D’ANN ARTHUR
19 Fun Facts!!
1. College: Trinity University
2. Occupation: Resident physician in Orthopaedic Surgery at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
3. Road– trail– track? What’s your favorite? That’s a tough one. I love running the trails along the cliffs in PV for my long runs and primarily do road race but there’s something brutally honest about the track that I love…I can’t decide!
4. Main event or discipline:Well I used to say 5k-10k, but I just ran my first marathon and I’m hooked!
5. What got you into running? I needed to fill a void in my life after I graduated high school and had to stop gymnastics so I picked up triathlons. Are girl who ran from the cross country team at my college saw me at a triathlon and convinced me to walk onto the cross country team and the rest is history!
6. Influential person that keeps you going?
Kara Goucher. She’s my hero.
7. Favorite type of work out? Progressive Long Runs and The Michigan.
8. What is your favorite moment in your running career? The first time I broke 17 minutes in the 5k. It was at Race for the Cure in Dallas; I lost my favorite Aunt to breast cancer…I ran that race for her.
9. After a good workout, what is your go to meal to refuel for the next day? Most my workouts are done in the morning, so I’m a huge breakfast fan. My go to meal is oatmeal with strawberries or blueberries and peanut butter with a dash of cinnamon on top. I cook that up then put plain greek yogurt on top. It’s delicious!
10. Ideal running conditions? Any time, any weather. As long as I can run, it’s a great day.
11. Outside of running, what is one thing you want others to know? I’m really a pretty boring person…I work, run, play with my dogs and sleep. I do have an obsession with good coffee and walking on my hands. Oh and I snort when I laugh…AWKWARD.
13. Hobbies? Kidding. But seriously, my idea of fun is all things outdoors. I enjoy road biking, picked up cyclocross last fall and enjoy hiking with my dogs.
14. Music? 90s Alt! Red Hot Chili Peppers, Third Eye Blind, Bush, Garbage…the list could go on and on. I also have a thing for terrible 90s dance music when I’m stuck inside for workouts.
15. How do you relax? I curl up on my couch with my dogs.
16. What is your typical day of training? I try to always workout before work, because I never know how long my work day will be and I’m on my feet for most the day running around the hospital. Usually I get up around 4am and spend some quality time staring at the wall while my coffee is brewing. I try to run outside, but for the hard workouts I can’t judge my pace in the dark so I’ll do those ones on the treadie instead.
17. Main motivation that keeps you going on hard work outs or long run days or days when you’re just not “feeling it”? Coffee. I’m only half kidding about that. But seriously, when I’m in the middle of a hard workout and starting to get tired I think about why I’m running…and the answer is to push myself past what I and others think I am capable of…you have to get used to being uncomfortable if you’re trying to chase down your dreams.
18. What’s your goal for this coming season? Track season or spring road races?
I’d like to run some fast 5k/10k times this summer/early fall, then gear up for a half marathon and marathon in the late fall/winter with the goal of setting a new PR in the marathon. My main goal is to run a solid time at the Boston Marathon. (And yes those are all vague goals…I don’t like talking about myself and my goals much. I write them on my mirror, read them every morning, then set out to accomplish them. I put more than enough pressure on myself to succeed, so I try to avoid any unnecessary pressure from others. Haha!)
19. Motto, good story, something funny? “Unrelenting dedication to the task.”
