Were you a runner in high school and college?

Yes, I ran for U.C. Davis as John Mansoor can recall.  He coached the men's team there for awhile and we knew each other well.  John gave me some good advice back then I had fun joining his running club for campouts, etc.  His wife, Heike, was also a really good runner. (Please say hello to both for me!)  At Davis I was coached by Sue Williams and she transformed me from a mediocre high school runner into a top collegiate athlete.  Sue was and still is my mentor.  I felt her coaching was like magic for me. I won 3 NCAA DIV II national track championships at Davis and I think I still hold 3 school records there.  That shocks me; I thought they'd be gone in a year or two.

Before Davis, I ran at Foothill High School in Pleasanton, CA and had a couple of encouraging coaches who made me promise to run in college even though I never went to the State meet or won any major high school races.  The current U.C. Davis Track Coach, Jon Vochatzer, actually coached track at my high school for a year before heading to Davis.

Was the CIM your first marathon?

No, my first marathon was in 1983 at Honolulu. I ran a 2:51 in some pretty bad weather.  I actually didn't train for it specifically; I just did it after our cross country season. Sue told me how that time could get me to the trials. So, I ran my second marathon in Eugene Oregon the next fall to qualify for the 1984 trials. I was geared up for the 1984 trials and I was VERY fit.  Unfortunately I became injured a week or two before the race and didn't get to run.  I was totally devastated.  After that I ended up winning Honolulu in 1984 in some more bad weather and finished second in the World University Games in Kobe Japan in 1985.  I went back to Honolulu in 1986 and took a third, but ran my P.R. of 2:36.  After that, I started to gear up for the trials again and the 1987 Cal International Marathon was part of that process.

Why did you choose the CIM?

I chose CIM because I thought the timing was good as a build to the trials and I also wanted to race it as I considered the Sacramento area my home turf after having gone to Davis and logging so many miles in the area.  The course looked good and I was just attracted to it and had it in my mind that I would like to try and win that race for about a year before I actually did it.

When you awoke race morning, what were you thinking? Did you consider not running?

Funny, I somehow knew it was going to rain.  When I woke up that morning, I think I said something like, "it's just raining, but at least it's not windy"...and then we went to the starting line and I had to eat those words.

I was ready for the rain because the year before I had attempted to run Twin Cities and had to drop out when my body started shutting down due to some snow flurries.  I was so mad at myself for not being prepared for any weather possibility. I NEVER dropped out of races.  I think that was one of two in my whole life.  So, I just put it in my head that in can rain hard in Dec. in Sacramento and I'd better be ready.  All fall, whenever there was a rain storm, I went out and ran a hard run. I still remember one workout I did. Sue had scheduled me for 2 x 7 miles, dropping my time each mile.  It was howling wind and pouring.  I went out and did it by myself.  It was tough, but I know that workout help me a lot on race day. 

During the run, did you consider quitting?

It was REALLY hard, but I'm not a quitter. That week, the person who sponsored me from Adidas, died of a heart attack.  Because I dedicated the race to him, I really couldn't quit.  But, even with that in my mind, I would have to honestly say I thought about quitting, that's how hard it was that day.  I remember thinking that and then looking up to notice this woman on the race course just standing in the pouring rain with that wind howling and she was cheering like it was a sunny day in Disneyland.  I thought, if she can come out and cheer me on, I can do my best too.  I thought about all those people who set up the race, and my coach who was trying to meet me at different points with jackets, hats, etc. My parents came to watch and I just had to keep going.  In the very last mile I really just wanted to walk or crawl, and then there were some of my running buddies from Davis cheering. That got me home.

How did the race unfold for you?

I got out on pace, and then it was one of those, out of sight out of mind things. I think someone was closing in at the end, but I never ran against another female.  I was just trying to catch up to and stay behind as many big guys as possible.  I ended up catching up to a runner I new from the Aggies and I ran behind him for about 8 miles.  It really helps to be small in the wind!

After you finished were you OK?

I was very happy inside, but TOTALLED on the outside.  It was very tough mentally to get through that race and it took everything I had inside and out.  It took me a while to recover and I really never did get it back to a level I felt good about in time for the trials.

How did your running progress after 1987?

I ran poorly at the trials and then did some racing after that.  I pretty much retired soon after.  I had been running since I was 13 and training and racing hard for almost a decade.  I just needed a break.  I got married to Phil Bellan (He ran for Cal Poly and was first scratch runner in the Dipsea one year.)and coached at Mills College for 6 years.  We moved to Idaho and I coached for a bit here too.  But, we had two children and so I stopped coaching to be with them more.  I run now mostly for the social and mental benefits.  I also teach Health in P.E. at a local junior high school and I like to practice what I preach.

I see that you are running competitively now as a masters runner with the Boise Aggies - what is your next race?

I have run in some local races and twice in the last few years I have gone to cross country nationals, once with a team made of my Boise friends and last year with my old Davis teammates.  We put a team together with the Aggie Running Club and just had a blast.  We also won the Master's National Title and so we got to joke with our coach, Sue, that it took us 25 years, but we finally got her a National Championship! 

I run with a group in town called the Boise Aggies, we are an off-shoot of the Asics Aggies.  A long time Aggie, Emil Magallanes, coaches us and it's just a lot of fun. You should check out the website he made, BoiseAggies.com.  I will probably do a few local road races this fall, but my main goal is training for life.  Our son, Eric, is running cross country for the first time with his 7th grade team and so that's been a joy.  I hope he gets as much from the sport as my husband and I have.  It is just an amazing sport!

Do you have any plans to tackle another marathon, and if so, which one?

NO...but if I did, you know I'd come home to the CIM!