Run Peace Love with Damali A

I got what I came for! ☺️🏅

🏃🏾‍♀️✌🏾💜

Whew! 18 miles DONE!! It’s been two years since I trained for a marathon. I’m certainly not at my best, but today felt so much better than I expected and I shaved 14 seconds off my average pace while adding 3 miles. I’m coming for you!!

🏃🏾‍♀️✌🏾💜

It’s been a while, but I’m back! No matter how long you stay away from the pavement, it will always welcome you back with open arms. Today I got in a little over 8 miles with my people as we train for . Let’s go!!!

🏃🏾‍♀️✌🏾💜

It’s Small Business Saturday! While I often speak on running, I rarely talk about coaching. I started coaching because running turned my pain into passion and I wanted others to experience the healing that it continues to provide for me. From this, RunPeaceLove Fitness was born… where I help women fall in love with running so they can fall back in love with themselves. 🫶🏾 While it is still in the beginning stages, we have big things planned for 2024.

I would like to help as many women as possible to be able to become better runners and to use running as a way to center their hearts and minds to create peace. Many people wait until the new year to start over, and without accountability, most fail within the first week. Next year WILL be different. We are starting in December and running through the beginning of the year to get a jumpstart and set ourselves up for success.

Here is what will be included for all that join this challenge:

💜 Week-long challenge that will address fundamentals that are critical to improve running
💜 Daily run assignments that can be accomplished on the pavement or treadmill
💜 Nightly zoom to increase accountability and efficiency
💜 Digital workbook provided to help track progress
💜 Daily mental health/self-care activity
💜 Private Facebook group beginning December 1st to provide support to help cope with the holidays
💜 December 1st access will help stay on track to help ensure a successful New Year jumpstart

Cost: $97 (one time)

BLACK FRIDAY SPECIAL!!

🖤 $50 off with code BF2023 through 11/27

Join here: bit.ly/zenspirit2024

Maybe this challenge isn’t right for you, but you may have a friend that needs this. Please like and share so that I may reach those who would like to join. Happy Saturday! 💜

Ladies, how are you feeling today? This time of year is typically heavy for many… physically, mentally and emotionally. I, personally, deal with weight gain in addition to stress, exhaustion and anxiety. But once it’s over, the new year tends to bring a renewed spirit as we set goals and resolutions with the hopes of starting over.

So many people have told me their struggles and how they want to improve their run or walk game, but have gotten stuck and are unsure what to do. So I would like to offer a solution to help with accountability through the end of the year and to help jumpstart 2024 to make it the best year yet! 🤩

I’m super excited to bring you Peace, Love and Running: the Zen Spirit Challenge!!

Let’s kick off the new year TOGETHER! I am presenting a week long challenge designed to help answer all the questions you may have to improve your running and to help recuperate from the toll that the holiday season tends to bring. This challenge will not only focus on the physical aspect of running, it will also help to get your mind right!

Here is what will be included for all that join this challenge:

💜 Week-long challenge that will address fundamentals that are critical to improve running
💜 Daily run assignments that can be accomplished on the pavement or treadmill
💜 Nightly zoom to increase accountability and efficiency
💜 Digital workbook provided to help track progress
💜 Daily mental health/self-care activity
💜 Private Facebook group beginning December 1st to provide support to help cope with the holidays
💜 December 1st access will help stay on track to help ensure a successful New Year jumpstart

Cost: $97 (one time)

BLACK FRIDAY SPECIAL!!

🖤 $50 off with code BF2023
🖤 Anyone that enrolls in the challenge by midnight CST on Friday, November 24th gets a FREE 15 min 1:1 coaching call with Coach Damali

Sign up here: bit.ly/zenspirit2024

Today was a day full of humility and gratitude. 3 weeks ago, I sprained my ankle by stepping off the run path and it completely derailed my marathon training. As I worked to rehab myself, my body continued to break down as I kept feeling one random pain after the other. At one point a week and a half ago, I couldn’t even bend over to put on my shoe. 😔

Anger. Defeat. Failure. Unworthiness. Shame. Guilt. Pain. Sadness. Humility. Brokenness. These are just a few of the emotions that were felt on this 3-week roller coaster.

But I pushed through. Today I completed around 10.5 run/walk miles. (I started my watch late. 🤦🏽‍♀️) We walked the last 1.5ish miles because this Texas “fall” is disrespectful. 🙄🥵 I’m so damned proud and I feel like I’m building back the confidence to continue on. My training for the next 6 weeks will be not be easy, but I hope you didn’t count me out, because this girl is resilient and I’m not a quitter.

Until next time… 🏃🏾‍♀️✌🏾💜

Long run Saturday! I was sore this morning… I went to OTF Wednesday and Thursday this week and my legs were burning. 😩🔥 After my run, I felt like I’m behind in my pace for training to reach my goals. So I looked at where I was in my training last year around this time and my pace was about the same. I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself, but the reality is that if I just stick to my plan, it will work out. ☺️

Happy Saturday… until next time! 🏃🏾‍♀️✌🏾💜

9 miles were on the schedule to celebrate our last single digit long run of the training season! None of us were really feeling it but we leaned on each other to get it done. The wind gave us a breeze this morning to help beat the Texas heat and it was GLORIOUS! 🤩

Until next time… 🏃🏾‍♀️✌🏾💜

Today’s long run was 12 miles. It wasn’t an easy one, but it is done! Our route has a lot of hills. That paired with the heat was a recipe for exhaust today but these ladies rocked it! We took more walk breaks today, yet we managed to maintain the average pace from our 9 mile run a few weeks ago. Do you know what that means? Progress. 🙌🏾

Marathon training is about building and improving as you work up to your final goal. Every run won’t be the best, but pavement time is still pavement time. One mile is still a mile whether it’s 15 min or 6 min. I’m proud of this crew and I can’t wait to watch us grow this season!

Until next time… 🏃🏾‍♀️✌🏾💜

Our Saturday long run is complete!

Here’s the rundown, pun intended! 🤪

One of us complained the whole time and moaned and groaned every time we started running. I won’t mention any names but if you take a look at the pic, you can probably guess. 👀🤣 Despite the initial pessimism, let me just give you an idea of how AMAZING we did today. Two weeks ago, we completed 9.3 in 2:22, today we finished 10 in 2:25. We shaved almost a minute off of our pace this week and I, personally, haven’t completed a double digit run this entire year. 😱

So kudos to these ladies. 👏🏾 They did such an awesome job. We finished off the run with some post-run stretches and a celebratory drink! 😄💦

Happy long run Saturday! Comment if you ran today!

Until next time… 🏃🏾‍♀️✌🏾💜

4 mile shakeout done. After the 9 mile run yesterday we made sure to do some recovery stretches. Runners are notorious for skipping this step. It’s me, I am runners. 🤦🏽‍♀️ BUT I felt a major difference after doing this. I didn’t have any stiffness or soreness after the run yesterday, which is rare since I haven’t hit 9 miles in a few months. So I will definitely continue to making my stretching a priority. How about you, do you stretch before/after your run? Why or why not??

Until next time.. 🏃🏾‍♀️✌🏾💜