Maniac questionnaire Name: Laura Cooper Maniac #1935 How many marathons / ultra marathons have you run? 5/0 What was the first race you ever ran? (Any distance): A 5K…high school cross country (years ago) What was the first marathon you ever ran? What year did you run it? Did you have fun that day? Louisville Marathon, 2008. No, it was not fun. It was horrible and I said I’d never do it again. That was 5 marathons ago. How long have you been a runner and why did you start running? I’ve been running for 20+ years. I started running because I didn’t like the structure of and wasn’t good at team sports. Why did you decide to become a Maniac? Or what inspired you? A mid-life crisis. It’s been fun to see how far I can push myself with mileage and races. Don’t listen to anyone who says you can’t do it. My other inspiration was frustration. My race times have been disappointing. I finally decided I can’t do the times, but I can do the distances. Crazy distances. In a crazy time span. Recovery isn’t “a day for each mile you run”. I never take more than 3 days off. It’s all in how you train your body. Of all the races out there in this world, which one would you most like to run? If I could only run one more marathon? It would either be Paris or the Alps marathon. If you could run a marathon / ultra accompanied by anyone either living or deceased, who would you choose and why? Wesley Korir. I would want to know about his childhood, how he got started running, how he became a Christian and how he stays so grounded and so focused on God. What was you most memorable marathon and why? NYC. I’ve always wanted to run it and I got to. From Frank Sinatra (recorded) singing “New York, New York” at the start, tromping over 40,000 wet and sticky cups at aid stations, to the neighborhoods, to all the cheering (soooo loud) and rounding the corner into Central Park and then getting the medal at the end. VERY, very memorable! If someone asked you to pick a race for him or her that they could run a PR at, which race would you suggest? Indianapolis Monumental Marathon What was the furthest you’ve ever traveled for a race? New Orleans, LA 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? Yes, I think I’ve heard it all…..”you’re not the athlete you think you are”, “you’re too old, you’re just going to hurt yourself”, “take a day off, you’re not training for the Olympics”, “you run that much and that’s what you look like?” If personal obligations or finances were not an issue, how many marathons would you run in one year? Probably one or two a month (so 12-24) From what race did you receive your favorite finishers medal? NYC 2009 Where do you keep your finisher medals? In a box. Do you wear your race t-shirts? What do you do with the ones you don’t wear? I wear them all, even the cheap-o cotton ones. I actually don’t run in any of them very often though (who’d want to ruin them with stink?) If you could put on a marathon anywhere in the world, where would you have it? Someplace that getting there is just as much fun (and maybe a little extreme) as running the race. Maniac Yellow, or Maniac Black? Yellow What is your favorite pre race meal? Post race meal? Pre: Subway--turkey on 9-grain honey oat with lettuce and honey mustard, chips and a diet Coke, I mean water. No pasta carb load for me. Post: The biggest, juicy burger I can order, with fries. Dessert: an entire pound of chocolate. Guilt-free. What is your energy gel of choice? Sport drink of choice? No gels. I don’t eat while I run. Sport drink is grape flavored G2. Which race would you never run again and why? I don’t have plans to do any race twice. Not that any of them were bad, but they’re done. What was the most challenging race or combination of races you’ve ever done and why? NYC and then Indianapolis Monumental 6 days later. NYC was a bit hilly and my quads were shot from the hills, had a little trouble with an Achilles that day also. I wasn’t sure I was going to recover enough to run another race that soon without an injury. By the end of the Indy marathon, my legs were on fire and I hobbled to my car not feeling so well. I can’t wait to do that again someday! What is a typical training week like for you? How many miles do you run? Any cross training? I run slow. That’s my week. Because of an injury in Feb, I was advised not to do speed work or run many hills. That only left slow miles. I avg. 80 mpw. I wish I did cross train, but I don’t. I just run. Do you have a training partner? If so, who is it? No, I run by myself. What kind of shoes do you train in? Do you race in a different shoe? Mizuno Nirvana for training and racing. What are your short-term running goals? No more injuries What are your long-term running goals? To run as many years as I can and to use running to raise money for missionary work Assuming you have time, what do you do for fun other than run marathons? Huh? Who is your favorite Super Hero? Superman, Wonder Woman, Main Maniac (with cat on head), non Maniac Beauty? Spiderman. |