Runner’s World+ Member: Robin Pike
Robin is a Runner’s World+ member. Join her and thousands of others chasing their goals with day-by-day training plans, expert advice from editors and coaches, and unlimited digital access. We regularly feature members online and in print!
I first started running in 2006 in grad school as a way to destress but fell out of it when I moved for work. After being diagnosed with fibromyalgia and joint hypermobility (and after extensive physical therapy), I picked up running again in 2011 as part of my plan to manage pain and fatigue symptoms and to build strength. Before I started running again, it hurt to walk or even sit or stand for extended periods—not the way I wanted to live at 25! I’m so grateful that I’m able to live a life with so few bad days, so I can do my job and hobbies with virtually no limitations. I’m so much more mobile and have a much better quality of life. With the strength I’ve built, I’ve been able to go on frequent and long hikes to amazing places in national parks and along the Appalachian Trail.
Running has helped me in other ways, beyond my health. My run club provided immediate friendships when moving to a new city and led to the Ladies of Run Club Book Club. I’ve also been able to partake in amazing opportunities, such as planning racing/hiking vacations with friends while running the Shenandoah and Great Smokies Vacation Races, and attending the Active at Altitude camp. Running in the amazing scenery of Rocky Mountain National Park, learning how to holistically incorporate running into a healthy life, meeting my coach, and beginning friendships with more amazing women runners.
Learning how to train has also given me the structure to come back from disappointing injuries, such as recurring shin splints and a femoral neck stress fracture (and surgery) in 2019. Knowing that hypermobility causes muscular instability and can lead to injury, my condition is changeable through strength training and running, and has motivated me to work hard when coming back from injuries.
I joined Runner’s World+ because I wanted access to inspirational stories to keep me going on hard days, the scoop on new gear and training methods, and to grow my hobby to feel like I’m part of a larger community.
Knowing my physical well-being is so much better when I’m regularly running and is a great motivator to get out there on even the crummiest day.
I love running in many of the smaller neighborhoods around Silver Spring, MD, outside of DC, because many houses are quirky, people out running/walking are friendly, and we have some monster hills for somewhere that’s not thought of as that hilly. I also love hitting the trails of Sligo Creek and Rock Creek Park to mix up pavement and dirt surfaces, and to appreciate the precious scenic views in an urban environment.
Using my Garmin 735XT watch and heart rate monitor have been instrumental in making me a better runner. The data that I receive from this set gives me feedback on my form, cadence, and how I’m attacking terrain. Before I started working with a coach, they were how I began to improve my form and decrease injury, and now that I work with a coach, they’re another way that I check in. It’s also handy to program speed workouts and have my watch prompt me automatically.
I play flute and piccolo in two groups in the DC region and learned how to beatbox flute a few years ago.
I’m prioritizing strength training to prevent injury, particularly after the femoral neck stress fracture stopped me in my tracks for five months. I would also love to build back up to races longer than a half marathon, particularly on trails.
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