13 Comments
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loftinm7@gmail.com's avatar

Great story Abby!!! It truly is amazing what humans can accomplish with long distance running! Thank you for being a great coach that can help the transformation from limited running (or none) to completing marathons and beyond!!

Mark

Abby Heffern's avatar

So true!! Thank you so much!

Mike Moran's avatar

That was a wonderful story, Abby; thank you for sharing. Good luck with your Ultras and whatever new challenges await. Your energy and enthusiasm are contagious, and your positive outlook and approach are truly welcome in this day & age. You remind me so much of my two daughters (39 and 35) and the passion they bring to their athletic pursuits. God bless, and I look forward to one day hearing about how you conquered the Florida Trail!

Abby Heffern's avatar

Thank you so much, that means a lot!!

Clark Rose's avatar

Abby, you are wise beyond your young years. Thank you for sharing so much of your inner self with the outer world. Thanks Terrell for continuing to bring us such inspiring people. We all need to feel part of such an extraordinary community ‼️

Abby Heffern's avatar

Thank you so much Clark! Really appreciate you reading, and that means a lot.

Jenn Woltjen's avatar

Thank you Terrell for showcasing Abby!

I love Abby's approach to training - sustainable, sensible and with a focus on recovery. I've been following her on Substack and can honestly say that.

By the way, I also had a career in showing horses - Arabians in particular and my favorite discipline was Western Pleasure. I showed all over the East Coast. Check out Brittany Vermeer (triathlete) who had a horse show career (phenomenal) and writes on Substack: Brittany Vermeer at https://triplethreatlife.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

Abby Heffern's avatar

Thanks for the kind words Jenn! The “horse girl” to runner pipeline is a strong one! I recently found Brittany on Substack, and funny enough we both live in Florida.

Jenn Woltjen's avatar

I also knew that she lives in Florida! That’s how she could swim all the time year-round almost.

Terrell Johnson's avatar

No way! How cool — so interesting, parallel lives!

Tori Bilas's avatar

I loved reading this!! I'm a competitive show jumper and runner too, although running has been rocky for the past 2+ years due to tendon tightness issues. Part of me still believes somehow riding is constricting my hip/muscle movement but I refuse to give up that part of my life, even though having to stop running was like losing a part of me. I know what it's like to love both of those sports more than life!! I hope I can continue to do both but I know the reality is I might not be able to, whether it's cost/time with horses or my body giving out again with running.

Abby Heffern's avatar

Wow what a coincidence! I know how frustrating that can be! I’m sure there’s a way to do both. Running might just need to look different than you want it to (less miles, less days per week, etc), to be sustainable alongside the riding!

Terrell Johnson's avatar

So sorry to hear that, Tori! I hope those tendons heal and you’re able to get back to it. It’s really tough to have that conversation with ourselves, I get it.