What the More Marathon Looks Like

Lisa Conrad, 44
Comptroller
Fitchburg, Massachusetts

“Why did I run this race? Because I can! In 2004 I was lying in bed, actually wishing I didn’t have to turn 40 — and I almost got my wish. As I lay there, I had a sudden seizure, and a CAT scan later detected a brain tumor the size of a tennis ball. I was lucky — the doctors were able to remove it entirely, and it was benign — but the whole ordeal was traumatic, and it didn’t end with the surgery. I was put on seizure medications and steroids, I was unable to drive, and I was chronically exhausted. Before the tumor, I used to say, ’I’m not a runner; I just like to run.’ I thought races were for athletes. But once you go through something like that, it’s like, why be afraid? I decided to go for it. Every time I cross a finish line, I know I’m taking back more control over my body and my life. At the MORE race this year, I loved seeing the thousands of amazing women and all the kids with their GO MOM! signs. Every woman is a hero to someone!”

Rosalinda Pena, 64
Teacher & Painter
Austin, Texas

Tzatzil LeMair, 37
Fitness Coach
Austin, Texas

Rosalinda: "After 43 years of what I thought was the perfect marriage, my husband announced he wanted a divorce. I needed to rebuild my life, so I moved in temporarily with Tzatzil, my daughter, and her family. Since I didn’t want to cry in front of my grandchildren, Tzatzil and I began taking long walks together.

“They were our therapy sessions; we cursed, laughed, cried, and let it all out. When Tzatzil suggested we turn the walks into training for the MORE Half-Marathon, I didn’t think I could do 13 miles at my age. She assured me I could — she would run and I would walk, or we would both do some of each.

“Race day was such a great experience. The other women excited and inspired me so much that I joined an all-women training group and have since finished three triathlons. I’ve dropped two dress sizes and feel so much stronger, and, as Tzatzil says, empowered.”

Tzatzil: “When we crossed the finish line, all I could think about was how far we had come from those early, emotionally draining walks. Now we were celebrating the newly independent and powerful woman my mother has become! I’ve gotten to know a completely different side of her, and I’m prouder than ever to be her daughter.”

Kathleen Murphy, 42
Attorney
Austin, Texas

“I hate running. When my friend Sandy first tried to talk me into doing the Half-Marathon, I told her I’d meet her at the finish line with a bagel, but there was no way New York was going to see my ample tush in spandex! Afterward, though, I kept thinking about it, because I was about to turn 40, I was overweight, and I knew that Sandy was urging me to take care of myself. So I made training my way of losing 135 pounds.

“I started slowly, walking on the treadmill. Weight started to come off, and about 10 weeks before race day, I felt confident enough to put on bike shorts and go outside. I started walking farther, faster, and I added running intervals. With only five weeks to go, I took a bike ride — and broke my elbow! But not even that stopped me. I talked my doctor into agreeing that I could walk the race if I kept my arm immobilized.

“So New York City got to see me in spandex after all. Sandy ran, and I walked. I got cheers when people saw the sling. And at the finish line, there was Sandy, waiting with the bagels.

“I’ve lost over 100 pounds since I started to train. I’m preparing for my eighth triathlon to lose the rest. Whenever I worry about what people think of a chunky girl like me competing like this, I tell myself that while I’m out doing these events, the people who might ridicule me are probably home sitting on the couch. I deserve to be happy and fit, and these are the steps I need to get there.”

Train with Us!

The 7th annual MORE | FITNESS Half-Marathon in New York’s Central Park is in April 2010, which means you still have plenty of time to prep. If you can walk three miles, you can train to walk a 13-mile half-marathon in 16 weeks, says Mindy Solkin, owner and head coach at the Running Center in New York City and the designer of our get-ready program. And if you can run three to four miles — without stopping — three to four times a week, you can train to run a full or half-marathon in 16 weeks.

Your time commitment? Whether you walk or run, you’ll train for five hours a week to start, working up to 10 hours. Our program starts in January. To get a free training schedule, find a running partner, and receive weekly e-mail newsletters (with advice on what to eat, how to avoid injury, and lots of other essential information), sign up here:

Originally published in MORE magazine, December 2008/January 2009.

Dixie Douville, 45
Registered Nurse
Flanders, New Jersey

“As a pre-Title IX girl, the only sport available to me in school was cheerleading. I loved it and cheered all through college before becoming a nurse and fitness instructor. I didn’t start to run until after I had my second child. At first, it was just a way to fit in 30 minutes of solitude. But I found myself wanting to run farther, more often, and with my girlfriends. A group of us started running together, and over the years it has become our time to share the challenges of our careers, worry about our kids’ college searches, and celebrate our friendship.

“I dreamed up the Girlfriends in Training program in 2003 to encourage women to create time for themselves and strengthen their relationships by walking and running together. We brought 15 women to the first MORE Marathon in 2004, and by last year we’d grown to 115. (My favorite part of every race comes when I do a cartwheel in the final few hundred yards — guess that cheerleader still lives in me.) Many women work so hard to raise their children and advance their careers that they forget to honor themselves — and we give them that chance. It’s not about competition. We don’t ask one another ‘What was your time?’ We say, ‘Did you have fun?’”

Eulah Holland, 62
Retired Secretary
Altadena, California

“When I was 53, I suffered a stroke that left me half-paralyzed and unable to walk or talk for several weeks. To this day we have no idea why it happened — the only warning sign was a bad headache. It took a long time for me to fully recover. I had to relearn a lot of basic activities like driving and reading. Then, in July 2004, I heard about the American Stroke Association’s Train to End Stroke program, where you enter a marathon and raise money for stroke research. I had never done anything like that before, but I just said, ‘You know what? I’m doing this.’ My husband, Kemp, is a runner, and he offered to train with me. I walked my first marathon that December. It took me seven hours to finish, but as soon as I did, I said, ‘Okay, when’s the next one?’ After a few more races, I started to run a little. I was nervous that I would have a heart attack, but my doctor said the exercise was actually good for me. I have now completed 11 half-marathons and five full marathons. People always say, ‘Oh, I could never do a marathon.’ And I say, yes, you can. You can always stop and walk — and everyone knows how to do that.”

NEXT: How I Got Fit And Changed My Life