Albuquerque Fit Coaches
| Marathon | Half | 10K | Perf |
| Click on a color group above to see the list of coaches for that group. | |||
| About the Organizer | ||
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Marc Scudamore abqfit@comcast.netI\'m 57 years old and originally started running in college by competing on the track team in the 440 yard dash. I started running as an adult 12 years ago after challenging a friend\'s 14 year old son to a 400 meter race. When I started training for that race I was 20 pounds overweight and couldn\'t jog once around the track without walking several times. Six months later I lost that race by a whopping 10 seconds but by then I was hooked on running again. I gradually worked my way up to running 5K races. At the time I thought 5 kilometers or about 3 miles was as far as I\'d ever run. Since then I\'ve run over 50 races at distances from 3 miles all the way up to the 26.2 mile marathon including finishing the Pikes Peak marathon twice. For me running is something that anyone can do without a big investment in equipment or any great skill. We learned how to run as a child and we still have those skills. With a good pair of shoes and a path to follow it\'s easy to go for a run. There\'s nothing so much fun as having the miles fly by while running with a group of friends. How fast we finish is not the most important thing. The most important thing is getting out the door and just running. My goal for this season is to make sure that you have a rewarding and successful experience with Albuquerque Fit. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to make your membership in Albuquerque Fit better for you. | |
| Marathon | ||
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Steve Nunley chevellenut@comcast.net Head Coach I\'m 53 years old and am a chemical engineer with the National Nuclear Security Administration. I have been running pretty seriously for about 9 years. I started running because I was asked to help with the USA Track and Field cross-country team that my two daughters were on. I didn’t like it when I found out that I was not able to run a mile to the spot on the course that I needed to get to! I started running very slowly, taking walk breaks just as we will in the Albuquerque Fit training program, and then moved on to 5K cross-country races and track competition in the spring and summer. I’ve competed in many 5K, 10K, half-marathon cross-country and road races. Since getting started as a distance runner in 2006, I’ve completed 6 marathons and two Ultra Marathons - one 50 mile race in 2007 and one 62.5 mile race in March of this year. This year I plan to enter the lottery for the 2011 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run and also hope to run a long race or two towards the end of the year. I was an assistant cross country and track coach for one of the local USA Track and Field teams for 5 years. This year will be my 4th year as a marathon coach with Albuquerque Fit. I really enjoy coaching and am always especially happy to be able to be there at the finish line to watch our Albuquerque Fit members cross after they each complete their marathon. The Albuquerque Fit program is a fantastic running program! We will work hard but we’ll have some fun too. Thank you for joining Albuquerque Fit and letting the other coaches and me be a part of your marathon experience. | |
| Cindy Stogsdill Assistant Coach I have always been involved in sports. I love the camaraderie of a team and the people that I get to meet and become friends with. Needing to improve my running, I joined Albuquerque Fit. I am proud to say that I completed my first marathon and met so many new friends that I have returned every year. It has been an amazing journey and I have found many new running worlds and sights that I have explored when I ran. Now, I want to help your running experience to be as much fun as I have experienced. I, along with the other coaches, am here to help you with your training. If you have any questions or need some help, please ask. | ||
 | Dave Goy dmgoy@msn.com Assistant Coach I originally started running as a freshman in high school, where I ran the 880 yard run and the 2-mile Relay. I did not run on a college team, but I occasionally ran to try to keep in shape. When I was in graduate school, I started running 5k and 10k races in the Boston area. Then I graduated, moved to Florida, and gradually slipped out of shape and stopped running. I moved to Albuquerque in 1995. After some difficult personal times, I turned to running again to help deal with stress, and lost 35 lbs that I had gradually put on. I joined Albuquerque Fit in 2003, and at 41 I ran and completed my first marathon. I have now run a total of 8 marathons. I\'m here to help you to reach your running goals, whether they are to complete your first marathon, or to improve on your personal time. Most importantly, I want to make sure that you have fun doing it! | |
 | Rich Shephard rich.shephard74@yahoo.com Assistant Coach I came to running from different perspective than most people I run with. When competing in High School in Basketball and Soccer and other events, I would always hate the running aspects - because I never learned how to run smart. I started running about 8-9 years ago to finally rid myself of a tobacco problem and spend quality time with my wife Linda. Learning about walk breaks made the biggest difference for me. When we moved to Albuquerque we saw a flyer for Albuquerque Fit and decided it would help us learn how to run and meet some people. Those same principles exist today and are available to anyone willing to give it a shot. I have run 3 marathons and over 40 half marathons and still love it. The fundamentals of running; the camaraderie of running with people in the same condition and experience - or lack of experience- as I had really attracted me to this program. In the 7 years I have been coaching I have developed some friends for life and have been able to keep the mid age bulge primarily away while improving my overall health. The most rewarding part of coaching first time distance runners is the amazement of how each individual progresses over the 6 months and how \"easy\" it seems when the big event comes at the end of the season. I look forward to meeting each of you when you come run with us. | |
| Half Marathon | ||
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Diane Verner dverner2@comcast.net Head Coach I am 51 years old and am a computer software developer. I have been running with Albuquerque Fit since 2001 and have been an ABQ Fit coach since 2006. I started running in my 30’s to keep up with my son and to get in better shape. I have run 5 marathons and more than 20 half marathons since 2001. Albuquerque Fit has been a major influence in my life since I joined and where I’ve met most of my best friends. My main goal is to make sure that you make it to the finish line of your half marathon uninjured. This means that you should follow the program as closely as possible and try not to get carried away and overdo it or to skip your weekly runs. I hope you will enjoy Albuquerque Fit as much as I do and make many new friends. Take advantage of the group runs to meet as many new people as you can. Your coaches are here to help you, please feel free to ask any questions and let us know if you are having any problems that are impeding your goals. We will be tracking attendance this year and contacting you if you miss Saturday runs to try to make sure that you are achieving your goals. Let us know if there is anything we can do to make the program better. | |
| Kim Fitzgerald Assistant Coach | ||
 | Lori Anderson lma13.1@comcast.net Assistant Coach I, like many people, was never very active in sports of any kind. I tried on a few occasions to run, but people would just make fun of me saying \"you are so slow, it\'s like you are running backwards.\" I could never seem to get the hang of running, breathing was hard, moving my legs was difficult and basically I thought it was just more effort than I was willing to give. In 1996, I walked in the Portland to Coast relay. In 2001, I joined Portland Fit and became an avid walker in their walking program. At the end of the season I walked the Portland Marathon. Upon moving to Albuquerque, I inquired with the director of the Albuquerque Fit program as to whether they had a walking program and the answer was \"no\". The following year, I asked again and the answer was still \"no\". Saddened, I decided that I was going to learn to run. Co-workers took me out at lunch and had me run slower than my walking pace. After a few times, they had me up to 3 miles and I then knew that I could sign up for Albuquerque Fit as a runner. After all, it didn\'t matter how \"SLOW\" I was/am, it\'s the idea that I am out there giving running the best shot I can. I got hooked on running and the people in the group. Some of my best friends are people within the Albuquerque Fit running group. I have run 5 half marathons and 1 full marathon. The possibilities are endless and I don\'t see running and exercise ever leaving my life. That\'s not to say that there aren\'t times that I need the motivation of friends to push me out of bed and out the door. My hope for you is that you enjoy the program as much as I do and if you need that occasional motivation to get out of bed, don\'t hesitate to contact me. Remember, it doesn\'t matter how fast or slow you are, what counts is that you are out there putting one foot in front of the other. Keep Smiling!!!! | |
| Terie Wiedemann Assistant Coach | ||
| 10K | ||
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Madeleine Gribble maddylovesjoe@hotmail.com Head Coach | |
 | Allison Barber amillerone@gmail.com Assistant Coach I began my running career in 2007 when I came back from a summer internship. I had spent the summer consuming way too much food and found myself 30 pounds overweight. I slowly began running two or three days a week and only a few miles. After completely my undergraduate degree and getting married, I felt like I needed something to look forward to. So I decided that I would like to run a marathon. I fell in love with running when I joined Albuquerque Fit in 2009 (Yes only last year). I joined the marathon program and have run two marathons since (Duke City and Bataan) and plan to run a sub four hour marathon by the end of this year. I have found that with the proper training and knowledge you can do anything and running with friends is always great. | |
| Meghan Shilling Assistant Coach | ||
| Performance Group | ||
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Gary Schancer gkmarathon@comcast.net Head Coach I am an exercise physiologist, a certified running coach and have been working in the fitness industry for 14 years since retiring from the Air Force. Normally I hate to admit my age but at 57 years old, I feel very fortunate to be able to continue to run as I do. I truly believe that as long as we keep ourselves fit and healthy, age is just a number. I began running in high school 100 years ago and ran on and off for many years. In 1994 I got very serious about my health, due to bad family history, and started running regularly. Since then, I have run 46 marathons in 40 states, on the way to doing all 50 states, which I hope to finish in 2011. After doing all those marathons and having no brain cells left, I started doing ultramarathons and have since done 29 ultras, including numerous 50 and 100 milers. Although I don’t necessarily recommend this much running to most people, it is all about challenging ourselves to see what our bodies are capable of. Whether your goal is to run around the block, 100 miles, or anywhere in between, I would like to help you reach that goal. I totally agree with the race director for the Leadville Trail 100 mile race who says, “You are better than you think you are. You can do more than you think you can.” I think that our regular Albuquerque Fit programs and our performance program will help you to determine your capabilities and reach your goals. I would love to be there to watch you cross that finish line for the first time. Your life will never be the same. | |
 | Jane Farris jfarrsi613@comcast.net Assistant Coach I have been a runner since 1977, when I borrowed a college roommate’s pair of track shoes and headed out for a short jog. At first, I ran just to try to stay fit. Then, I began running some longer distances and I ran my first marathon sometime in the mid-1980s. I had no idea how to train. I ran several more marathons training pretty much on my own. I also found half marathons to be a great distance. Figuring out ways to improve my running has been a goal for me – running with Albuquerque Fit has helped with that. I hope that some of my stories and experiences with running will be motivating and, yes, useful to those of you in the ABQ Fit program this year. Lightening strikes, Port-o-Potties, stretching, eating, injuries and Jolt Cola are some of the topics I could spin a story around. But, my hope is that you will become a devotee of fitness with running as a cornerstone, and that I can help you reach a running goal this year. | |
