Hey Conscious Runners, I’ve got another fantastic interview for you! It is with mother, runner and Olympian Kara Goucher. This interview is especially exciting for me, as I’ve been a fan of Kara for over a decade, and have watched her evolution as a runner and a person. Kara started running at a very early age and was good from the start. But it wasn’t always a smooth ride.

A cycle of injury and recovery would be repeated several times through her career. In spite of the many ups and downs, she is one of the best American runners and one of the best runners in the world.  In 2008, Kara made the Olympic 5,000- and 10,000-meter teams, where she placed 9th and 10th respectively.

That fall, she made her marathon debut at New York City, placing third, with a time of 2:25:53, the fastest first marathon by an American woman. She was also third in her next marathon, the 2009 Boston marathon. After taking a season off in 2010 to give birth to her son, Colt, kara returned to racing in 2011 and placed fifth at the 2011 Boston Marathon in 2:24:52, a personal best.

2012 she qualified for the London Olympics in the marathon. She placed 11th there.  In late 2013, she moved from Portland back to Boulder, Colorado, and resumed being coached by her college coaches, Mark Wetmore and Heather Burroughs. In 2016, kara placed 4 in the Olympic trials, one spot shy of qualifying for the team heading to RIO.

I completely enjoyed my interview with Kara and know you will too.

[Tweet “”No one ever has to tell me not to work hard.” ~Kara Goucher”]

Until next time, run strong, run long and be present.