I was never very athletic growing up. I loved baseball but I was not very good at it. It had to do with my eyesight. I tried gymnastics until I tried a forward flip and landed on my neck. I tried basketball in high school, but pulled a muscle, and that ended that. I had issues with the horizontal ladder during basic training and only figured it out during my PT test. It wasn't unil I was 28 that I started running to lose weight. I loved the alone time. My first race was the 1977 Peachtree Road Race. There were only 10,000 runners. From there, I tried running a marathon, and in 1978, I ran the Skylon from Buffalo, NY to Niagara Falls, Ont. Now at 76, I have completed 17 marathons (15 after I turned 55), at least as many half marathons, and covered in excess of 60,000 miles.
I went to tryouts for my High School's first women's cross-country team. I hated the 1.5-mile workout but loved the feeling when I finished. Since I was only 1 of 5 women who stayed afterwards, I made the team. I wasn't fast, but I could go the distance. That was 51 years ago this fall. I have never stopped running since, albeit not always long distances. It has since been my thing!
When I found that I could ski long distances (cross country skiing), I fell in love with the endurance aspect of it - the challenge, the preparation and training, the beautiful places I could visit. For me, it was being outdoors and enjoying the season of winter in a way that provided excitement and solitude.
I can imagine! I’ve gone skiing a few times myself and there’s such a romance about it, you know? The gorgeous mountains, the falling snow, the resting afterwards… it’s heaven 🎿
I grew up in Alberta, Canada so there was only one sport - ice hockey. When we moved to the states, the opportunities to play were meager so I played off an on. As I grew older, I played racquet ball and handball and ice hockey in local pick-up games. I started running in my late 30s as cross training for hockey and when we moved to SoCal running was my main physical activity.
I think that with any physical activity to be really good at you must work hard to achieve a high level. I remember my dad (an avid sports spectator commenting about bowling - "it's like shaving, if you don't do it every day, you look like a bum". I am "good" at many sports and enjoy physical activity - I don't fall into the trap of comparing myself to elite athletes, which can be detrimental to your mental outlook to a sport. Unless you can put in the time and effort to be an elite athlete, enjoy the level you can attain.
From trying something that I thought I wouldn't like to striving for Worlds. Big leap. All started in Anaheim at the FIT in 2023.
Ha, as you know I have big goals with DEKA this year.
Funny thing was that I expected to NOT like it. Tried it because, why not? I thought it wouldn't be my thing because I was in love with "traditional" OCR out running trails and all the crazy obstacles. Then I did it and was like hey, I am actually decent at this, then when I discovered that I was not getting too much faster, landing me too high on the leaderboard, I was like hey, I can carry heavy stuff even if I can't get faster. So Ruck division. Lean into the strengths.
I was never very athletic growing up. I loved baseball but I was not very good at it. It had to do with my eyesight. I tried gymnastics until I tried a forward flip and landed on my neck. I tried basketball in high school, but pulled a muscle, and that ended that. I had issues with the horizontal ladder during basic training and only figured it out during my PT test. It wasn't unil I was 28 that I started running to lose weight. I loved the alone time. My first race was the 1977 Peachtree Road Race. There were only 10,000 runners. From there, I tried running a marathon, and in 1978, I ran the Skylon from Buffalo, NY to Niagara Falls, Ont. Now at 76, I have completed 17 marathons (15 after I turned 55), at least as many half marathons, and covered in excess of 60,000 miles.
I went to tryouts for my High School's first women's cross-country team. I hated the 1.5-mile workout but loved the feeling when I finished. Since I was only 1 of 5 women who stayed afterwards, I made the team. I wasn't fast, but I could go the distance. That was 51 years ago this fall. I have never stopped running since, albeit not always long distances. It has since been my thing!
I ran in a multi school quarter mile race in the 6th grade and came in first place. That’s when I realized running was my best athletic activity.
Have you been running ever since?
When I found that I could ski long distances (cross country skiing), I fell in love with the endurance aspect of it - the challenge, the preparation and training, the beautiful places I could visit. For me, it was being outdoors and enjoying the season of winter in a way that provided excitement and solitude.
I can imagine! I’ve gone skiing a few times myself and there’s such a romance about it, you know? The gorgeous mountains, the falling snow, the resting afterwards… it’s heaven 🎿
Even when it is bitter cold.
Running has always been my thing. I just loved it, from the beginning.
I remember ‘field day’ in sixth grade (this was the late 1970s), we ran what was probably a couple of miles. and i beat everyone - even the boys!
that was a thrill :)
I’ve never lost it.
Cathie, that’s huge! You’re like the Courtney Dawalter of grade school! 🏃♀️
haha! hardly, but thank you.
I grew up in Alberta, Canada so there was only one sport - ice hockey. When we moved to the states, the opportunities to play were meager so I played off an on. As I grew older, I played racquet ball and handball and ice hockey in local pick-up games. I started running in my late 30s as cross training for hockey and when we moved to SoCal running was my main physical activity.
I think that with any physical activity to be really good at you must work hard to achieve a high level. I remember my dad (an avid sports spectator commenting about bowling - "it's like shaving, if you don't do it every day, you look like a bum". I am "good" at many sports and enjoy physical activity - I don't fall into the trap of comparing myself to elite athletes, which can be detrimental to your mental outlook to a sport. Unless you can put in the time and effort to be an elite athlete, enjoy the level you can attain.
“It’s like shaving, if you don't do it every day, you look like a bum” — Ken, that’s (as Kenny Banja would say on Seinfeld) “gold, Jerry!”
Seriously, I’m gonna remember that for the rest of my life, I think 😂
From trying something that I thought I wouldn't like to striving for Worlds. Big leap. All started in Anaheim at the FIT in 2023.
Ha, as you know I have big goals with DEKA this year.
Funny thing was that I expected to NOT like it. Tried it because, why not? I thought it wouldn't be my thing because I was in love with "traditional" OCR out running trails and all the crazy obstacles. Then I did it and was like hey, I am actually decent at this, then when I discovered that I was not getting too much faster, landing me too high on the leaderboard, I was like hey, I can carry heavy stuff even if I can't get faster. So Ruck division. Lean into the strengths.
I love this, Wendi! And I loved your story, so much — been meaning to email you all this week to tell you that! 🥰