Teri Smith
Teri is a 38 year old from Portland, Oregon. Teri is a talented runner that has a passion for long distance relays. You can follow Teri on Twitter at www.twitter.com/runningrelays and her website is www.runningrelays.com.
Teri went to Western Oregon State College in Monmouth, OR where she also played soccer for their club team. She still plays indoor and outdoor soccer to this day.
Teri started running as a way to get conditioned for soccer. At her first job out of college, she worked with some runners that talked her into signing up for her first 4 mile race. She fell in love with running and races instantly! Not long after that, Teri discovered the world of relays. Teri's passion for relays stems from her enjoyment for group sports and running.
Although Teri performs better in races of the 5k and 10k distances, she enjoys longer races, like 1/2 marathons and marathons more. She hopes to one day start running ultras and has a feeling that may be her running niche. One of Teri's highlights is her 1:46 finish at the Run Like Hell Half Marathon (a great time, even considering she made several pit stops during the race!). Aside from the time itself, the race was important for her, in that it taught her that she could run faster than she had ever hoped and she broke out of her "9 minute mile" mentality.
Teri's favorite race is the Cascade Lakes Relay. She loves working as a team to accomplish the big goal of finishing the race together. It's a challenging race in the middle of nowhere and each runner is responsible for a significant amount of miles. Teri loves the camaraderie that develops between her running mates throughout the course of the relay. A quote from Teri, "You really get to know the other runners - that doesn't happen in a 10k". I think that pretty much captures the attraction of relay races.
Strangest thing that's happened to Teri in a race you ask? Well, during a relay in the middle of the night, there was a long stretch of the course that was sparse with other runners. Some guys drove by Teri in a pickup truck yelling and screaming (a few too many Rainiers perhaps?). Teri got a bit nervous, but trucked on through the night. Then, she noticed parking lights up ahead. She thought it was the drunk guys in the pickup. She stopped and crouched down to hide on the side of the road to give herself time to figure out what to do (for those of you familiar with running relays, sometimes the night runs can make you a bit delirious!). Finally, Teri decided to go forward. When she finally got up to the parked car, it was her own team's van. Well, I guess it's better to be safe than sorry!
Teri attributes her worst race experience to the one and only sprint triathlon she attempted. Apparantly the bike portion of the race was a big eye opener for her and she was passed by everyone! With that being said, she's not considering a triathlon career at this point!
Teri's Mantra:
"Six days, six weeks, six months". It refers to dealing with injuries. The sooner you fix the problem, the less time you'll have to deal with it. If she feels off, then she takes the time off, rather than running through it, even though that's not an easy thing to always do.
Teri is a member of the Brooks Inspire Daily Team. She usually competes for the love of the game, but plans on dedicating some races to charity in the future. Teri regularly participates in group runs on the weekends, but sticks to running on her own during the week. She enjoys that balance. She typically runs between 40-50 miles a week!!
I'll leave you with this quote from Teri:
"I think that the key to running longevity is fun. What you are doing has to be fun. Now, whether that comes in the form of marathons, or triathlons, or relay races, that doesn't matter. But, if you are laughing and enjoying yourself, if you've got events that you look forward to all year, that's what matters. That's what keeps you going through the dark miles of the winter or injury. For me, that fun comes from my relay races. That's my chance to just enjoy the fact that I can go out and be active with my good friends. If your running is fun, you'll keep with it. And in the end, that's all that matters".
-Well stated Teri!
