WHERE WILL YOUR TOPOS TAKE YOU? (NOVEMBER CHECK-IN)

Welcome to our monthly check-in with three fortunate BAMRbassadors that are chasing (or chased!) big athletic goals in 2023. Two of the three gals completed the Hilton Head Island Quarter Marathon as part of the recent Another Mother Runner Retreat.

P.S. Try Topo Athletic running shoes for yourself: Use code TOPOAMRSMR to save 15%. Code expires on December 31, 2023. (Regular priced items only.)

BAMRBassador #1: Nicole Albright; Shippensburg, PA

Remind us what you are training for.
Crossing off a few more states in the 50-state marathon quest—and running the Dopey Challenge in Disney World with my sister to celebrate her 40th birthday.

Your goal races aren’t until January. How is your running going?
The weather in Pennsylvania has been…strange. This past week, the temperature during my morning runs have been: 28, 56, and 70 degrees…in.one.week! I’m starting to understand why some runners choose treadmills. The Topo Ultrafly 4 has been coming along on some longer runs. Recently I wore them during a 7-mile tempo session, and I was again pleasantly surprised at the springy action and response of the Topos.

Your photo this month is from a recent race. Do tell! 
On October 8, I checked off my 16th state—West Virginia—by running the Greenbrier River Trail Marathon. A certain weather app had been displaying a very pleasant forecast of 52 degrees on race morning. As my sister and I pulled up to the mountain lodge where we were staying, the wind hit us, and we quickly realized it was not going to be that warm. Luckily I was wearing my cute AMR vest because it ended up being a very brisk 28 degrees on race day!

Any plans to do a turkey trot later this month?
Yup! I have done the same turkey trot in my hometown for nearly 10 years.

BAMRBassador #2: Laurel Short; Leawood, KS

Remind us what you are training for?
I completed the Madison 70.3 Ironman in September. Next year I’m running the Flying Pig half marathon, and I’m still mulling over my triathlon options.

We’re sorry to hear you’re on the injured list. Tell us the details–and what your plan of action is.
After 18 months of nagging hamstring pain, I finally got a MRI that revealed two partial hamstring tendon tears. I will be undergoing a platelet procedure (PRP) with a sports medicine doc this month, followed by physical therapy. While it’s hard to take a break from running, I am relieved to have an action plan and hope to resume running pain-free in January!

How are you dealing with shorter hours of daylight now that we set the clocks back? 
I find myself shifting some workouts later in the day during the fall and winter. When the days are longer, I am primarily a morning exerciser, but I love seeing the fall colors with a post-work run or getting a boost of energy for the evening with an indoor trainer session.

Will your Topos be gathering dust until the New  Year?
Though I am on a hiatus from running, I continue to sport my Topo Phantom 3s for walks, daily activities, and work. They served me well when I power-walked the quarter marathon at the Hilton Head Retreat. [That’s Laurel on the right, above, on the HHI beach with her good friend Tiffany.] I know they will be my primary shoes as I recover from my procedure, given the comfort and support they provide. Plus, I’ll be walking more soon as we are getting a puppy, Hazel!

BAMRBassador #3: Rebecca Atkinson; Easley, SC

Remind us what races you are/were training for.
This fall, I ticked off my first 30K trail race and did two half marathons. Now my sights are set on the Dopey Challenge (5K, 10K, half marathon, + marathon) at Disney World in January

With your trail race in your rearview mirror, how’s your running going?
Great! I’ve shifted from trail training back to road training with the Dopey Challenge at Disney World in sight. I was able to participate in two half marathons—one as part of the Better Together program in Indianapolis and the other at the Another Mother Runner Retreat in Hilton Head Island last weekend. Both of these reminded me how much I do love running with groups and other people! A recent 8-miler at home was a bit lonely. Thanks to those two AMR experiences, I have some great BAMRs to keep in contact with via text, social media, and such, and hopefully that will satisfy my “group” run experience.

At our recent Retreat, you had to tack on a few extra miles before the race for Dopey training. Share details of what you did–and how it felt. 
In addition to running the half marathon, I had to add another four miles to fulfill the day’s training run. I was able to get the extra mileage done with a fellow BAMR, Lynn, who also had to complete three additional miles to her quarter marathon race distance.

Our races were the morning after we set the clocks back, which was such a help because we both felt like we were not getting up earlier and had sunlight on the beach for our pre-race miles. Doing the pre-mileage felt good: I was warmed up and raring to go at the start line. I ran with another BAMR, Michelle, who’s also training for Dopey—we took it slow and easy! [Photo above is Michelle on the left, Becca on the right.] By the end of the race, my legs felt pretty good—thank you, Topos.

Any plans to do a turkey trot later this month?
Funny you should ask. When I returned from Hilton Head, I realized I needed to sign up for a turkey trot. This year we are spending Thanksgiving at the beach just north of Charleston, SC. I looked up the local turkey trot there—and registration is almost $50/person! My training plan calls for a 5-mile run that day. I’m still mulling if I want to spend almost $200 for my family of four to trot a 5K, when I could just do my 5 miles around the beach. I can think of a lot of other things to spend $200 on…I’m leaning toward creating a make-your-own turkey trot.