Christy Bowers RIF #60
This week’s Run It Fast – The Club profile is Christy Bowers #60. Christy and I share the same addiction. Okay, we share an addiction besides running. 😉 What is it? Check out Christy’s profile to see:
INFO
Name: Christy Bowers
RIF #: 60
Twitter: @Run2Bake
Facebook: facebook.com/christy.bowers
STATS
Years Running: 4, on and off. Was forced to take a break after a major car accident.
Favorite Race Distance: Half
Favorite PR: Tyler Rose Half Marathon. How my knee survived that hilly course, I’ll never know!
Favorite Race: That’s a tough one! Any race in NOLA; fun atmosphere and I get to visit my sis.
Favorite Bling: Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon
Next Race: Two on the same day; Hypnotic Donut Dash (a fun little 5k) and the Big D Climb (52 flights of stairs!)
What Makes You FEEL Fast?: Light breeze, 50s, and a good night’s sleep
FUN RUNNING QUESTIONS
Why did you start running?
My daughter is in competitive cheerleading. There was an athlete at her gym who was chosen as the Junior Race Director for the (then named) Dallas White Rock Marathon. We put together a relay team to show our support for her, the race, and the beneficiary, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. After that, the running bug bit!
Who inspires your running and why?
Everyone inspires me; from the elites to the beginners to the wanna-starts. There is something to be learned from each one. They help keep your eyes on your goal and your feet on the ground.
What’s the most beautiful place that you’ve run?
The wine valley in Oregon was stunning, but NOLA is the most beautiful to me.
What is your favorite go-to pre-race meal?
About 2-3 hours before a Sweet-n-Salty Almond bar, then an hour or so before a NutriGrain cereal bar. Probably not the wisest choices, but I have a hard time eating that early in the morning.
What is the thing you splurge on after a race?
After a half, there is definitely a margarita (or two) with my name on it!
How many pairs of running shoes do you have and which pair are your favorites?
Hello, my name is Christy, and I am a shoe addict. I own 12 pairs of running shoes (down from 16). The favorites are Asics Gel Nimbus (7 pairs). As soon as a new color comes out, it will be in my closet. (I need to get to the running store……)
Why do you race?
I race to stay healthy. I race to prove my doctors wrong. I race to inspire my daughter, friends and family. Even though my daughter is an athlete, it’s hard for her to wrap her head around running, even just a mile. Her school holds an annual 5K, and they run regularly in P.E. class. I picked her up one day and she beamed while telling me how far she was able to run. Mission accomplished!
Big races or small races? And why?
Both. There’s a lot of camaraderie at the smaller races, but a wider range of ability levels at the larger ones.
We asked Christy if there was anything else she would like to share and she had this to say:
In October of 2010, I was in a high-speed head-on car accident. I sustained numerous injuries to my knee, hand and wrist, back and neck (just shy of being in a halo). 5 and a half months later I completed the Dallas Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon. AMA, of course, and it wasn’t easy, but I did it! Running was what kept me focused and determined during recovery. Plus, it didn’t hurt that one of my PTs is a runner.
Those injuries are still a struggle – even had a fracture vertebrae May of last year – but I use them as motivation. I recently registered for my first full marathon (Big D) and my first ultra (RUTS)!! [Shhh! Don’t tell my orthopedists!]
I’m not trying to earn pity points. I’m trying to prove to others that you don’t have to be “100%” to run. Just get out there and go! Make yourself proud, and then others will be proud of you.
Lastly, If my twitter handle wasn’t a clue, I LOVE to bake. I’d bring cupcakes to RUTS if people didn’t think it was weird. (I may bring some anyway, if at least for myself, ha!) Being a former personal trainer, I want people to know that you can indulge every once in a while and still be healthy and fit.
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My 3 favorite things about Christy’s profile are she’s a kindred spirit in the shoe addiction department (I’m not alone!), she bakes (and I get to enjoy the cupcakes at RUTS!) and she made an AMAZING comeback (Wow!). One of my favorite things about doing these profiles of Run It Fast – The Club members is that they show the kind of determination runners have to overcome obstacles in their lives. Sometimes the obstacles are caused by outside influences like Christy’s accident or by internal struggles like not believing you are an athlete/runner but if we “Just get out there and go!” like Christy said, we CAN do it. We CAN run and inspire and be inspired while we are doing it. Like Christy. 🙂
Thanks for sharing Christy! Good luck with your double race day and Run It Fast!
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[All photos submitted by Christy Bowers]
