This week’s guest is Heather MacLean of New Balance Boston. Heather is a Massachusetts native and graduate of UMass Amherst who’s burst onto the scene in her first few years as a pro, running 4:05 in the 1500 and 2:00 in the 800 this year despite limited racing opportunities.

We talked about the importance of shaping your own narrative, what makes pro running in Boston special, and much more (Dunkin’! Tiktok! Relationship tips!) in a fun and wide-ranging episode. Heather has a fascinating and unique perspective and you’re sure to enjoy this episode.

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HIGHLIGHTS

On the benefits of training in Boston:

“We have a unique opportunity where our coaches don’t mind working together, so a lot of the time the coaches of the running groups in Boston are working together [….] these are the people we’re going to be racing on the elite level, so by learning from each other and working together we become better athletes. It makes our teams really unique in the sense that we’re able to recognize the value in working with other groups and it makes us all stronger.”

On balancing the personal and professional in social media:

“I definitely struggle with that a lot. In this day and age, especially in our sport, it’s great to build a brand for yourself, but it’s a give and take. You have to sell a little bit of yourself in order to build that brand. It takes a lot of effort, a lot of energy, and you have to just make sure it’s not taking away from your work and mental health day-to-day.”

On storytelling within running:

“I think it’s great to recognize the different stories within our community, and sometimes that’s not done enough. Athletes in this sport don’t necessarily have a narrow path to what they’re doing now, and we should let more people tell their full story.”