TALKING ABOUT THE ART AND SCIENCE OF RUNNING WITH COACH JOEL PASTERNACK

Yesterday was, of course, the running of the NYC Marathon, which is always a big day for the 50,000 runners who ran 26.2 miles throughout the five boroughs.

And as has become a welcome tradition on the Sports Edge, on Marathon Sunday, I like to talk about the joy and benefits of running – not just for kids who find their way to running -- but of course, for sports parents and coaches and, quite frankly, for all of us, no matter our age, who have embraced running as a life-long passion.

For the last 11 years, I’ve asked highly-respected running coach Joel Pasternack to come on the show to talk about the art and science of running. He is a veritable fount of inside information about running.

Just a little background on Joel: at age 72, he’s now in his 57th year of running. It all started as a sophomore in 1965 on the Clifton NJ High School cross country team.

By keeping a notepad right from the beginning of his career, and keeping track of his runs, Joel -- as of this week -- has accumulated 130,900 miles over the years – and he has done so through 6 right knee surgeries, including a full knee replacement six years ago.

Let me put that mileage number into perspective: Bear in mind that it’s about 25,000 miles around the earth. So, in effect, Joel has run the equivalent of running around the globe more than 5 times in his lifetime. That’s pretty impressive.

Joel has finished 16 marathons with his best of 2:25.03 in 1974 at the Boston Marathon placing 28th. In 1973, he placed second to two-time NYC Marathon winner Tom Fleming running 2:25.08.

On today’s show, I asked Joel a variety of questions, ranging from running in warm temperatures to how to find the best running shoes, to how long they last, to even how important it is to tie your laces properly.

Listen here: The Sports Edge with Rick Wolff