend of yours, it will now become your only foundation. From patience stems anything well worth the time.  Keep calm and confident on a day-to-day basis. The first few weeks, gather up your favorite books or DVDs and soak in the stay-cation, take up a new hobby (ie. painting,  I attempted). When those moments of doubt sink into your mind think of the word, anticipation for a better tomorrow keeps the pulse moving.

2. Faith - Whatever you believe in, God, Jesus, the universe, Buddha, whatever principles you have, direct them towards you. You now more than ever must believe in yourself. I've never liked Lance Armstrong but I once heard him say, "God is me". And, he had a point. When you are undergoing the biggest trials in your life, you only have you to knock you over, and you to bring yourself up. Faith is one of the biggest players in progress.

3. Discipline- Once you start physical therapy, you will undergo a very different association with pain. Pain is your friend. (Bad pain, and you know what that feels like, isn't). You are truly welcoming a new part of the body, a new member. Be kind to it as it finds its place and strength once again, but also know it needs to be tested. You are training a new tool to be good at its job. The first few weeks of physical therapy will be the hardest, but the rewards are twofold. Keep at the work your physical therapist gives you every couple of hours and you will find yourself passing through recovery with ease.

4. Friends and Family- They will be your number one support. Reach out to them, tell them what you need, don't be afraid to be weak. The love of others is crucial to healing and although you may feel vulnerable, you'll be stronger in the end for what they can offer. Every week, I walk with my former teammate from Boston College, she even holds my hand as I try to perfect the simple "heel, toe".  And upon leaving the surgical room, I received this thoughtful card "signed" by the world's best athletes who have all received surgery and returned back to their sport better than previously. Humor is always  the best healing prescription....

Picabo Street (skier), Dane Reynolds (surfer), Danny Way (skateboarder), Tom Brady (football), Amare Studdemier, Kevin Garnett (basketball) , Ronaldo (soccer)

Some personal favorites:

"After my surgery I jumped the Great Wall of China on a skateboard. You do the math"- Danny Way

"Getting my hair this perfect is more challenging than a solid recovery" - Ronaldo

And simply put, "Recovery!!!!"- KG.

The Un-Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

Running alone is fantastic - the solitude, the peace, the quiet reflections, and a proud play list are what makes one come back to the roads for more. But day after day, motivation and enthusiasm can fade and take a toll on the training journey, hence the phrase, “the Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner”. Whether training for a race or for free-spirited purposes, taking a friend or two underneath your wing at the track or on the roads is an invaluable part of your happiness and even progression.

I just recently, adopted my training partner – an old teammate of mine from Boston College, who I’ve known since high school, and nearby neighbor – Cameron. We ran into each other at the gym, realized we both needed some work on flexibility, stretched each other out on the mats, and just like that we made plans to do it again. In addition to our stretching routine, we are syncing our schedules to catch runs with one another and even join a running group. While she trains for the Boston Marathon and I train for a 5k in Somerville come March – we have different goals, different mileage per week, yet the same desire to keep each other company and positive on our separate but very intertwined paths.

What benefits can you expect from a training partner(s)?

1.     Accountability– when it’s 20 degrees out and 6pm after a long day of work, they’re meeting you on the other end and holding you to your word. Chances are, if they’re an awesome partner, they’re meeting you there all smiles.

2.     Close competition - Pushing each other to pick up the pace gently or make it up that monstrous Beacon Hill are the details in between the lines that make a great training day. Details add up. And then the high five (or shared beer) at the end of the run is certainly one of the best feelings, ever.

3.     Totally Awesome Banter – The once -a -week long run is a true test of patience. Conversation is always welcome on these runs, as a ten miler or plus can be a mental stress. To keep things light, talking and catching up is warmly welcomed. I remember while doing a long run from Newton Centre to downtown Boston, it flew by after a talk on politics. After the run I had learned what the word “caucus” meant.

4.     A Wolf Pack - Running with a local group is the most effective way to make some extra friends, find a running partner within the group, and share in each other’s trials and joys. My favorite group is at the South End Athletic Company on Tremont Street. Led by Justin Burdon and Dan Fitzgerald, they too were once on the same team at Boston College and have hit the road together in business and in running. They’ve gathered a quality bunch of runners and consequent shindigs with their Run Club held three days a week. I’ll be joining them in the next few weeks.

5.     Friend with Benefits – Stretching and massage are integral when it comes to keeping healthy. “Exchanges” as Cameron and I call them are what keeps us happy and super healthy. We have a core workout we can do together, a series of stretches we assist one another in, and weekly massages to get those knots out from a tough day. It’s a rewarding end to a hard day’s work. 

You and your training partner, ideally...

The Symbolism of the Track

I found this article in the New York Times this morning. It tells a great story about how a track in Brooklyn that attracts all backgrounds, ages, and people has continued to be a meeting place over the years where lives of diversity cross.

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

"The track is a place of inspiration, blurred boundaries and shared sweat. "


"Stories about withstanding physical pain, fear and embarrassment initiate athletes into an order that age, ethnicity, gender or preferred sport cannot dismiss them from.


"I’ve been here a thousand times,” Galvan said from Lane 9, “but each time is like the first time. I guess I connect with that little kid who was me. He’s here, too, cheering me on.”

Winter Solstice Wish

The sport of running to me has never always been about the moments of winning or losing. It’s been about the people I’ve met, the moments of ecstasy, learning from downright failure, and bettering my perspective with each day and each run.

A moment the defined running for me was Christmas morning of ‘97. I was 10 years old, my dad and I went for a run together. It started to snow by the middle of our run. By the time we reached home to finish - everything was covered in a dazzling layer of white. He said to me, “Listen. It’s absolutely still outside...I will never forget this, thank you for being here with me”. There was not a sound or crackle to be heard, just the sound of snow lofting to the ground and pine trees around us. Our warm breath met the air with that peaceful smoke only seen in 30-degree weather. I was incredibly cozy after breaking up a sweat over our run, and feeling completely at peace, especially in the presence of someone who was close to my heart.  I learned from my father then, that running was about listening. It was about a higher observance and sensitivity to yourself as well as to everything around you - a holy connection. 

I hope that each of you this time of year, you have the chance to step outside whether it’s for a walk or run with a loved one and experience each other’s company, the beauty of the outside, and share in a gratitude for embracing that moment.

Happy Christmas, Hanukkah, Festivus, New Year…. Happy!

How to be an Excellent Physicist

If you run from Cambridge to downtown Boston at an average of 8:45/ mile pace but start your first mile off at 7:30 and end your last mile at 9:00 minute pace what is your rate of deceleration?

I don't know but I know that it feels like shit.


Runners, athletes, and yes, you, can be a great physicist. The understanding of our body's limits under the constrains of time, distance, and space is something that great athletes have mastered.  It's called an internal clock - a precise understanding, based upon a bodily awareness of pace -- what your body and muscles feel, how you're mentally feeling, and what you can expect and visualize happening at any given moment in the future. Checking in, with you.

We can learn what it feels like to cue our bodies to accelerate and decelerate at certain points in time -- in response to a plan devised by our internal clock. Humans can be machines too, just by finding that proper communication between mind and body.

The first way to go about perfecting your internal clock at first is by slowing down. We all don't do this, even on a day- to- day basis. We forget to breath, we forget to keep it all in perspective, we forget to appreciate the details. We forget to smile. Taking a step back, savoring life, is a method of living that people like the Dalai Lama are excellent at. Then, when the moment calls for you to accelerate, you know how to turn it on.

Truly, I mean this in the sense that properly pacing yourself and feeling that pace  will allow you to know what  an internal clock is. So start at a restful state, fully understand that feeling, then midfully working up to a 7:00 pace, or whatever your rock-n-roll pace is that brings that heart rate up, and fully be present in that feeling - it may be pain - but at least you know. This is called body awareness. 

Let's apply this to other parts of your life as a metaphor --  when you're spin instructor  says, this should feel like a "10", and you say "what the f**?" - after practicing body awareness you'll know what a 10 feels like. The next time you freak out when your boss says, "I need this by the end of the day",  start at a relaxed 'pace' (deep breaths and some good music, chipping away steadily), then maybe you have to work a little quicker because it's 3pm and your project isn't done, and then it's the last ten minutes of the day and you realize you have to hammer down to get it done. Well, if you started at a ten, it probably would have been a very stressful experience, working away so quickly that you forget about the quality of your job, and it comes out messy.

Starting at a pace that you know you cannot uphold, only leads to deceleration, which will only lead to a lesser result. It's quality over... ..mis-quantification... 

The lessons of running do apply to the greater universe. Know thyself, know your clock, know what easy and hard means. Slow down, when you get the gut feeling, because it's always nice to thank yourself..

Good Morning Starshine...

The Earth says hello.

 Starting off a morning right can seem out of reach. But what's better? Taking some time for yourself to make sure you've solidified a sunny beginning to your day or rolling out of bed with questionable hygiene? A little preparation with a mind and body connection in your first waking moments for just five minutes can allow your morning's happy release trickle into the rest of your day and evening.

How to start...

1. A glass of water or two. Your body has been dormant for a solid amount of time. Like a plant, our muscles and system need the most basic necessities upon waking. Pouring yourself a cold glass will wake it up and hydrate all those parched internal 'roots' .  Be aware of the feeling, as practicing mindful food and drink consumption can go a long way throughout your day.

2. Open up the curtains. Natural light is our best coffee. Checking out the scene outside gets me excited for a world beyond my room. If you need coffee, start off with a cup that has purpose (if you want to really get at it). Equal Exchange not only tastes rich and smooth, but it helps small farmer co-ops all over the world, in places where the infrastructure needs our help most. But let's be real, sometimes, the only coffee I can grab is on the go, and at the mercy of one of these lovely peeps.  Dammit.




3. A soundtrack and your mat. Gather up some tunes that allow you to slowly sink in to your day and breathe deeply. This morning I started off with Bodies of Water, RZA ("Grits"), Lady of the Sunshine, and Bonobo. I grab my foam roller and sometimes a tennis ball --  rolling my back, my illotibial band (the tendon that extends from the side of your knee to your hip), my quads, and underneath my shoulders. When you reach a spot that feels tight stop and roll very slightly. Deep breaths when stretching and practicing self massage allow our red-blood cells and oxygen to fill and feed the space that need it most, so focus on the audibility of your breath (from your belly up).


4. Create a stretching 'playlist'. Have some favorite stretches? Go through a song who's inherent musical cues, cue you to stretch and play with what you're hearing. It's a great sense- meets- body practice and will leave you feeling limber for your day. Some examples are a downward dog, a split (at your own level), some lunge/ warrior ones (what would Mick Jagger do?), child's pose, and shoulder stretching (again, at your own level).


5.  The day's at your feet. Grab some breakfast and perhaps read up on what's going on in the world beyond you.

Your body is a metaphorical plant, so drink up!

Have an awesome one and I'll see you out there!