Interview Tuesday: Meet Kentucky and Masters Runner Tabitha Bell

This week I talk to Tabitha Bell about how she started running and why?  It has been great getting to know the many runners in KY and the surrounding areas.  One thing I have learned is that why people come to running is for different reasons and at different times in their lives - one constant is their love for running.

Tell us a little about yourself not necessarily related to running: age, where born, education, area you live in, etc…..
I was born in Tipton, IN on March of 1974.  We moved to KY when I was 7 years old.  I graduated Russell Co High School in 1993.  I’ve lived in Russell County for about 36 years.  I have one child, Megan, who is a Sophomore at Lindsey Wilson College. 


What is your profession?  
For 14 years, I have work with the Russell County Board of Education.  I am currently the Director of Pupil Personnel Administrative Assistant.  


How did you start running and what prompted you to do so? 
My New Year’s Resolution in 2012 was like most everyone else’s… to get healthy and lose weight.  I went in with a different approach this time, a healthy lifestyle change, not a crash diet.  I seemed to be making progress and the pounds slowly fell off, a couple each week.  In April of that year, my daughter was in High School track and asked me to go to the park so she could get a practice run in.  She jokingly asked me if I wanted to run, but to her shock, I gave it a shot.  That’s when I decided to add running into the lifestyle change.  We would go to the city park or the school track and run a few days a week.  At first I couldn’t even run one lap around the track without getting out of breath, but with the guidance of my daughter to run the straight stretches and walk the curve, I slowly build my way up to running a lap, a couple laps then even a mile.


How long have you been running?  
I’ve been running for 6 years now.


Did you participate in any other sports over the years?  
I enjoy swimming and biking, but running is my passion.

Did you run in grade school, High School or College?

I did not run in high school.  I think if I would have had someone to encourage me to do it, I may have.


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. 

• 5K - 20:28 11/28/14 - Run Run Rudolph in Louisville
• 10K - 43:28 4/11/15 - Berea Police Dept 10k in Berea
• Half  - 1:37 3/28/15 - Total Fitness Connection in Bowling Green

What 250 races looks like

What is your most memorable race or races and share a little about at least one of them?  
From June 2013 until today’s date, I’ve ran a total of 250 races, but I’d say the most memorable one would have to be my first.   It was the “Run With All Your Heart” 4 miler in memory of Sarah Hart, who’s life had been taken too early doing the thing she loved… running.  I was hesitant to even sign up for the race since I had only been running for a few months, but I did and it was truly a blessing.  With a small town population of about 17,000, over 1,200 runners finished the race that day.  There was such an outpour of love and support for their family.  This was a race I wanted to do again the next year.  I trained and improved over the next year, but didn’t even realize there was a running community or race calendars to exist until I started goggling for a 5k and that’s when the race addiction began.


What is your favorite distance to run and race?
The distance I seem to do most often is a 5 miler daily run, and a 5k weekend race. 


Do you have any long-range plans?
My long-range plans would have to be to someday run at least 1 full marathon.  





What do you like best about living and running in KY?

I’m blessed to be able to live and run in Kentucky.  My daily running course runs along the beautiful Lake Cumberland.  It is always easier running when the landscape can take your mind off the pain in your legs.  I’ve run in about 31 counties in KY and enjoy getting to run a different course and take in all the different scenery. 


What do you struggle with most with regards to running?
I used to struggle with the thought of “when have I got time to run”, but soon learned… if you enjoy something, you’ll make time for it. 


What do you see as a trend in running?
I’ve seen running races increasingly more popular over the last few years.  I think running helps promote a healthy lifestyle and more and more people are figuring that out.


If you had one, well maybe two or three, things to say those that are running to encourage them what would it be?
Sometimes it is difficult to find the motivation to get out the door and keep running especially in the hot summer heat or when a run didn’t go as planned, but I would have to say to never give up.  
“Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired.” — George S Patton


Do you have a website or other social media site you would like to share?
I always get motivation and enjoy reading stories from Runners World. and a great site to find upcoming races is Running in the USA


Any closing comments?
My advice to new runners would be to start off easy and listen to your body.  If you’re having a difficult time, cut back a little.  Walk if you have too… but never give up.  If you’re anything like me when I first started running, every run felt like a bad run.  It was so hard.  I couldn’t breathe and the mile felt endless.  After a few months, it did get easier and I’ve learned to love it.