When Sister Sarah Heger ran the GO! St. Louis marathon last April, it was supposed to be something to cross off her list. She and other nuns in her order, the Sisters of St. Joseph, decided to run to celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life in the Catholic Church. But an impressive finishing time qualified her for the Boston Marathon last month, and she couldn’t pass it up.
Heger, who also inspires her students to run as track coach and principal of the all-girls Marian Middle School in south St. Louis city, has always has been active. She started running in seventh grade to stay in shape for volleyball. “I played volleyball and ran track in high school and at Fontbonne,” she says. “I did the heptathlon in college, which is seven events. I’m petite at 5’4”, but I did everything from hurdles and high jump to shot put and javelin.”
Before training for her first marathon, Heger had only a few 5K races under her belt. “You train for about 22 weeks, and the distances build up,” she explains. “I wasn’t sure how my body would respond to running that far,” Heger says. “But I finished the GO! in 3 hours and 27 minutes and beat the qualifying time for Boston in my age and gender group based on the total number of runners. I enjoyed the first 20 or so miles and then the last four were uphill, which was tough.”
Even though she wasn’t planning on adding another 26.2 miles to her running log, Heger says she had to take part in the once-in-a-lifetime experience of Marathon Monday. “There were 33,000 runners, not including the massive amount of spectators, and it was the 120th race and the 50th time women were allowed to run.” She describes it as a transcendent experience and admits to being in or near tears much of the day. “A number of those who were injured in the bombing three years ago were running again, which was incredible to witness,” Heger says. “People lined the roads for nearly the entire race, and I loved clapping the hands of all the kids as I went along.”
While she hoped to beat her time from last year, leg cramps prevented her from pushing herself at times. “It was none of what I wanted it to be and so much more at the same time,” she recalls.
Heger says she doesn’t see any more marathons in her future, but then adds, “Never say never.” Right now, she’s focusing on coaching her students who signed up for track. “It’s neat watching the girls meet and exceed their goals,” she says. “I often use the phrase, Every day is a beautiful day to run! It’s all about attitude, and much of running can apply to life—having endurance and developing perseverance and grit when it’s hard and you want to give up.”
the routine
Even when I’m not training for a marathon, I still love to run. Whether it’s with my students at Marian Middle School or by myself, I normally get in 3 to 5 miles three to four times a week. I play volleyball on Wednesdays though The Salvation Army’s women’s league, which I started when I moved back to St. Louis six years ago. In the winter, when it’s not ideal for running outside, I’ll do cross training in the basement, like ride a stationary bike, yoga or a fun workout video. I do arm weights two to three times a week—and there are lots of stairs involved every day at school as a principal!
Photo: Charles Barnes