Shae’s Goodbye

I am moving to Colorado! 

Being on this team has been an honor. It has been fun, challenging, eventful, and an incredible journey that I will always cherish. 

I want to bring you back to where it all started. While I was living and running in Indy right after college, one of my best friends was hard at work training for post-collegiate races and I would hop in her workouts every once in a while. When her coach found out that I was moving to Raleigh, she mentioned there’s a team there called Raleigh Distance Project (RDP) and I should join. Of course, I brushed it off in the moment but I started following them on Instagram and saw the awesome vibes of the team. I {secretly} started to get to know the girls and wanted to be like them. 

Once I moved to Raleigh, I was just coming off a running break and felt out of shape so it took me a few months to build confidence to attend one of those Thursday morning cup-a-joe runs, not to mention that it starts at 6AM! (As a sidenote - it’s a very welcoming group and I hope people do not feel intimidated to show up.) The first time I went, I was hooked. I loved how open the group was to all runners, I met some cool people, and finally had friends to run with. I attended regularly after that. At the time I didn’t have a car so I would frequently find a ride from one of the girls, which was super kind considering they had to wake up even earlier to pick me up. 

I built relationships with the girls on the team and lots of people in the community. It opened the doors to so many runners in the Triangle. Over the past years, I have met countless individuals who have helped shape and encourage my running journey. 

I officially joined the team in September of 2019 right before my big marathon. I was shooting for the OTQ mark at Chicago Marathon and had already missed the mark once. This was it. I was confident going into that season but being selected to be on RDP right before my race gave me the extra boost of confidence that I would run sub-2:45. I had a team, sponsors, and community that believed in me. I believed in myself, and the race took care of itself. To date, that is my proudest race. Mentally, I was confident the entire time, not letting doubt once slip in. Physically I was fit and ready to roll. 

Since the Olympic Trials marathon, which was the coolest running experience lining up with the best in the nation, there were a series of trials and joys that I faced: COVID, surgery, small injury, pregnancy, postpartum, and RDP was there through it all. Personally, I want to thank all of our sponsors for supporting each woman wholly and completely, believing in us to run fast and make a mark on our community. My running pregnancy journey was unique, and I am thankful that other women have paved the way and raised a voice so that I never once feared that I would get cut for the team or be cut from sponsors because I was pregnant. That was a blessing.  

Luckily I had Kim on the team who was also pregnant and we could support each other through the stages, including postpartum. Coming back from a baby is hard and challenging in ways that I never imagined but other women have come back. So I knew I could, in my own time. 

Thank you to the RDP athletes, the board of directors, all of our partners, and the amazing Triangle running community. You are all special and I am so, so thankful.

XO, shae