Maniac questionnaire Name Tamara MacLaren Maniac #1080 How many marathons / ultra marathons have you run? 3 Marathons so far. What was the first race you ever ran? (Any distance) 5k Run for the Cure (Ottawa, ON) What was the first marathon you ever ran? Prince Edward County Marathon (PEC Marathon, Prince Edward County, ON How long have you been a runner and why did you start running? Ran as a teenager … 2mi x 2/week + 5mi x 1/week plus unknown time on my own. Loved it, but quit in my mid-teens. Attempted to take it up again 4-6 times/yr since 1994 @ 30, but kept getting injured so would be off for as much as I was on. Finally joined a running clinic in Aug. 2006 and have been running injury free since (slower, right shoes, stretching, steady progression, etc). Why? For fitness and because I remembered that I had loved it and wanted to get that back.
Why did you decide to become a Maniac? Or what inspired you? I just figured that now that I was training up, it seemed silly to waist all that work on only one run. Ramping up to a marathon distance is much harder than maintaining it. And I want to be able to run a marathon any time, so that implies keeping my mileage up, and if I’m doing long runs anyway, might as well get a medal, have some people to run with, and have some support. I joined the Maniacs because I was looking for people who run the kind of mileage I want to run and know it can be done and that you get stronger in the process … tired of hearing about the potential damage I might be doing and that I am crazy when I know it isn’t true … at least the damage part J. Of all the races out there in this world, which one would you most like to run? If you could run a marathon / ultra accompanied by anyone either living or deceased, who would you choose and why? It would be awesome to do one with my youngest daughter as I have been training her all along and she would be so excited! What was you most memorable marathon and why? Only 3 to choose from so far, but PEC would have to be it because it was my first and it was my birthday. If someone asked you to pick a race for him or her that they could run a PR at, which race would you suggest? PEC out of the ones I have run because it is a small race so you aren’t trying to get around people, relatively flat, fall so weather is cooperative, easy to run the tangents (was only out by 0.2km on my Garmin) and VERY well supported (water station every 2k, markers correctly placed, lots of potties). What was the furthest you’ve ever traveled for a race? Ottawa, ON to Las Vegas, Nevada. Do any of your non-running friends or family members thing that you’re crazy for running as much as you do? What are some of their comments to you? Absolutely. My mom is concerned that I will wear myself out … you only come with so many miles, so when you exceed them, you will break down like a car. And running friends think I will get injured for running so many marathons close together. If personal obligations or finances were not an issue, how many marathons would you run in one year? From what race did you receive your favorite finishers medal? Where do you keep your finisher medals? Do you wear your race t-shirts? What do you do with the ones you don’t wear? If you could put on a marathon anywhere in the world, where would you have it? Maniac Yellow, or Maniac Black? What is your favorite pre race meal? Post race meal? What is your energy gel of choice? Sport drink of choice? Which race would you never run again and why? What was the most challenging race or combination of races you’ve ever done and why?
At 10k, I knew I was not doing well at all and by the half mark, I was already doing a lot of walking. Even thought of quitting. But there was NO WAY I was going to come all that way and not finish. Did a PW of 5:58:51, a full hour longer than intended, but I finished. What is a typical training week like for you? How many miles do you run? Any cross training?
Planning to cut back to 3 “quality” runs and add a swim and a bike day after my next race. Do you have a training partner? If so, who is it? Mostly my husband, though I teach clinics (Running Room) so run with them 3 times/week, and also run with a marathon clinic 1-2 times/week. What kind of shoes do you train in? Do you race in a different shoe? What are your short-term running goals? What are your long-term running goals? Assuming you have time, what do you do for fun other than run marathons? Who is your favorite Super Hero? Superman, Wonder Woman, Main Maniac (with cat on head) |