TRANSCRIPT:
Like many people I've been through a lot, but life circumstances cornered me into making a change. Running was always my way of reconnecting back to myself when the world seemed chaotic and crazy. I’m not running away from things anymore, I'm running towards life.
It's like a full sensory experience hearing the snow crunch under my sneakers, feeling the cold wind against my cheeks and being super aware of my surroundings. And it's just you outside and it's really simple. Just one step in front of the other and in that way I'm disconnecting but I'm connecting to something perhaps bigger. Layers of an onion have to come off so I just have to keep running and keep going. That can only be between you and the trail.
One of my biggest fears leaving Rhode Island and hitting the road was that I had a great community there. I started a nonprofit and the idea was I was going to set out and live one month in 12 cities and teach yoga in pretty much any underserved community. I had to put myself out there over and over and over again.
What does it take to get out there in the winter is your question? You have to have some discipline which I've never had a problem with. You just can't think too much about it.
You ready to go outside? Running, do you want to go running?
It is very hard to show up by yourself to a group of people that in your mind already know each other and they're probably running faster than you as the new girl in every single city. The people that would just say hi or come up to me and run a couple miles and ask me about my trip and where I'm coming from…it doesn't take much to make someone feel like they belong.
I organize a lot of group runs and I love connecting with people and building community and being with people on the trail. There's a level of openness and playfulness and empowerment that comes when it's just all women running together.
I think there's something about being on trails with people in general that just fosters amazing conversations.
When I get to go out on a run with this group of gals it's full of joy and jumping and giggles.
Kyla is bringing a lot of new runners together. It's really important that we create in our group an understanding of how we're going to use this land.
It's about small things and it's about everyone doing their part to keep these lands beautiful and public.
We care about the outdoors, we respect the outdoors, because that's where we've made friends. It's the container for our community and to be someone who facilitates that brings me a lot of fulfillment and joy.
