Comunidad, representación y más: Una conversación con Cheryl Donald (parte 2)

Cheryl Donald (left) with author and NYRR Contributors Circle member Victoria Fortune.

In honor of Black History Month and Women’s History Month, I sat down with friend and running buddy Cheryl Donald. Cheryl is a psychotherapist and life coach specializing in trauma, depression, and marriage and family therapy. While running her own private practice, Cheryl has also found the time to train and run all six Abbott World Marathon Majors.

Cheryl is a part of several NYC-based run clubs, and I had the pleasure of meeting her in 2019 through the Nike Project Moonshot training program. We’ve been sisters ever since. In this interview, Cheryl talks about her love for running, the change she’s seen in the NYC running community, the importance of representation, and more.

This is part 2 of our conversation; you can read part 1 here.

Marathons

Victoria: I want to move on to marathons because I've seen you on the course and we've trained together. You're a pretty competitive runner. You're the only Black woman runner I know that has completed all six Abbott World Marathon Majors, which is so inspiring. What has inspired this specific journey?

Cheryl: It was never on my radar. I think what ended up happening is the community just really inspired me to keep running and keep doing these races. And then the next thing you know, you're halfway through them. I am a competitive person by nature, and if I start something, I want to finish it. And, I saw it as an opportunity also to see the world. Last year I ran four of the six.

Victoria: Wait a second. Last year alone, you ran four of the six majors?

Cheryl: Yeah, yeah. Last year.

Victoria: You are superhuman.

Cheryl: I know it's crazy. We did Tokyo and then Boston and Chicago and New York last year. Imagine the ability to go to Tokyo. I went and saw my sorority sister from college who lives in Singapore with her family, and we went to Indonesia. It was running the [Tokyo] Marathon, but it's also all the things that you can do with that.

We actually lived in Baumholder, Germany when I was in second or third grade, I hadn’t been back to Germany since that time. So it was amazing to go back as an adult running the Berlin Marathon, looking at where the wall used to be and all that history in Berlin.

I had never been to London, so that was my first time there. [I went] to Prague afterwards and Amsterdam.

So it really was, just why not do it? If this is something that you love, being able to piggyback and exploring and expanding your horizons is amazing. So, that really helped inspire the journey. And then of course, getting the six and Boston was surreal for me.

Victoria: Do you have a favorite of the six?

Cheryl: NYC is the home-field advantage. I've run [the TCS New York City Marathon] six times and this year will be seven. Every time it doesn't matter where I am on that course, I see somebody I know, I see a friend, I see family, and the experience is always great. It doesn't feel like the same race each time.

Victoria: What's keeping you going?

Cheryl: I don't know, Victoria. I don't know. I feel because I'm here in New York, I think maybe I would have FOMO if I wasn't running. Maybe one year I'll try to cheer and see how that feels to cheer.

I think I get wrapped up in the training, I just didn't want to miss out on it. I want to be part of it. And as long as I can run it, I think I will be.

Running's Mental Health Benefits

Victoria: I I definitely get the part about FOMO. I took a year off from running intensely last year, and I had a little bit of FOMO.

Tell me, how has running impacted your mental state? Do you believe in the phrase “runner's high”?

Cheryl: I think there is an endorphin rush that people get from running. It's bigger than just running. I think it's the accomplishment that people feel that's associated with whatever their goals are within running. And so, I think it's a real thing.

It definitely is a mood adjuster for me. I can start off in one frame of mind and by the time I've had a good run, I can physically feel the difference in how I feel physically and then emotionally. So I think it can be a catalyst for all of those things.

As a therapist, I always say running is not therapy.

Victoria: Can you speak to that more?

Cheryl: People throw that around a lot. They're like “ running is my therapy.” I think running can be therapeutic, but I don't think it's a replacement for actual therapy.

Victoria: I'm glad you said that. I'm in therapy, have been for like 12 years, but I have caught myself saying running is my therapy.

Cheryl: Absolutely. And it's a complement to a therapy. It's therapeutic in terms of things that people may need or whatever folks are getting from their running experience. But when folks are having serious concerns with their emotional wellness or their mental health, running is not going to address those things. Running can help manage those things, but therapy is something that we can all benefit from in some shape, form, or fashion.

Victoria: How has running personally benefited you on a mental and spiritual level?

Cheryl: My own mental health journey is part of that therapeutic process for me. I hear a lot of things, a lot of stories, a lot of trauma just through the work that I do. Being able to manage that and continue to hold space for myself is important, so that I can be of support to my clients, and running helps move through that personally as well.

Victoria: Where do you find the time to run with all that you have going on? Are you a morning runner?

Cheryl: Absolutely. First thing in the morning, as soon as my feet hit the ground, I am out the door and I do that, Victoria, because my day can sometimes get a little unpredictable and running is something that I integrate.

Victoria: Do you do anything else to complement your runs? Like, how's your nutrition? Do you do strength training? Do you do yoga?

I made the mistake when I first started getting into running as an adult of running every day, and then I got injured.

Cheryl: I made the same rookie mistake on my first marathon. All I did was run and I was injured going into that first marathon.

I cross train. I have been working with my new trainer, Percell. I just started working with my nutritionist, Linda LoRe, who runs with Brooklyn Track Club and also is a manager at Mile High Run Club. We've been focusing in on my calorie intake as well as my my protein intake.

Advice to New Runners

Victoria: What advice do you have for new runners who want to start their journey and might be intimidated by the New York City running community?

Cheryl: It can be intimidating. I think because I've been in the community, I've been part of the growth. When I entered it, it didn't feel that intimidating. But now, 10 years later, we have so many run clubs it's almost overwhelming.

I would tell people just to pace themselves and start slow. Visit a few groups. See what works best for their schedule, what works best for their location, and not to overthink it.

Victoria: I'm really big on body positivity. In fact, the last piece I wrote for NYRR’s Contributors Circle was focused on body positivity, meeting your body where it is, and and loving yourself.

I remember when I first started running in the New York City running community, I didn't feel like I fit the mold of an average runner because of my curves. For those that may be dealing with body image challenges, what advice can you give them?

Cheryl: Great question. I don't think I fit the mold either of a traditional runner–age, race, body type. All of that is counter to what we think a runner should look like.

We've all heard that if you run, you run, right? And that's true. If you're out in these streets running for more than an hour, you should thank your body that you're able to be out in these streets running. Even if you're out running 30 minutes, that's huge, when we think about the number of people that can't get up in lace up and do the things that we do.

If we're ever questioning our body or ever looking at our body in such a negative way, just the core reminder is that we get to do this. This is not something that is given to us. Our bodies allow us to do this. We always have to remember is that it's not about speed, it's not about size, it's about getting to get and move our bodies.

Victoria: That's one thing I really loved when I was a part of the Noname training program led by Coffey and Coach Julia. I got to see so many different body types and people from so many different walks of life across New York City. It made me feel more comfortable and welcomed to be a part of that running training program. How has being a part of a run club helped you become a better runner?

Cheryl: Community will push you forward and before you realize it, you're running races that you never realized that you can run. It's a little bit harder to push yourself to that level, but if you have people around you it’s helpful. With the Define New York Run Club coach, Coffey, he makes sure we all stay together. It's important because you know that there's gonna be other people out there that are going 10-plus miles with you. There's no pressure to run a certain pace. We're gonna stay together and we're gonna finish together.

Follow Cheryl on Instagram at @Blackpearlruns and keep up with all of her upcoming runs.

Read part 1 of this interview here.

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