“I think I would like to see a wide recognition and acceptance that there is an infinite number of ways to be good. One of the things that irk me the most is when I see people and fans who are part of the same community and asking for very specific tips and tricks. ‘How do I get fast?’ or ‘How do I do this?’ and ‘How do I do that?’ I wish that everyone would recognize that every body is unique. Every backstory is unique. Everyone’s personal life and circumstances are unique. Not everyone has the same support system or coaches. Feet! The same pair of shoes don’t work for everyone. I totally understand that there are absolute basics that can apply to everyone like certain drills or foods that are known to be good on a tough stomach…but at the end of the day, I just wish there was more of a wider acknowledgment that there are a million ways to get to the starting line. Not everyone needs to be running the same amount of miles or doing the same workouts.”

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Thrilled to introduce my Boston Athletic Association teammate Erika Kemp. We are currently in Tallahassee, Fla. for a warm-weather training camp. Erika was the 2019 U.S. national champion in the 15K and also finished second at the 2018 U.S. 5K championships. She is a formally trained barista. She was a standout runner at NC State and attended high school in Mount Holly, N.J. She’s got some interesting perspectives about how she views training, how she wants to improve and her goals for the future. Enjoy this candid conversation between me and my teammate. Hopefully, this gives you a little bit of an inside look at what training camp is like and how we keep ourselves entertained.

▶ Follow Erika on Instagram: @imtinyrik

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SEASON 2: Episode 1, Michelle Sammet | Episode 2, Porscha Dobson |Episode 3, Roberta Gibb | Episode 4, Katherine Burgess | Episode 5, Mrs. Space Cadet | Episode 6, Emma Abrahamson

SEASON 1: All 12 episodes are available to download and stream. Guests included Molly Seidel, Alison Wade, Nia Akins, Mary Cain and more.

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