Maniac questionnaire Name: Michelle Ladcani Maniac#: 2109 How many marathons/ultra marathons have you run? 11 What was the first race you ever ran? (Any distance.) Almaden Times Classic 10k What was the first marathon you ever ran? What year did you run it? Did you have fun that day? Sacramento Marathon. 2002. Yes and no (see most memorable marathon answer). How long have you been a runner and why did you start running? 7 years – started running to lose weight, won my first fun run and was hooked! Why did you decide to become a Maniac? Or what inspired you? First a 10k, then a ½ marathon, then a marathon, then Boston, then become a Maniac – those were my goals….next goal: Silver Level :) Of all the races out there in this world, which one would you most like to run? World’s Best 10k, San Juan, Puerto Rico If you could run a marathon/ultra accompanied by anyone either living or deceased, who would you choose and why? Jesus – I think the conversation would be good and we wouldn’t lack for water :) What was you most memorable marathon and why? At my first marathon (Sacramento) I had qualified for Boston with 15 seconds to spare BUT thought I had missed Boston by 45 seconds. So I went from depression to elation pretty quick. Then when the “official” results came out, my time was off by about 3 minutes! Turns out the paper tape that was recording the finishing times broke before I had crossed so they had guessed at my time. Luckily, my husband was at the finish line video taping my crossing AND the official clock time which we sent to the race company so that they could correct my time and I could go to Boston. If someone asked you to pick a race for him or her that they could run a PR at, which race would you suggest? Most people in California think CIM (California International Marathon) is the best marathon in California to PR at; I think the San Diego Marathon is the best to PR at: beautiful weather, flat, scenic course and only 1 minor hill right before you finish. What was the furthest you’ve ever traveled for a race? 3100 miles to Boston. Would go any distance to run Boston :) 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? They don’t think I’m crazy – they just give me perplexed looks. With two kids under 4, 3 step-daughters, a 16 and ½ year‑old dog, a full-time job and volunteer work at my church and 3 schools, they normally say, “I don’t know how you do it!” If personal obligations or finances were not an issue, how many marathons would you run in one year? 12 From what race did you receive your favorite finishers medal? The San Francisco ½ Marathon – I ran that one not knowing I had pneumonia so the “finishing” medal is special for more than 1 reason. Where do you keep your finisher medals? Hanging on hooks on the wall above my treadmill. Do you wear your race t-shirts? What do you do with the ones you don’t wear? I do wear my t-shirts. For every race that I placed in, I plan to have one of those “dorky” quilts made for me. If you could put on a marathon anywhere in the world, where would you have it? Somewhere in South America; I’m always looking for marathons there and don’t see that many. Maniac Yellow, or Maniac Black? Definitely black. What is your favorite pre-race meal? Post-race meal? Pre-race is just an energy bar and water. I signed up for the 2009 Silicon Valley Marathon the minute I received an e-mail stating there would be fish tacos at the finish line – that was the BEST post-race meal I have ever had; I even took a photo of the huge plate of food before I ate it. What is your energy gel of choice? Sport drink of choice? PowerBar Gel (Caramel) and Gatorade Tiger (Red). Which race would you never run again and why? NIKE Women’s Marathon in San Francisco: overpriced, HORRIBLE website, terrible expo and boring, uninspiring last six miles. What was the most challenging race or combination of races you’ve ever done and why? Third place would be running my first marathon (Silicon Valley) after a difficult pregnancy and a 50-pound weight gain; second place would be finishing CIM after having my shoe pulled off by another runner at Mile 6 and being pushed to the ground at Mile 20; and first place would be training 3 months for Boston 2009, spraining my ankle 4 days before the marathon yet running every 26.2 painful mile that day (and then being unable to run 12 weeks afterwards). What is a typical training week like for you? How many miles do you run? Any cross training? A typical week is trying to squeeze ANY running time into my insanely busy work and family schedule. If I’m lucky, I run 4 miles before work or during lunch 3 or 4 times a week and a long run on the weekend (if I’m lucky). I try to get to the gym to cross-train once a week. Do you have a training partner? If so, who is it? A group of my co-workers caught the running bug and our “VO2 Max” Running Club trains during lunch and tries to coerce the others into running whatever races we may be running. What kind of shoes do you train in? Do you race in a different shoe? I train in different NIKE Bowerman-series shoes and only race in my NIKE Air Zoom Elites. What are your short-term running goals? Run as many races as possible without missing time with my kids. What are your long-term running goals? Run an ultra marathon and the NY Marathon. Assuming you have time, what do you do for fun other than run marathons? Spend time with my kids and try and sleep. Who is your favorite Super Hero? Superman, Wonder Woman, Main Maniac (with cat on head), non-Maniac Beauty? Wonder Twin Powers Activate – Form of Paula Radcliffe! |