Friday Spotlight: Despoena
Today we find ourselves with our 13th featured athlete. Definitely a username we're used to seeing around here. Let's learn a bit about Despoena and how she lives her life. From side hobbies to weird syndromes I think you'll like what you're reading. Let's get rolling folks!
###The Runner:
First Name?
Lisa!
Age?
28
Where are you from?
Somewhere outside of Atlanta, GA.
Occupation?
Currently I specialize in printing custom poker chips and doing some website/e-commerce work for a local importing company. But I freelance in illustration from time-to-time.
###The Running Q&A's: What are your PR’s?
5K: 26:48 (8:38/mi on 08/08/15)
10K: 55:52 (8:59/mi on 09/07/15)
15K: 1:23:54 (9:00/mi on 01/24/16)
13.1: 1:58:08 (9:01/mi on 11/26/15)
How long have you been running?
I’d say a little over a year, now. Ran my first 5k race in October of 2014, but I started seriously running probably around February of 2015 after I’d gotten a couple more races under my belt.
Briefly explain why you began running?
To lose weight! I hated the idea at first. u/linkynet and I were taking evening walks and decided to add in some jogging here and there. I hated it then. But it was the one thing I knew I could do (I played soccer as a kid) and it didn’t require a lot of monetary investment to start.
Most memorable running moment?
It's a tie between crossing the finish line of the Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon with my husband (the aforementioned u/linkynet), and meeting him to run the last .2 miles of his first marathon in Chattanooga. The TDHM was our push to get a redeeming sub-2 hour half after a slew of less-than-perfect half marathons. But...seeing the smile on his face as he crossed over the bridge is hard to forget. :)
Do you have a running mantra?
Printed on my RoadID: “Every Day It Gets Easier” from BoJack Horseman. It’s a great show and uses running as a metaphor for a lot of things. That phrase has a lot of meaning to me, for other reasons, as well.
What’s your highest recorded weekly mileage?
46.7 miles the week of July 13 2015 - July 19 2015. It was the beginning of a mini-run streak I had and, at the time, had my longest run of 14 miles. I’d like to hit 50 this year.
What time of day do you prefer to run?
Preferred? Morning, just as the sun rises. I love seeing the night sky turn into a beautiful sunrise.
Any big races coming up?
Training for my first marathon, the Georgia Marathon, on March 20th. After that, my first Ultra in May with a bunch of y’all.
What are your short-term running goals?
Don’t die on my Marathon.
What are your long-term running goals?
Don’t die on the ultra. After that...We’ll see where life takes me! I am debating on starting a Pfitz base-building plan and adding in speedwork. But I also know that I've got no big races after the ultra, so I’ll take that time to reassess my goals.
What’s one piece of running advice you’d give to the younger version of yourself?
Running isn't that bad. You like walking, right? You've played soccer - don't listen to the shitty coaches who made you do suicides or made you feel awful for being big. Go slower and you'll learn to enjoy it. Do it for yourself.
What is something you need to work on to become a better runner?
Speedwork, I think. I’d like to see if I can get a good 5k PR sometime soon. I haven’t raced a 5k since August! As much as I've fallen in love with long distances, I'm interested in seeing how fast I can actually go.
What is your current shoe choice?
Stuck between a purple pair of Hoka Bondi 3s for my long runs and a pair of Mizuno Wave Enigma 4s for shorter distances. Just got a pair of Saucony Triumph ISO2s and they’re so pretty...but I’m not sold on how they feel. :(
What’s your comfy pace?
This one is hard to guess, since I run on hills. I’d say about 9:45/mi.
Trail? Road? Or Treadmill?
Road! I love the trails, but my races are all on road. So I stick with what the race I’m training for is on.
What is your ideal running weather?
40-50F/4-10C, partly sunny, as the sun rises.
Do you have any social media accounts you’d like to share? [Facebook, Strava, Twitter]
Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/9194659
Smashrun: http://smashrun.com/sketchylisa
Instagram, if you like cats + food + running + cats + weight lifting + food + cats: https://www.instagram.com/sketchylisa/
Plugging the r/running FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/redditrunning/ (pro-tip: if you have something running-related on your profile, you’re more likely to get approved to join. Put something PUBLIC so I can at least stalk you enough to figure out you’re not a spammer.)
###Just For Fun:
What’s your spirit animal?
Black and White Housecats. I’ve had a couple in my life.
What hobbies and interests do you have besides running?
Drawing! I love drawing comics, specifically. I haven’t had the chance to in a long time, but it’s still one of my bigger passions. I worked briefly as a caricaturist and freelance here and there drawing cartoon versions of people. I drew an advent calendar with cats for a friend recently. You can see some older things I’ve sketched here: http://sketchylisa.tumblr.com/ With that, I enjoy reading graphic novels (go read Fun Home and playing my 3DS.
Do you have any hidden talents?
I suffer from the ability to notice RAS Syndromes. I can spot a redundant acronym from a mile away. PDF Document. PIN Number. ATM Machine. I immediately discredit any writer who uses those sorts of terms.
Biggest pet peeve?
People who like to judge others based on what they eat. I grew up as a picky eater and was constantly subjected to criticism from family and friends. “Why do you like grilled cheese sandwiches but not cheese on hamburgers?” Because a grilled cheese sandwich is not a hamburger. “Well, why do you like cheese on tacos but not on hamburgers?” Because a taco is not a hamburger. My favorite comment was when I was a larger person: “If you’re so picky, why are you so fat?” Because I eat a lot of the things I do like.
I don’t give a shit if you don’t eat gluten, fat, are keto, whatever. At my wedding we had options for everyone - from gluten-free to vegan. Everyone was fed. It wasn’t difficult.
What songs have you been listening to recently?
I switch between ‘deep house’ and dance-synth-pop/indie-synth crap. For deep house, check out Lane 8 or Cubicolor (links are to specific songs that I love by them). For the indie-synth-dancey stuff, LCD Soundsystem (HOLY FUCK THEY’RE COMING OUT WITH A NEW ALBUM I’M SO EXCITED). La Roux. I am an avid music fan though so on any given day I can listen to super crazy EDM to weirdo shit like The Residents.
###One Last Question:
What is the origin of your username?
Despoena/Despoina
In Greek mythology, Despoina, Despoena or Despoine, was the daughter of Demeter and Poseidon and sister of Arion. She was the goddess of mysteries of Arcadian cults worshipped under the title Despoina, "the mistress" alongside her mother Demeter, one of the goddesses of the Eleusinian mysteries. Her real name could not be revealed to anyone except those initiated to her mysteries.
That last part was why I’d picked it back when I was like...14. I liked being ‘mysterious’ also mythologies in general. I mean, it was better than sailormoonie1213.^yesthatwasanactualusernameofmine
I hope you guys and gals enjoyed learning about Despoena as much as I did when I had to read the Wiki on RAS Syndrome (which by the way is redundant in itself u/despoena!!!). As usual, please tag u/despoena's username when personally asking her a question. All responses come to my inbox and if you've not tagged her personally, she has to search each comment one by one (which I'm sure she'll do anyways) which can be a daunting task at times when there's a lot of traffic. Please don't forget that Despoena might be busy making some sweet kick ass looking poker chips so be patient in allowing her time to respond.
####Thanks for reading!!!!
Previously Featured Spotlight Runners:
Posted Feb 19, 2016, 12:46 PM UTC