Marc Aversa was appointed Medical Director of Sound Family Medicine July 1, 2009. Now he splits time between seeing patients and working with his administrative team to keep the practice running smoothly. In the two years prior to taking the new role, he worked full time as a partner while also going back to graduate school for a Master’s in Health Administration at the University of Washington. He has worked at Sound Family Medicine since 1999 when he completed his residency at Valley Medical Center in Renton.

The Workout
Dr. Aversa grew up in Edmonds and began running in middle school with his father, Guido. Guido began running to keep in shape for his soccer league. Eventually, soccer injuries and enjoyment of running converted Guido into a marathon runner. Until five years ago, Dr. Aversa and his father would go for a run together almost every time they visited each other. Now Guido’s pace has slowed a little (although he still trains for marathons), so they mostly just talk about their running.

After cross-country in high school, Marc ran intermittently during college, medical school and residency. He developed shin splints playing high school soccer, which were a nagging injury whenever he tried to build up his distance. Finally one of his sisters (who was working in athletic shoe sales at the time) suggested he should use a heart rate monitor while training. By monitoring his pace (and really slowing down), Dr. Aversa finally was able to run consistently without shin splints. Since then, he has trained for a variety of distances, including several marathons.

Like most people, events in his life have altered his exercise routines. When he first began running again in earnest in 2002, his children were very young. Most of his runs were in the early morning before the family woke. During those runs he counted the mild weather of the Northwest as one of our great blessings. Even in the middle of winter it only takes a minute or two to get comfortable running outside before sunlight. As his children grew, he enjoyed running alongside their bicycles. Eventually, he found several good friends to run with, and shifted to midday runs during lunch breaks on weekdays and a long early morning run on Saturdays. The chance to run, chat and reflect together on daily challenges has been a significant stress reliever. After his friend (and running buddy) moved to Boise, and while in graduate school, his routines became less consistent. Fortunately, he has a new running pal to push his pace. Zippy, a dog his daughter rescued from a shelter, can run 16 miles and ask “what’s next?” Now, he also mixes in occasional day-hikes and walks with his wife.

The Diet
Anchored in the Mediterranean diet of his Italian born father, Dr. Aversa has never been one to count carbs. He feels that might be reasonable for someone with relatively little activity, but given the alternatives, he’ll take running with bread and pasta over inactivity in a heartbeat. He eats three meals a day and usually has at least a midmorning snack. Lunch is almost always leftovers from the previous night’s dinner. He is not really a sweets-eater, but doesn’t do very well at turning down pie or dark chocolate. His general rule for meals is to avoid any food that you could not make yourself – if the ingredients are not recognizable, it’s probably best not to eat it.

The Cost
Flat arches keep the cost a little higher for Dr. Aversa. He finds he does best with moderately-expensive Mizuno Japanese running shoes – he’s tried many brands but these just seem to stay supportive longer. He stresses, though, that each runner’s needs are different. Usually he buys two or three pairs every year when they are on sale ($60-70). Other than that, he has accumulated a significant collection of wicking running clothes. A bicyclist’s shell is usually the only warmth he needs in the Northwest, mostly to shed the drizzle. On cold days he wears gloves, although he still seems to have cold hands all the time (apologies to his patients).

The Effort
The biggest effort is just to get out the door. Once he starts running, it’s usually just fun. “I wouldn’t do it if it felt like work. There’s too many fun ways to be active to do something you don’t enjoy.” He is always telling patients to slow down their pace. Americans are “go! go! go!” Making exercise a part of your life requires keeping it easy and fun.

The Benefit
When he has not run for several days, he can feel the difference, says Dr. Aversa. Exercise is highly therapeutic. Besides, he thinks more clearly and has more energy when he runs. From the medical standpoint, the greatest benefit of running is the protection from heart disease and diabetes that fitness creates. But it doesn’t hurt that he can burn off 1000 calories on a long run – he really does like to eat.