Dominic Grandinetti Always Has a New Challenge on the Horizon
My guest today started running 10 years ago and is currently in year 9 of his run streak.
He quickly progressed all the way to a marathon while continually finding creative ways to challenge himself in the sport.
I am looking forward to going a few easy miles today with Dominic Grandinetti.
Dominic Grandinetti
From 1 Mile to 26.2
As a former competition swimmer, Dominic Grandinetti could usually be found in a pool when he was younger.
He didn’t begin running until many years later in 2012.
Running first became a possibility when Dominic heard about a local 5k.
He wanted to get in better shape and decided that running would help him reach his goal.
Over one year, Dominic lost between 40 and 50 pounds along with progressing from 1 mile up to 26.2.
His progression seemed rapid, but Dominic ensured that he increased his distance gradually.
Running came with a lot of benefits including a healthier lifestyle and raising money for various charities.
Another added perk was that his wife was impressed by his achievements and dedication.
Going the Distance
Dominic had a smooth transition into running.
His first half-marathon went well and he finished in 2 hours and 10 minutes.
The training for his first marathon went as planned, but the race was a little less so.
Though Dominic trained hard for the race, he still fell apart around mile 20.
He managed to finish the race, but his first time doing the distance humbled him.
A race Dominic is especially proud of is the Rocky 50k in Philadelphia.
Partway through his training cycle for the 50k, his son wanted to join and train with him.
The day of the race was full of unexpected surprises, but it didn’t deter from the memories made with his son.
Run Streak
Dominic started his run streak early on in his running journey.
At the time, he traveled frequently for work and needed motivation to stay consistent.
Committing to running at least one mile a day, ensured that he wouldn’t slack off when life got busy or hard.
Keeping the streak intact for 9 years hasn’t always been easy, but it has become a part of his everyday life.
Even when Dominic isn’t feeling well, the act of moving will often help him feel better.
He hasn’t had any close calls that almost ended his streak, but he has had to get creative over the years.
Dominic Grandinetti
March Half Madness
Dominic enjoys running for causes that are close to his heart.
The LGBTQ community is one such cause that he wanted to raise money and awareness for.
He was inspired by basketball’s March Madness and chose to do March Half Madness.
Dominic set a goal to do 32 half marathons during the month of March.
There are only 31 days in the month, but he wanted to end the month with a half in the morning and one in the evening.
A part of his motivation for doing challenges is that he never knows who is watching.
Dominic hopes he is able to inspire someone else to challenge themselves as well.
Preparation
Another goal Dominic is working on is trying to run a half marathon in every state.
He began this goal in 2015 and is up to 33 states completed.
If given the option, Dominic tries to run multiple races during one week in nearby states.
Mainly Marathons is a company that holds multi-day, multi-state running series.
In order to prepare for long runs multiple days in a row, Dominic changed the way he both trained and fueled.
He practiced running higher mileage without rest days and also hired a nutritionist to ensure he was fueling appropriately.
Playlist System
Early on in running half marathons, Dominic came up with a system while racing that involved his playlist.
Dominic and each member of his family added their favorite music albums to his playlist.
The songs not only remind Dominic of his family during races, but the songs also serve a purpose.
Every 30 minutes the same song comes on as a reminder for Dominic to eat something.
He also sets his watch to buzz every half a mile to remind him to drink fluids.
His system has helped to ensure that he’s consistently getting enough calories throughout the race.
Dominic Grandinetti
World Record Logistics
Ever since Dominic was a kid, he wanted to be in The Guinness Book of World Records.
He debated going for the world record of most consecutive days running a half marathon on the treadmill.
When he was looking into what would be involved, the record for most consecutive days was 55.
Dominic had already done March half-madness so he knew that he could handle 32 half-marathons in a row.
Prior to starting his attempt, Dominic found out that someone else had already started the process.
The other person was going for 120 consecutive treadmill half-marathons.
In order for a record to be valid, there were a lot of logistics that Dominic realized would be too challenging.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead to the future, Dominic will continue to make progress on his fifty states goal.
He is working on getting faster and will test out his speed in a California half marathon in March.
Dominic is always looking for new ways to challenge himself.
He is quick to thank his wife for always being there to support him in all his endeavors.
She is the best crew he could imagine, always willing to help regardless of the circumstances.
Running has brought out the best in Dominic over the years.
The sport has taught him that he can get anything done if he puts his mind to it.
Mentioned In This Episode:
Stay connected to Dominic Grandinetti by following him on Instagram.
Dominic Grandinetti started a run streak 9 years ago after he had only been running for one year. Running has given him to confidence to test his limits. Click To Tweet
As Always, I’d Love to Know What Stood Out to You From this Episode! Let Me Know Your Takeaway in the Comments Below!
Want to Support the Continued Growth & Production of the Show?
Check out the support page for ideas and suggestions of ways you can help me grow the show. And remember, not all support involves money. Some of the best ways you can show your support are 100% free.
Subscribe to the Show
Never miss another episode of the Diz Runs Radio by subscribing to the show, and for my fellow Apple fans out there, it’s never been easier now that the podcast app is native on the new operating system. iPhone/iPod/iPad users click here. Android users click here. SoundCloud users click here.
Please Give Me Some Feedback!
Take the 6 question listener survey to help me shape the future of this podcast.
Register for a Free Race Training Plan
Every month, I’m giving away a FREE training plan for the race of your choice. For details/information, and to sign up, just click here.
Join The Tribe!
There’s always room for more members of the tribe! Both the Facebook group and the email group provide opportunities that can’t be found anywhere else. The Facebook group is still small, but it is a great way to connect with fellow runners and foster community amongst like-minded individuals. The email group is THE way to stay up to date about future guests on the show, as well as getting some other freebies and offers that aren’t available to anyone else. If you’ve got questions about either/both, just let me know!
Legalese:
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. This simply means that if you decide to make a purchase using one of the links, I get paid a small commission at no extra expense
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!