The distance runner deep inside Milly Hough waited patiently at the starting line for years.
Hough walked for exercise and in charity events, but she was loathe to break into a full gallop. She’s not sure exactly why. Then two years ago, while walking the Providence Heart & Sole Women’s Five Miler, she decided it was time to let that runner go. “I said to myself, ‘I’m going to run this race next year,’” Hough said. Milly Hough The Heart & Sole proved to be the perfect starter race. Months before the event, Hough joined a special training group at Strictly Running in Five Points for help transitioning her body from walking to running. During the race, she felt comfortable surrounded by women, most of whom weren’t the race-every-weekend types seen at many running events. “I just loved it,” Hough recalled as she trained for her second run at the Heart & Sole, which is May 16 in Columbia. “It’s such an easy entre for an older woman. It felt nonthreatening to be my first race. I walked a little, but I ran most of the way.”
Like everyone who finishes the race, she got a red rose. Many of the women stick around for the awards ceremony and a health expo. The stated goal of the race is to raise awareness about heart health for women. The outcome often is that women fall in love with walking or running among a group of like-minded people.