Life of a Runner: Beth Goldberg

Here is the portion of my blog where I feature different runners and their thoughts on a few different ideas. I hope that all of you enjoy reading and learning about different runners as much as I do. If you would like to be featured as a runner, send me an email! I would be more than happy to feature any runner who contacts me!

Life of a Runner: Beth Goldberg, 36

Runner and mom, from Iowa.

How long have you been running for?

I began running track in high school, but it was not until my freshman year in college that I started to run longer distances and began trying different distances.

What shoes are you currently running in?

 Brooks Adrenaline

Are you training for anything at the moment?

Not at this exact moment, but in a couple of weeks, I will begin training for the Marion Arts Half Marathon and then the Minneapolis Half Marathon, both are in May.

What would you say is your favorite race that you have ran so far?

I have so many "favorites" that it is hard to choose, but I suppose the Madison Half is special to me because it was my first.

What is the most interesting thing that has ever happened to you on a run?

Where do I begin? Once I was hit by a bus. It was just a nudge as he slammed on his breaks while I stood screaming in the middle of the street. It was entirely my fault and I have since learned my lesson about 4 way stops. Another strange incident that was NOT my fault was when 2 strange men in a truck kept looping my route yelling profanities at me. I was out in the country and quickly became terrified. I memorized their license plate and repeated it over and over and over again until I reached a housing development. Lesson learned... Don't run alone on country roads, always run with my phone and teach all the boys that sit in my classroom each day that yelling any profanity at a women, joking or not is NOT ok. A final interesting event involved aggressive birds and my swinging ponytail. Need I say more?

Why did you first start running?

The dreaded Freshman 15!

What keeps you going?

Now, at age 36 there are a few things that keep me going. 1. My girls. I have 2 daughters Maggie (7) and Elise (4) and it's important for me to model a healthy and active lifestyle for them. I don't simply want to talk about or lecture them, I want to SHOW them. Running helps me do that. 2. The endorphins. The 'high' after a good run is simply amazing and the endorphins help me stay energized to fulfill all of my roles...wife, mother, teacher, sister, daughter and friend. 3. Running both humbles me and challenges me and I for one, appreciate something that can do that.

What is your favorite post-run food?

Wine. Just kidding. I'm usually not hungry after a run but when it finally settles in, I love melted peanut butter on apples with a few dark chocolate chips on top. Ok, maybe more than a few chocolate chips. :)

If you could run a race anywhere in the world, where would you run?

Up to this point, I've strictly been a half marathon girl. I'm toying with trying a full marathon this year. With that being said, I sometimes dream of running the Boston or New York marathons. However, if you're looking for a realistic dream race, I'd love to go anywhere tropical.

What piece of advice would you offer to new runners?

I have 3 pieces of advice. 1. Put down your Garmin and or app that tells you your pace and or time every 30 seconds and just run. This is advice that I need to remind myself of often. It's so hard to ignore the GIANT (elephant in the room) clock at the end of each race but that's not what it is about. 2. Find a running buddy to hold you accountable. 3. Drink water, lots and lots of water.