Tell us a bit about your life before being a professional runner?

I started off doing every sport you could imagine – soccer, softball, gymnastics, Irish dancing, tennis, swimming, basketball, volleyball, and I was horrible at everything. I loved being on a team, but from the sport aspect, I really only liked running. I had zero hand-eye coordination. 

I fell in love with running at a young age and would go do these fun runs with my Dad over the summer. We would do everything from 1-mile runs, 2-mile runs, and sprint triathlons. It was fun for me and my Dad and something we could do together that bonded us. I really liked seeing how fast I could be – I think that’s still what drives me today is seeing how much I can push the limits of my body. 

Who’s your athletic role model?

Shalane Flanigan was the biggest idol of mine, and now I get to train with her which feels full circle for me. She was a silver medalist in the 2008 Olympics and in high school and college I completely idolized her. Before I graduated college, I was approached by her coach who told me I had the opportunity to train with her on their team – which was a dream come true. That was definitely a highlight of my career. 

If you weren’t a professional runner, what would you do?

I love baking and cooking! Maybe I’d go to culinary school. 

What does a typical training day look like? 

I normally get up between 7-7:30, have coffee, eat breakfast, drive to Nike, then do 30-45 minutes of prehab exercises, rolling, using the Bow or the Echo in pre-running to get the muscles activated. Then I do some activating exercises and go out for my run which is anywhere from 60-80 minutes in the morning. After that I do a strength routine, have lunch, go to physiotherapy, come back and have a second run or cross-train. I finish my day with dinner and hanging out, do more stretches before bed and then go to bed between 8:30 and 9:30PM.

Do you ever get a break?

After track season we get 4-6 weeks of downtime which is running every other day, then 2 weeks of building miles, and then starting training 2 weeks after that.

How important is mental health in your sport?

I think the mental side of running is huge – you have to have mental fortitude with it because you’re bound to get injured, some people more than others. It’s tough and you don’t feel good every day. When you’re running high miles and pushing the body, you’re never going to have a great day every single day. It’s in those moments you have to remind yourself why you’re doing this, what you want to get out of it and just focus on being the absolute best you can that day. 

What’s one piece of advice you have for athletes?

The biggest thing for me is focusing day by day on what I can control and just keep moving forward. I create limits for myself so I’m not comparing my progress to others, especially when I’m insured. 

What does recovery look like?

Prehab always starts with rolling my back, I’m always focused on thoracic mobility, and I really like the Fuse for that. After, I roll out my legs, then I’ll take the Echo and work out my foot as well as up and down my leg and focus on problem areas and any scar tissue. Then I’ll do stretches, band work, and glute activation. Some days I’ll do up to an hour of prehab before actually running to get myself super activated and ready. Post run is always similar and involves a lot of stretching, working on thoracic mobility, hip mobility, hamstrings, and rolling.

Why do you love working with Sidekick?

I love the products. I really believe in them and that they’ve already helped me a lot with my post-hip and that they allow me to manage it so I don’t have to take an extended amount of time off training. It helps alleviate inflammation build up and loosens the tendons in my legs. The tools have been so helpful in my entire recovery routine. The tools wake up my muscles, promote blood flow. Scraping helps bring more flexibility and mobility in my body.

What’s your favorite Sidekick tool?

The Echo. I love how it feels in my hand and it’s so easy to travel with. I like how I can also get to smaller areas with it like my foot but also deep into muscles like my hip while also taking care of my scars. 

How important is recovery to you?

Without recovery you’ll slowly deteriorate. If you can’t let your body recover, you’re not going to be able to preform as well. Especially when you’re constantly training you have to be extremely diligent with the recovery aspect. That’s everything from sleep to fueling your body with good nutrition and of course working out the muscles and body. I probably spend 3-4 hours on recovery every day including pre-run, post-run and therapy.

“The Sidekick Echo has become my new fave prehab tool!”

EMILY'S FAVOURITE SIDEKICK TOOL