Are you a runner...only if being chased by a bear!
Prior to 4 years ago, Tracy was a never runner. She made fun of runners and would have put herself in the “only if being chased by a bear” category. She had been a mediocre athlete in her younger days and had developed a more sedentary lifestyle in her late 30’s and early 40’s.
She started running 4 years ago in October at the age of 45. She wanted to lose some weight and her best friend and she decided to start running 3 miles 3 times a week. They did that for about 4 weeks and then one morning her best friend looked at Tracy and said, “You know, running a marathon has always been on my bucket list”. Her friend just kept saying “just don’t say no, just don’t say no”. They continued doing their 3 times a week runs and then in a weak moment on New Year’s Eve, Tracy asked her friend how in the world were they going to go from running 3 miles 3 times a week to running a marathon? The very next week they had a training plan, a coach, and third friend who wanted in on the fun. In May 2012 Tracy completed the Eugene Marathon, her first race ever… and had become a runner!
Now, running is a part of her identity. She trains 6-7 days a week and loves racing! She race at the half marathon and marathon distance, and her favorite part is always having something to learn about. As a 49-year-old distance runner, she has to really bring a lot of things together. Training, nutrition, hydration, sleep, balance, stride efficiency, strength training, balance, mobility, recovery. Her guru is Matt Fitzgerald – and she has added Nate Helming and Kelly Starrett to that list. Tracy has added yoga, and regular preventative PT, massage, and chiropractic treatments to her routine.
Tracy runs in the wonderful city of Eugene, Oregon. Track Town USA, home of Nike and Steve Prefontaine, and everything running. There are miles and miles of multi-use paths and trails and a beautiful river that runs through the city. The river path is where her soul feels most at home, a true runners paradise.
Let’s take a look at how Tracy answered our run questions:
Q: What is your favorite post-run treat?
A: Picky Bars or chocolate milk. Sometimes in the last 2 miles of a long run, it’s the snack that pulls me through. We celebrate really long runs and races with Bloody Mary’s.
Q: What is the most motivational song on your playlist?
A: “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten. I have an awesome playlist. I always run with music and it makes a big difference for me. I get caught singing out loud on the bike path an awful lot.
Q: What was the last run you did?
A: My last run was a hill repeat series this morning. 10 x :90 up my favorite hill with warm up and cool down. 5.1 miles total. God, it feels good when I’m done!
Q: What is the BEST run experience you can remember?
A: Some really great races, but my single best run experience was early one Saturday morning on an 18-mile long run all by myself along the river. It was gorgeous – sunrise, mist on the river, birds, cool crisp air of early fall – and I was in flow! Everything came together and I had a fantastic run and it felt almost effortless. If I ever had a runner’s high, it was that day. Best race experience was the Tinkerbell Half Marathon in Disneyland. Awesome run 1:42:13 PR and finished 3rd of 1150 in my age group. Disney runs some really fun races.
Q: When was the last time you lost a toenail?
A: Training for my very first marathon. It got black and fell off. Since then I have learned that I needed shoes a full size larger and now my toenails are happy.
Cheers to many more miles Tracy!
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