Description

This episode is an interview with American middle distance running great, Shannon Rowbury. Shannon grew up in San Francisco, where she switched from Irish Dance to running. She found herself on a full ride scholarship to Duke, and was offered a professional contract with Nike out of college. During her professional career, Shannon was an 8 time member of Team USA, including a 3 time Olympian. She was the American record holder in the 1500, running a time of 3:56, and has won 3 bronze medals: one at the 2009 World Championships, one at the 2016 Indoor World Championships, and as of recently was upgraded to a bronze from the 2012 Olympic Games due to 3 athletes getting caught doping. She will receive her bronze medal at the 2028 LA Olympics. She is also an Emmy winning sports broadcaster, co-author of the books Medalist Mindset and Strong as a Mother, and co-founder of the non-profit Imagining More.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How growing up with dance allowed her to develop skills that eventually translated to running, and why it's important to her for her kids not to specialize too early in sports
• What her relationship with food was like growing up, and how that foundation was tested when she moved across the country to attend college at Duke
• How she navigated her first major injury while trying to sign a pro contract and pursue a pro running career out of college
• What it was like training in a toxic environment as a pro, and how she realized she could have done things in a healthier way
• Her experience training throughout pregnancy and postpartum, and why staying on top of fueling is key to avoiding injury
• What her new book, Strong as a Mother, is about and why it was so important to her to create this resource
• Her non-profit, Imagining More, and how she hopes to inspire young girls to get active in sports

If you're interested in learning more about Shannon's Projects, you can find them here:

• Strong as a Mother
• Imagining More