Get to know Evelyn from her answers below!
When did you first start walking/running? What motivated you to start walking/running? : I started running at the age of 46. I needed to do something more than normal exercise classes and go to the gym. I started running with a group of people called Team Allears and the members are from all over the United States and we meet Marathon Weekend in Disneyworld as well as throughout the year at various other races. The team sponsors Avon Walk for Breast Cancer since so many of us have had Breast Cancer and/or cancer affects our families, friends or loved ones.
What do you love most about running/walking? How does it make you feel? : I use running to wind down from the day. It makes me proud to do something that is healthy as well as supporting a cause. I used to run the entire time, but now I run/walk intervals. I love the peace and quiet, and just listen to my music and go.
Who in your life inspires you? Who do you want to dedicate this year of running to?: To all those people who have health issues and cannot get out to run.
Describe one of your favorite running/walking experiences that you’ve had in your life.: Doing a marathon and a half marathon on a Saturday and Sunday. Wondering can I pull this off. Getting to the last mile of the full (after the half marathon the day before) and having my family there cheering me on, and my daughter coming out and doing part of the last mile with me. Seeing the Finish Line and tearing up in happiness knowing I did it.
What is the longest distance you have ever walked/ran in one day?: 26.2 miles
What is your most embarrassing running/walking experience? While doing a normal run, once I tripped over an uneven sidewalk in front of onlookers going into church; and the second fall was with my daughter and went rolling in the grass and hitting my head. Both times i was pretty much ok, but it’s pretty embarrassing because I don’t bounce. Lol
What is the best advice you’ve ever been given? What is the best advice you’ve ever given to someone else?: Run your own race. Listen to your body, and run to your ability.
What obstacles or challenges have you faced as you’ve tried to live a life of health and fitness?: Weight control. It’s a constant battle. People saying “since you run, why do you still battle your weight?”. Hmmmmmmm.
What does this next year of running/walking mean to you? Why do you want to go to the moon? What will it mean to you when you have reached your goal?: It’s something I do for me. I don’t do it to impress and I am only competitive with myself.
Tell us a little bit more about you. Who are you? Where are you from? What do you do for a living? What makes you happy? Tell us anything that you want the team to know. : I am a mom, I work full time for a very busy law firm. I use running and working out to distress and help to possibly finally reach my goal weight. To do my various runs and know that I can do it is important. I may interval, but I enjoy feeling strong. I recently did a mud run and that was an experience. I did several virtual runs this year which was cool. I did Disneyland’s Dumbo Dare (a 10k and Half Marathon back to back); did Atlantic City’s Half Marathon as well. Both were fun and many of my running team “Team AllEars” was there to join in. Team AllEars raises money for Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. My next big race is Dopey Challenge in Orlando (5k, 10k, Half marathon and Full Marathon – each day for 4 days is a different race). I am not fast but I enjoy the challenges and go for the Finish Line. I wear names on my team shirt of people who had breast cancer or have passed from breast cancer. I am in the process of decided what runs to do in 2014.
As I stated in Part I of my Wayland Wellness Journey blog I mentioned very little about running and that was by design but I wanted to inform everyone my starting point and continue the story by showing you my Running Journey.
Then in September 2009, when my wife Deanna and I hired Brandi Cook as our personal trainer, the thought of running started becoming a reality for me once again. As the pounds started coming off, the easier the running became and the thought of running in events once again looked like it was possible but I had a problem, there are no Track and Field events in my part of the world for 38 year olds. That’s when it hit me as I was driving around Lubbock, TX in the spring of 2010, I saw a yard sign for a “5K Run in Levelland, TX”. My first thought was, “Yes, a running event, just what I was looking for” and then my second thought was, “What the heck is a 5K Run?” So when I got home I looked it up and found out it was 3.10 miles and I thought, “I think I can do that.” Little did I know that yard sign in Lubbock, TX would change my life for the better!!!
In 2011, I decided to push my knee’s limitation so I trained and ran in the Bloodguster 10K in Midland, TX on March 26th with a finishing time of 56:46 and when I met with Brandi I stated the same thing, about my knee that I don’t think I could never run more than 6.20 miles because it hurt but a co-worker of mine informed me there was a 15K event in two weeks which gave me my next challenge so I went for it. On April 9th, I ran the Race for the Arts 15K in Lubbock and finished with in 1:30:38 and you guessed it, I met with Brandi and told her I don’t think I can run more than 9.30 miles because my knee hurt but little did I know I was not done.
From March 2011 to February 2012, I am completed a 5K (Tulia, TX), 10K (Midland), 15K (Lubbock), Half Marathon (Odessa), Full Marathon (Wichita Falls), and Ultra Marathon (Ft. Worth) and through all these runs my right knee was not really hurt at all. After the Ultra Marathon, I had my knee checked and there was nothing wrong with it. Come to find out, I was using a knee injury I sustained in Middle School as a mental block. After I found out this information, I threw away the knee brace I had worn during my Running Journey in the trash and have not worn one since. On top of that, my knee never hurts and I don’t even think about it anymore.
in October, 2013. I don’t have to watch the weather forecasts. I don’t have to tally the miles. I don’t have to pencil in the long runs, the tempo runs, or the weight loss plans. I don’t have to search for just the right sock, shoes, running shirt, running shorts, compression sleeves, or chaffing deterrent. The anticipation is over, the planning is done, the fear is gone, and the Monday morning quarterback sessions are over. Only the joy remains. I AM A MARATHONER.
The last couple of weeks have been marvelous for my running and me. I ran several times with different friends. Actually RAN. One of the biggest lessons I learned in the Chicago Marathon was that I had focused so much on “covering” the distance in my training runs that I did not really care how much of it was walking and how much was running. As a result, I learned to walk pretty fast. And, if I so choose in the future, I could make a pretty good fitness walker. 
Carolyn Guhman is a 61 year old, retired insurance agent who is a mother of five and grandmother of six. She lives in suburban New Orleans, LA with her husband, Rick. When health issues forced her into early retirement and severe depression in 2008, she decided it was time to grab the reins of her own life. After a couple of years of trying to figure out where things went wrong and how to set them right,she laced up her shoes, filled out some race registrations, discovered a whole community of helpful people and finally found herself–running. Follow Carolyn on Facebook at
So the step into the ultra arena happened (approximately 10 years ago) and after that first 67 km (a run through some beautiful countryside) I found that I definitely enjoyed them!!!! – strange I know. I,m not sure what it was – the challenge maybe, the test on the body and maybe a lot more. One of the ones I found was that I could pace myself a lot better and it also didn’t matter whether you were first, middle of the pack or last everyone was still out there cheering you in – a great wee community of like mind people. It is about your own goals and what you want to achieve.
a big distance each day again, and again, and again…….. As well as managing niggles, tiredness and so forth. At the end the run turned out successful reaching the target on time and raising $ 20 k for Christchurch. This gave me such a huge sense of achievement and boy I loved that feeling.
This was by far the best marathon I had ever participated in – hands down, and it is not your typical race by any means. Nowhere in the world will you find a marathon that is as entertaining as the Chateau du Medoc Marathon. For many, such as myself, it was a destination marathon and a must for seriously die-hard marathoners.
All 26.2 miles (which was recorded by a GPS at 26.8 miles) was a wine drinking party or at best described as a – binge with a marathon! Approximately 20% of the participants came from 55 countries and six continents. Most of the runners were not interested in time, except for the winners who won his/her weight in wine. The course looped around 59 stunningly beautiful Chateaus of which 22 served wine. The course ran through quaint picturesque French towns and Chateaus with extensive crowd support. Twenty-five musical groups -from string quartets, and school bands, to bag pipes -entertained the runners and the town’s people turn out. Families having picnics along the roadside added to the spirit of the marathon. 
commonly known as a Sommelier’s wine tasting cup with a cord for hanging around your neck. The course traveled around multiple vineyards serving even more varieties of Bordeaux wines with an elegant lunch inside huge tents at the end of the walk. A traditional lunch was served and each table had multiple bottles of wine. For refills, the Chateau had a tapped casket with a spigot which you just walked over to and filled your bottle. What a party; make that a two day BINGE, with a marathon thrown in.
When did you first start walking/running? What motivated you to start walking/running?
I ran a half marathon with everyone of my sisters!! Watching them each cross the finish line… wow!!! So emotional and happy for me!
What obstacles or challenges have you faced as you’ve tried to live a life of health and fitness?
do you do for a living? What makes you happy? Tell us anything that you want the team to know.
