You see them all over town, night and day, summer and winter, just running and running with their invisible intentions. Some people loathe it, while others love it. For those of you who are not fond of running, Charm received some notable health benefits of running from Chris Hill of Personally Fit and found an enlightening story to convince you to give running another go.
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Local runners (from front) Allison Gillentine, Cindy Mashe and Lindsay Mashe.
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On your mark
Longview resident and Spring Hill High School physics and chemistry teacher, Allison Gillentine, has been running for more than 10 years. Allison averages four to six miles, five days a week, and that's when she's not training for a marathon. She found her passion for running when she was a junior in high school.
"Back then I was in high school, so it's not a fair comparison, but I started off with four miles, but I was young. I wouldn't necessarily expect someone just beginning to go that much. Starting out with a walk/run of two miles would be good," she said.
Allison started her obsession with running as a form of stress relief and to "stay ahead of her food."
"I'm not a restrictor. I just account for my calories in a healthy way by running off what I take in. On average, a mile of running is equivalent to burning 100 calories so if I go out and have some pizza, well, I just know to make up for it the next day."
To get her day moving, Allison wakes up at 5 a.m. and hits the pavement at 5:30. She's done within an hour, so she still has plenty of time to herself to prep for school.
Get set
Depending on the day, she meets up with friends who are just as enthusiastic about running. Paige Childers, a counselor at Spring Hill High School, joins Allison on the weekends and sometimes during the week. Mostly, it's Allison and three other Longview ladies: Ronda Vanderwal, a Medical Technologist at Good Shepard; Cindy Mashe, owner of Pure Pilates; and Lyndsay Mashe, Head Volleyball Coach at East Texas Baptist University.
"I don't do circles (at tracks).We have routes all over Longview. For instance, we'll meet up at Starbucks or ParkeWay and go from there, eventually making our way back," Allison said.
Last December, the women drove to Dallas to participate in the 13.1 mile White Rock ? Marathon benefiting Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. They partake in local fun-runs and benefit runs around East Texas, too.
She says, "It makes you feel good about yourself and all your hard work when you finish a marathon. I know it's making me healthier and helping others at the same time."
When the weather halts her ventures around town, Allison reluctantly uses a treadmill.
"I hate it. It's not the same. It's just not as good of a workout. Besides, I hate going to the gym and looking at the same person's rear-end in front of me for 45 minutes."
Go!
As for advice, Allison said, "If you want to find an excuse to not run, you?ll find one. You have to make it a priority."
Reasons to Run from Personally Fit with Chris Hill:
- Helps you lose weight by burning more calories in a shorter period of time compared to many forms of exercise
- Lowers blood pressure by improving the elasticity of our arteries
- Improves cardio-pulmonary function
- Stimulates bone growth
- Release endorphins which decrease pain and make us feel better
- Lowers cholesterol
- Decreases stress
