Run The World Challenge 2 Profile: Linda Sereno says she finds her inner peace when running out in the mountains

Linda Sereno grew up with two older and two younger brothers.  "I copied them, playing football, baseball and basketball.  Later my oldest brother helped me take on running.  I loved it," Linda says.  "In high school, we had a fund raising event for our band to go to Ireland to compete in the Saint Patrick's Day parade in Dublin.  We were sponsored for each lap we could run/walk in two hours," Linda remembers.  She never stopped running for 2 hours and did 52 laps around the quarter mile track.  "I love running, especially on trails, up and down mountains. I love the wind, the animals, and the scenery.  I think, I space out, and I dream on those runs. I find my inner peace out in the mountains," she says.  Asked about what is her secret to her success.   "I think it's important to keep your core strong, stretch daily, and do strength exercises.  I use my body weight to improve muscle tone rather than using weights.  I do push ups, sit ups, planks, burpees, squats lunges, and stretches," 58-year-old Linda Sereno says.  She tries to run three times per week, two days of track workouts and one long run."  Last year she finished a 50 miler.  "I was the second woman overall on a challenging hilly race with 9,500 feet of elevation change.  Another challenge I accomplished was Boston to Big Sur.  I wondered if I would have the endurance to complete both marathons without any injuries, and I did in 2011.  The times were not exceptional, but I was pleased to have accomplished my goal," she says.  Her husband, Kirk, is a surfer.  He was a competitive swimmer and diver in high school and community college.  Her daughter, Amy, is a successful runner and is an assistant coach at a local community college.  Linda is currently a 1st/2nd grade Dual Immersion teacher, teaching English and Spanish.  Why did she enter the Challenge for a second time. "Run the World Challenge can help motivate many people become more active in order to fulfill a global goal," Linda says.  Linda has already posted 51 miles for this challenge. She also has run a lot of Double Racing Events.  One of her best performances at age 55 was clocking 1:04:04 for the Pacific Grove Double Road Race 15k in 2015.  She clocked 43:40 for the 10K leg and 20:23 for the 5k leg.  This was age-graded at 87.07%.   Photo: Linda with a dear friend and running buddy Lidia Santos

posted Tuesday September 11th
by Bob Anderson