Today I wanted to share with you an awesome young lady! Carmy blogs over at The Petite Athlete.

Name: Carmy

Blog: http://www.carmyy.com

When did you first start blogging and why?

I blogged on and off for a couple years but never really stuck to it. It wasn’t until a few months ago when I started blogging about running that I found (what some may call cliche) my passion. I wanted a place where I could share my progress and a way to keep myself motivated and be held accountable. I wanted to create a space where beginners would feel encouraged to run and pretty much a safe place for anyone with questions that they think are “silly.”

 

What is your most helpful blogging tip?

My most helpful blogger tip would be just don’t stop. Sometimes it takes time to find your niche and you may feel discouraged when you don’t have any views but you have to keep in mind why you’re blogging.

 

What is your favorite fitness activity?

Running! Running is one of the most relaxing activities I can do or be the hardest activities. You can do easy runs or hard runs. Runs with friends or runs by yourself.

 

What motivates you?

I like the challenge of running and racing. I like the feeling of accomplishment I have after a race because all those months of training has paid off in a form of a personal record. When I race, it’s not about the thousands of people around me but it’s about me and the distance.

 

What has fitness changed about your life?

Fitness has been a place where I was able to find solace. Between battling depressing and mourning the lost of my mother a couple years ago, running was what got me through rough patches in my life. When I was sad, I ran, when I was happy I ran. Running has helped me find peace and I’m in a much better place mentally than I was before running.

 

What is your favorite pump up song?

Don’t laugh. LMFAO’s Sexy and I Know It. I had it on repeat for my first half marathon somehow and every since then, it’s been my go to song for hard runs and races.

 

What is your favorite running distance?

A half marathon. I like being able to look at a map and go, “oh, only 21k? I can run there!” But I’m sure my answer will change to a marathon once I’m able to do a full one!

 

What is your favorite motivational quote/mantra?

“I may no be the strongest. I may not be the fastest. But I’ll be damned if I’m not trying my hardest.” This reminds me that I should always be giving something my all. Sure, I’ll never probably become an Olympic athlete but if I don’t give something my all, my results will reflect that. Why would I want to let myself down by not trying as hard as I can?

 

What is your favorite piece of running/fitness gear?

My Lululemon Track Attack shorts! They’re the perfect length that I don’t need to apply body glide to my thighs! Unfortunately they’ve stopped making them.

 

What is your favorite “treat”?

Miss Vickies chips. I just can’t help myself when I see that blue bag sitting on my kitchen counter (or behind a sale sign!)

 

What is a long term running or fitness goal you have for yourself?

I would love to be able to run a 50-miler race one day. Something about running such a long distance with other people who are able to do the same thing is just so exciting! How often do you meet people who say “I ran 50 miles today.”

 

Tell us something unique about yourself.

I wouldn’t think this is unique but it’s something that sets me apart from my circle of friends. I would rather stay home and watch Netflix (after my runs of course) instead of going out. I enjoy my alone time and I like having comfortable silences. I don’t mind running in a group but when given the chance, I enjoy doing my long runs alone.

 

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who is starting out running, what would it be?

Learn to listen to your body. Yes there’s the “you should stop” pain from being out of shape that you should push through but then there’s also the “you should stop” or you’ll be injured pain that you shouldn’t push through. There are times where I’ve pushed through pain that I shouldn’t have and now they’re still haunting me (I’m looking at you ITB).

 

How do you find/make time to train?

When I was a night owl, I would train at 2 in the morning. That ended up not working for me in the long run because when you have a job and classes to get to, you need to be asleep at 2 am. Now I make time by making a schedule in a spreadsheet and seeing where I am able to shift things around (such as moving a 7 pm study session to 7 am so I can go to group runs in the evening) to free up a 1-2 hour block to train instead.

 

What’s an accomplishment you are most proud of?

An accomplishment I’m most proud of so far was my half marathon from 2013. My first half-marathon I ran in 2:18 but then last year, after putting in months of training, I was able to cut my time to 2:07. I am currently training in hopes of running my next half marathon in under 2 hours.

 

Head over to Carmy’s Blog and check it out! You can also find her on Instagram and Twitter.

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