Just Another Runner’s Story June 2015 Jessica Tuomela Written by Gale Fischer
Not Taking Anything For
Granted
“Remember that
guy who gave up? Neither does anyone else.”
---Unknown
As independent adults, we go about our day
to day routines without really any
thought of how fortunate we are.
There are those nuances of our day that are dependent on others. Our morning coffee is ready for us because of
the person who serves it to us each morning as we go through the McDonald's
drive through. Our commute to work goes
without a hitch most mornings because of those workers who maintain our roads. Still there are many tasks that we can perform
each day without the assistance of others.
As runners we perform our daily workout as our schedule dictates without
relying on others to assist us. We do this
every day without a sense of gratitude for the independence that we possess. This
month's featured runner, Jessica Tuomela, is able to enjoy running much the
same we the rest of us, but her ability to do this depends on others. Jessica is blind and to be able to enjoy our
sport away from a treadmill, she must match her schedule with her running
guide.
Jessica's initiation to running is
different than what many of us have experienced. " I
took up running in 2012, but my training was very inconsistent. Finding guide
runners (people to run outside with me and act as my eyes) proved very
difficult. I gave up after a year of struggling to find guides and running on
the treadmill. It got to be really boring. Then, in January of this year (2015)
I purchased my own, very basic treadmill, and started running again. I told
myself that if I started training I would find the guides I needed to complete
the Kalamazoo half marathon in May. You know that whole adage, “if you build
it, they will come?”
Although Jessica's experiences as a runner
may differ in some ways than those of runners who are not visually impaired,
she enjoys many of the same aspects of our sport as the rest of us. " There are a few things that I
like about running. I love to physically challenge myself and to set goals. In
running you can do both. I used to be a swimmer and absolutely hated running. I
thought that setting a goal of running a half marathon would be one of the
greatest challenges I had tried. Now, I really enjoy it. I also like running
with other people. Running can certainly be an individual sport, but you can
also choose to make it more interactive. Swimming is definitely individual: you
stick your head in the water and you may get some companionship when you start
another lap. In running, you can be social the whole run if you choose to be.
It was that social support that got me through the last mile of the half
marathon."
Jessica's reliance on her guide runner is
what she likes the least about running.
It's not that she doesn't appreciate the support of her guide but she is
not afforded the same opportunity to run outside whenever she wishes to . " I hate that as a totally
blind person I have to train on a treadmill if I don’t have others to guide me.
It gets boring and when it’s gorgeous outside, I want to be out in the fresh
air; not running on the treadmill."
Jessica's biggest running mentor comes from
the community of Paralympic athletes. "
There is a Canadian Paralympic long distance runner named Jason Dunkerley. He
is a dear friend of mine and my mentor. He patiently answers all of my silly
beginner questions and tries to help me from afar with workouts. He has medaled
in every Paralympic Games since 2000 and he is going to be trying to qualify
for the 2016 Paralympics Games. At one competition, another runner stepped on
his achilles, pulling his shoe off. He ran the rest of the race with only one
shoe and won. He’s truly an amazing athlete."
Jessica finds inspiration from all
runners. " I
find inspiration in every athlete, regardless of skill level, that I come into
contact with. The people who run two marathons back to back; the 74 year old
man who ran his first half marathon; the stay at home mom who ran the 5 K just
to try to get back into good health. Everyone has a story and they are all
inspirational."
Jessica's most memorable event as a runner
occurred just recently. " Since
I just started, my first half marathon certainly is my memorable moment. There were so many little moments throughout
that whole race that I could probably write a book. One moment I remember that
still makes me double over in laughter was when we stopped at our first water
station. I finished drinking and asked what to do with the cup. My guides told
me to throw it on the ground. I said I couldn’t because that would be
littering. They told me that it gets cleaned up and that I’d get used to it.
Reluctantly, I threw the cup and one of my guides exclaimed just as it left my
fingers, "You hit a little kid in the face!” I didn’t of course. He was
teasing me because I’m completely blind. I nearly stopped running because I was
laughing so hard. I knew from that moment on that the half marathon was going
to be incredible; and it was."
Jessica's goals as a runner are similar to
the goals of many individuals new to the sport as they involve increasing both
pace and distance. This is a bit more
challenging for her than most with her quest in finding guides to run her pace
and distance. " Short-term goals include me
continuing to train. I’d like to find
more guides so that I can run outside more than inside. Even if I find 10
people willing to guide me once a month, that is 10 more times I don’t have to
run on the treadmill. I’d also like to get faster and that won’t happen unless
I can get outside to train. I’d also like to run another half marathon before
the snow flies. As for a long-term goal: I’d like to go out to California in
December of 2016 and run in the blind and visually impaired marathon nationals.
I technically qualified this year, but I don’t think I’m ready for a whole
marathon just yet."
For an individual with a visual impairment
the desire to go for a run must be a little more intense than it would be for
the average runner. Unless you want to
spend hours alone with the treadmill, you must be proactive, making connections
with others to serve as your guide.
Until recent years, word of mouth has been the most common way of guide
runners hooking up with visually impaired runners, but social media has made
things a bit easier. "Finding guide runners is a bit tricky.
Social media has really helped
with that. otherwise it's mostly word of mouth or just being out there and
running into people who ask questions and get interested. Some of the things
that have been most helpful are websites like United in Stride, Running Eyes (a
Facebook group), and a program called Team Red, White and Blue that is designed
to help retired military members acclimatize to civilian life. Dare2Tri is
another organization that tries to match athletes with guides, along with a number
of other things. It hasn't been, and still isn't, easy to find guides.
Currently, I have one guide that I have just started running with once a week
and another that I run with once every two weeks or so. The idea is to have a
pool of guide runners so that the commitment does not fall on to one person and
I will be able to get outside more often. Training for the half marathon on my
treadmill got pretty boring after a while."
What many of us enjoy most about running is
the sensory stimulation of being outdoors.
Jessica enjoys this as well but obviously in a different way. "Most of the sensory stuff I experience
has to do with hearing, but that isn't the case for every runner with a visual
disability. Often, I listen to my guide's feet to keep in rhythm with them. I
can hear terrain changes, such as running over gravel or crunchy leafs. Sometimes
if we pass by something that is stationary and makes noise, the crowd for
example at the half marathon, I can gauge how fast we're moving. I feel when we
move from shade to sun, or closed in spots to more open, by how windy it gets,
but that stuff relies on whether or not it's sunny or windy that day. I prefer
to run where it's quiet for a number of reasons. It makes it easier to hear my
guide's feet. I also find running outside in more tranquil places, like trails, to be relaxing. I think
most runners like peaceful settings though. However, there is value in running
in high traffic areas because it's important
to practice in race conditions."
Jessica's example goes to show that for
many things that any of us have a desire to do in life, we sometimes must rely
on others. Although this dependence
makes many things possible nothing is just given to us without some
effort. We must be diligent to go after
even the simple things in life. Jessica
could not enjoy running outdoors without someone there to guide her, but she
must show an attitude of resilience in her attempt to find guide runners. If she gave up with every closed door she
would still be running in place on the treadmill every day.
If you are interested in being a guide
runner contact Jessica at tuomela.j@gmail.com or go to the United in Stride website.
Everyone has a story. Stay tuned next month
for another runner’s story.