PUBLISHED 02/28/2007
How many marathons have you done? What's your PR?
I'm training for my eighth, the New York City Marathon. Best was my last one, 3:52 in the 1992 NYC Marathon.
Do you run with your kids or husband?
I have run with my oldest son, Jamie, who's 20. We ran together when he was in Miami, working as a model and trying to keep fit. I would meet up with him and run four miles on the beach. I would tell him, "There aren?t that many 45-year-old moms who run with their sons," and he would say, "I know, mom." I used to run with my husband (former NHL player Ron Duguay). We ran quite a bit together when we were dating and first married. Then I got pregnant with my last son, Noah, who is now 12. My last marathon was November 1992.
Your husband was a professional athlete. Are you competitive with him?
Yes, we're competitive in everything. But he's a professional athlete, so he will always be stronger, bigger, and faster than I am. I don't compete with him on running because he'll destroy me unless it's real long distance. Then he would admit that I can go longer than he can. He's also a born coach. He knows my body. We're a team and working together for the same thing. He looks at my whole schedule and he and I map everything out together. He's very supportive.
In November you?ll run your fifth New York City Marathon. Why do you keep coming back?
I love the NYC Marathon. I grew up in Buffalo. I'm just a New Yorker and feel very at home there. I met my husband there. New York is a part of who I am.
What's your favorite part of the New York City Marathon?
The finish line. I don't like all those bridges. It's hard to train for that, living in Florida.
How is your training for a marathon today different than when you first did marathons in the 1980s?
I'm fitter overall now. For the last two years, I've had a personal trainer. We do a lot of resistance, core, and weight training. I do stability work. Everything is aimed at strengthening the core so there is no injury and I have a certain basic strength. Now, I'm increasing the running. It has to be more scientific as I get older.
Do you have a coach? Does that help?
I'm using my husband as a coach and Toby Tanser (a coach in New York) to run things by. And I have a personal trainer, my girlfriend Lynn. It's like a support team.
Are you as good of a runner as you want to be?
For shorter distances, under an hour, I feel great. But when it comes to the marathon, I'm trying to get my body prepared for longer runs. I'm becoming a better runner for longer distances.
You've suffered from hypothyroidism. How has that affected your running?
For years, I almost couldn't train. There was a time after I gave birth to my third son, Noah, that I needed to sleep two hours during the day with him. My system was really run down. I was a mess. I worked toward getting my health back by looking at my diet and nutrition. So many Americans want to take a pill to treat a symptom. I don't want to mask a symptom with a pill; I want to find out why something is happening, go to the root of the problem to heal myself. I did cleanses and watched my diet and had support with some natural supplements. I no longer suffer from hypothyroidism.
