In today’s episode we talk to Stanford athlete, Julia Heymach. Julia recently capped off an amazing season of Cross-Country and Track with an incredible run at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, OR where she was the only female collegiate to make the 1500m final. Julia set the PAC-12 Championship Record in her first 5,000m ever and now owns the Stanford Women’s 1500m record. We learned so much from Julia in this episode: from her positive outlook and approach to training and racing, to her perspective on how to find balance as an elite athlete. Julia has one more season left at Stanford and we can’t wait to cheer her on!
Some highlights from our conversation include:
🏆 Running during the Presidential Fitness test and realizing that she was naturally gifted, leading her to join her first track team at around 9 years-old
🧠 Her ability to stay present and focused on the now and near future
🌲 What drew her to Stanford
📈 Adjusting to higher mileage in college and felt like she had to step up in order to keep up with the rest of the team
🎽 Going through a coaching transition through college
🏁 Trusting and having confidence in her race strategy and knowing how to kick at the end
⭐ Never putting limits on herself and her ability
🚀 Learning from every race, regardless of the result
🧪 Experimenting with different differences (but the 800 holds a special place her her heart)
🌅 The freedom that comes from running without expectations
🌀 Choosing joy in running, knowing that fitness ebbs and flows
📆 The importance of having a regular period and weight throughout high school and college
🔔 Knowing what she needed in each heat at the trials to inform her strategy
💯 Setting incremental goals that helped her get one step closer to her ultimate goal
You can follow Julia on Instagram @j.hey___
You can find us on Instagram and Twitter @runnersofthebay
Check out our website www.runnersofthebay.com and send us an e-mail at runnersofthebay@gmail.com.
This week’s episode with Julia Heymach is brought to you by:
EverAthlete, the online strength and mobility training community for outdoor enthusiasts! Visit www.everathlete.fit/ and use code ROTB50 to get 50% off your first month!
UCAN. Visit ucan.co/discount/rotb/ for 15% off!
Music is California by The Spectacular Fantastic.
Mixing and editing by Brian Walters at Singletrack Sound.
