Prevention: What made you sign up for a marathon without any running experience?
Sheridan: My 49th birthday was upon me. One of my girlfriends called and said, "Hey do you want to run this marathon?" I told her it sounded like torture! She kept saying how much fun it would be. I hung up the phone and was haunted all night; I was lethargic and tired and overwhelmed—I wasn't really healthy. So I called her back and said, "What's the fun part?" She told me it would be like a girls' weekend, but she was younger than me and had run one before. I had never done anything like this before. I had NO friends who were running, no coach, zero support. So I just signed up, bought a really cute running outfit, and starting running.
But the training didn't go well at first?
After a few weeks of pounding it out and putting my best effort forward, my foot started to hurt. I made an appointment and this young doctor walks in, looks at my x-ray, and says, "You have a stress fracture. What are you doing?" I said, "I'm training for this marathon," and he said "How old are you?!" That was so shocking; no one has ever asked me that before. He said pick a different sport—you're too old to be running. I was devastated. First I cried, then I got mad. I thought, wait, that's not correct advice.
But you didn't quit. How did you rehab?
You can run in place in water! You go one minute hard and one minute off. You can hardly pull yourself out of the pool, it's that tiring. So I had 6 months left to train and I did that for 6 weeks until I healed. When I was done in the pool, I learned that getting on softer paths are better for your feet. That's when I started listening to my body. I went to that marathon and we laughed our butts off! They had bands on every corner we stopped and danced at every band. We had a blast! But that's when I started thinking: How far can I really go?
How did you go from marathon to ultramarathon?
Ultramarathons are any distance over 26.2 miles—50K, 50 miles, 100 miles, 100K races. They're usually non-stop, and you have to get to certain points by a certain time or else you're pulled off the course. I starting reading about all these amazing races on the west coast and was fascinated! I was also starting to feel stronger and more confident, and I suddenly had calf muscles! Running was doing things to my body I never expected. I found out I was better at going a couple of hours running than anything else I'd ever experienced. So I signed up for a 50K in California and didn't tell anyone because, at that point, I could not hear any more negativity.
What kind of willpower do you need to run 50 miles?
For me, I have to find the fun. It has to be fun or I don't want to do it. When you're in a race and you're running 100 miles, there are parts that aren't fun. But I'm out there digging it. I love being out in a remote beautiful location and that lifts my spirits, especially running through the night. You're totally self-sufficient with your head lamp on, and what it does to you as a human being is surreal.
Then again, my feeling is: I believe I'm really average. I think for me, the biggest thing is that our human bodies are so much more powerful than we ever tap into and that's the truth. We're all made the same and we all have the same abilities. Speed isn't my gift but I can certainly go the distance.
Tell us about Desert Sky Adventures, the Las Vegas training comapny you started for women.
I started it 5 years ago and my whole goal is to help people walk and run for health and adventure. That's it. I want everyone moving! And we're doing a big kick-off this year. I travel all over the country to talk about the benefits of walking and running, and we coordinate races for people to train for with a support system.
What's your first piece of advice for someone who wants to start walking or running?
The first thing I'd like people to do is walk a 5K. Moving for 20 minutes is just as important as going to work every day. The second thing is: You have to find the fun. When I'm lecturing, I often poll the audience to see how many people run. Then I ask, "How many people really hate it?" Everyone raises their hands! There is fun in it, and we're hoping to change people's mindset by helping them find beautiful nature paths, make running global, and put together packages to help them stay healthy while they do it. Because when you change your physical life and ramp it up a little, everything is better. Your life, your mind, your spirit, everything.
How has running changed you?
My attitude, how I see the world, and definitely my self-confidence. When you're using your body and your body is really fit, it opens up your mind more. That's why I'm so passionate about people moving. You get the same benefits whether you swim or hike or whatever—moving makes you a more well-rounded and balanced person.
