Let’s begin by erasing all of the preconceived notions about who and what belongs in a run club. In this space, there are no 5 am wake up calls nor weekly mileage goals to meet; all you need is a willingness and desire to be kind with yourself. Some of us are lacing up our shoes for the very first time while others are seasoned marathoners; we’re called “public” because this is a place where everyone belongs and is included. (Read more about our current Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion steps here.)
Whether or not you consider yourself a “runner” (yet!), you are unconditionally welcome here.
Deconstructing the convoluted and burdensome messages that often come from the health, fitness, and sport industries can be a challenge and that’s why we’re here to do it together. We love running! And yet the primary outcome we seek here is to become kinder toward ourselves and our bodies.
We don’t measure ourselves in sizes and speed. In fact, we don’t measure ourselves at all. Instead, we’re retooling ourselves to better attune to the quality of our experience as we accept and celebrate a more nuanced relationship with ourselves.
We invite you to join us in untangling the narratives that have bound you so tightly and we hope you will find yourself running on your own terms, wishing your body-- and your whole self--goodness.
I've been running since I was seven. Since then, I've completed more 5ks, 10ks, and half-marathons than I can count. I've run a marathon at my exact goal time, and also joined the cross-country squad in college as a walk-on.
Running has been both a tool I have used to force myself into submission and an invitation toward healing, wholeness and joy. Much of my story and why I started The Public Run Club is based on the evolution between those two points.
Part of that story includes receiving treatment for an eating disorder and exercise compulsion, which focused heavily on establishing a new relationship with food, and exactly zero insights into creating a new relationship with exercise. Having grown to actually like myself in recovery, I was terrified to learn how to engage with exercise in a new way, when I had essentially used it to abuse my body for over a decade.
As an athlete then, adopting mindfulness and embodiment techniques was the element that most enriched my lifelong relationship with running: it prompted a year-long running streak, allowed me to rehab a knee-surgery while staying positive, and launched me into competitive training and racing.
Most importantly, it allowed me to practice a higher level of athleticism and a deeper level of mind/body integration without feeling like I had to treat myself harshly to reach my (running and non-running) goals.
After coaching friends and family for years, I became a certified RRCA coach in 2016 with the ultimate goal of creating a running club to help women actively untangle from a complicated relationship with exercise and their bodies. Regardless of running history, goals, and enjoyment-level, I believe there's an invitation for you to deepen your training by knowing, trusting, and delighting in your mind and body.
I live in sunny Santa Barbara, California with my husband and our young son, but I enjoy forming relationships with runners all over the world.