Richmond Recap With Sarah Byron

14/11/17 By Allyson Ely

by Steph Willett

Racing

Turns out, the 4th time's the charm for Volée member, Sarah Byron. An unusually cold day did not stop this badass lady from crushing her goal! Energized by a very excited cowbell corner at mile 25 and the entire Volée cheering her on from afar, Sarah cruised into the finish almost a full 8 minutes under her goal time. #FlyVA

I’m not really that great with words, so I’ll borrow a phrase best said by Shalane Flanagan as she crossed her finish line in NYC...“F*ck, Yes!”

That just about sums up so many of the feelings from this past weekend at the Richmond Marathon and finally earning my BQ! I may not have just become the first American woman to win NYC in 40 years like Shalane, but to me, this feels pretty darn amazing! I’ve been smiling ear to ear since I saw our flock on cowbell corner at Mile 25 and I knew I was going to make it to the finish in time. (These women were amazing out there in the freezing cold for hours of cheering!)

We all have goals, and whether they are to win a race, get a BQ, a PR, or even to finish a race, these goals are all important. The journey to reach these goals involves hard work, perseverance, dedication, and a lot of heart. During these journeys, we learn so much about ourselves and we find out what we are made of. Sometimes the journey is even more important than the end result or the goal itself. I believe these running goals, and the successes and setbacks that come with them, correlate to other parts of our lives as well. I set new running goals every year, along with new career, financial, reading, travel, and personal goals. I will never stop setting new goals, because I never want to stop challenging myself, enjoying the journey, and finding out more and more about what I’m made of and who I am.

I love this team, because I enjoy seeing all of your goals in life and on the roads (or track) and I love that all of you on the team support me in mine. This badass lady gang is uplifting and I love that we build each other up. Thank you for following my journey to my BQ. It’s a magical feeling that I plan to ride out all vacation long! So far, we’ve started celebrating with Taco Bell, Dunkin' Donuts, pizza, and all of the other very "healthy things". Priorities! Next, we will be wheels (and wings) up as Billy and I venture to Ireland for the first time!