Mandy Farrar: Forester, Runner and IronMan Competitor
Mandy, when did you start running and why?
I was active in team sports growing up through high school and college - so I ran for those sports - but I never really started running to run for me until I was around 30. I was always fit from playing sports and from my job (I am a forester)- but by that time, it had been a while since I had played sports and I was feeling like I was gaining weight.
So I started running one June. I came back from my second run and announced I was going to do a 5k. I left that day for 3 days at our work camp (as a forester sometimes we work so far in the woods that we stay and work from a camp.) One of the guys staying there went for a run with me one morning and started talking about the MDI Marathon and how he really thought I would love it and that he thought I could probably do it that year.
I was so excited!! When I got home I registered.
Then I googled "How far is a marathon"
So I never said I was smart. But I finished MDI that year and it was really that training that took me from a run liker to a run lover and started my love of endurance sports.
What inspires your running?
I don't have a story or a single person or anything that inspires my running...I mean, I think my running is inspired by the fact that I am an outside kid, always have been - running lets me be outside (I am dreadfully allergic to treadmills) on my terms where I want to be for as long as I want - dirt roads, trails, pavement, it is literally all up to me. I think also - I am crazily independant and running almost embraces and encourages that (in me anyway) because if you need to rely on yourself to get your tush out the door. I like that about running.
What type of races have you done so far and what are your plans for the racing season this year?
I have done 6 marathons, a bunch of 5-20 mile races, 1 Ironman, 3 Half Ironman, numerous sprint and olympic distance triathlons. I have done one 5k, and that freaking hurt.
This winter I did the Mid-Winter 10 Mile Classic in February and the Eastern States 20 Miler back in March. Both are great races, I highly reccomend them.
Looking forward, I really need to focus on the training for my A race - Ironman Lake Placid (IMLP) in July. Before that I have the Sugarloaf Marathon in May (this may turn into the 15k if I am feeling at all injuryish) and the Pirate Triathlon in June. I would love to do a half Ironman in June as well, it would be a great test to see where my fitness was, but my schedule just didn't allow for it this year.
What made you decide to start doing Ironman Triathlons?
First - I am always am asked about the distances and can't figure out how to fit it in my answer - an Ironman is a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile run - 140.6 miles total. That is the Ironman distance, just like 26.2 is the marathon distance.
I did my first sprint triathlon (a sprint is not a set length, but generally a 500 yd swim, 12-15 mile bike, & 3 mile run) and just got addicted to triathlon. I loved the combination of sports, the camaraderie, it is so much fun. I signed up for longer races - and loved them. In my head, I wanted to do an Ironman someday, but to be honest, the whole thing seemed completely overwhelming. How the heck do you train for THAT??
So I went to Lake Placid and volunteered at the Ironman there (I HIGHLY recommend this) knowing that if you volunteered you were guaranteed a spot in the next years race. Not that I wanted one. I had actually convinced myself not to sign up, I had a pretty hard time finishing a mile of swimming for the last race I did, and 112 miles is a long freaking way on the bike.
But something happened when I sat down beside Mirror Lake at the swim start, staring at the 2500 swim caps bobbing around in the water. The air got all crackly with the athletes anticipation, my hair stood on end...then the gun went off and the water was frothing and churning with 2500 people swimming and I just knew I was going to be in that chaos the following year.
The other thing is - watching that race is so inspiring - everyone has a story, and when you volunteer, you get to hear some of them. It is great.
So anyway, I signed up, trained and finished IMLP in 2011.
Why do you live in such a remote area of Maine?
Well, I don't see Caratunk as remote. It is certainly a small population, but there are 3-4 restaurants/bars within 8 miles of me, and I can drive 15 minutes to Bingham and get OK groceries and gas. True, if you want a reliable vegetable in the winter, you need to drive an hour south to Skowhegan. And...if you are an inside kid, this isn't the place for you.
But that doesn't answer your question, does it?...I live here because I like that I can walk my dog down the middle of Main Street without a leash, I can walk out my door and onto the Appalachian Trail in 5 minutes, I can drive 5-10 miles in a few directions I am at the trail heads of numerous mountain and waterfall hikes, I can put my canoe into the water and float down this section of the Kennebec River and see more Bald Eagles than people most days.
So I guess my answer is just that I like remote places, and living here allows me to get to them very quickly.
Describe your most favorite aspect of training:
The long runs and bike rides. Hands down, that is the thing I missed the most last year (I took a year off from training for the most part). I think I need that time to keep my head happy.
Describe your "perfect race" scenario:
Ha ha - well I would try to keep my shorts from ripping off (this happened to me at IMLP 2011).
Here is the thing about me - I am kind of a...gregarious loner. During training, I like to be alone. At races, I love talking to people, so much so I always make friends with someone faster than me (which is just about everyone) and then I blow up trying to keep up with them. SO my perfect race would be to actually run my OWN race and race like I train and see how I could do.
If you could quit your day job and do anything at all in its place, what would it be? Would it relate to running?
Well, I am not sure. I really like what I do - I mean where else can you spend the day in the woods with your dog?
Seriously - I have gotten really interested in food and health. I am not sure what I would do - but it would be something up that alley. It drives me crazy that we as a society focus on treatment rather than prevention - food is KEY to that, and we have been sold a lot of crap as far as what food is good for us and what is not. I find it scary that the former head of Monsanto is now the senior advisor to the FDA commissioner (not to get too political on your blog) and that you can hardly buy a can of tomatoes without sugar or HFCS added. I would love to help with the obesity problem in kids, and I think one key is to cut out the hidden sugars in their food. I would love to see GMO foods be labeled so consumers can make an informed choice.
So yeah, I could go on - I think i would work on that stuff.
Ever been injured? How do you deal with injuries?
Yes. It sucks. I used to ignore it, then it gets worse, and it's depressing.
Now I work a lot on prevention. I foam roll a lot - on the IT bands and calves. I use a tennis ball on my hips because they get tight. I try to get a massage 1x a month when my training load gets heavy. If I feel an injury, I ice it, take NSAIDS, and back off it. Knock on wood, this has helped me a lot.
My worse injury to date was in my left calf. I was training for the Sugarloaf Marathon and honestly I don't know how I injured it. But it was bad, I couldn't push off without it feeling like a knife was going into it. Knocked me out for 2 months.
I biked instead of ran for the last 2 mos of training, FYI-That will get you through the race, but it really hurts...so I don't recommend it.
Hopes/Goals for the future?
After this Ironman, I want to do some trail races for a season. I am thinking of running a 50K next spring (Pineland Farms) and then a 50 miler in the Fall (not sure which one) but it is going to be tough for me to not sign up for next years Ironman......
Number one tip you would give new runners:
Have fun. Don't put pressure on yourself - just go out and run. Increase mileage slowly. Don't worry about speed until you have some time and a few races under your belt.
Next up: Peter Larson, the "RunBlogger"