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garycohenrunning.com
be healthy • get more fit • race faster
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"All in a Day’s Run" is for competitive runners,
fitness enthusiasts and anyone who needs a "spark" to get healthier by increasing exercise and eating more nutritionally.
Click here for more info or to order
This is what the running elite has to say about "All in a Day's Run":
"Gary's experiences and thoughts are very entertaining, all levels of
runners can relate to them."
Brian Sell — 2008 U.S. Olympic Marathoner
"Each of Gary's essays is a short read with great information on training,
racing and nutrition."
Dave McGillivray — Boston Marathon Race Director
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| Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams was the first person to officially race a marathon in space when she ran the 2007 Boston Marathon while aboard the International Space Station. Her ISS Marathon time was 4:23:10 as compared to her qualifying time of 3:29:57. Williams was launched to the ISS with STS-116, aboard the shuttle Discovery, on December 9, 2006 and returned to Earth on June 22, 2007 at the end of the STS-117 mission. Suni holds the record for the longest stay in space by a female at 195 days. In 2008 she was named Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office, the second most senior astronaut position at NASA. Williams received a B.S. degree in Physical science from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1987 and an M.S. degree in Engineering Management from Florida Institute of Technology in 1995. With Naval Test Pilot experience, she was selected by NASA in June 1998. Her Astronaut Candidate training included intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station systems, physiological training, T-38 flight training, as well as learning water and wilderness survival techniques. She worked in Moscow with the Russian Space Agency on the Russian contribution to the ISS, within the Robotics branch on the ISS Robotic Arm and was a crewmember on the NEEMO 2 mission, living underwater in the Aquarius habitat for nine days in May 2002. Suni’s pony tail was cut while aboard the ISS, brought back to earth and donated to Locks of Love. She has logged 29 hours and 17 minutes in four space walks, a record at the time for a woman. Suni has been married to Michael Williams for 16 years. |
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| GCR: | You were the first person to officially race a marathon in space when you ran the 2007 Boston Marathon while aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Describe its significance and how it came to fruition. |
| SW | When I qualified at Houston in January of 2006 I wasn’t able to turn around and run the Boston Marathon three months later as I was extremely busy with responsibilities leading up to the STS-116 mission and travel to Russia for training. When I was getting ready for my space mission I showed my sister my Boston marathon qualifying time card and was trying to figure out what I could do in space to promote my interest in fitness. The Boston Marathon organization was contacted and they were excited to work with me. I wanted to increase interest in fitness among children and thought that the best way to do this would to be able to relate the fitness activities I did while in space. I also formed a group of family and friends that I challenged to get fit in conjunction with my time on the ISS. |
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| GCR: | Did your achievement lead to any notoriety within the group of Boston Marathon victors and with race management? |
| SW | Dave McGillivray, Boston Marathon Race Director, has become a good friend. He invited me to the ‘Champions Breakfast’ to say a few words and I presented him with the socks I wore when I ran the marathon aboard the ISS. |
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| GCR: | What challenges does it present to run 26.2 miles while tethered to a treadmill in zero gravity? |
| SW | Getting on a treadmill on earth isn’t something I like to do. I enjoy running outside and would rather run be out in the heat of Houston than at a gym. The first week in space is a time of adaptation just to get used to the weightlessness. We have to start exercising right away as muscles and bones need that stimulation. The treadmill is on a gyroscope and floats in an area we call ‘the pit.’ It takes coordination to get into a nice, smooth gait that doesn’t cause the treadmill to move. On top of this we are in a harness that goes over shoulders and around hips. Chafing occurs in the neck, shoulders and hip areas. As time went by aboard the ISS I was able to optimize the harness to balance the discomfort between the areas where it held my body. I did long runs on Sundays which topped out at 15 miles. |
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| GCR: | Your 4:23:10 marathon aboard the ISS was about two minutes per mile slower than your qualifying time of 3:29:57 on earth. Compare and contrast the running effort required and your recovery after running on pavement versus in weightlessness. |
| SW | The treadmill can only go so fast and it is uncomfortable. By adjusting the harness and treadmill it changes my simulated weight while running. I decreased it to 85% and then 75% of my body weight during the second half of the marathon. Also, I didn’t want to do anything that would have a negative impact on my space duties afterward. On earth it takes four or five days for me to recover but in space it was much quicker since I wasn’t ‘on my legs.’ I had planned to stay off of the treadmill for a few days, but the next day I got back on it to loosen up a bit. |
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| GCR: | After returning from the ISS you have competed in four marathons, racing twice in 2009 at Houston in 3:46:04 and at Boston in 3:49:49. Are your slower race performances due to lingering effects of your female record 195-day stay in space? |
| SW | It’s a combination of the lingering effects, which are almost gone, and my job which keeps me away from training more than I’d like. Also, I’m a bit older at 43 which doesn’t help! |
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| GCR: | While in space for over six months how much bone density and muscle mass did you lose and has your body composition returned to your pre-flight levels? |
| SW | My muscle mass was okay though I did lose some strength. My greatest bone density loss was in one hip at about 10 percent. After six months to a year everything was back to normal. |
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| GCR: | How does the discipline necessary for marathon training and racing complement and help you with the rigors of astronaut training and specifically the concentration needed for long space walks? |
| SW | It is absolutely comparable. I emphasize this when I speak to student-athletes as their lives can get quite busy. It provides a lot of focus and helps with managing multiple tasks during the rest of one’s life. Training for and racing marathons teaches us to push ourselves for a lengthy period of time. On space walks we are out there working for five to seven hours without the opportunity to say, ‘I’m tired now.’ We can slow down a bit but don’t get to come back inside and stop what we are doing. When you figure out you can do a marathon you understand that you can push yourself. These are the types of people we look for when we select Astronaut candidates – those who can challenge and push themselves but who know when to stop before hurting themselves. We don’t want to be too risky when dealing with expensive machinery so we have to know how to test our limits without going too far. |
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| GCR: | In April, 2008 you were named Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office, the second most senior astronaut position at NASA. How does this affect your marathon training and the possibility of your future space flight aboard the Space Shuttle or the next generation Constellation Program? |
| SW | Athletically it is challenging as my schedule is dictated by the flight schedule which is constantly changing. This causes disruptions to my planned training as it would to anyone who is trying to be a serious athlete. The way I manage the stress of my job which involves flight assignments, personnel and others’ careers is by going out for a run. My running helps me balance the other parts of my life. I am hoping to return to the ISS and to try out the new treadmill and advanced resistance equipment which minimizes bone density loss. If I go again it will probably be aboard the Russian rocket which will be new and exciting for me. |
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| GCR: | How did you get started running and, other than your recent marathon achievements, what is your competitive background in running and other sports? |
| SW | I was a swimmer when I was growing up and we only ran at the beginning of the season for exercise and to get us in shape. I lived outside of Boston in Cambridge and I can’t think of a better place to run. We swam at Harvard’s pool so we would get out as a group and run along the Charles River in basketball sneakers and cutoffs. We all had our bathing suits on underneath. At the Naval Academy we had to do fitness tests and had a track meet. I did pretty well which resulted in the cross country coach recruiting me. I ended up running for two years on the Naval Academy cross country team. I started biking my junior and senior years and that led to my competing in triathlons. |
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| GCR: | Did being from Boston heighten your interest in becoming a marathon runner and what is the story of your first Boston Marathon? |
| SW | Yes it really did. During my senior year of high school I had been accepted to the Naval Academy and was bemoaning the fact that I wouldn’t ever be able to run the Boston Marathon. It was Patriot’s Day and I was a typical teenager - alternately complaining to my mom and mowing the lawn. Suddenly my mom came out with my running shoes and said, ‘Let’s go to the start so you can run the marathon today.’ She drove me to Hopkinton, gave me a quarter and told me, ‘Call if you get tired.’ She put me in my place! I was tired about halfway in Wellesley when I saw my mom and was going to drop out. But some spectators and other runners encouraged me to keep going and I finished as a bandit in less than five hours. |
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| GCR: | How many total marathons have you raced and what are some marathon memories? |
| SW | I’ve done ten marathons – Marine Corps three times, Houston twice, Boston twice on earth and once in space, Virginia Beach and Pensacola. Boston is my hometown and I love running there. What I enjoy about the Marine Corps Marathon is running through Georgetown and smelling breakfast cooking. |
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| GCR: | In a humorous turn of events, you announced on the Comedy Channel’s Colbert Report that the new ISS treadmill would be named the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill, or ‘COLBERT.’ Has it been fun working with comic newsman, Stephen Colbert, and has this had a positive affect on your Astronaut corps and NASA’s image? If he accepts the challenges of Astronaut training could he potentially become the first comedian in space? |
| SW | I only met him for a minute before the show and we talked for a couple of minutes afterward. He was an authentic man who is a space-loving guy. I was a nervous wreck as I’ve watched his show and he’s funny, but he rips some of his guests apart. Because of this I didn’t tell my family I would be on his show as I didn’t want to be embarrassed. But it all worked out very well. He was very psyched about space and appreciated what we did. I thanked him for allowing us to tap into another audience for NASA. He is invited to the Johnson Space Center to try out the COLBERT and to Kennedy Space Center for its launch. I don’t think he’ll be switching careers, but it would sure be fun for the crew to have him as a fellow Astronaut! |
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| GCR: | In 2007 you were awarded the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Vishwa Pratibha Award by the World Gujarati Society, the first person of Indian origin who is not an Indian citizen to be presented the award. Describe its significance as an American of Indian origin, a woman and the honor it brings to your family. |
| SW | It was incredible. Unfortunately I couldn’t go to India but the Consulate presented the award to me here and my dad was able to attend the ceremony. The interest in India is strong and my flight and accepting this award was a tribute to Indian-born Kalpana Chawla who was aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia when it didn’t return safely to earth. I’ve spoken to groups in India and used her as an example to heighten interest in space. Between her space flights and mine we have served to inspire the younger generation that anyone despite lack of wealth or status can still achieve goals with hard work and determination. |
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| GCR: | You have achieved many things including graduation from the Naval Academy, becoming a Naval Test Pilot, completing marathons, working with the Russian Space Agency and living aboard NASA’s underwater NEEMO in addition to your exploits and duties aboard the ISS. What goals have you set for yourself, both personally and professionally, in the future? |
| SW | I really am working hard on the Constellation program and getting our next generation of Astronauts to the moon. If we want to spend longer periods of time in space the moon is the next place to go to. This will set the stage for possibly moving asteroids in space or future space travel to Mars. I would like to go to the moon but I am getting a little bit older. I’m also hoping we can develop the commercial aspects of space. |
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| | Inside Stuff |
| Hobbies/Interests | Running, swimming, biking, triathlons, windsurfing, snowboarding and bow hunting |
| Favorite movies | ‘The Princess Bride’ for its funny humor; ‘A Beautiful Life’ because I’m a ‘glass half full’ person and it shows us how to make the best of a terrible situation |
| Favorite TV shows | Frasier, Colbert Report |
| First car | Jeep |
| Current car | A Toyota Truck with 280,000 miles on the odometer |
| First job | Lifeguard, which is pretty common for a swimmer |
| Family, Children and Siblings | My husband, Michael Williams, and I have been married for over 16 years. I have a sister, Dina, who is also a marathon runner. My parents are Dr. Deepak Pandya and Bonnie Pandya, who reside in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Dad is a famous neuroanatomist |
| Pets | A Jack Russell Terrier named Gorby |
| Favorite meal | Pizza |
| Favorite breakfast | Grape nuts and blueberries |
| Favorite beverages | I like orange juice. I enjoy making my own beer. It’s similar to making a cake and, since I grew up with a mother and sister who liked to cook, it’s like following a recipe. I also like my hometown’s Samuel Adams Beer |
| First running memory | My first serious one was when I ‘bandited’ the Boston Marathon at age 17 |
| Running heroes | Bill Rodgers and Joan Benoit-Samuelson. Bill was fun to talk to at the 2007 Falmouth Road race which was my first race after returning from space. Joan is a hero since she showed me that woman could run and race marathons |
| Greatest running moment | I did a 10k in just over 40 minutes. I was surprised I could run so close to this important time threshold |
| Worst running moment | At the Marine Corps Marathon one year as I was wearing shorts and it was freezing. One of the Marines had some Ben Gay they were handing out and I thought it was a good idea to rub some on my legs. It got up into my shorts during the race and was terrible. The last ten miles consisted of one thought - ‘I can’t wait until this is over!’ |
| Childhood dreams | Veterinarian |
| Astronaut heroes | John Young who influenced me when I first came here. I was a trained helicopter pilot and didn’t think I had a skill that an Astronaut would use until he told me about practicing vertical takeoffs and landing as part of the Apollo moon mission training |
| Favorite places to travel | Maine – my sister and I hiked the final 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail which is one of my favorite things I’ve ever done |
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Gary Cohen's running/coaching philosophy emphasizes consistency and steady improvement
through a carefully planned, monitored and executed training plan. Most runners, whether
novice or elite, need coaching to maximize their running performance.
Gary offers individual professional coaching to all interested runners. It is his goal
as your coach to make average runners good, to make good runners great and to make great
runners outstanding. Once you select Gary as your coach, you are not coached out of a
book or from a program on the Internet. You are guided by Gary who monitors your progress,
modifies your program to match your performance, assesses your conditioning and possible
injuries. He will suggest races, racing strategy and help with your short and long-term goals.
He works in tandem with you to maximize your potential. Each coached athlete receives
a weekly e-mail from Gary that include daily running schedules incorporating individual
goals and training preferences, race planning advice and general feedback. Additional e-mail
and phone communication is encouraged.
Gary can and will coach at a variety of distances from the 5k all the way up to the marathon.
If you are interested in finding out more about being coached by Gary Cohen, please
contact him via e-mail at marathoner22234@yahoo.com.
You’ve read magazines, run with training groups, used canned running programs and set up
your own training schedule. You may be wondering how to move upward to the next level of
faster racing. It’s time to consider a personal running coach.
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| During the summer, in addition to building a steady mileage base for fall and winter racing,
enhance your running economy and speed by doing stride outs, hill repetitions or repeat 200 meters on the track. |
| John Flor has been coached by me for four months. At the Peachtree Road Race 10k in Atlanta, Georgia, John ran a personal
best by nine seconds of 31:37 to finish 49th male out of a total of 50,007 finishers. |
| Rich Wills, owner of FitNiche running specialty store in Lakeland, Florida, lowered his recent 5k time of 21:25 to 20:59 as he
ramps up his training and prepares for September's Maui Marathon. |
| Karan Singh, a middle distance runner from New Delhi, India, arrived in the United States in June to train. He has chosen me to
provide running coaching as he moves toward his goal of representing India in international competition. |
| At the the Golden South Classic at First Academy in Orlando, Florida, Daniel Dey, a fifteen year old high school freshman,
lowered his best 1,600 meter time to 4:33.59. |
- One month - $125
- 3 months in advance - 5% discount
- 6 months in advance - 10% discount
- One year in advance - 15% discount
Contact Gary via e-mail
at marathoner22234@yahoo.com.
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With 35 years of running experience including dozens of marathons, hundreds of races and
tens of thousands of miles, Gary has a wealth of knowledge and information to educate,
enlighten and entertain your group. Whether it’s at a race expo, pasta dinner, post-race
celebration, running club meeting or team banquet, he can tailor his discussion and topics
to fit the event.
Sample Speaking Topics:
- Gary's Running Pyramid — A foundation of good health supports improvements in fitness
and allows for reaching one's potential in competition.
- Get off the Road (Running on Soft Surfaces) — The benefits of running on soft surfaces
and the resulting decrease in injuries and increase in longevity.
- Racing Multiple Marathons — Instructs runners in how to train for and
race well at several marathons per year based on knowledge and experience from racing up to
five marathons per year.
- Marathon Recovery and Resuming Training for Experienced Marathoners —
Teaches runners what to do in training leading up to the marathon and in post-marathon
active recovery to allow for mental desire and physical ability to resume training.
- Consistency and Variety — Discusses the two main ingredients of any
successful training and racing program.
- Half Marathons: Half the Distance, Twice the Fun — The mental and
physical plusses of training for and racing a half marathon versus the full
marathon distance.
- The Myth of the 20-Mile Run — A discussion of long runs that are
necessary for a good marathon effort based on one's ability and experience.
- Lessons Learned — Eight major lessons I've learned in 35 years of
running and racing. They are set up at five year intervals when roughly the knowledge
and wisdom was discovered.
- Fit and Fast at Forty, Fifty and Beyond — Based on my own experience
of transitioning from a top high school, college and open runner and racer, to an
older version of that same young runner and racer.
- 100,000 Miles and Still Running — In summer of 2008 l achieve the
100,000 mile mark since I began running as a high school sophomore in 1973. This discusses
the ups and downs of ten of thousands of miles and what it takes mentally and physically
to look forward to each day's run.
- Mental Preparation and Racing Strategy — Discusses planning for racing
against the clock, versus certain opponents and how to deal with unforeseen
circumstances.
- The Four Seasons of Running — For the college and high school runner.
Explains how summer training, cross country, winter training and track season relate
to each other and foster growth as a runner and long-term improvement.
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