Share Your Special Race Story
Tell us why you walk or run the Tufts Health Plan
10K for Women.
Do you run for your health, to stay focused, to gain self-confidence, for the camaraderie, or just for the fun of it?
Below is a story that was submitted in 2011 by a Tufts Health Plan
10K for Women participant. We found her story inspiring and relevant to so many women! We hope you agree.
It’s Not About Running
By Suzanne Dumaresq
My mother passed away at the age of 54. At the time, I was just 27 years old. I was devastated.
Fast forward 13 years to just a few months before my 40th birthday...my close friend, Anna, who is also an accomplished runner, approached me about setting a goal to run the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women in October 2009. She said, "It will be a birthday gift to you." Anna and I couldn’t be more different, from fitness level to communication style, but there has always been a unique bond between us. I initially said, “I’m not you…”. She retorted, “It’s about being the best you can be.”
Given that a milestone birthday was just around the corner, I gave the idea a tremendous amount of thought. I had never (and I mean never) run before. I thought to myself…I just want to live to see my grandchildren, a joy my Mom had been robbed of. I just want to live longer and be healthier, fitter, better. Finally, I decided I was in and committed to training for my first 10K.
The next day I pulled out my old beat-up sneakers, an ill-fitted t-shirt and shorts and headed to a local 1 mile fun run. I couldn’t finish. I had to walk. Anna stuck with me every step of the way. I felt horrible. My back hurt, my feet hurt, everything hurt. Once I finally crossed the finish line Anna said, “If you are going to do this, we need to prepare you with the right equipment.” Off to the running store we went. Hundreds of dollars later (Anna kept telling me I was worth it) I was outfitted in top of the line running shoes and clothes. I now looked the part.
I began a full-fledged training schedule in June 2009. Anna told me what to do and I did it. I ran five times a week, cross-trained one day and took one day to rest. She was with me for many runs, especially the long ones. She’d encourage, yell and cajole…whatever it took to keep me moving, to keep me believing in myself. When October 12, 2009 rolled around I was nervous. I’d trained, but could I do it?! I was almost 40 years old. I had only been running for a few months, I was chubby and a little slow. I stood at the starting line with Anna and welled-up in tears. In her typical tough gal style she said, “Are you crying?! You haven’t even done it yet.”
I ran well that day. I never walked…not one step. In fact, at one point Anna asked, “Do you need a 1 minute walk break?” I forcefully told her what she could do with her break. She was proud of my determination. I completed the 6.2 mile course in a little over an hour. I had done it. Happy Birthday to me!
The following year in October 2010 I was filled with confidence. I had kept up with my training, I was in great shape. I just wanted to beat the time I had posted the previous year. However, as I stood at the starting line I wasn’t feeling it. I had been running consistently for well over a year now. I had learned that ‘some days you had it and some days you didn’t.’ I was quite certain I didn’t have it that day.
Anna had planned to pace me…we were off and running. At the Mile 1 marker she said, “I don’t want to scare you, but you just ran the fastest mile you’ve ever run.” I was scared, but I kept focused, reassuring myself that I could do it. In Mile 5 Anna said, “How much gas do you have left in your tank?” I whined (and she absolutely hates that), “Not much.” She said simply, “Pick up the pace.” I poured it on…gave it everything I had. With less than a quarter mile to go my legs felt like Jell-O. I was sure I was about to drop to the pavement. I literally cried out “Anna!” She came to my side and I whimpered, “I don’t think I’m going to make it.” She leaned in and yelled in my face “You are going to make it. You’ve come all this way…get over that finish line!”
In that moment I thought about my Mom, about reaching the goal I had set for myself and about being the best that I could be. I literally sprinted and sailed over the finish line with a time of 1:04:20, 2 minutes and 26 seconds faster than the year before. Again, I’d accomplished my goal with a little help from my friend!
Anna training me for this amazing event changed my life. The Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women is not about running. It’s about women supporting women, believing in yourself and one another, being the best that you can be -- and starting strong and finishing stronger in everything you do.
