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Runners on the Way Up
Vicki Lang: Pushing Through Barriers and Staying On Top
"Bobcat"By George Banker
January/February 2005
Columbia, MD
For the Washington Running Report
Photo by Kathy Freedman
"She is so enthusiastic about running that it's contagious to everyone she meets. She coaches cross country and loves to get the high school kids involved no matter what their level and is always optimistic about their performances and improvements," stated Bea Marie Altieri about her longtime friend and running partner, Vicki (Avey) Lang, age 36, of the Howard County Striders running club. Lang works as a Budget Analyst for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The catalyst into the sport started with her brother, Bill, who was a competitive runner in high school and helped develop her interest. Her formal running started in high school under Coach John Armstrong at Fort Hill High School in Cumberland, Maryland. She ran cross-country and track and since there was no indoor track she played basketball.
Her natural talent came to the surface during high school, where she was the moving force on the team and placed first the majority of the races. During cross-country season her freshman year, she placed 11th in the state meet. A sprained ankle was suffered during her sophomore year and caused her to skip the meet, and she had a ninth place finish in her junior year (knee injury was sustained a few weeks prior). As a senior, she moved up to a second place finish. On the track she ran a 5:12 mile in her junior year and won States. In her senior year she placed third in both the mile and two-mile events.
The precious motivators at Lang's core are her family; husband Phil whom she met while attending Frostburg and their two children, Tiffany (age 10) and Brittany (age 6).
"My mother and father have always been my biggest fans and have supported me in all my running adventures. I don't think they ever missed my high school races. They still call me on race day to see how I did or how my husband or kids did on their race days," she said.
It's all about developing a passion and desire within your life and for the sport and finding a balance to achieve that well-rounded lifestyle. The sport offers the ups and downs, and also injuries that can affect performance, but how do you deal with it? Each injury, whether ankle or knee, has been a barrier but each time she has managed to push through to run another race and learn from the experience.
"I love to be with my family. We enjoy doing things together. My kids are very active in various sports and I love watching them practice and compete. I am a Christian and love attending church and working with different programs there. I have coached my daughter in a Christian basketball league over the last four years and find it very fulfilling. I also love to read when I have the time," Lang said.
To know what the future holds, you need to understand where Lang came from and what helped build her foundation as she helps to build the foundations of others. Coach Robert Lewis picked up the torch at Frostburg State University where, for the most of the years, she was a scholar/athlete. The scholar/athlete awards are given for extraordinary achievements in academics, athletics, and community service. The barriers Lang faced at college included dealing with the increased distance, which brought on injuries during the adjustment period. It wasn't until her senior year that she made it up to the 10,000-meter distance. To sustain, she proved that she could adapt and overcome challenges. A glimpse of Lang's performances while at Frostburg:
Frostburg State University School Records
Indoor: 3,000 meter 10:22.15 1987
5,000 meters 18:24.49 1990
Outdoor 3,000 meters 10:25.00 1990
Additional performances:
Mason-Dixon Conference - Women's Indoor Track Championship
1500 Meters 5th 5:04.0 2/87
3000 Meters 1st 10:37.24 2/88
1500 Meters 4th 5:03.7 2/89
3000 Meters 4th 11:04.8 2/89
3000 Meters 5th 11:12.6 2/90
5000 Meters 2nd 18:16.3 2/90
Mason-Dixon Conference - Women's Outdoor Track Championship
3000 Meters 2nd 10:36.7 5/87
3000 Meters 5th 11:10.8 5/88
10,000 Meters 1st 38:58.6 5/90
The years of training and racing helped to define parameters of Lang's athletic ability. Her weekly mileage averages 25 to 40 miles per week; stepping over that barrier opens the door for injury. To Lang, it's not always about training to win but doing her best on a given day and accepting the results.
"In the mid-90s I reached 60 miles per week a few times. After the Chicago Marathon in 1995, I had knee surgery in May 1996 and since then my mileage was lower than what I was previously running. I could run around 30 miles a week for years and over the last year or two I have been able to get up to 40 plus and stay healthy," she stated.
Talking about speed training, she states, "Since my track partner Bea Marie moved to Florida I do not go to the track on a regular basis. I do fartlek work on some of my runs (for example: warm up for 10 minutes, run 7-10 x 2 minute runs with 1 minute rest - then 10 minute cool down). I sometimes run longer intervals with half the time to rest. Robyn Humphrey is determined to get me back out there on the track. I do work out with the Oakland Mills Cross Country team (the team my husband, Phil, and I coach), so over the fall I get some interval training in with them, along with some hill interval work."
There is a delicate balance between family, work, and sport and one does not overshadow the other, as Lang explained, "My husband Phil is an avid runner and we support each other in our goals. My children are beginning to fall in love with the sport. Even when they were young they loved having Mom push them in a baby jogger or watch me run on the treadmill. I have a wonderful, supportive family. Also, I have a good friend, Christa Cary, who helps me pursue my goals by offering to watch my kids on a regular basis so I can go for a run."
The middle distances were at the beginning of the spectrum and Lang has run a few marathons in the 3:12 range. Her preferred distance these days are ten miles to the half-marathon but she wants to keep her options open to attempt another marathon assuming no injuries. When she steps up on the start line she takes a casual glance around to see the competition when she has a time goal in mind. While her speed in the shorter distances is not the same, experience and a varied training program allow her to be competitive at 8K to half-marathon distances.
A highlight for celebration was at the 95th Boston Marathon, April 15, 1991. Lang and her then fiance Phil both earned PRs and shared the excitement. Phil ran 2:53:58 (14th place 18-39 within the Maryland finishers) and she ran 3:12:45 (4th place 18-39). Winning the mile in her junior year at the State meet is at the top of her list of significant achievements.
Bea Marie Altieri recounts a memorable moment, "The 24-hour relay, it was such a long time period to be together and she did so incredibly well. It was back in the day when there weren't any energy bars or gels so we lived off Cracker Jacks and lemonade. Whatever works, right? During the wee hours of the morning when everyone else was getting cranky, Vicki and I were laughing and having so much fun. She is definitely the kindest, most honest and giving person I've ever met."
It is through her faith and self-confidence that the "Bobcat" will persevere through the barriers and overcome life's little challenges while making a difference in the lives she touches.
What does she feel about the Howard County Striders? "They have been a major part of my running career. I have met many people and have been able to not only take advantage of the great events they put on but I have been able to be involved in the volunteer part of a running event. There is a lot that goes on to allow runners to participate in races and I feel fortunate to be able to give back through the Striders," she said.
There is value, which the clubs bring out, "I would like to appeal to the running community and help them realize that running is a lifetime sport and that the sport has a lot to offer. I would encourage all runners, new and veteran, to join their local running club. I was a member of the Queen City Striders during my early years of running and they taught me how a community can be involved in the sport," Lang added.
Lang is a moving force on the roads as noted below, and she closes with, "I would like to encourage runners to meet other runners and train together. Running with other people is a lot of fun as well as providing some accountability."
Some notable performances:
3 Miles (18:23) ACLI Capital Challenge 3M, Washington DC (5/04).
5K 5th (20:15) HCS Penguin Pace 5K (1/04).
1st (18:30) HCS Women's Distance Festival, Columbia, MD (6/03).
(19:01) Orioles 5K, Baltimore, MD (3/03).
6th (19:35) GBMC Father's Day 5K, Towson, MD (6/02).
10th (18:50) Avon Running 5K, Baltimore, MD (9/01).
2nd (19:08) Victims Fund 5K, Baltimore, MD (4/01).
4th (18:29) O'Doul's 5K (3/01).
1st (18:43) Orioles Advocates 5K, Baltimore, MD (6/00).
1st (19:35) 3rd Turkey Day 5K, Westernport, MD (11/99).
1st (20:10) 2nd Turkey Day 5K, Westport, MD (11/98).
8K (32:22) Pikesville 8K, MD (4/01). 3rd (35:04) Run Through Grapevine 8K, Mt. Airy, MD (11/00).
10K 2nd 35-39 (39:07) Pike's Peek 10K, Rockville, MD (4/04). (40:04) Peachtree 10K, Atlanta, GA (7/03). 1st (40:37) HCS Elk Horn-Savage (6/03). 1st (39:08) Clyde's American 10K, Columbia, MD (4/02). 4th (37:44) NASDAQ Veterans Day 10K, DC (11/00). 1st (42:55) Howard County Striders 10K, MD (1/99).
15K 3rd (58:31) Great Allegany Run, Cumberland, MD (10/03). 5th 30-34 (1:01:09) Utica Boilermaker 15K, Utica, NY (7/03). 2nd (1:00:38) Greenbelt 15K, Greenbelt, MD (9/02). 3rd (1:03:48) Greenbelt 15K, Greenbelt, MD (9/01). 3rd (57:35) Great Allegany Run, Cumberland, MD (10/01). (57:35) Gar 15K (10/01). 38th (1:04:07) Gate River Run (3/00).
10 Mile). 28th (1:03:10) Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, DC (4/03). 47th (1:06:02) Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, DC (4/02). 24th (1:03:36) Nortel Networks Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, DC (4/01). 26th (1:04:35) Nortel Networks Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, DC (4/00).