Lives: I live in Southern Indiana overlooking the City of Louisville, Kentucky skyline
Works: Paralegal for a local law firm and as well an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and Health Coach.
Interests: My husband and I are blessed to still be involved in the lives of our four children, the youngest of which is a Senior in college and we’re huge fans of our two Grandsons who rock our world!! I also spend as much time as possible with my Mom and my handicapped brother (who lives with her). It’s a challenge sometimes to fit it all in and still train, but I wouldn’t trade time with my family for anything, so I make it work
How long have you been running?
I ran occasionally as one of a variety of cardio workouts to get back in shape following each of my pregnancies but I didn’t run my first 5K and take up running as a primary sport until 2007 at the age of 49.
When and what was your first race?
The Healthcare Classic, a small fundraiser organized by the U of L Medical Students. I placed 2nd in my age group and still have the plastic U of L Tumbler bling to prove it 🙂
What is your favorite race?
That’s a tough one! I’ve run so many races with the friends I’ve made through destination racing, each race special and each relationship priceless; this adds so much to the whole racing experience.
The Chicago Rock n Roll half in 2010 brings special memories as I ran it with two nieces and my daughter (their first at that distance and I medaled them) and the MCM I ran this past October, my first full, you don’t have enough space for me to explain what that accomplishment meant to me… long coming and incredibly fulfilling!
What are your goals? Goal races? Any bucket list running goals?
My main goal is to remain healthy; to have more quality years with my family.
My current “big picture” race is New York . I finally made it in and Lord willin’ and the river don’t rise, I’ll check it off the top of my bucket list in November.
I’d love to run a Disney race, St. Jude some day and I can just taste NAPA Valley; it has long been calling my name!!
(oh yeah.. and an “official” sub 2 half, the one I fought for landed me at just past 2:01 clock time as the only race wherein my chip failed LOL, gotta love racing).
What were your biggest struggles before joining RunnersConnect?
I’d say the lack of structure & guidance .. I’d follow a schedule but just any ol’ schedule would do because I didn’t know the difference. If it fit the number of days I had available for training I’d choose it; sometimes paces were recommended to accomplish a desired race finish time and sometimes not.
What did your training look like prior to working with us?
I’d either pull up a plan from Runners World Smart Coach, an Online Plan of a renown coach or from a book. At times I’d merge plans. As I said, no real structure.
What prompted you to start looking for a better solution?
A close friend of mine, Nancy Howard, told me about Runners Connect and I was intrigued. I looked over the site, read some of Jeff’s articles and I was impressed.
As a long time fitness buff and trainer, I’m constantly reading up on exercise science. I have a need to know and understand how it all works and then how to apply it to ME as a runner, for optimal performance, injury prevention, etc. Until 2011 I was injury free but have been plagued with injuries since spring of that year. I exchanged some emails with Jeff as I considered the trial membership and decided it was well worth a try. I have not been disappointed!
How has your training changed since you started working with RunnersConnect?
I now have a “purpose” every time I go out the door. I remain intrigued by the philosophy that drives the training plans at Runners Connect. I read the book download that came with the trial membership and it all made so much sense.. better yet, it works for me!
I love how every workout has a specific purpose and even more, I love seeing the adaptations in my own body as each system is improved with separate workouts but all work together in sync come race morning. (All Systems GO) LOL
What has been the biggest surprise or most interesting revelation about either the training or your own abilities that you’ve had in the last few months?
“Interesting revelation” best describes how I feel about the RC philosophy and what I’ve learned from my involvement with RC. It’s one thing to “know” the science but knowing how it applies to running more efficiently is something else.
I’ve learned from my training that I am a true long distance/endurance runner. It’s very evident I’m predisposed genetically for this. When I trained for my first Marathon, I ran three 21 milers and loved every minute of each run, however, I wound up injured one week before the event and had to bow out.
Running moderate runs on Friday before my (up to) 16 milers on Saturday so that my body learned what it feels like to run on tired legs without overtraining in one run, did wonders for me at MCM last October. I didn’t even see the wall till just past 24 and I knew by then, I was close enough to simply push it off the course 🙂
Did you have any doubts or fears before joining RunnersConnect?
I can’t say I had doubts or fears about joining, I appreciated the opportunity for a trial and Jeff even tried to refund a month’s fee to me when a computer “glitch” caused some problems with my program. I declined as I feel the community interaction alone is well worth my investment!
Which brings me to your question about the community. I was a little intimidated at first when I realized that many in the community are at a much more “elite”ish level than I (LOL) We have some amazing athletes as part of our team and that’s just all out cool!
I quickly learned however how supportive every member of the team is of one another, regardless of pace or ability. I’ve long said, “runners get runners” and you know when you’ve found an authentic runner who’s in it for all the right reasons when you see the kind of support we all find within the RC community. I credit much of this to the Leadership… “a team will never rise above it’s Leadership”.
What is your favorite part of RunnersConnect now?
Interaction with the community, the coaches, the multitude of good information available through the site whether on the feed, through an article, podcast, webinar… and of course, my ability to get a customized training plan (from where-ever I am in my journey, post injury, etc.) and ongoing tips on how to best put it into action.
What recent results have you been able to attain since joining (PRs, staying healthy, new outlook, etc.)?
I’m learning more every day on how to stay healthy. I haven’t arrived yet but I’m making progress in finding solutions to the issues that have been plaguing me for far too long. Another huge thing for me in terms of getting past fears, is my ability to understand that the purpose of every run will be accomplished if I follow the plan as closely as I can and give it all I have to give that day. It doesn’t have to be spot on every time, if the plan’s designed correctly (and mine have been), I’ll come close and if my pace is slightly off, it won’t thwart the overall purpose of the run. This takes the pressure off and I find that when I approach it this way.. sometimes not quite “feeling it” at start, I rarely miss hitting those paces and if I do, I still consider it a successful run! This sure helps the mental side of training 🙂
I’m so grateful for the ability to run and I’m reminded each time I’m out there what a blessing it is to my life. It brings me clarify of thought, health of body and an inner joy that makes life in general better and more fulfilling.
I was reminiscing on a recent run, recalling the tough ones as well as the great ones when it occurred to me that the struggles we share with one another are not excuses, as some would think, we all have them, the reasons we didn’t finish in the time we had hoped for, the heat and humidity, the nagging niggle that’s been plaguing, the congestion of the field, etc. etc… we simply have a need to explain and we know that runners “get” runners and they’ll empathize and understand. I was thinking of my own tendency to explain why that one race might have been different if only… when in reality, those challenging races are the norm, it’s the good runs, the great runs, the “I can’t believe how good that felt” runs that are the exception to the rule and we all strive for them. And within the Runners Connect Community, we all celebrate them!
I appreciate the support of the RC Community, the passion of the coaches for the sport and their dedication to the success of each team member, whatever their goal. I’m very grateful I found the site!
