Lindsay Wasserman Has Simple Advice: Set Your Body Up For Success
My guest today is someone I would refer to as a “dual-threat.” She is both a runner and a physical therapist that works primarily with runners.
Needless to say, at some point, we will be talking about one of my favorite topics: running injuries.
I am looking forward to going a few easy miles today with Lindsay Wasserman.
Lindsay Wasserman
A Big Loss Led To A Big Change
Lindsay Wasserman was a competitive gymnast for as long as she can remember.
After graduating from high school, Lindsay went on to be a collegiate gymnast.
While growing up, she dabbled in running, but mostly did it to stay in shape for gymnastics.
It was during her senior year in college that Lindsay faced an unexpected tragedy.
Lindsay lost her uncle when he was hit by a car and passed away.
Her uncle was an avid runner that began later in life and completed numerous marathons.
After his death, Lindsay wanted to honor his memory by running a marathon.
Falling In Love In 24 Hours
Before Lindsay began training for a marathon, her co-worker convinced her to join a 24-hour relay.
Lindsay immediately signed up and in the midst of the relay, she ran 8 miles which at the time was her longest run ever.
After completing the relay with her team, Lindsay was hooked on running.
Lindsay wanted to run Boston as the race to honor her uncle.
She ran her first marathon in 2007 as a bandit in the race, which admittedly was more common back then.
The following year she ran Boston again, but with a fundraising team.
Lindsay routinely runs a marathon or two every year, but since 2006 she hasn’t missed a year of the 24-hour relay.
Running was one of the few things that Lindsay found where her hard work routinely pays off.
Boston Strong
Lindsay has run the Boston Marathon 6 times and was preparing to run her 7th one this year before it got canceled.
Boston holds a special place in Lindsay’s heart for many reasons.
One of those reasons was her presence at the race at the time of the bombing in 2013.
Lindsay was crossing over the finish line and receiving her medal when the bombs began going off.
Going into the race, she had anticipated it being the last Boston she would run.
After going through the traumatic experience along with the city, she was determined to return the following year.
Her biggest takeaway from the experience was that everyone was in it together.
The city, athletes, and crowds returned the following year and it was the best Boston Lindsay had ever experienced.
Lindsay Wasserman
Dipping Her Toes Into Triathlons
Lindsay admits she isn’t the fastest runner, but she loves to run long.
She completed her first triathlon, a Half Ironman, in 2010.
The distance and training required for a Half IM required Lindsay to take the training seriously which is why she picked that distance as her first.
The experience of training and completing the race was an overall positive one.
Lindsay was then convinced to sign up for a full IM.
Her rationale for jumping from a half to a full, was if not now, when?
Lindsay was at a time in her life where she didn’t have any kids, no mortgage, and plenty of time to train.
She loved the experience but has since realized that her life doesn’t always allow her the time to train for a full IM distance.
A Natural Path Forward
Lindsay grew up with a dad that was a chiropractor.
From a young age, she was interested in how the body works and how to fix issues.
The path to becoming a physical therapist seemed like a natural one for her.
She has been in the field for 20 years now and still loves it as much as when she first began.
Lindsay tries to follow what she preaches, but even for a PT, it’s not always easy.
Her main goal with clients is to be realistic in their expectations.
Set Your Body Up For Success
If Lindsay could only stress two things to clients they would be consistency and staying aware of the overall picture.
There are 24 hours in each day and running only occupies a small piece of that.
Lindsay stressed that it’s important to focus on what each athlete does with the remaining hours.
The hours spent NOT running may have more of an effect on the outcome than the run itself.
Some factors that contribute to or detract from running progress are sleep, diet, strength/mobility, stress, etc.
Consistency is also important when looking at each specific area.
Running takes maintenance to remain healthy and doing something is always better than nothing.
Lindsay understands as well as anyone that life can hinder our running goals and her advice is to do the best you can at any given moment.
Mentioned In This Episode:
- Spaulding National Running Center
- Boston Children’s Hospital Fundraising Page
- Ironman 70.3 Mont-Tremblant
- Ragnar Reach The Beach
Stay connected with Lindsay Wasserman by checking out her YouTube channel while getting up-to-date advice on staying healthy.
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10 minutes is enough if that’s what you have – okay, got it! That’s gonna change things for me.
Oh, also I really needed to hear the bit about how the others hours of the day impact my running. I know that, but I’m really horrible at doing it.
It really does make a difference when you think of how many hours a day/week we spend NOT running, of course the things we do during those times impact our health/running. Little changes you can make during those hours can really make a huge difference in how you feel and how you run. (Signed: the guy who knows but doesn’t always do…)