About Me and ZOOMA

Welcome to the ZOOMA blog! I hope you enjoy reading about our trials and tribulations and learning about new industry trends and training advice. Before we embark on this fun new project, I thought it would be good to tell you all a little bit about me and how I ended up where I am…

I started out a lawyer… After marrying my college sweetheart in a beautiful ceremony on the beach in my hometown in Florida, we moved to north to Boston where I worked as a corporate lawyer in a big firm. After two years of not-really-connecting with my chosen profession, I decided to change directions.

Many people ask me – why such a dramatic shift and how did it happen? Most runners can understand when I tell my very common story about how running has helped form who I am, and changed the way I look at life. Running gives me an outlet, it’s meditative, and it allows me to be active and healthy and have fun at the same time. I can run anywhere, and, in fact, one of my favorite things to do is run in a new city. Running follows me wherever I travel. Training allows me to practice discipline, which is a skill that benefits me in many areas of my life. It also gives perspective, which is, of course, so useful when life feels tough or stressful. I sleep better when I run, and it makes me feel more balanced and even throughout the day.

I’m sure many of you can understand what I am saying… So, I have this relationship with running – and I am by no means an elite or competitive runner. I ran cross country and track in high school, but not in college and now I am certainly not a fast runner! In fact, as I write this, I am recovering from an injury and my training runs are pretty s-l-o-w. (Andrea smoked me in a training run on Saturday!) But, in general, I run purely for recreation and to stay healthy. I am a very ordinary runner in that way.

I feel passionate about introducing women to this great friend I have found in running… That partly explains how I came up with the idea for a national women’s half marathon races series.

(1) The half marathon is my favorite race distance – it’s challenging (most people need to train for it), but training isn’t totally overwhelming and time consuming. Most people in reasonably good health can complete a half marathon if they train for it at least moderately. And you really feel a sense of accomplishment after completing the distance, no matter how fast or slow you do it. I am not alone in this feeling – statistics show that the half marathon distance is rapidly becoming the most popular race distance. (Check out the New York Times article in the “links” column.)

(2) I feel passionately about introducing other women to my “friend” running. I believe that running and being healthy and fit can bring the same benefits to other women that it has brought to me. And a national women’s race series is one way I can do that.

After talking with friends and doing some research, I began to realize that there is something to an all-women’s race. Women are more social, supportive of each other, and interested in the total race experience. Women want to train together and are looking for advice and inspiration. Many women who are just entering the sport actually feel less intimidated by an all-women’s race, which some perceive to be less competitive than a typical co-ed event. Women also want to celebrate their accomplishments after the race. Finding time to train and actually have a day off to participate in a race is a great occasion for many busy women – and they want to live it up!

And ZOOMA Women’s Race Series was born! So far, it’s been really exciting. The first event in Annapolis on June 1 was a huge success, and we received awesome feedback from the runners. Now, we’re eagerly planning the Atlanta race for November 16. Early indications are that it will be a great event, as well! I recently returned from trips to Austin and Denver, and plans for 2009 events in those cities are in the works.

That’s a little bit about me and about ZOOMA. I’m really excited about our new blog project, and I hope that some readers will take the opportunity to comment on our postings and make this a dialogue. Ask any questions you may have, and let us know if there’s a specific topic you’d like us to talk about.

Have a great week of training!