Runner Spotlight: Amy Ovecka

Name: Amy Ovecka

City: Ohio-born, Philly-based

Years Running: 6

Why did you join Team Philly: Felt low on motivation when starting my Philly Marathon training in 2012, so I thought a group would help.

What are your running goals: First, get back in shape after a 4-month injury, then get faster and stay injury-free!

When not running, what are some of your hobbies: Playing Ultimate Frisbee, drinking wine, nerding out on video games, and trying to dodge the perils of law school.

Have you had any breakthroughs in your training since training Team Philly: Yes! I ran a Ragnar race from Lancaster, PA to Mount Pocono. In my 3 runs, I covered 20.5 miles, 10 of which were straight up the side of a mountain. It was hands-down the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I couldn’t have done it without Ross’s expert coaching and the motivation Team Philly gave me! 

Overcome obstacles: Yes!  Two things: First, I came to terms with heat and humidity (to the extent possible for a Northeastern Ohio gal).  Second, I’m working through an injury that happened before the Philly Marathon that I exacerbated by trying to run the marathon anyway. Thanks to the PhilaMassages partnership through TP, I’m getting an awesome deal on rehab massages, and hope to be back in stride with the Team very soon!

Have you achieved any goals you thought impossible: Given how out of shape I was when I started training with TP, I pretty much achieved an “impossible” goal every week of our training.  I never thought I could achieve the speed and distance in some of the training weeks, but with the coaching and support, I always pushed harder than I thought I could.