Life of a Runner: Josie Visser

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: Josie Visser, 22

Josie is a runner from the state of Iowa.

Finishing districts her senior year at Coe, her last XC race

How long have you been running for?

I have been running for as long as I can remember!! I started running competitively in middle school, but I had no idea what I was doing! I thought I was a sprinter, but when the coaches told me I would be running distance, I was down right angry! For me, at that point in my life, the thought of running even a mile seemed like an insane thing to do!! Now, almost a decade later, I don't know what my life would be like without running! I actually did not go out for cross country until my sophomore year of highschool (it took me that long to admit I was a distance runner!) and it took my coach (then chemistry teacher) weeks of finding me in the hallway and telling me to come to the pre-season meeting. I did not realize it at time, but it was one of the best decisions I ever made! Running gave me something to be proud of in highschool, kept me sane in college, has been the connecting point of so many great friendships and forces me to stay healthy. I think the biggest thing that I take away from running, is that the hours spent on the road, give me time to think, create, problem solve, digest life stressors and most importantly, talk to God. Many times my solo long runs are spent praying and admiring the beauty of God's creation. Sometimes ten or fifteen miles go by before I realize I am still having a conversation with myself. Those are the best kind of runs. I love it!!

What shoes are you running in right now?

Thats a tricky questions. Currently I am running in both the Nike Structure and the Brooks Glycerin. Now, for anyone who knows anything about shoes, you know that doesn't make any sense what-so-ever. However, I have a custom insert in the Glycerin, which has built it up enough that I can run in it. I also do my long runs in the Glycerin because there is more shoe, but my shorter, faster runs with the structure. It probably still does not make any sense, but hey, it works for me!!

Are you training for anything right now?

Currently I am training for the Kenosha, Wisconsin marathon on May 2.

What would you say your absolute favorite race that you have ever done is?

Districts my sophomore years of high school cross country was my favorite race. I would say, that race has been the only time in my life where I truly walked away being able to say that I gave everything I had. I ran my best time ever (even to this day) and truly walked away feeling accomplished. I think that reason I was never able to do that again, is because after that race, I realized that I could actually run and at that point, a lot of the fun left running for me. I let a lot of outside pressure take away the joy of running for the rest of high school career and it wasn't until college that I truly began to love running again. However, by the time I was running in college, I was involved with so many other things, that I did not have the time or energy to devote to running in the same way I did in high school. So, even though I once again truly love running, I have never really been able to race like I did in high school.

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

After my sophomore year of college, I went home for the summer. On one of the first mornings home, I went for a run around the section (I grew up on a farm in the middle of nowhere) and was attacked by a pitbull that came from a neighboring farm. I ended up having to walk a mile and a half to the next farm place, where the neighbor drove me home. When my parents saw the gash in my leg, they rushed me to hospital, where I was put out and rushed into surgery. I ended up having 15 stitches on the inside of my leg (the bite went all the way down to the muscle) and 23 on the outside. The dog also had to be killed and sent to Iowa State, where it was tested for rabies, because it had not received rabies vaccination. The good news was the dog did not have rabies, so I did not have to have the rabies shots, which are apparently very painful. I did, however, have a two month set back in my cross country training for the fall of my junior year, as my leg healed!

Do you have a running-themed goal?

My ultimate goal is to run 50 marathons--one in every state!

What is your pre-race ritual?

Before every race I pray. Usually my thoughts don't even make sense--but I pray because even though running is not a contact sport, a lot can go wrong during a race!

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

Antarctica --because after a certain point, the challenge is not just the race itself, but the location and elements.

Is there a specific race that you hope to eventually run in? 

TCS Amsterdam Marathon--so I have done a lot of traveling but I have never been to the Netherlands and i am 100% Dutch! I almost feel guilty about it sometimes!! When I finally do make it there, I might as well run a marathon, right?

At the finish of the TC Medtronic full marathon