Rebecca Nisetich is a graduate student, a William Faulkner fan, and a preparer of tasty and creative vegetarian meals.  She is also an impressive distance runner.  She was the fifth woman to place in this year's Stone Cat 50 Mile Ultra-Marathon, on a hilly, rocky, outdoor trail in Ipswich.  This accomplishment is even more impressive when you speak to Rebecca and discover Stone Cat was only the third ultramarathon she had ever run. 

"I played a few sports in high school, but I was never really what you'd consider athletic," she tells me over tea in Central Square's 1369 Coffee House.  "I really only started running in college.  When I first started at Colby College, I was honestly too shy to go work out at the gym.  I was an only child for a long time, and even though I liked the social aspects of dorm life, I found that I really needed a good chunk of alone time during the day were I could just sort of exist with my thoughts.  Running wound up being a way to solve both of these problems.  It gave me the physical activity my body needed and the daily period of solitude my mind craved. 

"My Junior year when I was in Cape Town studying anthropology, I took my running to the next level.  In South Africa, distance running is like a national pass time. Everyone does it, and the marathons they have there are a big deal, almost like the World Series is here.  I ran my first ultramarathon (a marathon longer than 26.2 miles) there.  When I heard about the ultramarathon, I was excited to give it a try.  After I finished, I knew I was hooked."

When Rebecca heard about the Stone Cat Ultramarathon, she started training for it immediately.  "I knew I wanted to do it.  It would be the longest marathon I'd ever run, and it would give me a great long-term goal to work toward."

After a few weeks of training, however, she noticed severe pain in her left hip.  "Runners are obsessed with their bodies, almost to the point of being paranoid.  I went to the doctor right away.  Even though all the x-rays came back normal, he decided it was probably a stress fracture.  Something didn't add up.  I think he probably had some preconceived notions about me because I'm a female and a vegetarian.  It is true that women who run are prone to stress fractures, and especially prone when they don't eat enough.  However, I'm a very healthy vegetarian.  I love to eat, and I'm very careful with my body.  But a doctor's a doctor, so I trusted him.

"He advised me to take eight weeks off, and I did.  When I started running again, though, the pain came back, only less severe this time.  I tried to run through it for a while.  I mean, the doctor said it should be better, right?   But eventually I couldn't ignore it any longer.  I went back to the doctor and they continued to say that it was a bone issue.  They kept saying I wasn't eating enough.  I felt almost judged.  It was like they were accusing me of being anorexic.  I told them I ate a lot, but they didn't seem to believe me. 

"They also had this attitude of 'Silly girl, you're pushing your body too hard!'  They told me I was basically doing it to myself by running.  One doctor even suggested I 'just use the elliptical.'  Compared to most marathon runners I know, I don't even run that much!  It really annoyed me.  I mean, I doubt they're telling all the male athletes they see that their bodies can't handle their sport. 

"I didn't know what to do.  I was worried I wouldn't be able to run the marathon.  Then my friend Meredith from the Cambridge Running Club told me about massage therapy.  She had had great success at Massage Therapy Works with Richard Green.  I was desperate and willing to try anything, and Meredith was confident that Richard could help me, so I made an appointment.

"When I came in for my first appointment and told him my symptoms, he was practically completing my sentences for me.  'So you have pain in the hipbone and they probably told you it was a stress fracture from pushing yourself too hard, right?'  I was shocked.  Richard explained that what was actually going on was my left hamstrings were so tight that the tendons were actually pulling the covering from the bone.  It's the same thing that happens with shin splints, only it was happening with my hip.  I was so relieved to finally hear some answers that made sense.

"He said he was confident he could resolve the issue with Sports Massage.  We did two preliminary sessions to correct the problem.  These were rough, but I made it through.  I didn't even realize how tight those muscles were, but when he was working in there, let me tell you, I felt it.  Sometimes when he was working on an area that was especially painful he'd tell jokes to keep me occupied until it was over.  But after only two sessions the pain in my hip was completely gone.

"I continued to come back for maintenance massages throughout my training, and when the big day arrived, I'd never felt better.  My hip was pain-free, and I noticed the rest of my muscles had newfound flexibility which helped a lot on the hilly terrain.

"I'd been by to check out the trail before.  A lot of runners are afraid to run on a natural, wooded trail because its so uneven, and most runners are terrified of falling.  I actually learned to run on trails like this in Maine, so I wasn't very worried about it.  The only tough thing was the race took place in the autumn, and the fallen leaves on the trail could get pretty slippery.  Fortunately after a few laps, all of our sneakers had beaten the trail down and smoothed things out a little, so it got easier."

In the end, Rebecca finished the fifty mile race in only eight hours and thirty-nine minutes, and was the fifth woman to place.

"I didn't know I'd be good at this when I started," she says.  "Being good wasn't even really a goal at first, ultramarathons were just something I decided to try out.  Now they've become a part of my life."

A very important part.  Rebecca is now getting her PhD in 20th Century American Literature from the University of Connecticut.  Before a long day of studying, she gets up early in the morning for a run.

"I love the feeling of knowing I'm doing something good for myself first thing.  It puts me a great mindset for the rest of my day.  Plus, it's nice to feel connected to my body.  When you spend twelve hours a day reading and writing papers, that connection can get lost.  Being reminded of my own physicality helps keep things in perspective."

Watch a video about Rebecca running the Stone Cat 50.