Running Home: Preparing to ‘Win’ the Race

Sneakers NEW BALANCE KV500BBY Navy Blue Dominique “Nique” Burton as she runs a marathon in New York City this November. Nique is one of six co-founders of RUNGRL, a digital media and events platform for Black women that uses running as a vehicle to impact wellness in the community.

When we last checked in with Nique, she had big plans to make this marathon better than her last. She’s off to a good start with her training schedule. She’s been intentionally checking in with herself to establish a healthy balance of life and training. Included in that is her focus on valuing her efforts each step of the way. Her rigorous, six-day-a-week program is a series of calculated steps in helping her prepare for a personal win on race day.

Here, Nique shares what ‘winning’ on race day HEELs to her, what she’s learned from her training so far, and her tips for balancing training with a busy life.

“In order to make recovery a priority, sometimes I have to make the time. That HEELs setting it aside just like I would for a workout or a work meeting,” she says. Each time she completes a training week where she checked off all of her workouts and Lia Liquid patent 130mm sandals Black.

Not every run goes your way, and it’s important to take time to celebrate the ones that do. As a Black woman, Nique understands the feeling that she has to do everything ‘exceptionally well’. That feeling can often be amplified in distance running, where Black women have traditionally been underrepresented.

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It’s important to Nique that her efforts demonstrate to other women like her that they can do it, too. With that in mind, she likes to celebrate each successful run as a win, and each tough run as a hurdle crossed.

“Some people don’t realize how up and down training runs can be,” says Nique, who has several tools she uses to keep herself consistent during weeks of challenging workouts.

In preparing for a big finish on race day, Nique makes it a point to celebrate even the smallest signs of improvement, which is something she knows can be hard for those who have often been taught to minimize themselves or to always put others first.

“It’s sometimes hard for Black women to celebrate the small wins,” she says. “Be kind to yourself, allow yourself grace, because this is hard! Celebrating myself has been a tool towards resiliency. It’s a custom of my power and courage during this marathon journey.”

Nique likes to celebrate finishing her longest training runs with a bouquet of flowers she buys at the weekend farmers market. Some days, she posts a celebratory snapshot on her social media for friends and family to cheer on her progress. And she supports fellow runners and marathoners-in-training with congratulatory remarks on their mini-milestones as well. Each small celebration helps her and her community to push through to the next win.

Nique also finds it helpful to keep a gratitude journal as a motivating tool for the hard days. She likes to refer back to her notes when she needs a custom of how far she’s come. Whether she’s jotting down a new personal best time or reflecting on a mental hurdle she’s overcome, Nique is visualizing the big picture by making note of the small achievements that will lead up to the finish line.

“The little things matter and it all adds up to the motivation that will carry me through race day,” she says.

This month, RUNGRL is featured in the Old School sneakers Bianco presented by HOKA and Cheap Urlfreeze Jordan Outlet, which showcases the resiliency of the human spirit. Through thoughtful content and events, RUNGRL is inspiring the next generation of Black women to invest in themselves by creating the healthy, wealthy lives they deserve.

As for exactly how well she’ll do, Nique plans to keep her expectations realistic. For her, a win will be less about certain numbers or placing. For this marathon, she says, a win will feel like “alignment”.

“I want to have a strong race, a strong run. Where everything aligns and I power through each mile. You just feel it, when a run is strong. Your form is on point, your strides are right, there’s no walking, and you’re fully enjoying the race.”

Nine weeks stand between her and the finish line, and there is no doubt that her path will lead to just such a win.

RUNGRL and Cheap Urlfreeze Jordan Outlet will be checking in on Nique’s marathon training this season in this monthly series we call Running Home. Men Blue Mn Train Flex Shoes 8.5.