It is a privilege to host my good friend Dr. Phil Maffetone as he returns to West Virginia as we continue our mission to create a healthy community. Dr. Maffetone was an early challenger to the standard American diet and the food pyramid. His books in the early 1990s challenged the low fat diet and…
Category: Dr. Mark’s Desk
From the desk of Dr. Mark Cucuzzella…
Semper Fly! How to Run the Marine Corps Marathon 2017
Mark Cucuzzella MD, Professor West Virginia University School of Medicine, LtCol US Air Force 2006 and 2011 Air Force Marathon Champion; Co-Race Director Freedom’s Run Welcome to the 2017 Marine Corps Marathon! As part of the US Air Force Running Team, my Patriotic Marathon ritual includes 22 Boston Marathons and 16 consecutive, 23 Marine Corps…
Healthy Running West Virginia with Dr. Phil Maffetone Nov 3-4
Natural Running Friends, Hope you are all have a wonderful and active fall. Not too late to join us for Healthy Running WV course Nov 3-4 (fri-sat) with my good friend and Yoda of Sport Dr. Phil Maffetone. Small course so register now www.healthyrunning.org . All proceeds from course go to our Freedom’s Run non profit ….
Giving Back Through Small Business
I got a surprising recognition this year from the State Journal of West Virginia. The State Journal is the leading business journal and each year recognizes the top 10 influencers in business. Somehow my name through our wonderful small retail Two Rivers Treads made the list of Top 10 Who’s Who. Sharing a nice story…
Want to Reverse Type 2 Diabetes- Try This!
“The future of our state’s economy depends on solving the health crisis.” –Delegate Matt Rohrbach at Try This After 12 years living in my state of West Virginia I can now honestly state I live in a Healing Community. What is a Healing Community? Emphasizes the social context as key component and carried out in…
A Day in the Life in Shamma Sandals….and the Science of Why
I have been loving my Shamma Running Sandals well over 2 years now. I have run hundreds of miles of training runs, 2 marathons, and an Ultra. When traveling now the only footwear I bring is a pair of sandals unless it’s cold or I need something formal. Here is a tour of last Sunday…
Q and A With Maffetone Method Facebook Group
Tony Konvalin who is a fellow Dr Phil Maffetone Enthusiast and also host of the fun and informative Bluegrass Runner Blog asked some questions about how I apply Phil’s methods over the years. Here it goes. Look forward to presenting alongside Phil this weekend at Healthy Running San Luis Obispo. You can still come! www.healthyrunning.org I…
Mysterious Reservoirs Of Power At The 2017 Boston Marathon
…. when your everyday strength is gone, can draw on a mysterious reservoir of power far greater. Then it is that you can reach for the stars. That is the way champions are made. —George Yeoman Pocock to the Boys in the Boat Yesterday at the Boston Marathon this quote was in my mind. Kathrine…
West Virginia Can’t Wait….So Try This! We Welcome Gary Taubes
Come to Buckhannon WV June 1 for Try This Health Professions Day and stay for full Try This conference June 2-3. West Virginia can’t wait and we can lead the USA. We will be hosting one of the world’s authorities on food science Gary Taubes. Gary is the author of NYT Bestselling The Case Against…
Eat and Run for Your life Podcast Nourish Balance Thrive
Weekend download. http://www.nourishbalancethrive.com/podcasts/nourish-balance-thrive/how-run-efficiently-drs-cucuzzella-wood/ We keep it light. Over 35 years in running and over 25 years of medicine I have made all the mistakes and learned a few things along the way that I share In this podcast. I give credit to many who have helped me learn. RobbWolf, Arthur Lydiard, Tim Noakes, Stephen Phinney,…
How to Run the Boston Marathon 2017- Trying for 30 Years Under 3:00
April 17 will be my 23rd running of the Boston Marathon and 17th consecutive. My only Boston misses since 1989 were for military duties and a foot surgery. I’m not much for streaks and run Boston, Marine Corps, and Air Force Marathons every year to get out on the course with friends, fellow Service Members, Vets,…
Wake Up the Springs This Spring- Try These Simple Drills
Feeling stiff and slow after the winter. Wake up the Springs this Spring! Here are some safe and simple drills I do almost daily at the end of a run. Drills maintain the spring in your step, your coordination, and speed. I so 4 to 6 sets of each. Takes about 10 minutes but a…
Burn Fat for Health and Performance: Becoming A “Better Butter Burner”
Sharing a post from my presentation at Low Carb Breckenridge 2017 and at Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians in Seattle. It was a privilege to be part of the speakers at these events and together we are trying to create a new paradigm restoring health around the world. Fitness expert Covert Bailey in the 1970’s…
Two Rivers Treads Center for Natural Running and Walking and Bros & Bras Join Forces to Launch Running HQ
It has been a really tough decision and something we’ve had to consider every year when we look at what we are trying to do in the community balanced by the sustainability of a small business. We are approaching year 8. I never thought we’d still be here but our community support and seeing people rediscover…
From LA Beach to Miami Beach sharing the Joy of Health
Cops die young, and not from accidents and shootings. It should not be that way. LA (or anywhere else) is not LA LA Land for First Responders. I had the privilege of addressing a large group of LA Law Enforcement officers a week ago and our agenda for the full day summit at the Redondo…
New Year, New Simple Habits, and New Running and Health Seminars for 2017
Happy New Year to all. Here is a picture of my first run of the New Year! What fun in a foot of fresh powder in Canaan Valley WV. What is your goal for the New Year? My simple advice is to make resolutions you can turn into a habit. To create a healthy habit…
John Glenn- Orbit the Block a Few Times a Day
Last week we observed the passing for one of the last true American heroes, Senator John Glenn. Glenn truly had “The Right Stuff”: Combat pilot, Supersonic test pilot, first American to orbit the Earth, 5 term Senator from Ohio, and oldest astronaut in US history. Glenn also knew the value of running. He was the…
Happiness is finishing the JFK 50 mile and still feelin good :)
“… if you set out on an adventure and you’re absolutely convinced you are going to be successful, why bother starting?” – Sir Edmund Hillary. I will start this post with the end. Happiness is finishing a 50 mile race smiling and with spring still in the step. There is a strange exuberance coming to the…
Can you run a marathon in under 3 hours at age 50 on bacon and eggs and in sandals?
Marine Corps Marathon after action report. Semper Fly 2016 at my 24th Marine Corps Marathon and proud to represent the USAF. The weekend started at the AMAA Marine Corps Marathon Sports Medicine Conference where my topic was “Running with Diabetes” and a focus on low carbohydrate adaptations to endurance sport. I followed a Sports Nutritionist…
Semper Fly- How to Run the Marine Corps Marathon 2016
Welcome to the 2016 Marine Corps Marathon! As part of the US Air Force Running Team, my Patriotic Marathon ritual includes 23 Boston Marathons and 16 consecutive, 23 Marine Corps Marathons and 16 consecutive, and 17 Air Force Marathons and 14 consecutive. The average time of these 60 plus finishes of these three races is…
Jennie’s Story on Her Journey to Becoming a Runner
This week sharing the story of my friend Jennie Brackens who with the tribe of Bros and Bras are changing the landscape of health and fitness in our community. We all talk about “exercise science” , but more important I think is “exercise humanity”. Thanks Jennie for sharing this amazing story on why we run and…
Two Week Natural Running Tour of Duty
Natural Running friends reporting back from two weeks on a natural running mission! Now we are less than a week from the 8th Freedom’s Run, the largest running event in West Virginia and highlighting what we hope is a path for a healthier future. Come visit October 1! More at www.freedomsrun.org The first trip was to…
Honoring Bikila- The Man Who Changed The World On Olympic Marathon Day
Abebe Bikila in Rome 1960 Leesburg 20k on Olympic Marathon Day. Correct Toes are great product if you have foot deformities caused by modern shoes. In 1960 Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia became the first Olympic Champion from Sub-Saharan Africa and the first to win the race barefoot. Over the last 50 plus years the East…
Footprints in the Sand
This blog post will contain few words as the pictures tell the story. I started distance running in Avalon NJ barefoot in the sand as 12 year old running with my brother Chris who was prepping for cross country. We would do 10 miles barefoot without thinking much of it. This was in the late…
“Slow Jogging” to Better Health with No Pain
I had the privilege to write the forward to a just released book “Slow Jogging– Lose Weight, Stay Healthy, and Have fun with Science Based, Natural Running” by Dr. Hiroaki Tanaka. My friend Dr. Tanaka is one of the most inspiring scientists and self-experimenting athletes I’ve met. Dr. Tanaka has changed my life and his…