Some of Amy’s many accomplishments include two Flying Pig wins, numerous top 10 finishes, and Olympic Trial qualifications. Read on to see what helps this incredible runner cross the finish line.
In honor of National Women’s Fitness Day, tell us about your fitness experience/what you do to stay in shape.
My fitness experience (in adulthood) has always been a constant learning cycle of limitations and breakthroughs. I had to change gears from being a competitive swimmer most my life but that didn’t go as planned and as soon as I blinked I was racing halfs and fulls. I am always game for something new and challenging but running has always been a constant for me. I’ve never not wanted to try a new strength class, boot camp style class, various yoga classes (shoutout to Kori at REAL Human Performance!) and spin classes. The trickiest part of my fitness routine is finding the balance of my running, or heavy training cycles, with these classes and workouts.
How did you end up at Norwood Chiropractic?
After I broke my leg in 2013. The day my cast came off I was in Dr. Yost’s office getting my body aligned and finding its new normal. This type of body work was a crucial part to my healing and recovery.
Tell us about your injuries and what you do to prevent them.
I am pretty sure I have the laundry list of typical runners injuries; from stress fractures to soft tissue damage. With every injury I have learned more about how to care for my body and how to keep it balanced and “tuned up”.
Where do you find your biggest challenges?
The biggest challenges I face with my fitness lifestyle is finding balance with my running and other interests. I truly love just using my body and challenging it but I have learned that if I don’t take the easy days and off days; I will break down too much to the point of injury.
Give us your best piece of advice for aspiring athletes.
Do not compare yourself to someone else. Everyone has a different threshold, different limitations, different constraints, and different mechanics. Compare yourself to you only. Too often achievements are diminished because of the constant comparison game and nothing positive every comes from that. My other advice is to remember that every single athlete had to start from the bottom…everyone has been a novice or a rookie. The constant effort to be better than yesterday and keeping your mindset focused on whatever goal you’ve set is the game changer.
What do you run for?
I run for peace of mind. I run for my mental sanity. I run for the pure joy I get from it.
