Andy Palmer Prior to running, he was passionate about basketball. The year after he graduated from the University of Maine in Presque Isle, he ran a 13-mile race in Waterville. He completed the first 12 miles at about 6 minutes per mile but crashed in the last mile. A year later, he was still running from 20 miles per week up to 100 miles per week. By the fall of 1977, he was competing against Maine's very best runners and took fourth place in two straight Aroostook County races. He won a race held in Fort Kent, the first of many wins. Following this, Andy soon realized that he had endurance and moved up to the marathon, winning a race in the Maritime Provinces. He then decided to move to Boston in order to run with the very best in the world. In Boston, in the late 1970s, he trained with Bill Rodgers, Greg Meyer, and Kevin Ryan. Bill Rodgers secured jobs for Andy at his different stores and provided a healthy, high-powered atmosphere in which to train. Ryan, a New Zealander, served as Andy's first coach, providing the Madawaska, Maine native with valuable tips on training schedules and discipline. Andy was also coached by Charlie Spedding, a British Olympian. Since Bill Rodgers trained in the south during the winters, Andy moved into his house and even bought Rodgers’ Volkswagen bug. Things really began to fall into place for Andy in 1984, and he became a nationally-ranked runner. At the prestigious Cherry Blossom 10-mile Road Race, Andy ran 47 minutes, 52 seconds, a finish good enough to be ranked 10th fastest American for the distance. In 1984, he also ran for an American record at the 30-K distance for 29-year-olds. He qualified for and ran in the Olympic Trials Marathon in 1984 and 1988, and was 13th in the trials for the World Championship Marathon in 1986. Among his other times were: 3 minutes, 55 seconds, 1500 meter run; 4 minutes, 13 seconds, 1 mile; 29 minutes, 4 seconds, 10-K; 2 hours, 16 minutes, marathon. He maintained a rigorous training regimen, and often ran between 150 and 190 miles per week. One February he averaged 27 miles per day, logging 670 miles for the month. Andy pursued an education related to physical and mental health and attained the following degrees: B.S. in Health, Physical Education and Recreation, University of Maine at Presque Isle; M.Ed. Physical Education and Administration, Springfield College; M.Ed. Exceptionality, University of Southern Maine; Ph.D. Educational Psychology, Florida State University. For most of Andy's professional career, he was a teacher and mentor. In 1995, after attaining his Ph.D., he developed a private performance enhancement practice. His focus was on helping aspiring runners to develop the mental and emotional skills to succeed. He also believed strongly in the concept of pursuing “a lifetime of fitness,” something he was heard to say many times. He directed and owned the Maine Running Camp at Bar Harbor, beginning in1980; was Head Coach at Craftsbury, Vermont from 1988 through 1995, and since 1995 has been a Sport Psychology Consultant for Roy Benson's Nike Running Camps. Andy was on the Road Racing Club of America's Committee for Certification of Coaches of Adult Road Runners since 1996 and consultant for Reebok, Nike, and New Balance companies over the past several years. Andy and his wife, Zika, established a fitness center, called ZAP Fitness, in Lenoir, North Carolina. This facility houses around 30 runners and hosts fitness and performance seminars. It includes horseshoe pits, a croquet court, a basketball court, volleyball area, biofeedback equipment, a lap pool, altitude simulation, and a fully-equipped exercise science laboratory. The purpose of this facility is to provide a high level of support to emerging athletes, with the proceeds from the camps, seminars, and workshops going towards supporting six to ten post collegiate distance runners. Andy was involved in private coaching and counseling with four athletes who qualified for their respective Olympic trials and a fifth person who made the USA National l00-K Team. Andy's training philosophy is based upon the principles of periodization in training and patience in attaining results, using effort-based training to realize the athlete's individual goals. Tragically, Andy died of a heart attack at age 48 while he was finishing an easy run.
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