click ’em to big ’em.
Emily is a friend of mine, and though I don’t get to see her often (she lives out East), we communicate pretty regularly and I’m happy for that. This Spring-Summer, she and I had a challenge – the Consistent Planking Challenge! We both wanted to work on our fitness a bit, so agreed on a set of exercises that we needed to do daily, and then log the efforts into an online spreadsheet. Whoever was most consistent from early January till the end of June would win the challenge. Well, I have to report that Emily won the challenge – beating me by about a week’s worth of planks! Anywho, Emily was in town recently and I was delighted to discover that she was interested in being one of my RUNNERS. We met at Lake Park, jogged for 3 miles and then made her portrait!
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+How old are you? How long have you been running?
I’m 32. Off and on since sophomore year of high school.
+Why do you run?
I love that moment during the run (or any process, really) when every step goes from feeling like a struggle to being light and fun. It’s also the most convenient way to get in an intense workout and spend time outdoors. I run because running is hard and I refuse to let that stop me.
+What is the hardest part of running for you?
Chronic shinsplints and a tendency to get side aches. The former keep me sidelined just when I start to rely on that regular endorphin release, and the latter just sucks.
+Do you do other sports/athletics?
I took ballet lessons for three years as a kid, and I still have a latent soft spot in my heart for that. During and after college I’ve dabbled in yoga, Pilates, stuff like that. I suppose walking 5-10 miles in a weekend around my adopted home of Boston looking for morose historical markers can be a workout. I’ve been doing a daily series of planks since January (!) and I love it.
+What got you started running?
I decided to join the high school soccer team. This was when the US women’s soccer team was really popular and Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy were everywhere. It was kind of a disaster (broken bones, tendinitis, realizing I’m really bad at soccer) but that’s where I caught the bug.
+What/who inspires you to run?
Most of my friends are runners, whether they’re occasional 5K racers like me, or they’re Bay 2 Big Sur marathon finishers. It’s not something we talk about a lot, but I like hearing about their successes and sharing mine. Also, I currently live near four huge parks with running trails in Boston, so having that access to trees and people and fresh air is tremendously motivating.
+Do you find that time of day makes a difference in how well you run? If so, what kind of difference? What time of day do you run? What time would you prefer?
I am crepuscular, so it’s either early morning (weekends) or evenings after work. Nothing like a run to get the kinks out after sitting at a desk all day.
+Do you run competitively, and why?
I’ve done several fun run 5Ks since 2005. I like that they’re accessible to walkers, sprinters, everybody; and (this is my joke, but I mean it) getting the t-shirts.
+What was your favorite run you’ve ever done – personal run or competitive race?
My favorite run is always the most recent one where I beat my average pace (which is really slow, so I’ve got a LOT of favorite runs to come). In 2010, I was a volunteer coach for She Runs, which trained 6-9 year old girls to run a 5K. Running that with a tiny girl named Julia and seeing her and the rest of the class feel so accomplished was pretty rad.