Neely Spence Gracey has running in her blood--her Olympian dad, Steve Spence, was running the Boston Marathon the day she was born and her mom ran that day too!

She became a four-time state champion in high school and went on to turn pro after college. She has qualified for the Olympic Trials three times, but due to injury, hasn't been able to toe the line and race for a spot.

Until now.

On this episode of Run To The Top, Claire talks with the 2:34 marathoner about journey she has experienced for the past year and a half. From injury, to pregnancy, to qualifying for the Olympic Trials in Atlanta this weekend, she shares it all.

Not only that, Neely shares her wisdom for staying focused and healthy; the same tips she gives the athletes she coaches herself. Neely has a wonderful attitude and tremendous insight to performance athletes. We can't wait to cheer her on in Atlanta!

Questions Neely is asked:

3:30 What made you change your mind to go for the Olympic Marathon Trials?

9:34 How was your mental state while you were injured?

12:12 What do you think makes a good coaching relationship?

14:52 What was your experience running through your pregnancy and how do you coach your runners who are pregnant?

21:54 Do you think you will come back stronger post-pregnancy?

23:47 Do you have any stroller-running tips?

26:05 How did you use Walk/Run to ramp back up post-pregnancy?

30:01 How did it feel from an ‘ego’ standpoint to be Walk/Running?

32:45 What are your goals for Atlanta on February 29th?

34:21 What advice would you give yourself back when you started running and weight training?

35:48 What is the best gift running has given you?

37:18 How can people connect with you?

Quotes by Neely:

“I was just hoping that either it was going to happen or I was going to be far enough off that that it wasn’t realistic. Because , I did not want to be one of those very heartbreaking, tragic stories of the people who have just missed it by a few seconds.”

“As a coach, I try to really educate my athletes and help them learn about their bodies and build up their confidence and their own intuition of what they should be able to do and what they shouldn’t do.”

“There’s times where you have to push through, there’s times where it’s not a lot of fun. But, there’s also that really key line of when to push and when to not. It’s always better to err on the ‘not’.”

“The biggest thing is every person is so different. That doesn’t change whether you are pregnant or not, whether you’re a male or a female, each athlete is so unique.”

“When we try and force things, when we try and rush things it’s never going to go well. My goal for the year is to not ride that red-line at all, to be really conservative, to listen to my body, to rest when I need to rest, to not force a workout just because I think I have to, to not run that extra 2 miles at the end of a long run if I’m feeling fatigued.”

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Mentioned in this podcast:

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RunnersConnect Facebook page

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The Rebuilding of Neely Spence Gracey 39:15 Share

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The Rebuilding of Neely Spence Gracey