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Distance running is here for us whether there are races or not!
This sport has meant a lot of different things to me over the years. When I first started running, my goals were as simple as wanting to push my body to new heights and to be a part of something bigger than myself. Throughout this pandemic, we have all been forced to learn a lot about ourselves and why we run. What I am realizing now is that somewhere along the line, I lost sight in what my true love for running was. Last winter I was forced to readjust my running goals well before our shut down in March. I went through a hardship in my life that forced me to think of running as an outlet instead of as a competitive tool that I have grown to be so accustomed to over the years. My coach Jason Holroyd did an amazing job keeping my training easy and really helping me focus on the present moment. Just when I found positive momentum in my personal life, we went through a nationwide shutdown. You guys know the rest of this story. Races disappeared and the sport drastically changed. We were forced to readjust. For so many years, by fault I focused too much on my performance in competition and bettering my times. When in reality, I am not a professional runner and this is supposed to be for fun! When Jason gave me the keys to deal with my life while using running as a positive outlet, I rediscovered that love for running again. Instead of training for races, I trained for life with my incredible bubble training partner, Molly Culver. As she geared up to run her fastest marathon to date (2:33) I had the pleasure of pacing her in workouts and training runs. What I learned from that experience was putting my focus into helping her while loving the feeling of simply running, helped me regain that appreciation I had 15 years ago. I am no stranger to comebacks in running or life. I have had several injuries and times in my career where I have had to rebuild. However, this past year was unique. This past year taught me that I can love running whether I can race or not. Most of us were faced with that same exact question last spring when there was so much uncertainty in life and the sport. For me that answer was a no brainer. I really believe I will always find creative ways to motivate myself while scratching that competitive itch. As we move forward into 2021, it’s my hope that I can continue to lean into all the amazing things that make this sport so great. That starts with grinning from ear to ear when your feet hit the pavement and enjoying the battle of the alarm clock in the mornings which leads us to an endorphin rush that only endurance athletes can understand. Because that my friends is why we run. See you on the roads!