 |
| Land Between the Lakes Marathon |
Tell us a little about yourself not necessarily related to running: age, where born, education, area you live in, etc…..
I was born at Ft Knox, KY and then almost immediately moved with my family to Germany where I lived my first 8 years. I recently moved to Elizabethtown after living in Howevalley KY for 20 years but I’ve lived in Hardin County most of my life. I graduated from North Hardin High in Radcliff and then from the University of Kentucky
What is your profession?
I am the CFO (Director of Finance) for the City of Radcliff where I have worked for the last 27 ½ years. I was very young when I started there 😊 My background is in finance, accounting and budgeting
How long have you been running?
I’ve been running for 7 ½ years now but I have really increased my mileage the last 2 ½ years.
How did you start running and what prompted you to do so?
Did you participate in any other sports over the years?
After college I began weight training as a means of exercise and I have continued to maintain this ever since. I’ve gone from 5 days a week for over 20 years and then down to 2-3 days a week once I discovered running
Did you run in grade school, High School or College? If so where?
The only sport I played during high school or otherwise was tennis
 |
| Mammoth Caves State Park |
So we get an idea of where you have been with running can you share your PR’s for: 5K, 10K marathon and any other distance you may have run in the past.
- My 5K best is 21:20 (I don’t run many of them anymore)
- 10K best is 44:40
- 10miler is 1:14
- Half is 1:37
- Full is 3:51
- Ran just shy of a 60K last August at the Backyard Classic Ultra
- Distance running is fairly new to me as I’ve done my 5 marathons only in the past 14 months.
What is your most memorable race or races and share a little about at least one of them?
I will always remember my first road full marathon which was the Derby in 2017 mainly because I had been running for 6 ½ years before attempting that distance. I kept talking myself out of doing one because I felt as though I would not be able to finish it. Everyone kept telling me to go for it but I always found a way out of it. Once I finally completed it, I felt as though a weight of doubt had been lifted off of me. The other race was the Backyard Classic in 2017. It was my first attempt at a distance beyond the full and I was ready to see how far I could go in an 8 hour time limit. I got about 36 miles in just under 7 ½ hrs. I also really love this race because so many of the local runners that I’ve ran and trained with for the last 4 years also run this event and being there with them is very gratifying.
Do you have a favorite workout you do?
I really don’t follow a program or a structured plan even when training for a marathon. I just try and increase my mileage to the point where my pace and breathing feels comfortable. I try and vary doing longer runs with tempo runs. I usually don’t run relaxed short distances which I’ve been told is not ideal so I’m still learning about tempo and recovery.
I notice you have been getting into riding, which do you like better – Running or Riding?
I still consider running to be my main sport of choice mainly because that’s all I’ve done in my free time for the past 7 years. However, I really do enjoy the speed and freedom of being on a bike. You’re just able to cover so much more territory for the amount of time. So I have had to learn to incorporate 2 days a week of riding into my running schedule.
What got you to take up riding?
 |
| Getting Ready for a Central Ky Wheelman Ride |
Do you ride roads or trails or both?
My favorite surface is road riding. I really like the tempo of road riding and cycling the backroads of my county and the surrounding area. However, the more I’ve begun riding my cross bike on gravel rides, it is also very enjoyable. The elevation on those rides are usually more severe which brings new challenges. I’ve also done some mountain bike riding but I still need more training and pedal time on this type of riding.
What is the longest you have ridden to date?
I didn’t really begin riding longer distances until late Summer. I’ve done 2 century rides. One was a training ride and the other was the Bourbon Bluegrass Century tour ride in Owensboro. I definitely plan on riding several more this year.
Any advice to those taking up riding?
Gosh there is so much more to begin riding than to begin running! It’s not only learning the aspects of how to ride and how to ride safely, but its learning about all the proper gear you need not to mention the aspects of bike maintenance. I really am very green on the maintenance part so I rely a lot on my local bike shop. I do hope to learn more as I ride more. I would strongly recommend riding with a friend or a group of people when you get started. So many variables can go wrong on a bike especially for a new rider and a seasoned cyclist who can act as your partner is invaluable. I am very thankful for friends who have taken their time to help me learn.
How about a favorite route you like to run?
I am pretty open to any route anywhere whether it be road or trail. I run so many similar routes locally as many of them are with my local running group with Running Soles. Our group run club always runs on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s and all of the routes begin downtown E-town which is very cool and extend out into neighborhoods or run along a commercial corridor or run into and along a trail. Freeman Lake and the Veterans Nature Park in E-town is a beautiful course to run because it includes both gravel, dirt and grass surfaces along with running beside creeks, open pasture and the lake.
 |
| Mammoth Cave Gravel Ride |
What is your favorite distance to run and race?
Honestly I don’t really have one. I run them all. I’ve more recently though gotten away from the 5K distance only because I prefer now to get more bang with my bucks. I really enjoy the aspect of group team running and therefore my favorite race has become Ragnar Kentuckiana at Otter Creek Park. I just really love the competitive team spirit part of it.
Do you have any long-range plans?
Any plans at this point would likely include additional distance running and distance cycling. I would also like to venture away from home a bit more to try new race venues. I also want to pick up where I left off last September with cyclocross racing. I sustained a mountain bike injury and had to stop cycling for 2 months. I did the first 2 cyclocross events as part of a 7-8 race series before my accident.
What do you like best about living and running in KY?
Ky running for the most part is all that I know. I’ve only done a hand full of races out of state. Kentucky has so many state parks, lakes, trails, and quiet country roads to either run and bike on. You can basically travel anywhere for a new adventure within a relative short distance drive. I’ve lived here most of my life so this is home for me.
What do you struggle with most with regards to running?
My biggest struggle is probably trying to educate myself more on proper rest and recovery as well as pre and post run stretching. I’ve always been healthy and injury free so I’ve never worried about these things. It’s only been recently with fighting an IT band issue that I’ve had to learn more about foam rolling, and bar rolling and hip/core stretching to help reduce injury. Other have told me to take the time to learn more but I tend to be hard headed as many locally will attest to - haha.
What do you see as a trend in running?
The obvious one would have to be an increase in ultra running. It seems as though more and more races are forming even here in Kentucky where there were limited options just a couple of years ago. I also think footwear has more of a focus now than in the past, both for road and trail. So many shoes now are specialized not only for specific surfaces and also for specific distances. Shoes have become so ultra light but still have so much support.
If you had one, well maybe two or three, things to say to those that are running to encourage
 |
| Youngers Creek Tunnel E'town |
You got to stay with it! So many start off and then slowly begin to get discouraged and stop. It took me a few months to begin seeing benefits in increasing my distance and tempo. What I first began to hate I then began to love. Also, I ran alone for about 3 years and I began to get bored because of it. I would see runners in a group as I passed them talking and appearing to be really enjoying one another. So I went to Running Soles to be a part of a group run. I went there for the social interaction initially and it then became so much more. There’s a sense of accountability when you belong and participate to a run club that you just can’t get when running alone.
Do you have a website or other social media site you would like to share?
The one site I use locally/regionally for events or training runs is the Running Soles Training Group site on Facebook. I love my local run store/group and get most my information from it.
Any closing comments?
I’d simply say don’t be afraid to try something new as a means to add to your training regimen. I think we all get comfortable in a routine and sometimes don’t realize how much more we can be doing if we don’t try it. I am so thankful I was able to add cycling to running. I think they go so well together.
No comments:
Post a Comment