Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon in 1967. She was 20 at the time, but shows no signs of stopping just because she’s 79.
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The marathon runner spoke to PEOPLE about how she’s keeping up the habit. And apparently, she still runs an incredible “30 to 40 miles” per week.
For her, running is a “really important” obligation she sticks to. “It’s a necessity,” she says.
“Every day, I always think there’s something more important that I need to do,” she says. “I start thinking about it, and I say, ‘You’re always better after the run. You’re always better. You can sleep better, plan better and work better. You’re always better.'”
Tragically, she suffered some health “setbacks,” which required she toned down her running. But she still runs as much as she can.
For Switzer, there’s no excuse not to run, and she encourages everyone to pick it up. “Put on your shoes and get the hell out of the door,” she said.
Kathrine Switzer Encourages People To Get Out As Much Possible
“Just go out the door — even if you’re in the city or whatever — it’s okay. Just get outside,” she emphasizes.
When being asked for advice from women who are showing up in areas with little to no women representation or presence, Switzer says, “First of all, I always tell them, ‘Go out and get exercise every day, whether they walk or run, if it can please be outside some of it. You’ve got to get the air and the nature around you.”
“During that time — because I find it very creative, instead of sitting around moping — I decide which space I can be in. What does it take to get there?”
She continued, saying, “Let’s work on two or three things, or even one or two things. It could be, ‘I’m going to talk to somebody who’s in that space. Maybe I can get in that space.’ Read a lot and watch people that you admire, seriously admire for the right reasons, look at their histories, and maybe say, ‘Can I do that, or what’s the parallel for me?'”