Jodi: How long have you been running?
Ginny: I started running on April 22, 2008. Seems kinda specific, right? Yeah, I know. I think the fact that I noted the date is probably a testimony to what kind of OCD runner I was going to become.
Jodi: Why did you start running?
Ginny: Two reasons. 1 - to lose the baby weight. I mean, the baby was walking, talking in 3 word sentences feeding herself. It really just seemed like the baby weight needed to GO. The 2nd reason is a little stalker-ish sounding on paper. I met this woman who I just really connected with who was a marathoner. She kept insisting that I COULD DO THIS, after all, she'd only been doing it for a short time. I decided that in order to be friends with her, it was a good idea to be a runner too. Of course, that woman is my "running wife", TMB of Racing with Babes.
Jodi: How many years have you been racing?
Ginny: On April 26, 2008, four whole days after I took up running, I did my first 5K. It was brutal. I thought I would die. I had never run more than 2 miles in a row before, and that with walk breaks. Of course, training would have helped. These are the details that are important.
Jodi: What is your favorite distance to race and why?
Ginny: Tough to say. I really enjoyed the 10 miler I did last December, but it was one of THOSE DAYS. You know, where you wake up and own the race course, and all the other runners out there may as well just not show up because it's YOUR day? So if pressed, I might say that the 10 mile distance is my favorite. I also enjoy the 15K distance. Both of these distances require thought & strategy, but aren't so long that if I screw up I'm screwed.
Jodi: What is your favorite race memory?
Ginny: Two days before the Richmond Marathon I met Bart Yasso for the second time. It was a great evening with the team at the big MTT Pasta Party. Well, the guy I'd grabbed a ride with was chatting with his coach and I was stuck standing between my coach, Q, and Bart Yasso while we all sort of chatted and waited. I held the door ("I carried the water melon") for Bart on his way out of the building.
Flash forward to mile 16 or so of the Marathon. I came off the Lee Bridge running strong, and Bart Yasso was standing on the side of the course in a Red Runner's World shirt, and I yelled at the top of my lungs while pointing with both hands, "IT'S MY BEST FRIEND BART!". And he replied at the top of his lungs, "It's Green Plaid SOCK GIRL! Gotta get me a pair of those socks".
Bart's still one of my Runner's World BFFs.
Jodi: What is your least favorite race memory?
Ginny: That's so easy. In May of this year TMB and I raced a Muddy Buddy event. It was not a good day. The worst moment of my life was hearing, "We're taking Bib# xyz in the ambulance"... and I thought to myself, "hey that's my number... that's T...". I almost threw up on the spot. I had no idea what her status was, why they were bussing her out, or anything. I knew she'd wrecked the bike, and I imagined the worst. Thinking back on that moment now makes my stomach sour.
I always wondered, if I ever had to walk off a course, would I be able to do it? And of course, I learned on May 1, that walking off the course and taking the DNF is something I can do when the moment calls for it.
Jodi: What is your proudest running moment to date?
Ginny: That's tough for me. I am still proud of my Galactically Bada$$ marathon PR, because I totally trusted myself that day. I made a plan and executed it.
However, I am also proud of the first 5K I ran. It was scary, I had no friends doing it, and yet I lined up at the back of the running pack/in front of the walkers... I still wonder WHAT I was thinking.
Jodi: What one item do you absolutely have to have with you on a training run?
Ginny: I am very attached to my skirt/sock combo. I love my Runningskirts.com and lululemon skirts. Are they pricey? Yup. Are they worth it? Hellz to the yeah. I'm ~slightly~ obsessed.
Jodi: What is your favorite fuel during a race?
Ginny: I'll let you know when I nail that down.... I have a super sensitive stomach. Gu, Accel Gel, Clif blocks, Chomps, etc have all made me dry heave at some point. Next on the "list of things to dry heave after ingesting" is Honey Stingers. I'm planning to give them a go this week on a training run. On the above list, Chomps & Blocks are the least offensive to the stomach - but I think they smell like potpourri, then Accel Gel, then GU. Gu and I go way back, to the day I joined the Vom Squad for the first time on a run... ~ sigh~
Jodi: What is your favorite post race snack?
Ginny: CHOCOLATE MILK! Love that I can drink a serving without guilt. But I'm also into PB&J on really high quality whole grain bread.
Jodi: Do you have a favorite quote?
Ginny: I have two.
Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try ~ Yoda.
It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting. ~Paulo Coelho, (The Alchemist)
Jodi: Finish this statement: When I run a feel _________.
Ginny: empowered, rebellious, free, lifted, amazing, epic, freaktastic, strong, and hot. and sweaty.
Jodi: Who do you admire most and why?
Ginny: What makes a person the kind of person we should admire? A famous person? I know, and consider myself friendly, with quite a few famous people. An "elite" runner? I don't know any of those, but I know some better than epic sub 3 hour marathoers who are pretty amazing. But do I admire them for that? I don't know.
The people I admire aren't people that would make sense to anyone else. They're not "names", well, one of them is locally recognizable and one of them is fast on her way to being nationally recognizable. I admire people who balance selflessness with self.
For example, the runner I admire most is a person who knocks out 60+ miles a week, volunteers a million hours a year for our Richmond Road Runners Club, helps raise a daughter, and works a demanding "bread winning" full time job, and, yet, he always has time to answer my questions about running.
The mother I admire the most is raising confident daughters while wrangling an enviable training schedule and on her way to RULE THE WORLD....
So I guess it's fair to say, I admire normal people who are doing extraordinary things.
Jodi: What is your current goal?
Ginny: Rock a GBA PR 26.2 at Richmond this November. (GBA = Galactically Bada**)
Jodi: Please feel free to add anything that will motivate others to lace up their shoes and get out there and run!
Ginny: ~savor the run~.
Ginny: When my coach asked me "How're you doing?" at mile 23 of the 2010 Richmond Marathon, my response was, "Galactically Bada**." I nailed that PR because I made a race plan, and then trusted myself to race the plan to completion.
Ginny: My Posse - Post Race at the Autism 5K. We were epic that day, bringing home several first place AG finishes, a few 3rd place AG finishes, and oh yeah, most importantly, supporting my Autistic daughter, who raced in honor of herself that day.
Ginny: Tonia (TMB) & I at San Francisco Lululemon/Runners World shake out run, the day before my Half Marathon PR on the hilliest course I could ever imagine.
(Oh, and yeah, that's Bart Yasso in the background)
Thanks again for the opportunity to give you a Thumbs Up Ginny! Best of luck chasing your goal at Richmond!
Keep running, you're simply the best, and Ginny YOU inspire ME!!
Nice post! You've come a long way!!
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