Friday, November 26, 1999
New mom Tranter credits delivery for boost in speed
BY JOHN FAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
As far as ways to get faster, Jill Tranter's method is a little extreme. But it works.
Tranter, who gave birth to her first child six months ago, won the women's division of the Thanksgiving Day Race in a personal-best 35 minutes, 51 seconds. The birth of her daughter, Macy, has a lot to do with that.
“Having a baby has done wonders for me,” she said. “I've gotten a lot faster since I had my baby. All my friends said I would. But I can't believe how much.”
Tranter, 29, had never broken 37 minutes before she became a mother. Her training was largely uninterrupted by her pregnancy.
“I ran the whole time,” she said. “I ran my first race a week after she was born. I went real easy.”
Tranter thinks the improvement is physiological.
“Running was so much easier without the extra weight,” she said. “Maybe it's because I have more oxygen in my blood. I'm not sure. But running is definitely easier.”
Tranter took the lead from the start and was never challenged.
“I felt pretty confident when I heard Kelly Keeler wasn't running,” Tranter said.
Keeler was the top local runner before moving to to Minneapolis. Tranter, who also won the Willie's 5K Nov. 6, is one of the top candidates to replace Keeler as the local front-runner.
Thursday, she was too busy enjoying herself to think about it. Her husband, Scott, and Macy were at the finish line to greet her, along with her running friends and students she coaches at Boone County High.
“It's been a lot of fun,” she said. “It was great day to run. The weather's perfect.”
Tranter said she has run the Thanksgiving Day Race four or five times, first as a student at the University of Kentucky.
This was easily her biggest win.
“Definitely,” she said. “This is huge for me.”
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New mom Tranter credits delivery for boost in speed
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