Tag: Inspiration

The Runner Diaries — Elizabeth Carey

On By idratherbestrongthanskinnyIn Inspiration, race recap, running, The Runner Diaries, travel2 Comments

Welcome to The Runner Diaries, where we’re sharing a behind-the-scenes look into a week of training with runners of varying ages, paces and GPS coordinates. Get The Runner Diaries delivered to your inbox, here.

This week, we have 33-year-old Elizabeth Carey, a public relations guru and runner who just recently relocated to Seattle, Washington. The former Division I athlete and post-collegiate sub-elite is currently figuring out the best way to juggle her full-time job (and side gigs) with her new status as an age grouper and recreational runner, all while training for ultra marathons in the process.

THE RUNDOWN
Name: Elizabeth Carey
Location: Seattle, Washington
Age: 33
Training for: Trail and ultra races—including Backcountry Rise
Training plan: About eight months ago, I hired coach David Roche, whose, “Some Work All Play” philosophy and Trail Runner columns about training appealed to me. Although I have been a professional coach and worked with a range of athletes, I cannot coach myself.
Part of any running communities, clubs or training programs? Oiselle Volée, SWAP Team
How long you’ve been a “runner:” Since joining the high school track team in the spring 1999.
Weekly mileage: 35-55 (ish)

RUNNER’S STATEMENT

Running is my lifeblood. It’s a constant, evolving presence in my life—one that introduced me to  confidence, health, my best friends, a career, heartbreak, and hope. It’s become more ritual than routine—a daily spiritual practice, an exercise in self awareness, a river I revisit.

As a former Division I athlete and post-collegiate sub-elite, I’ve struggled with my identity as a current age-grouper and recreational yogger. This is a privileged, superfluous perspective. I cannot forget that running and racing is a gift. So I continue to chase both fitness and the confidence to compete wire-to-wire. With a focus on feel and flow, I’m exploring new trails and distances, ignoring splits.

Sunday | Day One

9:30 a.m. — Wake up to the sound of laughter and kids running down a hall. My husband and I stayed with friends after going to a season opener football game at the University of Oregon. The kids aren’t ours, but they are cute. We get up and hang with the family.

10 a.m. — Smoke from nearby wildfires is so dense I wonder if I should run the 8 miles that’s slated. I’ve run through this summer’s unprecedented smoke all over the Pacific Northwest, but this is the worst I’ve seen, and I can feel a burning taste at the back of my throat even as we just sit around. I’ve got a headache (half hangover, half need-a-coffee) anyway, so email my coach to see if I can swap today’s run for tomorrow’s rest day. Continue reading “The Runner Diaries — Elizabeth Carey” →

This Woman Will Run 240 Miles To The Women’s March On Washington In Support Of Planned Parenthood

On By idratherbestrongthanskinnyIn headlines, Inspiration, runningLeave a comment

On Jan. 16, 2017 (which also happens to be Martin Luther King Jr. Day), Alison Marie Désir and a small team of women will begin a 240-mile run from Harlem to Washington D.C. in an effort to raise money and awareness for Planned Parenthood, and to showcase the awesome power of women.

The initiative, called “Four Women Run for ALL Women,” will require Désir and her comrades to run roughly two New York City Marathon distances for five days in a row (a marathon is 26.2 miles, meaning the women will be running an ultra marathon each day).

I wrote about Désir’s trek in an article on Bustle, which you can read in it’s entirety here. Join the cause and either run yourself, or donate to the GoFundMe page!