Running for Her Family
When Gina Adrover crosses the Anthem Richmond Marathon finish line, she'll have two special people waiting: her husband Rick, just back from an extended deployment with the U.S. Navy, and their five-year-old son Seth.
By: Nan Turner
Gina Adrover is running her second marathon – the Anthem Richmond Marathon on November 10. She’d like to finish in less than five hours but she doesn’t want to focus on time; she wants to focus on enjoying herself. This time Gina has extra motivation to get across the finish line.
Waiting for her at the end of the course will be her husband, Rick, back from an eight-month deployment with the Navy, and their five-year-old son, Seth.
“My husband was deployed last year,” Adrover said. “When he comes back I want to be skinny, awesome and strong. That’s the way I felt after I did my first marathon; I felt good about myself. So I thought I’d do my second one.”
Adrover has been running since 2007. She ran her first 5k two months after the birth of her son. In December 2009 she conquered her first marathon in Honolulu, Hawaii.
This is not the first deployment for the couple who have been married for seven years. Rick, who works on the U.S.S. Enterprise, was overseas last year as well for six months. This time he was supposed to be home earlier, but his stay was extended. He will now be home only a few days before the race.
Gina and Rick
Gina’s passion for exercise has extended to her son who just completed his first one-mile race organized by their neighborhood in Norfolk, Va. When it comes to keeping in touch with Dad, Adrover constantly looks for creative ways to make sure Rick is involved in their son’s life.
Seth has a candy jar filled with the exact number of pieces until Dad returns home; every day he gets to eat one piece. Adrover sends pictures, drawings and schoolwork Seth has done. Rick has recorded himself reading Seth’s favorite books on tape so that he can be involved in the bedtime routine.
As a couple the two email every day and talk on the phone once a week. Since Rick is on a boat they don’t have the luxury of Skype. In addition to discussing daily life they talk about Adrover’s training and how her weekly running is going.
Gina, Rick and Seth
“I love running,” Adrover said. “I love the solidarity. I can just listen to NPR and podcasts and enjoy the weather. I like running through our town and enjoying the traffic. I like getting out there and proving to myself that I can run 20 miles.”
When Adrover did the Honolulu Marathon she focused mainly on her time. Eager to run the race in less than four hours, something she had accomplished during training, she was disappointed when due to the heat she finished at 4:29:00. Although she’d like to finish the Richmond race in less than five hours, time is not her biggest concern.
“This time I just want to enjoy it,” Adrover said. “If I want to walk, I’ll walk. I want to talk to people and just enjoy the race atmosphere. I want to enjoy myself and not stress about time.”
Although she knows finishing a marathon is an accomplishment, Adrover stresses that by no means is it unattainable for anyone.
“Lots of my friends say, ‘I could never do that,’” Adrover said. “Pretty much anybody could do a marathon. It’s doable and it’s a great achievement. If you’re considering it, just try it and just enjoy it. Don’t stress about it and have fun.”
While being away from her husband has been difficult for both her and her son, Adrover knows that it will all be worth it when she crosses that finish line, and more importantly it’s reaffirmed that she can do anything she sets her mind to.
“[With deployment] you go through phases. You have a hard time adjusting and your kids have a hard time adjusting,” Adrover said. “A lot of things have happened since he’s been gone and all these things happen, and you have to figure out how to do it yourself. It can make you feel empowered, independent and strong. You think, I can do life, I can do the crap that happens, I can run a marathon and I feel really strong.”