When measuring success, we all start at different points on the stick. HODGES, 44, has been running “off and on” the last several years. This year, however, she’s managed to stay the course. AT 1:41 a.m., Sunday morning, more than 30 minutes after the previous runner crossed the finish line, Hodges crossed to the sound of applause from fellow runners and walkers, who instinctively knew she was a success.
The metric to measure is how far you’ve come.
So even though Stacey Hodges crossed the finish line “dead last” last Saturday night, she’s “thoroughly pleased” with her time of 1 hour and 42 minutes for the 6.2-mile race.
“That’s 4 minutes better than my last race in June,” she said. Over the phone her voice sounded clearly pumped. “Since May, I’ve knocked off 26 minutes.”
Her pace Saturday was a 16:41 mile.
“I walked and ran,” she said.
Hodges lives and works in Kansas City where she is a clinician for Johnson County Mental Health. She and fellow members of a running group came to Iola Saturday to participate in the Charley Melvin Mad Bomber Run for Your Life.
“It wasn’t what I expected,” she said. “It’s a very unusual race. I wasn’t prepared for it to be so dark. And of course, it was very hot and humid, so that made it difficult. I truly felt dead.”
So it was a bad experience?
“Oh no. I plan on coming down next year,” she said. “It’s the end result that’s the reward, that sense of accomplishment.
“I also appreciated the encouragement I received from fellow runners as they passed me by. Everyone was so nice. And I wish I knew his name, but a police officer joined me the last quarter mile. That was really nice.”
“The first mile or two are always rough,” she said.
Every time, every run, it’s a mind game to stick it out until at some point, maybe at mile 2, “it becomes enjoyable,” she said.
Hodges credits two running clubs, the Red, White & Blue in Lawrence and the Kansas City Track Club, in motivating her to be active. A focus of the Lawrence club is to help enrich the lives of U.S. veterans, she said.
“I love the camaraderie of the running groups,” she said.
Living in a metropolitan area, races are plentiful. Hodges said she typically runs a 5k every weekend. “I’ve got three coming up next month,” she said.
“If I can’t make it in person, then I’ll run a ‘virtual run,’” she said, explaining it’s an online commitment where she logs in her time. It even comes with a virtual medal.
As a professional who works to help others feel better and overcome their problems, Hodges knows the importance of self-care. She knows exercise and being with friends are good for her.
“I suffer from fibromyalgia. The more I stay active, the more it helps. Since I’ve started running, I’m medicine-free. Now, I just run.”
She also believes putting herself in variable situations makes her stronger.
“I like to challenge myself,” she said. “I never doubted that I wouldn’t finish Saturday night. You can’t let it get stuck in your head that you can’t do something. Yes, it’s a risk to go out there. But if you just try it, you’ll find it’s not so bad.
“The only competition I’m up against is with me.
“Around mile 4 I got a leg cramp and I thought how funny, to get a charley horse running the Charley Melvin.”
While over the course of the year she’s not only built up the miles — she plans to run a half-marathon this fall — she’s also whittled her waistline.
“I’ve lost 23 pounds,” she said.
And the police officer? David Shelby, a night lieutenant with the Iola Police Department.
Last-place finish far from whole story of womans efforts
