Keep Running Forward
IN FINISHING FIFTY, CHRISTINE PALMISANO REFLECTS ON 16 YEARS, 50 STATES AND THE UNEXPECTED PLACES ONE INVITATION CAN LEAD
Keep the goal. Alter the course. Regroup and run to the finish.
Christine Palmisano collected these life lessons during 16 years of running half marathons across all 50 states. At first, she chased the clock, aiming to break two hours (which she did). She trained with accomplished runners and pushed for performance.
Along the way, life evolved and so did the process of accomplishing a bucket list effort that turned into a lifestyle, a commitment to service and newfound love.
These lessons are at the heart of Finishing Fifty, Christine's memoir about completing a half marathon in every state. But despite the miles logged and finish lines crossed, she hopes readers understand something from the outset.
This isn't really a book about running.
“It’s about how we all might adapt and change and still set goals,” she says.
GOING THE DISTANCE—TOGETHER
If adaptability kept Christine moving, community helped get her there. “I am a social runner,” she says.
Over the years, running introduced her to teammates, coaches and elite athletes. She participated in Team in Training, raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society while two friends battled blood cancers.
And in 2013, several years into the 50-state quest, she met her husband, Mike, who joined the adventure. “I couldn’t have done this without the support of the community,” Christine says.
Finishing Fifty
That community became as much a part of the experience as the races themselves. So did the places. Checking off states was never simply about arriving, running 13.1 miles and flying home. She wanted to experience them.
In Alaska, she traveled to Seward and cruised among glaciers and wildlife. A race in Arizona meant visiting the Grand Canyon. Other events introduced her to parts of the Deep South and regions she had never explored.
“I didn’t realize how much I would learn,” she relates.
SAY YES
Perhaps the greatest lesson of the journey came from considering how easily it might never have happened at all. Christine hadn't run in 20 years when an aunt invited her to complete a half marathon.
Her first instinct?
No, thanks.
At the time, she was in her 40s, raising a teenager and moving through a divorce and other significant changes in life. Eventually, she reconsidered. Maybe taking
WHERE TO BUY AND SIGNING
Purchase Finishing Fifty on Amazon, at The Buzzed Word or Pam’s Hallmark Shoppe in Ocean City. Palmisano will speak and sign books 10/7 at 6 p.m. at The Buzzed Word. Follow news and sign up for the challenge at christinepalmisano.com.