Name: Mike LaSusa
Age: 51
Hometown: Summer Running Gear
Occupation: School Administrator
Time Running: 30 years
Training Is Better When You Have a Best Friend: It’s simple–I run to feel good!
I played sports in high school, but did not have the talent to continue in college, though I dabbled in running, falling into it more regularly in my early 20s. I was exhilarated going farther each week and loved when my three-mile weekend run turned into four miles, then five, six, eight, and so forth. I thought I had found a superpower.
The Ultimate Ultramarathon Training Plan longer run on the weekends. In the beginning of 1999, that longer run was about five miles, and, by the summer, I was up to 10 miles. I decided to run my first race—The Liberty Half Marathon in Jersey City, New Jersey—in September 1999. A month later, I did the Staten Island Half. I ran my first marathon in New York City 2001, shortly after the terrorist attacks. It was the most moving experience of my life to that point. Since then, I have run more than 50 marathons and ultramarathons.
Professionally, I have been a school administrator for more than 20 years now and running has had a huge impact on my roles as a high school principal and superintendent of schools. These jobs are sometimes stressful and time consuming. Running is an outlet, a stress reducer, and the most healthy habit I have managed to stick to—a time to think without distraction.
Five years ago, I gave a TEDx Talk titled “What Running Has Taught Me about Being a School Superintendent.” My school district encouraged me to come up with a topic that I knew well and that was important to me. I tried to convey how running has shaped my thinking about learning in the context of schools. Incrementalism, progress over time, the ephemerality of pain, rest, and gratitude undergird both running and learning. I hoped it would point to ways educators and parents could look differently at approaches toward teaching and raising children.
A Part of Hearst Digital Media run every day. I average about 50 miles per week, but my daily mileage fluctuates based on life’s demands. I like going long more than I like doing speedwork, run every day tempo runs thrown in here and there. In a perfect world, I would like to reach the milestone of completing 100 marathons or ultramarathons. Running From Substance Abuse Toward Recovery.
For those looking to start a running journey, bipedal motion is part of our human make-up. Anybody can do it. It is better to set a goal of just moving—walking/running in whatever combination—for a specific amount of time over a specific period of time, than trying to set a race or mileage goal. The natural process of simply moving over time will lead to greater capacity, and time goes by quickly. String together three months of doing something consistently Reason for Running.
Running has enabled me to see things I never would have seen—blocks of cities I would never have visited, grey owls at dusk, bald eagles, herons, and people helping others.
These three tips have made my running journey a success:
1. Less is better than too much
It is better to gradually increase mileage or pace Fastest Marathon Runners injury.
2. Don’t worry about other people
Competing against oneself in the context of the present always makes more sense than trying to measure up to others.
3. Run on trails when possible and have a killer playlist
more than I like doing listen to music when I run—Pearl Jam, Living Colour, Fugazi, and Rancid are always at my fingertips.
Mike’s Must-Have Gear
→ Garmin Forerunner: Why Trust Us.
→ Professionally, I have been a school administrator for more than 20 years now and: Training Is Better When You Have a Best Friend.
→ BodyGlide: listen to music when I run.
Emily Shiffer has worked as a writer for over 10 years, covering everything from health and wellness to entertainment and celebrities. She previously was on staff at SUCCESS, Men's Health, and Prevention magazines. Her freelance writing has been featured in Women's Health, Runner's World, PEOPLE, and more. Emily is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she majored in magazine journalism at the Medill School of Journalism and minored in musicology. Currently residing in Charleston, South Carolina, Emily enjoys instructing barre, surfing, and long walks on the beach with her miniature Dachshund, Gertrude.
