For this edition of Wear My Shoes, we interviewed a couple of Fleet Feet faithfuls who ran Boston on April 16! Way to go Hannah and Ron!
Hannah:
Of all the shoes you wear, which are your favorite and why? Brooks Levitate are my go-to running shoes. I alternate between them and Brooks Ghost, but race in the Levitates. Chris Minkel introduced me to the Levitates about 6 months ago and I haven’t looked back. Named appropriately, they seem to give an extra boost to your step/stride to propel you forward a bit.
Have you ever had a nickname? What is it? Red. I guess it’s because I have red hair. I’ve lived a few different places in my adult life and it seems that people everywhere call me that at some point. My husband might say “Red” stands for my firey personality, but I think it’s just the hair color.
What was your first job? I was a lifeguard during my summers in high school. Best job I’ve ever had.
What’s your favorite family tradition? Every Thanksgiving my family goes to Hilton Head Island, where my amazing 93-year-old grandmother lives, and we spend the week with her. My sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, parents and everyone rides bikes, plays tennis, run, and watches football all week. On Thanksgiving day, several of us run the Turkey Trot on the Island.
Aside from necessities, what’s something you can’t live without? Coffee! I drink 4-5 cups of coffee a day. I have to limit my coffee intake before races, so I don’t get dehydrated.
If you had 30 minutes of free time, what would you do? Lace-up my running shoes, find a good route, and head out for a nice, easy run.
If you were Waldo, where would you be? Hiking in the mountains, probably Yosemite National Park, the best national park!
Ron:
Of all the shoes that you wear, which are your favorite and why? After many years of road running only in Brooks or Nike shoes, I transitioned to Hoka One One as I started doing more trail running. Now I rotate between several models of Hoka. Currently I’m using the Clayton for longer runs, the Cavu for tempo runs and races over 10K, and the Tracer for speed work and 5Ks.
Have you ever had a nickname? What is it? I’ll probably regret sharing this, but when I was younger my family and friends called me “Scrawny Ronnie” because I was skinny and bony. I miss those days of eating whatever I wanted and not gaining weight!
What was your first job? I had a newspaper route for several years up until high school. I got up at 4:20 a.m. every morning in all kinds of weather and rode my bicycle around my neighborhood to deliver my hometown paper – The Statesman Journal in Salem, Oregon. I loved that job because it instilled a sense of discipline in me that I later drew on in the Army and in long-distance running.
What’s your favorite family tradition? My wife and I and our two children celebrate every birthday in our family by waking up whoever’s birthday it is and singing Happy Birthday and presenting a muffin (or whatever we can find) with a lit birthday candle to blow out.
Aside from necessities, what’s something you can’t live without? Probably a foam roller. I have different sizes of the Trigger Point Grid Roller, and one always goes with me no matter where I’m traveling.
If you had 30 minutes of free time, what would you do? Stretch. As I’ve gotten older I’ve come to appreciate how important it is to stretch regularly and maintain flexibility. It can be hard to fit it in some days, but it’s essential to keeping me on the road.
If you were Waldo, where would you be? I’ll go philosophical on this one and say that I just want to be present in any given moment, no matter where I am or what I’m doing. I’m just like everyone else with goals and a bucket list, but I strive to always appreciate the journey and the process as much as the destination.
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