I had the privilege of meeting Tiara when we trained and ran the Nike Women's Marathon together last year with Nike Women. Tiara was training in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and I was training in Roseville, CA. Tiara is an incredibly inspiring person. As we got to know each other more I realized we have a lot in common. We were both collegiate athletes and love a challenge, both love the same Nike gear and love to run. If only we were in the same country!
Tiara is fast. She started out running four years ago and is constantly improving. She is already a sub-4 hour marathoner! One of her goals is to qualify for the Boston Marathon and I know she will do it! I wanted to share Tiara's awesome running story here with you so you can be inspired and motivated to follow your dreams as well. Nothing is out of reach.
How did you get into running?
In 2009 I was extremely overweight. After I stopped swimming first year university I started gaining a ton of weight and I began to yo-yo with my body weight, this started a huge horrible cycle of eating disorders. In 2009 I was my heaviest and I hated that feeling!! Instead of feeling sorry for myself and falling back into the cycle of eating disorders I bought a pair of running shoes and an ipod nano with the Nike running capabilities. Back in 2010 I ran my first 10km race and I always said I would run no further then 10km's in May 2012 Nike Women contact me about running the Nike Women's Marathon and gave me the option between the half and the full and I have always had the frame of mind that if I am going to jump I should jump head first. In October 2012 I finished my first ever Marathon.
How do you train? Are you a part of a running group? Do you prefer running with a group or alone?
Currently I am running with Team in Training, we raise money for Leukemia, Lymphoma and Melanoma. I am usually a solo runner but I love starting off with a group of ladies and finishing with them. We encourage each other on the way offering a high five here and a pat on the back there. Running with a group has helped me be more compassionate as we all run at different levels and some even walk but it shows me that each and every person has their own strength and their own quiet determination.
What is your favorite memory from running?
My favorite memory is crossing the finish line at Nike Women's. It was my very first marathon and the very first time I pushed my body that far, I learned that no matter what I had the strength and determination to push myself through anything. As long as I put my mind to it I could face any challenge put in front of me.
Nike Women's Marathon 2012
What race(s) is your favorite? Why?
Nike Women's will always be my favorite race! It is my first marathon and I met amazing friends along the way.
What advice do you have for new runners?
Never give up! Everyone has bad runs and everyone has good runs, but on bad run days don't give up! Keep pushing forward. It was on my bad run days that I found myself, I found out how resilient I am and how far
How do you use your blog/social media to influence your running?
I love talking about running, I love tweeting about running and my life is running. I love engaging my social media followers about running. It makes my day and also gives me motivation when I am lacking it.
How do you fit running in with your daily schedule, work, etc…?
I always run on my lunch hour! Lunch hour runs break up my day and make me feel like I can tackle my afternoon no matter what is thrown at me. I love early morning runs, hitting the pavement before anyone else is out there, when it is just me and the open road.
Do you have any favorite running gear our readers should know about (shoes, tights, etc)?
I wear only Nike, my all time favorite shoes are the Nike Lunarglides, they make me feel like I am running on a cloud and I love the style of them. Just because I am running doesn't mean I don't like to look good. Nike has an amazing line of fitness apparel that is fashionable and yet practical.
Elizabeth, Me and Tiara at NWM 2012
