Runner Spotlight - J.R. Mues

My name is Jone Elizabeth Roberts Mues. I was born July 9 1978 in Tarrytown NY and Louisville is my home. You may call me J.R. or Jone or Mues or Elizabeth and occasionally other words apply to me and I know it so that’s okay too.

I have had many occupations and likely continue to do so but I will always be a visual and verbal artist and also an iconoclast and a serious funner.

I never liked athletics. In school I was never an athlete or even mediocre in physical education and I was almost always picked last for any team sport.  In 1989 I was diagnosed with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and the treatment included exercise. That was when I started running.

Running and stretching and weight lifting and push ups strengthened my body but to this day I still have an 18 degree curvature and stand with my right leg bent to cover my mismatched hips in photographs. I also never became a team player or even a competitive runner in school but in 1992 I earned the national physical fitness award during my school fitness testing.  I now had respect from many of the basketball and football players and cheerleaders because most of them did not earn one though they tried.

Running is a sport you have to do for yourself.  Others can coach you and you can have friends support you but it's really about you and your ambition and your courage to be the best. As a non team player this is probably why I liked it as well as hunting and fishing which overtook running when I was in my 20s and 30s. I even adopted my eastern box turtle Leona while on a fishing trip.

There was a renewed interest in running in 2013. I turned 35 and started gaining weight and the old workout was no longer hard enough to keep me in shape. The start of competitive running began in 2016 after a few friends passed away and another retired and one moved away. I no longer had people to talk with regularly or to go hunting and fishing with so I needed to fill that void with something else I enjoyed.

I started running River City because some of the events were on weekday evenings and on Sundays when I am best available. I am happy to meet so many strong and friendly runners at River City of whom I can test my ability and I have yet to meet a runner with a bad attitude.

I was in a few races but even at my top performance I was only finishing in the middle at best. Suddenly I wasn't okay with that because it bothered me I was running longer and longer distances and not getting any faster. I wanted to be fast because I never was.

In the summer of 2017 I cleaned out the garage and found my national physical fitness award patch. I remembered how hard I had to work to earn it and it wasn't even the top presidential award. I figured some people had natural speed and athletic abilities but I didn't.

But then I heard these words from a once very fast friend: “You can be fast and maybe even faster than anyone else. Most people are born with everything they need to get where they want to go but most of them don't use what they have and settle for less. You should know after you earned that patch and caught all those big fish.”

So following his suggestions on December 31 2017 I started running 200 m wind sprints before running regularly 3-4 times a week a one mile wind sprint every two months to see how much my time has improved. Wind sprints strengthen your core muscles and if you develop a strong core you will increase your endurance and speed. No natural ability is needed, only grit and discipline.

Running is hard. If something is easy for me doesn't mean as much. In a race you never know what you will run into out there so I find any race potentially difficult. I have no favored distance but the weather and terrain can make you or break you. I am not a trail runner or a hill runner. Keep it hard and flat with no grass and I will stay fast but if there’s wind or rain or ice or snow or it’s just gonna blow.

In 2018 I also learned running recovery is just as important as preparation. I changed my diet and eat chicken and fish and broccoli and carrots and celery every day so I will stay fueled and keep my muscles from getting sore. After a long distance race like a half marathon I have two to four days of rest. Eating a high protein and carbohydrate dinner the evening before a race and eating a light breakfast like a bagel and one or two eggs the morning of will give you the added fuel you need to push yourself.

I do not run well in hot weather or cold weather but I do it anyway because every day you run is another day of progress. The more you do the more you can do. In the last year I went from 10+ minute mile best averages to 8.5 minute mile averages. My blood pressure and weight also dropped and I was able to meet my goal of running a 10K in less than 60 minutes in September 2018. On January 1 2019 I broke that 59:58 record and ran a 10K in 55:30 after getting a new pair of practice shoes. Do not neglect your feet because they can really hurt you. It is good for your body and soul to keep your soles in shape too.

One of my goals in 2019 is to run 7 minute mile averages and run a half marathon in less than 120 minutes. I don’t worry about not meeting a goal by a certain time because I know one day I will reach it just like Leona eventually gets where she wants to go thought it might take a while for her to get there. It has taken me decades to get this far and I expect this is just the beginning. I always remember to go and go with the flow and never stop moving even if it’s slow.

Runner Spotlight - Ben King

My first introduction to running was when I entered the tenth grade at Iroquois High School in 1967. They told everyone who was planning on going out for basketball that year that they would like them to run cross country to get in shape. I was planning to go out for basketball so I joined the cross country team. 

 Then when basketball season rolled around I tried out, and got cut. I felt like it was the end of the world. I still remember how sad I was. So I played a lot of basketball at the park, mostly Wyandotte Park. Sometimes I would pick up my basketball, run to the park, play ball, then pick up my ball, and run back home with it. 

I kept pursuing the running, and found that I really loved doing it. I practiced a lot on my own the summer before my junior year and went out for cross country again that year. 

My coach recognized me that year as the most improved runner on the team. My fondest memories of my high school career are tied to running cross country and my relationship with the coach. I can still hear certain songs on the radio from that era, and it transports me right back to high school, and being on the cross country team. 

In those days a varsity meet was 2 miles. Our home course was the meadow on top of Iroquois Park. Then it was just a huge grassy field, not a wetland or anything. It was measured out to a mile, and we ran it twice. 

Then as life went on I did not run for a number of years, but what I would do is go out and do a walk/jog, and go back and forth between walking and jogging. For some reason in my mind I had convinced myself that as I got older that maybe running wasn’t that great for your knees so wasn’t sure I should just run without mixing in walking. 

However in May, 2012 at U of L where I worked they were going to have a “Run for the L of it” 5k on Belknap campus. I remember thinking, “I wonder if I could still run 3 miles? So I registered for it, ran the whole thing, and just really enjoyed it. That was my first 5k, and my introduction back to running. So since that time I have gotten back to running only without mixing in the walking.

In 1998 I signed up to run with the torch for U of L’s bicentennial. The torch was relayed to me at River Road and Zorn Avenue. Then I ran down River Road, and handed it off.

Favorite distance: I would say the 5k. I also enjoy the 10k’s. I am kind of a creature of habit, and I have not tried longer distances than a 10k. I have not done the mini or a marathon.

Running walking advice: I would mainly say to enjoy yourself, and never worry about what someone else is doing or how they are running. I don’t even use my GPS watch to pace myself. I don’t look at it during the run. I just run how I feel like running and try to enjoy the ride.

I enjoy running the River City Races events because everyone involved is so enthused about putting them on, and always makes them a smooth, fun experience. I feel like one part of a large family.

Anything else you’d like to share: I have met a group of people that I collectively refer to as my running buddies. It is always fun to see them. This is even more meaningful to me after having retired from U of L in 2017 after 40 years of service exactly to the day.

Since I first wrote this piece I have now participated in my first 15k, The Downtown Doubler. I was nervous never having done the distance before, but it went fine, and I enjoyed some beautiful scenery close up in west Louisville.

Runner Spotlight - Stacy Alvey

In 2006 I was extremely over weight and desperate to lose the weight.  It was then I convinced my Dad and a few other family members to run the KDF half marathon with me.  It was my hope that the accountability of running with my family would help me to lose the weight. Not only did I lose the weight, I gained a new love for the running community.  Since then I have ran four marathons, eighteen half marathons and helped to lead a training group with my son for many years.   

 A few years ago life took a turn and I had to put running on the back burner and put a lot of the weight back on.  However, this year I was able to see my Dad complete his 10th Boston Marathon and I remembered how much I loved that feeling of crossing the finish line.  Still I struggled as a single Mom of two athletes to find the time to train consistently.   Then I met a couple members of the Moms Run This Town/She Runs this town group that encouraged me through the struggles.  Now not only am I back to hitting the pavement, I have also started lifting with the awesome crew at Area 502 MMA gym. Adding in strength training with my running has really helped me physically and emotionally.  The weight is coming off, I’m getting stronger, and I am improving my pace little by little.   

Everyone likes a good come back-story!

I am so thankful for the Run the 502 challenge, put on by the River City Races. Nothing motivates me more than a cool medal. This challenge has been great for me, getting back into running and being able to complete several different races with different distances.

The best advice that I would give to any run/walkers out there is to get involved with the different groups in the community.  I can tell you I’m not one of those people that loves to go out to get a few miles in just for fun.  For me a big part of running is the social aspect of it. Knowing that you have a group of people that are going to be looking for you is great for accountability and encouragement.

Another great thing about running is that it is something the entire family can get involved with.  For many years my son and I would run together. He even completed his first half-marathon at the eight years old. Now, my 12-year-old daughter is getting into it, too. Not only are we working on our health and fitness, we are creating memories together.

From Fit To Fat And Back Again

1998 Jim October 2017 Jim October 2018 Jim

Runners like numbers so let’s start with a few:

 180/110

235

200 

This time last year those numbers were my blood pressure, my weight and how many meters I could run without stopping for a walk break. 

On the rare occasion anyone would ask me about working out or talk about getting back into shape, I would always quip “Hey, round is a shape!”

Obviously, my days of running 100 mile weeks, hovering around six minute per mile pace are over but hopefully so are my days of being winded after bending over to tie my shoes. 

I’m not passing judgement on those who struggle with the various challenges to fitness that we all experience, it’s more to say “hey, I’ve been there too.” Hell, if one person is motivated by my “struggle,” I’ll consider it a bonus. 

I can remember when I was fit (the first time), saying “I’ll always run, probably at least seven miles, four or five days a week.” It’s amazing how fast that changed! 

The reasons for that change are many but they all boil down to choices. Choices I made in how to deal with a variety of circumstances. 

Trust me, I understand, everyone has families, jobs and daily pressures that require various amounts of personal attention and energy. However, in the last two years, I’ve come to realize that these responsibilities and pressures can be either magnified or minimized by those around us. Sometimes, we don’t necessarily have a choice regarding who is around us but we do have a choice in how much space they occupy in our life. 

Choices, we all have them, we all make good ones and we all make some that we second guess or even regret. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of each for years to come. 

But I digress. 

Somehow, over the last 10 years or so, I started making the choice to skip a run to sleep a little more, usually after making the choice to skip the previous afternoon’s run so I could go straight to the bar. That choice, quickly turned into a habit, that habit quickly turned into 10 pounds and that turned into 20, you see where this is heading. 

1.5 - That’s the number of bottles of wine I could find myself drinking most nights. 

It was this time about three years ago that I really started to realize that I was making some poor choices. That was magnified by a personal tragedy where I learned a lot about myself and some of the people around me. One of the main lessons I now choose to focus on was that I’m a lucky man and have some great friends. 

Anyway, that tragedy caused me to really think about some of the choices I was making and you know what? I didn’t do a damned thing about it. Sure, I’d go out and run a couple of miles here and there, sometimes as many as two or three days in a row! But overall, I hadn’t really changed anything, mostly because I chose not to. 

Then one August day two years ago, I literally woke up and said “Today is the day.” It was the day that I realized that if I’m going to have a twilight of my life, something had to give. 

I watched my dad pretty much work himself to death. He was a long-haul trucker who loved what he did. His retirement was going to include buying an RV so he could take my mom to see all of the places he had seen over the years. It wasn’t long after he finally retired that he found out he had Parkinson’s, needless to say, he didn’t get that RV...choices. 

So that day in August, I made a choice that I was going to have some sort of life that included actually living.

When people ask me what I’m doing now, I say “Mostly whatever I want.” Some people take that to mean that “everyday is Sunday” but that’s not the case. I haven’t won the lottery and quite possibly will always have to work (maybe I should say “get to work.”). 

So I made that change. I feel like it saved my life. 

38 – That was the waist size of the pants I was wearing. They were tight.

From there, the next series of changes got easier with each one. Without detailing every single one, we ended up in Colorado and the most prevalent thought in my mind everyday was that I can’t live someplace like this and not be able to take advantage of it. It also didn’t hurt that a few really good friends reminded me every chance they had that I looked a lot like the guy that ate Jim Estes. 

And so, with a little badgering, I knew it was time to try to get into some sort of shape other than round. 

I’ve trained at altitude before but I don’t think I fully appreciated how much starting to work out again would hurt. Luckily last summer, Camille and I had started doing some indoor cycling and walking three to four miles a day so at least I wasn’t starting from absolute zero. That much aside, I got comfortable being uncomfortable again. 

During one of our walks, I decided that I was going to mix in a little running, I had no idea how little. I made it 200 meters, it hurt, a lot. And I had to walk nearly a mile before I worked up the nerve to run some more. I managed to run a total of 600 meters during a three mile walk that day. How did this happen?

From the end of October until the end of 2017, I spent nearly every day trying to run just a little farther than I did the day before. Most days it wasn’t fun and from the looks I would get from people at the park, it wasn’t pretty. I’m sure that there were plenty of days that people would look at me and say “Well at least he’s trying...”

For the first time in my life, I made a New Year’s Resolution, I was not going to have drink for an entire month. That would end up turning into five months, just to hit the old reset button. 

3500 – 4000 – The number of calories I was eating a day. I started keeping track of what I was taking in, mostly out of curiosity but found that not only was I taking in way too many calories, I was taking in the wrong amounts of things like fat and carbohydrates. Naturally the next change was diet.

Now I won’t say that I completely overhauled my diet, but I did start to pay attention to what I was taking in. I set limits on different things and stuck to them – mostly.

That’s another thing. I learned not to beat myself up or consider everything a total loss if I missed a workout or gave in to a craving on a particular day. I did know that I would have to choose to refocus again the next day.

In March, we bought bikes and I started riding every day and running/walking three to four miles four days a week. 

This would be my pattern until April this year, when I could finally run an entire mile without stopping. By May, I was running three whole miles! A long run was when I felt good and could do four! 

From there, a couple of trips back to sea level saw me running four and five miles at a time. I even did a couple of seven mile runs during a trip to Minneapolis in mid-May. I felt like Superman, because you know, oxygen!

After a few weeks of consistent running, I somehow got roped into running a 3K up in Boulder and surprisingly I wasn’t demoralized. I definitely didn’t set the world on fire, but I now had a target. 

36 – I was back in pants with a 36 waist and by now, I was proud of the roughly 25 pounds I had lost. 

During remaining summer months, I managed to get to the point where I could run 8 miles a day almost every day. 

I know it sounds cliché but it’s unbelievable how much better I feel, both physically and emotionally. I won’t say that my energy is limitless but it’s a ton better than it was a year ago!

By the beginning of this month, I could drop in a 10-mile run here and there. It was pretty cool to be able to go out and run with a couple of different friends when I was in the Twin Cities for the marathon. In fact, that weekend, I think I caught the marathon bug again. If all goes well, I think I might be doing one in the spring. Fingers crossed!

The last set of numbers for now:

121/81

177 

13

32

2

This week, that was my blood pressure, my weight, how far I ran in miles on Sunday, the waist size of my pants (they’re baggy!) and the number of toenails I lost after the 13-mile run.

Choices take effort, but it turns out, they also take time. They lead you down different paths to different places where you meet different people or get to know old friends in different ways. 

Runner Spotlight - Lynn Riedling

My running story began in January of 2001.  With encouragement from my cousin, Monica Pemberton, I joined a local running group called the Trekos  I was 40 years old and had not ever done any running before.  The group was preparing for the Triple Crown races, and we met every Saturday for group runs.  The Trekos leader kept moving me up into faster pace groups as the weeks progressed.  I still wasn’t sure how all of this training was going to play out.  But after completing the Rodes City Run, the Papa John’s Ten-Miler, and the Mini-Marathon, I began to feel that I had found a sport that I really enjoyed.  Now my focus shifted to a higher goal---a 26.2 mile marathon.  In January of 2002, I completed my first marathon at Walt Disney World.  I was surprised to learn that my time had qualified me for Boston.  In April of 2003, I ran my first Boston Marathon.  I went back to Boston two more times.  On each occasion, both my Mom and Dad were cheering me on at the finish line.  While the Las Vegas and Flying Pig Marathons are two of my favorite venues, I feel most passionate about the many and varied Disney races I have participated in.  However, the half-marathon is my favorite distance.

          My best marathon time has been 3:15:12.

          My best half-marathon time has been 1:30:35.

          My best 5K time has been 19:22.

For the last six years, I have enjoyed being part of an amazing group of runners that make up our Bourbon Chase team.  It is a 200 mile relay event, stretching from Jim Beam in Clermont and following the Bourbon Trail to Lexington, Ky.

By profession, I am a first grade teacher of 36 years in the Jefferson County Public Schools at Foster Traditional Academy.  My advice to the running/walking community would be the same advice that I try to instill in my 6 and 7 year old students:  always strive for excellence in all you do; set goals; reach for the stars; keep a positive outlook; and never give up.

Through the River City Racing events, I have been able to form and build lasting friendships with the local running community.  I am so very grateful to all who have encouraged me over the past 17 years.  I have found that the River City Racing events are well organized, racing results are promptly recorded, and wonderful staff members make everyone feel welcome and special. 

So as I close, I encourage runners, as I do my class of first graders, to always challenge yourself to do your best.  You may not always win, and everything will not be easy, but if you do your best, then there will be some positive results.

Dr. Seuss sums it up well:“You’re off to great places!Today is your day!Your mountain is waiting.So get on your way!”Whatever, that mountain is for you;AIM HIGH.It’s different for each person, but will represent a big goal in your life that is going to take strength, perseverance, and an I CAN DO IT attitude to accomplish.