Carman Stevens, Leslie Tharpe, and Andrea Musselman have been working towards some amazing goals this year!
Carman’s Story:
I have set a few goals for this year. I would very much like to finally break 2 hrs. in the half marathon. I’m currently about 4 minutes away, which seems like hours, but I hope to be there by November. I’m working hard in the gym and outside of the gym. I just finished Whole 30, and I think it was a huge eye opener as far as my nutrition goes. I had a personal best time at my last race with 2:03:57 (Garmin) and 2:04:20 (official) in Portland, Oregon. So far I have completed the Montgomery Half (Alabama), Rock N’ Roll Nashville (Tenn.), Run the Bluegrass (KY), Flying Pig (Ohio), Grateful Dad (Oregon), Rock N’ Roll Chicago ( Illinois in July), Bristol Half Marathon (Connecticut in Aug.), Blueberry Cove Half Marathon (Maine in Aug), Rock N’ Roll Virginia Beach (VA-Sept.), Columbus Half Marathon (Oct.), and the Monumental Half Marathon and hopefully my goal of a sub 2 hr half marathon in November. I have one more to do somewhere in between there. My final long-term goal is to do all 50 states My friend Andrea (also a B-Fit member) inspired me to do all 50 states after a race we did together in New Orleans. She has done a lot more than me since then. We have now have dragged Leslie Knight Tharpe with us to a few states, which in turn, inspired her to do all 50 states. We literally wear our poor husbands out with constant road trips and flights to different states, but they have been INCREDIBLY supportive. We are having the time of our lives making some awesome memories and staying in shape and healthy at the same time.
Andrea’s Story:
My goal is to do a half marathon in every state. So far, I have done 13, with 3 more planned before the year ends. I don’t really have a deadline to complete all 50. Running is something I like to do to help get into better shape and stay active at my age. Having this goal keeps me going and gives me something to always be training for. Plus, it’s lots of fun when you have friends and a husband joining you in the adventure! Running has helped me lose more than 40 lbs, and I feel so much better with the weight off. Now, working with Bev helps me focus on other aspects of my fitness while helping make me a stronger runner too!
Leslie’s Story:
I’ve always thought it would be fun to run a half marathon in every state, but I really started working towards that goal last year when Carman and Andrea said they were doing the same thing. As of now, I’ve completed 10 out of 50 states, but I will be doing Illinois and Virginia before the year is up. I may do more if Andrea and Carman can talk me into more! I really don’t have a deadline to finish the 50 states; I just want to accomplish it. I have a goal to finish the Indy Half Marathon in 2:10, but I would love to eventually do one in 2 hours. I’m inspired by many of my friends that have accomplished so many of their goals. It’s like we challenge each other to work harder to reach each other’s goals. The support that I get from my running friends is my inspiration to work harder towards my goals. Carman is my running trainer. I usually run 5 miles with her on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings and do a long run on the weekends. My strength training at B-Fit on Mondays and Wednesdays has also been helpful.
