My name is Lezlie McCoy and I am 38 years old and a resident of Brandon, Mississippi. I am the mother of two handsome Jack Russell Terriers, Milo and Bandit. This is my story of how I came to be a passionate runner.
Christopher and I moved into the Pinebrook subdivision in July of 2011, which was conveniently located next to the popular “Rez Loop”, an 11 mile loop around the Pelahatchie Bay area of the Ross Barnett Reservoir. I suggested to Christopher that we should get bikes and introduce a fun way to get more cardio into our fitness routine. We started out with mountain bikes and soon graduated to road bikes.
Then I came up with the great idea to sign up for the Color Me Rad 5K in March of 2013. We did the race with a few of our friends and had an absolutely fabulous time. However, we had no idea what we were doing as far as running went. We’d sprint until we wore ourselves out, then would walk for bit. Rinsed and repeated this method throughout the entire race. I believe we finished at around 45 minutes. The next day, as we rested our aching bodies, the decision was made to try another 5K, but this time proper training would be involved and a goal was set to be able to run the entire 3.1 miles.
The Color Run in July was the target race. We began training at the gym on treadmills using the free app, Couch to 5K. We didn’t play around on this one and reached our goal to run the entire race. A new discovery was made: running on a treadmill did not prepare our feet and ankles for running outside. So the next goal was set: a 10K and outside run training with an actual training plan!
So we were still cycling all this time in addition to run training. One of our pals had begun coming out to cycle with us since everything is more fun with friends. He was really working us over to sign up to do a triathlon with him. I was completely uninterested, but Christopher eventually decided he would like to try one out, the Tri4Life triathlon. On the morning of August 10, 2013, our lives changed forever – for the better! I was immediately caught up in the action and excitement, but more importantly, I wanted to DO it too!
Lucky for me, I found a beginner triathlon, Give it A Tri, the following month. It was the most exciting thing I had ever been a part of. I was terrible at it, but I had so much fun. The best part was the other athletes – they were encouraging one another, whether it was a friend or a complete stranger. I had never experienced anything like it. There weren’t any other triathlons that year since it was the end of the season, so I began training for the next year.
Before I knew it, I was eating better, and cleaner. I was drinking more water and could feel a huge difference in how my body felt. I was cutting out all kinds of bad habits and getting the best sleep of my life. I had a complete season of triathlon fun in 2014 and checked several goals off of my list. My two major ones were my first Olympic distance triathlon at Memphis in May and my first half Ironman in Augusta, Georgia.
Once the triathlon season came to a close and the colder months began, I started training for my first marathon. Lots of things happened: I began placing in running races in my age group and I learned what my number one passion was: Running. I can’t tell you exactly when it happened, but running stopped being a chore. I started out doing it because it was part of triathlon, but somewhere it became the thing I loved doing the most. I was using a marathon training plan by Matt Fitzgerald on Training Peaks and it changed my whole outlook on running. It taught me how to train properly and how to be more efficient and get the most out of my body. It was a lot of hard work, but the pay off was great.
Fast forward to 2015 and I now have a slew of 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathons and even a couple marathons under my belt! I became a member of the Mississippi Track Club and I’m still training and setting a new goal every time I achieve the current one. Becoming a runner has been the one of the best things to ever happen to me. Running has done so much for me: it relieves any ounce of stress I may have, it allows me to enjoy the great outdoors, it keeps me healthy and I get to be part of the most loving community that exists. I honestly have to say that the best part about running is other runners. I have never been a part of a sport where the competitors encouraged one another like this one. I will cross the finish line at a race, grab a water and go right back to the finish line to cheer on other runners coming in. There is no better feeling in the world than to put a smile on someone’s face as they cross that line.
I love being able to inspire others to live healthier and become more active. There is nothing more rewarding than being asked to run with a friend as they do their first 5K or 10K. I look forward to many more years of events and new friends to add to my ever growing running family!
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