This is how my friendship with the next runner who rocks my running world began. Terri is one of the most inspiring female athletes I have ever had the privilege to know. She is gracious and determined. Running is an individual sport and our goals and accomplishments are personal to each one of us, but when you are running with Terri she makes you feel like you are a part of a team. She encourages and supports everyone and sincerely gets as much joy out of helping others as she does out of running her own race. I could not be more thankful to have Terri in my life as a friend and running buddy and I look forward to the many more miles we will share together in this road called life. I am honored to introduce all of you to this very special person who truly rocks my running world!
Name: Terri Marlin
Age: 40
Location: Herndon, Virginia
What do you do in “real” life? I am a mom of 3 (ages 16, 10 and 7). I work full time as the Potomac Valley Swimming Administrator (the local USA Swimming Association), part time as office staff at Chantilly Academy Gymnastics gym and I am meet manager for several swim meets each year.
How long have you been running? I have run off and on for years, mostly as cross training for swimming. But I started running regularly about 2 ½ years ago. When I was little my dad was an ultra-marathoner and running a marathon was a goal that I have had since High School. Growing up I swam year round and ultimately swam for West Virginia University. In the first two year of graduating from college I worked as a Personal Trainer, got married and started a family. While I continued to work-out off and on, having two more children and working multiple part time jobs at one time, the amount of time I had to dedicate to working out decreased. When the kids were little it was hard to get out for runs on the weekend since my husband was often working on the weekends. But once they were old enough to stay home by themselves I was able to go on longer runs!
Why did you start running? I started running regularly in May 2009 to give myself some “me” time. I was so busy with work and my kids that I never had time for myself. I was also in desperate need of something positive to do. I enjoyed my work, but at the time I was also the Registrar for the Potomac Marlin Swim Team (which my husband owns) and coaching a group three mornings a week from 4:45 to 6:15am, so I was busy, busy, busy and felt myself slipping into a depressed state. Running was a great release, gave me a sense of purpose and really helped make me feel better. Probably because of my competitive nature, I soon decided I needed a goal so in October I registered for my first race, and not just any race! I registered for The Disney Marathon in January. W hen I finished I was so proud of myself for finally obtaining my goal of running a Marathon! But I immediately looked at my brother (who ran with me) and said, “but we didn’t do it all, we didn’t do the “Goofy” (half marathon on Saturday and full on Sunday). We will have to come back and do the whole thing!” So this January my brother and I are going back to Disney to do the Goofy! Since that first marathons, I have run 3 others including the 2011 Marine Corp Marathon, 6 half marathons, a 10 miler and a 10K and have no plans to stop anytime soon.
Marathon: 4:24.09
Half Marathon: 2:04.02
10 Miler: 1:31.33
What is your proudest running moment? My proudest moment would be crossing the starting line in my first marathon. I am sure for most people it would be crossing the finish line. But just starting my first marathon was so exciting and emotional. I had no doubt that I would finish! But getting to the starting line was such an accomplishment, to know everything I had done to get there; all of the training, the early mornings, the runs in the cold, traveling to Orlando, all of it!
Pick one of your favorite parts of the lululemon manifesto and tell me why it speaks to you:
Do one thing a day that scares you. I like this one because I think it is important that we to learn to live outside our comfort zone. If we always do what is comfortable, we will never grow as a person or an athlete. Stepping up and doing something uncomfortable or that scares us, teaches us to dream, reach our goals and grow!
Do you have a favorite running mantra? Why does this work for you?:
I’m healthy, I’m STRONG. I am not sure why this works, but I find when I am really tired and start to hurt all over, by reminding myself that I am healthy and strong I feel better and can power through.
Tell us a little about what you do to strengthen your running (core training, lifting, yoga, Pilates, etc) and what do you do to protect yourself from injury? I have a fairly extensive history of general strength training but wish I did more strengthening now for my running. I have done Bikram Yoga and loved it, it gave me a sense of peace and strength and was great for flexiblity. I need to make the time to do more. I am also looking forward to trying Pilates.
If you run with music, tell us a few of your favorite running songs: I don’t have a particular favorite song. I have a country music mix that I always listen to, it just keeps me going.
What is your next race? What is your goal for that race? I am excited to do the “Goofy” in January. It is part of the Disney Marathon weekend. It consists of the half marathon on Saturday and the full marathon on Sunday. Really my goal is just to finish both races and have a great time running. But I know I am competitive enough, that I will want to at least be close to my best times!
What are your long term running goals? I plan on running the NYC Marathon next November. I made it in through the lottery this year, but had to defer until next year. My long term goals are to stay healthy and be able to continue to run for a long time. I also plan on trying a triathlon in the spring/summer of 2012. With my strong swimming background and all of my running, I figure I just have to start biking, which seems to be the easiest part. I volunteered at Ironman Louisville in August, which was one of the most amazing experiences, not sure if I will ever do a full Ironman, but I can definitely see doing a half Ironman sometime in the near future.
Who rocks your running world? I don’t have a specific running hero. I started training with a running group this past summer and really enjoyed getting to know other runners with similar goals. But everyone “out there” running rocks my running world! Regardless of age, fitness level or goals, just running or walking to better yourself is an accomplishment and I totally respect and feel admiration for every runner!
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| Terri and a bunch of our =PR= crew after a long run! |
What advice do you have for other runners out there? Start small and do whatever you can. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else! Whether you can run 20 miles or 2 miles, at least you are out there doing something active. Just put one foot in front of another and keep moving! You can do anything you set your mind to! Best Wishes!
