Athlete Bio: Lisa McClellan

Fate. Chance.  Whatever you call it.  That’s what lead me to Lisa.  I was in Whole Foods, in Fairfax, VA, preparing a quick lunch at the salad bar before visiting an account.  Over artichoke salad I heard, “Are you {will run for margaritas}?”  I looked up, surprised that someone, anyone, had recognized me from my blog.  It was Lisa, from RunWiki, I had just read her Boston Qualifier race report, I had just tweeted how excited I was for her.  We talked, I met her family, we hugged – it’s like we had known each other forever. Fate, it’s a crazy, cool thing.

Since that day in Whole Foods, Lisa and I have talked, met for lunch, emailed.  She is such an amazing woman.  I’m thankful for the time that I’m able to spend with her before her family moves to California in June.  Lisa’s husband is in the Navy, and she’s the mother to 3 beautiful children (including a set of twins). 

Lisa gets things done – and that’s what I love about her.  She’s makes running a priority in her life, but not at the expense of her family.  When you approach life the way Lisa does, things work out.  Lisa – thank you for coming up to me in Whole Foods that day, I’m going to miss you when you’re gone!

Follow Lisa’s journey of life and running:
blog: www.runwiki.org
twitter: @runwiki       
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RunWiki      

Name: Lisa McClellan

Age: 44

Location: Clifton, VA.  {En route to Conejo Valley, CA on June 18}

Years Running: 29

Favorite race distance: Half Marathon  

PR’s:
Marathon – 3:53
Half Marathon – 1:40
10 miler- 1:14
10K- 48:06

How did you get into running? I started in High school running track but got really serious after having children about 7 years ago

How many marathons have you run? 4

Do you cross train or lift weights: Yes, both I do 2 days on the elliptical and core and strength

How do you find/make time to train: I make time. If I have to run at 2:00am then that’s what I do. Running is my passion and a very high priority in my life (family first, but running is a strong second)

Favorite place to run: On vacation, nothing better than getting to know a place via running, plus there is never any agenda, it’s just a self guided tour through a new environment

Favorite/most memorable race: The Bolder Boulder 10K- It is like no other race, it’s an experience.

Favorite pre-race meal: Justin’s Maple Almond butter on a protein pancake and a half of banana.

Favorite post-race food: Chocolate Milk with something really salty like chips or Cheeseburger.

Favorite quote: “Happiness is like a butterfly, the more you chase it the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things it will come and sit softly on your shoulder” – Thoreau

Favorite running shoe: Brooks Pure Flow (road) and Brooks Cascadia (trail)

Best running advice: Run your own race but do it like it’s your last.

Running accomplishment I’m most proud of: I feel like I should put down qualifying for Boston, but in reality I wasn’t that proud of my BQ time, so I would have to say coming in 8/445 in my division at the 2012 Bolder Boulder 10K. I came from sea level (Washington DC) to almost 5300 ft. above and had only four hours of sleep the night before. My time didn’t seem that impressive to me, but my heart and lungs would disagree, they were working.

What races are you currently training for? I am running the North Face Endurance Challenge DC 50K- June 2012, and the Malibu International Marathon-November 2012. Those are the two biggies, I have some smaller races in between which I consider part of my marathon training.

You recently entered Under Armour’s “What’s Beautiful” campaign.  Tell us more about it: I entered the UA “What is beautiful campaign” because the thought of announcing my personal goals to the world terrified me. I used to think doing something that scared me was jumping out of a plane or going bungie jumping. Those types of things are scary, but are over quite fast. This scares me because I think, like many, I am afraid of failure and being judged, but here’s the thing, there is nothing to be afraid of. No matter what the outcome, I will be OK, I will do my best and in the end if I complete my goal, it will fill me up with joy. If not I will learn and grow from that experience. I can’t loose, if there is any fear, it is mine alone and I am free at anytime to let it go. Being afraid, or not afraid is my choice. We have control over so little in life, but this is something I do control, my thoughts.  My hope is that I inspire other women who have or, are doubting themselves to go after their dream. I realize it is a long shot that I actually win this Under Armour challenge, but if I did ( or regardless) It is my mission to get women to see the beauty and power that lies within themselves. The beauty that I see all of the time in everyday women just like myself. They have it, but often times it’s clouded by their own self image. I want to show them that behind every dark cloud is light, but you can’t see it if you don’t chase it away . You can train yourself to get rid of darkness just like training yourself to run a fast marathon. You have to be committed, not just interested, this makes a big difference in the outcome.  It is a process that takes time to develop and comes with successes and failures along the way, not unlike running. I know it might sound kind of corny but I feel like this is one of the most important things we can do in our lifetime, for ourselves and the people around us. We are all struggling through modern life, so helping and supporting each other is of the essence.  To me… That is beautiful!  Check Lisa out here: http://www.runwiki.org/2012/04/28/under-armour-what-is-beautiful-campaign/

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