Name
keeponrunning@gmail.com
Maniac #
131
State you live in
Alabama
Your age
34
How many marathons / ultra
marathons have you run?
5 / 1 (hey, I'm working on it
:-)
What was the first race you ever
ran? (Any distance)
wow.... probably a race for the cure about 6 years
ago. Not sure if you can call it ran
though. I remember it was about an
hour. I was pumped thinking WOW, I did
this in a 12 min per K pace. Yeah, I
actually though a 60 min 5K wasn't half bad.
What was the first marathon you
ever ran? What year did you run it? Did you have fun that day?
2004 Chicago marathon. I had more fun that day than I knew was
possible. I was hooked big time.
How long have you been a runner
and why did you start running?
2 years. I started running because I always was sorta
skinny and after getting married I let myself go. Once I hit a size 40 waist and 240 pounds I knew something had to
give. Actually it was the day someone I
work with asked me when I was due that I took a look in the mirror and knew I
was FAT.
Why did you decide to become a
Maniac? Or what inspired you?
While running one marathon is
hard, it really wasn't as challenging as I thought it would be. I read an article about the maniacs (on
marathonguide.com I believe) and thought now THERE'S a challenge. I shot for 4 in 4 months and found that was
much more fun than training for one like many people and just quitting until
the next years marathon rolled around.
What's the point in that :)
Of all the races out there in
this world, which one would you most like to run?
Western States. One year I will make it.....
If you could run a marathon /
ultra accompanied by anyone either living or deceased, who would you choose and
why?
My mom. She passed away 7 years ago and I'd love the
chance to talk with her again and show her I can do anything I put my mind to.
What was you most memorable
marathon and why?
2005 Disney World. I got to run it with my best buddie, Amy,
who really made it an awesome experience.
We did all of our training runs together and it was like a huge party
after all the training. Running one
solo is one thing, but having a good friend by your side just gives you that
shared experience that in uncomparable.
If someone asked you to pick a
race for him or her that they could run a PR at, which race would you suggest?
May sound strange but I would
say country music in Nashville. It's
kinda hilly, but I have both my full and half PR's there that I have been
completely unable to come close to anywhere else. I think it's because you run through some areas where there's not
a lot to look at so you just run faster thinking something cool's gotta come up
eventually. By the time you figure out
it's not you're done :)
What was the furthest you've
ever traveled for a race?
From Alabama to Los
Angeles. Had an amazing time in LA. got
to see Ali.
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?
Everyone of them does (OK,
except for maybe 2 and I wonder about them so we're even :-)
hmmm.... there's the ever famous
'I don't even like to....... that far'.
Come on, we can all fill in that blank.
'Are your knee's gonna hold up
doing this'
'I bet you get to eat everything
you want running that much'
'Put down the crack pipe dude'
'I don't know what you're
smokin, but pass some this way'
and these are some of the clean
ones :-)
If personal obligations or
finances were not an issue, how many marathons would you run in one year?
20-30. Every other weekend would be good.
From what race did you receive
your favorite finishers medal?
Disneyworld. can anything compare to the huge Mickey
ears?
Where do you keep your finisher
medals?
On a set of pegs that's made for
hanging candles (I believe) right next to the front door. It's a good conversation starter when people
come by.
Do you wear your race t-shirts? What do you do with the ones you
don't wear?
All the time. I keep them all, but the ones I don't wear
are in a drawer.
If you could put on a marathon
anywhere in the world, where would you have it?
My hometown of Monroe,
Louisiana. It's a neat town that could
host one heckuva marathon. I can think
of several routes that would make for an awesome run.
Maniac Yellow, or Maniac Black?
Yellow. The black ones are really yellow, they just
haven't dyed em yet.
What is your favorite pre race
meal? Post race meal?
Pre - Pasta with plain sauce
(keep it simple). Post - Hamburgers and
Rocky Road candy bars. Oh and beer.....
mustn't forget the beer.
What is your energy gel of
choice? Sport drink of choice?
e-gel. I sweat like crazy and this keeps the electrolytes in me.
and is beer a sports drink
:-) If not, blue powerade. I'm sure it has a flavor, but I just grab
the blue kind.
Which race would you never run
again and why?
St. Judes, Memphis. The people in town didn't even know there
was a marathon, running on one lane of a 5 lane road. Felt like I was sucking a tailpipe the whole way, people rolling
down their windows cussing and yelling at you.
Might as well of not given out medals (they were smaller than the screen
on my ipod). I could go on but the only
good thing was the finish area.
What was the most challenging
race or combination of races you've ever done and why?
Mercedes marathon. You start on one side of a big ole mountain,
climb it, run 16 miles, and climb it again at about 21. Believe me, anyone that's done it will
attest that I'm not making a mountain out of a mole hill. But when you get over that you feel invincible (or maybe you're
just lightheaded. Either way...) great race, but it was challenging. The fun part is this is my home town race so
I got to run all my usual routes, just all strung together into one continuous
run.
What is a typical training week
like for you? How many miles do you run? Any cross training?
50-60 MPW right now. 4 days a week I shoot for 6 - 9 miles and
then the long run. I am trying to keep
it at a steady total so if the LR is high I adjust the daily's.
Is doing 12 oz. curls considered
cross training? If not..... nope, nada.
Do you have a training partner?
If so, who is it?
The best in the world. Her name is Amy Eastman. She saw me through my very first 20 miler
(kicking my rear when it needed it), my first marathon, and was there giving me
encouragement through my quest to become a maniac. She's also there now rooting me along working towards the Tahoe
Triple.
What kind of shoes do you train
in? Do you race in a different shoe?
Saucony Hurricane's. Train in
em, race in em, sleep in em.... just
kidding on the training in em part.
I am using Bite sandals for some
of my shorter runs and love them. Kinda
gives the toes some wiggle room.
What are your short-term running
goals?
Tahoe triple, Sunmart 50 miler
(my first 50 mile run) and the Disney 1.5 (hey, it's not a double) all
completed uninjured and feeling good.
The 50 miler I'll just be happy with the uninjured part :)
What are your long-term running
goals?
Keep running uninjured, happy,
and wanting to do more. I REALLY want a
100 miler sometime soon. Western States
sounds amazing. Shooting for 2007
maybe.
Assuming you have time, what do
you do for fun other than run marathons?
Play XBOX, PS2, PSP, watch
TV. General couch potato stuff. That way if I ever stop running I'm not too
out practice doing it :) I also love to
travel so destination marathons are a huge bonus for me.
What is your favorite Metallica
song?
The Shortest Straw. Perfect running beat, and some serious head banging music.