Angie Gerber, my WE RUN teammate
‘Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will’ ~ Mahatma Gandhi
You would think writing a blog post about yourself would be the easiest thing ever, but I discovered it’s actually quite the opposite. I love helping with the Run Oregon Blog. The group makes me laugh every single day (mostly Joe Dudman) and I, truthfully, consider it a privilege to be part of this team. I love learning from them, laughing with them and bouncing ideas back and forth. I’m not fast like Joe, or a beauty queen in running shoes like Marilyn, so I sometimes question what this soccer mom has to add to the running community. I’m quirky and not particularly exciting, but realized there are probably a lot of runner moms out there who feel the same way. I’m passionate about running, setting goals and constantly challenging myself to do a little more. I’m not in the front of the pack, but I’m stubborn enough to keep putting one foot in front of the other no matter what. All moms wear lots of hats, mine include: soccer mom/runner girl/fitness junkie.
I grew up swimming, not running and really only ran in P.E. class or for suicides in volleyball. My mom took up running, probably around the time Kenneth Cooper was big. I remember running the Starlight Run with her and my dad when I was in Junior High. We dressed up as dogs and my dad was ‘running’ us on a leash. I was so grateful to have a dog mask on, so no one would recognize me. My dad wasn’t as fortunate. I laughed the entire run and still do every time I think about it. I ran off and on for years, a Hood to Coast relay here and there, Mt. Rainier to the Pacific one year, but mostly just ran when I felt I needed to get in shape or had an event coming up. I definitely didn’t run daily and pretty much every time I did, I ended up being sore, which means I clearly wasn’t running much.
12 Bridges Relay with the Run Oregon Team
Fast forward 3 boys later and I would say that I run now for my sanity. The seed my mom planted took a while, but it definitely took off. There are days I love to run and days I hate it, but it’s convenient and such a part of my life now, I can’t imagine NOT running. I take it pretty seriously nowadays. I’m no longer laughing my way through a 5k dressed up as a dog, though I’m not above that if someone asked me. I know it’s a much needed stress release and so do my boys. It’s not fun to hear, but my guys will suggest a run for me if I’m cranky.
I love half marathons (like everyone right now) and triathlons and will throw a marathon into the mix a couple of times a year. While many people love the feeling during a run, I love the feeling after a run. Honestly, my favorite part is the shower when I’m done. You’ll rarely find me hanging out after events, since I pretty much race to the shower. Come to think of it, I seem pretty anti-social at runs. I’m nervous and quiet before the race, focused during and take off after, but actually that couldn’t be further from the truth. I love to chat, a trait I got from my dad, the guy not embarrassed to be running with a bunch of dorky dogs. I love to talk about running, with runners and with runners –to-be. If you’re in the Beaverton area and want to run early on Tuesday or Thursday mornings, send us a note. I’m planning to re-start a Run Oregon group run with the new year. Make me run fast and it will limit my chatting, but here’s my list about me- all things we can talk about.
Favorite running shoe: Pegasus (NIKE) and Supernovas (Adidas)
Favorite time of year to run: Spring- upper 70’s, dry and sunny, maybe I should say an Oregon summer
Favorite running tech gadget: None, technology is not my friend
What do you carry with you on your run: As little as possible, my phone is too heavy. I always have my iPod
Pre-race routine: I pick a ‘lucky’ color for each race and always polish my nails
Go to pre-race food: Oatmeal (half Quaker Apple/ half steel cut oats) and Tazo AWAKE tea
Favorite running destination: Sunriver, the beach, the country
Music: Always
Favorite running song: Changes daily, but every race starts with Aerosmith’s ‘Back in the Saddle Again’
Speed work: I don’t, but I should
Cross training: Definitley! Pilates, weights, plyometrics and lots of old school push ups
Treadmill: I call it the dreadmill for a reason and only use it if it’s icy
Running Pet Peeve: Bad manners, in regular life too
Favorite non-running outdoor activity: hiking
Funny running experience: I thought it would be fun to try the foam stuff that I kept seeing girls wear as headbands with all sorts of bright colors. I decided to wear it for the Iris Half Marathon in Keizer. Epic fail, I ended up with long yellow streamers flowing from my head for most of the run.
Something Run Oregon readers don’t know about me: My bike is named ‘Lucy’ cause I’m a huge I Love Lucy fan and it’s red. I’m addicted to mantras and inspiring quotes. I’m a cancer survivor. I got my first tattoo at 42, after talking about it for about ten years and I only grab water at aid stations from volunteers holding it from the bottom.
Lucy and my support crew
