Mountain Peak Fitness

Episode 6: S.O.S Surviving the Shawangunks with Gina Giordano

Coach Elizabeth Azze - I have been coaching Gina for about 3 years now. She is 55 and showing no signs of slowing down. 9 years ago she was a regular Ironman finisher, then injuries began to plague her and she shifted to trail running. Since we’ve been working together, Gina has completed the Yeti 100 (sub 24 hours), Laurel Highlands 70.5, Miwok 100k, ½ Ironman and the S.O.S triathlon, along with many other training races in between. Gina completes 2 to 3 heavy strength training sessions per week which is imperative to aid in bone density & muscle loss due to aging and menopause. Gina also surrounds herself with integrative health professionals to aid her through this process. I speak very openly with all of my athletes about their varying phases, it’s very important to do so. Gina continues to challenge her body & mind by changing it up. This year she participated in S.O.S Triathlon which is in its 36th year. Here is a little breakdown of the course, bike 30 miles, run 4.5 miles, swim 1.1 miles, run 5.5 miles, swim 0.5 miles, run 8 miles, swim 0.5 miles and then run 0.7 miles to the finish.  Check out Gina’s most recent race report, “S.O.S Surviving the Shawangunks!”. Within her report we included a podcast of a conversation we had just after she completed her race. Have a listen!  For her full race report, visit us at, www.mountainpeakfitness.com/blog/gina-sos-2022.

Episode 5: The Triple Crown of 200's with Joe Del Conte

MPF coaching athlete Joe Del Conte from Bronx, NY is attempting the triple crown of 200’s. To be considered a triple crown finisher one must complete 3 x’s 200 mile races created by Destination Trail. • Tahoe 200, June 15th.  • Bigfoot 200, August 11th. • Moab 240, Oct. 7th.  Almost 1 full year ago Joe contacted coach Elizabeth Azze to help guide him to the finish line of this epic goal. At the time Joe was injured and hadn’t been running for quite some time. He registered previously, but due to the COVID pandemic all races were canceled. So, this was go time! Elizabeth's approach for the first couple of months of coaching was to first get a medical diagnosis. Then we began to systematically improve his movement patterns through mobility, corrective exercise and strength. Joe has completed 2 of the races thus far, congrats! It was awesome to finally meet him in person in Washington during the Bigfoot 200! In less than 24 hours Joe will begin his final journey of the triple crown at the Moab 240. We will be there to support him, so be sure to follow the action on our social media pages. To learn more about Joe’s experience, take a listen to a recent conversation between Coach Elizabeth Azze and Joe.

Episode 4: Devil's Path FKT with Michelle Merlis

Coach Elizabeth Azze has a great conversation with one of her strength & conditioning athletes, Michelle Merlis about her recent FKT attempt on the Devil’s Path. Located in the rugged mountains of the Catskill Mountains in New York, it is 22 miles long with 8,200 feet of climbing. The trail is full of ledges, rocks and roots within a thick canopy of trees. This is an extremely challenging trail.

Episode 3: Powering Through the Pandemic with Miriam Weiskind

To watch the interview on YouTube or click here [https://youtu.be/ZzgruRfAw8w]. Follow Miriam at SportySlice on Instagram! [https://www.instagram.com/sportyslice]

Episode 2: Elizabeth & Alex Papadopoulos chat about Coaching, Tammany 10 & Hurt 100

Coach Elizabeth Azze speaks with her athlete, Alex Papadopolous about his 6 day adventure across uniquely wild, trackless, and the remote mountainous terrain of Wales, at the Dragon’s Back 6 day race. Over 400 hardy souls started from Conway Castle carrying a10-15lb pound mandatory pack containing essentials for the poor weather, nutrition, etc. These endurance athletes navigated themselves over mountains as this is not a marked course. Participants traveled over the most technical terrain along the mountainous spine of Wales covering an ultra distance everyday for 6 days with the goal of making it to Cardiff Castle. Each day one would also have to make essential cut-offs to be considered an official finisher for the day. After each stage was completed, you needed to eat, shower, sleep in a tent, then rise up early to start again. Some would make it, some would not. Out of the over 400 starters only 90 athletes officially made it to Cardiff Castle. If you have any questions regarding his journey or you’d like to dig deeper into his training feel free to comment on our Facebook, YouTube or Instagram posts. The breakdown of each day is as follows, these are real numbers folks! Day 1 - 30.4 miles with 12,467 feet ascent Day 2 - 36.5 miles with 11,155 feet ascent Day 3 - 43.5 miles with 11,155 feet ascent Day 4 - 43 miles with 7,546 feet ascent Day 5 - 43.5 miles with 10,499 feet ascent Day 6 - 39 miles with 4,265 feet ascent