How Bad Do You Want It?

This month, retired Marine Corps Maj. Lisa Davis shares her journey. I must confess that I am jealous of Lisa because, of all the accomplishments she has achieved during her running career, one is close to home—The JFK 50 Mile Run. Her milestone in this event came at the end of the 2019 race which was her 10th completion. On Nov. 20, 2020, Lisa was inducted into the JFK 500 Mile Club to recognize her performance. I have attempted the event 11 times and managed to complete only seven.

I am still inspired.

Lisa shares the following: “My advice to anyone attempting the JFK for the first time….do not try to go hard on the Appalachian Trail (AT) in hopes of banking time for the C&O. That strategy does not work. First, you have a greater chance of injury if you are not good with extremely technical trails, and second, you might wear out your legs in which you will need them to run the C&O where the cutoffs are more stringent. So, pace the AT so that you can race the C&O.”

Each person who has been featured on Army Wife Network has taken a different route to reach where they are today.

The new year unfolded under the veil of COVID-19. We made it through 2020 in which our environment has changed along with our lifestyles. The athletes which have shared their stories have made changes too. This is not the time to put your life on hold.

Each month, as you read about the athletes, the takeaway is that they all have obstacles to overcome. They are not training for the Olympics, but they are doing something to change their lifestyles.

In short, they are the best version of themselves.

Lisa was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to a single teenage mom and raised in the inner city of Chicago. She graduated high school at 17 and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as a private. She retired from the Marine Corps as a major with more than 24 years of honorable active-duty service. She was a financial manager in the Marine Corps and continues to work as a financial manager for the Navy. She deployed to Djibouti in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She is a mother with a bachelor’s degree, two master’s degrees, and a level 2 DoD Financial Management certification.

To highlight a few performances to her credit: She has completed 186 marathons, which includes one in every state, plus Washington, D.C.; four 100-mile races and a marathon on every continent, which was wrapped up in 2017; and finished the Great Wall of China Marathon, which included 5,164 steps.

I will stop here because I am tired. Lisa has earned respect and continues to be a moving force.

I asked Lisa some questions which follow below. We all have different goals and exercise in a variety of ways. The happy place is doing what makes you feel comfortable so that you can achieve your desired goals. We all cannot be Lisa, but we can develop a mindset that will assist us to keep moving forward.

My standard question. “How bad do you want it”?

Take a few minutes to read Lisa’s responses to the following questions.

What was your motivation for joining the Marine Corps?

I joined the Marine Corps to get an education. I grew up poor (to a single teenage mom) and could not afford college. The Marine Corps recruiter came to my home in hopes of recruiting my brother but ended up recruiting me instead.

How well did you adjust to the lifestyle?

It took some time for me to fully adjust to the Marine Corps lifestyle. There were lots of challenges, being a black female in the Corps. I had to prove myself every day and fight for everything that I had. A woman’s role in the Corps in 1986 was to “free a man to fight,” so we would stay in the rear while the male Marines would forward deploy. The Corps went through great lengths to distinguish between male and female Marines (we have pink weapons qualification cards and the men had blue; we were forced to wear a skirt, although we had trousers as part of our uniforms; when I first joined we were forced to wear makeup; there were only female heads/bathrooms for all ranks while male Marines had heads for officer vs. enlisted; female Marines could not stand duty/watch for the entire barracks but only for the female wing in the barracks). We were never equal. A lot changed over my 24 years of active service and female Marines and their role have come a long way.

What were some of the challenges which you faced?

One day, while I was stationed in Kaneohe Bay Hawaii, I had to distribute the leave and earnings statements. I noticed that my 2nd Lt. was getting paid substantially more than I was, but I was doing most of the work. At that moment I knew I had to strive to be an officer. I felt like I could do his job and, in some cases, as an E5 I was doing his job….so why not go for the pay too?!

Did the military change your life?

The Marine Corps changed my life substantially. I was allowed to earn a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees, plus learn to lead people. I was given the opportunity to travel to places I never would have seen at that age and was exposed to different people from all over the United States. The Marines taught me to be tough and showed me just how much I could endure. I learned perseverance and persistence while I served.

Was there anything you gave up during the process?

I do not remember giving up much except for my time and freedom, because while on active duty, my time is now the military’s time, and I was at their mercy regarding what I did and when I did it. It was not that big of a deal because I was so young (17), so I did not know much about freedom to do whatever I wanted too anyway.

I know the military encourages fitness, but what was your motivation to step into the sport of running and going beyond the expected military fitness?

Yes, the Marine Corps demanded fitness, but I loved to run. I never knew much about marathon running until Oprah ran the Marine Corps Marathon. I was a captain in the Corps at that time, and I thought to myself, if Oprah can do it then I can do it too. She was my inspiration. I knew she was driven, but I also knew that she was not an athlete and was able to accomplish the goal of finishing a marathon with sheer will, determination, and preparation!

What got you on the road from the casual 5K to the ultras?

Ultra-running! I LOVE IT! I love it because those races are typically smaller and on trails. I love trails! In ultra-running, I can be slow but still be victorious because it appears that the cutoff times are more lenient than for the marathon distance. Also, ultra-marathoning does not attract a lot of crowd support, so I am left to my thoughts and can enjoy my surroundings. I feel another level of satisfaction when I complete a race that is 50 miles or more. It presents a mental, physical, and emotional challenge. When I am running, let us say, 100 miles, I am thinking at about mile 75, why am I doing this to myself? But then at mile 99, I am thinking… I cannot wait to do this again!

What sacrifices have you had to make along your journey?

I have mostly had to sacrifice my time with friends and family along my running journey…not because of the racing but because of the training. There is a lot of consistent training that goes into marathon and ultra-marathon running…especially if I want to race back-to-back with little to no recovery. I must train my body to do that, which means time missed from friends and family. Because of the hours in training that are required to prepare for marathons and ultras, I had to wait until my daughter was in high school before I could embark upon racing a heavy schedule of at least one race per month. She did not seem to mind too much because I had been there for her and all her activities since she was 2 years old. I would, however, schedule my races around her significant athletic events so I was there when it counted. Also, she supported me in a few races and ran shorter distances (8Ks) of the race series while I ran the marathon.

What is the philosophy of Lisa?

RUN HAPPY! I run because it makes me happy. Period. If I can race for a charitable cause, then that is icing on the cake!

What can you offer to the female who is looking at starting any type of fitness or exercise program?

If a female is looking to start running, particularly marathoning, I would tell her to make it enjoyable. It must be fun, or you will not stick with it. Also, only worry about yourself and what you can do. [You are racing] against you and not against anyone else. Set realistic goals. Commit to training, eating, and hydrating properly. Give yourself a break—[you can get] all the training in the world and you still can have a bad race or a bad day. I have had many setbacks, but I used them as fuel to improve and do better the next time. Time on your feet is crucial and is more important than speed. Invest in great running shoes. I highly recommend going to a running store or any other specialty running store to get fitted for a pair or pairs of running shoes.

When you approach an event is it about competition or the satisfaction of finishing?

I am only concerned about finishing my races; I only compete with myself. I define victory as finishing my race in the allotted time, in one piece, and with a smile in my heart. So, I never show up to an event to race against anybody!

Do you consider the sport to be emotional?

I consider ultra-running to be extremely emotional, because somewhere around 40 miles or so, the mind and body must work out their little disagreements. Although I have trained properly, on race day sometimes the body wants to stop, but the mind will not let it. Then sometimes both want to stop, and the heart steps in and says, “not only do I have to pump blood throughout the mind and body, but now I have to be the courageous one and push you two to the finish!”

What life experiences have come along the journey?

I have experienced so much during this running journey. Most of it has been self-awareness, patience, and perseverance. I continue to learn what my mind, body, and heart can and cannot do. I have found that I can do way more than I ever had imagined. Sometimes it is not easy, but it is always fulfilling.

Will there come a time when you have to place the shoes on the shelf?

I am never placing the shoes on the shelf. I may have to scale back how much racing I do, the distance that I do, or settle for times slower than what I have done in the past, but I do not see a life without me running—God willing! I have witnessed runners over 80 years old still racing. That will be me too!

Complete in your words, “I feel at peace when I am…?

I feel at peace when I am running on a trail, and all I can hear is my breathing, and all I can see is the beauty of nature around me. I do not feel alone. I do not feel scared. I feel happy and free.

What is in front of you that you dream about completing?

I dream of completing the World Marathon Majors. I only need London and Tokyo to finish, but COVID-19 stopped London in 2020, and I have no idea when and how I will get into Tokyo, but both are on my bucket list. I also want to run the North Pole (my daughter wants to do it with me) and complete the 5 Island marathon challenge. If I could learn to swim and cycle properly, I would like to complete a triathlon.

What changes have you noticed in the sport over the years?

Over the years, I have noticed more African Americans running marathons and ultra-marathons. I believe trail running is picking up for African Americans as well. It feels great seeing people who look like me running beside me. Running is truly a sport that all can enjoy, and I love the fact that more races are popping up all over the country (at least pre-COVID).

How important is it to have a training group?

It is not important for me to have a training group. I am sort of an introvert, and I literally run to the beat of my own drum. Occasionally training with others can be good to provide a little push, but I am sincerely and truly self-motivated, and I can stick to my training plan as a solo artist. This attribute has proved me well since we have to social distance.  I am used to running alone, so I did not notice a change in my training at all.

I am so overly excited about 2021, and I pray that the world can get back to its regularly scheduled running program very soon!

Some closing comments from the JFK 50 Mile run.

The JFK showed me how tough I could be, not only physically, but mentally as well. I am a retired Marine and always look for challenges. The JFK will always be a challenge, no matter how many times you run it. The outcome can go either way. I have learned to push even when I want to quit and then push even harder!

One last thing that I want to add: A bunch of my friends registered and ran the JFK with me for my 10th one. I was super excited and ran a great race. The next morning, I toed the line at the start of the Philly marathon, just so my daughter and her softball team (who volunteered to cheer for the race every year) could cheer me on. My body ached from the start of the race to the finish. It was unseasonably cold in Philly that day, and I was running on about one hour of sleep. I believe my time in the Corps and my time on the JFK trail gave me the intestinal fortitude to endure the race conditions and the distance on sore legs and sleep deprivation. Also, God carried me quite a bit, and for that, I am forever grateful.