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Diane Peterson

Corbett, Oregon | none

I am a competitive runner (5K - half marathon), usually finishing at the top of my age group. I also love to swim and will participate in open water events and aquathons. I really hope to find a partner for a SwimRun or will probably compete solo at some point.

I am not terribly interested in triathlons (I have done sprint ones years ago) since I would need to buy a bike and spend even more time away from home/family training on the bike. I also do not like to ride on the roads - for safety reasons.

My Why - Because I love it. And I'm basically addicted to staying active and fit. I started a run streak Nov. 21, 2017 and am still at it.

I ran a marathon in my early 40’s and met my goal of 4 hours (actually a couple minute faster) but did not discover the “mystique” in the distance and decided one was enough. About 9 ears ago, I was getting bored with 5Ks and 10Ks and decided to try another half marathon. My goal was 8:00 pace, but I was closer to 7:35 and decided maybe I was better suited to the half marathon. Oddly enough, I have never beaten that time (but I have been close). These days, I figure age is catching up with me so my goals are to hit age-group PRs. I did try another marathon in 2019 – Revel Mt. Hood. I love downhill, so thought that would be an advantage. Despite some long runs (17 – 20 miles) on the course, I still hit the wall around mile 17 – my legs just gave out and I think I did not fuel very well. I was (am) so disappointed to miss my 4-hour goal by almost an hour! I still think that 4 hours is possible and will try again.

I was able to register for the 2020 NYCM with a half marathon time, but of course that was cancelled, but I deferred to 2021. My "A" goal was 4:00 and my "B" goal was 4:15. I fell behind the "A" goal by 20 miles, but the "B" goal was still possible - until my right hamstring (and then calf) cramped up at mile 24.5. It took at least 2 minutes (maybe a bit more) to stretch and massage it out and I ended up missing the "B" goal by 2:00 (4:17:28). Now I have Chicago in October to try again for the 4-hour goal.

In the past several years, swimming has become similar, although not a daily thing. I used to teach a lap swim class, but after retiring, I became a student in the class and have done so for the past 10 years or so. I’ll swim three days a week except for school breaks and summers when I am away (then I’m in a lake). I’ve made good friends in the pool as well as running.

Due to the pandemic I did a lot more open water swimming in 2020 and 2021. Almost half of my swim miles in 2021 were open water! I'm back in a pool now, but only 2 days a week and hoping to make that 3.