Friday Spotlight: ProudPatriot07
Howdy boys and girls! It's the 25th consecutive week of our beloved Spotlight thread and it's been a blast the whole way through. Today's featured runner might be petite but her abilities are mighty! She keeps things short and sweet so have fun learning all about her. Clear a path because here comes u/ProudPatriot07!
Let's roll...
###The Runner:
First Name?
Amy
Age?
30
Where are you from?
Charleston, South Carolina
Occupation?
Technical Writer
###Running Q&A's:
What are your PR’s?
5k: 20:53
10K: 44:40
Half: 1:38:28
What is your distance PR?
26.2 miles
How long have you been running?
Since 2006
Briefly explain why you began running?
I started running a little in college just to relieve stress and combat the freshman 15. I ran about 2 miles a day but wasn't serious about it. In 2009, I worked for a company that sponsored a 5K trail race and wanted to run the race, so I started training for it.
Most memorable running moment?
Finishing the Charleston Half Marathon in 1:39:59. I set a goal of sub-1:40 and crushed it by one second. It was fun to run such a neat time.
Do you have a running mantra?
Not really
What’s your highest recorded weekly mileage?
52 miles
What time of day do you prefer to run?
On weekends: 8 AM.
On weekdays: 5:30-6 PM
Any big races coming up?
I live in SC, and it gets very hot and humid here, so I don't have any goal races. I am running lots of 5Ks this summer as workouts and to be with friends.
What are your short-term running goals?
Run consistently and injury free. Run the Charleston Marathon in January 2017 and run a time I am proud of and possibly BQ.
What are your long-term running goals?
Run consistently and injury free. Once I get older, have kids, and start slowing down, I'd love to transition to the "other side" by getting a coaching certification and coaching a youth team. I coached youth track/xc in 2011-2012 before moving to Charleston and it was a wonderful experience.
What’s one piece of running advice you’d give to the younger version of yourself?
Don't sell yourself short. I remember running my first 5Ks in 31-33 minutes, and now I can run a 5K in under 22 minutes on a bad day. If you put in the work, you can achieve your goals, but it takes months and even years.
What is something you need to work on to become a better runner?
I definitely need to foam roll and stretch more.
What is your current shoe choice?
For races, tempo runs, and interval workouts: New Balance Fresh Foam Zante 1. For long runs and easy days: Brooks Launch 2.
What’s your comfy pace?
Easy days: 8:45-9:00.
Trail? Road? Track? Or Treadmill?
Road, track, and occasionally treadmill. We don't have many trails around here, and I'll only run a trail race if it's a good cause I believe in.
What is your ideal running weather?
Low 40s with low humidity and partly cloudy. I like running in short sleeves, shorts, and throwaway gloves! Here in Charleston, it never gets cold so I don't have to run in tights or pants ever.
Do you have any social media accounts you’d like to share? [Facebook, Strava, Twitter]
I blog at http://www.thetinyterror.com
###Just For Fun:
What’s your spirit animal?
Squirrels!
What hobbies and interests do you have besides running?
Social media, art, music, being a foodie and visiting Charleston-area restaurants, travel.
Do you have any hidden talents?
Nope.
Biggest pet peeve?
Petty drama in the running community, when people look down on newer/slower runners.
Favorite Quote or Poem?
"Believe that you can run farther or faster. Believe that you're young enough, old enough, strong enough, and so on to accomplish everything you want to do. Don't let worn-out beliefs stop you from moving beyond yourself" - John Bingham.
What songs have you been listening to recently?
Andy Grammar "Hallelujah" is one of my most recent favorites.
What are some of your favorite non-running subreddits?
Charleston, Working Remotely, and Ask Me Anything.
###One Last Question:
What is the origin of your username?
My college mascot was Patriots and I graduated in 2007. This was right about when social media was becoming popular so it kind of became my username for everything. My nickname among people I know is Tiny Terror.
I really appreciate u/proudpatriot07 taking the time to let us know a bit more about her. This is the second week in a row that I've gotten to learn more about someone I'm not familiar with so it's been fun. As usual, please tag u/proudpatriot07's username when personally asking her a question in this thread! Also, if I see that you've failed to tag her after asking her a question, I'll try my best to respond to your question by tagging her myself. So be aware. Tagging her username alerts her that her attention is needed. This way, she doesn't have to sift through all of the comments one by one, which can be a rather daunting task when there is a lot of traffic to the thread. Please don't forget that all of our Friday Spotlight athletes may need time to respond to your comments and questions so give them some time to reply.
####Thanks for reading everyone!!!
Previously Featured Spotlight Runners:
ATTENTION READERS!
I've been getting messages weekly from a lot of people asking to be featured in the Friday Spotlight Thread. My response to them is the same every time. I do not get to personally choose who is chosen for each thread. With exception to Palindrome27 (which I randomly chose to get this started), every runner thus far has been selected by the person before them. It's one of the perks of getting nominated. There is no list of names. No spreadsheet with columns and columns of usernames. Nothing. So for those confused, users like Philpips was chosen by Despoena. Despoena was chosen by Craigster38. So on and so on. You get the idea. Doing it this way eliminates the hassle of having to personally pick someone every week. This keeps me neutral. Some of you have expressed your opinion (via PM) on who's been featured this far claiming that I have only chosen runners who are fast, have been running for a while, or compete in longer distance races. This is simply luck of the draw. There is zero favoritism here. Each featured runner gets to personally pick someone they find interesting. I apply no pressure to the runners to pick a particular skill level of runner. This is the beauty of the process. If you want to be featured, you can up your chances of being chosen by being an active member of the subreddit. Comment as much as possible. Submit quality content. Provide as much as you can as a runner to help keep this community growing and I'm certain your efforts will not go unnoticed. Just keep tuning in and making friends and eventually it'll pay off if you want to be featured. Thank you.
Posted May 13, 2016, 11:36 AM UTC · edited