Q&A with Laura Green: Keep running, keep laughing

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When I ran along the Charles River as a 22-year-old attending a summer program at Radcliffe College, I was blissfully unaware of Boston’s deep running roots. I was just happy to no longer be running in the heat and humidity of Charlottesville, Virginia. I knew of the Boston Marathon — of course. I’d even heard of Heartbreak Hill. But I didn’t know it was the oldest annual marathon in the world. I didn’t know what people meant when they said, “Right on Hereford, left on Boylston.” I didn’t know what “BQ” stands for or that sometimes even BQ’ing isn’t good enough to get you on the starting line.

But I knew I loved to run.

Laura Green is a runner, too, but that’s about all that we have in common. You may know Laura from Instagram (or from the pages of Cog). She ran Division I track at Northeastern and has run Boston several times. (Four? Five? She can’t remember.) As a runner and resident of Cambridge, Laura has an appropriate amount of reverence for the Boston Marathon, but she thinks the folks who wear the iconic celebration jacket sometimes take themselves a bit too seriously.

In advance of this year’s race, I had a long conversation with Laura. We talked about what makes Marathon Monday so great, and what could make it even better. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. — Kate Neale Cooper

Kate Neale Cooper: I’ve run a couple of marathons, but never Boston. What’s so great about it?

Laura Green: “Boston is very well supported by fans. It's a really fantastic run because so many people come to support their runner. Since runners hold it in such high regard, their friends do too, and you can feel that on the course. People are so invested!

"Boston is fun to race. But honestly, I think it's a much more fun race to watch. There are so many parties and brand events. You can do a 10-mile shakeout run along the Charles on Sunday. Because the city of Boston is so small, it's easy to navigate, so you can do so much sightseeing.”

KNC: What could make the Boston Marathon even better?

LG: “Boston is the only major marathon that doesn’t have a lottery, so there’s no easy way to get in. People have to fight for their spots. If you don’t qualify, you have to team up with a charity and raise a whole lot of money.

“Fighting for a qualifying spot makes people feel competitive in a way that most of us haven't felt since high school. You have these 45-year-old men just gunning it out for the starting line. In many ways, I think that's good. I think it's fun. I love competition, but I also think the race would be even better if we opened up more spots, made it more accessible.

“The more people who can experience it, the better the race will be. Maybe this is heresy, but I don't think people need to experience it 30 times. I would rather have 30,000 brand-new runners on the line every year. Boston should have a lottery, like all the other big races do. (And now I’m ducking for cover!)

Boston is fun to race. But honestly, I think it's a much more fun race to watch.

KNC: You’re not new to brand events. But for this year’s marathon you hosted “The Running Nerd Game Show” at WBUR’s CitySpace. Why a game show?

LG: “At every single major marathon, at least in the U. S.— Chicago, New York and Boston — and a lot of the bigger ones, like California International Marathon, Dallas, Houston, it's shakeouts, panels,and pop-ups, on repeat. And that's all there is. Every brand is doing a shakeout run. Every brand is doing a panel where they sit these athletes and a host on a stage and we watch them talk about running.

"For the most part, it's entertaining, but it's predictable. And I am so bored with this setup. So I was thinking about what I like to do before a run or a race. And I like to relax – I don't want to feel stressed out.

"I grew up watching game shows. I used to fake sick, so I could watch the Price is Right. I actually went to the Price is Right in Hollywood and got to go on stage with Bob Barker. I'm obsessed with old school game shows. The Running Nerd Game Show is a mix of all of them.

"Deena Kastor – our star running contestant in Boston – is goofy yet competitive. So she was perfect for this first game show. The goal is to eventually bring it to Chicago, New York, everywhere. So now it will be pop-ups, shakeouts, panels and game shows.”

KC: Running can feel very intimidating. Can you talk a little more about that?

LG: “When people start running, they think or hear that all they need is a pair of shoes. But what shoes? Where do you even begin? There's thousands of shoes out there. How the heck do you pick? What about ‘plates’ and ‘supershoes’? And all of a sudden, you find a pair of Adidas shoes for $500. And you're like, ‘Do I need these $500 shoes?’ So it can be exclusive from a money standpoint. It also takes a lot of money to travel to a race, to get a hotel, to pay the entry fees.

“But even if you’re just looking to pick up jogging as a hobby, there are more hurdles to clear. There are so many different training plans. It’s overwhelming. People tell you to go to a run club. But you could show up at a run club and not be able to keep because that particular run club is actually pretty quick, and not every club does a great job of sweeping the back and making sure no one gets left behind. Or maybe you show up at one of these run clubs, and they're all talking about their threshold workout or their speed sessions And you're like, ‘I'm just trying to jog.’

“This even happens online. There's something for everyone on the internet, right? You can find your niche. You can find your back-of-the-packers. You can find your brand-new runners. But if for some reason you end up on the wrong side of the algorithm, where it's only elite runners or people who sound like they’re speaking a foreign language when they talk about the sport, it can be unbelievably intimidating.

“And yeah, I think that we all want to believe that it’s an incredibly inclusive space, but that’s not always true.”

The more people who can experience [the Boston Marathon], the better the race will be. Maybe this is heresy, but I don't think people need to experience it 30 times.

KNC: What tips do you have for being a Boston Marathon spectator?

LG: "My biggest piece of advice: Don't try to be in too many places. Pick one spot — maybe two. Boston is a point-to-point race — there’s no looping — so there's no easy way to see a runner more than once. I find the area around the halfway point, which is Wellesley through Newton, to be quite lovely because there's just not as many people and the race has thinned out a little so that you have a better chance of seeing your runner.

"If you want excitement and fun, Brookline is a great place to be. And after you cheer for your runner in Brookline, you can hop on the Green Line there to meet them at the finish.

"If it's a nice day, I love to be on a bike. There are Bluebikes around the city. There have been times when I've cheered for my runner at mile 15 and then hopped on my bike and rode down the Carriage Road in Newton. That's pretty easy to navigate. And you could potentially see your runner again at the top of the hills or near Boston College.

"The finish line is so exciting, but you need to know that your runner probably can’t hear you there. And make sure you have a meetup spot so you can find each other at the end.

"Be prepared for all sorts of weather.  It's Boston in April. You should pack a puffy coat, sunscreen, a rain jacket and a bathing suit. You could hit all four seasons in one day."

KNC: You’ve been running for a long time. It seems like you really still love it. 

LG: "There are some sports you start young and your body eventually says, ‘Enough.’ But running’s not football. It's not gymnastics. Running is something my body can keep doing. And so I've gone through these different seasons of life and running has been a different sport for me in each of those different seasons. Like right now, running is often my kids riding bikes and me chasing them. It's a way to spend time with them.

"Running is also important to a lot of the people who are important to me. There are four kids in my family and three of us ran Division 1 track. My best friends are mostly from running, my teammates from college, my trail running friends in San Francisco, my crew in Cambridge. I met my husband through the November Project.

"Running is the thread woven through all of the important things in my life. The most consistent thing in my entire life has been this silly thing where all I do is put one foot in front of the other. Running helps me bring my brain back to a really simple space for an hour a day, a few times a week.

"I don't know anyone whose life has been made worse by running. But really, it’s just about moving your body. The same could be said for yoga, or walking or hiking.

"You just gotta get out there and move your body."

Editor's Note: This Q&A appeared in Cog's newsletter, sent every Sunday. We share stories that remind you we're all part of something bigger. Sign up here.