Stay ConnectedListen as Dana Giordano, a professional middle-distance runner, sits down and talks with some of the most inspirational and insightful women in running. Whether they’re doing amazing things on the track or working tirelessly to promote the sport as industry leaders and entrepreneurs, hear how they’ve found success.
Follow Dana on Instagram: https://instagram.com/dana_gio
Follow the show on Instagram: https://instagram.com/morethanrunningpod
Copyright: © CITIUS MAG
"For as much as our pandemic has been focused on inaction and staying at home, I think with the changes that we're trying to make, we're actually trying to do things about them now that we're back out in the community and going."
This week's guest is Amy Horst. Amy is the head men’s and women’s cross country coach at Loyola and the head women’s track coach. We speak about Amy’s previous career as an engineer working on CT machines and what made her decide to switch to coaching. The real reason Amy and I connected originally was regarding her work as a member of the NCAA sport committee for track and cross country. Amy and her committee are the behind-the-scenes energy that makes NCAA championships work.
Amy also has been working to grow female announcing voices at the NCAA level. I loved this episode since there as great takeaways about following your passion, acknowledging your work even when it feels like nothing has been accomplished (hello pandemic!) and how to keep pushing for equality in the spaces you work in.
▶ Follow Amy: Twitter
"Having those people around that I can talk to in different phases of my emotions has helped balance keeping me inspired and excited about progression."
Raevyn Rogers put together one of the best seasons, which was capped by a 1:56.81 personal best that put her at No. 4 on the U.S. all-time list and earned her a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Dana Giordano had the chance to catch up with Raevyn in Chicago on what life has been like since etching her name in the history books. Raevyn discusses what it was like making a coaching change heading into 2020, how she’s refined her speed over the years and the importance of surrounding yourself with greatness and those who want it for you.
SPONSOR: The new season is powered by Nike. Finding the motivation to run during the pandemic has been challenging. Keep going with Nike Run Club App and check out the guided runs and training plans to find that motivation and ways to keep yourself accountable. For more info visit https://www.nike.com/running/run-fearless.
▶ Follow Raevyn: Twitter | Instagram
"People who are winning medals are motivated by the people who are making the final. The people who are making the final are motivated by people who are making a threat to make the team. And if you can just continue to provide deeper resources, you're going to elevate the performance of everybody. So in my head, it makes so much sense. The wider spectrum of people that you're able to help in terms of delivering sport psychology services, You reduce stigma, you kind of help mental health. It just has this huge trickle-down effect."
This week’s guest is Lennie Waite. After competing at Rice University, Lennie had a successful professional track career for Great Britain and competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2017 world championships. Now Lennie’s second career is as a Ph.D. certified mental performance consultant working with the world’s top performers to “train your mind to get the most out of your body.” In our conversation, we discuss mental strategies for athletes who are struggling with a mental barrier, Lennie’s journey from athlete to Sports Psychologist, and her passion for the sport.
SPONSOR: The new season is powered by Nike. Finding the motivation to run during the pandemic has been challenging. Keep going with Nike Run Club App and check out the guided runs and training plans to find that motivation and ways to keep yourself accountable. For more info visit https://www.nike.com/running/run-fearless.
▶ Follow Lennie: Twitter | Instagram
"Taking it back to 2017, that's when the trials and tribulations started. I found out about some blood clots in my lungs in Jan. 2017 and it seemed like ever since then it was one thing after another. That same year, I found out I came back from those blood clots way too quickly and my body just shut down. In the summer of 2017, I had mono. 2017 was when I fractured my metatarsal for the first time. 2018 was when I fractured it again and ended up getting surgery. 2019 was just me just trying to come back from the foot surgery and that's when I made the decision to join OTC and really get some help with that foot injury. When COVID hit, I was like, 'Oh my gosh! I'm finally healthy!' and then in Nov. 2020 when I fractured it for the third time that's when I was like, 'I don't know if I can do this again.' Having a dream of being in that Olympic Trials final and giving myself a shot at making the team was what kept me going."
We catch up with Oregon Track Club's Chanelle Price on her season that included being injured in February to placing fifth in the women's 800 meter final at the U.S. Olympic Trials + what comes next for her. Loved this interview because it was reflective of the true journey Chanelle has been on as an athlete and person since she first qualified for the Olympic Trials as a high schooler to today. Hope you enjoy and learn something from her about the power of perseverance and grit it takes to go through the ups and downs of a professional career.
SPONSOR: The new season is powered by Nike. Finding the motivation to run during the pandemic has been challenging. Keep going with Nike Run Club App and check out the guided runs and training plans to find that motivation and ways to keep yourself accountable. Watch how Ayanna Wilks of The Brownies has used the app to get into running and found ways to keep moving. For more info visit https://www.nike.com/running/run-fearless.
▶ Follow Chanelle: Twitter | Instagram
"Time moves forward. There is the next step and there is an action to be taken...It's no fun to have a disappointment but you fully control what happens next. Your decisions and actions can make whatever happens next...so why not make something good of it or at least try?"
We kick off the new season of 'More Than Running' with Kate Grace, who is coming off one of the best seasons of any American middle distance runner. After finishing seventh in the women's 800 meter final at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June, she picked herself back up to run four sub-1:58 performances in the event including a personal best of 1:57.20 (which puts her at No. 8 on the U.S. all-time list). She also finished second in the Diamond League final in Zurich.
In her conversation with Dana, they discuss how she overcame the disappointment and her lessons on how she makes herself feel the most powerful and confident version of herself on the starting line.
SPONSOR: The new season is powered by Nike. Finding the motivation to run during the pandemic has been challenging. Keep going with Nike Run Club App and check out the guided runs and training plans to find that motivation and ways to keep yourself accountable. Watch how Mariah Dyson of GirlGangCrazy has used the app to find community around the world. For more info visit https://www.nike.com/running/run-fearless.
▶ Follow Kate: Twitter | Instagram
Grayson is a multi-talented athlete with success on the trails and track. She got started in soccer and currently does cross-country skiing on the side. After transitioning from being a collegiate soccer player at Santa Clara, she got more into running and found All-American success at Utah. The steeplechase was her event and she owns a 9:48.57 personal best in it. She signed a professional contract with NAZ Elite but then made a change and signed a contract with Saucony to explore the trail running scene. She lives and trains in Bozeman, Montana.
In this episode, we talk about how she manages her time while mostly training alone. She shares her interests outside of running and she sees those pairing with her running career in the future.
She just ran a 15:44.61 personal best for 5,000 meters at the Trials of Miles Texas Qualifier after not having access to a track in the brutal Montana winter.
SPONSOR: Do you want to run further and faster and recover quicker and easier? Do you want to feel healthier than you've ever felt before? You need to make a change and that's what InsideTracker is all about. Founded by leading scientists in aging, genetics and biometric data from MIT, Tufts and Harvard, InsideTracker is a personalized health and wellness platform like no other. They used a patented algorithm to analyze your body's data to paint a clear picture of what's going on inside you. They then give you a concrete, science-backed trackable action plan for reaching your performance goals and feeling your best.
For a limited time, InsideTracker is offering the ultimate prize package giveaway to a lucky listener of More Than Running. One lucky winner will get more than $1,500 in InsideTracker value. To enter go to http://insidetracker.com/dana
▶ Follow Grayson: @racin_grayson
Taylor Treacy is a former UNC volleyball athlete. After graduating, Taylor played volleyball professionally overseas where she developed several mental health struggles. Inspired by her own journey and wanting to help others she founded the Virago Project. "Virago" means female warrior and its mission is to provide empowerment tools for female athletes. I hope these resources are helpful to you or someone you love. I’ve been focusing on mental health this season of MTR because we all have unseen struggles.
SPONSOR: Do you want to run further and faster and recover quicker and easier? Do you want to feel healthier than you've ever felt before? You need to make a change and that's what InsideTracker is all about. Founded by leading scientists in aging, genetics and biometric data from MIT, Tufts and Harvard, InsideTracker is a personalized health and wellness platform like no other. They used a patented algorithm to analyze your body's data to paint a clear picture of what's going on inside you. They then give you a concrete, science-backed trackable action plan for reaching your performance goals and feeling your best.
For a limited time, InsideTracker is offering the ultimate prize package giveaway to a lucky listener of More Than Running. One lucky winner will get more than $1,500 in InsideTracker value. To enter go to http://insidetracker.com/dana
More resources:
Instagram: @theviragoproject
For more information visit: https://viragoproject.org/
▶ Follow Taylor: @TaylorATreacy
Emily Infeld is heading into her ninth year as a professional runner with the Bowerman Track Club. She's currently training with her team in Flagstaff, Arizona for an altitude camp. She recently ran her first outdoor track race since 2017 and will soon run her first outdoor 10,000m race since the 2017 world championships. In this episode, we discuss the highs and lows (including injuries) of her career, what she shares on social media, what her hopes are for the next phase of her professional career including the marathon. I respect Emily a lot for her honesty and candor in how she addresses mental health and how to keep yourself in the present moment while training, especially when you're on one of the best teams in the world and the urge to compare yourself to others can be high. It's always fun to interview women who I've looked up to from afar.
▶ Follow Emily: Twitter | Instagram
Nini Meyer is the founder and CEO of Positive Tracks an organization that engages youth socially and physically to “sweat for good."
I was connected with Positive Tracks while at Dartmouth during a summer internship back in 2014. Things have changed a lot since my time working with the organization but I'm proud to share how Nini and her powerful team have evolved to support the change-makers of the future. To date, they've helped 73,600 Positive Trackers turn 383,675 miles of athletic activity into advocacy, activism and $11.1 million for causes shaping our future.
The core of this podcast is running but it is essential to understand how running and movement can create so much good in our lives and the lives of others. Organizations like Positive Tracks almost seem too good to be true but are an available resource for anyone who wants to Sweat for Good.
Learn more about Positive Tracks. Visit positivetracks.org or checking out @postracks on Instagram
"I learned from this doctor that I was injured in my brain and I could get better. That was an epiphany for me and it made me feel much calmer. I was like, 'OK. I'm just injured.' As athletes, we totally understand. Before that, I felt like whatever I was going through was my own fault and it was a choice. I just didn't understand that comparison because I didn't have the vocabulary."
This week's guest embodies the spirit of being more than running. Alexi Pappas is a fellow Dartmouth alumnus. In addition to her success as a distance runner at Dartmouth and Oregon, she went on to compete at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and she's a talented writer, poet, filmmaker, Instagram celeb and actor. Alexi's first book of essays "BRAVEY" was just released. In the book, she shares her journey as a runner, her mental health struggles and much more. Alexi recently opened up about depression and her mother's suicide in a video op-doc with The New York Times. The strength and grace with which Alexi speaks to the issues are incredible. I hope you enjoy this episode between two friends.
Pick up a copy of BRAVEY here: https://amzn.to/3oIN5CG
▶ Follow Alexi on Instagram: @AlexiPappas
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