Staying Healthy. Staying Sane

This week Perki interviewed Dan McKinney. Dan is in his second year with Phillyfit.

PERKI: How, what and/or who started you on the road to training for distance?

Dan: My friend Roger Krone who started running about 5 years before me.  He started to get in shape and so I followed his lead. Roger helped me train for my first 5k which he ran with me. My goal was to finish. It was the longest distance I had done. By the time I got to the finish, Roger had finished and was already taking photos of me.  After I recovered I kept asking him if he was ready to go. He kept putting me off “I really need to stay,” he kept saying. Finally he told me he had won the race and needed to stick around for the awards ceremony!

At midnight after my first marathon last year - seven years to the day after my first 5k, I emailed him. He had started this.  

P: What is your motivation?

D: Staying in shape. Staying sane. To run with friends on Saturdays.

P: What has been your hardest lesson to date?

D: I’m learning it now. I have to listen to my body. Sometimes you have to throttle back. It’s a painful lesson.

P: Tell us about a EUREKA! moment.

D: My biggest EUREKA! Moment came shortly after joining PhillyFit.  My first seven years of running were 100% solo.  I enjoyed the solitude of running with my headphones.  Then I ran with PhillyFit.  It was literally my first few runs with the group where it dawned on me how great running with others can be.  I now have a very hard time running any meaningful distance without my PhillyFit friends.

Dan @ approximately Mile 25
2011 Philadelphia Marathon

P: Last year you completed your first marathon. Tell us what that was like.

D: It was a big accomplishment for me. It was fun in the sense that I finished. The race itself was more challenging than I anticipated.  I learned around mile 14 that after many weeks of eating the same fuel, I just couldn’t put another one in my mouth – what a time to figure that out!  I also somehow ran out of water around mile 20 and was parched for a couple of miles.  I should have filled my water bottles earlier and I now run long distances with two types of fuel.  One is a gummy block and the other is a cliff brownie so the brownie is a bit of a treat to look forward to. 

P: You are coming off an injury right now. Tell us about that and how it affects your training.

D: I tore my meniscus back in March. I had surgery in April. It’s been painful at times and I’ve had two Cortisone shots in my foot probably because my gait is off.  I am committed to the half and don’t want to miss out on my Saturday runs.  I’ve decided to pull back on my miles, run slower, and start run walking.

It’s ok. I’m just grateful that I can come out and do it. I like meeting new friends in different pace groups.

P: What is your favorite sound in training?

D: My running friends talking.

P: What is your least favorite sound in training?
D: Traffic

P: What is your favorite workout?

D: Definitely running. (Big smile) Oh yeah!

P: What is your least favorite workout?

D: Core work – but it really helps everything else.

P: If you could spend a day with any athlete present or past, who would it be? Why?

D: Roger Federer. Because I play tennis and my wife would think I’m so cool if I could hang out with her boyfriend for a day.

P: When it comes to your training or racing what would you love to hear someone say to or about you?

D: (thinks for a minute). I would want people to say that I’m determined.