Member Spotlight: Steve Sebastian
Steve has been a long time member of Trail Roots, starting back in 2016. He joined because his wife Sally convinced him it would be fun. Life took him in and out of running, but he has been back with a new sense of dedication and determination, as he works towards lowering his marathon time (and eventually BQ!). Last year, he did CIM and has the Marine Corp marathon up next. He’s a dedicated Tuesday night and Sunday morning runner and puts in the hard miles that comes with marathon training. Outside of training, he spends his time working for Apple and traveling with his wife and two pups. We wanted to ask him a few questions about his journey with running and Trail Roots.
What inspired you to start running?
My wife Sally. I started running after we started dating in 2013. For our first date she took to to a pre-Trail Roots Erik Stanley running group party!
What do you love about running?
I could never get into a routine of going to the gym, in part because I am too lazy to drive somewhere to work out. But I can run from pretty much wherever - at home, on a trip, on a lunch break at work. So running is a great way for me to be social and stay active.
Also, I love all the shoes.
Why did you join Trail Roots initially, and what brought you back?
Sally convinced me to join initially in 2016. By 2022, I hadn’t run at all in almost a year and Sally and I were doing a Rogue Expedition trip to Ireland that summer. I sort of re-discovered how much fun running could be on that trip, and I re-joined Trail Roots that June (just in time for summer training 🥵).
Has your training changed since joining a group?
Long runs go by much faster when there’s a group to run with. And it's harder to skip when I know someone will ask why I wasn’t at a run!
You’ve been determined to reach your marathon goals this year, how have you managed to stick with the training and stay consistent?
Running with the group and coaching with Rachel has definitely helped. The biggest thing though is that I told my friends and family I’m doing it - and it would be too embarrassing to not run at this point. Shame and humiliation are my biggest motivators.
What has been your favorite race and why?
I’ve only run a handful of races so far, but my favorite was CIM last year. It was the first race I really trained hard for with a goal in mind. The weather was great and I felt good at the end, so I was really happy.
How has coaching helped you reach our goals?
Before coaching I would overthink training - am I running enough? too much? how fast should I be going? Coaching removes all of that overhead and lets me focus on running! Also, the accountability of knowing someone is checking in on me keeps me on track. I would have skipped half my training runs if it weren’t for Rachel and Erik.
Do you have any other big goals for 2023?
Getting a PR at MCM is my major 2023 goal!
What advice would you give people who are new to running and want to join a group?
Join Trail Roots, start slow, set a goal and have fun! And go get breakfast tacos with the group on Saturday’s.
“Join Trail Roots, start slow, set a goal and have fun! And go get breakfast tacos with the group on Saturday’s.”
— Steve
