Have you ever had an event on your calendar that you wished wasn’t going to happen? You know it’s coming up, and every time you think of it, your heart sinks. I just experienced an event I was dreading. Here’s the backstory – in February of this year, I went to a fun torchlight parade party at our local ski area. (For those of you not familiar, torchlight parades are where skiers come down the mountain with torches, after dark, creating a stunning spectacle of lights). I had a lot of friends there, and after a couple of beers, I enthusiastically said YES! to joining in on an ultra relay in the ..read more

Should I do strength or cardio first in my workout? This is a common question trainers hear all the time. There’s no hard and fast rule, although there is an answer based on conventional thinking. But as with anything in your training, it truly depends – on your goals, your priorities, and how much time you have available. Read on for some scenarios to make it easier for you to decide in your next workout whether to do strength or cardio first. Conventional Wisdom What most trainers learn, and what they will most likely pass on as advice, is your choice should reflect your training priority. I ..read more

How is everyone hanging in there? After 3 weeks of being restricted at home with social distancing in full effect, what I’ve noticed is there are good days and bad days. The good days are when I get out for a walk with the kids and for a solo run, when I come up with something inspired to cook from the oddest of ingredients I find hidden in cupboards, when I put on some favorite music and dance while I’m cooking, when everyone is in a good mood. The bad days don’t look so different on the surface – there’s not much change in everyday routine when you are so limited in your movement – but it’s ..read more

Well, this is a strange time we find ourselves in. Just last week I was finalizing my club’s fitness schedule for April, and pre-planning some wellness programs for the spring and summer. Then, over the course of a couple of days, life changed. Social distancing became a reality. We are in a new normal. Here are some things my family is doing to keep our sanity AND stay fit and healthy while we are practicing self isolation and social distancing. Maybe some of these will help you if you feel stuck at home during your own version of quarantine. Setting a Routine I had one very long day at work ..read more

We humans love a blank slate, don’t we? We like to start things anew at the beginning of a day, week, month and year. While there is really no magic in a calendar flipping to a new year, it gives us a strong sense of a new start, a new set of seasons and events, and a chance to make changes in our lives for the better. That’s where New Year’s Resolutions come in…those promises we make ourselves to make aspects of our lives better and more rewarding. As a personal trainer and fitness instructor, January is a time when I see a lot of new faces with big goals and while I want every single person ..read more

Covered Bridges Half Marathon was my first half marathon, was *this-close* to being my half marathon PR, and in the 10 times I’ve run it, I don’t ever remember having a bad time. (Well, there was that one year it poured the entire way, but I even have fond memories of that event.) So, here we go again, better late than never, my race recap for Covered Bridges Half Marathon 2019 – a decade of fun and all the reasons this is my favorite race of the year. GETTING TO THE START The start is at Suicide Six, the ski mountain of The Woodstock Inn (which moonlights as a downhill mountain biking area ..read more

Running an ultra was not something I had ever considered. Given the amount of training that goes into a marathon, I figured with my family, and work, training for anything past a half marathon would be too tough to pull off. Then came Covid, and a lockdown, and suddenly I was running every day and racking up the weekly mileage. I stumbled across the Vermont 50 website early in the year, saw there was a 50k option, and started seriously thinking, ‘Am I ready to run an ultra?’ I reached out to a couple of friends I knew had run the 50k in the past, for tips and opinions. I knew the training loa ..read more

I’m in the last stages of training for a 50k. After four months of dedicated training for the race, and LOTS of trial and error, I am confident I have the right running gear for ultra training. In just under two weeks, I will be lining up at the starting line of the Vermont 50, a trail ultra that starts and finishes at Mt Ascutney in Vermont. It will be the longest distance I have ever run. Years ago when I started running and racing, a half marathon seemed the longest race I would want to tackle. Then I ran the NYC marathon in 2010 and 2013, and those were some of the most special days of my ..read more

It wasn’t just toilet paper and hand sanitizer that was sold out during quarantine. Any kind of at-home workout gear and equipment was almost impossible to come by. We invested in our home gym or workout spaces. to make the best of being stuck at home. So when gyms started opening again, it was a slow trickle back for members. Getting back to the gym after quarantine can feel a little unnerving. There are all kinds of new rules and procedures in place to keep you safe, and it can feel weird to be working out with other people around again. Read on for some tips to get the most out of your wor ..read more

The right running shoe is undoubtedly the most important piece of gear for runners. Anything else that you get wrong, like a long training run in a cotton t-shirt, is likely to end only in short-term discomfort. I think we all know the feeling of the shower hitting chafed areas!. But with the wrong shoes, or worn-out shoes, runners are putting themselves at risk for injury. Our feet are our point of contact with the ground. Anything that goes wrong with your feet is going to manifest all the way up your body, to your knees, hips, and spine. So how do you know what the right shoes for you are ..read more