Jan
26
Predawn Profile – Brodie Wise
You can meet a phenomenal array of fellow runners through social media. One such runner who struck me right away as someone I have a lot in common with was Brodie Wise, a Baltimore resident who you can find on dailymile or Twitter. We’ve had similar timelines in our running “careers”, similar family situations, and this similar habit of not sleeping enough – plus have both experienced the hurdle of overcoming injury (though Brodie’s challenges have been admittedly greater than my own). In a lot of way’s Brodie’s story is a bit contrarian to current trends in running, so I hope you enjoy this different perspective.
Predawn Runner: When and how did you start to get involved with running?
Brodie Wise: Growing up I was a sprinter in school, didn’t do anything major during track so I tried other sports. While in college and beyond I kept running (shorter distances), then the change happened! While living in Baltimore (1998), my old neighbor told me she ran marathons. As most people who are not runners react…”WHAT?” I thought that was plain crazy. Well, she invited me to go on runs and it made me start increasing my mileage. Then one day I tried to run a 10-mile run…. There is nothing like running longer distances for the first time and not knowing what you should and shouldn’t do. Who doesn’t like blisters and dehydration? Either way, I became a runner for life.
PR: It looks like you were involved with running some time ago and then gave it up for a bit – at least racing. Why is that, and what got you motivated to start again?
BW: You got that right; I gave up running races because I didn’t like the planning for the race. Most people need a schedule, I just like to knock some miles out and enjoy the run. Too many people focus on a schedule and miss the “pure” enjoyment of the run. I ran my first marathon in 2001 (Baltimore), after that race I said never again. Absolutely hated the aftermath and didn’t understand why people put themselves through the pain. As time passed, I did try to train for a few others but early in the schedule I got hurt and didn’t like the pressure. Guess what happened; no more races. Well, some friends asked me to run a half-marathon in 2009. At that race I ran into and old friend of mine Thomas Neuberger who first bantered me that he couldn’t believe I could run that fast with my huge feet:) Thomas put the pressure on me to run a few races with him and sign up of a marathon. Since I had a great base of miles, running a marathon wasn’t a big deal and I never had the issues I had in the past.
PR: You’ve run a couple of BQ marathons now, correct? What type of training approach did you take?
BW: Actually, I only ran one. I finally had the honor of running the 2010 Boston. Leading up to Boston I treated the race like any other. I focus on 4-5 runs a week averaging 6 to 10 miles a run, inserting a 20-miler every other weekend. Approximately 3 weeks before the race I start scaling back the mileage for the long runs. Since I ran a 50k the month before, I didn’t need a lot of prep for this race. I admit, I don’t do a lot of tempo and/or speed work, I focus on miles. There is nothing like running Boston, it was an amazing experience!
PR: I know you have struggled through some injuries of late, what have you learned in the process and how have you been able to stay focused on your fitness?
BW: This was a metaphor for life, learn from your mistakes. With everything you need balance and after getting a hernia in 2010 and chronic shin issues due to shoes, I took a year and half to recover (continued to run). I kept my patience and used cycling swimming, etc to keep my fitness up when I wasn’t able to run.
PR: Small world – I had a hernia in early 2010 too, but fortunately the repair was quick, easy, and hopefully permanent. I’m curious as to what adjustments you made to your shoes – can you share a bit about that? Anything else you had to change to overcome injuries?
BW: I can’t say I have much change to my approach to running except I pay attention more to the signs of potential issues. For example, slight pains in my legs or abdomen can become more serious so I shift my training to other exercises when possible. Since my hernia was running induced, I try to do more sit ups and core exercises to strengthen the area. The shoe/orthotics element was a disaster waiting to happen. I changed podiatrists and he stated I could use over the counter ortho’s and could run in less structured shoes. Little did I know that I needed so much more. First I went back to my original podiatrist, second he fitted me for custom orthotics and third he put me in a shoe that has a straight last (curve on the bottom of the shoe) to help support my arches while running. Since I was on the verge of a stress fracture and had to take quick action and stop most running. And now, no VFF’s for me, only over-weighted shoes that support my orthotics and my arches.
PR: Maybe you should write a book – there are a lot of runners who can gain from your experience. With three boys, how do you find time to fit in your training?
BW: I have 3 amazing boys 7, 4 and 2. Time, what is that? Oh, I gave up on sleep a while ago to fit my runs in. Truth be told, having an incredible supportive wife makes all the difference I the world. When I can’t get up she allows me to get a run in and continue my training. I can tell, as my kids get older, there will be no running during the day. Isn’t this blog called “pre-dawn”?
PR: It is indeed, and precisely for the same reason you mention. And I can’t agree more about the importance of a supportive spouse. Now that you’ve gone beyond Boston, what are some of your longer-term goals?
BW: To be fair, I don’t set many goals for running. I have a zen-like attitude and I just like getting out there. I do want to run a 100-mile race someday, I think that will be a focus for 2013. I could twist this question, I feel there so many other people want me to set a goal so I think I will have to put out a poll so I know what to shoot for.
PR: Well I for one think that goals are highly personal, so it’d be tough for me to believe that picking one as the result of a poll would be highly motivating – so we’ll just go with your 100-mile race, shall we?
