Susanna McDonald

​About Susanna

 

 

I hail from Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas. I am a Delaware-licensed attorney working as an Associate General Counsel and Director of Legal Resources for the Association of Corporate Counsel in Washington DC. Upon the advice of my orthopedic surgeon, I started running as part of my advanced recovery program from a broken tibia and fibula, the result of a horseback riding accident. I immediately saw improvements. I lost weight, gained loads of energy and always seemed to be in a positive mood. DC Front Runners has helped me to stay motivated. The support and camaraderie I get from the group is invaluable. With my new friends, I can celebrate successes and commiserate about the bumps in the road – not just on running but in all of life’s ventures. And I love the social events as well. Even though I live alone, I feel as if I have a family here in DC.

 

 

 

​Questions

 

 

Why did you join DC Front Runners? I had been running on my own, off and on. I decided that one way to keep myself motivated was by joining a running group. I searched the Internet and the group that appealed to me most was DC Front Runners. The 5K training program it was organizing was a major draw and the timing and location was good too.

 

When you began running with us, you seemed more of a social runner, yet you seem to be transitioning to the semi-competitive type. How did this evolution come about? I found the joy in running. Until then, running was something I felt that I had to do to become healthier. Then one day I took my Garmin [timer] off and started singing as I ran. I was reaching for the sky - and I got faster.  

 

What do you like about doing races? The camaraderie of being part of a larger team. Even though running is very solitary, it does not really feel that way. I love the turnaround points where you see other racers whom you know and can cheer them on.

 

What is your favorite race? I think the Capitol Hill Classic 10K because I was able to pass by the faster runners and see them. I have not done too many races yet, although I am starting to really enjoy the 10K’s. I plan to run my first half-marathon in Philadelphia this September.

 

What do you like about DC Front Runners? The support. When I am injured people tell me to back off the running, when I’m doing great, they congratulate me. You get great motivation from that.

 

Is it what you expected? I thought it would be more competitive between people and not necessarily in a friendly way. There is some competition between us but it is never a negative rivalry, always supportive. I was also surprised at how expansive the social aspect was. Because the group is mostly men I was not sure how I would be taken into the fold but I have been completely taken in. Some of my best friends are the DC Front Runners.

 

Hailing originally from the Dallas area, what do you think are the main differences between Texans and Washingtonians? Dallas is similar to Washington in being quite a transient area. People in DC are just as friendly as Texans, but Texans have a mid-western sensibility in that people will be incredibly polite but that does not mean they are being honest. In DC, you may not have the politeness but you definitely have more honesty. I have been on the east coast since 1996 and I am definitely an east coast girl now [Susanna has also lived in Delaware and Pennsylvania].

 

Does being a gay running club give us a particular flavor? I don’t get hit on the way I did when I was in a hiking club in Pennsylvania that was mostly straight! For me, there is no pressure. I do not have to concern myself with how I look. There is a certain freedom that comes with that. I do enjoy the male energy within the club.

 

But we have female members too. We do, although I had been expecting there would be a higher proportion of women than there were.

 

Did that intimidate you? No. I love men. Seriously, I was a little at first but that was more about just getting to know people, not because they were men.

 

Who was the first person in the club you had a proper conversation with? Outside of Blake Rushin explaining the 5K training program, I think it was you.

 

No. Really? What did we talk about? We chatted quite a bit. You were very welcoming. We talked about books, travel, living overseas, writing - at that point I was writing a lot of short stories. 

 

Are you a fair weather or a hardy winter weather runner? Fair weather. Lovely, cool, sunny, temperate weather. The cold and the heat are hard for me. I have asthma so the winter really gets me with the cold air.

 

What’s your favorite Happy Hour hangout? Some place not tiny, where we have a bit of space. The Nellie’s rooftop deck [900 U St. NW] has always been very convenient. There’s space there - and sunshine when the weather is nice.

 

Which place is ‘tiny’? Remember we did that Halo [1435 P St. NW], which is now Mova? That was jam-packed and it is a tiny place that we alone as a group could have filled up.

 

What advice would you give new people joining the club? Take it easy, give yourself time, and be persistent in showing up.

 

What is your motto in life? The purpose of life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body but rather to skid in sideways totally worn out shouting ‘holy shit what a ride.’

 

 

 

Interview by Brian Beary, Design by Marcel Acosta

June 2010