Member Spotlight: Julia Howell
Julia Howell has become one of Trail Roots’ biggest cheerleaders, both on and off the trails. Since joining in December 2017, along with being one of our coveted Pack Leaders, she also runs our social media and can be found racing and crewing for her fellow running mates around Texas. A true running enthusiast, she recently changed the course of her career and went back to school to become a physical therapist. A down-to-earth and welcoming person in the group, she is also the go-to person for all things shoes and gear as she also works at a local running store. We wanted to ask her a few questions about her journey with running and Trail Roots.
What inspired you to start running and how did you find out about Trail Roots?
I had always wanted to run a marathon, it was something that I would suggest to friends as something we could do to commemorate random things, like graduation, birthdays or New Year’s resolutions, but the most I could get someone to commit to was a fun 5k here and there. I started running consistently in my late 30’s.
I found Trail Roots with fellow Trail Rooter, Kathy! The two of us started running trail races together and we would always see the Trail Roots shirts at our races, we always told each other that we should join, when my coach at the time moved over to Trail Roots, it was a no brainer!
How has training with a group helped you? How did your running change after beginning to train with Trail Roots?
Running with a group has helped me so much. One of the biggest things it’s helped me with is to just enjoy the process. I can be competitive with myself and can get frustrated when I can’t hit a goal or see the improvement that I think I should be seeing, and as a result, I quit things easily. With Trail Roots I have found a group of runners that help me take that pressure off and just enjoy running.
My running is night and day compared to what it was before, Trail Roots is the first structured training I’ve had as a regular runner, so it has been fun to see how I’ve progressed.
What’s your favorite trail with Trail Roots?
Slaughter Creek! The Trippers (my pack) always have so much fun running together there.
What’s your dream run or race?
I have a date with the Zion 50k. I also want to go back to Orca’s Island for a race, this was another race I had to defer due to injury. I would love to try and run the Broken Arrow race as well.
We know that you’ve had some struggles over the past few years with trying to get to the 50k distance. Can you share a bit about those setbacks and how you’ve worked through them?
The struggles have been a bit of a bummer in the journey to 50k. I first attempted to run the 2019 Zion 50k, and my training was going well, I was feeling strong and ready. About 6 weeks to race day I noticed a limp in my left hip whenever I started my run, it never hurt, but the limp got more and more pronounced over the next few weeks. After a hard run on Ladera Norte, I couldn’t climb my stairs the next morning and knew I needed to get it checked out. I was diagnosed with a torn labrum and was sidelined for the next 3 months. I was 4 weeks out from my goal. Being so close and having to write that email to defer was such a confidence breaker, I had worked so hard, and I had done all the hard work and was tapering down, so it felt like all that work ended up being for nothing. As a result of my injury, I had to cancel a run in Washington (Orcas Island) and another 50k at the NUT in Oregon.
I had deferred Zion to 2020 and my coach (Rachael) had helped me build my strength and cardio back up. She was super encouraging and shared my excitement to get to check that race off, but COVID had other plans and with 5 weeks to race day my day at Zion ended again.
I’m not sure if I have worked through these setbacks yet, I’m not sure you can without getting to complete them. One thing that I have worked hard at doing as a result is celebrating the work that I put into them. A friend once said that the training was the real race, and the actual race was our victory lap. I know that I will get my day at Zion, it is just a matter of timing.
You recently made a career change to go back to school to be a physical therapist. What motivated that change?
My injury! As a result, I got to spend a lot of time with my Physical Therapist Steffan (Mondo Sports Therapy) and he was amazing! Thorough and helpful, he was very encouraging when I mentioned a possibility of pursuing a degree in physical therapy. I had started the process of finishing my degree a couple of years ago. I was originally a painting and drawing major, but finishing my art degree didn’t feel challenging to me. I knew my time as a hairstylist was coming to an end and continuing an art major just didn’t feel right. After spending a few months with Steffan and people that had a passion in helping people get back on their feet, I knew that this was something I wanted to spend my time and career doing.
“Off the trails, I have found some great friendships within my pack, people that I have gotten to cheer on, travel with, and laugh with. I couldn’t be more thankful for the Trippers!”
You are also a Pack Leader in the group and have helped the group grow over the years. What do you love most about being a leader in Trail Roots and how has it helped you off the trails?
One of my favorite things is getting to share my love of running with people that feel the same way. I feel like I have found a little spot in this world in the community Trail Roots has built and getting to help those in my pack find their spot in this group brings me a lot of joy! I love getting to cheer people on, helping people celebrate their accomplishments, and helping answer any questions people may have.
Off the trails, I have found some great friendships within my pack, people that I have gotten to cheer on, travel with, and laugh with. I couldn’t be more thankful for the Trippers!
You work at Ready to Run, one of our favorite running stores in Austin, is there a type of shoe or any gear that you’d recommend for people new to trail running?
One piece of gear that I would recommend is a good water bottle, or something to carry water in. A lot of trails in town don’t have water stops, and our summers are hot, so staying hydrated is important!
Do you have any advice for anyone who is wanting to join a trail running group?
Do it, do it, do it!! You won’t regret it
What’s next for you? Do you have any running or racing goals on the horizon?
Next for me is researching places to do my volunteer hours and internships. I’m also looking at grad schools and graduation.
Running/racing goals I’d like to PR my mile this winter! It’s also a goal of mine to make all the Tuesday a.m. runs this semester, I’m halfway done!