 Cathy Capy-Cantu
Meet Cathy Capy-Cantu! Cathy is a K-12 school administrator for Orchard View. She has a deep love of working with kids and finding a way to connect “school” to “life” and wants to help transform our traditional system. Cathy is also a single mom to two amazing young humans, Antonella and Marina, is partner to the love of her life, Ryan, and gets to be a bonus person to two more amazing young humans, Sophia and Caleb. She has lived in Muskegon most of her adult life and loves to be involved in helping the community through service, including as a Board Member for Run Muskegon! As a part of our Runner Spotlight, we also asked Cathy to answer a few fun questions: 1. How long have you been running? I did not “pick up” running until my late 20’s. I had spent much of my youth (13-22) as a heavy smoker and because I didn’t think I was particularly good at any sports, I just stopped trying. However, after I quit smoking and vowed not to gain any more weight than I already had during college, I decided I needed to try something new. I started with “Walking Away the Pounds” (VHS tapes) and slowly started getting myself into a movement routine. It didn’t take long before I wanted to try running. It was daunting at first. My goal was to simply run for 4 minutes without stopping. I ran my first 5K 6 months later. It was slow, but I did it! I ran my first half marathon a couple of years later! I took some extended breaks away from the sport while having my babies and navigating those early years of motherhood, but have been running consistently for many years now. Some years are heavier mileage and racing than others, but running has simply become a part of my life and how I manage stress, anxiety, and all the other things life throws at me. 2. Do you race? If so, what is your most memorable race experience? I do race. I love racing. I rarely make it to any podiums or receive a medal other than the finishers’ medal, but racing is always about competing against myself and being a part of the community of runners. I have had many memorable race experiences, but I think my most memorable is my first marathon. It was the Holland Haven full in 2021. It was after 8 months of running the most volume I had ever run, having already run 4 half marathons and a couple of 5ks prior to training. It was 80 degrees at the 7:30 start in Grand Haven with 90% humidity. I started out strong, but the heat, humidity, and hills were doing me in by the half marathon point. And that’s when my partner first met me with cold water, a cool towel and a kiss to keep me going. He proceeded to stop every two miles to wipe me down with a cool towel, add ice to my water vest, and cheer me on. I had to take walk breaks by mile 18 and I was MAD. I was hot. I was miserable. But I finished. My partner was at the finish. My kids were at the finish. I was proud of what I accomplished. 3. Ever run in a costume? If so, what? Not really. I am pretty routine oriented and a costume is hot and gross. I did run wearing my ugly Christmas sweater and leggings this past December with our Wednesday night run group. It was very uncomfortable but it was a fun time. 4. Only running shoes for me are… I’m an ASICS GT 2000 girl. I have tried a few others but always come back to those for road running (though I do love my Brooks trail shoes when I take the time to get out into the woods) 5. What is your worst running-related injury? In 2021 I was on a mid-week training run a block from home, sprinting to the end like I normally do when my foot hit a broken piece of concrete and I went down. Hard. After hobbling home on a foot I could bear no weight on, bloody from the fall, my foot was already purple and the size of a small watermelon. Though it was “only” a sprain, you would have thought it was broken. However, I listened to my doctors, coaches, and running pals and did not run through the pain. With the help of braces and sleeves, I was even able to run a very slow half marathon 6 weeks later and my full marathon (the awful one, see above), a couple months after that. 6. Hot or cold weather runner? My preference is about 40 degrees. But if I had to choose, I would go with cold. I can always add layers, but there is only so much clothing one can take off while running before becoming too uncomfortable and socially unacceptable (and possibly criminal LOL). 7. What is your motivation for running? I think of running as the thing that has “saved” me in so many ways and from many different things over the years. Most notably, I attribute running and what running does for me mentally to helping me make the hardest decision of my life, to leave my marriage, and also the thing that helped me (and continues to help me) heal from that and so many other things. 8. If I didn't run I... Would probably have a lot more other time since I am on the slower end of running LOL. But I also don’t do well with down time so I would probably become some crazy heavy lifter or something because I will never be a triathlete- I don’t like swimming and my butt only likes a wide seat on a bike.:) 9. I can't run without… Water. It is both a habit and the fact that I just plain drink a lot. I always have water. I am the dork with the water vest even when I am only running a couple of miles. 10. What's the farthest you have run at one time? A marathon unless you want to count Ragnar…
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 Mike Resterhouse
Meet Mike Resterhouse! Mike is 53. He was born and raised in Muskegon and so far has never found a good reason to leave the area. Mike has had the opportunity to travel to many of our states and several countries and it confirmed that West Michigan is a great place to live. He graduated from Muskegon High School and attended Muskegon Community College and Western Michigan University where he studied engineering. He followed up the engineering degree with an MBA from GVSU. He has worked the last nineteen years at Brunswick Bowling Products in Muskegon as an Engineer and a Product Manager. Thank goodness being a good bowler isn't a job requirement. He’ll stick to running. He loves the outdoors and tries to spend as much time as he can outside running, biking, fishing, camping, kayaking, hiking, and XC skiing. He is blessed with two adult children, Rachel and Sarah from a previous marriage, and two infant grandchildren, Jackson and Isaac. He and his wife, Marci (also a Run Muskegon member), celebrated their one-year anniversary on April 1st of this year. That's not an April fool's joke, but it was intentional. They have a pretty good sense of humor. Mike describes Marci as his love, partner in crime, biggest supporter, social media manager, and assistant coach. They enjoy traveling abroad and try to incorporate a running race or hiking into all of their adventures. Their fur baby is a one-year-old French Bulldog named Mabel. You may see him dragging the beast down the sidewalk on Muskegon Avenue. It's not abuse. She's just so stubborn! As a part of our Runner Spotlight, we also asked Mike to answer a few fun questions: 1. How long have you been running? When it takes a calculator to figure out how long you've been running, you know it's been a while. Some quick math puts me at 38 years. My love of running started in the 9th grade when my middle school science teacher, Dick Mullaly, challenged all his students to run the 10K at the Norton Shores Founder's Day Run. Students would earn extra credit for finishing and even more credit if you could beat him. We were heading into the final exam and rumor was that his exams were extremely hard. I knew I needed the extra credit, so I laced up my Nike High Tops and hit the pavement. I didn't beat him. In fact, all I saw was the back of his shirt slowly disappear off into the distance. With a combination of running and walking I finished the race and had enough extra credit to earn an "A" in science class. A few weeks later the High School Cross Country coach stopped me in the hallway. He had heard that I was one of the students that ran the road race and asked me if I would join the team in the fall. Other than some sort of running, I didn't even know what Cross Country was, but I agreed. It was a life changing decision and I have been running ever since. 2. Do you race? If so, what is your most memorable race experience? I like to compete in both road and trail races. I really enjoy the race day atmosphere and the comradery. I find all races, big and small, to be an exciting experience. With the Boston Marathon just a few days ago from writing this, it's still consuming my thoughts. It was an amazing experience. Even in the cold, rainy weather, huge crowds of people lined the entire course on both sides of the streets. All of them were cheering on the runners for hours. If I wanted them to cheer louder, I would cup my hand to my ears as I ran by, and they would turn up the decibels. When I made the final turn down Boylston Street, I could see the finish. The enormous crowd down the final stretch was roaring with excitement and energy. They made me feel like I was winning the race! As the finish line got closer and closer, I knew that I had beat the weather and that ridiculous course. There was a huge wave of emotions when I crossed the finish line. Something I had never felt before after any race. I caught the elusive unicorn! 3. Ever run in a costume? If so, what? A few years ago, I dressed up as a Christmas Elf for the Manistee Jingle Jog. I would not recommend it. The felt material was itchy and held in so much heat. 4. Only running shoes for me are... For trainers I prefer the Brooks Glycerin, but I do rotate shoes between each run with a different brand to help reduce overuse injuries. The current rotation has Brooks Glycerin and the Saucony Ride. For racing, I have a pair of Saucony Endorphin Pro 2. I've used the Endorphins up to marathon distance. 5. What is your worst running-related injury? My worst running injury was tendonitis in the IT band at the knee. My IT band was as tight as a banjo string and took me out of commission for a few weeks. I needed lots of rest and PT to get back on the road. The root cause was a poor stretching routine. The lesson I learned was, as we get older, we really need to take time for prehab and post run rehab. If you think that you don't have time for both, you may want to consider doing a couple less miles per workout so that you have time to work on your maintenance. 6. Hot or cold weather runner? I prefer the heat. Getting out of bed on the weekends for a long run in the winter, no thanks. Let's have some more coffee and stay in the pajamas for a while longer. 7. What is your motivation for running? I run for that "feeling". Runners know what I'm talking about. The feeling inside of you with every small victory that can come from running. Some days, simply lacing up the shoes and getting the workout done is a win. Other days it's finishing that last mile of the long run, completing a training cycle, meeting a race goal, or achieving the elusive PR. The "feeling" when you finally believe that everything you need to achieve your goal is already inside of you. The "feeling" when you say to yourself "I just did that". 8. If I didn't run I.... If I didn't run, I would be a trout bum. I love trout fishing and anything else that may accompany it such as camping, hiking, backpacking, and kayaking. If you peeked into my garage, you would think you were at a REI store. There is so much gear in there. 9. I can't run without... N/A 10. What's the farthest you have run at one time? So far, the marathon is the farthest distance I've run at one time. This fall I'll do a 50K to support my wife Marci in her effort to run 1K for every year of her age on her 50th birthday. |
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