Salem, Oregon's
Running & Walking Club Site
Home of
Willamette Valley Road Runners (WVRR)
www.WVRoadrunners.org.

How running   Became an
Integral part  Of my Life
by Fenny Roberts

Running became important in my life at a later age than perhaps most of my running peers. It be-came real important after a couple of significant events in my life. I was born in 1952 in the Indonesian jungle. Because of civil unrest, my family was forced to move to Australia to escape turmoil. We stayed in Australia for three months and then we immigrated to Holland. At the age of nine my family moved to the United States, and settled eventually in southern California. As a youth, I was involved in many activities including swimming, ballet, ice-skating in Holland, gymnastics, synchronized swimming and dance. I lived near the YMCA and discovered their fitness programs and youth activities and I have been an active member since then. As a youth I did some running in PE and even held the 9th grade school record for 3 miles that stood for quite some time.

In college, I continued to do modern dance and jazz, along with some swimming. As a young adult raising children; I did swim and do some ballet and dance.

I moved to Oregon in 1986 with my family and was involved in ballet, step aerobics, and dance. In 1987, Carole McCann, my step aerobics instructor, invited me to join her jogging group. It was very mild compared to what I do now. All this went well for some time but then I started developing some bladder problems. All this resulted in extensive surgery.  Then After three weeks it was found that I also had developed abdominal hernias. After a six-month period I then had hernia surgery. During this procedure, the doctor determined I had more than just a hernia problem. My stomach muscles had to be rearranged, and they had to heal. This is where running really came into my life. The doctor told me I had to start running in order to heal. He said I needed forward movement not the up and down bounce and impact of aerobics—not t jogging but running. I said, "You want me to run when I can't even walk"? He did say to start with a walk. One block the first day, two blocks the next day, whatever you can handle by wearing this brace I was given. After one month, I would not need the brace except when I ran. In the second month, I ran one block the first day, two blocks the second day and so on. This was the way I healed after these surgeries that took place in 1997.

A friend at the Y, Larry Brown, started walking with me for companionship during this time. When I started running he would run with me, painfully slow at first. Eventually, we started training in the west hills of Salem. He was trying to get me ready for the Steens Mountain run. There in 1998, I placed 3rd in my age division. Now I was starting to get hooked. I also started meeting other runners and running with other groups. I ran my first marathon in Portland in 1998 on only 2 ½ months of training. My second marathon was at Newport in June of 1999, and I was much improved. My 3rd marathon a couple of months later was the very difficult Crater Lake Rim Run.

One day at the YMCA, I met Eb Englemann, and he encouraged me to attempt the longer ultra distances that I do now. Eb get me into the 50k, the 50 and 100 milers and 24-hour runs I do now. There is so much more about what running does that I would like to talk about, both personally and in general. Running certainly changed my life for the better and made it so much fuller. I have made so many nice friends just through running that I would never have met otherwise.

In conclusion, at this stage in my life, I prefer trails to running on the roads. After seven years, my body feels the effects of the roads, because of the distances I do. I love running in the open air, feeling the fresh air on my face, the smell of trees, the flowers, and the sound of water and waterfalls. I can't meditate and think as well on the roads because of traffic and other distractions. I enjoy God's creations and letting my thoughts run. Most of the time I have songs running through my head. But I do focus on good running form, posture, speed accelerations on fartleks, relaxing my shoulders, and my breathing pattern. Sometimes it takes 20 miles to find my rhythm, and in ultras sometimes it takes 80 miles.

Have I given you a little taste of trail running? I no longer run 7 days a week. I run long one day, intermediate distance once and speed of some sort another day. Other days, I do yoga, pilates, ballet, and teach synchro and these same activities at the Y and other places. I also need time for my two grandsons.

I am trying to stay healthy and run relaxed. If you want to run try to be goal-oriented, whether it is your first 3k, 5k, 10k, or marathon. This will keep you motivated. For others maybe just a two-mile run to keep you fit and in the clothes you like to wear, will suffice daily. Whatever your goal just keep moving. Remember movement is life; life is movement