Tell us a little about your running history and what are you currently working on?
Allan: I started running in 2011, mainly thanks to Julie who had was keen on doing races in Central Park. Before
that I’d played a few different sports and was fairly active, but nothing very regimented. I don’t tend to do things by
half-measures, so about a year later I did my first marathon. I decided to do it the night before so I didn’t have the
chance to train. It was a lot of fun, but pretty painful, so I decided I needed to be more methodical about my
running. When I have a marathon coming up I usually do a long run on Sunday mornings, anywhere from 15 to 18 miles,
usually various permutations of the loops in Central Park. During the week I am pressed for time, but I try and
squeeze in 4 to 6 mile runs 3 times a week. Other days I like to cross-train working my entire body. Varying from
full body weighted exercises, olympic lifts and of course, Row House.
This spring I'll be running my first Ultra marathon (50k) in Bear Mountain. Otherwise, the majority of my races will
be middle distance.
Julie: I started running in 2009. A family friend of mine has cerebral palsy and as a result is physically limited. She
had watched the NYC marathon and was eager to participate. Her enthusiasm encouraged me to get out running
with the hope that one day I could help her fulfill one of her fitness goals. In January of 2010, I ran in my first
marathon as a guide for an Achilles athlete. Similar to Allan, I was also very untrained and had never ran more
than 6 miles nor did I know anything about nutrition. I asked the Achilles athlete if the Gu packs were to be put on
your leg. On my flight back I reflected on the experience and decided that I was going to commit to the sport. I fell
in love with New York Road Runners and Central Park and even found a great running inspiration in my husband. 6
marathons, 17 half marathons and about 80 other distance races later, I cannot imagine life without running. Allan and I use alliteration for the seasons and use this as our wake up chant on race day. As it is now spring, we
are currently in "Spring Sprints," which is mainly shorter distance races of 4 miles to half marathon. I have four
half marathons during the "Spring Sprints" series: NYC Half, Sleepy Hollow Half (love the hills), More Fitness
Women's Half and Brooklyn Half. With these shorter distance races I typically am running 30-45 miles a week with
the majority of that weighted on my long run on weekend. Our big races are in the fall/winter when we do 3
marathons: Chicago, New York (we call it Caldwell Christmas) and a marathon linked to a vacation. This year the
destination race was Carlsbad. More on the next page…
How Row House has helped your running?
Allan: I started coming to Row House at Columbus Circle almost as soon as it open. I thought it would be good supplement to
my running. I had never rowed before, so I initially struggled with the rhythm, but that didn’t stop me from getting a good
workout. I think improving my core strength is one of the main ways I’ve improved my running and rowing (as well as the
great core exercises we do at Row House) has been a big part of that. Stronger abs and back have really taken my running to
the next level. One of the biggest ways rowing helped me was preparing for the 2014 NYC Marathon. I had hurt my ankle and
shin on a 20 mile training run and it was too tender to run. With just a couple of months until the Marathon I came to Row
House several times a week to keep up my cardio and keep my legs and core strong. I ended up haven a really strong
performance and improved my time by 30 minutes of the 2013 marathon.
Julie: I began rowing last spring (2015). Allan and I had signed up for a Run2Scull camp and I didn't want to let down Team
Caldwell. After 3 classes with Row House I had started to notice significant drops in my mile pace and immediately realized
that the benefits that Allan had talked about (core and back strength) were having extremely positive impacts on my running
as well. I was sold! Fast forward 9 months, with consistent erg workouts, strength training and running, and out of the 30
races I ran in 2015 I had 21 PRs. I've been most proud of shaving nearly 55 minutes off my marathon time and maintain
strong form. What do you most like about Row House?
Allan: I have a much stronger core and it really shows in my improved posture! It is one of the most efficient workouts I’ve
found, so not matter how busy I am with work I can get an excellent workout and keep up my cardiovascular shape. Julie: 515am no matter how you cut it is an early rise. However, when I know its to be in the Row House studio with Arielle
I'm pretty quick to get out of bed because I know that I'm going to feel accomplished going into my day. Its a great workout
and it never gets old.
Physically, rowing has proven that those ab and oblique lines are something I could attain and am starting to now see. What are some of your personal running records?
We keep a chalkboard of our PRs to keep us accountable on all the distances we run which range from a mile to 26.2 miles.
We run almost every NYRR race and try to use some of those as training runs and others as races. While not a race, we are
both very proud to be able to hold a 13.6mph speed on the “dreadmill" for 1 minute. Allan's personal best: 5:33 mile, 1:29 half marathon, and 3:13 marathon
Julie's personal best: 6:39 mile: 1:50 half marathon, and 3:57 marathon