Name: Adrienne McCarthy
Age: 34
Hometown: Windham, New Hampshire
Occupation: Self-employed, owner of Pure Barre Nashua and Bedford New Hampshire, and Boss Blow Dry Bar in Hudson, New Hampshire
Time Running: About 22 years
Reason for Running: I run because it makes my life better! It’s my thinking time, or time to zone out, time to myself to listen to music or books, and my time to work out any problems! Most importantly, I run for the endorphins. It makes me feel good in a way that nothing else can!
I have always been a runner. Growing up, I played a lot of sports that involved running, but my first real organized running events happened in the sixth grade when I joined the track team. I continued running in high school, and I definitely went through a period of time that I didn’t love running because it felt like a chore and I hated the feeling of pushing myself too hard. I was always nervous for the entire day before a race! I did, however, enjoy running in between seasons without having anyone dictate my pace.
After high school, I went on to play Division I volleyball at Bryant University in Rhode Island. We had to do a lot of short sprints, but in the off season I found that I loved going for longer runs just for myself.
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My real love for running began after college. I found myself running almost every day and enjoying it more and more. Sometimes I would go for long runs, other times much shorter ones, but it was always just for myself and not because someone told me that I had to. That was the true difference maker—I was running for me!
In 2012, my now husband (Ken) and I moved to Fort McMurray, Alberta in northern Canada for his job. We had very cold winters and a short summer season, but found an amazing trail system called the Birchwood Trails. We ran on the trails whenever we could, and over time, learned about trail racing from friends.
We started signing up for some smaller local races, and in 2013, decided we would participate in a relay team for the Grizzly Ultra Marathon in Canmore, Alberta, at the Olympic Training Center—a 50K race that we split up among four of us. I couldn’t believe that people were doing this race on their own, but after witnessing it, I caught the bug and knew that I wanted to eventually run a 50K solo.
In 2015, we moved back to New Hampshire where I am from to open two Pure Barre locations in Nashua and Bedford, New Hampshire. Pure Barre changed my life in many ways and improved my running. Because it’s low-impact, barre pairs perfectly with all of the running that I do to keep me strong while giving my joints a break—that’s why we decided to make a career of it! In 2015 and 2016, we were very busy opening the studios, and running was my mental outlet.
By the end of 2016, I signed up to run the Boston Marathon in 2017 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute charity team, and Ken signed up to run for the Patriots Charitable Foundation.
By 2021, I decided to sign up for an Ironman. It had always been something that intrigued me, and while I had never ridden a road bike or done much distance swimming, I decided to go for it. At this point, I started working with a coach, and began using Strava and Garmin.
In 2022, I was hooked and signed up for four more half Ironman distance races (70.3). This year, I have already done an Ironman 70.3 in Galveston Texas, finishing in 7th place in my age group with a time of 5 hours and 15 minutes, and I still have Western Massachusetts 70.3 in June, followed by Lake Placid (a full Ironman) in July.
Aside from the thrill of competing in Ironmans, running really helped me get through one of the worst times in my life. In November 2019, my husband Ken was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He immediately had surgery, and we thought he was in the clear. But then in February 2020, as we were getting ready for a six-week-long trip back to Ken’s homeland of Western Australia we found out after follow-up testing that the cancer had spread to lymph nodes in his stomach, and he would need to start chemo immediately.
We canceled the trip, and started the process of heading to Boston for 16 weeks of chemo treatment. My full-time job became taking care of Ken at home, getting him to and from the hospital, preparing meals, and following medication regimes. When COVID hit in March 2020, I couldn’t be at the hospital with Ken. But his amazing nurses at Mass General Hospital organized an Airbnb for me to use each day, so I could drop Ken off and pick him up when he was finished.
It was difficult to not be there with him, and running became my only outlet since (of course) everything was closed. Mentally, exercise reset and cleared my brain and made it possible for me to function in the other areas I needed to.
Currently, I run three to four times per week, and my runs vary in time and type, from 45 minutes to more than two hours. Since making the switch to triathlon, my main goal with running has been to run the entire half or full marathon, avoid overbooking and ruining my run, and train to better deal with the heat, because in triathlon, you always end up running in the hottest part of the day.
Running is not about weight or looks—it’s about health and happiness! Running is just as much about mental health as it is about physical health. The more you do it, the better you will feel, and the more of a habit it will become.
Fresh air is good for you, so don’t worry about time or distance or if you need breaks. I came to love running when I could choose to do it myself, not when someone was telling me to do it.
Running has 100 percent changed my life for the better. Some days I don’t feel like getting out there, but I never regret it. I always feel less scrambled, happier, accomplished, calm, and collected after a run, no matter the distance or time.
These three tips have made my running journey a success:
1. Pick gear that makes you excited to run
I always try to have fun shoes and bright-colored shorts and shirts that fit well and are good quality. They may cost a little more, but they last, they make running more enjoyable, and when I put them on I get a little energy boost and can’t wait to get out there!
2. Change up your route
This is both for safety and entertainment. It is safer to not stick to the same route so no one watching will know where you will be when, and it makes the scenery and environment much more entertaining! Changes in route also mean changes in elevation, terrain, and more which will make you a stronger runner while looking at different houses, trees, people, and parks will make the run go by more quickly.
3. Listen to audiobooks on long runs
For a long run, I listen to a good mystery for the first hour. I try to start the book before the run so I am already intrigued. Then eventually I switch over to music to keep my motivation up and get me home.
Adrienne’s Must-Have Gear
→ Sabre Pepper Spray, Tigerlady Claw, Flare Bracelet: I feel much more confident carrying these products with me. I clip the pepper spray to my shorts, hold the claw behind my phone, and the Flare bracelet goes on my wrist. I always assume that I would need more than one protective tool. The Flare bracelet looks like a regular bracelet, but has a little button underneath to contact the police or emergency contacts.
→ Lululemon Swiftly Tech Tank Top: Hands-down the most comfortable running tops in all styles. I always buy them in as bright of colors as possible so I am very visible when on the roads, and they are either warm enough (long sleeve) and light enough (tank top) for all seasons.
→ Theragun Mini: This is the miracle worker on muscles. I can sit on my couch while I loosen up my muscles after a long run. It’s also great to get muscles warmed up and blood flowing quickly before a run. The mini size makes it easier to use and easy to travel with.
Emily Shiffer is a freelance health and wellness writer living in Pennsylvania.
