Member Spotlight: Sam Taylor
Sam Taylor joined Trail Roots in 2014 when she was looking for motivation to do speed work after the birth of her daughter Cora. Being a wife, a mother of 3 children under 10, and a veterinarian, she has managed to keep running apart of her life since she was a kid. She ran cross country and track in high school and walked on to the team in college at Auburn and has been racing ever since. Hailing from Tennessee, Sam is no stranger to running gnarly trails, but can also be found running on the roads in search of that next PR. Sam has been racing marathons for over 20 years and is just getting back from the Twin Cities marathon, her 12th marathon. As the groups go-to for all pet-related questions, Sam joins the Sunday long road runs regularly and is a warm and friendly presence in our community. We wanted to ask her about her journey with running, motherhood, and Trail Roots.
How did you get started running?
I started running cross country when I was 9 because my best friend was on the team and I wanted to do what she did. I won ribbons and liked it, so I continued with XC and track through high school. I was never the fastest runner on the team, but I was decent and consistent. After high school I went to Auburn for undergrad with the goal of attending their veterinary school and thought it would be a good idea to walk onto the team there. It was really humbling to be around people who were truly talented. In vet school I started running marathons with my best friend from the Auburn team.
What is your biggest running accomplishment?
I qualified for the Boston Marathon with my first marathon. Then through many sleepless nights in clinics, I raced Boston for my second marathon and that felt like a big deal at the time. Maybe my biggest accomplishment has been returning to running after babies and a serious long-lasting injury because honestly that’s a lot harder than qualifying for Boston in my mid 20s!
What made you want to join Trail Roots? How has running with a group helped you?
Sally Ng is responsible for me joining Trail Roots. I had just had my second baby in less than two years and wanted to get back to speed and hill workouts in a group atmosphere. She said her old trail coach, Erik Stanley, had just started a group, so I joined in on the Tuesday night workouts. I tasted blood during my first track workout in three years because I was so out of shape, but that was the jumpstart I needed! I liked the people and I liked the coach! As Erik added in more opportunities to train, I kept showing up and at one point I was doing strength with Erik on Mondays and Wednesdays, running workouts on Tuesdays and Thursdays and long runs on Sunday. Trail Roots was my life! The group has helped me keep a running routine, train for races, get faster, and has given me a group of really great running friends.
What do you like best about Sunday morning runs with Trail Roots?
Since my six-month battle with plantar fasciitis followed by a third pregnancy and then a pandemic, I haven’t been as involved in Trail Roots like I used to be, but I’ve been trying to come on Sundays again. What I like most about the Sunday run is the sense of camaraderie and the push I get from running in a group. It’s my time to be my own person separate from my kids and just worry about myself!
Do you prefer trail or road? What do you like about each?
I like both trail and road running, but tend to just run road now that I have children because it’s less time consuming. I ran a lot of trail growing up in Tennessee and Alabama. Most of our runs were a mix of terrains. We didn’t call it trail running, those were just our regular runs and we tried to discover new trails all the time. In rural Alabama sometimes that meant you are getting chased by dogs after accidentally running up on someone’s property.
I like the peace, beauty, and potential for discovery while trail running, but also appreciate the ease of running on roads out my front door down to Shoal Creek Blvd.
How many marathons have you done? What was your fastest marathon time and where?
My marathon PR was actually at the Austin marathon in 2003. I ran a 3:19. A few years ago at age 41 I ran within 2 minutes of it at CIM and now my goal would be to try to break that PR 20 years and three kids after setting it, but I don’t know if my semi broken body will allow it.
Do you have a dream race or location to run?
My dream race would probably be a (non-ambitious time wise) marathon in Amsterdam with my best friend from college who I started running marathons with who lives there now.
“What I like most about the Sunday run is the sense of camaraderie and the push I get from running in a group. It’s my time to be my own person separate from my kids and just worry about myself! ”
What's it like to be a mom and a runner? What are the difficulties and positives?
I’m glad my kids get to see me being active and have running be a regular part of my life. Hopefully being active rubs off on them, but sometimes it feels like a selfish thing I’m doing too. It can be hard to be away from my family especially at dinner time or for so many hours on Sunday mornings. Often, I tend to sacrifice other activities to get those hours “off the clock” because I need to balance guilt for being away from the family with my own personal needs to run. Luckily, I have a supportive husband who knows what he signed up for with me. He tells me “take as much time as you need” because he knows I’ll feel off if I don’t run, but guilty for being gone.
How do you manage expectations when pregnant or starting back after pregnancy?
Everyone’s pregnancy and pregnancy recovery is so different with regards to running. I was lucky and ran up until the ends of all of my pregnancies, but less intensely and shorter and shorter as I got closer to birth. One great thing about being pregnant and running was that I didn’t care about pace or distance, I was just grateful to be able to run at all! I just tried to listen to my body and not overdo it.
Coming back to running after birth can be tough. Timing a run between feedings and getting out the door when you are so tired is a challenge. Especially when your body feels different and like it’s not your own. I tried not to put pressure on myself and just ran what I could and trusted that the fitness would come back in time if I put in the work.
Do you have advice for new moms who are runners?
My advice for new moms who are runners (that I struggle to follow myself) is to try not to feel guilty for taking the time for yourself to run. It’s important to do the things that make you feel like yourself and to maintain your identity. I see so many of my non runner friends let every identifying part of themselves fall by the wayside as they become parents and I think its important to take time for yourself.