| Minnesota RED Runner Profile/Interview |
| Name: |
Deb Parker |
| Date of Birth: |
05/14/1953 |
| Place of Birth: |
Minneapolis, MN |
| Height: |
5'3" |
| Weight: |
Yes, I have weight |
| Spouse and/or children |
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Spouse: |
Dick |
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Kids: |
Laurie, Sarah, and Amy |
| Pets: |
|
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Dog: |
Daisy and Dixie |
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Cat: |
Nessie |
| Physical features: |
|
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Best: |
My shapely runner's calves |
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Worst: |
Everything else |
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| Hobbies (besides running): |
Painting (walls and canvas), gardening, singing |
| Collections: |
Various tableware and serving pieces from the 40s and 50s |
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| Short-term running goal: |
30 minute 5K, compete in at least 1 half-marathon this fall/winter, stay motivated |
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| Long-term running goal: |
Twin cities as my first marathon in 2009 |
| Running achievement of which you are most proud: |
Finishing the %!#%! 2008 Ron Daws 25K before they took the finish line away |
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| Personal strengths: |
I'm tough on myself. If I start something, especially with a goal distance or time in ming, I want to finish it. Anything else feels like failure. |
| Personal weaknesses: |
Training consisteny, or at least training log consistently; complete lack of interest in gear (no sense of running fashion), occasional bouts of heavy drinking |
| Running PRs: |
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Marathon |
DNS (Maybe I'll get to DNF some day) |
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Half-Marathon |
2:28:?? |
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25K |
3:02:33 |
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10 mile |
1:54:?? |
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10K |
Been a long time, ben a long long lonely time (since I ran one) |
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5K |
31:22 |
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| Years running marathons: |
0 |
| Number of marathons finished: |
0 |
| Most memorable marathon finish, and why: |
You're killing me here |
| Typical training week, a month or two before a major race: |
Before my last majore race, my typical training week was fretting, limping, and falling off my bike. |
| Injuries: |
tendinitis, bursitis, abrasions, bee stings, pride |
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| Favorite running shoes: |
Ones that don't hurt me. Mizuno of some kind right now |
| Favorite food/drink during a marathon: |
I'll let you know. |
| Favorite place to run: |
Minnehaha Parkway, Lake Michigan Lakefront, Wisconsin Backroads |
| Running idol: |
Sarah Parker, my inspiration and personal coach (She almost always (except for Grandma's) starts and finishes with a smile on her face) |
| Why do you run marathons? |
Why do I want to? Because it's a goal and an achievement to be proud of at 55 and counting to run a first one. Because sometimes I like to do hard things just for the sake of doing hard things. |
| Advice you would give to other marathoners: |
There are 5 stages to a successful marathon: Deciding to run (faith), registering to run (courage), training to run (commitment), showing up at the start line (preparation), and finishing (persistence). You gain something at every stage, regardless of how far you get in the process, so go for it. |
