From the desk of Dr. Mark Cucuzzella…
After enjoying another Marine Corps Marathon (47th place in 2:49 age 48) curiosity led to digging into past races that stretch back several decades. So into the archives I plunged to see how many MCMs (I thought it was 22) and what the times were. So I contacted my friend and Marine Corps Marathon historian…
As you enter the week prior to the Marine Corps Marathon, or any marathon, here are a few visualizations to help you set your plan. Running your best 10K is mostly about fitness. Running your best marathon is part art, science, guts, and faith in what you can do. I’ve had the privilege of running …
Sharing the journey of friend and fellow Race Director Dave McGillivray. Dave directs the “Big Boy” races, including the Boston Marathon. His message of fitness vs. health is a must-read for all. From his extraordinary run across the U.S. to benefit the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 1978 to serving as technical director…
School has started. It’s a time when parents are buying their children new shoes for gym class, cross-country and everyday wear. Given what we know about childhood development and the elements of natural running gait movements, here are a few things to consider before you start shopping for shoes. — Ultra-thin soles allow proper proprioception,…
Here in our small town of Shepherdstown, West Virginia you will find truly amazing people with their own amazing personal stories. So please enjoy this fun and inspiring interview with Two Rivers Treads’ leading ladies, Diana Gorham and Sheri Fiolek, who finished the Burning River 100 miler in Ohio on August 3. If anyone tells…
Two bold, young documentary filmmakers, Dana Richardson and Sarah Zentz, left their home in Big Sur, California, and traveled to the depths of Copper Canyon in Mexico in search of the “seeds of health.” They lived among the Tarahumara who suffer almost none of the modern illnesses of Westernized Society. The Tarahumara are famous for…
We are happy to share the following essay from my friend and colleague Jeff Gaudette, who is the founder of Runners Connect, which is a team of expert coaches dedicated to helping runners train smarter, stay healthy and run faster. Jeff is one of the forward thinkers in natural running movement as well as a…
We all learn from our travels. By witnessing amazing accomplishments and the spirit of others trying to change the world in places of need, there is much to learn and appreciate. I recently had the privilege of returning to South Africa to teach an International Sports Medicine Symposium with Dr. Tim Noakes. Dr. Noakes has…
It is a privilege to share additional insight and expertise from Drs. Kevin and Heather Vincent on the process (and outcome) of their position paper, “Selecting Running Shoes,” for the American College of Sports Medicine’s (http://www.acsm.org/docs/brochures/running-shoes.pdf ) The published document was big news for all runners and walkers, as it represented a dramatic change in…
April 21 was my twenty-first running of the Boston Marathon. The week before, I wrote a Dr. Mark’s Desk’s piece challenging runners to be fearless on race day just as the bombing victims have been fearless in their journey back to health. At last year’s marathon, I had already finished the race and was with…
April 21 will be my twenty-first running of the Boston Marathon. That’s a pleasing symmetry, but I also know that I will be experiencing unpredictable emotions. At last year’s marathon, I had already finished the race and was with my family, safe in a nearby hotel a block away, when the terrorism attack occurred. The bombings…
All movement, whether it is walking, running, dancing, or lifting, requires balance and symmetry to do it safely. What we measure in gait labs looks at things the eye cannot see. These include specific forces, timing of phases of gait which are fractions of seconds, and the gait differences from right to left. One of…
A common currency in the world is running and physical activity. A simple pair of shoes can set you free and take you on great adventures, meet new people, and share in the joy of simple movement and health. I recently spent two weeks traveling 25,000 miles and visiting three continents to teach healthy running,…
Join Jay Dicharry, Ian Adamson and myself for one of our “Healthy Running” conferences and courses in 2014. Our courses are now approved for 16 hours AMA Cat 1 Continuing Medical Education (CME) hours. The three of us have been leading these medical-education courses for two years now. We have refined the content to create a two-day experience…
The Latin expression, nihil novi sub sole, which translated means “there is nothing new under the sun,” came to mind when I first come across Dr. Phil Hoffman’s study of feet from the Philippines and Pygmies of Central Africa from the early 1900s. Neither group ever wore shoes. Their feet were healthy. As for the…
Thank you to our friends at VivoBarefoot for supporting the return of the Minimalist Kids Shoe FREE giveaway at Two Rivers Treads in Shepherdstown, WV. The giveaway was held last month and like in years past, we were overwhelmed by parents and their kids who loooooove the minimal shoes and reject all others. Two Rivers…
I recently posted a Dr. Mark’s desk piece outlining “5 Tips on How To Improve Your Running Form.” As a followup to that instructional article, here is a short, helpful video as part of the United States Air Force Efficient Running Project. As you focus on form, not speed, here are 3 steps to get…
For the past 12 years, I have dissected and modified hundreds of shoes, taught running form clinics around the country, opened a minimalist store in my home town of Shepherdstown, West Virginia, directed races (from 5K fun runs to marathons), got local children excited about running, and most importantly listened with all my senses –starting…
I recently came across this video of an interview that two West Virginia University journalism students Sean Manning and Robert Kreis produced. The Shepherdstown Chronicle ran an accompanying article on Two Rivers Treads and healthy running. Enjoy.
I ran my 22nd Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday (2:47, 83rd overall, 2nd in my age group to my Marine friend, Alex Hetherington, 46, in 2:42). I will respect the post-race recovery period. I was sore on Monday, but it was not too bad. I went for an easy jog with my dog. It was…
For a few nail-biting weeks, uncertainty clouded the future of the 38th Marine Corps Marathon. But it’s all systems GO! for 30,000 runners now that the U.S. government shutdown has ended. The world’s largest marathon without prize money will be run October 27 through the nation’s capital as scheduled. “Runners, we are on,” director Rick…
There are runners, and then there are runners who push the known limits of human endurance. My friend and fellow West Virginian Jamie Summerlin is one of these amazing athletes. Jamie Summerlin is a Gulf War-era veteran, having served in the United States Marine Corps for six years. Currently, the Marine veteran serves as the…
In just five years, local volunteers and our race committee have taken an idea to start a race in a small town that would highlight both health and history. Our race course for Freedom’s Run takes runners past many important Civil War and Historical landmarks. Each year, the event has grown, with runners now wcoming from all over…
After a brief end-of-summer hiatus of travel for family fun, I’ll be hitting the road for several events this fall. This will provide me the opportunity to speak more about running and health, as well as meet other runners. And, of course, I get to race. In three weeks, there is the Air Force Marathon. …
I am looking forward to seeing the new documentary, “In The High Country”, which is the result of a yearlong collaboration between mountain runner Anton Krupicka and filmmaker Joel Wolpert. The 30-minute film will be shown in Shepherdstown, West Virginia on Friday, October 11, and the screening will be held at the historic Shepherdstown Opera…