NameJulie Gilchrist

Age: 43

Miles Per Week: 60 right now, varies throughout the year (mostly less!)

Number of Years Running: Started running at age 12, ran a few years in college and on and off until 2005. This is when I started training for marathons and it’s been consistent since then.

Favorite Pastime Before Running: Eating, reading, hiking, gardening

Lesson Learned: Running Big Sur Marathon last spring with Jennifer Straughan; we went into it with no expectations. For me, that was huge. I put a lot on myself and normally get very anxious about every race. It’s ingrained, I can’t help it. However, this was a VERY hilly course and beautiful. Two great reasons to take it easy and have a good time. I didn’t push it but held a decent pace and did well overall. Now the challenge is to teach myself how to do that for every race!

Side Note: We don’t usually post captions under photos, but this warrants one: Julie is resting after winning the Coeur D’Alene Marathon a few years ago. She’s sitting on the edge of the awards stage, examining her blisters with Paige and Alan, her children.