Emily Bailey never saw herself as athletic. She played sports growing up but didn’t feel like she was naturally good at any of them. Over the years, she stayed active and even ran 5Ks for fun, but it wasn’t until 2022 that she started to take running more seriously. What started as a challenge with a cash prize turned into something much bigger.

In this episode, Emily shares how she trained for her first half marathon, navigated recurring injuries, and eventually signed up for her first full with a mindset of no regrets. We talk about what it looked like to go from feeling like an outsider in the running world to crossing the finish line at the Every Woman’s Marathon — and finally claiming the title of athlete.

Follow along with Emily on Instagram and TikTok at @rockytoprunner!

Follow along with the show:

👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays

🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod

📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast

🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathonpodcast.com/exclusives