Under the watchful eye of Sister
Mary Beth Lloyd, Lisa takes an ice
bath. These baths, as well as massages, played a crucial role in Lisa’s
run through America.

to listen to what they’re saying, but you also want to listen to your heart. How hard are you willing to work to make it happen?

Howlong did you train for this run?

I’ve actually been training for this my whole life. I really believe that everything I’ve ever trained for came down to this and that I put into practice every principle that I’ve ever learned.

How did you get your body ready?

Iactually gained about 10 pounds. I thought, I’// lose weight out there, so let me start out a little bit heavier. So | ate my way through winter. [Laughs.] And all I did to train was walk three days a week. I did a lot of core work to get really strong. I did very little to no running. I power walked a lot. And I didn’t do anything over five hours. The longest week I ever did was 10 hours of power walking. I thought, /f J go into this thing really in shape, I’m going to be overtrained by state 20, and then ’’m going to get injured. So I took on the philosophy of going into it in shape but not in great shape, strong but not endurance-level strong. My friend Marshall Ulrich said it would take about 10 states. He said, “After about 10 states, you should be in a rhythm.”

Did it take 10 states as Marshall predicted?

No. Oh, my God! It was brutal! By day 10, I was calling Marshall, going, “It’s not happening!” By day 11, it didn’t happen. Day 12, day 13. But, when I woke up on day 14, it was like everything had clicked. Nothing was sore anymore. My body was accepting everything I was doing to it. I started to feel fit. By state 20, I felt like I was flying. I felt so in shape.

How many calories a day were you consuming? About 5,000 to 6,000 calories a day.

What were you eating?

I really wanted to hold true to my own nutrition principles, and I did that for the first six states. At first, I didn’t want to eat a lot of sugar. I was eating protein, and I would eat a lot of avocados, tomatoes, and fruits. But after six states, I had lost 8 pounds already and was really tired. I realized I couldn’t keep it up. I had to make some changes. The minute I ate a doughnut and drank a milkshake, my energy came back. It was incredible. I did stick to the high protein and all of the other things I was eating. But, truth be told, the refined sugar and those kinds of calories really did help me in the end.

How did you manage all that pain? Some ultrarunners talk about how they love pain. What is your philosophy on pain?

Well, I wouldn’t say that I /ove the pain. I accepted the pain. I was so tired; I couldn’t get comfortable; my legs ached. I didn’t want to take drugs. I took a total of, I think, 14 Tylenol the entire time. I never took Advil or Aleve. I really wanted to protect my kidneys and liver. As for the sleep deprivation, it was torture. I had to go places that I hadn’t been before. But it’s all a mental thing. I accepted the pain and moved through it.

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A The sweet glory of success! Lisa celebrates finishing yet another 50 miles.

Lisa is embraced by her
daughters as she crosses
the final finish line on her
journey through America.

You got to meet a lot of people. Talk about how that affected the spirit of the run.

I loved having people with me for 50 miles. It was awesome. I thought, / can’t believe these people came out to run with little old me. I didn’t expect so many people to show up. It was so kind and generous of them to come. It was so great and inspiring.

Was it ever a challenge being surrounded by so many people?

Yes. By state 28 or 30, I was getting so emotional, dealing with the foot pain and the sleep deprivation. I just could not talk to people. People would show up and say, “Hey, I’m here to do my first 50-miler.” I didn’t know how to tell them, “I’m sorry, but I cannot have you run with me because I am in such pain that I’ve got to think about myself.” I’m just not that kind of person. And my crew was telling me, “We invited these people. We can’t turn them away.” But then the foot pain got really bad. I had to get into a box and say, “This is my box; don’t get inside my box; don’t come near my box.” All I could think about was putting one foot in front of the other. It was almost like a trance, a meditative state. I had to be selfish because my only goal was to hold to my commitment.

How did you break your foot?

It was a pothole. A really small pothole. I was running in Texas and talking to this beautiful group of people and all of a sudden, my foot rolled over. When I got back to the RV camper, we iced the foot and elevated it.

Did you ever think to stop running?

Never. Two doctors looked at the foot and said, “Well, you know, you should probably stop.” I knew I was not going to stop running. So I got an ankle brace and started wearing that. I kept icing it and elevating it. Sister Mary Beth prayed

© Kevin Hinkley, HG Photography of the Teton Valley

over it. But the pain was tremendous. It felt like Kathy Bates just hit my foot with a baseball bat, like in that movie. [Misery.] But I never faltered. I always knew I could finish. Even if Kathy Bates had broken both my feet, I would have absolutely continued!

How did your family support you through the project?

My family has always supported me. It’s remarkable. During my run, it was still very important for [my husband, Jay, and me] to keep our kids in their stable environment, going to school and their ballet lessons. Grandma was here to help us. Jay did an absolutely remarkable job. He is my number one supporter. We’ve always supported each other. He knew all along that I wanted to run across America, so when we sat down and I showed him all the plans, he said, “What can I do to get this to work for you?” My parents and siblings have always supported me, too. Every one of them was there for me along the way. My mom was at the finish line. My oldest brother was on my crew. I am so fortunate to have them.

| saw that incredible photo of you at the finish line in Idaho. Your family is by your side and you are on your knees crying, your face turned up to the sky, hands folded in front of you in prayer. Your expression is almost indescribable. What was going through your mind at that moment?

It makes me cry to even think about it. We lost a friend here [in the Grand Tetons] on February 26 in an avalanche. His name was Wray Landon. Five days before I finished, I was scrolling through my phone, and I had like 3,000 e-mails. But there was this one with the subject line reading, “When the going gets tough towards the finish .. . ” It was from Wray’s mother. Inside, the message read, “When the going gets tough towards the finish, as it will, Wray will lift you up and help you towards the finish line.” So eight miles to the finish, my foot was killing me. My orthopedist had already looked at it and said, “Oh, man! Lisa, when you see the finish, run like hell because it might just blow. Just give it all you can.” It was thundering and lightning. It hadn’t done that all day. It was unbelievable how Joud it was. Sister Mary Beth said to me, “God is bringing us home with a bang, Lisa! He’s throwing bowling balls down on the ground!” It was like a beautiful celebration. Of course, everybody else was freaked out. I had all these people running with me. All of a sudden—I’m not kidding you—60 mile-perhour tail winds picked me up and threw me four miles into Victor, Idaho, which is where the next stop was and where a whole bunch of people were waiting for me. I’m telling you, my left foot, the broken one, was not hitting the ground. I looked up at the sky and I could feel Wray’s presence. His presence was bigger than the sky. It was huge, like the wind. When I got to Victor, I kept saying, “It was Wray.” Of course, nobody knew what I was talking about. God did. All of a sudden, I started running. We had four miles left to go. Everybody was with

me. The sky started trembling. The storm was raging. I finished at a place called the Spud Drive-In. Hundreds of people came out. Communities showed up honking horns. There were fire engines and bells ringing. I couldn’t believe this finish line party they had thrown for us. Then the skies opened up; they separated. And the only place the sun was shining was right over the finish. I was speechless. I was so thankful, so overjoyed, and I kept thinking, God, we did it! My kids were there and my family was there. So many people I love were there. I’m still left with the most joyful heart. I have never felt more loved than I feel now. It was never about me. Never. It was always about following the call. I feel that God had been telling me, “This is what you’re supposed to do, Lisa.”

| want to tell you that you are one of the most truly religious people that | know. [Laughs.]

No,! mean that in the best possible way. The work you do for other people is truly inspiring, as is your unrelenting faith in God.

I wouldn’t say that I am religious. I don’t go around preaching Catholicism at all. Sister Mary Beth once told me that “becoming a Catholic just makes you a better Christian. But you don’t have to be a high and mighty Christian, walking around preaching Catholicism.” The important thing is that you just believe in something. Have faith. Just go out and be a good person. Do good things. I just live by my faith. I do believe in God. What I saw during my run proved to me there is a God. I don’t know if that’s being religious or not, but it’s how I live my life.

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A Friends and family members in the Teton Valley come out to support Lisa as she finishes running 2,500 miles through the United States.