Learning to juggle

Name: Cynthia O'Halloran
Home: Oakville
Age: 46

Life before running
I started running in my mid-twenties.  I had just graduated from university but, it was the eighties, and jobs for teachers were far and few between.  I ended up teaching aerobic classes part-time, which soon became full-time.  Once I finally found work in my field and stopped teaching aerobic classes, I no longer enjoyed taking them either; I just found that I wasn't getting anything out of them.  But I was use to an active lifestyle so I started running.

It didn't take long for me to get hooked.  I found it easy to complete 10ks because I already had the cardiovascular endurance.  My biggest challenge was developing new leg muscles, ones that hadn't been built in the aerobic studio.  I will never forget how sore my quads were after my first 10k race, the Pointe de Pointe in Toronto; they ached for days.  But I felt such an adrenalin rush after that race that I knew running was for me.

Turning Point
Late one night I was reading race results in the Ontario Road Runners newsletter (at least I think that's what it was) and learned that I was listed among the top runners.  Being a "newbie," I was completely shocked that I was running that well.  This was the biggest motivator in my becoming more serious.

Once I felt I had "mastered" the 10k distance, I needed more; it is now obvious that I had become a running junkie.  It wasn't long before I ran a few half marathons and two marathons.  I didn't know what I was doing though.  My training was minimal for the distances involved but, being young, I was able to finish (both marathons were sub 4:00s).  I could proudly call myself a marathon runner.

Being goal-driven, I decided to give the marathon another go and try to qualify for Boston.  This time, I had a little more maturity and experience to guide me and I did qualify in Toronto.  Did I go?  No, and I don't regret that either.

The Plan
Today, twenty years later, I see myself as a reborn runner.  In my thirties, I became asthmatic, a teacher, a wife and a mother.  All of these simply got in the way of my running, forcing me to run on and off for a decade.

Ironically, these same things now move my running forward. I have simply refused to let asthma take over; I've learned how to train with meds and how to warm up my lungs so that I don't have asthma attacks before long runs and races.

The biggest change in my running, though, has come from the support groups that I have around me.  My friends and co-workers, many of whom are non-runners, would always entertain me by listening to my tales of the road; now, they initiate those conversations.  My family - my husband and two sons (9 and 4 years old) - are my biggest fans.  My sons often join me when I run (bike and baby jogger) and they are always there for me when I race. Involving those around me, by talking about runs or including them in runs, makes it easy for me to want to continue pushing my limits and moving forward.

The Biggest Reward
The most amazing thing that running has done for me is taught me to face challenges.  First, it has taken me years to conquer asthma and running.  Now I can run without the fear of an asthma attack and that is so , so satisfying.  I beat asthma!

I've also had to face the challenge of the aging process.  After returning to the running scene, my times were much slower, but never did I let myself think that I was getting slower because I was older.  Instead, I started to push myself like I did when I was in my twenties.  Now I'm keeping up with the young'uns - some of them half my age!  That feels great!

My greatest challenge is making time for running with my job and family.  Some days, it's easy, sometimes it's hard and others, it is downright impossible.  It's a juggling act.


My tips for success
1.  A Japanese proverb states that "vision without action is a dream."  In other words, make a plan.  It's one thing to say that you want to run a 5k, 10k or marathon but, in order to do it, you have to plan.  Pick a race, register for it and plan your training.  If you're not racing, pick a time goal and work toward that.

2.  Involve the people around you in your training.  This could be delegating tasks around the house so that you have time to get your run in.  With me, involving family means taking the boys with me when I run.  My youngest loves to ride in the jogger; if he isn't he is waiting at home to run with me after - a great cool-down for me.  My oldest rides his bike and accompanies me on all of my long runs; he's my waterboy!  I've reached the point in my running where my boys are planning my routes and driving me to get out for a run.  Including them takes work but it helps me to reach my goals.

3. After a big event, plan something new.  It's too easy for the momentum to drop after the big race; aiming for another event keeps things positive.