When The New York Times called for an interview on Wednesday morning, she was taking a break from running to spend the day at a botanical garden. (Flowers are another passion of hers.) We caught up with her afterward, before a celebration with fellow senior athletes and before she got ready to fly home to Louisiana on Thursday.

Our conversation has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Q: If you don’t mind my asking, when is your birthday?

A: February the 10th, 1916 .

I understand you didn’t get into running until you were quite older.

100. But I always did Senior Olympics in biking. Then when I got too old to bike up hills and use gears and things, I went to running at 100. The first time I went to look at it and try, it was the 50-yard dash. It was fun and I fell in love with running.

Can you tell me a little bit about your training regimen?

I run on the street by my house, occasionally, not often. As I get older, I feel like I only have so many 100-yard dashes left, and I don’t want to waste them in practice. Can you imagine that? I have markers on the street to show me where 50 yards is, and where 100 is, and I go by that. But I don’t practice much. I’m just pretty good at moving around and I do it when I have to, whatever I have to do.

How did you get your nickname, “Hurricane?”

Well, somebody thought it up. We talk a lot about hurricanes in Louisiana and the fact that they do a lot of harm makes me not like that so much, but it is part of our home life and I guess if they think that’s cute, it’s all right with me. But I’m a big flower person and I usually wear a flower in my hair, even when I’m running. I would rather be the “Flower Lady” than the “Hurricane Lady.”