I am Sarah Baldwin and I am A RUNNER.

Sarah Baldwin is a new author who contribute to the newest Issue of Run Your Life magazine! In Issue #4 Sarah writes about her running journey, scratch that! Sarah is telling us her story about putting herself first and loving the person she is now! Not waiting till the scale hits a magic number or till she looks a certain way but NOW! Her story is so empowering there is something that we can all takeaway from the wisdom that Sarah has shared in her article!

I thought it would be fun to get to know Sarah a little better so I sent Sarah some question to help us to get to know this amazing women.

This is Sarah’s beautiful family cheering her on as she finishes her first half marathon!

Tell us a little about yourself

I’m relatively new to the running world, having only picked it up leading up to my 40th birthday. After living a fairly sedentary lifestyle throughout the pandemic, I finally woke up one morning and said ‘enough of enough’ and started to make fitness a priority. Several years later, I’m accomplishing things I never thought possible and I have flipped the script on running and exercise. Rather than I “have” to run or I “have” to workout, I look at it like I GET to run, I GET to love my body. It’s incredible what a different outlook can do you for your mindset. 

On a personal note, I work full time in communications for a big bank and I’ve got two crazy boys who are the love of my life but also drive me up the wall every single day. I’m married to the love of my life, my Greek god and we’re living our best lives. 

What advice do you wish you knew when you first started your running journey?

I wish I knew that the number on the scale doesn’t dictate whether you can be a runner or not. I wish I knew that the size of my clothes doesn’t tell me what I can and can’t accomplish. I wish I understood more about fueling properly for long runs, especially being in a larger body. I wish I knew when I started that my MIND was my strongest muscle, not my legs, not my biceps, it was my MIND. 

What is your favorite running fuel and or gear?

Before a run, I’m a classic toast, PB and banana kinda gal and for fueling during runs, I’m a big fan of GU gels, Skratch, Propel and salt tabs. 

As for gear, I’m hopelessly in love with my Knix Catalyst Sports Bra, Knix UltraThin Leakproof underwear (IYKNY), compression shorts and my ASICS Gel Cumulus 25’s. 

What is your favorite post Run snack/meal?

After a long run, I try to get a quick protein shake in and in a perfect world, I’d be able to afford some delicious sushi afterwards or a big ‘ol plate of spaghetti  

What does running mean to you?

Running means freedom. 

Running means movement. 

Running means escaping the day to day stress of your life and letting your legs run free. 

Running means the wind in your face and the sun on your face. 

Running means pushing my body to the limit and trusting that it knows what to do because I’ve put in the hard work. 

Running means even though I don’t have what society would call a typical running body, I run anyways just to show myself, and others that I can. 

Running means that coveted runners high where your body is bursting with endorphins, where you feel on top of the world, when all your senses are exploding all at the same time. 

Running is LIFE 

What do you hope people will take away from your article?

I hope that people will take away that it’s never too late to start and it’s not going to happen overnight. With all the competing priorities in your life - work, kids, family etc, you need to take that first step and make YOURSELF a priority. Accomplishing big goals doesn’t happen overnight - it happens one step, one km, one mile at a time. I hope that people know that you’re never too old to take up running. I also want people to know that the number on the scale does NOT dictate what you are capable of accomplishing. YOU are the only one that can decide what is possible for yourself. 

Thank you so much Sarah for sharing with us and taking the time to help us understand that we don’t have to run we get too! I really hope that you all enjoying reading Sarah’s article just as much as I did! You can pre-order Issue #4 now!