Women’s Running USA – September 2019

Couldn’t have asked for a more gorgeous day—or location—

for our shoot with cover star Kara Goucher, just two days

after she finished the Leadville Trail Marathon!

EDITOR’S LETTER

4 WOMEN’S RUNNING SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019

I WAS ON A TRAIL RUN THE OTHER DAY from my new

home in Boulder, Colorado. The altitude, combined with

being up way too late working the night before, was kicking

my butt. But in between the hard-fought breaths, I just kept

thinking: Wow, I am so lucky right now.

Trail running is such a refreshing change of pace, and

every time I get out there I’m reminded why I should get out

there more. No one’s checking their watch or fighting to hold

a certain pace. The group I was with that morning routinely

stopped at forks in the path to make sure we were all together.

We’d chat a little, snap some photos of the stunning mountain

views, and be back on our way. On the trail, I’m learning,

it’s much less about how far or fast you go, but simply that

you go. And that you all get there together—ideally, with a

smile on your face.

Cover star Kara Goucher found a similar supportive vibe

when she hit the trails for the first time in 20 years to run

the Leadville Trail Marathon this past June. “I feel like I got

pretty lucky in my career, I got to train with good women who

lifted me up,” Goucher told me during our interview. “But for

strangers to have my back—like, literally, patting my back

while I’m puking—that’s just a new level of community that

I didnt know about.”

This issue was meant to pay homage to the trails, to getting

outside, and to this beautiful time of year. That’s why inside

you’ll find 10 of the best trail runs in the U.S. (pg. 16) and 13 of

the best trail shoes for women (pg. 37). I wrote an essay about

how hiking made me a better distance runner (pg. 23), and

trainer Mike Simone designed a strength-training workout

with off-road runners in mind (pg 58.—seriously, everyone

please give this one a try, it’s so good).

But you know, I realized that beneath it all this issue isn’t

just about trying trail running or enjoying the gorgeous fall

season. It’s about being a confident, unapologetic beginner

(pg. 50). It’s about being brave, honest, and relentlessly op-

timistic (pg. 14). And it’s about chasing the things that make

us feel happiest, most true to ourselves, even if they don’t

come with accolades, applause, or attention.

JEN ATOR

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Embracing Change

Part of my mission at Women’s Running is to give women like Goucher a place

to share their voice. To talk about what matt ers most to them. Not just in

running. Family. Career. Joy. Loss. Struggle. That includes you, too. What do you

want us talking more about? Tell me on Twitt er and Instagram at @jen_ator.

JUL

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