Name: Angelique Consalazio
Age: 48
Marriage Status: Divorced (recently engaged!)
Kids: John-Marc, 24 (DIL: Shannon, grandson: Jackson), & Julianna, 19
Occupation: Bilingual Elementary Teacher
Hobbies: Running, Knitting, Reading, and Traveling
Hometown: Lake Ronkonkoma, NY
Current Town: Northport, NY
Thanks for the honor of being Warrior of the Week!!
Growing up, I was never very athletic, graceful or coordinated. I know this because, besides being the cliched “last kid who was picked in gym”, I tried soccer, dance, cheerleading, and jiujitsu and just knew I was not very good at any of it! The only running I did was with my siblings, friends, or cousins. That was when kids used to play outside until it was dark and until, as my mom would say, we “stunk like the great outdoors”.
One memory I have of running was doing “the mile” for that fitness test in high school. I thought I’d run as fast as I could and get it over with. When I very quickly and breathlessly realized that that wasn’t going to work, I just ended up walking with the “cool” girls who smoked (I didn’t!) and brought it in just under 15 minutes.
After having gained some weight in college, I tried to get healthier by going to the gym to ride the stationary bike and eating salads. I stuck with the gym on and (mostly) off after college.
My mother began running in her early fifties when she started dating my (now) stepfather. He was a big runner with Bohemia Track Club and did a lot of races. They talked me into running (somewhat reluctantly) around the block a few times a week. Then they talked me into doing some races. While I can’t remember my first race, I remember having great experiences at the races and thinking that I was part of a very cool and exclusive community because let’s face it, you were a bit of a weirdo if you ran around the street for fun.
So, I would run a handful of races each year with my mom, stepdad and sometimes one of my kids. I still wasn’t coordinated but I really didn’t need to be, I just had to stay upright and moving forward. I knew nothing about training and fueling and struggled through the 5Ks and odd 10Ks with too much water and a couple of GUs (yes, probably 2 GUs, because how else would you get up that giant hill on James Street?).
So, over the next 20 years, I would start running in March, about once a week for 2 or 3 miles, and stop in November when it got cold. Some years I didn’t even start.
In 2013, I started dating my fiancé who lives in Northport. I had been weight training pretty regularly and running my usual couple of miles per week (2, even 3(!!) loops) around the Ecology Center and occasionally around Northport. I ran Cow Harbor that year over a minute faster than I had 10 years earlier.
After that, I began running more regularly, ran a few more races, and in 2016, I joined the Northport Running Club. Since then, I have made many new and amazing friends (love you all!!!), tried (and been talked into) many different distances, and continue to PR. These days, I run more than once a week. I have become a running nerd, reading running articles, listening to running podcasts, and checking out gear (that I don’t really need) online. I race almost every weekend of the year, often polling my running friends on what races they will be doing. I finally caught the bug after 20+ years and I’m so grateful because running has given me so much!
Just last week I had my one-year Hillaversary. Unfortunately, it’s a little tougher to get out there regularly from Northport (I moved from Ronkonkoma in June) but I do love the course and everyone is always friendly and welcoming. So, thanks for reading everyone. I didn’t think I’d have this much to say! Hope to see you out there soon!!