Hearing your stories: Corrina Terry
'I had always wanted to pick up running, but I was kind of afraid, which sounds weird now, but I didn’t know if I could do it.'
Morning, friends! ☀️ Something amazing has happened ever since I reached out to you back in February, when I asked you to share your stories about becoming a runner, where running has taken you, and where you dream of going with it.
Your responses, what you’ve shared with me and with everyone here at THM, has blown me away. I love hearing people’s life stories, and getting this window into yours has been so much fun — it’s made me feel closer to the community we’ve all built here together over these past few years, and it’s what makes doing this newsletter mean so much to me.
Today, we hear from Corrina Terry, a native of Las Vegas (and a longtime THM subscriber) whose enthusiasm for running first began when she was nearing 30, having just had her first child and searching for a way to get back in shape. Little did she know the journey she had set out on, one she’d later discover would become “a metaphor for life.”
I know you’ll enjoy her story as much as I did — and, if you feel inspired to share yours, please know I’d love to hear it. Reply back by email or in the comments below, and we’ll go from there! — Terrell
So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.
My name is Corrina Hall Terry. I am 55 years old this week. I was raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. My mom and her dad were raised here, while my dad and his family are from southern Utah. I have a lot of relatives both here and in Southern Utah.
I lived in Provo, Utah; Laie, Hawaii; and Salt Lake City, Utah, during my late teens through my early thirties, when I moved back home.
I am an English teacher at a vocational high school here in Las Vegas. (My husband is also from here. We actually grew up together. People always ask if we knew any mafia people when we were growing up. We did. The mafia guys who die in the movie Casino? We knew their kids. We went to school with them.)
What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?
A couple of years ago during Covid, you interviewed several running coaches. I chose one of them (
from Fitness Protection Program). She really upped my running game. I needed it.During the school year, I run after school during the week and Saturday mornings. During summers and holidays, I run in the morning. Las Vegas can get down to the 30’s in the winter, but we rarely get snow or rain, so I am able to run in the winter without an issue.
The summers are hot, as you can imagine. I wake up very early (4:30 a.m. or so) and try to get out the door by 5:30 a.m. I follow the monthly schedule that M.K. gives me, as well as strength training and weight lifting.
Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?
I was an athletic kid growing up, but my love was swimming. I grew up with a swimming pool and was on the high school swim team for a year before I discovered I could get a job and have my own car, so I unfortunately let the swimming go. My parents were very active running, swimming, and playing tennis, until they hit their fifties. They really influenced me to be active.
In college I would go to the indoor pool about once a week and swim laps. I loved it. It took me six years to get through college because I didn’t know what I wanted to major in, but I always took a P.E. class and an English class. Go figure. Now I run a lot and I’m an English teacher. (I ended up getting a degree in English, focusing on literature.)
I really let myself go physically after graduating from college though. I tried walking, but wasn’t consistent. Something was missing.
How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, ‘maybe I can do this?’
I got into running because after I had my son I was 29 years old, 35 pounds overweight, and I felt miserable. There was no indoor pool near where we lived that I had access to, so swimming was not an option.
I had always wanted to pick up running, but I was kind of afraid, which sounds weird now, but I didn’t know if I could do it. I had had consistent dreams since I was a little kid about running though and that idea of becoming a runner wouldn’t go away.
My husband at the time (first husband) told me to start easy. He told me to start with walking a block and jogging a block and I did that for a mile. I had terrible shoes, no running clothes whatsoever, and we were totally poor, so none of the accessories we count on today. (He was in college and working at the time and I had stopped working after our son was born.)
I had no idea what I was doing, but I had this dream of doing it and so I did. I slowly built up my jogging blocks and decreased by walking blocks until I could jog a whole mile. I owe him a lot for getting me started.
How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?
I do not run a lot faster today than I did all of those years ago, but I can run much farther. Also my interest in running has become a huge part of my life. It was 26 years ago when I started and there were no AirPods back then and we were broke, so I learned to run without listening to music.
Even now I only listen to music on Saturdays and during races. I use my running time to think about things, pray, and try to figure out the answers to the problems in my life and those around me. So running, to me, is really a spiritual time when I talk to God and wind down. It has really helped me mentally, physically, and spiritually.
What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?
My current husband and I have been married for almost 18 years and we raised our two boys together. (One from each of our previous marriages.) They are grown and out of the house, so I have a lot of free time now.
When they were little guys, I would get up early on Saturdays and run before everyone woke up, so I could be there for breakfast. Back then I wasn’t running very far, so it didn’t take me long. During the week, I’d pick them up after school and go on a quick run. My husband worked from home at the time, so it was easy.
Now I balance running with teaching and my church calling, which is working with the youth. We also have two mini dachshunds, which are fun and they love walks.
I have enough free time that I can put in two hours on Saturdays and take my time running after school during the week. I think my husband feels like a running widower, so I try to encourage him to walk or run with me. He’s really sweet about supporting me at my races and will run them once in a while.
Is there anything you’re especially proud of that you can point to your running and say, ‘this helped me achieve ______’?
I am proud that I can run half marathons. I never dreamed I’d be able to do that when I started. I ran my 25th half marathon in May! This has really built my self-confidence in running and in life. I keep my medals on my wall at school and tell my students that if I can train and run these races, they can do difficult things too.
What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?
Running has become my metaphor for life. It has pushed me and challenged me to become a much better person than I was when I started. It’s taught me patience, discipline, and endurance. I learned that I am stronger than I ever thought possible. I think we underestimate ourselves and what we are capable of.
Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?
I seriously hope I can be one of those ladies who is 93 and still running. I’d like to keep running two to three half marathons a year.
What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?
I rarely get bored with running. I love being outside alone running, especially after being inside with teenagers all day. Having a coach has kept me challenged. Our workouts change every month, so there’s always something new to look forward to. Plus I try to sign up for two to three races a year and that gives me something to look forward to and work towards.
Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?
I would tell myself that I can run and don’t be afraid to start. I would also tell myself not to be so hard on myself. Forgiving yourself for your mistakes is as important as forgiving others.
Explore more from THM
There are so many more reader stories we’ve shared — don’t miss these:
Wonderful interview— great questions and inspiring answers. I’ve been listening to this book, “The Joy of Movement,” while on my long training runs for a half-marathon coming up in September. It’s a good book and has the added benefit of keeping me motivated on those long uphills. Thanks for this!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful running journey, Corrina! The statement you made from the last prompt, is one that has been shared by others as well and I appreciate the reminder: "tell myself not to be so hard on myself."