Olympian Shalane Flanagan on Marathons, Motherhood, Motivation and More

Shalane Flanagan is a former professional runner.  She won the Silver Medal in the 10,000 meters at the 2008 Summer Olympics and first place at the 2017 New York City Marathon.  Shalane is also a running coach, cookbook author, sports broadcaster, and, most importantly, a new mom.  On this episode of The Growth Equation Podcast, Brad and Steve speak with Shalane about the many hats she wears.  While no one has it all figured out, Shalane comes close.  She reflects on her professional running career and retirement, the benefits of training in groups, how she looks to inspire the next generation of runners, and what it takes to be one of the best in the world at something.  She also discusses life as a new mom and shares the mantra she uses to get her out the door for runs these days.  

• “We never know who we are having a positive and inspirational effect on.”
• “There comes a point when you need to rely on others to get you out the door.”
• “Everything I’ve learned as an athlete has been extremely valuable as a coach.”
• “These next three months I’m back in marathon training mode, but it’s so joyful because I’ve wanted this for so long so I can’t complain.”
• “There have been so many days where I know I’ll be a better person and better mom if I go for a run and get fresh air.  But it’s really hard to get out of the door.  So I tell myself: mood follows action.”

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Related Resources

• Run Fast, Eat Slow
• Run Fast, Cook Fast, Eat Slow.
• NYTimes: How the ‘Shalane Flanagan Effect’ Works
• Untamed, By: Glennon Doyle
• Elyse Kopecky Homepage
• The Passion Paradox, By: Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness

Find Brad and Steve on Twitter: @Bstulberg and @stevemagness

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