Why I Run? Chris Foehrkolb

J- How or why did you begin running?

C- I started right around the time I was graduating Towson in the late 70’s. I wanted to keep in shape and remain active. I started slow doing mostly cardio work then over time built up distance. When I was about 46 I decided to get into marathoning. My first races were half-marathons (13.1 miles) then slowly working towards a full marathon (26 miles) My husband had talked about doing the same thing and since then we have been running races. I just turned 50 and plan on continuing, maybe slowly cutting back the distance.

J. What is\was the hardest part of running?

C- I run about four half-marathons and two marathons on average every year. At the beginning and even still now, the hardest part is being consistent, establishing a habit and sticking to it even if you don’t feel up for it that day. You have to build a routine and work at it or else you may waste your time or worse…hurt yourself.

J. What advice can you give to beginning runners?

C- Be patient… is the best advice I was given. It takes time to build up endurance and stamina. It took me 20+ years to get where I am and it’s still hard. Progress is slow, steady and if done right should be as injury free as possible. Your main goal at the end of your first race is to finish… don’t worry about the time even doing a half-marathon with a walk-run pace is a great start.

J. What are the best and worst parts of running marathons?

C-Best-seeing yourself improve and getting faster with each run\race

C-Worst-injuries that come along with adding distances

J. When is your next race? What is your most ultimate goal?

C-I’m running in May in New Jersey and ultimately I will be working towards qualifying for the Boston Marathon. My qualifier hopefully will be in October.