Community FRIDAYS
Before I dive head first into a much needed, unplugged weekend, I want to share my quickly becoming favorite post of the week with you all. COMMUNITY FRIDAYS! What is Community Fridays?
Basically, community Fridays is a day that I am dedicating to the running community. There is something special about cheering others on and sharing good news with other people. Whether that’s an inspiring runner, a good sale on running clothes (who doesn’t love that?!) or an encouraging story, I want to have Fridays be a day of celebration – celebrating real runner’s, real stories, and encouraging others in their own running journey! Basically, Fridays are going to be my new, favorite, on the blog, day of the week! SO, if you know of an inspiring runner or an encouraging running related story, or you want to share YOUR running story (and want to be featured!) make sure to email me at coachbethanythompson@gmail.com. I would LOVE to feature YOU!
Allie Keiffer
Okay, I think that Allie Keiffer (and this woman below) truly encompass the word, ‘inspiring.’ Something that I love about Allie (and Sarah, below) is that both are very, ‘real,’ runners. Allie Keiffer ran through college, but didn’t go on to run professionally. She took some time off and fast forward a couple years, ran and placed 5th in the NYC marathon (second American to winner, Shalane Flannagan.) I know that is a super brief bio (if you want more on her, you can find her here,) but what I wanted to truly spotlight about Allie is her 1. Bold stance on body image/true health and 2. Authenticity. Ever since I’ve followed Allie, I’ve seen her take such a bold, courageous stance for strength. Unfortunately, Allie has been called ‘too big,’ to be a runner and many other thoughtless comments like these, since finishing 5th at the NYC marathon. Her take? “I’ve been at races where, on the starting line, competitors are sizing each other up. Literally- they’re assessing the field based on how big or small others appear. And I’ve always gotten a lot of satisfaction by being ‘the big girl’ they thought they were going to beat👊🏼Strong is fast. Healthy is fast. Fueled is fast. Hard work is fast. You can be fast 💨 .” < THIS THIS AND THIS. As someone who has struggled with body image before I couldn’t give enough praise hands to these thoughts right there. And I am so thankful for her voice in the running community. She is strong and fast and I cannot wait to see her come back to NYC this year and crush it. Also, I love her authenticity – she is always responding back to people’s comments or DM’s. I’ve gotten a like or two here and there on my photos and I am pretty much convinced we are now BFFS 😉 So thankful for this strong voice in the running community and the chance to prove people wrong, who think ‘skinny = fast and healthy.’
Sarah Sellers
If you watched Boston, you probably know who Sarah Sellars is. But, if you didn’t – let me fill you in. Sara Sellars finished SECOND in Boston (crossing the finish line before other elites like Shalane Flannagan and Molly Huddle) and no one knew who she was. After a little digging, the running community got to know Sara – a full-time nurse working in anesthesiology, who took some time off running post-college and ran her 2nd marathon, in Boston, taking 2nd place with a time of 2:44:04. She really shocked the running community when she took second place, as a non-sponsored athlete. I’ve listened to quite a few podcast episodes featuring Sarah Sellers and what I love about her is how down to earth she is. She is a real runner with a real life and a real job and through her crazy work schedules, she takes time to train – enough to take second at Boston. What I find so inspiring from both Allie and Sarah is that not everyone has to have the typical professional runner professional path to become an elite runner. Seeing Allie (nanny turned pro runner) and Sarah (nurse turned elite runner – she’s still working as a nurse, too!) is amazing. Inspiring. And encouraging. What I’ve learned from these two women is that we don’t have to be afraid to just go for it and it isn’t too late.
Gear/Fuel Finds
Garmin Connect App – This is so embarrassing, because I am sure that I am the LAST person on earth to discover this app! Please tell me you’ve just learned about it, too. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Garmin watch and use it for almost every run. It is waterproof, tracks almost anywhere, anytime and I use it to track my progress. The one thing I didn’t know was that Garmin has an APP, where you can see all your running data, splits, paces, etc. It feels similar to a Strava app, but doesn’t record your running (your watch does that.) I spent hours on the app, Saturday evening, getting all my runs uploaded and geeking out over all of the cool features. If you, like me, have been living under a rock, and haven’t heard of the app, please check this out!
Race Stories/ Exciting News
JANAE aka @hungryrunnergirl
I’ve been following Janae’s blog for the past, oh goodness, four years (at least) and seriously love her. I so love her authenticity, her genuine zeal for life, and her family is adorable! Anyways, this past Saturday, Janae ran a SUB 3 hour marathon at the St. George Marathon! The awesome thing about this (aside from the fact that a sub 3 marathon is CRAZY fast!) is that she has been working on this goal for the past 8 years. I so admire and look up to her persistence, her courage, and determination to chase after something, even if it takes years to achieve! Excited for you, Janae! And so encouraged by you!
Garmin Ambassadorship
Speaking of Garmin, I am SO SO excited to announce that I am an official member of the Garmin crew for 2018-2019. I have loved working with Garmin, am crazy in love with their products, and can’t wait to share more details on what this means FOR YOU in the near future! Can’t wait to continue impacting the running community and helping you all get your hands on the latest, newest Garmin gear! Get ready!!
And that’s a wrap! Awesome runners, awesome events! I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! I’ll see you black here, Monday morning!
- What are YOU loving this Friday?