Guest Post: Why I enrolled in the Foot Traffic Women’s Academy

A few weeks ago, we did a giveaway to Foot Traffic Women's Academy. Our winner was Heidi and we asked her to write a little about why she wanted to participate: Hello! My name is Heidi. I am a 40-year-old (41 in May) wife, mother and IT professional (which means I sit a lot). I am excited for the opportunity to be enrolled in the Foot Traffic Women’s Academy starting February 20, 2016. My “adventures in racing” began the year I turned 30 - when I decided, on a whim, to walk the Portland Marathon. Age was just a number, after all. I considered myself a “walker” but never walked competitively. I had NO IDEA what I was getting myself into. I finished in 7:45. A few months later, I committed to training and finished the Marathon the following year in 7:15.  

Though I swore I would NEVER walk a full marathon again, I was hooked on “events”. Since then, I have completed 50+ half marathons (my favorite) and countless 10k’s. Being I walker, winning a race is virtually impossible BUT I discovered I could push myself more, train better and improve my time. That was my reward.

I have decided to enroll in the Academy because I have slowed down over the last 10 years. There have been major surgeries, life events, job changes, injuries, burn out and weight gain. I’m not the 30-year-old woman I used to be, physically or mentally. Races are often painful and post-race recovery can be slow. I can generally talk myself through the rough patches (mile 9) but I would love to learn techniques to improve my speed and have less pain – such as better form, pacing, and pre-race prep. I have several events scheduled this year; I hope this group will help me get lighter, faster and have less pain, in the process.

We look forward to following Heidi on her trip through the Academy! Register here and join Heidi!