Meet Marcia, our #FRWSD Member of the Week!
Hailing from Wisconsin, High School basketball first led her towards a passion for running. Her twin sister convinced her that joining the cross country / track teams would help them get in shape for basketball… little did they know that those decisions would cultivate into a lifetime passion for running (for both of them)! In senior year, their cross-country team went all the way to state, and their 4x800m team set records for their HS! Now, almost every time Marcia goes back home, she gets together with her sister, former cross country coach, and a former teammate for special ‘gossip runs.’
Once, on a training run, a group of them got lost on the trails and accidently ran 19 miles instead of 12 (with no H2O, one energy block shared by 3 people, and SO much mud)! That incident led to the realization that she could run marathons!
In ‘13, the year of the Boston Marathon bombings, Marcia went to watch her sister run it. They were one block from the finish line when the bombs went off. Due to the trauma of the experience, they decided to run it together in 2 years. While injury kept her sister from running it with her, she helped Marcia with the training to qualify: Marcia set her PR running the Portland Marathon at 3 hours 28 minutes [and her first BQ]! Completing the last mile of the Boston Marathon [with all the cheering fans] is one of Marcia’s most memorable running experiences.
She also has a lot of fond memories of long training runs with her dog, Blazer; at one point, Blazer got up to a 16-mile run! Although Blazer mostly participates in cool-down walks now, he used to love getting excited when Marcia would start putting on her running clothes [as he was not about to get left behind]!
Marcia’s brainy career as a neuroscientist eventually led her from Wisconsin to Portland, Chicago, and [finally] San Diego; while she did join running groups in those other cities, Front Runners & Walkers San Diego (FRWSD) is her all-time favorite group! She arrived in San Diego on a Fri afternoon (in ‘16), and went to her 1st FRWSD event the very next morning; she still remembers how Ken came up to her and welcomed both her and Blazer. She instantly felt like she had a family, as everyone was so warm and accepting! Even when she steps away for a while, it’s as if no time has passed upon her return. She also served on our board in 2020.
Running has always been a huge part of her life, but its meaning has changed a lot for her over time. During some periods, she’s been really focused on racing and becoming physically fitter. Other periods, it’s been about mental recovery and stress-relief. Since the birth of her daughter, Camila, it has changed again. She loves to put Camila in the running stroller and share her love of running with her; she’s so excited for the day when Camila might love running and choose to go for a run with her moms!
