Mets' Pete Alonso's new offseason routine: Running two miles 'as fast as I can'
A slimmer Pete Alonso said, “Every morning, I made it a really important focal point in my routine: Run 2 miles as fast as I can.” Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Pete Alonso showed up to Mets camp looking noticeably slimmer — he said he is down 10 pounds to 235 — and had an apparently simple strategy: a fierce commitment to a break-of-dawn conditioning habit.
“I didn’t really do anything super special. It wasn’t a trendy diet,” said Alonso, whose trimmer body drew public praise from team owner Steve Cohen this week. “Every morning, I made it a really important focal point in my routine: Just run two miles. Run two miles as fast as I can.”
And when he says run, he means it. Not jog. Run.
“My fastest time in a 2-mile was 13:55,” Alonso said.
That is two consecutive sub-7-minute miles.
“When I go, I go,” he said.
Alonso had done plenty of cardio in offseasons past — sprints, agility work, 1-mile runs, cycling — but sought to get more serious about it in recent months. So he challenged himself by hitting the treadmill or the pavement first thing after waking up, training his brain as much as his body.
“I pushed myself a little bit and it worked out,” he said. “It’s more the mental fortitude of being consistent every morning, not making any excuses. Just pushing myself to do something that isn’t necessarily normal. It’s about the process of OK, how could this make me better? Yeah, maybe I might be a little faster, but it’s not really about that. It’s about mastering consistency. That’s what I want to do.
“I just wanted to master consistency and I feel like this is a way of doing that in the offseason when we’re not in a competitive environment. I want to keep competing with myself, pushing myself and staying strong mentally.”
Beltran sighting
Carlos Beltran, recently hired as a special assistant to general manager Billy Eppler, arrived at Mets camp Tuesday. He observed much of the workout alongside former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a member of the Mets’ board of directors who hung around for a third consecutive day, and Eppler.
Beltran’s duties are to include evaluating the farm system and some scouting of elite amateur players. He is scheduled to speak to reporters Wednesday morning.
Extra bases
Buck Showalter wants to get utility infielder Luis Guillorme action at first base during camp. Guillorme has never played there, but learning it would complete is infield quartet. “He’s as good as there is at that (moving around),” the manager said. “You can put him anywhere and feel confident about it.” . . . Asked about the bullpen competition, Showalter mentioned Commack native Stephen Ridings: “Say a guy like Ridings if he can get healthy. Everybody knows the type of electric stuff he has if you can solve the riddle of getting him on the field consistently.” . . . Infielder Danny Mendick, who tore the ACL in his right knee last June, is behind most other position players, according to Showalter.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
