Tina Pearson (left) helps Rhonda-Lee Foulds work out at a Camp Gladiator session in Roanoke. Foulds, who has completed 59 marathons, fights her diagnosis of Parkinson's disease with daily exercise.
(Ron Baselice/Staff Photographer)
Rhonda-Lee
Foulds was 36, a runner and the mother of three active little boys when
she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1999. She underwent brain
surgery, stopped running, gained weight and took 25 pills a day.
"I went from being
very active to not being active at all," Foulds, who lives in Justin, told
us when we wrote about her in 2011 before her first
marathon. "I had an electric wheelchair and had resigned
myself to that's how it was going to be."
Ah,
but fate has a way of rolling its eyes when we get out our crystal balls and
think we can predict our future. How could Foulds, now 53, ever dream that by
2017, she'd have completed 59 marathons and ultra marathons (six 50Ks, or 31
milers, to be precise) and be training for No. 60?
All
she knew is that there must be a better way than pills to control her symptoms.
Typical
week of workouts
I am a member of Camp
Gladiator in the Roanoke/Justin area. Every week, I
participate in three to four of their workouts, which consist of group fitness
and working together as a team. I also run anywhere from 35 to 60 miles
per week.
If I
had just 20 minutes to work out, I would
Definitely run!
What gets in the way of my exercise?
My biggest hindrance is
extreme fatigue due to advanced Parkinson's.
Proudest
fitness moment
I ran a quad
(four marathons in four days) over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend
last November. Each of the marathons ended up being very close in finish time.
Fitness
goals
My fitness goal is to
stay ahead of my illness with planned, difficult exercise six of seven days per
week.
I
also have my first 50-mile race scheduled for Aug. 19. It's called Lean Horse
and is in Deadwood, S.D. If I make it successfully through the 50-miler, I will
consider a 100-miler.
Three things
you'll always find in my refrigerator
Fruit, yogurt, protein
drinks.
Favorite healthy food
Watermelon.
Favorite
indulgence
Chocolate.
What I'd tell someone who wants to follow my
routine:
Take it slowly and, as
far as running, start with a program like Couch to 5Kand stick to it like glue.
You'll find your endurance getting better and better if you choose to run long
distances or run faster. Also, find a group like Camp Gladiator. They make it
easier to get fit because you gain lots of friends who also enjoy working out.
What my workout says about me
My workout says I am
determined to stay healthy regardless of my diagnosis. I always say that people
are capable of so much more than they think they are. That's definitely my
situation, as I used to think I should just sit around and wait to wither and die.
Video:
https://www.dallasnews.com/life/healthy-living/2017/06/16/59-marathons-ago-rhonda-lee-foulds-diagnosed-parkinsons-disease
No comments:
Post a Comment