RIF #166 Nathan Judd
This week’s RIF – The Club Profile is Nathan Judd #166. Nathan has one of the BEST first marathon stories I’ve ever heard! And he offers some great advice to go with that story. Don’t miss it!
Check out Nathan’s story:
INFO
Name: Nathan Judd
RIF #: 166
Twitter: @Beukdeup
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Beukdeup
STATS
Years Running: 18
Favorite Race Distance: Marathon (Transitioning to ultras)
Favorite PR: Marathon for Memories – 3:44:04
Favorite Race: Stump Jump 50k
With RIF #185 David Pharr
Favorite Bling: Stump Jump 50k
Next Race: Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon but, soon after that, the Lookout Mtn 50 miler
What Makes You FEEL Fast?: Trail running in the fall and spring.
FUN RUNNING QUESTIONS
What’s the most beautiful place that you’ve run?
I grew up running the trails in Chattanooga. It doesn’t get much better than that. Rock Creek puts on a trail series out there, and I would highly recommend to everyone to look it up. There is no way to compare the running in West Tennessee to East Tennessee. There is an overlook in the Stump Jump 50k called Snoopers Rock. That view pretty much sums up running in Chattanooga.
What is the one piece of running gear you can’t leave the house without?
Body Glide – and Bandaids… I feel awkward.
What was your biggest “don’t” of a race?
Don’t NOT train for a race. The first time I ran a marathon (St. Jude Marathon in 2006), it was the first time I even thought about doing a marathon. My buddy wanted to do the half, but at that time, even a half seemed like an overwhelming distance. I thought to myself, “If I’m going to run a long race, I’m going to go all out.” I didn’t know how to train, so every time I ran, I just ran for as long as I could until I got tired. I probably never ran more than 12 miles at one time before the actual day. At about 15 miles into the marathon, I realized I wasn’t going to make it to the end. I decided I would find someone who looked “official” at the next aid station to tell them I wouldn’t be able to make it to the end. When I got to the aid station, everyone looked like volunteers. I knew I could make it one more mile, so I decided to find someone official at the aid station. This kept happening until around 23 miles in. At that point, I decided, “I’ve come this far. I might as well finish.” The only reason I finished the race was because I didn’t know how to drop out of it. I didn’t run for about three years after that one.
What running moment are you most proud of?
Getting 2nd in the Marathon for Memories. It was set up as a relay, and I decided to run the whole thing. I got 2nd overall.
If you can’t run, you’re ________?
Dead. I’ve been doing a running streak (I run at least 2 miles every day). This has been going on for over a year. Seriously, if I’m not running, I’m probably dead. When my wife was being induced for labor, I was looking at my watch wondering how much time I had because I hadn’t gotten my two miles in yet. I drove her so crazy, she finally just said to go run.
***
Great first marathon story, don’t you think? 😉 I think that’s definitely a good “don’t” lesson but also goes to show that you can do more than you think you can. Pretty impressive! I’m also impressed that he’s got a run streak going for more than a year now. ..and that his wife let him go for a run when she was in labor! A run streak isn’t easy. So much of our everyday life can interfere with it – family, work, travel, illness, injuries, etc. It takes commitment and dedication to keep going. Congrats Nathan!
My longest run streak is 107 days but I hope to streak for a year one of these days. How about you? Have you ever done a run streak? What’s the longest you’ve streaked?
Thanks for sharing, Nathan. Good luck at the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon and Run It Fast!
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[All photos submitted by Nathan Judd]
