422: Different Seasons, Different Running Goals with Tara Welling

In this episode, I sit down with the amazing Tara Welling — a former professional runner who raced for Nike and Skechers — to hear her powerful story of grit, growth, and finding joy again in the sport she loves.

Tara takes us back to her first miles in elementary school, through her rise to the professional circuit, and into the realities most people never see — the burnout, the pressure, and the struggles with body image that came with competing at the highest level. She shares how stepping away from the sport allowed her to rebuild a healthier relationship with running, one rooted in balance, joy, and self-respect.

We also talk about what it’s like to run during pregnancy, the transition into motherhood, and how she’s now pouring her experience into coaching. Through her work with RunDoyen, Tara helps runners of all abilities tap into personalized training, the right mindset, and the power of community support.

This conversation will remind you that running is not just about chasing times — it’s about chasing what lights you up inside. Whether you’re chasing a PR or simply trying to fall in love with running again, Tara’s story will leave you inspired to run your own race.

Tara Welling is a former professional runner for Nike and Skechers, a 2x National Champion in the Half Marathon and 15k, and a 4x U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifier (2012 – 10k & 5k track, 2016 – 10k & 5k track, 2020 – marathon, 2024 – marathon).

Now a coach with RunDoyen and a mom of two, Tara combines her elite-level experience with a personalized, supportive approach to help runners of all levels reach their goals — whether that’s chasing a PR, building consistency, or finding joy in the process.

If you want to connect with her, you can find her at the links below!

tara.erdmann11@gmail.com

https://www.rundoyen.com/

https://www.instagram.com/tara_welling/

00:21 Tara's Early Running Journey

02:41 Choosing Running Over Soccer

05:54 College Running Experience

07:11 Body Image and Nutrition in Running

12:20 Training and Motherhood

19:16 Professional Running Career

22:02 Burnout and Rediscovering Joy in Running

26:23 Training with Sketchers

28:57 Finding Joy in Running

29:44 Running During Pregnancy

33:23 Balancing Motherhood and Running

33:42 Olympic Trials Experience

40:34 Coaching Philosophy and

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Transcript

Angie: 0:00

What's up runners? Welcome back to the Real Life Runners podcast. Today I'm sitting down with Tara Welling, a former professional runner for Nike and Sketchers, two time national champion, four time qualifier for the US Olympic trials, and now a mom of two and a coach who's passionate about helping runners of all levels thrive. Tara's story is powerful. She takes us back to her first miles in elementary school through her rise to the professional circuit. And into the side of the sport that so many people don't see that professional level and how she experienced the pressure, the burnout, and the struggles with body image that can come with competing at that highest level. And though most of us are never going to compete at that highest level or experience any of that, we as real life runners can really still connect with some of the struggles that Tara had. So we talk about how stepping away from the sport really helped her to rebuild a healthier relationship with running one that is grounded more in balance and joy and self-respect, and how she's navigated running through different transitions in her life, like pregnancy now into motherhood, and now into her experience as a a running coach too. So regardless of what pace you run or what level you're currently at, I want you to listen to today's episode with an open mind and really hear her story of grit and growth and finding the joy in running again. So whether you're trying to chase a new PR or just trying to fall back in love with running Tara's journey is going to inspire you to run your own race and love the miles along the way. So let's jump in.

Audio Only - All Participants: 1:54

All right. Welcome to today's podcast. I'm very excited to have Tara Welling here on the podcast with me. What's up, Tara? How are you? Good, good. I'm doing great, thanks. Awesome. Just finished my run this morning, actually. Ooh, that's good. I did not run today. I went out on a walk this morning. let's start by just introducing you to our audience. for those of you that don't know you yet, can you just tell us a little bit about who you are and maybe how you got into running? So my name's Tara Welling. I was a former professional runner. started with Nike, went to Sketchers, and then just continued on the competitive, circuit after that, even though I wasn't professional, but I got into running, oh gosh, probably. I think I could start running in the second grade, for like our elementary cross country team. And it was just one of those things that all my friends did it. and I said, why not? It was, running came natural to me and I really enjoyed it. my primary sport was, soccer and softball, so I played club for both of those and. If there's any soccer players, that you run a ton, in soccer. And so running was always there. I just didn't really focus on it until about oh, high school, honestly. I ran a fast time supposedly. I didn't know what that meant. in. in seventh grade. and then the eighth grade year, I didn't do cross country. it just wasn't my thing. but then that coach told the high school coach like, Hey, you've gotta get her to run. she's just, she's a natural, she's good at it, get her to run. And by sophomore year, that's when I started running cross country. Okay. So in sophomore year of high school. And then were you still playing soccer and softball at that time, or did you really focus just on running. I was still playing competitive soccer. played club soccer at that point. I chose to stop softball going into high school. Yeah. I just, I couldn't keep up with two club sports. with soccer being four days a week plus the weekend. Yeah. so soccer was the main focus. That's what I wanted to go to college for. that was the goal. I just thought Fine. I'll give this running thing a shot and See what happens. Yeah. and it was great. I really, truly loved it, which is why I continued on. but I was like a late bloomer to the sport, I wouldn't call that a late bloomer, I would say, you're still a teenager for goodness sake. That's true. It's true. Yeah. we've got a lot of people that start running in their forties or fifties even. you were fresh face and carefree at that point in time. So what kind of. At what point did you choose running over soccer?'cause it sounds being a club soccer player, I know because we're, my husband and I are actually high school cross country coaches, and so we do have a lot of kids from the soccer side come over to cross country for their quote unquote conditioning, right? Yeah. And so they just wanna keep running. but it's very clear to us, with most of them that soccer is the priority. So what, at what point did you decide that running was really your thing and how did you make that choice? Yeah, it was a hard decision. junior and senior year I was, I was getting letters for running, I was getting letters for soccer. I didn't know which one, I knew in the long term. Running was something I could do for the rest of my life and that I could probably go professional in it. whereas, and that was probably about junior year in college, but in high school it was like, I just loved soccer. I loved the team aspect of it. Yeah. And so that's what I was looking for in college. it was like, do I take the soccer route, have the team, but then I didn't feel like I had a lot of control over what could be beyond that. whereas like I knew if I trained hard, listened to my coach, did everything right, I could go professional in running. Okay. I truly believe that. Whereas soccer, there's just. There's not a whole lot of Black and white of who's gonna make it. it's, yeah. with running, you've got times, you've got places, with team sports, it could be what team you're on, who's the coach, What are all the politics behind the sport? Yeah. Sure. and I really was, I was loving running, I just started to fall in love with the running at that point, and I had decided ultimately to run in college. but then even still, like when I went to LMU. Even that college coach was like, Hey, you could still play soccer. Like it's, yeah, you could do both. I'm like, and at that point I was like, man, I'm actually pretty small to play soccer. some of these girls are pretty big, And I was like, 105 pounds. So I was like, I don't know. That seems tough. yeah. So I went, I chose running. I sure love it, but I still love soccer. Yeah. Like our daughter plays soccer now and Just the atmosphere, the team aspect of it. I think it's important too. Yeah. And you can't, you can get that in running. It's different for sure. But I think that is the cool thing is that so many people think that running is a solo sport and there's so much, comradery that you can get inside of the running community. Course you ran on a college team. So there is that team aspect. But even afterwards, I think there's a lot of things that we can do within the running community that really makes it less isolating, which is cool. So what I'm hearing you say then is that it's really your longevity in the sport that really drew you more to running versus soccer is like you knew that you could not only pursue this in college, but then also, after college more on a professional level. Yeah, exactly. I would just, I wanted to stay in the sport. And so I, I had thought that running was the way Yeah. to continue. So did you have that realization in high school or was it more like college that you decided you really wanted to pursue it professionally? Like how did your relationship with running evolve, like during your collegiate years and make you decide Yes. I actually do wanna go pro with this. Yeah, I think it was my junior year in college. I had run like one of the fastest times in the 10 K that year, and I didn't feel like I was doing anything special, like I was just. Going to practice every day, just doing it, And then yeah, the times just started to drop, I'd take a minute off my 10 k time or 30 seconds off my 5K time. And I was just like, wow, like this is a lot of fun. Like running fast is really fun. Yeah. and so it was probably by about my end of my junior year, my coach was like, you could do this. And I was like, really? I could do this professionally. And he's yeah, if you, Just, keep training and stay healthy and you love it. you can run professionally. And so that was they got the bug in my ear to hey, maybe this is a reality, Yeah. so that's where it all started was junior year Of college. So did you like when you were in college running, did you feel pressure like around body image, body weight, nutrition, like those kinds of things? Because I know like it depends on, from the people that I've talked to, it depends on what school and what program. You're in, Like what the culture is but what was that experience like for you, as a woman running in her twenties and, this is as your body is starting to change in your twenties and mature even more. What was that experience like? Yeah. there's still, even to this day, there's still a lot of. stress or pressure with body image in In college and yeah. it was something that I dealt with also, but I feel like I was lucky that I was surrounded by a really good support system in college. it was never, The coach actually looked at it as if there are people that are too thin, we need to get help. we need to stay healthy so that we can run. There was never, that's good. There was never pressure from my team or from my coaches. that it's like you've gotta, you've gotta be thinner to run faster. it was actually the opposite. I remember there was a time like junior year, sophomore year that I did get too skinny and my coach had told me, he's if you lose any more weight, you're not gonna be racing. and Yeah.'cause he put our health before running and I love that. at the time I was the number one runner on the team and I wasn't gonna get a pass, It was basically like, yeah, I know you're number one for our team, but if you're not healthy, then you're not gonna run. So I felt like that I was in a really good position that I could do well in running because I had the full support system. But I know there's a lot of programs that are not like that, which is unfortunate, and it can ultimately like, ruin people's lives or careers for that point. but yeah, it's really sad. But I think if you find the right program and the right coach, you can either get the help that you need. Yeah. Or you cannot, you would just never end up going down that route. Yeah, for sure. How do you think that kind of plays out into just the running culture at large? Like obviously collegiate runners and professional runners are on a different level than those of us that are just running for our health or running for fitness or trying to set our own prs in half marathon, five Ks, whatever it might be. it's a bit of a different level at different speeds, but like how much do you think that idea of Having a smaller body will help you as a runner. How does that kind of translate over into the general running population in like your experience?'cause I know you're a coach now as well. So what have you seen as far as women in body image and running? I feel like it's, I feel like for. My age now it's not, I feel like a lot of the pressure is in these, sometimes it's starting in junior high, but it's like high school and college is a lot of where the stress comes from and it's because of social media. and I think as your mentality changes with sport, you lose that mentality of having everything under control and nitpicking. Every little thing. Whereas, you actually get faster when you're eating more and focusing less on, or focusing more on putting healthy food into your body can, instead of keeping track of everything that you put in your body. Yeah. That is greater. I totally agree with you and I think that this is like important for people to hear because I think that. The everyday runner, the real life runner as we like to call them. they look at professional runners and they look at the size of their bodies and things like that. And because of diet, culture and all the other things that we have being thrown at us all the time, there's this idea that, oh, if I just lose weight, then I'll be faster. If I just lose weight, then I'll. fill in the blank with whatever goal they're trying to accomplish. And so I think it's really important for them to hear that from you as a professional runner. And some people might write it off and be like, oh, she's just professional so she's too good. But I think that, hearing that message of you are going to improve as a runner when you fuel your body, like when you eat more, when you're think thinking about your health, not just restricting calories because of your body size. And there's a lot of things that go into weight. there's There's your muscle, or how explosive is that muscle? How strong is that muscle? that's gonna weigh more than that. Or so it's if you're doing the right things and also building muscle, then that will translate to running faster as well. Like even, up until, I ran my fastest marathon at, after having two kids. So That's awesome. you definitely, and part of that was like strength work and Different type of training. It wasn't just running more. I was actually running less at the time. my long runs were long, but I was nowhere close to running a hundred miles a week. Like I used to the same volume. Yeah. So how did your. we're jumping ahead a little bit here, but like, how did your training change during that phase? Like, how was your training, like when you ran your fastest marathon time as a mom of two? How was that training different than say, the way that you trained previously? yeah, so there was, I had a couple different, coaches, throughout my professional career. and I just found that. even in college, my sweet spot of mileage was like 70 to 80. I just, I felt good off of it. I could run fast off of it. there was a time that I was running a hundred miles a week and I was running slower almost than ever, And, I broke a bone every time I read a hundred miles a week. Yeah. And then transitioning, post professionally, I ran my fastest was 2 36 and as a mom of two and I was running, I hit 70 miles a week. A couple. Times here and there. which is a lot, that's a lot for Yeah. your normal runner. but I was also, trying to hit an Olympic standard, so I was running probably a little bit more than average, but my, my long runs were long, my workouts were long, but then the days in between were like five. Six miles. Yeah. just because I needed to recover or got kids waking up early or I'm not sleeping well. so in, in minutes, would you say like how minutes wise,'cause like mileage, I think that can get lost on people sometimes, right? Because, your paces are obviously much faster than the average runner as a professional. So minutes wise, how long were like your weekday runs then, like your, five, six miles that you were doing. Yeah. So if I was just doing, an easy run during the week I would say about 45, yeah. 50 minutes Is what I was doing. and those were like truly recovery days. for me recovery is like eight to eight 30 pace. Yeah. When training for a marathon, compared to doing workouts or a long run. And then my long runs were like two hours to two hours and 20 minutes. Yeah. And of at the peak of marathon training. Yeah. And I think that's important for people to hear, right? Because they sometimes hear about mileage and they're, they think, oh my gosh, I could never run that. Which is fine, and most people shouldn't, right? Yeah. Like you were mentioning, like that's not the average at all because you are running at a different level trying to hit an Olympic. Standard time, like that's a totally different level to train versus someone that's trying to run a half marathon or someone that's running, trying to run, their local 5K or 10 K and just get their own personal best. And it, that's why I think it is helpful to translate it to time-based running versus just mileage because people can. Relate more to that. it's not like you're going out and training for six hours on the weekend. you're still, you're still doing like a two to two and a half hour run, which is what a lot of people do, and a lot of people can relate to that. Their mileage is just a little bit different during that, during that time. And I think that it's really important to point that out because. The body knows time and effort, right? The body doesn't know distance and pace, and so I think it's really important, like your pace is just fa much faster than a lot of people, but you're still going out there and you're hitting the same effort levels and you're hitting the same time on your feet. It's just the mileage is different for you. Let's talk a little bit about, one of the things I would love to focus on with you, because you've, you started running at such a young age. you ran through college professionally and now you're running as a mom of two. is this idea of like transitions because I think that running is one of these amazing things and I love that you even chose running because of the long, your ability to have running, be there for the rest of your life, but. You're not gonna be a professional runner your whole life. Like this is something that we just clearly know, right? you're not gonna be a professional runner most likely when you're 80, unless you're sponsored by like some, who knows? Maybe you can be right at that point. But, in general, running's going to be different things to you at different points in your life. And so you've gone through some of these transitions already. So I would love to just hear from you, how has your identity, like as a runner changed throughout the years and like what running means in your life and your approach to running? Yeah, in, in, college and professionally, like running was my entire life, Yes, it was my job, but it was like everything was focused around that, like we We'd go on trips, I'm husband would go on trips and he'd plan out like all my runs To make sure I was able to train. Yeah. and I wouldn't miss a day of training, or if it meant getting up at 3:00 AM to go for a run, like I'd get up at 3:00 AM to go for a run, like To me, that's crazy. Now, probably not gonna do that anymore. whereas running now for me. it's, I would say it's a very big part of my life and I still love to do it every single day. But I'm not worried about like how far. I ran or what pace I ran, There's some times where I'm just like, exhausted and we live in a really hilly area and I'm like, I think I'm just gonna walk this hill. Like I need a little break. Like I'm tired. but I still feel good. I still feel good mentally just. Getting out, running, it's healthy for me. And that's what I enjoy. But I'm not like, oh man, I just, I didn't hit my paces for that run. Or, Yeah. I don't even really do workouts anymore. Every once in a while I'll feel motivated and do some hill sprints or Do some, fart, like running. But I pretty much just enjoy running at the base level, like just Putting my shoes on, getting my watch going out the door. I'm creature habit. I'll do the same route every single day. No problem. But it's not my entire life. I'm not gonna, oh, I've gotta go get 15 miles in this weekend. Yeah. It's just not me anymore. Yeah. and I'm okay with that too, which is wonderful. Yeah. Do you still race? I have not raced in quite a while. I, my last race was, The club Cross country championships. So we moved, from Oregon to Texas. And so my last race with the team that I was training with was cross country, and I did it just because I was like, Hey, I love these girls. Yeah. This is fun. I'm not big on cross country. it's not what I would choose to do. but my team was doing it and I wanted I wanted to be there. So that was the last race that I did. Cool. So cool. So what was running like for you, as you, actually let me get a little clarity on kind of your professional career. So you started running professionally after college, and then at what point did you start having kids and were you still running professionally, like during motherhood, like during your pregnancies and motherhood? Yeah. So I went, I turned professional in 2012. I ran with Nike for a few years and then, I actually had a few months where I was like, I'm not running professionally ever. Again, I'm done. I was done with the sport. Yeah. and I had a friend or a coach say Hey, you can still run fast. yes, you are broken down and, the sport beat you up, but like you can still run fast. And and I was continuing to train, I was like, I just didn't want to follow a regimented calendar. I just needed like a break from Were you just feeling burnt out? Yeah, I was just burnt out. I had, fractured my hip from running, so I was just like at a loss, With the sport. And I had a friend say, you can still run fast. And I was in this position of do I look for another sponsor? do I not? and that's when I had talked to Kara Goucher and, what was, it wasn't, MEB was done at that point or getting outta the sport. but I had seen what Kara did with Sketchers and the team there, and I was like, that seems like a company that. I could run for just some good people behind the company. and actually my husband was the one that kind of helped me get the contract with that one. And I got a coach and, I talked with the coach and I, we were, he was very on board with what kind of training works for you? I'm not gonna tell you. How you should train, let's just go back to the basics of what you were doing in college when you ran your fastest times. Yeah. And so we started that way and started training that way again. And we added in some plyometrics and speed and, that was when I started running fast again, prior faster than what I was running in college and even professionally. so yeah, a little bit of a tangent, but yeah, that was, and then. So 20, about 15 or 16 is when I started running with Sketchers. And that was really like my breakout year with running. I just, I did really well on the roads and ran some fast times and I was having fun. I think that's why like I was really enjoying the sport like back in college, like things were going really well. I was really enjoying it. And then the fast times come when you're in a good position. Can I interrupt you for a second? Yeah, go ahead and talk a little bit more about that, because like you were enjoying her a lot in college, and then what happened, like when you were running for Nike, that kind of led you to feeling more burnt out. Yeah, because I think this is an important thing for people to hear because so many people, I think even recreational runners, they start in the sport because they want to challenge themselves. They wanna get in shape, they, and they find it fun. They, so they start running and then all of a sudden they get to this phase where. Times and their paces start to matter more. And like they it's almost, I know that you're obviously talking about a professional career here, but there's a lot of recreational runner I think that go through this too. And they like start to see their paces and their times and they get so focused on improvement that they can. Oftentimes burn themselves out again and I love to hear that you then came out of that and found more joy and that's when you really had your breakthrough, which is so cool. So in that point where you were feeling more burnt out, what do you think was leading to that? yeah, so there wasn't, with Nike, there wasn't much of a team. okay. There, there was like a couple, like my first year I was the only girl. but, and there was a few guys, so there was no team atmosphere. Which is, coming from college, you just go from yeah. 15 girls to yourself. and my training went up to 90. 90, a hundred miles a week. and it was also very, sprint focused and like interval very fast. which is not my strength when I run. really fast. It takes me longer time to recover. Yeah. but I didn't have much of a say in what that recovery was gonna be. like I was expecting okay, I did a really hard session here, so I'm just gonna go out and jog tomorrow, basically super easy. but we had paces assigned for our easy runs. And so we had to run like 6 45, 7 minute pace for our easy runs. And that was just like beating me down.'cause I just like one, I mentally needed a break. Yeah. Because I can't run fast every single day, Which seven, seven minute pace to me at that time wasn't necessarily fast, but. It was the pressure of no, you've got around like six 30 to seven minute pace on your easy runs. Yeah. And that after, that's a whole level of, and that's a whole level of mental pressure as well. Yeah. Like not just the physical pressure of that pace, but also the mental pressure of I need to be on and make sure that I'm in this zone and window. Yeah. And so it was just like, it was just really hard training and not enough recovery. and then just the stress of. I was told that I needed to be thinner and things like that and Okay. get more muscle in certain areas, which I didn't really understand how you get more muscle in certain areas. you can't just be like, okay, I need my shoulders to get bigger. Like it doesn't quite work. It's not how the body works. Yeah. When you're also told you need to lose a couple pounds. So it was just, it was a very, like trying time with running and it wasn't always enjoyable. So that's why I felt like I just needed to step away before coming back. Yeah. So it sounds like it was really a major focus on. The way your body looked, focus on more intensity over anything else, like intensity and, pacing and didn't allow you to listen to your body, like you were just forced to be in this box and do what everybody else was telling you to do. And ignore some of the things that your body was trying to tell you. Yeah. Especially for the first like year or so, in, in, in that environment. and then I got a new coach Still within Nike, and it did, it got a lot better. Yeah. there was a little, there was more recovery, the mileage was a little bit lower. each session was a little bit less intense, I would say, or geared more towards Hitting. Hitting times that we're capable of instead of trying to push beyond that. Yeah. and so I was doing much better at that point with a, kind of the new coach. so then contrast that to Sketchers. Like when you started going into Sketchers and you started like your break breakout year, what did your training look like then that helped to really bring the joy back into it, because I think that's a huge part of it too, is you know, you really started to enjoy running again. And I think that this is such an important aspect that a lot of runners forget about sometimes when they get so focused on their prs and their paces and their distances. so what did your training look like? In 2016 when you had that breakout? Yeah, so we had, we dropped the mileage back down Yeah. To like seventies, eighties. we focused more on like strength work. What I mean by that, not strength work, in the gym, yes. But we also did like strength workouts, like longer intervals, mild repeats, progression runs. The, that type of training for me allows me to get fit really fast. and I can also recover well off of it. you give me five times a mile, I'll feel great. I can go, I can do 10 miles the next day off of that. You make me do, 15 by 400, I'm gonna be like crawling for days,'cause it's a different system, that you're using. And so for me, we focused more on that other system of just running longer, still at a fast pace, but I could recover from that. It was, it felt easier on my body. and so that's what led to that trajectory of just running fast. Yeah. So more of the tempo based intervals versus like the sprint intervals. Yeah. And so we did more of those. we still did sprints, but we did, we, yeah. Went that direction more so than 400 meter repeats, a hundred meter repeats, eight hundreds. Yeah. we just sprinkled those in there. And we worked on speed in other ways with like plyometrics and weight training. Yeah. and that's how we hit that system. Yeah. Yeah. So it was very, it sounds like it was just a very well-rounded program in a lot of ways That was working more towards your strengths. And highlighting your strengths with that, mid-distance, tempo type of pacing, versus trying to force your body into something that it's not as well set up for. Exactly. yeah. And each, each person is different. Some people just a hundred percent really do well off of that, and they get really fast and really fit. Yeah. And for me, I just get really tired and really broken down. Yeah. And I think that's really important for people to hear is like there is not one correct way. every runner is an individual and every runner has their own strengths and My husband, he ran in college as well, and he loves, the tempo type of things. That is not my favorite thing to do at all. Like I'd rather go out and do quarter repeats any day of the week, but that's just because I think part of it's also just what you enjoy. yes, it's what feels good in your body, but it's also, like you said, what's what you en what you enjoy and. Seems fun to you. and I think that's so important for people to know that even at a professional level, it is still really important to have that enjoyment in there. Otherwise you get burnt out and injured, in the process of it too. Yeah. so let's get into your journey, like through pregnancy and motherhood and what running is now like for you. I know that you raced. When pregnant did I see something that you set, like a, your 5K record or your best, you, you won some, like a really important race, like a 5K when you were pregnant? Oh, it was, there was a, the Portland Track Festival, there's a race that we do and we usually do a three K, like cross country style race. Yeah. And so it's Portland versus Seattle. And I think Vancouver was there at the time. Oh, sorry. But there was like a three K there once and then that I ran pregnant, but there was also the 5K. And I had won the 5K and I think I was like 18 or 17 weeks pregnant or something. Yeah. So there was. Definitely a bump, but it also was like awkward. you not, yeah. It's that phase that you're not, you told me have a bump. Yeah. But you also don't feel great either, at that point. So I was just like, I think I forget, I won the race, but I think it was like I had wanted to run like under. 17 minutes or something. Yeah, because I was 17, 17 weeks pregnant. Oh yeah. so yeah, I did a couple races pregnant. I ran a half when I was pregnant. the 5K and then one of the other big ones is hood to coast. how many people know about hood to coast? Yeah. but it's a pretty big like overnight relay race That I ran it like. 28 weeks pregnant. Okay. and averaged like, I don't know, 5 45, 6 minute pace. Yeah. For my legs. but I love joining pregnant. Like I actually felt good for Most of the pregnancy. my first one. I couldn't run a whole lot the way that she was positioned and moving. There was times where I couldn't run, but I could bike an elliptical. Yeah. And then there was other weeks where I couldn't bike an elliptical, but I could run. Yeah. Which was like really weird. Yeah. so it was like a trial and error with pregnancy too, of is it gonna work today? Is it not? Like Where's the babysitting? so it was always sort. I might have a plan to go run six miles, but that plan might be cut short because Yeah. Something's hurting or it just doesn't feel right. So it was that part of my life with running helped me transition to, it can't always be what you wanted to be. Yeah. Every day. because before that I would say, this is my training calendar for the week. This is what has to get done. And that's what I did. Yeah. and when I was pregnant. I had a training calendar, like I had my goals for the week. But I quickly realized that they didn't always happen that way. Yeah. there was times where I was like, I think I just need a nap. I'm just, I'm exhausted, I'm tired. and then there's other days where I would be like, I'm gonna run five miles. And I'd be like, oh man, I feel great and I'd run eight. So it really taught me in this spirit of my life that. Everything's not gonna go the way that I want it to go. Yeah. with running. being pregnant because Yeah. You just, you. You can't control each day Being pregnant or know what you're gonna feel like. And so that was a real learning curve for me, with running too. and I'm sure it prepared you perfectly for motherhood too, because it's not once you have the babies, everything is exactly the way you want it to be. Exactly. Yeah. so what has it been like for you now, like navigating, running and motherhood? Because I know that. You competed in the Olympic trials last year, in the marathon as a mom of two, right? what has running been like since you have been a mother and how has, have things shifted for you? Yeah, the last Olympic trials I had run to qualify. I had run 2 36. Which, the people making the Olympic team are running two 20 And change. so I knew that wasn't a goal of mine. I was just really happy to be there. Yeah. I hadn't missed an Olympic trials, whether on the track or on the road, since 2012. And so for me, that was just a huge goal of getting there. With kids. I had, really fit my training in early in the morning. I'd train at six 30 in the morning and my husband would take over the kid duty for the morning. there wasn't a whole lot of double runs at that point, I was like lucky to get in a strength training maybe once or twice a week. Yeah. For 30 minutes. But I had some dedicated time to train, and that was my time to do what I wanted to do. with running. And so with kids it changed that my mentality changed with racing that, I also just wanna show my kids that you can do hard things. they may not go according to plan. You always start what you finish. And so I think my kids think I probably still won that race. if you ask them, I crossed the finish line, so they think I won. But I was like so cute. Like I was probably like second to last in that race, at the Olympic trials. and so I has there was multiple times it was a loop course. Yeah. I was like, I had multiple times. It was a hot day too. It was super hot. We already started at 11 or something. Ridiculous. Yeah, 10 really thinking, come on, it's in Orlando. People like, this is not a good idea. All about the, yeah. Yeah. So it was, it was tough. Like the whole buildup, I just didn't quite feel right. Like I felt good doing the shorter stuff, which was weird. But once I got to 15 miles, 16 miles in long runs, like I just. I could never figure out like what was going on. I just, my legs didn't quite have it, so I was like hoping by the time that the race came around that it would go well, but pretty much the same thing happened, yeah. How old were your kids at the time? daughter was, she had just turned six and our youngest one was three. Okay. Two, yeah. or no, two, I think it was two at the time. so yeah. Super young still. Yeah. but they understood that mommy liked to run. they've been to a lot of, like my track races. Yeah. our daughter had done a couple races here and there, That I would, that we would go to if we were running, obviously. yeah. So to them, we had, we'd made a trip out of it. We did the whole Disney World thing afterwards. but during the race it was just super hot. it was awful. Like it was literally the worst race I've ever run in my entire life. And at one point I got to I forget what, how far the lube course was, but I had missed seeing the kids like I couldn't find them. Yeah. And so I was like, I'm not gonna stop until I see. Family, So I just continued on hoping, praying I would see them, and then I was like, maybe I'll drop out at that point, Yeah. And then I just kept thinking to myself, I was like, kids don't know how to drop out of a race. that's a learned behavior, They always see a race as there's a finish line. You start a race and there's a finish line, And so to me I was like, I need to show them that even if you don't feel good. and there's nothing physically wrong with me. It's not like I was gonna go to the hospital or something. Yeah. so finally found the kids and I was like, I'm not stopping. Like they need to know that I'm gonna finish this race. Because they had said that they would be at the finish line. So if I'm not, if I don't make it to the finish line, what am I gonna tell them? Yeah. Or what are they gonna think? And it wasn't this like feeling of shame that I'm not gonna get to the finish line. It was more so of I want them to know that if they're in this position, they can get to the finish line. Yeah. whether it's a race or whether it's dealing with homework at school or Social things, you always have to see it to the end. And so that was my goal that day. It went from running really fast and doing well to what can I try and teach my kids? Of just finish the race and I got to the finish line and they were like, mommy, did you win? Like you got to the finish line, you got a medal. And I was like, that's exactly what I wanted them to think. Yeah. They think I won, Because you finish the race. So obviously they'll learn as they get older that there's gonna be some really trying times in that. But the finish line of whatever that goal is the most important Yeah. Part to them. Yeah. And what did that race mean to you?'cause it sounds like obviously it meant a lot for you to finish that race, like for your kids and for the lessons, but then, like, how did you feel when you finished that race? Like with everything that had happened? Yeah. It was, gosh, that was the longest race of my life, like time-wise and mentally, because it was just this constant battle of yeah. Do I drop out here? No, I can't do that. I want, I wanna show them that you can do this, And so for me it was just, it was that battle of one, I've honestly never done so bad in a race before, so that was hard for me too, to be like, wow, I was almost last and I've never had that feeling before. And so I struggled with that too, is'cause there's a lot of people, even professionals, like once you realize you're not gonna hit your goal time or your place, step off the track, right? don't finish, Yeah. It's not worth it because you don't want, you don't wanna be in the results and be the last one at the On the page. And yeah, I dealt with that of oh, maybe like a DNF is probably better than Last place, so that was like a struggle that I went through. and all this is happening during the race too. All of this is happening during this race because I have so much time to think about things. but it really just came down to The family's here. The kids are watching, I'm physically healthy enough to finish this race. Yeah. They have no clue what place they got. And that doesn't matter to them, they got to see mommy cross the finish line and get a medal. Yeah. So it's about doing it for a purpose greater than yourself. Yeah, exactly. I had no reason to finish that race for myself. yeah. Yes, I got a medal and I finished the Olympic trials, but that wasn't my goal to just go, yeah, finish the Olympic trials. but it was important to finish at that point. That's very cool. So you've gone from being a professional runner, from being coach to now coaching others. Yeah, and I think that's a really powerful shift, especially as more women want to feel strong and supported in midlife, and you can use so much of your own experience through, A couple of decades now, right? Like that you've been running. yeah. So to help other people. So what would you like, what do you wish that more women knew about how to train more confidently as they age and as they as running kind of transitions for them in the, in their own lives? I think, important aspect for, women and men too, is that, and part of the reason that we have Ian, is that there's not one coach for everybody. for a runner it's about finding the right coach for you. Yeah. my example, the right coach for me is not gonna be. Super analytical. I don't need to know my heart rate, what zone I'm running in. Yeah. And all that stuff. I, for me now, I want someone that's probably gonna hold me accountable a little bit more. So more motivational mo More motivational. Yeah. but that may not work for some people. some people, they're like, I need somebody that's gonna be really hard on me. Hold me accountable because life gets in the way and I make excuses not to go run or hit my goals. Yeah. And there's a coach for that, But it's gonna be different than what someone else wants in a coach. And that's why we have Rene now is because we used my social network with, runners in the community. And my husband's the business guy behind it all. yeah. But we've built this roster of coaches where, hey, we need to have a bunch of different coaches that have Different that can bring something different to the table. Yeah. Because everyone who wants a coach is not gonna want the same coach. and for the people that I coach, I might not be the best fit for somebody else. Yeah. And that's okay. I'm not gonna be offended by that. I might say, Hey, I don't think I'm the right coach for you, This person could be the right coach for you. Yeah. so now I just, I really like coaching because I'm not so much in the racing realm anymore. I know the races that are out there and what are happening, but I feel like I have a lot of experience in the sport. From a, physical aspect, mental aspect that people are looking for,'cause there's still people that, there's a lot of people who wanna be Q in their fifties, and Sure. They're like. Is it possible? I'm like, yeah, it is. Yeah. like If you put in the work and we alter your training to what fits you well, yeah. Not what I want you to do.'cause I also need to understand. How they perform well. And adjust based on that. And so that's really why we have run Dwayne, is so that we can help the everyday runner Find the right coach for them. Yeah. Yeah. And what is your coaching philosophy center around now, like with, based on, all of your experience and now working with other runners, like how do you like to coach runners? Like what do you think is something important? I don't wanna, I don't like blanket statements in general, but like so I, I hate to say what should all runners do, but I think that there are definitely some very important facets that like all runners need to focus on, just in varying amounts. so I'd love to know like your take and your coaching philosophy on what are the things that you like to focus on when you're working with runners? Yeah. I think, the number one thing for running is the consistency, which, yeah. Which is hard. Life gets in the way. just travel. People make excuses. Yeah. but running is not like riding a bike. What I say, you can't just pick up a bike and go for, you can just pick up a bike and go for a 30, 45 minute bike ride. Yeah. most people can do that. You can't just decide one day that you're gonna go run for 45 minutes. It just doesn't quite work that way. So for me it's like running needs to be consistent. It doesn't need to be every day, but it needs to be consistent. And then, depending on what those, what that person's goals are, if they're gonna be running a half marathon, the staples are like, first we need to make sure you have time for a long run. Like you're just, you're gonna have to do a long run to run. A longer race. so that's always a staple. mile repeats are always a staple in there're For the longer races. I guess right now I'm just talking about the longer races. I also really like doing the progression runs. I found those really enjoyable as a professional runner. But I also think like mentally. It put less stress on the long run and more so of start out slow, work your way into it over time as you feel better, try and bring the pace down. Yeah, but like I don't wanna assign a pace to a long run. Hey, you're getting ready for a half marathon. You need to go run 10 miles at this pace. Because you may not feel that great, or you may get a side stitch, or you may come across a hill, Yeah. I'm not running with those people. I'm writing their training plan, so there has to be some flexibility. So a progression run is always one that it gives them the power to. Yeah. To decide, which. Is also training them for the race, mentally. Because you have to have the power within yourself to be like, this is a good pace, or I should back off a little bit, or I could pick it up here. Yeah. So it's also teaching them during a progression run to listen to their body Essentially. And not just look at your watch and say, oh, I need to run this pace. I need to run this pace. Yeah. Because that's hard to do. People get so caught up In what is this pace that I need to run? and yes, it's important if you're trying to run fast to hit certain paces in certain workouts, like mile repeats. Yeah. But for those longer races, it's really about effort as well. and it's teaching them what that effort is or getting them to learn and understand their body about effort. So those are some staples that I like. To throw in there. Cool. Is there anything, this is like an interesting question, but do you feel like there's anything that you have had to unlearn about running or performance over the years? something that you used to believe to be true that you have had to rewrite as you've tr, transitioned and progressed through your running career? Yeah. The, the number one thing is running more is not always, better. it's not always gonna make you faster. I feel like running more can make you faster to a point. And what that point is gonna be different for everybody. Totally. some people they could run marathons at and run 50 miles a week And run really fast for themself, Yeah. Maybe we try and push that and go to 65. It doesn't work. some people maybe they need to run more to run fast, and that's their sweet spot. But it's, that's where it really takes about finding the right coach and getting to know your athlete. So that you know how to coach them, because yeah, I've got a couple people that are training for half marathons, but I'm not gonna say that they're all gonna run the same weekly mileage or Time on feet because Yeah. One's female, one's male. That's gonna be a big difference. Yep. their work schedules and what their body can handle are very different. So there isn't a blanket of We've got her run this much. Yeah. To run better. Yeah. Yeah, I absolutely agree. I think that training needs to be personalized and training needs to be able to fit into your real life. Because like you just said, there are some people that work and there are people that, we've got, people on our team that work 12 hour shifts and, all sorts of different things. Like these training plans Cannot look the same. Like these bodies are different. Your lives are different and your training needs to be able to adapt and work around your real life schedule. In order for it to be the most effective, because I think that a lot of people don't realize that, your training is just part of your life and it all needs to be able to work together because all of it adds stress to your body and to your system, and you have to be able to manage that stress like so that you're not overloading the body and breaking the body down, but you're still. Putting enough load on it so that you're allowing adaptation and allowing people to make progress, which is really important. So I couldn't agree more with the personalized side of things. it was funny when I was talking to Jordan, your husband, for those of listeners, we were talking about, you guys. Our running coaches as well, and he's how are we gonna navigate this? we do the same thing. And I was like, yeah, but we're not the right coaches for everybody. And that, so that, I do love that you said that because there are people that listen to this podcast that maybe would, would want a different kind of coach and my whole goal is to help as many people as possible. And if that's with us, fantastic. And if not, then like I want people to be able to get the help that they need, to succeed in this because running can be such a wonderful. Addition to your life, and I think that is so important of having a personalized plan, having that attention and having a coach that really understands where you are and is willing to work with you and not just tell you what to do. Yeah, exactly. there's so many plans out there that you can just, you can go by, yeah. a training plan and follow it, but is it really the right one? Yeah. Who knows? Because there's no real thought I know behind it to take into account. Whereas like with Run, do, and you know there's the matching feature, which essentially you have it in your own hands to say I want someone who's super motivational, I don't wanna run this much, Yeah. I don't need it to be super scientific. I wanna male coach, and we can help you find. That coach. Yeah. But then we also ask that, that hey, do the free consultations meet with a couple different coaches. Just because you meet with one that may not be the right one. Yeah.'cause it's important. It is, yeah. to get to know them and have that conversation because. In my own experience, I've had a few coaches in my life, and finding the right one is actually more so about getting to know the coach. Not just looking at their accolades on paper, Yeah. there's tons of great coaches and programs and things out there on paper, but until you really get. To know the coach and the program behind it, you have no idea if it's gonna work for you. Yeah, and I think it's also important for people not to just choose a coach based on the coach's accolades. Like I see a lot that a lot in the running world now is like people think that they. Oh, I've run a fast marathon now I can go coach runners. And it's not necessarily, like just because you're fast doesn't mean that you're qualified to coach other people, Yeah. And I think that's like a big, myth that's out there is like your coach's success does not necessarily mean that your coach is a good coach. there are plenty of really good coaches out there that maybe didn't. Run as fast, Yeah, I know. I'm one of those, I didn't run in college. I definitely do not have any, anything close to a professional time, but I know I'm a damn good coach. And so yeah, there's both, right? there's perf, previous runners that are really good coaches, and then there's previous runners that are not good coaches and then vice versa. so anyway. Tara, this has been a really fun conversation with you. before we wrap up, is there anything that. We haven't talked about yet that you would like to leave our runners with any thoughts on your end? No, I think I just, I really hope that people find joy in running and yeah. Make time for it, and find a coach that fits you to help you. Reach your goals is the most important part, and yeah. find a running buddy. Those are always great too. Those, that's what, absolutely. Especially as you get older, you lose the team atmosphere and Sometimes it's great to just. Plan a little run date or get involved with a community. Yeah. There's tons of run clubs and things that people are looking for. So just get involved. it's a really fun community to be a part of. Yeah. I couldn't agree more. And I think that's, and you can find things virtually now too, right? if you have people in person, fantastic. But if not, there are virtual communities that you can be a part of that are super supportive. like ours, like we, we do, we have our team, that is super supportive and there's people that are all around the world that are just supporting each other and they're running and connecting and it's just so powerful to see that and I love it. if people want to work with you or learn more about you, where is the best way for them to connect with you? Yeah, run Doan is the best spot there. they can connect with me on there or other coaches'cause I might not be the best fit, but if someone thinks that I could be a good fit for them, definitely check out Run Doan. We have about 23 coaches on there, so hopefully one of those will, will match your needs. Run, doin is the best spot and happy to connect via email or video chat, whichever works best. Perfect. Awesome. Alright, thank you so much Tara, and we'll put her information in the show notes as well if you guys wanna connect with Tara online. So thank you so much for your time.