Hello!

This week, I had the pleasure of working with a new runner, someone just beginning their journey. And it inspired what I wanted to share this week with all of you.

A Fresh Perspective
​Watching their excitement and eagerness to grow brought me so much joy and excitement for them. It made me stop and reflect on my running journey. It brought me back to the early days when I knew NOTHING about running when aches and pains were treated with ice and NSAIDs, and I felt I needed to stretch and not strengthen.

At the start of my journey, running was something to do to “get in shape”. But over time, running became a constant that helps me evolve into my best self.

This week's encounter filled me with gratitude and I wanted to share with you, and maybe hear from you, your own story with running.

Where Running Has Taken Me
​Running started as a way to torture myself through another workout, but it has grown into so much more than just a way to stay fit or chase PRs. It has carried through some of my hardest battles- especially my struggle with disordered eating. In those days, exercise felt transactional, something I needed to do to earn nourishment.

But over time running changed that.

It became a space where I learned to nourish and appreciate my body, not just for how it looked but for what it could do. If you have heard my story before, you know that I always say my first Boston Marathon saved me. I finished that race and looked down at my body and could not believe what it did for me when I had been treating it so poorly.

From then and some mindset work, running gave me a sense of freedom, an outlet that allowed me to process emotions, to let go, to heal, to recognize I am capable and my body is pretty darn awesome. It taught me patience, resilience, and the importance of showing up for myself, even when things felt hard.

Running Means Something Different to Each of Us
​For some, running is about competition- chasing PRs and podiums. For others, it’s about solitude, stress relief, or a way to connect with something bigger than ourselves. But at its core, running is about growth- physically, mentally, and emotionally. It teaches us to embrace where we are while continuing to move forward. It forces us to sit with discomfort, navigate self-doubt, and ultimately come out stronger on the other side. No matter what your "why" is, running has a way of revealing parts of ourselves we may not have otherwise discovered.

Gratitude for the Journey
​This week, I invite you to take a moment to reflect on what running has given you. Not just the PRs or distances covered, but the deeper ways it has shaped you. What has running helped you overcome? How has it changed your mindset? Where has it taken you- both physically and emotionally? If you were to strip away the times, the distances, the comparisons- what would remain?

Your Challenge This Week
​On your next run, instead of focusing on pace or distance, focus on gratitude. Think of those questions above and the journey running has taken you on. Let that gratitude fuel your movement. Pay attention to the rhythm of your breath, the way your feet hit the ground, and the sensation of simply being in motion. Let go of expectations and just run for the joy of it.

Running isn’t just about getting faster—it’s about becoming more in tune with yourself. And that’s something worth celebrating.

Hit reply if you want to share your running journey with me!

Thank you for reading,

Adria