| |
 Marie-Louise Michelsohn loves to run. She’s competitive, feisty on and off the track. At 67, she dares to be different. Some people may say they’re competitive but don’t really like competition. They just wanna win or avoid losing at all costs.
Photos Courtesy of Blaine Lawson
Some top runners avoid a possible challenger, feign injury or skip meets if the competition is tough. Not Marie-Louise. She’s not looking for easy medals and empty victories. She loves to compete, even if she’s not at her best, chasing times and medals in the sprints, distance and steeple.
As a young girl, back when boys got all the racing glory, she proved to herself that anything they could do, she could do. Now in Masters Track, this math professor is proving she’s at the head of her class.
Busy with a career and family, Marie-Louise returned to running in her 50’s. It started as a stress relief but soon she discovered masters competition and it was “game on.” This mathematician knows numbers, studies her competitors but doesn’t count her miles.
WomenRunningTogether chatted with Marie-Louise about running, racing, family, and France.
The RunDown
Marie-Louise Michelsohn, W67.
Married to Blaine Lawson.
Has a daughter Michelle. Blaine has two daughters Christie and Heather who both have two children.
Lives in New York, partly on Long Island in Stony Brook and partly in Manhattan.
Professor of Mathematics.
Running Clubs: Member of Bohemia Track Club and Daytona Beach Track Club but runs independently.
Holds 25 individual records (World and USA).
Click here to post a comment.
On Running
WRT: Why run?
Marie-Louise: I love it, every part, training on the track and running in the woods. Some people love to race but hate to train, others love to train but hate to race. I love it all. I run for myself and for my own challenges.
A Young Girl in an Ole Boys Club
WRT: The year before Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute mile, you trained as an 11-year-old for that distance. Can you share that story?
Marie-Louise: Each summer, from the age of seven to eleven, I spent eight weeks at camp. At the end we'd have a track meet. The girls did the 100, the long jump and silly things like the three-legged and wheel barrow races. The boys got to run the mile, the glamor event, and everyone watched. It ticked me off. I wanted to see if I could beat them.
An older boy gave me his stopwatch and said if I could get down to low 5's I could beat all the boys. The course was a dirt road with a bit of a rise. That last summer, every morning I ran it. I got my time down to around 5 flat but never said anything but at least I knew I could do it.
The same thing happened in gym. The boys competed in sit-ups and deep knee bends. The girls weren't allowed to. It was ridiculous. So I organized the girls in my bunk to do the training. We wanted to prove that we could do it. I could do 200 deep knee bends and 57 sit-ups (the real ones). I would've beaten the boys if given the chance. It was a personal thing. Top of Page WRT: Any other sports after that?
Marie-Louise: I played tennis but nothing else. I was busy studying. I put all my energies into mathematics. Both the Bronx Science and the University of Chicago weren't into athletics.
WRT: Any regrets that as a girl you weren't given the opportunities in sports?
Marie-Louise: No. It would've been thrilling to run on the world scene but that wasn't what my life was about back then. It's a shame for others. Taking up running at 53, it's all been fresh and new. It's exciting to have a new challenge later in life.
WRT: As a woman did you encounter any problems in the world of mathematics?
Marie-Louise: Sometimes I was the only woman at meetings and I really stood out. One of the Chairs said I was taking money away from a male undergraduate. I submitted my papers as ML Michelsohn. It was possible that my paper wouldn't get accepted if they knew I was a woman. You had to prove yourself first and then get accepted as a woman.
WRT: Any similarities between track and mathematics?
Marie-Louise: They both have good competitive cultures. They want to pull people up and not push others down. There are very few nasty people. It makes a huge difference. I'm very lucky that I'm involved in two things with such a good culture, cause it’s so hard to change.
 Family Support
WRT: You started running again in 1995, at 53, as it helped relieve the stress of caring for your daughter after her cerebral hemorrhage. How’s your daughter now?
Marie-Louise: Extremely well. She keeps on improving and her language is good. She was very active in the Obama campaign, out in the trenches, talking and convincing people. I really admire her.
WRT: Your husband Blaine also runs and competes. How does this help?
Marie-Louise: We have so much fun. We do a lot of workouts together, easy runs in the woods and track work. Blaine often modifies his training to suit mine. He's stronger in the short stuff, which helps my speed training. He often runs the last 400 in my 600 and 800 repeats.
I encouraged him to do triathlons and love watching him race. It's tremendous to be with your partner at meets. What's been true for us all along is if one of us is interested in something the other gets involved.
Click here to post a comment.
French Connection
WRT: You also work in France sometimes, what's that like and how do you train?
Marie-Louise: Yes, we go to France quite a bit. We work at the research institute sometimes for six months or a year. My father was French but we didn't speak it at home. I studied French when I was 17. We have many good friends in France and it's great for training. We've got our routine as we've been back and forth for years. When I'm in the countryside I do hills. In Paris, we catch the subway to the track and run in the gardens. They've just built a new track in the next village near the institute. Also in the city there's a public track and they play soccer in the middle, which is fun to watch. Next-door is a beautiful indoor track. It's a fantastic set up and of course being public it's all free.
Training Habits
WRT: What’s your training like?
Marie-Louise: I run every day. But many of these are easy days in the woods and on trails. I’ve no idea of how far I go and don't really want to know. I don't count my weekly miles. It's only on the track that I measure times and distance. It's here that I train very hard and all out.
My logbook is my best training tool. I look back to see what works, where I am and compare notes. It's taught me patience. I take a rest every year for about 3 to 6 weeks. I still run but only easy in the woods. I don't train hard or race. When I start up again, those first few workouts I'm kind of shocked how slow I am. I look back in my logbook to reassure myself.
I don't lift weights. Val Barnwell (M50 world class sprinter) has convinced me to do some push-ups but I only do them once in a while. I should do more. Everybody says to do core exercises. I don't do them either.
I like to swim in the summer but I wouldn't call it cross training. No swimmer would call what I do training. Top of Page Injuries
WRT: Any serious injuries?
Marie-Louise: In 2004, I had two shoulder breaks. One in May and the other in September. I obviously didn't learn my lesson the first time. I tripped on roots in the woods and threw up my arms to protect myself. Both times I was running tired and not picking up my feet. In September it was the day after a race and I almost didn't run in the woods that day. But I changed my mind. I was really annoyed as I was ready to run a good 5K. The breaks were very painful and I couldn't sleep. I had to beg for sleeping pills and convince the doctor I wasn't an addict. I actually hate taking medicine. Luckily I didn't need surgery and kept fit on the recumbent bike. The power of being a runner helped me cope with the pain, do the rehab and get healthy again.
Doing It All
WRT: You race over such a range of distances from 200m to 10K and even the steeple. Why so many?
Marie-Louise: I like challenges though it makes figuring out a training program tricky. It's hard to pick a favorite distance. They represent different things to me and I love them all in different ways. The key for me is to have fun.
Toughing It Out
WRT: What's the hardest thing for you with running?
Marie-Louise: I can't run in the heat, not long distance. I don't sweat so I over heat. Then my metabolism slows down. I ran a road race, the Tuffs 10K, on Columbus Day and it was 80. I was running with a friend and at five miles in I started to fall off. My friend was waiting at the finish line with Blaine and they both got scared as it was so long until I came in. I was running as hard as I could but my body just slowed down.
Indoor Nationals
WRT: You've just come back from the US Masters Indoor Nationals in Landover, winning three golds in the 200, 400 and 800. Sounds like another great meet.
Marie-Louise: Actually, I had a very bad virus, which came on three days before the meet. I probably wouldn't have gone if I hadn't already paid for everything. I ‘d planned to target the mile but had entered the other races as a back up.
The nationals are always a great time for me, being with my friends. It was so frustrating that I couldn't hug anybody. I wouldn't even shake hands. I was having awful coughing spasms, terrible congestion and didn't want to pass that on to anybody. (Editors Note: If you’ve ever seen Marie-Louise at a meet you’ll know that she’s always friendly, talking, appreciating others and cheering them on.)
So I ran the shorter races. It was fun running with Phil Raschker (W60 Sprint and Multi-Event World & US Champion), even though she’s in a younger age group. It didn't bother me that I was running in public at speeds that aren't my best. I just loved seeing my friends.
 Running Achievements
WRT: You've won so many titles at nationals and worlds and set records, what race stands out?
Marie-Louise: I'd say my best distance outdoors is the 5000m. On the road my fastest time was 19:45 at age 61. On the track my fastest time was 20:12.66, a month before I turned 64 at the World Championships in Spain. (Editors Note: At the same meet, a few days later Marie-Louise ran her fastest 800m at 2:44.98.)
But to my mind, my best 5000m accounting for age was the 20:27.08 at age 65. (Editor’s Note: This Age-Grades at 101.1%, and translates to an open time of 14:15.)
Election Wins Over Worlds
WRT: What’s on the running horizon for you?
Marie-Louise: I'm heading to the USA Masters Outdoor Nationals in Wisconsin but skipping the World Champs. Back during the primaries, Blaine and I decided that with lodging, airfare and eating out, Finland would be expensive. Instead we gave to the presidential campaign. We both maxed out for the primaries and gave more to the general. Like many others we'd never given to a presidential campaign. We're so glad we did. Top of Page Bring It On
WRT: You’re such a fierce competitor. What gives you an edge in races?
Marie-Louise: I love competition and study my competitors to see what I have to beat. I'm chasing challenges rather than easy wins. At the 2007 World Masters Outdoor Championships in Italy I had no hard competition in the 5000m. But Lydia Ritter, a great German runner and W65 1500m world record holder, was running in the 1500m and 800m. So it was exciting to run against Lydia and especially sweet to beat her in both races.
Race Rituals
WRT: What's your routine before a race?
Marie-Louise: I'm always out of bed two hours before I leave the house. I have to drink my coffee. My race warm up is exactly the same as my workouts. Jog, leg swings and strides. I'm not too chatty before a race. I like to get internal and not be distracted, so I can focus on the race. I've never been a multi-tasker.
Celebrating
WRT: How do you celebrate after a race?
Marie-Louise: Our tradition is to enjoy a bottle of champagne after a world or US record. We don’t have it ready on ice, as that's too much pressure.
Words of Wisdom
WRT: What advice would you give to other women runners?
Marie-Louise: When you're going through a bad period, don't let it mess with your head. We all have a bad day or even a year but that doesn't predict the future.
Click here to post a comment.
Marie-Louise Michelsohn’s Individual Records
World & USA Outdoor 1 Mile W65 6:16.28
World & USA Outdoor 5000m W65 20:27.08
World & USA Outdoor 2K Steeple W60 8:47.61
World & USA Outdoor 2K Steeple W65 9:00.2
World & USA Indoor 1500m W65 5:52.1
World & USA Indoor 1 Mile W60 6:02.49
World & USA Indoor 1 Mile W65 6:16.26
World & USA Indoor 3000m W65 12:03.78
USA Outdoor 1500m W60 5:32.82
USA Outdoor 1500m W65 5:45.4
USA Outdoor 1 Mile W60 5:57.39
USA Outdoor 3000m W60 11:52.22
USA Outdoor 3000m W65 12:09.65
USA Outdoor 10,000m W60 41:43.64
USA Indoor 800M W65 2:52.49
USA Indoor 1500m W60 5:39.32
USA Indoor 3000m W60 11:49.41
Read the comments on Marie-Louise's story (5).
Top of Page
Return from Marie-Louise Michelsohn to Women Runners
Post Your Comment
Do you have a comment on this story? Share it!
Your Comments
Click below to see other comments...
Comments on Marie-Louise Michelsohn Interview
Singing the praises of Marie-Louise Michelsohn, check these comments..
WOW!
Her running times are unreal! Five years ago, I was 26 and at the peak of my cardio shape--but still nowhere NEAR as fast as this gal. And I'm male! Wow!...
New! Comments
Have your say about what you just read! Leave us a comment in the box below.
|
