My Wife the Runner

I’m back to running after about a 2 ½ month hiatus. During my down time I kept into shape by riding my mountain bike on 20 mile brisk rides. Then a couple of weeks ago I started to ease back into running. I now run 10k (6.2 miles) about every other day and at a very slow pace so not to apply too much stress on my foot with Plantar Fasciitis. My foot is responding very well to my adjusted training program so I’ve started to enter 5k and 10k races. It feels wonderful to be back running, but the better story is about my wife Renee.

A couple of years ago Renee would have never considered herself as a runner. Her knees give her problems and her asthma robs her breath when doing strenuous exercise. So for aerobic exercise she started out fast walking a couple of miles. The couple of miles grew to 4 to 5 miles. But as she got into better and better physical condition she needed more to get her heart rate up for a good aerobic workout, so she started running for short spurts during her fast walks. Then the short spurts became long spurts, and the long spurts blended into an entire run. Then length of her runs stretched from 4 miles to 10k.

Yesterday on the 4th of July Renee and I ran the Excelsior Firecracker 10k. This is Renee’s first 10k race. Last year at the same event I ran the 10k and Renee ran the 2 mile, which was a big deal for her at the time. This year we ran the 10k together. Rather than running at my own pace I ran alongside Renee. There was no way I was going to miss her first 10k and not be by her side all the way to the finish line. She had a tough start; her asthma was particularly strong at the begging, but she finished with probably her best time/pace for that distance.

Renee’s running is a good example of what can be accomplished if one takes their time and slowly but steadily works their way to improvement. To become a runner you don’t have to start out running many miles and beating yourself up in the process. In fact, you don’t even have to start out running; you just have to get your feet moving and challenge yourself a little bit each day.