The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Torrington teacher to be honored in marathon
Samantha Verbickas, an English teacher at Torrington Middle School and Thomaston native, has made a habit of overcoming challenges.
She was born with epilepsy, lung disorders, and an inoperable blockage in her heart, which leads to regular arrhythmia. In college, she was told that she would be unable to have children due to a medical event that would make it nearly impossible for a baby to be carried to term.
And when she began running, she set out in the wrong clothes and the wrong sneakers, making it about an eighth of a mile before having to come home.
All of that is no longer the story, really.
Today, Verbickas is an avid runner with a number of races under her belt. Her medical issues no longer force her to seek regular care, and running addresses blood clots she developed in her legs. She has two sons, Iain and Miles, who serve as inspiration and companions as she trains.
Verbickas is to be honored during the Eversource Hartford Marathon and Half Marathon in October as part of the 2017 Aiello Inspiration Team.
She began to run in June 2011, enticed by the Sue Grossman Greenway trail in Torrington, with thoughts of her new child present in her mind.
“The whole time we were carrying Iain, I thought for sure I was going to lose this baby — and he’ll be seven in November,” said Verbickas. “I got to thinking, if that was something that was impossible, then this would be equally impossible, so it’s not impossible anymore.”
As a young person, she had not really participated in athletics out of concern for her heart condition, so the idea was new to her. But it became a central facet of her life — a chance to step beyond her responsibilities as a teacher and mother and simply be.
“I am busy 60-to-70 hours a week. I am the track coach at the high school. I’m the only girl they’ve got, and I work here, which is not a 9-to-5 job — no matter how you do it, you do it at home. I have two babies and my husband works second shift. It’s go, go, go from start to finish,” said Verbickas. “(Running is) the only time I feel like I have to myself, where I’m not teacher, I’m not Momma, I’m not worrying about deadlines and grades and anything else — cleaning the refrigerator, whatever it is — that’s the only time that belongs to me. And you get greedy for it.”
In addition to addressing her medical issues — running “literally keeps me alive,” she said - Verbickas is proud of coming this far, of testing and pushing limits that have been imposed on her life. It is a pleasure, despite the pain and stress of the endeavor.
“I couldn’t live without it,” said Verbickas.
Running has also become a part of her professional life— as track coach at Torrington High School.
She has taught in the district since 2006, first at Torrington High School, then at Torrington Middle School, staying through the trials and travails of life in the city schools due to the bonds of support and affection shared with colleagues.
“It’s the people I work with. They’re like family to me. These are people that I can call at two, three in the morning because I’m working on something and I’m stuck and they’re awake and they’ll help me,” said Verbickas. “I love them.”
She said she did not initially intend to become a track coach. A woman was needed to oversee the female students, and she enjoyed running, so she volunteered. It turned out to be a pleasure to watch over the young people on the team and see them grow as people during their adolescent years, as they move from middle school to high school.
“I love it, because it combines two things that mean so much to me. I get to run with the kids, and I get to be with the kids that I leave,” said Verbickas. “It’s so cool when you get there, and you’re going over your roster, and you see the people they’ve become — these grown-ups. It’s great to work with them. It’s like a whole separate family to me. I don’t think I could give that up either.”
Running has also created new bonds in her household, she said. Her husband, Jeff, and Iain also run, following in her footsteps.
“It’s family to us; it’s health. It’s everything,” said Verbickas. “It took me 31 years to figure out who I was, and this is what helped me to figure that out. I can’t part with it. I can part with so many things, but not that. It’s the one thing I know I genuinely need.”
Verbickas is not sure whether she will be able to run in the marathon. She recently fell at work, and was walking with a limp Tuesday afternoon. There may be ligament damage, she said.
But she said she will be out there Oct. 14 in Hartford in one capacity or another.
She said she would like to meet and honor the other nine individuals being recognized as part of the Inspiration team, all kinds of people, from her family to her track team are supporting her. She will run if she is able, and if she is not, she will be there to support the other people being celebrated.
“I will tape myself together to do that run, it means so much to me,” said Verbickas. “To be a part of it is humbling. I can’t believe they picked me.”