As we gear up for the excitement of the Boston Marathon®, we’re highlighting each of the athletes our team chose to head to Beantown! We received so many heartfelt stories from applicants, and it was excruciatingly difficult to only pick 13. Each story truly inspired us, and we think they’ll inspire you too! While we’re still weeks out from the race, we wanted to share each person’s story before the big day.
Inspired by her father’s steadfast dedication to fitness during her younger years, iFIT member Lindsay Englund is picking up the family torch and running the Boston Marathon®!
Lindsay Englund
My running journey started while I was in college to spend more time with my dad. He had always been an inspiration to me, waking every morning well before dawn to work out before heading to work at 6 a.m. We enjoyed running many annual races together throughout my college career and a couple years after. I soon began to enjoy running as an outlet and stress reliever very much and ran my first marathon (a distance I couldn’t quite talk my dad into joining me for, but he was there at the finish line) in 2015 just before my wedding. While the race didn’t go exactly as planned (it took longer than anticipated–I may have slightly overestimated my abilities), I loved the experience!
I became pregnant shortly thereafter and maintained my running during the pregnancy, running a half marathon while 26 weeks along. Once our baby arrived, the early demands of motherhood and eventually going back to work became too much to maintain much else. Fast forward through a year of breastfeeding, a second pregnancy, and then another year of breastfeeding, and I had a sudden realization that I had lost something extremely important to me. I had to find a way to get it back.
I had been using iFIT for quite some time, but not to its full potential. I only ran using the Google Maps feature, creating my own maps and doing manual runs. I don’t remember when I finally discovered the workout videos, but the first run I did was the Niagara Falls 10K with iFIT Trainer John Peel. Since then, I have so appreciated the active training advice, the complete plans to get from start to finish, and the motivating challenges along the way. I can honestly say I am probably in the best shape of my life because of the ability to train with the help of all the trainers. I ran the complete Boston Marathon® Series with iFIT Trainer Ashley Paulson last fall. Shortly after, I told my husband that it made me want to be there someday. Ashley’s energy, passion, and the experience of running it with her was so inspiring. It immediately became a definite bucket list item.
I now, just like my dad, am up every morning at 3:30 a.m. (maybe 4 a.m. on the weekends) running on the treadmill, riding the bike, or rowing on the machine. I not only do it for myself (although the guaranteed alone time that early in the morning is a definite perk!), but in hopes that I may also inspire my boys the same way that my dad has always inspired me. I want to exemplify not necessarily being the best, but being healthy enough to enjoy opportunities for experiences like this one that may come along naturally.
Running the Boston Marathon® is the amazing cherry on top of the journey back to the “me-ness” that I was missing. Boston will show those who make me “me” (namely, my two wonderful boys who make me the mom part of “me,” my husband that makes me the wife part of “me,” and my dad that makes me the daughter part of “me”) that they can do anything with the dedication, consistency, and heart that makes them “them.” I know there is so much more ahead, but this race will be a wonderful, inspiring, and motivational milestone along the way.
Disclaimer: This blog post is not intended to replace the advice of a medical professional. The above information should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or medical condition. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet, sleep methods, daily activity, or fitness routine. iFIT assumes no responsibility for any personal injury or damage sustained by any recommendations, opinions, or advice given in this article. Always follow the safety precautions included in the owner’s manual of your fitness equipment.
Opinions of iFIT members are not necessarily the opinions of iFIT.
