Page 8 - HCPVitalityChronicles

Registered Dietitian Penny Fevergeon Has Completed 11 Marathons, and Counting

Penny Fevergeon’s love of physical activity can safely be traced back to her junior high
school days, when she tried out to be a song girl. “I saw how my workouts kept my body
in shape and how good I felt after exercising, so I never turned back,” said Fevergeon,
a registered dietitian in HCP’s Health Enhancement/Education Department.

Not turning back is an understatement. Before turning 50, Fevergeon set a personal goal
to complete a marathon. Today, 11 years later, she and her good friend and workout
buddy have completed 11 marathons, one per year. And she plans to continue on this
path of dedicated inspiration.

That first marathon, the Los Angeles Marathon, set the tone for years to come. “My
good friend Patty Ochi and I had so much fun that we have motivated each other to
complete 11 years of marathons,” Fevergeon said. “We enjoy them because of the
excitement in the air during the marathon and also for what it does to support causes.
The San Francisco Women’s Nike Marathon supports lymphoma cancer, and they raise
a lot of money.”

Since beginning her decade-plus participation in marathons, she has twice completed
the three-day breast cancer walk from Santa Barbara to Santa Monica. Marathoners
travel 20 miles per day for three days, camping along the way. Fevergeon’s mother
passed away from breast cancer, so doing something active for a cause directly related
to the disease has given her a sense of peace.

She and her friend Patty prepare for their marathons starting eight weeks prior to the
event. “We both feel the preparation is as much fun as the marathon,” Fevergeon said.
They start at eight miles, and each week, once per week, they add two more miles until
they reach 20 miles. “Then we go back to 12 miles, then the marathon,” she explained.
During the week she does her normal physical activity, which is about four miles per day.
She walks with her friends and two daughters, and goes bike riding with her husband.
Her firm belief in the power of physical activity is evident: “Our bodies need daily exercise
from the top of our heads to the bottom of our toes,” Fevergeon said.

All of this said, Fevergeon knows life can sometimes get in the way of physical activity.
“People get busy, and it can be hard to make sure you get that activity in your day,”
she said, adding that parking the car further from the entrance and taking the stairs to an
upper level restroom are little ways to increase your steps in a day. A platinum member in
Vitality each year since joining the program, Fevergeon said the FitBug definitely keeps her
on track and motivated. “I know I have to get my 10,000 steps in each day,” she said.