Rural Rants

By Mike Donahue

Sally Labhart is an amazing woman.

A Moapa Valley resident since 1992, she is the personification of the pioneering spirit and true grit that women of the 19th Century must surely have needed and possessed to walk across the nation and settle the west, including our fair state and rural valley.

And if the truth be told, in the last 2 ½ years Sally has probably walked farther – a lot farther — than most of the women who crossed the continent on their way west.

Daily, regardless of the weather, rain, shine, calm or windy, Sally laces up her walking shoes and sets out on a daily jaunt that, before the sun sets, will total 20 miles. That’s almost a marathon a day, the majority of which she does before breakfast.

If you’re awake, aware and have been anywhere around Moapa Valley High School in the early morning you’ve seen Sally. She’s the attractive, diminutive walker (she’s 5 foot three) who zips laps around the school at 4 miles an hour – one after another after another after another. That’s one mile, one lap, around the school grounds every 15 minutes.

In terms of distance, since she started walking Sally has probably criss-crossed the nation at least once, an amazing feat for anyone, let alone someone who’s 63 years old.

Her infatuation with walking started after she turned 60.

After watching her mother die of Alzheimer’s, an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and eventually even the ability to carry out the simplest tasks, Sally wanted to do everything she could to fight the possibility that she might be carrying an Alzheimer’s gene; that Alzheimer’s might be in her future.

The National Institute on Aging says scientists don’t fully understand what causes the horrific disease, but it is clear it develops because of a complex series of events that take place in the brain over a long period of time. Its likely causes include genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors.

Alzheimer’s symptoms most often appear after 60, but a nutritious diet, physical activity, social engagement and mentally stimulating pursuits can all help people stay healthy.

Sally takes that message to heart. She eats a lot of fruits, vegetables, chicken and fish, rarely red meat, and began to walk and walk and walk and walk.

She first started with two-mile strolls as part of a regimen with Curves, a local women’s exercise business that has since closed.
It felt so good she bumped it up to eight miles. In no time she felt fantastic and was soon walking 12 miles a day, that’s 12 laps around the high school.

She picked the school so she could keep track of the distance – one lap, one mile.
She did 12 miles a day “for the longest time,” and then thought, “Hey, hey, let’s give it a boost.”

Soon she was walking 17 miles a day. To make up the slack in exercise when Curves closed its doors she now walks 20 miles each and every day. She says she’s addicted to her body’s endorphins, the natural feel-good chemicals released during exercise.

Shoes, naturally, are the most important equipment. Sally went through five companies before she found a pair of shoes that are just right, which she replaces every four months.

Her daughter gave her an iPod that a granddaughter loaded with tunes and she was off and running – er, make that off and walking.

Although the music she listens to helps prevent boredom, to keep busy while she does laps, Sally picks up litter that often accumulates around the school. To say thanks, the high school recognized her with a letter of appreciation and presented her with a delicate bracelet.

To beat the summer heat, Sally does the first 15 miles of the day before 7 a.m. Then, after a break for breakfast and the daily newspaper, she returns for four more miles. Later in the day she does a lap to stay alert. She also drinks a bottle of water every four miles to stay hydrated.

Sally has dropped an astounding 153 pounds, not a bad side effect for doing something you love.
“One of the best things about all this,” Sally said of her walking, “is that you’re not only lighter in weight, you’re lighter in spirit as well.”

“Rural Rants” is a column about rural living and the people who live here. It appears the first and third Wednesday of the month. Your comments and input are important and will be appreciated. Contact me via email at mouse@mvdsl.com