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| Ready for the Mohican 100 |
Tell us a little about yourself not necessarily related to running: age, where born, education, area you live in, etc…..
I was adopted from Chelyabinsk, Russia when I was 20 months old. My parents were informed prior to adopting me that I was placed into the orphanage following a six-month stay at a pediatric hospital receiving medical and treatment for my lungs and would continue to have issues with breathing for the remainder of my life.
Well, as irony would have it… using my lungs is crucial to running. So thankfully that never came into fruition. I started running when I was in junior high and that carried into high school and ultimately college where I ran for Saint Leo University.
What is your profession?
I am just now switching over from working for the Boy Scouts of America to the Youth and Family Alternatives – RAP House in New Port Richey, Florida. RAP stands for Runaway Alternatives Project, the RAP House is a runaway and youth crisis program for troubled youth. It serves children between the ages of 10 and 17. Short term shelter services are provided for youth who have run away from home. They may also be homeless, dealing with abuse, having school-related problems, or be youth in crisis for any other reason and need short-term respite care.
Outside of work I am on the Planning Committee for a few races that are vast in size. Thanks to Saint Leo University and meeting folks around the running world… I am on the committee for Tampa Bay’s Famous Gasparilla Distance Classic, the RAP River Run in New Port Richey, the SuperHero 5k in Safety Harbor, and a co-race director for the Rattlesnake Run in San Antonio, Florida. I also do social media management for a few other races. I love the running community and being a moving part in an event from 32,000 runners down to 200 runners are all of equal importance to me.
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| Getting some fuel at the Mohican 100 |
I also have a charity called the I Play Track Foundation. We take second hand shoes and distribute them out to kids who cannot afford a brand new pair. All of our shoes that we give out are lightly worn, nearly perfect or brand new. We also collect and give out track and cross country spikes as well. A coach once told me that her athlete “ran a new personal best by 34 seconds!!” That right there is why I love to give back to the running community that built me up.
How did you start running and what prompted you to do so?
Honestly, I started running when I ran out of "fun" sports to do in junior high; sports like basketball, soccer, and baseball. I wasn’t very good at those sports, so I typically sat the bench. I will have everyone know, when I was in 8th… I did however have a 100% shooting average (one shot, I made one three right in the bucket). I was way too small for football.
So, I finally had to pick Cross Country my 8th grade year since it was the only sport I hadn’t tried. I didn't do too bad so kept training and here I am today.
Did you participate in any other sports over the years?
After 9/11, my dad was called into active duty. I was in kindergarten at the time and my sister was in preschool. That put a lot pressure on my mom, so she had me join Taekwondo. I did Taekwondo for many years up until just into high school. I think it is good to learn some form of martial arts, the mental aspect of it is something you can’t just learn in a classroom or a book.
There many Tenets of Taekwondo; the one that has stuck with throughout my career into running and business is the “indomitable spirit.” In short what that is, it is shown when a courageous person and his or her principles are pitted against overwhelming odds. Someone who shows the “indomitable spirit” at times will be modest and honest. If confronted with injustice, he or she will deal with the adversity without any fear or hesitation at all regardless of whosoever, whatsoever, and however many the number may be.
Where did you run in High School & College?
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| Running X-Country for St. Leo |
What events did you run in High School & College and how was your experience?
In high school I ran cross country, the typical 5k race and I also ran track in the 1600 and 3200 meter race. I only went to the OHSAA State Cross Country race on two occasions (junior and senior year). My freshman and sophomore years were knocked out due to stress fractures.
Going from high school to college I think I have changed in the confidence in myself. I am much more confident in workouts and races than I ever was in high school. As I started in college, I've had my ups and downs... but the community aspect of running kept me driven.
Coming into college I was a little adjusted as I had already had two Half-Marathons under my belt and several 10k races. That was surely a confidence boosters coming in to racing the 8k during the cross country season, then the 10k come NCAA DII Regionals and to the NCAA DII Cross Country Nationals.
A tough part with running is after graduation what have you been doing running wise since graduation and what are your plans?
Thorlos has been a blessing since they have helped me get some of the most essential tools to running… Socks. I am honored for the company to help me out so early in my career and to trust in my abilities.
Staying true to the “cross country spirit,” which is my passion in running. I transitioned from Cross Country to the 50 Mile to 100 Mile Distance. In reality, my training really hasn’t changed much at all. I am still doing the Bob Schul style of training as he was taught using the Igloi Method of interval training.
Right now I am backing off the longer races and focusing on 50k and below into the Cross Country season. My schedule is very tentative, but I do know I have the plans to race the USATF 30 km Trail National Championships on July 28th at Pikes Peak. After that in October I will likely be running the John Holmes Trail Run 50k, as well as, a few other trail and cross country races here in Florida and perhaps Ohio and South Carolina.
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| 2018 US X-Country Championships |
The goal here is to really get into shape for speed to do well at the USATF Marathon Trail National Championships on November 3rd that takes place in Moab, Utah.
After November I intend on packing on the mileage for the Croom Zoom 100k on January 6th and the Long Haul 100 Mile on January 19th. Both very close races. Then I again, drop the mileage and add more speed for the following USATF Cross Country National race in February over in Tallahassee.
I have noticed you have gotten into running Ultras – how has that been? Did you run marathons first or just jump right into Ultras?
I jumped right into the ultra, for me, the marathon is “too far, too fast,” I really like the trails and being out in nature. That was a big draw for me in the trail and ultra-running community. Conservation and the principles of Leave No Trace are also things I am passionate about, this is also a big factor into the ultra-running community.
Training has gone great in my opinion, execution of races has been okay. There is a lot to learn inside of racing an ultra that you persay can’t train for.
So we get an idea of where you have been with running can you share your PR’s for: 5K, 10K marathon and any other distance you may have run in the past.
- 5000m Road – 16:02, 2013 Tawawa Park Scholorship 5k Run
- 5000m Track – 16:00, 2018 UT Track Classic
- 8000m – 25:50, 2017 Queens Royal Challenge
- 10000m – 32:34.9, 2015 NCAA D2 Cross County Nationals
- Half-Marathon – 1:13:23, 2016 Thanksgiving Day Classic
- 50 Mile – 7 Hours: 44 Minutes, 2018 Croom Fools Run
What is your most memorable race or races and share a little about at least one of them, more if you like?
I would say that it would have to be my first trip to the NCAA DII Cross Country National Championships in 2015. That was why I joined the men at Saint Leo University and a long-term goal coming into running. I would also have to add the 2018 USATF Cross Country Championships was a pretty fun race. Most recently I ran Mohican 100 Mile and came up short due to hyperextending my ankle… However, that was such a great experience.
Do you have a favorite workout you do? What does a normal week of running look like?
Intervals is my workout of choice. This is influenced by Bob Schul who won the Olympic Gold medal in 5000m in 1964. Schul’s way of training is something I believe can create champions if implemented correctly. I have been training under this style, intervals, for several years now using Schul’s training he learned under legendary Hungarian coach Mihaly Igloi and what you can take from it to apply to your running, specifically how to develop your speed.
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| Joseph and Bob Schul |
I also follow a low heart rate based training from Roy Benson, Benson has been a consultant about heart rate training for both Polar and Nike and has written three books for runners on the subject.
Both styles can be explained more in detail on my WordPress blog under the “Training Philosophy” tab. If you hover the curser over it, the two options will drop down.
So, a typical week for me right now is three speed days on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturdays. Sundays I keep open for my longer runs. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are left open for either recovery running or a fresh to good pace run. This all depends on where my heart rate is at and how my body is feeling.
Interval Workout Example:
- Mile warm up, Dynamic warm-ups
- 10 X 100 meters (fresh) alternating 1 forward and 1 backward, with the last two forward
- 12 X 200 meters (fresh, good build-up); 50-meter walk between each
- 400-meter easy jog
- 10 X 100 meters (fresh) alternating 2 forward and the 3rd backward. This helps revive pressure on the joints and muscles from running around the track.
- 8 x 350 meters; Start by doing good build ups, by the last four will look at the heart rate and decide if the last four will be hard or backed down a bit.
- 400-meter easy jog
- 10 X 100 meters (fresh) alternating same as before.
- 12 X 160 meters 1 fresh, 1 good guild up, 1 good; 40-meter walk between each
- 10 X 100 meter shakeup (very easy, shaking the arms loose to relax the body
- Total Mileage: Just under 9 miles on paper.
I would have to say my two favorite locations to run would be the Croom Wildlife Management Area in the Withlacoochee State Forest and the Green Swamp Wildlife Management Area. Both places offer a wild variety of surfaces to run on and a vast variety of mileage of trials. I have easily racked up hundreds on hundreds of miles out there since I have been in Florida.
When I am back in Ohio, I am very partial to running miles around Tawawa Park. I grew up having daily high school practice in Tawawa and it is also where I ran many of my 5k races growing up.
What is your favorite distance to run and race?
So far still really enjoy the 8 and 10k Cross Country race, which is why I still have it planned to drop down to race those events for this current section of training. The Half-Marathon for me is also a fun distance to race, you need to have endurance as well as an incredible amount of speed. But, I am growing to love the 50 Mile into the 100 Mile. Trail running is such an incredible and supportive community. We all, for the most part, love to run and have a good beer afterwards.
What do you like best about living and running where you are now? Are your plans to stay there?
I came down to Florida to run in college, and I love it down here. So it is likely I will remain in the Tampa Bay. Here in Pasco County, this area really is a trail running gem. Dade City is absolutely surrounded with great places to run and to get a good beer. In the San Antonio, Florida area theres a place called Ralphs which is a nice place to hang out and get a drink. In the neighboring Zephyrhills, Florida there is a place called Commandoughs which has outstanding pizza and great beer. It is also home to the Zephyrhills Brewing Company.
If you go west of Dade City; Green Swamp and the Richloam Wildlife Management Area are two of the preserves in the area that has a nearly unlimited availability of horse trails, dirt hiking trails and sandy dirt and gravel road miles. I started running in Green Swamp in college and have continued on to adventure the hundreds of miles of trails available today.East of Dade City, you can towards Land O Lakes, that is where you can find the Connor Preserve and the Cypress Creek Flood Detention Area (Long Haul 100M Location). After you’re done running that way, you can head over to In the Loop Brewing or Ukulele Brand in Land O Lakes. Both are great places to drink and eat.
Then you can travel north up to Brooksville where the Croom Wildlife Management Area, that is where a lot of Ultra-Marathons are held. (Croom Zoom and the Croom Fools Run to name two). This is one of my personal favorite locations to run.
If you head into Tampa, about 35 to 40 minutes from Dade City, there is a place called Flatwoods. Flatwoods is a 11 Mile looped bike path that a lot of runners use. Water Stations are placed roughly every two miles in the loop which is nice to nice recovery long-run. This area also host many trails as well, I believe that is also referred to as the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve.
Where I work in New Port Richey, there is a place called the Starkey Wilderness Park. This place is also a great place to go for a run and be out on the trails. Now, New Port Richey is a great hot spot for local nano and micro-breweries. New Port Richey and the neighboring Trinity, Florida is home to the Cotee River Brewing Company, Big Storm Brewing, Escape Brewing, and Infusion Brewing.
Now, regardless of the area… within two hours of Dade City I can travel into Tampa, Clearwater, Dunedin, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Clermont, and into Orlando. All of which has incredible beaches and destinations from Fort DeSoto, Clearwater Beach, Busch Gardens, Disney Springs, the Lowry Zoo, and to easily hundreds of craft breweries and local shops. So I think I am going to stick to the area for a while.
What do you struggle with most with regards to running?
I don’t think it is more of struggle but, I find it also part of the fun… and that is trying to find what works. I think what does suck is that my first 50 miler and 100 miler both resulted with a DNF. It is key to make sure that the thoughts of the DNF are not reflected the failings in my training or mentality, but as room to make improvements and refocus. There’s always a long laundry list of uncontrollable adversities, just there is always adversities I can control.
I think one thing is understanding what it means to DNF, especially in an ultra. A DNF or not reaching a certain time does not mean you failed. Just as in life, if you learn from the race and see the DNF as an opportunity to tweek certain details, trial and error certain aspects of running, and ultimately grow stronger, you have succeeded.
It is pretty key come race morning to be fairly confident in your ability to make decisions. It is an ultra, you will be on your feet for many hours at a time covering a vast amount of miles. So with that respect you will reach very, very low points throughout the hours running. But, with confidence also comes being smart about your strategy. When you think you’ve reached your limit, go just a little bit more.
So finding that balance is something tricky, but it is part of the fun.
If you had one, well maybe two or three, things to say those that are running to encourage them what would it be?
Well, definitely towards high schoolers who want to run college would be…
- Get good grades… Grades = Scholarship Money
- Don’t have a “D1 or no one” mentality. Find that college that fits you best and will allow you achieve your goals long term… not just a “I run D1.” There are many D2, D3, and even NAIA schools are better then many Division 1 programs. I travel to Florida from Ohio and went to the NCAA DII Cross Country National Championships three times and my university beat many division one programs.
- Find the University and Program that will connect you to the right people and will work to excel your career as a young professional. These what matters in the long-run.
Do you have a website or other social media site you would like to share?
- My Blog: www.josephfullerrunning.wordpress.com
- Twitter: @JustRunFuller
- Instagram: @JustRunFuller
- Then on Facebook… check out the I Play Track Foundation and the San Antonio Rattlesnake Run and give it a “like!”
Who would you say has made the biggest impact in your running career?
Wow, now this is a tough question. I guess besides the consistent support of my family, team mates, and friends I would have to say a man named Mark Looney really sparked the first light my love for running. He was my coach when I was in 8th grade, even him himself was a two-time Buffalo Marathon Champion.
Bob Schul would be one of the people I owe my running too. This man has deeply inspired my running and life at so many levels. Without this man, I can surely say I wouldn't be as strong or mentally as I am today. I consider Coach Schul a father figure in my life. This man has deeply inspired my running and life at so many levels. Without this man, I can surely say I would be no where I am today. Being the only American who win a gold medal in the 5,000 at the Olympic Games (1964, Tokyo Olympic Games), his wisdom is something I have taken to heart...from the hundreds of repeats, fixing form, proper breathing, and tales from his youth, injuries, and the Olympic Games...even a strict scolding on how girls are a distraction to my running, this man has changed my career for the better. Every workout I feel I'm leaning something new!
Ya know, I would have to say under those top two tiers would have to be my other coaches such Kent Reiber and Connor Callahan from Saint Leo University, Rick Jones.. so much wisdom about life in general and just never giving up. Johnny Gray, Calvin Smith, Mel Pender, and Maurice Peoples. Even coaches from my high school days such Ann Vogel from West Liberty, Ryan Gutman from Botkins, and Coach Stewart from Anna. It was these people who really formed my mold into the runner and my character carry with me today.
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