Susie Von Rosenvinge, Age 42
HOW MANY YEARS HAVE YOU BEEN RUNNING?
I started running after I had my second child to help get the pregnancy weight off. I gradually became more serious about it and was hooked when I began training for Boston in 2000. I've never looked back.
OVERVIEW OF RACES.
I started with the Tufts 10K in 1997, it grew from there with a handful of 10K's and lots half marathons, eventually leading to the Boston Marathon in 2000 (time of 4:20) and 2001 (4:00:20), Pittsburgh Marathon in 2002 (3:57) and the Marine Corps Marathon in 2005 (3:51:37).
PERSONAL BEST RACE.
My personal best 10K race was the Tufts 10K this past October with a time of 48:59 (age 41). My best half marathon time was the B.A.A. Half Marathon in 2004 with a time of 1:48:59 (age40). I achieved my personal marathon goal this past fall when a bunch of us went to D.C. to run the Marine Corps Marathon. My time was 3:51:37 (age 42). It was a huge accomplishment for me but still 37 seconds shy of qualifying for Boston.
WHAT HELPED YOU GET THE PERSONAL BEST TIME?
I'm convinced that going to the track for scheduled weekly speed workouts and the opportunity to take advantage of the Cathy's advice about pacing, mental preparedness, and realistic goal setting allowed me to achieve more than one personal best this year. While running the Marine Corps Cathy was out on the course at various designated spots to help us re-focus and push through tough parts. For me the last 2 miles would have been much worse if she wasn't there to help me run it in. That moment alone taught me the true importance of mental training and having a great coach.
WHAT WERE THE GREATEST CHALLENGES YOU FACED WHILE TRAINING?
I'm not a great summer runner although I prefer the warmer weather to train in I wilt quickly if it's warmer than 80 degrees. When I was doing some of my training runs this summer while preparing for Marine Corps I felt as though every time I went out to log in a few miles I'd feel completely drained of energy after an hour. This got so frustrating I felt like I just couldn't break through that fatigue barrier I finally reached out to the running group and Cathy and found that I wasn't the only one who was feeling this way. I just wanted to have a good run again, and I did. Then, of course there were challenges with scheduling kids during the summer but I'm very lucky to have a supportive husband and two sons who recognize my need to "get my run in" and also realize that when I say "this is my last race" I'm lying through my teeth.
WORDS OF WISDOM FOR OTHERS.
Be grateful every day that you can get out there on the road and feel the wind on your face and see the beauty that surrounds you. I thank God every time I'm able to lace up my sneakers and run out my front door that I have been given a body that works and doesn't hurt. I want to take good care of myself and recognize when I need to back off. It's important to me to be able to keep doing this for many, many years to come. It IS my sanity, and my time to connect to my favorite people in my own little world.
NEXT EVENT.
I was planning on running Boston's Run to Remember Half Marathon but have a scheduling conflict with my youngest son. So I think I'll set my sights on the More half marathon in late March 2006.