Beyond Boston: Tennille Taylor & Ryan Niehaus

Tennille was gracious enough to share her story along with some of her husband's, because they are on this Boston journey together (adorable!).  She may run Boston virtually but not as a race effort - I wonder if it could be a part training for her next ultra (she has done two!).  She has a great outlook on running that will certainly contribute to her longevity in the sport:  "Running is such a part of our lives now that we definitely don't do it for the racing....the training is what I love the most and getting out and sweating in the morning is truly a great way to start one's day." 

Introduce yourself (who you are, where you're from, what you do, etc.)

I am from Farmington, New Mexico...born and raised. I went to Arizona State University and studied Music. I am a violinist and returned to Farmington after school to begin a teaching studio and play with the regional symphony orchestra.

What are your thoughts on Boston 2020 being cancelled? How did you handle the initial postponement and eventual cancellation, mentally and physically?
I was certainly disappointed about the Boston cancellation but I completely agree with it because marathons are probably the BEST place for a virus to survive and get passed around (snot, spit, sweat, heavy breathing, all combined with high fives and hugs).

Do you plan to run Boston 2020 virtually? Why or why not?
I am considering running the virtual race but certainly not as a "race". September can be pretty warm in New Mexico but it'd be fun to be part of such a strange "Boston" event....and honestly it might be the ONLY thing happening in 2020! Obviously all my concerts, church gigs and wedding gigs were cancelled since March so I have only had my teaching and really don't have a lot else going on.

Do you plan to run Boston 2021? Why or why not?
I do plan on running Boston 2021 as long as things seem safe.

How did you get started in running? Tell us a little about your early running career through present, including why you decided to run your first marathon.
My husband, Ryan, and I started running together in 2011. We had both been swimmers. He swam in high school and really enjoyed it. I swam in high school and went on to swim all four years at Arizona State (as a sprinter....so distance was NOT in my blood at all). A friend referred the book "Born to Run" to me so Ryan and I both read it over spring break 2011. We literally finished reading the book and said "We have to run a marathon". 

Just to clarify, I did not know how far a marathon was until I read this book. My little brother was a swimmer and also ran cross country for a few years in high school. He had also done numerous sprint distance triathlons and even a half-ironman. When we mentioned to him that we were going to run a marathon, he said he already had one picked out and he wanted to do it too. So, we ran a 5k in April, a 10k in May, a half in August, and a full marathon in November of that year. 

When did you set the goal of qualifying for Boston and what inspired you to try?  You've run Boston previously - how was it?

On the car ride home from that first marathon, we realized I had qualified for Boston....I didn't have any intention of doing that, nor did I really have a time goal. Ryan had run pretty well, as did my brother, but they had not made Boston cuts. A few marathons later, Ryan made his cut, so we ran Boston 2015. 

The day before Boston 2015 Ryan got massive food poisoning and was throwing up. On race morning, he got a decent amount of calories in but they only lasted until mile 16. His first 16 miles were beautiful splits and then he was freezing (it was raining) and he dropped to 9-10 minutes per mile pace and was walking at times shivering. He literally hated the experience because he felt so bad. 

Why did you decide to run Boston 2020?

Finally, last year Ryan said he wanted redemption and wanted to do Boston again. I was totally in because I have been dreaming about the croissant cinnamon rolls from Cafe Madeline in Back Bay since the day I ate one in April 2015. So we signed up. 

What did you learn from this journey - from BQ to postponement to cancellation?

The postponement felt so weird because it was only 5 weeks away at that point so it felt very much like having the carpet pulled out from under you. September was the dreaded reschedule time because summer training just sucks, but we changed our hotel reservations and chose to go ahead with it. When the cancellation happened shortly after, I really didn't feel much. We had just started training and so many other things had been cancelled that I honestly expected it to be cancelled. Now we are just running for running. We get the miles in and do some hills or fast runs every now and then but we just love running so much. Running is such a part of our lives now that we definitely don't do it for the racing....the training is what I love the most and getting out and sweating in the morning is truly a great way to start one's day.

Anything else you'd like to share?
Since we started running I have run 2 ultras (a 50k and a 55k), 11 marathons, 7 or 8 halfs, and a handful of local 10ks and 5ks (editor's note: that's a solid 5 years!).