Shirey shares her experience training for Half Marathon
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PARKERSBURG -- A Parkersburg woman could barely run a quarter mile, but after training since March, she is now ready for The News and Sentinel Half Marathon on Aug. 19.
Andrea Shirey's story is a message for everyone.
"I live an average life, and I'm relatively active and healthy," Shirey said. "But one thing is, I have never been a runner."
Shirey was born and raised in Parkersburg. She moved away after graduating high school and ended up studying marketing. In 2012, Shirey returned home to Parkersburg and now has her own business, One Nine Design, a template and website design library for non-profits.
She has two boys and is married to Scott, her high school sweetheart.
Although she has never been a runner, Shirey started the Temple Challenge, a full-body 60-minute workout program.
Barely able to run a quarter of a mile, Shirey slowly worked up to running a 5K.
"It was hard, but I knew I could do it if I just tried," said Shirey.
Shirey turned 44 in January and as a New Year's Resolution, she wanted to do a half marathon.
In March, she became aware of the River City Runners and said if she was going to accomplish her goal, that was going to be the way.
She has been training since March with Kevin Trippett of K&D Running and Fitness.
"I told him my goals and what I was training for and said that it was going to be possible," Shirey said. "I had always had pain when I was running, and he told me it was because of my bad running form, so we worked on fixing that."
Slowly, but surely, she worked up to running 3 miles with help from River City Runners. She has been consistently running four days a week and now the most she can run is 10 miles.
She has done 85 practice runs with a total of 300 miles during her training.
"The key to running is consistency. I also found that there is a science to running," said Shirey. "It has taught me a lot about discipline. It's like I've made it my job; you've got to be up running early before work, and then running late after you help your kids do all of their stuff at night."
The training has been worthwhile because she can see the evidence and data saying that she has drastically improved her skills, she said.
Shirey said it has been a masterclass in accountability, because she is a goal junkie and loves to accomplish her goals.
She also has always heard The Parkersburg News and Sentinel was the best race to run. Parkersburg has an incredible running community that's always there to support and encourage each other, she said.
"I can't wait to cross the finish line, even if I'll be in the back," Shirey said. "It's not about winning, it's about accomplishing the goal."
The Half Marathon and Two Mile races are held the morning of Aug. 19. Racers can register at newsandsentinelhalfmarathon.com, in person 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at The News and Sentinel office or by downloading an entry form with payment information and mailing it to The News and Sentinel, 519 Juliana St., Parkersburg, WV 26101.