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| 2017 River Run |
group I was looking to run in. Got to meet Paul at the race and ran and talked to him a little as my pace ended hp being slightly faster so did not get to talk more till after the race - Paul finished up right on pace for his group. Thus, it was good to get to know Paul better through this interview and hope you enjoy getting to know him better as well.
Tell us a little about yourself not necessarily related to running: age, where born, education, area you live in, etc…..
I am 47 years old, 48 next month. I live in Henderson, Kentucky. I have been married to my beautiful wife Kim for 25years and have three children ages 24, 20 and 15. I was born and raised in Aurora, Colorado but have lived in Kentucky for nearly 30 years. I am active in our church and I am a volunteer Chaplain at the Henderson County Detention Center.
What is your profession?
I have worked at GAF in Mt. Vernon, Indiana for 16 years. We make residential roofing. I work swing shift and a lot of overtime. I haven’t figured out if that makes me a tougher runner or hurts my running.
How did you start running and what prompted you to do so?
My wife started running to lose weight after the birth of our third child. Eventually I started joining her on trips to the YMCA and soon started hitting the roads with her as well.
How long have you been running?
I believe I started regularly running in 2007, so about 12 years.
Did you participate in any other sports over the years?
I played all the ball sports growing up. I was always a good athlete but some poor decisions in my teen age years kept me from participating in sports the last couple years of my high school career.
Did you run in grade school, High School or College?
I didn’t run as far as cross country or track. Like most athletes I just ran for punishment or forced conditioning.
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.
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| 2018 LBL |
- 5K- 19:16 (2018)
- 10k- 41:?? (2016) I need to find a race and improve on that one
- ½ - 1:26:50 (2018)
- 26.2- 3:03:24 (2018)
- 50 Mile – 7:22:00 (2018) my first and only ultra
The obvious answer would be the 50 miler at Land Between the Lakes (LBL) trail run in 2018. Everything went so well. I finished 3rd overall, I felt strong all day and even felt like I left a little out there.
However, in 2017 I ran a PW (Personal Worst) at the Boston marathon and followed that up with a PW in the half on a perfect racing weather day. Approximately four weeks later, early June, I found myself hospitalized as a stroke patient. Luckily the damage was minor and with proper medication I can likely avoid further episodes. With all this going on and the recent bad races I doubted if I could ever run again, let alone fast. I slowly started building mileage again, dropped some weight and managed my blood condition with medication. I prayed that I would be content with whatever God had planned for me. In November I ran a 6 minute PR (3:06) at the Indy Monumental Marathon. That race meant a lot to me, and propelled me to a strong 2018.
Do you have a favorite workout you do?
I don’t follow training plans so probably just that impromptu tempo run on a morning when I just happen to be feeling good and let it rip.
What does a regular week of training look like?
When I’m training for a goal race I usually stay in the 60 to 75 mile per week range. I like to do 20 milers for 8 to 10 consecutive weeks before a two-week taper. I try to get one speed session, (tempo or maybe 10X800), and one marathon pace workout in each week. If I’m spending a lot of time on the trails, I will opt out of one of the speed sessions since the trails I run are fairly intense.
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| 2017 Boston Marathon |
How about a favorite route you like to run?
What is your favorite distance to run and race?
I considered myself a marathoner, but I really enjoyed the 50 miler at LBL and over the last couple years find myself wanting run trails more and more. I think I’d like to test my limits at some longer distances.
When we talked at the KDF Marathon you said you are part of a Run for God group – can you share some about that?
Run for God is a Bible study and running program combined. The running basically follows a couch to 5k plan. We meet once a week for Bible study and three times a week for the group runs. The Apostle Paul uses athletics and running in several of his letters in the new testament. There are great similarities in training to race and our Christian walk. My wife and I lead this class together at our church and I estimate we have had 200 people complete the class and their first 5k. We have also had three groups complete a ½ marathon. Some of our students still run, some have even gone on to run marathons. Anyone interested in participating or leading a group can find more information at runforgod.com.
How does your faith work out in your running?
Jesus is my Lord. Meaning he is master, ruler, Lord over everything in my life. My finances, my relationships, my decision making, my job and even my running. I want Him to be glorified and honored by everything I do, including my running. If I can help Christians become stronger physically and spiritually through running and a Bible study then I think that is glorifying God. I’ve had the opportunity to share the Gospel with people I wouldn’t know if it wasn’t for running. I am amazed by God’s creation, and how magnificently we are designed. The human body is so complex and so efficient and so purposeful. I see overwhelming evidence of God in that. I love the time alone on the trails or the roads in deep thought and prayer with God. I’m not sure from year to year how I will serve God through running, but I plan to keep the focus on Him and see where He leads me.
What shoes do you run in and what do you like about them?
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| Run at the Mill 10k |
How about diet, do you eat any certain way and do things change on race week and race day?
Nothing in particular, I just try to eat a balanced, somewhat healthy diet. Lean meat, plenty of vegetables, no fast food or soft drinks, stuff like that. I struggle with portion control and have a bit of a sweet tooth from time to time.
Do you have any long-range plans?
I would like to run the Indiana Trail 100 in October. I haven’t signed up yet but I am leaning that way. I also would like to run Boston again and hopefully have a better day. That course is a grind but it would be a great course to run if you were having a good day. The huge crowds and all the downhill after heartbreak could make for a fun finish.
What do you like best about living and running in KY?
There is wide variety of terrain to run, and I’ve seen some progress made in my area the last several years in providing more walking and running trails. The weather is generally good enough to run outside all year and there is seems to be a growth in the running community.
Anywhere else you would like to visit to run?
I loved running in Istanbul when I was there a few weeks ago. Any place I can explore while running is exciting for me. I would like to run some of the Western States 100 course and definitely the rim to rim in the Grand Canyon.
Do you have any bucket list races?
Western States would be amazing, maybe Leadville 100 if I find out I’m built for that distance. I grew up camping in Leadville area at Turquoise Lake so I probably have been on some of those trails at some point in my life.
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| Run for God 5K Class |
Probably my weight honestly. I’m not over weight by any means and consider myself fit. But I do know I run much better when my weight is in check and I’m on top of my diet. 10 pounds makes a huge difference when you’re pushing the pace in long races.
What do you see as a trend in running?
Ultras seem to be growing in popularity, particularly the 100 mile distance.
If you had one, well maybe two or three, things to say those that are running to encourage them what would it be?
Consistency is king! If you want to get faster and improve your endurance you need to put in the work. Just try to get out there each day, make it a habit. Run the easy days easy so you can run the hard days hard. I’ve seen people who struggled running a solid minute when they first started eventually becoming marathoners, just keep putting in the work!
Do you have a website or other social media site you would like to share?
I am somewhat active on facebook and I also use Strava, the runners facebook.
Any closing comments?
Running has been a huge part of my life. I am so thankful for a healthy body to be able to do it with. It has taught me how to work towards a goal and to keep pushing when the going is tough. I think when I started being willing to suffer during a race is when my race times started improving. Don’t put a limit on yourself, don’t focus on the perfect result, focus on putting in the perfect effort.
********You can see past interviews here********
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