It's time for another runner spotlight...my favorite time of the week! I love reading other runners' stories about their running journey! If you are interested in being spotlighted on my blog please email me at mindy@roadrunnergirl.com! I'd love to spotlight you! You don't have to have a blog to be spotlighted...you just have to be a runner! ;-) And I'm running low on spotlights so now's your time to shine!!!
Today I'm spotlighting Bree from Will Run For a Medal! She is a fellow runDisney lover and just got back from running the Dumbo Double Dare in Disneyland AND completing the Coast to Coast Challenge!! I'm so jealous! ;-) Keep reading to learn more about her and her running journey!
Name: Brianne “Bree” Smith
State: Missouri
When and why did you start running?
I started running in 2009 while I was
living in DC. We lived right on Capitol
Hill, and it seemed like everyone was out running in the evenings and on the
weekends. I loved morning runs in
particular because I would run by the Capitol, Supreme Court, and onto the mall
well before all of the government workers and tourists took over the streets.
What is your favorite race and race distance?
I love Disney races and I am not
kidding when I say they are “magical.” I
look forward to each Disney race, always get butterflies at the start of each
one, smile throughout the course of each one, and am always sad on the bus back
to the airport because I am leaving the most magical place on earth. My favorite distance is the half marathon
because they quicker and easier to train for and they aren’t so hard on my
knees.
What is your race day routine?
I am paranoid that I will oversleep
and miss a race so I tend to set several alarms and set them so that I have
plenty of time to spare. I generally eat
a Luna or Cliff bar and drink water.
What is your most favorite piece of running gear?
Currently it is my new Brooks
Adrenaline 14’s. I special ordered them
from Fleet Feet so that I could get the teal with neon yellow accents rather
than the white with pink accents. I LOVE
the feel of new running shoes!
Do you follow any diet or take any specific supplements that complement
your running?
A few years ago I read the Eat-Clean
Diet by Tosca Reno and the concepts just made sense. I try to eat clean for as many meals as
possible during the week and try to pre-plan and prepare my meals in advance so
I am not as tempted to eat processed foods or eat out. Some weeks are better than others of course,
but eating clean is what I always think about while grocery shopping.
What do you wish you’d known when you first started running?
I wish I would have known how fun it
would be because then I would have started running at a younger age. I see teens running half marathons and I envy
them. I wasn’t really good at any team
sports I participated in growing up but if I would have gotten into running
half marathons in high school or college, I think my confidence wouldn’t have
suffered so much and I could have avoided the freshman 15 (which ended up being
over 50 pounds for me).
What is your fondest running memory?
I clearly remember finishing my first
half marathon in Baltimore, Maryland. I
saw my mom near the finish and I started sprinting thinking I was closer to the
finish than I actually was. I forgot
that the finish was after you run through Camden Yards, not at Camden Yards but
my nerves got the best of me and I just started sprinting a bit too soon.
What is one thing that most people do not know about you?
I think when people look at me they
would never guess that I have run over 30 half marathons. I am still working on losing all of the
weight I gained in college so I am not the thin, lean runner that you would
expect a “seasoned” runner to be.
Here are all the different ways you can connect with Bree!
Thanks so much for sharing with us Bree!
QOTD: Who raced this weekend?
