Each month we highlight runners, walkers, and athletes that inspire you to keep setting new, scary goals, and remind us why we run together in the first place. 

Fleet Feet Running Club, Syracuse Training Programs

Athlete Spotlight: Lari Rutherford 

By Lari Rutherford

I ran Cross Country and Track in High School. After high school, I was a casual runner putting in a mile here, 2 miles there. By my 30’s I would often say I hated running and had no desire to run a marathon or half marathon. Add a bad knee full of scar tissue after ACL reconstruction, and I never thought I’d be a runner.

Late in 2019, I heard about a 5K and Half Marathon geared toward newbie runners scheduled for December in Austin, TX. In February 2020 I turned 41 and I decided to go out for a 1-2 mile run because we had a sunny day. The run turned into 4 miles of run/walk which gave me a sense of accomplishment since I hadn’t had in months. A few days later, I shared a crazy idea with my husband. What if in December we took a trip to Austin, TX and I run my first half marathon? I expected him to call me crazy and I could talk myself out of it. My husband did the opposite and encouraged me to click Submit on the half marathon registration. It was real. All I could do now was train. I told myself I didn’t need to run fast, I just needed to finish. I told myself that I had 8.5 months to prepare.

I started building my base in March and planned to run 3 days a week. Shortly into my running journey, the world shut down with COVID-19. The universe works in strange ways. I usually travel a lot for work, but suddenly found myself with more time. Without a 30 minute drive to work and countless hours in airports, I had no excuses. I was grateful to get outside and the physical activity and fresh air kept me sane in the early weeks of quarantine. It kept me moving forward and was a thing I could control in a world we had no control over. That spring I couldn’t run more than 1.5 miles before I had to walk. It wasn’t fun, but I kept at it.

I found a groove running 3-4 days a week and by Fall was ready to start formal training. I remember seeing the 8-mile training run on the calendar wondering how I’d make it. I took it day by day, and the first day I ran 8 miles, I couldn’t believe it. Maybe I could do this 13.1 thing. By late October, my race had gone virtual. I had put in so much work, I was determined to still run it virtually. Right before Thanksgiving, I went to OLP for a 12-mile training run and decided this was my day to go 13.1. I did it… alone. No crowds, no other runners. I was doing it for me at that point. At mile 11, tears. Tears because I knew even if I had to hobble, I’d make it. Tears because I was about to achieve an amazing goal. Tears because despite hating running for so long, it became a foundation for keeping me sane in an otherwise insane 2020. When I finished I swore I’d NEVER do that again. I’d keep running but would never sign up for a half again. Been there. Done that.

As winter set in, I wasn’t sure how I’d be motivated to keep up runs all winter. I signed up for the No Boundaries 10K program with no idea what to expect. I discovered I LOVE speed work. Those workouts were a turning point that made me identify as a Runner for the first time since high school. I loved feeling like an athlete again and signed up for the Annual Distance program to continue my running journey.

Running is a way I can decompress. If I am at my desk all day, a 1-mile shakeout feels great before dinner. Running has also introduced me to a great community. I’ve loved getting to know the people in my Fleet Feet pace group. We get to know each other when we have 6-10 miles of talk time. I’ve gone from hating running to loving it. I’ve learned to step outside my comfort zone and challenge myself physically. And as for never doing another half marathon… I’ll see you all at the Wineglass Half in October!

Fleet Feet Running Club, Syracuse Training Programs