Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Meet the #runAkron Team: Chelsea

Welcome to the third of four "Meet the #runAkron Team!" guest posts! As you might know from Lauren and Steff's posts, Chelsea has agreed to share some of her story here. Chelsea is a crazy-inspiring athlete who runs and bikes like a beast. And she's super sweet, funny, and incredibly gracious- an all-around awesome teammate :-) I can't wait to run Akron with her in just a few months!



Name: Chelsea Prior
Location: Pittsburgh, PA 
Favorite Race Distance: 10 miler
Races on your “Bucket List”: a marathon, but hopefully that will be crossed off in 2015!

How did you start running? 
One night in November in 2011, I just went out for a run. That night I ended up running just over 2 miles and loved it. I signed up for my first 5k, Turkey Trot 5k and after I completed that, I thought I could run a half marathon, so I signed up. I haven’t looked back since. 

What’s the weirdest thing that’s happened to you/weirdest thing you've seen while out on the road? 
Can’t say I've really had any weird experiences. I typically just put my head down and go. I’m not much of a runner to be looking around. [Sarah's note- she's not looking around because she's kicking serious ass! This girl is fast!]

I can’t run without...
My GPS watch. If I ever forget it, It throws me off like no other! 

What’s the best piece of running advice you've been given? 
I think the most important advice was to always have fun. People have told me all the time to make sure you do or do that, but when it comes down to it, if you aren't having fun, why do it? The advice I didn't get until my first big race was “don’t eat the Gu on the stick”. During my first half marathon, I finally realized that they meant by that, and don’t worry, I didn't eat the Gu on the stick. [Sarah's note- it's not Gu on the stick, it's Vaseline.] 

In the starting corral for a race you can find me...
On the side, headphones out and completed zoned out. I typically start in the middle of the pack. 

If you could go back in time, what’s one thing you wish you’d known before you started running? 
That is not an inexpensive thing to do! People always said, "Just run, it’s cheap and good for you." Let me tell you... it is not cheap. Shoes, clothing, races, etc. add up! 

When I’m not running, I’m...
Going to crossfit. I supplement my training with crossfit and recently added Olympic Lifting to the mix as well. When I’m not working out at all, I am traveling as much as I can for fun or for work. 

What’s your favorite post-race food? 
If I feel that I can eat, I will eat anything and everything handed to me. If it is available, I do like a nice glass of almond chocolate milk after a run. 

My running mantra is...
Hard Work. Dedication. Never give up. 

If you could run with anyone in the world, who would it be and why? 
My old self. I hated running and even though I played sports my whole life, I always tried to dodge the running. I wish I could go back and tell myself it was OK and fun to run and that it wouldn't kill me. 

About Chelsea:
I moved to Pittsburgh seven years ago after graduating from Washington College. I came out to Pittsburgh to coach rowing for three months and ended up falling in love with the city and everything it had to offer- so I stayed. Currently, I live in downtown Pittsburgh and love that I get to call this city home. When I am not off running a race or training, I am probably running to catch a plane as I love to travel. I now love that I can incorporate my running and love for travel into one. You can follow me on twitter @PghCityGirl.

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