Maniac questionnaire

February 21, 2007

Name Jones “Rusty” Ramsey

Maniac # 478

State you live in Texas

How many marathons / ultra marathons have you run? 21 Marathons

What was the first race you ever ran? (Any distance) Does my first USMC Boot Camp Physical fitness test in September, 1981 count? If not-the Houston Symphony 10K in 1985.

What was the first marathon you ever ran? What year did you run it? Did you have fun that day? 1^st was the 1994 Houston Tenneco Marathon. I did not train for it and signed up the day before at the marathon expo. IT WAS HORRIBLE!!! I think my longest run to date was maybe 10-12 miles. What was I thinking?

How long have you been a runner and why did you start running? I have been a runner since USMC Boot Camp in 1981. I started because I didn’t have a choice.

Why did you decide to become a Maniac? Or what inspired you? Aunt Fun AKA member 466 turned me on to the maniacs at the Carlsbad, Ca marathon last month. She was asking me like math questions during the race which really made it tough because I was a History major in college. She totally kicked my butt and was running back to back marathons. She introduced me to a couple of maniacs during the run.

Of all the races out there in this world, which one would you most like to run? WOW!!! Tough one but I would love to be able to run the Pikes Peak Marathon; especially being from Houston. One day.

If you could run a marathon / ultra accompanied by anyone either living or deceased, who would you choose and why? It would be with my sister who died last February after losing her legs and an arm to Lupus. She used to be a runner.

What was you most memorable marathon and why? The 1998 Houston Marathon was probably the most memorable. I joined The Kenyan Way marathon training organization and almost qualified for Boston. I am so not a natural runner and ran a 3:17. So what, I missed Boston by 2 minutes but I could not have gained those 2 minutes as I ran my fastest marathon to date and like I said before I am not a natural runner. I have to work at it and have a funny-non runner’s stride (that’s what my wife says). The Houston marathon is the largest spectator event in the city and really is a great marathon. The weather can be an issue but you can guarantee thousands of spectators along the course, great media coverage, and a HUGE crowd at the finish.

If someone asked you to pick a race for him or her that they could run a PR at, which race would you suggest? I would NOT suggest the Surfside Beach marathon. Seriously, I would suggest Houston with the flat course, great logistics, and huge fan support.

What was the furthest you’ve ever traveled for a race? The Munich, Germany ½ Marathon I guess would be the farthest. That was SO much fun.

Do any of your non-running friends or family member’s thing that you’re crazy for running as much as you do? What are some of their comments to you? My wife thinks I am becoming excessive compulsive. I hear-just wait until you blow your knees out. My secret is most of my daily running is on trails and I cross train with leg training and cycling.

If personal obligations or finances were not an issue, how many marathons would you run in one year? That is my biggest limiting factor. I would and could easily run 2 a month.

From what race did you receive your favorite finisher’s medal? I think the LA Marathon. Hated the run but loved the medal.

Where do you keep your finisher medals? My wife made a really cool shadow box where we have them all lined. It looks really nice and a great way to display all the medals.

Do you wear your race t-shirts? What do you do with the ones you don’t wear? Yeah! Who doesn’t.? As a guy it’s the only way I get new clothes.

If you could put on a marathon anywhere in the world, where would you have it? Fredericksburg, TX. Fredericksburg is a beautiful hill-country town with all these wonderful chef-owned restaurants with a population of less that 9 thousand. I would move there in a heart-beat.

Maniac Yellow, or Maniac Black? I like black but not practical in the Houston heat.

What is your favorite pre race meal? Post race meal? Pre-race=Berryhills Baja Soft Tacos amd Post race=Doneraki’s Tex-Mex.

What is your energy gel of choice? Sport drink of choice? Energy Gel=GU. Sport drink= Frozen Margarita at Berryhills.

Which race would you never run again and why? Surfside Beach Marathon. To me running a marathon on a Texas beach in February is something you only need to do once. The novelty of running the only beach marathon in the country wears off fast in the cold and wind. But you know? The marathon sells out every year so there you go.

What was the most challenging race or combination of races you’ve ever done and why? Challenging??? Trying to run 3 marathons in 2 months to join Marathon Maniacs was tough as I didn’t think I would have the time. Physically it was not as hard as I thought and now I know I can marathons a week apart-if I only had the time and resources.

What is a typical training week like for you? How many miles do you run? Any cross training? I am a slacker! Kidding. I was running around 40-50 miles a week until January and now have a good base where I can run a marathon-take 3-5 days off from running and run a couple of times before the next run if spaced 2-3 weeks apart. I constantly cross train by lifting weights to include squats and leg presses and cycling. I don’t care what people may say-squats with heavy weights do not destroy knees. Bad form does.

Do you have a training partner? If so, who is it? Training partners is North Houston Champions Fit marathon training organizations. I used to be in the “fast” green group but those guys are no fun so I switched to the yellow group and I am having a blast.

What kind of shoes do you train in? Do you race in a different shoe? I have been running ASICS since they were called “Tigers.” I race in the same shoes I train in. I really need more shoes.

What are your short-term running goals? Run 10 marathons this year.

What are your long-term running goals? Run a 50 mile Ultra and a Triathlon. Did I mention I also swim as part of my cross training? I really need to put all three together.

Assuming you have time, what do you do for fun other than run marathons? I play drums in a couple of gigging bands, my wife and I are very active at church, and I weight train, cycle, swim, and clean house. Not to mention yard work, and clean the pool. Yeah. I will never buy another house with a pool.

Who is your favorite Super Hero? Superman, Wonder Woman, Main Maniac (with cat on head) Does anyone remember Ultra-Man? I like Iron man (the song too).