"RUNNER SPOTLIGHT"

New to the blogspot is our "Runner Spotlight". This week we get the privelege of reading the story of Nancy Shell.



I AM A RUNNER

I am proud to be able to say “I am a runner”. It is something I love to do and have always loved to do. I am not a great runner, not even a good runner. I just try to be the best runner I am capable of being. Running is a sport where you can compete against others but also compete against yourself every time you run.

I have loved to run my whole life. I was called a “tomboy” growing up in Maquoketa, Iowa. My parents could never train our dog, Troubles, on his leash since I took him running all the time.

After college, I settled in Muscatine to work at Stanley Consultants, married, and moved to an apartment on 3rd Street. My husband and I started running down to the end of the riverfront park and back home several mornings a week (and we thought THAT was far!). During the summer of 1977, we heard about the running of the first Watermelon Stampede. I had never run in a race before and had never run that distance before. What can I say? I fell in love!

I wish I could end here saying, “and I have run ever since.” Unfortunately, life gets in the way. My husband and I built a home in the country and raised two children. I put running on a back burner during that time. Once the kids were in school, I heard of races like the Chameleon Chase and the I Love You Race. By that time, Muscatine had a nice list of races being run each summer. I loved getting back into running.

Life got in the way one more time. I discovered I have Crohn’s Disease and have had three surgeries since 1996. After each surgery, I used running to help get back into shape. To push myself, I started looking for more and more races in the area. I found the Muscatine Grand Prix running circuit, thanks to Dell Wagner and Kent Ferris. I found races in the Quad Cities and joined Cornbelt. I found races in the Cedar Rapids area. I fell in LOVE with the Bix and the QC Marathon. I discovered I could find races almost every weekend.

Then along came Teri Lyons. Teri and Peggy Bailey wanted to run a marathon in Texas. Teri’s love of running and people turned into the Running Friends group. Joining the group has been the most rewarding thing I have done in my running career. My children are grown up and gone now. The group has helped fill in the empty spaces in my life.

I still love running, but now I have others to share that love with. I still look for races every weekend. However, now I have friends and acquaintances at every race. It doesn’t matter if the race is the Marion Arts Festival Race in Marion, IA, or the River Run in Iowa City, the Wild 5 in Davenport, or the HON Race in Muscatine, I know I will have friends there. To quote Teri, “keep running, keep smiling”.