Kara Goucher is a professional runner for the Oiselle team, Olympian, and mother.
In this episode, Kara Goucher, tells the story of how she began running, from her first race at six years old with her grandfather to discovering cross country in seventh grade. Kara discusses the challenges of navigating puberty as an adolescent female runner. She provides insight on the importance of individualized training in her progression as a professional. Kara reflects on joining the Oiselle Team and the incredible support the Oiselle community has given her. She recounts the 2014 NYC Marathon and how she overcame the mental challenges she faced during the race. Kara gives advice for mother runners on balancing training with motherhood. She explains how she has transformed her nutrition with plant powered recipes. Lastly, Kara honors numerous female running mentors and previews whats ahead for 2015.
I edited my ROO Podcast #89 with Haile Gebrselassie for a project at the Oral History Winter School. Our assignment was to produce a short piece from a longer interview that would be aired on WGXC 90.7-FM in New York.
This almost four minute piece tells Haile’s running story. Haile Gebrselassie is one of the greatest distance runners in history, and now business and father. I encourage you to listen to the unedited interview, ROO Podcast #89, to hear Haile’s full story.
I plan to edit other ROO interviews to give listeners a preview of the longer interviews— let me know any feedback/comments you have on this style of ROO!
Haile Gebrselassie is one of the greatest distance runners in history, a professional runner from Ethiopia, Olympian, world recorder holder in numerous events, including the former world record holder in the marathon, and now businessman and father.
In the episode, Haile tells the story of how he started running, from running the 10km to school and 10km home everyday to his first 1500 meter race at the age of 14. Haile reveals the reasons behind his favorite running distance. He discusses the importance of never giving up and the role this lesson played in his 2000 Sydney Olympics 10,000 meter race where he won the gold medal. Haile explains how running influences his outlook on business and the centrality of his faith in his life. He offers his perspective on why Ethiopian runners are among the best in the world and describes what his training looks like now. Haile reflects on how he balances his running, family, and businesses. Lastly, Haile shares who his biggest role model has been.
Julia Bleasdale is a professional runner from Great Britain and Olympian.
In the episode, Julia tells her story of how she got into running from balancing her passions for running and music in her youth to running competitively at Cambridge University. She reveals the challenging transition to professional running and how she overcame injury. Julia reflects on her incredible experience running in her home country for the 2012 London Olympics and her racing strategy behind running both the 5k and 10k at the Olympics. She discusses what inspired her to first travel to run in Ethiopia, including advice for training at high altitude and her personal training philosophy. Julia shares her love of trails, from her recent trip to Italy to run with Salomon’s trail running team to a recap of her recent win at the Greensand Trail Marathon. She explains how to balance periods of rest and recovery in one’s training and offers her unique viewpoint on the pros and cons of not running with a watch. Julia explains her perspective on why Ethiopian runners are among the best in the world. Lastly, Julia previews what she is excited about in her progression to the 2016 Olympics.
I have received this question numerous times by curious friends. I reply with a muddled “no,” explaining that I am not diminishing the girl’s running abilities, but explain that is not the aim of the Yaya Girls Program.
The goal of the Yaya Girls Program is not to make olympians, but instead to focus on fostering the development of these young women in numerous other arenas. Let me describe the greater Ethiopian running culture in order to full explain why this is:
Before coming to Ethiopia, I did not realize how many people in Ethiopia are trying to pursue professional running. After a few morning runs in the forest, where I would typically see at least 300 hundred runners in a span of 45 minutes, it became clear to me that thousands of Ethiopian runners are striving to win races.
Running in Ethiopia is seen as a way out of poverty. Many runners are encouraged to drop out of school from a young age to focus on running, and are told by their coaches that they will be unable to reach their potential as runners unless they leave school and train full-time. Many of those who drop out, join running clubs — training in the morning, resting during the day, and training again in the afternoon. Some of these clubs provide the runners with small stipends, while others do not.
Many of those who pursue running come from low socio-economic backgrounds and believe that running will be a pathway to wealth. I have often wondered whether if given enough money to live comfortably for the long-term, would they still choose to continue training? Is running just a pathway to making money or do they truly love the sport? Are these questions even mutually exclusive?
I had the opportunity to do short interviews with the six current Yaya Girls and explore their backgrounds. I asked each girl about her running dreams. In their own words, each said something to the effect of “I want to win races and become rich.” I also asked many other Ethiopian friends who were pursuing professional running about their running goals and received similar answers.
Unquestionably, it is a beautiful thing to believe in your dreams, but there is also the reality of understanding one’s abilities within the context of the surrounding competitive environment. Only a handful of people from each country can be sent to the Olympics in any given event, and when thousands of runners pursue these few spots, almost all will be sadly left out, without a ticket to Rio.
What do these runners fall back on when they are poor, have little education, are unemployed and have no marketable skills or job prospects?
This is where the mission of the Yaya Girls Program comes in. We provide aspiring young female runners with an opportunity to grow and develop as more than just runners. At Yaya, the Girls study English, gender empowerment, and receive vocational training. They still train twice per day and take their running very seriously. However, instead of running being their only way out, it becomes a culturally accepted safe space where they can practice hard work and discipline, while continuing to chase their uncertain running dreams.
When the Yaya Girls graduate from the program, the hope is for them to leave with new skills and connections to get a well-paying job, allowing them to become financially stable, young adults. What is most important is that they leave the program empowered, strong, and able to support themselves, whether or not they continue to run.
Rene Kalmer is a professional runner and Olympian from South Africa.
In the episode, Rene tells the story of how she got into running, from her first cross country race at the age of 10 to her breakthrough running year at the age of 16. She reveals the secret to her longterm success as a deep love of running. Rene recounts her dreams of becoming an Olympian, watching fellow South African female runners Elana Meyer and Zola Budd from a young age. She explains how she transitioned from running the 1500 meter at the 2008 Beijing Olympics to running the marathon at the 2012 Olympics. Rene shares details of her marathon training, including key workouts and her relationship with Christine, her sister and training partner. She provides insight on the importance of listening to your body and how she practices this on a daily basis. Rene discusses why she left teaching to pursue running full-time. She recaps her recent experience at the Berlin Marathon where she placed 9th in a time of 2:29:27. Rene describes how she overcomes the mental challenges that are experienced during a marathon. She reflects on her three-week stay in Ethiopia, including her most memorable run and her perspective on why Ethiopian runners are among the best in the world. Rene notes the support of her family as paramount to her success. Lastly, Rene previews her journey in qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Ashton and Brianne Theisen-Eaton are a powerhouse track and field athlete duo.
Ashton is an American decathlete and Olympic champion, who holds the world record in both the decathlon and heptathlon events. Brianne is a Canadian heptathlete and pentathlete, who is an Olympian from London 2012, holds the Canadian record for the indoor pentathlon, is a heptathlon silver medallist from the 2013 World Championships, and a pentathlon silver medallist from the 2014 World Indoor Championships.
In the episode, Ashton and Brianne describe each other in three words. They explain how they cultivate a competitive, yet supportive mindset in their training together. Ashton and Brianne recount the story of they met. They discuss the logistics of training together on a daily basis. Ashton and Brianne reveal their favorite and most challenging events in their multi-sports. They reflect on the proudest moment they have experienced when watching each other compete. Ashton and Brianne recap Ashton’s world record decathlon, including the nerves they both experienced with his 1500 meter event. They provide a glimpse into how they unplug in their offseason. Ashton and Brianne preview their upcoming calendar as they prepare for the 2016 Olympics. Lastly, they offer wise advice on staying injury-free.
Amy Yoder-Begley is a former professional runner, Olympian, and head coach of women’s cross country at University of Connecticut.
In this episode, Amy describes when she fell in love with running at just eight years old. Amy reveals the verbal statement that she repeated herself in a breakthrough 5k race in college. She recaps the experience of qualifying for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Amy recounts of one of the most memorable races of Amy’s professional career: her 6th place finish at the 10k World Championships. She describes her journey with celiac disease. Amy captures what it felt like to break 15 minutes in the 5k. She discusses who inspires her, the power of goal setting, and dreaming big. Amy tells about her work now as a head coach of women’s cross country at University of Connecticut and why she started Distance Divas, an elite post-collegiate female running group.
Blake Russell is a professional runner, Olympian, mother, and writer.
In this episode, Blake discusses her background in running and how she navigated the transition from high school to collegiate running. She recaps a breakthrough race in the 1500 from her time at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Blake recounts of her experience competing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She reveals how she dealt with the disappointment of not qualifying for the 2004 Olympic Team. Blake offers three lessons she has learned from her renowned Coach Robert Sevene. She provides tangible tips on proper running form. Blake explains how she balances motherhood and training. She shares her favorite workouts and upcoming races on her calendar. Lastly, Blake gives her perspective on strength training: a little bit can go a long way!
Joanna Zeiger is an accomplished runner, former professional triathlete, coach, and researcher of behavioral genetics.
Joanna was a professional triathlete who had successes at all 3 distances in the sport, winning races in the Olympic, Half Ironman, and Ironman distances. She is an Olympic trial qualifier in 3 sports – marathon, triathlon and swimming.
In this episode, Joanna discusses her background in swimming from beginning at the age of 7 to swimming competitively through college. She explains how an injury lead her to discover running. Joanna recounts the two most memorable races from her triathlon career. She describes the benefits of strength training for endurance athletes. Joanna reveals her current focus on running as a competitive masters athlete and upcoming races and goals, including qualifying for the Olympic Trials in the marathon. She reflects on why coaches need a coach. Joanna explains how she balances her work as a Research Associate at the Institute for Behavioral Genetics and training on a day to day basis. She honors the importance of her family’s support in her athletic endeavors. Lastly, Joanna provides three tips for endurance athletes those recovering from an injury and her nutrition philosophy for athletes of all levels.
Kara Goucher is a professional runner for the Oiselle team, Olympian, and mother.
Running On Om 