Today’s Friday Featured Runner is Cassandra over at Almost Getting It Together.

Cassandra’s Running Journey

I’ve been running distance for 11 years now. It started when I was 14 and hasn’t stopped. In high school I ran through a few injuries then took a few months off when I started college and primarily did spin, swam and used the elliptical. One day I had a lot on my mind and went out for a trail run and completely fell back in love with it again. I’ve ran 9 half-marathons (my PR is a 1:52) and I hope to break 1:50 by the end of the year, as well as run a full marathon. I’m also running the Cumberland-DC Ragnar in September!

What made you decide to be a runner? I started running when I was around 14. I just wanted to be outside one day and thought I should go for a run. Later that school year, the high school cross country coach saw me running in gym and thought I had good endurance and asked me to come out for the team. I ran varsity cross-country four years in high school and was captain my senior year. I continued running for exercise in college then begin running half marathons.

What is the longest distance you’ve ran? 15 miles… hopefully that increases soon as I want to run a full marathon, but I love running the 13.1 distance.

What is your favorite post run fuel? It changes, but usually after my long runs I like a big salad with protein and then sweet potato with yogurt, a turkey wrap or this weekend – two eggs with a sprouted gluten free English muffin with lots of peanut butter!

What song is currently being played on your playlist when you run? I saw Jay-Z and Beyonce in concert two weeks ago so they have been on repeat for me lately!

What would you tell an individual who has just started their journey into running? GO GET FITTED FOR SHOES. Seriously, running in the wrong shoes can derail your entire plan. Next would be to have fun. Don’t put pressure on yourself right away – do it for you.