What is your name (and social handle)?
Sara (@saraaaaaa_nov)
Tell us about you! Where are you from? What do you do for a living?
Was born and raised in NE Ohio, I live in Twinsburg currently. I am a Director of Quality, Risk and Compliance for a hospital but my background is as a clinical therapist. I have a teeny tiny private practice for counseling people 1:1.
How did you get into running?
I was never athletic growing up, running was seen as a punishment and something I avoided. As I grew older, I picked up smoking and a pretty sedentary lifestyle. In 2010 my brother got into the NYC lottery and started training during the summer and fall. I went to the River Run 1/2 marathon to cheer him on as he completed the race as a training run. While there, I saw all of these women cross the finish line and to me, they looked like “normal” people ie not some olympic caliber marathon runner and the thought occurred to me that if they could run, maybe so could I. A few days later, I put on some tennis shoes that I’d had for over ten years and went for a run where I experienced approximately 20 seconds of the so called runners high. I quit smoking a few days later and kept running. Exactly one year after that, I crossed the finish line of the River Run 1/2 marathon myself and I’m not sure I’ve ever been so proud.
Tell us about your biggest running successes, and/or running goals.
There are so many successes both big and small but the thing that I keep coming back to is that I’ve consistently run even when I knew I would be slow or that it might hurt or I would feel fearful. I’ve run ultramarathons, I’ve run overnight, I’ve run through two pregnancies and recoveries, I’ve run in all kinds of weather, I had a 40 minute marathon PR recently but the thing that is the biggest success is that I keep doing it even when the successes are fewer and further between. My goals are to continue to run or move until I’m old and of course a marathon PR would be nice!
If you could go on a run with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?
Stephen King so he could tell me stories and keep me entertained while I run (not the super scary ones though!)
What is your favorite way to spend a day off?
I like to wake up early (i know that’s weird to do on a day off) and go to crossfit followed by a run. I then love to spend the rest of the day doing something outdoors like hiking with my family followed by some delicious food and relaxing on the couch with my husband. I’ll also sneak some time in to bake something really delicious.
Where is your favorite spot to vacation, or somewhere you would love to travel to?
Not that exciting but I love central New York. The hiking is amazing, the water is beautiful and it’s just far enough removed from busy life that I feel like I can unwind.
Name a book that everyone (running related or not) should read.
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Favorite food:
French Fries
A genie grants you three wishes. What would they be?
1) the ability to go back and re-live your best day/moments over and over
2) for my life to be one that I consider happy and fulfilling
3) the ability of foresight
What is your best advice for fellow runners?
Try and think about running in terms of more than one race, one season or one training cycle. Treat your body with respect and love, listen to yourself, fuel yourself (and then fuel a little bit more), spend money on the pricey shoes even if you think they’re only for “real athletes” bc you too are a real athlete.
