Find Grit and Commit to Running Today

March 30, 2018

A Q&A with Roanoke, Virginia's Running Man

Andrew Holbrook, 40, of Roanoke, VA, has been running for more than half his life. While he says he started running in high school as a way to “meet cute athletic girls,” he quickly found that not only could he meet cute girls, but that he was also really good at running. He enjoyed the incremental improvements he experienced the more he ran. And his consistency was worth it. Running paid for his college education, helped him to carry the 1996 Olympic Torch, and was an impetus for traveling around the world. Still, today running shapes much of his life.

In light of Fleet Feet’s The Big Run event (coming up this summer), and to inspire your training (for the Big Run), we asked Holbrook some questions to learn how he stays committed to running both as a sport and a lifestyle. Here's what he had to say:

Your college running experience shaped a big part of who you are as a runner today. How so?

I ran for Tennessee Tech University from 1995-2000, walked on as a Freshman and earned a partial scholarship after my Sophomore year. Being a walk-on, I think this helped me develop my “gritty” personality when it came to running. I was often last on our team and had to cultivate a bit of a “chip on my shoulder” attitude toward running to keep grinding and not get discouraged. It was an incredible experience and I made friends that I still keep in touch with to this day.

During that time, you were asked to carry the Olympic torch. What an honor!

Yes, I was nominated and selected to carry the Olympic Torch in 1996 as part of a program to identify ‘Community Heros’ across the country. There were 10,000 people chosen to carry the Olympic Torch across an extensive portion of the USA leading up to the games in Atlanta. They picked me because of my work with Boy Scouts, on several community-based projects. I was fortunate enough to carry the torch in my hometown of Cookeville, TN, and it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life.

What is it about running that inspires you to come back to it day after day?

I developed my passion for consistency with my running after I left college, took a full-time desk job, and promptly put on 50 lbs in a year. Once I came back to running, I realized it gave me a sense of control, consistency, and a constructive way for me to improve myself on a daily basis. Every day that I run is a day that I feel like I’m doing something for myself that makes me a little bit better than yesterday.

Why do you think it’s important to commit to a running goal? And, how would you advise others to do this?

Committing to goals in a public way (friends, family, social media) allows you to be accountable to more than just yourself. Sometimes it also inspires people. I can’t begin to tell you how many people that are beginning their running journey inspire me. I see comments and posts on social media from new runners in our programs, and I know how hard that is, I’ve been there, and it helps me commit to my running goals as well.

What is the Star City Super Squad and why did you create it?

The Star City Super Squad was initially a joke among four middle-aged running buddies of mine stuck in a car ride for too many hours. The joke turned into us making some shirts and singlets, and having a little fun with it. Fleet Feet Roanoke brought us all together. We started doing the training programs then we found ourselves running more and more together. Today the Start City Super Squad is comprised of a handful of local runners that enjoy running, racing, and the comradery the running community offers. I'm proud to say we have some incredibly talented ladies and gentlemen in the group.

You help a lot of runners in your community. In fact, you coached one marathoner down from a 4:15 to a 3-hour marathon PR. That's huge. How'd you do it?

I have a passion for teaching and coaching and am fortunate to have a background that includes some coaching at the NCAA level. It’s rewarding to use my experience and knowledge to help guide people to where they want to be. It’s been such a rewarding experience to see others succeed and find joy in something I’m so passionate about, and I’m blessed to be able to see some attributes in people that they can’t see in themselves. Watching them achieve something they thought impossible is an indescribable feeling.

You’re the "Running Man" in Roanoke. What does this title mean to you and how have you used it to help you inspire and motivate runners in your community?

It is funny to have people I meet outside of work come up to me and say things like, 'Hey were you running downtown yesterday in the rain?' It's a weekly occurrence for someone to ask me about where or when they saw me running. I guess I take pride in the fact that they see me out doing what I love regardless of how hot, cold, rainy, or snowy it is. Selfishly I’m just doing this for me, but when people tell me that they decided to run later on one of those days because they saw me out, well, that’s another little thing that keeps me motivated.

What’s your mantra for a hard workout or race day?

I have a very relaxed demeanor most of the time, but when it’s time to race or work hard, I get after it. A couple of my overall running mantra’s are 'Relentless Consistency' and 'Run lots, mostly easy ... sometimes hard.' The time I put in running those consistent, easy miles day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year, allows me to be able to mentally 'hammer it' when it comes to race days and workouts. When it’s time to go, I’m always ready.

Advice for sticking it out through training and remaining gritty when things get tough?

I’ve grown to LOVE the tough and gritty days. You have to learn to appreciate them for what they are and know that the tough days make the good days feel even better. When I have a bad run or my legs feel dead, I know how sweet the next fast run will feel. After all, the sweet wouldn't be as sweet without the sour.

Anything else you’d like to add here that relates to the Big Run?

The Big Run is such a cool global event. Getting that many people across the country to stop and enjoy the spirit of running is an amazing thing. Fleet Feet Sports is the leader in the running industry, and it’s a natural fit that we’ve put on such an incredible event that celebrates running on what is known as Global Running Day. It also happens to be my birthday…which is pretty cool for a total running geek to enjoy seeing people from all over celebrating my favorite thing to do, during the anniversary of my start to this crazy journey called life!