May 16, 2010 Vajdos delivers a world-class talk with world-class experience Last week the San Marcos Runners Club heard from a former world-class marathon runner by the name of Dr. Vanessa Vajdos. Vanessa ran in the early days when women were just coming onto the scene as competitive runners. She won the Houston Tenneco Marathon in a time of 2:44:44 that was an excellent time in 1979, and is still a very good time for today’s marathon runners. While she is grateful for being able to finish first in the Houston Marathon, she said her biggest thrill was finishing 10th in the world marathon championships. At that time her coach, Al Lawrence, who was himself a bronze medalist in the Olympics, had her running in many other countries around the world. From Greece to Japan, her team competed all over the world. Vanessa said that the Avon Corporation sponsored women’s running and helped women gain a foothold in the elite class of runners. She mentioned that running on a professional level is different than running for a personal PR, or for yourself to see if you can finish a marathon. After a long day traveling on a plane and arriving in a different time zone, it didn’t make any difference, as you still had to run the next day and train that afternoon when the real desire is to take a nap. Dr. Vajdos credits her strong support system of family and coach to help her reach her full potential. She was reminded that she could do anything she wanted to do if she had the desire to try. Growing up on Karnes City, Texas, she considered herself a small-town gal and had no inclination that she would eventually be a world-class runner. Vanessa remembers back when she attended Southwest Texas State University and was a Bob Kitten, which I understand was the forerunner of the present-day Strutters. Her profession now is that of a chiropractor near New Braunfels on Watson Lane, just down Hunter Road. She considers herself to be good at her profession because of her running. She says, “When you know your body so well at the higher level of sports competition, it is easy to take that knowledge and apply it to others in need.” It was actually a leg injury during her career that got her started in the study of anatomy and biomechanics of motion and led her to being a chiropractor. When you compete at the elite level, every little biomechanical thing you do in running or training can lead to winning or finishing out of the money. It is these little things that often make the difference in correcting posture problems that are leading to a painful condition that requires an adjustment. While she is an accomplished chiropractor, she also can offer therapeutic massage, acupuncture, nutrition advice and sports medicine to clients. She mentions that many of the ailments suffered by people begin with a misalignment in the spine that can be corrected with proper exercise, massage, or simply correcting the incorrect posture that the person can change once the misalignment is known. Dr. Vanessa Vajdos gave a very motivational talk and was an inspiration to many of the runners in attendance, and let them know what they could accomplish with the proper desire to succeed and be the best that they can be. Vanessa mentioned that she is willing to talk to other groups by simply contacting her. She was asked if she still ran. Vanessa said she still runs a little; but it is hard to run slow and not be competitive as one gets older but can remember past accomplishments. While she still exercises, the amount of running is only a small portion of her program. The next race for local runners is May 29th at Country Estates for the Faith Run 5K; a nice, slightly challenging, out-and-back course on the roads in Country Estates. Dr. Maurice Johnson - better known around San Marcos as “Moe” - is a professor in the Department of Health, P.E., Recreation and Dance at Texas State University - San Marcos. Moe has been a fixture in the San Marcos running community - both as a runner and race organizer - since way back when Moby Dick was a minnow. His column on running and fitness appears each Sunday in the Sports section of the San Marcos Daily Record. • Recent “Running With Moe” Columns • Home • About the Club • Current News • Club Runs • Places To Run • TX Running Clubs • Running Links • Useful Stuff Upcoming Races • Race Results • Country Roads 10K & Kids Run • ARA-Moe’s Better Half Marathon • “Running With Moe” Contact Us!