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| After 2017 Jacksonville Marathon, with daughter, Melanie. |
Career/profession? I am a marketing teacher and XC, track and basketball coach at Tift County High School in Tifton GA. I was also a retailer from 1981 -1996 in Londonderry NH (Total Sports). I also worked for Converse for 5 years with Ken Swenson in running promotions.
When did you start running and why? I started running in 1971 in order to get in shape for my sophomore year in basketball. I made the XC team and continued playing basketball through high school and at Merrimack (MA) College where I ran XC with Dave McGillivray and
also played basketball. Dave was a huge influence on my running career. Ironically , we both are blessed to have run over 40 straight Bostons ( Dave has 45 , I have 41.)
How much did you run in your peak years? Now? Peak years of training 80-90 miles per week. Nowadays 30-40 miles per week.
What are some of your top race performances and proudest achievements in running? Marathon PR 2;35:42 at Marine Corp, 1982. 33 sub 3 hour marathons. 41 consecutive Bostons. My proudest moments were running the entire State of NH, twice, for "Make A Wish" pushing my daughter Melanie (1998) and Jarod (2002) in a stroller. Each time we averaged 31 miles per day for 8 days and raised over 47,000 dollars for Make A Wish.
An estimate of your total lifetime miles? No estimate here: I have run 128,204. I have kept track manually with logbooks.
Cross training, stretching, strengthening? I have done much more cross training as I got older. I have a whole dynamic stretching routine I do before and after I run because of injuries. I do a lot of biking and rowing also.
Any recent race results? I have run two sub 4 hour marathons at Jacksonville in the last three years. Shorter races hurt too much. LOL
Does getting slower bother you? How do you stay motivated? At first I struggled mentally, but now I just enjoy the feeling that comes with any run. It sure beats not running. I can also encourage others to keep going when they see this old guy still doing it.
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| After a soggy Boston 2018 with Melanie and son, Jarod. |
Diet and weight changes? Any special vitamins, etc? My weight has stayed at 170-175 over the last 40 or so years. I was heavier when I played basketball. I take multivitamins and just try to eat right. I avoid fast food at all costs.
Injuries or other health issues? I had a double quadriceps tendon rupture in 2012 in which both legs tendons severed from the kneecap. Rare injury and the diagnosis was not good. But through God's healing hands, I have been as close to normal as can be. I just make sure I listen to my body now and do not overdo anything.
A favorite quote: “Discipline yourself before someone else has to”…John Wooden.
Three short tips for hopeful lifetime runners?
1--Do not increase speed or mileage too quickly.
2--Get right with the Lord, as it will help you through injuries. 3--Allow your running to be freedom for you
How does running and fitness improve your life on a daily/weekly basis? I love to exercise before school because it puts me in a great mood to handle the day in the classroom. No matter what happens during the day, I know that I got my run in.
What are the biggest lessons you have learned from running? Life is like a marathon with many ups and downs. You have to pace yourself and stay the course. Sometimes you can be totally prepared, but things just do not go right, and you have to adjust.