Columbus Roadrunners

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Runner’s Reflections: Holly’s Story

Holly Hattaway after she completed her first 5 mile run.

Holly Hattaway after she completed her first 5 mile run.

A year ago, Holly Hattaway started a Couch to 5K program. She came in with no confidence and doubted her abilities to continue. Her first day out, she felt like she was struggling just to run 1 minute without stopping, but thanks to perseverance, great coaching, and accountability from her new-found running buddies, she was able to not only complete the C25K program, but go further with her running. Now Holly can run over 50 minutes non-stop and has her eyes set on completing a half-marathon.

Holly, who claims to be a slow-but-steady runner, said, “I always thought one day it is going to be easy. I learned quickly, it’s never easy. You just get better. I think that’s important.”

Even with her progress, she still has off days, but realizes that is just a part of being a runner. Some days she feels she is struggling, but she feels like a winner once she hits the track. Her confidence in her abilities has boosted significantly. “I am by far one of the slowest ones in the group, but that doesn’t bother me because I know I am faster than the person reading this article that never had the guts to give the program a shot.”

 

If you have a running story about a success you would like to share, send it to jenteague.357@gmail.com.

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The Numbers Game

running numbers

Ask any runner to tell you something about their last run and you’re guaranteed to get information pertaining to numbers. From bib numbers to mileage, runners are constantly talking about numbers.

Ask a runner to tell you about their nutrition or hydration and they’ll throw out numbers like needing to drink so many ounces per mile or eat a GU at mile 8.

Ask a runner about their gear and they’ll let you know whether they have a Garmin Forerunner 15 or Forerunner 610. They’ll even tell you how many miles they’ve logged on their device.

Ask a runner about their shoes and they’ll talk about how they have a 12mm heel drop, or a 0mm heel drop. Or maybe they’re now running in a Mizuno Wave Runner 11. Again, with the numbers!

Ask a runner how they train and you’ll hear about running 30 – 60 minutes on tempo days, or 3 hours on a long run, which they woke up at 5:00am to beat the 89° temperatures expected at 8:00am.

Runners love numbers whether they know it or not. It’s like an unwritten law of running that if you run, you will become obsessed with numbers. In the end, it’s a big numbers game and every number counts.