Amy Rusiecki is a full-time engineer with a passion for ultrarunning.
Amy, who has been running her entire life, started out with orienteering when she was only six years old before moving onto cross country running and then transitioning to road racing (during which time she escaped to the trails to train).
During her ultrarunning career (Amy has completed 82 ultras and has won 33 of them), she has found confidence, joy and her husband.
She is the Race Director for the Vermont 100 and coaches other ultrarunners through The Run Formula.
She is a three-time member of the USA Trail Team, and is sponsored by Inov-8 and Drymax.
Amy, her husband and their kitty live in western Massachusetts and mainly race throughout the East Coast.
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out.
The Tough Girl Podcast is being sponsored throughout March by Inov-8. www.inov-8.com
Get involved with the #MarchDailyMile Challenge. Run 1 mile everyday in March.
Listen to Amy Now!
Click here if you can't see the link below.
Show notes
Who is Amy
Being a lifelong athlete
Finding trail and ultra running
Ultra running since 2007
Being a race director and working as a full time engineer
Waking up super early!
Being from an active family
Doing orienteering and becoming a cross country skier
Finding the right endurance sport
Running use to be a punishment when she was younger
Why she loves running
Signing up for her first 50 mile race
Doing her first marathon and trail marathon with her sister
Doing a relay race and roping in her work colleague
Signing up for the Vermont 50
Her mental approach to running endurance races
Make sure you know your why
Being inspired by her friend
Doing a 100 mile race without her crew or her friends
100 reasons why Amy is going to rock the 100!
Magical moments while racing
Feeling bad for herself and just wanting to finish the race
Making the transition from being an elite athlete to a normal runner
Being more of a middle of the pack runner
Did she love the sport or was her passion for the sport tied to her success
Being ok with not winning
Not being able to live unto the expectation of other runners
Working as a Race Director
The gender split in the ultra races
Breaking down barriers in the ultra race space
Working with adaptive athletes
Wanting to welcome everybody to the trails
Having a policy for pregnant women
What it’s like on race day being a race director
Wanting things to be perfect
Top tips and advice for new runners
Remove any notion in your head about what that mile will look like
Why it’s about covering the distance
Top tips for experienced runners wanting to go after a 100 mile race
Why you need a race that inspires you
Why it’s ok to pick something that you may fail at
How to connect with Amy (she’s not on social media)
Working as a run coach through Run Formula
Plans for 2023 - combining running and travel
Social Media
Seven Sisters Trail Race - 12 miles of technical, single track trail on an out-and-back course with over 3,500 ft. elevation gain
Vermont 100 - 100 mile race
Vermont Adaptive: www.vermontadaptive.org
Beast Coast Trail Running: www.facebook.com/beastcoasttrails
Feeling inspired week after week?
You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!
Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love.
Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!
Want to do more?
Please become a Patron and donate US$5 a month to help fund the runnings costs. Thank you.
