August R.O.m- Jordyn milheiser

Congrats to our August Ultimate Fit Runner of the Month, Jordyn Milheiser!  Here is more on Jordyn.

"My name is Jordyn Milheiser and I am a 23 year old physical therapy student who lives in Haubstadt, IN. I go to school at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky. I am on my last year of school and have hopes of specializing in pediatrics whenever I graduate."

What motivates you to run?
Running has been my sport of choice ever since middle school all the way through my first year of graduate school. Since being done with track, I find running and walking to be a great way to stay in shape and it is also my best stress reliever. Being diagnosed with cancer, running and walking has been a great lightweight way to exercise to help keep my energy levels up. 

How many races have you participated in?
Hundreds of cross country and track meets throughout my running career but probably 6 road races. I was not allowed to compete in road races during college because of my training. 

What age did you start running/walking for fun & competitively?
I started running competitively when I was in fourth grade, and then have continued to run since I finished track almost two years ago. During track I was a sprinter, so I have recently transitioned back into longer distances of running. 

Favorite place to run?
One of my favorite places to run will always be a track because it is just sentimental to me, but I enjoy running in parks or through trails. I like to mix up wherever I run. I am not a fan of running on a treadmill though. 

Favorite local race?
Like I said, I have not competed in many races due to always being a track athlete, but being from Haubstadt I am always impartial to the Laufenfest 5k race with a drink waiting for you at the finish line! 

Favorite race outside the Tri-State?
Being a track athlete in Louisville, we would always volunteer at the Iron Man race hosted yearly. I have not done an IronMan yet, but that is one of my dreams. 

Favorite race distance?
I have not done a race further than a 5K, but I have ran and walked a couple 10K for training and I think that is my favorite race distance. It is not near as fast as a 5K but it does not seem too terribly long either. 

Favorite race memory?
My favorite memories from track was just the camaraderie of the team. I think running is different than any other sport because in reality, it is an individual event, but I have never been on a team where I did not feel undeniably supported by my teammates and we all just wanted the best for each other. I think that is still the same in local races and amateur races as well. 

Craziest thing you saw at or during a race?
This isn’t necessarily crazy, but it still blows my mind the amount of people who prefer to compete barefoot. I saw this the majority of the time during the IronMan races but that to me is just another level of mental and physical toughness that is hard for me to fathom. 

Favorite pre & post-race meal/drink?
I was a multi athlete in track meaning I competed in many events so I am still partial to carb loading before races. I love a large plate of pasta the night before race day. The morning of races, I do not eat much maybe a banana or something. Post race I am normally not hungry for a few hours after. I still just prefer some Gatorade or fruit or something small to get my electrolytes back up. 

What is your favorite brand of running shoe?
Throughout high school and college, I did mainly sprints so I wanted the lightest shoe possibly so I would switch between Mizuno or Brooks. Recently I have been running in Asics and I really like them. I am not superstitious and I like to mix up brands to try different ones. 

How many miles do you run/walk a week?
Recently I have been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma so I have been doing a lot more walking than running while going through treatment. I walk about 25 miles/week and have been running about 10 miles/week. I am not currently training for anything and that is strictly to keep my energy levels up. 

What are your future goals for running/walking?
I don’t know if I will ever work up to do a full marathon, but I would love to run in half marathons. Like I mentioned earlier though, I would love to do an Ironman. I would start with other triathlons and work my way up to that distance. I swam for one year of high school and I also bike fairly regularly. I would love to do races where I can do all three. 

Favorite time of day to run?​
My favorite time of the day to run is in the morning but recently I have been sleeping in due to my treatments and being tired so I just kind of run whenever I feel like it. Late night walks have been my go-to recently. 

Favorite weather to run in?​
I love to run when it is a little bit cooler. I have always competed my best whenever the weather is 50 or 60 degrees outside. It definitely depends on the race and what I am doing though. Sprinting in that weather isn’t always the best thing to do. 

Music or no music?​
I don’t mind listening to music whenever I run but I actually prefer no music. I think that has to do with how I have run growing up and we never could listen to music at practice so it is just what I am used to.