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A blessing in disguise
13 years ago, Clara
Montalvo was dragged into Beach to Bay. Now she wouldn’t miss it.
By Andrea Wall
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 George
Tuley/Caller-Times
lara Montalvo says running keeps her in shape, keeps the weight off and relieves
daily stress.
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Clara Montalvo’s Nike-clad feet pound the pavement of her
neighborhood rhythmically for an hour. She is usually encouraged by the sounds
of Tears for Fears or Janet Jackson blaring from her headphones.
As she rounds the corner and sees her house for the first time after her 4-mile
run, she doesn’t feel relieved to be back home - she is already looking forward
to the next day and the next trek.
"People ask me how I can possibly enjoy running," said Montalvo, 46. "I usually
tell them that anything that keeps me in shape, keeps the weight off and makes
me feel less stressed can’t be a bad thing.
"When I run, that is my only time to myself," she added. "For that hour, I don’t
have to worry about anything. I get out on that road, feel the adrenaline and
let all the stress of the day go."
Montalvo - a self-admitted non-athlete - starts training for Beach to Bay a couple
of months in advance. She alternates walking and running 4 miles throughout the
week and usually rests on Saturdays.
"That is the beauty of Beach to Bay," said Chuck Trexler, the database coordinator
for B2B. "It has the capability of attracting two different kinds of people -
the runners that want to compete and the kind that just do it for fun."
Montalvo’s brother, Joey Rios - a marathon runner - once asked her to run Beach
to Bay. She accepted, grudgingly.
Thirteen years later, she wouldn’t miss it. She will be running with her Southwestern
Bell office team, the Pebble Trippers.
"I agreed the first year because I at least figured it would be a perfect way
to get in shape," Montalvo said. "So, I started training and never really stopped."
B2B turned out to be just what she was looking for, as she loses weight year after
year.
"Running is rewarding on so many levels," she said. "I mean, I feel good because
I am running. And the more I run, the more weight I lose, which makes the running
itself easier. When I was heavier, the running was harder on my body, but the
lighter I get, the easier the running becomes."
Today, Montalvo plans on not running at all, only resting for her 4.4-mile run
Saturday, she said. Diet-wise, Montalvo said she will eat a light breakfast, probably
of two pieces of white toast, a salad for lunch and a light dinner of grilled
chicken and steamed vegetables.
After the race, however, is another story.
"Pizza, pizza, pizza," Montalvo said. "After the race, I will eat whatever they
have out. I’ll be happy if I just sit around and eat junk the rest of the day.
Maybe even the rest of the weekend."
Contact Andrea Wall at 886-3631 or walla@caller.com |
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