Started
running/years running? I have been
running for 57 years. I began in the fall of 1961, my junior year in high
school in Cleveland, Ohio.
Why did you start
running? I knew I was fast running on Little League teams. Believe me, it was my
only baseball skill. In my junior year I went out for the cross country team.
After a few weeks of training, I began to move up from the back of the pack and
by the end of the season was second on the team. I found I loved
the
training and racing. In my senior year,
I began winning races and ran in the Ohio state championship. I was also the Cleveland
indoor mile champion.
I
received an athletic scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh and went on to
run for the University of Chicago Track Club with its great Hall of Fame coach
Ted Haydon while studying toward my master’s degree in social work. I then moved to New York in 1969 and
eventually enrolled in law school at New York University, where I met my
teammate and training partner Jack Brennan in our first semester.
Jack and I ran endless miles together over
the next 30 years - he died much too young at age 52. He was a true long-distance
runner with a marathon best of 2:20. After law school I was a public defender
for five years and went into private practice in 1980. I have also been an
adjunct professor at Fordham Law School since 2002.
Did you have an
early inspiration or person who motivated you? No. I was pretty much
self-driven once I found my passion for running. When I helped form the Central
Park Track Club (CPTC) in 1972, my teammates became my inspiration.
How much did you run
per week in your peak years? Now? In the mid-70s to 1981 I ran 60
miles a week. In those days, I was considered woefully under trained by
my CPTC teammates. I was running the marathon then and ran 2:35 three
times - my teammates would be doing 90-120 a week and thought I was lazy. But
my emphasis was on shorter distances and that worked for me. It also kept me
going many more years, as I didn’t kill myself with too much mileage.
 |
| Cross country, 1966 |
I now run (ready for this?) about 5 miles a week or less, and never on the roads or pavement. In 2015 I had right hip replacement surgery, following two fusion surgeries on my right ankle in 2009. I really should not be running at all. I manage by cross training and minimal running with the goal to stay in great shape.
What were some of
your better/memorable races?
1) 1966: Setting the University of Pittsburgh cross country course record
as a senior.
2) 1974: Winning the Metropolitan 30-kilometer in Central Park, the first
CPTC individual champion.
3) 1977: Winning the first Corporate Challenge race in Central Park, the
night of the historic New York City blackout.
4) 1978: Placing second in the 5000 meters in 14:49.3 in
the inaugural Empire State Games in Syracuse.
5)
1978: Running my 10-mile
PR of 51:16 in Morristown NJ.
6) 2003: Winning
the National Masters indoor 800 meters in Boston in 2:13 at age 58, better
on the age group charts then my PR of 1:53 in college in 1967. Winning
this race again in 2007 after three more years of injuries.
How did you train differently
in your younger years?
Back in
the 1970s, I ran most days, with little cross training or stretching
(damn!). When I was a Legal Aid lawyer
in the late 1970s I would come home after work and go for long runs alone in
Central Park late at night. Did little track work then, mostly ran short
races for speed. And I had no coach
after I moved to Manhattan from Chicago - trained by myself or ran at the
Central Park Reservoir with my CPTC teammates.
 |
| Central Park Track Club, late 1972: Handelman in shades; Fred Lebow far left; Jack Brennan, beard next to Lebow; Kathrine Switzer, first woman on left; club founders Lynn and David Blackstone on right |
One day
a week of very short distance, usually a slow jog; sometimes short intervals.
Spin class and the gym, cycling, elliptical and weight work. A bit of swimming.
No coached workouts - no one else can really train like this (why would they?).
Has your diet
changed through the years? Reduced
but did not cut out French fries and beer; need to eat more fruit and veggies. My
weakness is that I love bread! Basically, I eat sensibly. My weight is only
five pounds above my college weight.
How important is
social running to you? If you were/are a competitive runner, can
you adapt to the slower times and enjoy a social run? I was totally competitive my entire career, but I will say I am
enjoying myself now, even though I am running so much slower than I would like
given my limited training and hip replacement.
Do I miss competing at the top?
Yes, I miss running fast, fluid and feeling in charge. Last month in Buffalo at
the National Masters 5K cross country meet, I was way in the back and I have to
be OK with that at this point or not run at all.
Obstacles along the
way: Five orthopedic surgeries,
including plantar fascia, a bunion, two ankle fusions and a hip replacement.
I thought I would be through with racing after the 2009 ankle surgeries -
my right foot is full of titanium plates and screws. But I came back and
ran the 400 meters in 2014, only to then have a cycling accident that lead to hip
replacement in 2015. Against all odds (and logic) I came back this year to run
a few track meets and then the cross country meet last month in Buffalo.
A favorite quote: I always tell everyone I coach - “It is always better to be 10%
undertrained than 1% over trained.” And also, to always double knot your
running shoes.
Running-training
philosophy: Make
this a lifetime pursuit. As a coach (several stints as a college track and
cross country coach and former head coach of the NYRR charity team, Team for
Kids) my goal is to help create lifetime runners, not just to have those I
coach run a marathon to check it off their bucket list.
How has running
helped you with the aging process? Well, it helps to feel like you are in good shape at age 73. I stay
engaged in the running community by coaching. I volunteer with a Long Island
City team and enjoy being around the runners. I also coach individuals and it
is a joy to see them reach their goals. Through running, I have managed to stay
fit and be socially engaged.
What are the biggest
lessons (life lessons and running lessons) you learned from running? The
journey and pursuit of goals are the key. Running fast and winning races is wonderful,
but the long process of getting back to where you want to be after setbacks is
the essence in life, family, and work as well as athletics.
What do you know now
about running/fitness that you didn’t know back when? In
college we trained way too hard and did not race fast enough. Coaches did not
understand the importance of rest and tapering for big meets.
For
myself, I wish I hadn't spent seven years on the marathon - I was always much
better at shorter races, and wish I had run some 800 meter and mile races in my
late 20s and early 30s when I was running so well.
How do you use your track and road race skills in the
courthouse? Well, first, I am super
competitive so I always want to win. I tried to train hard and also anticipate
the unknown factors of the races and never underestimate my competitors. In
court you always come up against problems you didn’t anticipate – you have to
be quick on your feet so you can respond – similar to a race strategy.
I’ve learned to take the
obstacles as they come and keep going. I try to be creative as well and switch
up my strategy.