 |
| Mo-Bell 50 Miler |
chatted with Lisa online when I could not run a race and gave my registration to her.
Tell us a little about yourself not necessarily related to running: age, where born, education, area you live in, etc…..
I’m 47 (on February 10th), I was born and raised on Long Island, New York and lived there my entire life until I moved to Kentucky in 2013. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Studies with a concentration in History and Master’s Degree in Literacy. I currently live in Vine Grove (on the Meade County side).
What is your profession?
I am a Program Assistant at Scott Middle School on Fort Knox. I work with kids with special needs.
How did you start running and what prompted you to do so?
I was working and going to graduate school and I was finding it very hard to find the time to go to Jazzercise (my exercise of choice back then). I decided to go to my mom’s and run on her treadmill because I could do that at any time I wanted and wasn’t tied down to a specific time (like a Jazzercise class). I really enjoyed it but what really got me hooked was my first run outside, once I did that….it was “Good bye Jazzercise, Hello Running!”
How long have you been running?
I started running on December 8, 2009
Did you participate in any other sports over the years?
I used to play softball when I was in elementary school.
Did you run in grade school, High School or College?
No, I never ran. The only time I ran was when I was forced to do the one mile run in gym, and I hated every minute of it.
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.
I’m not a fast runner by any means and the older I get, the slower I get.
- 5K - 29:32
- 10K - 1:03:41
- Half Marathon - 2:28:39
- Marathon - 5:41:26 (and the course was a half mile long)
- 50K - 8:43:38 (and it was actually 32.75 miles)
- longest run is 50 miles.
 |
| Iron Horse Half-Marathon |
We don’t run together very often at all. Mostly because he is a lot faster than I am and I don’t want to hold him back and I really don’t like to run with anyone. I really enjoy running by myself.
Do you run the same races?
Yes, we do run the same races, but not all the time; mostly because Greg travels so much. When we do a race together, we do not run together. We do our own thing and meet each other at the finish line.
What is your most memorable race or races and share a little about at least one of them?
One of my most memorable races is Cloudsplitter. I did it back in October 2014. It was my first trail race and my first distance past a half marathon; I did the 25K. At that time, that was the hardest races I had ever done in my life and I was so proud of myself for completing it. That race set the stage for me to try longer distances and do more trail races.
Another race that I’ll always remember and is one of my most memorable races was Playin’ Possum 50K. I did it back in May 2016. That was my first ultra!!! It wasn’t a terribly technical race, but it was MUDDY! Mile and miles of mud. I was handling it ok, but by mile 21, my knee was really bothering me (from all the twisting and turning in mud). A fellow runner saw me hobbling and actually took off her knee brace and gave it to me to use. At one point, I was in so much pain, I called Greg crying telling him I wasn’t sure if I was going to finish. Just walking at that point was excruciating. The sweepers were walking with me and allowed me to continue as long as I was moving. I got to an aid station and took a handful of Tylenol and continued on. Finally, the Tylenol was taking effect and I was able to put more weight on it and try to run. I got to another aid station and took another handful of Tylenol and was feeling a lot better at that point. Soon, I was passing people and really felt like I was going to make it. Suddenly, the finish line was in sight and I just run and ran to the finish line. Once I crossed that finish line, I broke down in tears….I couldn’t believe it…I did it! I was officially an Ultra runner!! Just thinking about it get me choked up, it is one of my greatest accomplishments.
Do you have a favorite workout you do?
When it comes to running, I have a love/hate relationship with speedwork. One of my favorite speedwork workouts to do is a 1 minute run with a 1 minute recovery. As far as workouts that don’t include running, I’m terrible with cross training. I know it’s good for me and will make me a better runner, but I’m not consistent at all with cross training.
How important do find groups like the Running Soles group to be and why?
To be honest, I don’t do the group runs. I’d say its equal parts of me not liking to run with other people and the distance. We live a half hour from Running Soles and it’s just not convenient for us to make the group runs.
Do you have a favorite route you like to run?
I don’t really have favorite route, but I do really enjoy running in my neighborhood. I can get a 6.50 mile run in my neighborhood by just running one loop and it’s got some lots of rolling hills and lots of farm animals to wave to and snap pictures of! What I really enjoy is running in new places. Whenever Greg and I travel, we love to find new trails to explore.
What is your favorite distance to run and race?
 |
| Playin' Possum 50K |
My favorite distance to run and race is the Half Marathon. It’s just such a doable distance. I can just get up in the morning and decide to run a half, and when it comes to a race, it’s not a huge commitment of time. I can do a half marathon race, and still go about the rest of my day and not be completely destroyed mentally and physically.
What shoes do you run in and what do you like about them?
I just recently switched my shoes. For YEARS I was running in ASICS Kayano’s but after a shoe fitting with Will, I found out I do not over pronate and he put me in Hoka Bondi’s. I absolutely LOVE them. They make my feet and legs feel great and they make running longer distances much easier to do.
Do you have any long-range plans?
My only long range plan is to run my first 100K in August 2019. I don’t ever tend to look further out than the new distance ahead of me.
What do you like best about living and running in KY?
I should be the poster child for Kentucky. I love everything about Kentucky! Maybe because it’s so different from where I grew up. I grew up on Long Island, in the suburbs and in the shadow of New York City, where it’s flat as can be, everyone is in a rush, there are stores and houses within a stone’s throw in every direction, and if the traffic doesn’t kill you, the taxes will. Kentucky is laid back and wide open. I love the rolling hills and the cows and cornfields never get old to me. There are so many wonderful places to run and to see too. Running in Kentucky has made me a much better runner. All those hills have made me stronger and able to run longer distances.
Anywhere else you would like to visit to run?
Greg and I are going out West this summer. We’ll be going to Canada and Montana. We’ll be doing the Banff Half Marathon while we’re there and you can bet your bottom dollar we will be doing some running in Montana while we’re there too. I don’t have anywhere in particular I want to run, I just want to run in beautiful, new place. We have plans to go out West more in coming years and we just want to run in as many places as we can while we’re there.
Do you have any bucket list races?
I don’t really have a bucket list of races. I know I want to do some cool races out West, but I don’t have any in mind or any that I feel like I “must do”. I know the one race I love and will do again and again is Dances With Dirt. I just simply love that race (and I’m not the kind of person to do the same race more than once)! It’s in Brown County State Park in Indiana and it’s just such a beautiful and challenging race, and the after party is one of the best around too!!
What do you struggle with most with regards to running?
Consistency. If I’m not in training, I tend not to run as much as I should. I’m the type of person that needs a schedule that says run this distance on this day. It’s just so easy for life to get in the way and take over.
What do you see as a trend in running?
It depends on what type of running you’re talking about. I tend to find myself in the ultra/trail circle a lot, which isn’t a very big circle…or is it? I find more and more people are trying trails and ultras. I know for me, I like trails and ultras more than road running because it’s such a close knit community. When you’re doing a trail/ultra, you tend to see the same people from race to race and those same people are out there with you and they are the first people to jump in with help and support when things get tough. With road running, it’s every man for himself and they’re more likely to run over you than stop and see if you’re ok.
If you had one, well maybe two or three, things to say those that are running to encourage them what would it be?
- Never EVER say never. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way. I always swore up and down I’d never do a marathon….we all know how that worked out.
- Always believe in yourself. You are capable of things you never thought possible. Don’t limit yourself with low expectations!!
- Challenge yourself. Do that trail, do that race, do that new distance. Will it be hard? YES, but it will be worth it in the end when you COMPLETE IT!!
I really enjoy Trail and Ultra Running on Facebook. It’s a hodgepodge of crazy ultra runners who have a great sense of humor, but a lot of knowledge too. You can learn a lot about trail/ultra running, nutrition, and cool different race around the country and the world!
Any closing comments?
Thank you so much for choosing me to do this interview. It’s been a wonderful experience for me to take the time to reflect on where I’ve been and where I’m going!!
********You can see past interviews here********
No comments:
Post a Comment