Fawn Dorr
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
At some point in my life I went through a fashion phase. I knew there was Pucci and Gucci. Manolo Blahnik vs. Christian Louboutin? I couldn't afford or decide. Jimmy Choo? that's the shoe! I had a list of all the fashion brands I was going to buy when I started working. Balenciaga, Bally, Balmain, Burberry I wanted them all and I still do. That phase of life has passed though, I am not a fashionista anymore. I love wearing comfortable clothes to campus :). I will cherish the person who buys me Pyjama Jeans until I die :)
Even with my running outfits, I try to find fashionable running clothes but its really hard when you are a guy. I might just start a fashion section on this blog.
While liking pictures on instagram in the hopes of getting followers, who will in turn read this blog, I came across this woman. Numerous comments and emails after and I am excited to publish this post. She is just too cool :)
While liking pictures on instagram in the hopes of getting followers, who will in turn read this blog, I came across this woman. Numerous comments and emails after and I am excited to publish this post. She is just too cool :)
And her shoegame, I have no words!
Q. Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do
for a living?
A. I'm a professional 400/400m hurdler representing the
country of Canada. I attended Pennsylvania
State University from 2007-2010 where I obtained a bachelors in print
journalism with a minor in English literature. While attending the University,
I was an 11x All American and I went pro in 2010.
Q. How do you balance your exercise regime and your
professional life?
A. My exercise regime IS my professional life. Track and
Field pays my bills and therefore I look at practice the same way one might
look at their job. There are days I don't want to get up and go, but I must, if
I want to be the best athlete I can be. I don't get paid hourly, like a normal
job, because being an athlete is a 24/7 occupation.
Q. What does your weekly fitness regime consist of?
A. Depending on the season my weekly schedules change. But
primarily I do a long run (3-6 miles) 3-4xs a week in the early morning. Then I
have speed work in the afternoon. And after my speed session I lift weights
3-4xs a week. During preseason, I will also incorporate a long swim
(500yards-1mile) once a week on Sundays or a Yoga class.
Q. When and why did you start running?
A. I started running when I was in 7th grade at Akron
Central School in New York. A few older students dared me to join our high
school cross country team. So I did. And
never looked back.
Q. What motivates you to go out there, when you do not feel
like it?
A. I'm not talented. This means that everything I do, I have
to work twice as hard for to make up for what I naturally lack. If I miss a day
of practice, it will eat at me for days, weeks even. It will affect my
confidence and therefore affect how I race. I need to do everything I can to
make sure that when I line up, I know I put the work in and I can look around
and truly believe, no one works harder than me. Missing practices can turn into
an excuse for a poor performance, further down the line. Confidence is
important. You can't fake it or buy it. You've gotta build it. Everyday. That
can only be done at practice. If I gave into my own weak thoughts every time I
didn't "feel like it", I'd never get anything done.
Q. What is the longest distance you have ran?
A. I ran xc in high school and even my first year in college
at SUNY Cortland University. You run 5k in high school, and 6k in college.
Those were my longest racing distances. But I've gone for long runs, just on my
own, early in my career, that were close to 20miles.
Q. What do you love
about running?
A. What I love about running is that it reveals you to
yourself. If I watch a video of myself running, it's like seeing a mirror
reflection of my soul. That's not always a pleasant thing but it is an honest
thing. And honesty isn't so easy to come by these days. I love how raw running
is. It's just truth. It's just you and your own thoughts and your own work and
your body and you never stop learning about running and you never stop learning
about yourself.
Q. What do you hate about running?
A. I hate how vulnerable it makes me. I just told you that
running is a reflection of my soul. And if I can see that, so too can
spectators. Its part of what makes my fans love me. But It's hard to live
through the ebb and flow of your dreams on a public scale for everyone to see.
Running is personal and if I race poorly, which happens from time to time to
EVERY athlete, It feels like I'm hanging my dirty underwear out on the clothes
line. There's a degree of shame that is palpable. In high school, if I lost a
race, I wouldn't go to school for days. When I win, the world wins with me.
When I lose, I lose alone.
Q. What gives you the confidence to run in the streets?
A. I don't understand this question.
Q. How do you think running can empower women?
A. I don't think running can just empower women. I think
it empowers all people. But, in a world primarily dominated by men, running ca.
Help some. Reclaim a confidence in themselves. They can reclaim their body's.
I've never heard of a girl who came back from a run and regretted it! But I
certainly hear women joke about how they regretted the last bag of chips they
ate. It's time that women stop regretting and start taking action. A run, is
that action. If you're more confidant I. Yourself youre more affective in the
work place and in your relationships. Youre over all a better person. And isn't that what all of us strive to be?
Better people?
Q. What would you like to achieve in the future in terms of
running?
A. All I see is those five rings. The Olympics. I missed
making the 2012 London Olympics by ONE place. I've been seeing red since then.
Q. How do you envision the future of running?
A. I personally hope that running is changing. I want more
sponsorship opportunities and freedom from track athletes. I want more
publicity for our events. The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland was an
amazing spectacle with hundreds of thousands of people in the stands! We could
feel the private warm up track, outside of the stadium, shake each time the
crowd roared. One day, I hope to see many more track events be that epic.
Q. What do you think about the lack of exercise among the
youth?
A. I don't really understand it. People put too much
pressure on schools to get kids active. Truth is, school is a place for
learning and character development. School isn't there to get kids active. That
desire must come from the student himself. You can't MAKE anyone want to go for
a run or play football or basketball. Those desires come from inside. In my
opinion, these desires start from home. What do families do to spend time
together or pass the time? Do they sit down n watch tv? A movie? Or do they go
make a slip and slide in the back yard? Or build forts in the woods or snow men
in the winter? The lack if physical activity comes from lazy parents. I had a
Nintendo growing up, but I also had a go-cart and a tree house and a tire
swing. Lol we weren't plopped in front of the tv all day. Additionally, my mom
didn't buy things like soda and chips. Those were rare items in our house. We
got carrots for snacks and sliced apple wedges and homemade trail mixes. My
parents were active parents. I'm one of four children. All of us played sports
throughout our high school and even middle school years. Parents aren't always
willing or able (due to working) to invest the time in extracurricular
activities. They rely too much on schools and teachers to raise their children.
It's time for parents to take responsibility and it starts with them.
Q. What was your best running experience?
A. My best running experience ?! Ugh, there were so many!
Going pro in 2010 was pretty amazing and a dream come true. But when I look
back, I really cherish the moments I had with the other girls on the Penn State
track team. I'm still very close to many of them. It felt like we went to war
together. We had the translucent bond with one another. We cried with each
other and partied together and prayed together and rooted for each other and
laughed. I loved the laughter the most.
We laughed so much.
Q. What was your worst running experience?
A. Losing the Olympic trials in 2012. Four years of
training, just to fall short. It was devastating. I questioned my purpose. I
questioned the value of my own life. I didn't talk to anyone for over two
months. And then one day I made a decision. "Fawn, either you are all in
or you are all out. Either you hang up shoes forever, or you quit feeling sorry
for yourself and get back out there." And I laced up my shoes and I went
for a run. Just like that.
Q. How do you push through the pain?
A. The workout doesn't really start until it starts hurting.
Anyone can run fast when they are fresh and ready. I define the quality of the
workout by how well I tolerated pain. The faster I reach pain, and the longer I
learn to run with it, the better athlete I'll be. I play a lot of mind games
with myself. I convince myself, half way through a workout, that I just got to
the track and haven't even started the workout yet. Sometimes I close my eyes,
and I hear the crowd. I hear the official say "set". I envision that
I'm in the moment that will define me as an athlete. I sometimes just focus on my breathing.
Almost like meditation during the workout. Sometimes, during my rest periods, I
simply talk to God. Ask him for strength. I repeat to myself; " this is
what I do, this is who I am, this is what I love." And I'm not talking
about running... I'm talking about the pain. I convince myself that I like it.
It's all just a mind game.
Q. What is your favourite shoe to run in?
A. Well, after running in Brooks shoes for four years while
they were my sponsor, I really fell in love with a lot of their shoes. They
make some quality footwear. For long runs I wear the Brooks Launch. For track
workouts and speed work, I wear the Brooks Pure Connect.
Q. What can you not run without?
A. My watch. I wear a cheap $12 watch from Walmart and I
love that thing. I will literally turn my car around and go back home to get
it.
Q. What advice can you give somebody who wants to start
running?
A. Buy a good pair of shoes and just go. Doesn't matter how
slow. You wanna jog a quarter mile and then walk a quarter mile, you DO that.
You're still lapping everyone at home sitting on their couch.
Q. Which Social media sites are you on and how can one
follow you?
A. I can always be reached via email at supfawn@aol.com but I'm also
on twitter and Instagram. I'm also in the process of having a website and blog
made.
Twitter- @fawndorr
Instagram- @fawndorr
4 comments
Parent’s preferences as far as the career of their children is concerned are one of the issues to be handled because they should consider what their children want to do rather than their own objectives and get custom essays. is there to help.
ReplyDeleteParent’s preferences as far as the career of their children is concerned are one of the issues to be handled because they should consider what their children want to do rather than their own objectives and get custom essays. is there to help.
ReplyDeleteGood luck in Canada, we need someone like you to cheer for!
ReplyDeleteOh ! your posting so nice about running and gymnasian tipes. Really the post is delightful.I am interested to this counseling.thank you for your post & I wait your next post.If you have time please visit here about to know details athletic clothing canada
ReplyDelete