‘Age Is Not a Factor’ for Runners

Running coach Kelly Nash teaches that continuing to move will help anyone feel better

By Linda Quinlan

It’s common to hear that someone is going out to run a few errands. The question, though, is whether they will actually be running.

A group of adults, mostly women, met at Seneca Park twice weekly this past summer to do just that — run.

They were enrolled in On Your Feet to 5K, a “learn to run” program taught by Kelly Nash, a level one and two certified running coach through RRCA, the Road Runners Club of America.

The class also had the support of the Rochester Running Company. Their “graduation” run will be the fourth annual Heritage Hero Run 5K to benefit Heritage Christian Services, where Nash has worked for 31 years. She currently is the part-time guardianship coordinator for Heritage and also has a hand in planning and organizing the Sept. 7 run through Seabreeze Amusement Park in Irondequoit.

Not surprisingly, to Nash, who is 53, 11 of the 27 participants in this year’s class were age 55 and older.

Karen D’Angelo, 68, said she is the one who encouraged friend Susan Donovan, 72, to get into running and join Nash’s class.

Donovan had been working with a trainer, but found power walking, to start, with Nash helped her reach her goals, too.

“It’s all helping me keep strong,” she said.

Nash herself didn’t start running until she was 35 and struggling with the loss of her father at age 57.

“I got this postcard from the Stroke Association about a train to end stroke marathon,” she recalled. “I had never really run before, but I signed up!”

She ran her first marathon, in Hawaii, in 2006.

“I loved how it helped me emotionally and mentally,” she said.

Today, Nash has now completed 26 full marathons (26.2 miles) and 27 ultra races of 26.3 to more than 31 miles.

Along the way, Nash said she started to figure out that running could help her give back.

“As I’ve gotten more mature, I realized it wasn’t just about me, but about sharing it,” she said. “Movement can help us feel better and respond to the community in a healthy way.”

She started coaching with Fleet Feet’s new runner program, but said she eventually realized she’d prefer working with smaller groups.

By 2012, she had formed her own business, Running with Kelly and was off and, well, running.

“I liked the earthy sense of Running with Kelly,” said Sandy Iacchetta, 58, who was enrolled in Nash’s summer program, even though she has already completed a full marathon. “She [Nash] is about the whole person. And, there’s a flexibility to her programs.”

Cathie Trabucco, 64, joined Nash’s class this summer as a mentor to newer students.

Trabucco said she didn’t start running  seriously until age 52, though she had started doing triathlons (generally swim, bike, run events) five years earlier.

“I was a swimmer and a tomboy, but I hated running,” Trabucco said. Then she met Nash. “Swimming will always still be my go-to, but now I love ultra running; you’re in nature and in the moment to the extreme. And you’re with like-minded people who are all high on life. Just thinking about it makes my heart happy.”

Still, Trabucco said she is appreciative that she still has good health and the ability to move like she wants. Just since June, she has completed two 33-mile races, a 5K (3.1 miles) and a half marathon (13.1 miles).

“I don’t plan on doing any less, either. Age is not a factor,” she said.

Nash said that she has noticed, at races she attends or participates in, she is seeing more runners of all ages, from 8 to 80.

“It’s neat,” she said, noting, “People are living longer and it’s important we move, whether it’s gardening, doing stairs or running. Your heart is a muscle and what happens to muscles if you don’t use them … they atrophy. Running strengthens muscle.”

Trabucco goes so far as to say, “Running is a natural aphrodisiac,” but quickly added that attitude is also important.

Betty Peters, now 65, said she got into running at 53 because she was “in crappy health.”

“The first appeal was that running was something I could do outside in any weather, and no special equipment was needed,” Peters said. She now finds running both challenging and rejuvenating.

Peters said she would and has, referred others to Nash.

“You don’t just put on your sneakers and think you’re going to run a mile; you have to work up to it,” Peters said. “Your body has to acclimate to it.”

Nash’s classes have helped with that.

“Kelly’s groups are very much like a family; you have each other for support,” Trabucco agreed.

It’s hard to embark on something new on your own, Peters added. “I liked Kelly’s approach; it’s more individualized.”

Not to mention that Nash is also a powerful example, Trabucco said.

The hardest part is the mental part, Trabucco added, “but it’s just showing up. You don’t start with expectations that are too high. Be gentle with yourself.”

“Some days, I give myself credit for just putting on my shoes and going outside,” Peters said with a laugh.

At some point, Nash added, you just have to realize what’s important is being able to take care of one’s self. Running can be a part of that goal.

For more on Nash’s programs, find her page, Running With Kelly, on Facebook. For more on the Sept. 7 Heritage Hero Run, go to HeritageChristianServices.org