There Is A Method to the Madness
This is a podcast where I will be discussing all aspects of physical fitness. I am an exercise physiologist and personal trainer and owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs for the last 25 years. My passion is health and fitness and I am excited to share my views, some stories, interviews and much more with you.
There Is A Method to the Madness
A Champions Journey: Kitty Musante's 45-Year Love Affair With Running
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...
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Welcome to there is a Method to the Madness. My name is Rob Maxwell and I'm an exercise physiologist and personal trainer. I am the owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs and I've been in business since 1994. The purpose of this podcast is to get to the real deal of what really works and, most importantly, why things work. Hence the name. There is a a method to the madness. Before I get to today's show, I want to thank Jonathan and Lynn Gildan of the Gildan Group at Realty Pros. They are committed to providing the highest level of customer service in home sales. Why don't you give them a shout and figure out what your home is worth? 386-451-2412. Welcome to.
Speaker 2:Wednesday and today is an exciting day. We have a wonderful guest on the show, ms Kitty Masante, who is a phenomenal age group runner and one of the best in her age group in the entire country. So we are going to learn some things from her. So stay tuned. Without further ado, I have Kitty with me now and we're going to talk with her a little bit about her running and her health and fitness. How are you doing today, kitty?
Speaker 3:I'm doing well. It's a beautiful day.
Speaker 2:It is a very beautiful day. It was very nice out, good temperatures. I know you like the cooler weather.
Speaker 3:This might have been the last day of the season and I enjoyed it.
Speaker 2:So tell the listeners a little bit about yourself, your running and all that. We'll start with a little like brief introduction.
Speaker 3:Well, I'm 68 years old. I've lived here in Central Florida since the late 70s. I did not run in school or in college. I started running after I moved to Florida, just kind of a way to stay in shape. I was never a person that wanted to join an aerobics class or do anything like that, and I worked up to running two miles a day and I thought that was good and that's how it all started originally.
Speaker 2:Where did you move from?
Speaker 3:I moved here from Northern Virginia.
Speaker 2:Fairfax.
Speaker 3:County and also college was in Norfolk, Virginia Beach.
Speaker 2:Okay, what brought you to Florida?
Speaker 3:My first husband, who I wasn't married to yet, was a surfer a diehard surfer and we were in Virginia Beach, which gets too cold in the winter to surf comfortably, and he was originally from the coco beach area, so we headed on down. We were going to move to saint augustine. I had dogs couldn't find a place to rent. The next surf break was new samaritan beach we pulled in. We got a realtor.
Speaker 2:She found us a beautiful house on the river and that was that I think this uh, I know this surfer, I think, owned a surfboard place in New Smyrna at one point Still does.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, yes, red Dog, it's one of my dogs, that's how that comes from. Yes.
Speaker 2:Oh, wow, that is. I had no idea the name of that surf shop.
Speaker 3:That's pretty cool.
Speaker 2:That's pretty neat, all right. So you have had quite a lot of accomplishments, which is why I was excited to have you on. I mean you're, I mean you really are one of the area's best runners. I mean, if there was a Hall of Fame here in Daytona, there kind of is, but if there was a real Hall of Fame, there'd be you and a couple people in it. So we got a lot of people that listen, who are into running and triathlons and things like that. So what are some of your PRs or personal records from your running events?
Speaker 3:Well, I am really bad about dates and time, so I'll generalize on that. I was running at my peak in my 30s. I was running 5Ks in the 17s.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 3:My 10Ks, 37s, Half marathons, the low 120s and the marathon. I spent several years chasing that to break three. I ran a three and 27 seconds. I never broke three.
Speaker 2:Now, where was that? At what marathon?
Speaker 3:It actually was Space Coast, but a completely different course than what you have now A very boring course and I was basically running alone near the front and I saw the clock and I saw it tick to three and there was nothing I could do. I had actually run a very fast 5K the day before.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 3:Whether that helped or hurt.
Speaker 2:I'm not sure, but that's what happened, so that was probably in the day, I'm guessing, without GPSs and stuff, so you probably didn't know how close.
Speaker 3:you were no GPSs and also no electronic timing.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 3:So who knows?
Speaker 2:Right. Well, that's still a very good accomplishment. So what is your goal coming up? I know you have a big race coming up this weekend. What are some of the big goals you're chasing right now? You said you're 68. I mean, that's the important thing out there still running and super competitive. What's the big?
Speaker 3:goal coming up. Yeah, I am. It's a fault to be as competitive as I am, but right now my goals for the rest of this season is this coming weekend we have an opportunity of a lifetime. The World Masters Athletics are in Gainesville First time they've been in the States, as far as I know, mostly indoor track and field, but they threw us a couple things A cross country race and a 10k road race.
Speaker 3:I'm entered in both. I hope to make the podium, but who knows who's there? Because it is a world event and there's several thousand athletes.
Speaker 2:So, uh, we'll just see what happens you'll be doing the, the 5k and the 10K.
Speaker 3:You said the cross-country is an 8K 8K. Yeah so that's like. Five miles.
Speaker 2:Five miles Okay.
Speaker 3:And I will say these are not the distances I like. I'm comfortable with them, I've done plenty of them. I'd rather it was a 5K and I'd rather the road race was a 5K, but it is what it is. They didn't offer that.
Speaker 2:So what is your favorite distance to race now? Is it the 5K?
Speaker 3:Actually it's the mile, the mile.
Speaker 2:All right, Now are they having the mile this weekend?
Speaker 3:No, they do have track events. I have entered the 1500. I plan on scratching.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:It's an indoor track and it's a 200-meter track which is banked, and I have no experience in that and there's a lot of jostling that goes on in that. It's a whole different thing with strategy. It also conflicts scheduling-wise with the 10K. I would have to run my semis the night before the 10K and then run my final the same day as the 10K.
Speaker 2:So when is the the um 8k? Is that saturday? That's this sunday sunday and the 10k is the following saturday, the following saturday, so this is a whole week.
Speaker 3:Okay, a whole week, and you know we're, uh, representing the united states, and nike is kind enough to give us uniforms and uh, and so we get to play like we're in the old people's Olympics.
Speaker 2:You kind of are. So how many people got chosen by Nike to represent? Was it like three per age group?
Speaker 3:I don't think they did it that way. You have to be a USATF member if you're running for the US, so you send in your times and you send in your money and we were accepted.
Speaker 2:so that's pretty neat. Now your husband, is he running as well?
Speaker 3:he had planned on it. He has a hamstring. That's giving him a little bit of problems right now, and obviously his goal is, five weeks from now, boston uh, which would be his 45th boston.
Speaker 2:I need to say that yeah, so for the listeners, this is jim um, and he is the guy you read about in the paper every boston, every april, because this will be his 45th right ever, ever since 1981.
Speaker 3:That is crazy, which happens to be our house address.
Speaker 2:Imagine that. That's pretty good. So 45 Bostons in a row and for those that don't know, you have to qualify for Boston. It's not like anybody could just show up and race 45 times. That is really impressive.
Speaker 3:So yeah, obviously that's going to yeah. If he has to skip this race on Sunday, if he feels better he'll run the following Saturday, but if he has to not, then he won't.
Speaker 2:So he would also be in our Hall of Fame locally. Obviously, right, and you guys are just the power running couple, so I know that you have done triathlons in your past. What got you out of those and back into more, say, full-time running?
Speaker 3:well, I'll back up a little bit, okay. Um, when I started running, kind of by accident, a friend of mine had suggested we run the Easter Beach run and, like I said, I jogged two miles. That was it, because the t-shirts were cute.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm. So what year was this about?
Speaker 3:Early 80s.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they were nice. I remember those shirts. Yes, and it was a lot of runners and good runners. It was Come down. Yes, college runners. It was a very competitive race and we knew.
Speaker 3:I was terrified she was not. She goes well. I can walk well back in those days.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry, but nobody walked.
Speaker 3:If you, entered a race, you ran it was different. Yes, and I thought but we can't walk, I'll get disqualified. So I took off like just as fast as I could and I ran it and I felt good and I was in the top 10% and I thought I had just discovered what I want to do. That's pretty cool so that was how I started running my second race, so you were successful from the get-go, right from the get-go, okay, and so my second race was another four-miler the Tomoka four-miler.
Speaker 2:I remember it well.
Speaker 3:Halfway through my foot broke. Oh wow, I had a stress fracture so I had to start swimming. So that started quite early in my running career.
Speaker 2:So you kind of went to swimming as a cross stream.
Speaker 3:I started swimming with the lifeguards and, you know, with a group, and you know I knew how to swim, but then I learned how to swim better and then one day, a friend of mine and also some people might not remember the late John Boyle- who's talking about horses? Were heading to a triathlon in Wet and Wild.
Speaker 2:So he was racing, john was.
Speaker 3:I don't think he was racing, but he was there with a friend, with Laura Harrington who I became close to. And I said you know, I'd like to do that, since I can swim now and everyone knows how to ride a bike. So I had an old Nashiki. He brought me a helmet, I jumped into this race. It was a different order. The run was before the bike. I was like in second place after the run and then I went backwards when it came to the bike.
Speaker 3:You were a runner I didn't realize you were supposed to keep pedaling. I thought you pedaled and you coasted. What did I know?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:On the way home. I remember telling my husband at the time I need a new bike. I kind of like this. So that's how I started doing triathlons, mainly from being an injured runner.
Speaker 2:How long did you stay with it? Was it a long triathlon career?
Speaker 3:well through the mid 80's I did Hawaii the world championships three years in a row the Ironman. So you really bumped up the distance yes, because in those days you ran marathons. You hiked 100 miles, the distance, the iron man. Yes, because you know, in those days you know you ran marathons right, all about distance you liked 100 miles.
Speaker 3:You swam three or four miles. So I kept up the swimming. I swam with high school teams. I biked only with men because they were faster than me and that would make me faster and, uh, my running was up to par. So I did did Ironman in 1989, 90, 91. 1989, when I knew nothing was my best. I ran a 10.30. I was fifth in my division, 25th in the world for women, and it was a thrill. It was an absolute thrill. I will mention, in those days we changed clothes between events.
Speaker 1:So maybe that 1030 was a little faster than that.
Speaker 3:That was something, so I went back the next year.
Speaker 2:And that's back like when Mark Allen and those guys were racing. It was that year. Wow, yeah, they were the legends.
Speaker 3:I don't remember the name of the book, like Duel in the Sun or something like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I read it Him and Dave Scott.
Speaker 3:I saw them I was still on the way out. They had turned to come back in shoulder to shoulder and you knew that was going to be a battle. They were legends All the way through, and I ran at that time for Brooks, and so did Scott. So for Brooks and so did Scott. So we were teammates.
Speaker 2:I think they paid him more than they paid me. I only got paid in shoes and clothes. Dave Scott, you mean? Yes, yes, yeah, he's a. He was a top pro, was his nickname. Mark Allen was the grip, I think right, but anyway they were. They were just fun to watch. I mean, that's back when I thought it was the most entertaining. So what got you out of it? What did you transition back? To running primarily.
Speaker 3:I had a bad actually a bad bike wreck right before that Ironman. I fractured my pelvis. Didn't want that to happen again.
Speaker 1:I didn't really back off for a few years, but it was always on my mind that you know you can fall running, but you can really get hurt cycling.
Speaker 2:Right Endangers with cars.
Speaker 3:So into the early 90s. I made a couple teams. I was All-American for several years in what we call the Olympic distance. It's hard to maintain a job and train what required 30 hours a week of hard training.
Speaker 2:Very much.
Speaker 3:And then I had a daughter in 94, and it just became a bit of a chore to realize I had to go out and do this and do this, and running was my true love.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 3:So I put the triathlons aside and I went back to running.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know what you mean. It's like you can just go out your front door with running. You don't have to get your bike and do this. You don't have to put in as much time either. Do you still swim or do any other cross training now I?
Speaker 3:don't swim anymore and that's mostly because I'm probably too lazy to go to the pool and arthritis in the neck and that kind of stuff. I don't bike on the road either.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 3:But I do stationary bike after almost every day, after I run and I just spin, it's nothing. I don't even really consider it, exercise it's with no resistance. I go through my emails. I do whatever I need to do on the computer.
Speaker 2:Spin your legs out.
Speaker 3:Yeah, half an hour to an hour.
Speaker 2:Really probably helps your recovery, at least five days a week. Nice, so you said earlier, competition is, you said, more of a curse, but kind of a blessing and a curse, I guess Explain that.
Speaker 3:Well, I was very, always have been very, injury prone, and that is to some extent my own fault Genetics I can't do much about but I have run several races knowing I had a stress fracture and I have been put in a wheelchair to end of races because of that.
Speaker 3:I remember one of those and I came back from 5k Boston in a wheelchair a few years ago, and so I would say that I pushed my self, or what my body can take, and I've beyond, but I don't regret it because I don't think I'd be where I am now. Uh, if I didn't and I do do everything not to be injured, you know, I eat correctly and I take care of myself, and and, uh, I do now take one day off a week. I didn't do that before.
Speaker 2:So do you run six days a week?
Speaker 3:Yes, I do.
Speaker 2:How many miles a week would you say you run?
Speaker 3:Usually at least 35. Sometimes I'll hit the low 40s.
Speaker 2:I mean, that's manageable. Yes, what's your long day? How long?
Speaker 3:My long day would be 10 miles and it would not be every week, it would be, could be once a month or maybe twice a month, and I do go to the track. I've been doing that pretty regularly for over a year. One day a week. I do feel that helps to keep my leg speed and I really don't think it hurts me as far as injuries. A good surface.
Speaker 2:A very good surface, yes, rubberized track for those who don't know. So what does the rest of your training look like? So a long day track day? Are the rest easy runs or do you do a tempo run?
Speaker 3:Sometimes a tempo. If I'm running with my husband, who always has to be ahead of me he is, you know, faster, he's a man Then I can use that as a tempo day or threshold run.
Speaker 2:Do you guys have almost the same schedule Like run. Well, he's probably going longer with the marathons. Now he's doing longer.
Speaker 3:We do both run in the morning, but we don't. Maybe once a week we actually run together, or me behind him.
Speaker 2:Do you like running with people or do you like running alone?
Speaker 3:Well, this morning I ran with two friends my friend Helen, who doesn't live here anymore, Helen Cox. Yes, yes, yes was visiting and Kelly Kelly Corey. I do enjoy running with them. I don't tend to run with groups because I feel like I need to run the pace I need to run because I am competitive. I would probably try to stay up with the men if.
Speaker 2:I am running in a group and that's probably not too wise well, if you're running with people slower than you, you might feel compelled to run slower, and then you might think do you enjoy like being in your own head when you run, or do you need entertainment when you run like everybody's a little different?
Speaker 3:yeah, I do not need entertainment. I run early in the morning. If I don't run in the morning, it will not happen. I hate to run in the afternoon. Very rare that you don't like the heat I don't like the heat, but even when it's cold I've got very cold I'll still rather rather run in the morning.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um it's a different bio rhythm. Yeah, I listen sometimes.
Speaker 3:You know I don't really listen to music. To be honest, when I run I do sometimes catch up on some podcasts and I'm a bit of a neatest junkie, so I do listen to that sometimes.
Speaker 2:So any injuries you've had, I mean it doesn't sound like you regret that. I mean you said it's um made you who you are right. So what does that mean? More like, well, because I agree with you. I think it's it's okay to have aches and pains here and there and be overall healthy and fit.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean, I've had some serious injuries yes. I've had this is shock some people 12 stress fractures.
Speaker 2:Where are they primarily?
Speaker 3:All of them were below the knee, which is not as serious tibia fibula metatarsals until two years ago and I fractured my femur.
Speaker 2:Okay, that's a biggie, that was a biggie.
Speaker 3:That took six months. That was non-weight-bearing.
Speaker 2:But you came back this year faster than last year yes so what did you do?
Speaker 3:I mean, because I started going to the track okay, I really started concentrating more on just the 5k and the miles, the road miles which I. There aren't very many serious road miles, but I've done the Fifth Avenue New York City road mile, which is the most competitive one in the country, and I was the national champion for USATF on their road mile a couple of years ago. So I seek them out. This year I'll probably go to Indianapolis for a road mile.
Speaker 2:So what is your mile time when you do that?
Speaker 3:My best mile time these past couple of years is a 6.15.
Speaker 2:Oh, man, I thought you were going to say something slower. That is fast, that's awesome, yes, so what's your 5K pace now? Your?
Speaker 3:7? A little over 7. More like 7.15. And that's what are you running like 22 ish low 22s if the weather's conducive for me.
Speaker 2:So for those listening remember kitty is 68, I mean a low 22 is really fast. I mean that's competitive worldwide, isn't it? For me, from what you know, like if you were to go, you know you're, you'll know this weekend, I suppose oh yeah, I was.
Speaker 3:I've won my age group again with USATF in Atlanta 5k a couple years ago with a low 22. There's some outliers there that maybe can still run in the 21s or even a 20 is a world record, probably for my age. I'm usually in the Still running the 21s or even the 20s a world record probably for my age. I'm usually in the top 90 percentile age graded in my running.
Speaker 2:What would you say that you are most proud of? Out of all of your either triathlon or running PRs or races, you've won. What one makes you go? You know what that I'm most proud of?
Speaker 3:I'd have to say Ironman 1981. Okay, 89.
Speaker 2:Cool. Yes, I mean that.
Speaker 3:I know that's not easy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know that's not easy. I mean, that's really hard. It's for those that don't know the bike course is supposed to be brutally hot and windy, I guess.
Speaker 3:Hot and windy, yeah, and guess hot and windy, yeah, and you don't have fast times there. It's just not ideal for that, no, and it's a long day of breathing hard. That's how I look at it and uh, yeah, I would say that, and what about running?
Speaker 2:what's your best running memory or proudest moment?
Speaker 3:I would say again similar to the ironman situation where the first year I went I went in there scared to death and I had my best race. Um, I went to boston. It was my second ever marathon. I qualified in jacksonville and they told me I really didn't know anything about boston and they said you qualified. And I I kind of panicked. I thought that meant I had to go and I went. Does that mean I have to go? And they said no, but you might want to, because that might be your only chance.
Speaker 3:Well, I've run it 12 times since. But that first year, which I believe was 88, I ran a 306. And again, no chips, no electronic timing. And I remember at around 21 miles I asked somebody alongside me where is this Heartbreak Hill thing? He goes, honey, you've already passed it. Well, let me tell you the next. 12 times I did Boston, I knew where it was, but that year somehow it didn't phase me you're in the zone. I was in the zone, so I was um.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was a great race and a great memory do you mentally prepare as well, like not only are you very good about your training, I mean running six days a week, you got it organized, planned. Do you also mentally prepare, like you know homework or anything like that? Or?
Speaker 3:uh, you know, I don't do any real visualization or meditation or anything along those lines. I do prepare that. I'll probably look to see what the times were in the previous years and the course. And I watch the weather like a hawk. For me weather is a deciding factor between a good and a bad race. I'm very adverse to humidity and heat.
Speaker 2:Yeah, me too. So what about journal? Do you keep a training journal, or do you just not?
Speaker 3:Not anymore. As far as written.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Back in the day. Yes, Now, of course, it's all on my phone. Right, just by times and you know the race and the temperature. Nothing more than that, really.
Speaker 2:Were you ever super OCD about it with a training journal? Or, you know, have to round up a mile, or you know, if you're at 20, I don't know 9.56, would you have to go to 10?
Speaker 3:I probably still tend to do that sometimes yeah, I think we all do yes, but uh, but no, not not. You know, not that much. You know whatever it was. It was, like you know, just try to hit certain times and certain distances and see what my weeks were.
Speaker 2:You know, week to week so last couple minutes here, what do you want to? Maybe state that I didn't ask, like what? What do you want to tell people about you, or racing, or running, or whatever you want?
Speaker 3:I, I like I tell people that ask me you know I want to run, but it's so painful and so hard. I say you know, you have to give it a chance and I will say this if you really don't have the body type, you are going to struggle.
Speaker 3:It's harder yeah, but also, if you want to lose weight, there is no better way. It is a calorie burner, there is no question about it, and you should have decent shoes. That's really the only thing you have to think of as far as equipment and consistency. But if, after you do this for a few weeks or a few months and you just still really hate it, then you need to find something else that you will do on a regular basis, and that's the most important thing. I mean for me, running. I can't see myself not running. I wake up in the morning at 5 going. Can I go running yet?
Speaker 3:That's after running for 45 years.
Speaker 2:Right, you love it.
Speaker 3:I really do and I think when I was younger I learned how to suffer and I embraced that to some degree. I studied ballet for many years.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to today's program. I ask you to please follow the show wherever you get your podcasts and please select automatic download, because that really helps the show. Now I want to thank Overhead Door of Daytona Beach, the area's premier garage door company. They have the best product. They have the best service. I personally vouch for Jeff and Zach Hawk, the owners. They are great people with a great company. If you have any garage door needs, please give them a shout at 386-222-3165.
Speaker 2:People say, oh, it's easy for you. It's like no, it's not, it's not, it's not. It might look easier.
Speaker 3:And then I look at elite runners and I think, oh, they look so smooth and fluid. It must be easy.
Speaker 2:No, it's not easy for them either no, the the people winning the boston marathon. The pros are in the fours right.
Speaker 3:High fours, low fives yeah, it's just like women are in the low fives, the men are in the low fours, right so?
Speaker 2:it's not easy, I mean it hurts. They just make it look smooth, but they're suffering. Yes, like you said, but in a way that's good right, because it kind of like pushes you a little bit, pushes your soul, your mind a little bit. That's why I like it.
Speaker 3:Yes, and we do have a saying after a very hard effort, I did not die.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 3:Close. And that's yeah it felt close. I wanted to, but I didn't Right yeah.
Speaker 2:So it kind of you know, as they say you know, do the hard things because it makes you you know I don't know in a way I think it just makes you a better person. It sucked, but afterwards you're glad you did it right, absolutely yeah absolutely all right, well, thank you so much, kitty. I think that's a perfect point to leave up, leave off on and, uh, I hope to do this again great.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much for having me you're very welcome.
