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Karen Van der Wood interviewed by Rich

If you had been around the central New York running scene in the mid 80's, Karen Van der Wood is a name you would easily recognize because she usually occupied the top step of the podium in local road races. That was a long time ago and recently I spoke with Karen and learned that the fire still burns within. She wants to return to a level of racing that would mark the beginning of the second chapter on her athletic life.

RK: Karen, you were running shoulder to shoulder with a number of male runners a decade or so ago, and there weren't many women keeping your pace. Who were your early influences, in other words, how did it all begin?

KV: I began running in 1986. I joined the local Road Runners organization, which was affiliated with the YMCA. I ran with the group every Thursday evening, down Genesee St. to New Hartford and back. Ted Petrillo, who many local runners are familiar with because he has been a major player in the development of running in this area, advised me that running should never take more than it gives. In other words, when the rewards of running are overshadowed by the negative factors, it is time to reevaluate the role it plays in one's life.

In 1988, Howard Rubin, a world class masters athlete who lives in the area, introduced me to Dave Oja, who was the coordinator for the Syracuse Chargers open women's team. I began racing as a Charger at that point.

My early influences were my brother, David Buskey, who was a top local runner at the time, Ed and Nancy Frisillo, Vince Colgan, Tom Hovey, Scott Humphrey, Jerry Lawson, Ted, Howard, and Dave, as mentioned earlier.

RK: I know you had some significant results during your previous career, can you tell us the most memorable, and who were your fiercest rivals back then?

KV: I am most proud of my 10k personal record, which is 35:48. I did that at the Oneida City Hospital run in 1990. The plan was to break 36:00 at the Tufts Run for Women in Boston the week prior to the OCH run. I had a cold, and it was unseasonably hot for October in Boston. I ended up running a 36:20 at Tufts, and came home to run Oneida in record time.

I held the course record for the Falling Leaves Road Race with a 5k time and P.R. of 17:13. This was in 1990 also. I was extremely nervous, because the local newspaper printed a fairly large article about the race, and my hope to break my previous course record, which was about 17:50. A very fast runner by the name of Liz Ludwigson was registered to run, and I had never beaten her before. I ran that race scared, thinking that any second she was going to pass me. She didn't, and I ran a course and personal record.

I have fond memories of so many races. It is hard to pick out the most memorable.

My fiercest rivals were mostly men...as a matter of fact, I considered YOU pretty formidable competition!! The women that I hold much respect for are Tracy and Lisa Bunce, Betsy Kneale, Chrissie Morgantie and the rest of my Charger team mates. Even though they were not my rivals at the time, I hold a great deal of respect for some of the female athletes that came after me...Christine Sisting , Anita Moller, Michelle Nizzi, Susan Sivers-Corrigan and Ingrid Otto-Jones. I enjoy keeping track of the up and comers, such as Kelly Murray, Lauren Noble. I know the work these ladies devote to the sport. I believe success in running has much more to do with a person's work ethic than it does talent.

RK: Lots of folks don't realize how a top athlete like you sometimes suffer from a self-imposed pressure for results. What about that? Can you share some of your disappointments, and how did you handle overcoming them?

KV: . I mentioned my failure to break 36 at Tufts...that race was a major disappointment. Jerry Lawson had coached me from July of that year up until the race in October. I was physically prepared to race well, but the conditions were poor. Another disappointing experience was my running of Grandma's Marathon in 1991. The race prediction charts indicated that I could run a marathon in around 2:45, which was the Olympic Trial qualifying time. It was my first marathon, so I didn't have the experience. I ended up running a 2:58, which is really pretty good for my first effort. I was so depressed after that race. That is probably why I took my break from running in the first place.

RK: So, you are a full time working mom with 2 wonderful kids, Tyler and Kelsey. Kids are a handful, so is working full time. How do you fit in time for yourself? Can you give others some advice if it worked for you?

KV: It was during my little "break" from running in 1991, that my husband and I decided to start a family. Kelsey was born in November 1992, and with 6 months I was pregnant for Tyler, who joined us in Feb. 1994. In October of 1995, my husband and I separated and eventually divorced. Tyler was diagnosed with autism, and cerebral palsey. Life was getting very complex. Things are settled now, and I run 90% of my training on a treadmill in the basement of my home. I run every day, and my weekly training consists of a tempo run for development of lactate threshold, an interval workout for VO2 max, and a long run of 10-13 miles for endurance. Everything else is easy recovery work. I run after work, before dinner. I find that having a set time every day devoted to running works well.

RK: With your experience and love for the sport, I feel you can offer others a wealth of not just knowledge, but inspiration as well. Have you though much of doing any coaching?

KV: I hope I can inspire and teach what I have learned about running. I have read so much about various training philosophies. I truly enjoy seeing others achieve their running goals. I would love to coach, but think that finding the time might be a bit difficult.

RK: So you really want to do well. For whom? Or why, since you've been there-done that?

KV: My running goals are very personal. Since I am very goal oriented, running is the best way for me to channel my competitive nature. The collateral benefits are many, as my kids are watching me do this thing every day. My hope is that the lessons my kids learn from me come not from what I say, but rather what I do, and how I live my life. There are great lessons to be learned, such as in life, anything you wish to be successful at requires significant effort and sacrifice over time. No effort stands alone. Truly successful efforts are reflective of work from the entire day, over many days. Goals with deep personal meaning are ones that are aggressive, hard to attain, require commitment, sacrifice and are achieved in the long term. In life, the most important objectives are those that have deep personal meaning.

There have been many starts and stops in my attempt for a 2nd competitive career. I have been plagued with personal and health issues that have prevented me from training properly. I began training with a renewed commitment after healing from surgery this past August. My "real" training began in October. I am now running indoor track, focusing on the 1000-3000 meter distances. I plan to go to the Masters National Championships in March. There is some talk of sending a relay team to the Milrose Games as well. I will focus on some of the local road races this summer, and cross country in the Fall.