ABOUT

Even though I was running at paces that most people would call “slow,” I had actually been running for years. I did my first 5K in elementary school and ran track and cross country throughout high school. I was always at the back of the pack, but hey – without slow runners, who would make fast runners look good? I’m competitive and I love to challenge myself, so in my junior year of high school, my cross country teammate, Celine, and I set a goal to complete a half marathon before we graduated. In December 2013, I completed my first half marathon in 3:07:57, which is a 14’20” pace. To this day, that’s still the hardest half I have ever run, and I swore I would never do another…but let me tell you, crossing that finish line was (and still is) one of the greatest moments of my life.

Fast forward to college: I had happily retired from all high school sports (although I still loved playing basketball) and I was majoring in architecture. I truly cannot explain the amount of literal blood, sweat, tears, glued fingers, sleepless nights, and insane amounts of caffeine that got me through that time. After my sophomore year, I registered for my second half marathon as a way to force myself to find time to exercise. I completed my second half and registered for one more half marathon before finishing undergrad. The thing was, my first three half marathons honestly made me despise running, and I looked at it as a chore. Fast forward one more time to graduate school, now pursuing my Masters in Architecture, when I signed up for my fourth half marathon – that’s when everything changed.

While training for my fourth half with the help of my coach, Alysha Flynn, I finally started to enjoy running. Accidentally creating Below Average Running helped me to stop worrying about my paces and truly fall in love with running. I am so proud of my running accomplishments, and I cannot believe that I’ve done as much as I have. Even my old cross country coach, who saw my running posts on Facebook, was shocked to see how much I love running (particularly because she put up with my ongoing complaints at practice – hey, it was so hot outside, and I didn’t want to run five miles). Coach Weber reached out and said, “Nicole, if you would’ve told me a few years ago that you would still be running while inspiring thousands of others, I never would have believed you, but I am so proud of you.”

My biggest advice to any runner out there is to take it one day at a time, one run at a time, and one mile at a time. Be present for each moment and every mile. There will be so many days that you want to give up and quit, but I need you to remember why you started. Quitting will not bring you any closer to your goals. Focus on what you’ve achieved so far, and don’t you dare compare yourself to someone else. This is YOUR running journey and no one else’s. I am so proud of you, and always remember to embrace the mother f*cking pace.

A huge thank you to every single person who has supported me through my running journey. Every comment, message, and cheer does not go unnoticed. Without each and everyone of you, I wouldn’t have ever reached these dreams. Thank you from the bottom of my heart – it means more than I can ever put in words.