This positive running story is about Becca Corona, a runner from Arvada, Colorado. I first connected with Becca on LinkedIn a couple of years back, and there was something about her positive nature in her profile that shone through and grabbed my attention. I invited Becca to come out on a group run with one of our camps this summer, and then she was able to join us for the whole time at another camp later in the summer. Becca is one of those people that you know has an even brighter future ahead of them, and I’m excited to watch this develop. (Becca is on the far left in the picture above). We recently caught up with Becca and had a chance to interview her, and here is the result:
You have completed several marathons. What was your best marathon experience, and why?
My best marathon experience was my most recent one (The LA Marathon.) This was my fifth marathon and since my family is from California, it was not only enjoyable because I trained harder, but it was a special one because LA holds a lot of my family’s history. I also enjoyed the size and diversity of this race.
You attended one of our active at altitude running camps in August this year. What did you enjoy about the experience of being at running camp, and what was your biggest take away from the camp?
I thought the camp was wonderful! I have never participated in a running camp before but it brought me back to my Cross-Country days of being with like-minded individuals. I really enjoyed the camaraderie and sense of community that the camp encouraged. The camp I attended was a Women’s running camp. I loved being able to learn about each participants backgrounds and lives. I was the youngest participant which gave me a chance to learn from the other Women and ask them questions about life and beyond. I also really enjoyed how the camp catered to each individual’s goals and helped us become stronger runners. We spent some time evaluating our forms by running on flat ground as well as running up and down hills. I found this to be very beneficial because it had been years since I’ve been coached and it helped to have that instruction and understand why I run the way I do.
My biggest take away from the camp was the solidification of my love for the sport. It’s easy to lose sight of those things that hold significance in your life, and the camp reminded me of why I keep running.
You have volunteered for Girls on the Run before. What did your role there involve, and why was it important to you to work with an organization like Girls on the Run?
I recently participated as a Sole Mate for Girls on the Run where I raised money for the organization while training for the LA Marathon. Girls on the Run’s mission is “We envision a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams.” Running has become a vehicle for me to build my own confidence and I’ve been fortunate enough to have some great mentors in the running world. I’ve always wanted to share that confidence and passion and Girls on the Run does just that.
Though we have lifted a lot of limitations we put on women and girls, we still live in a world where those limitations affect our confidence and ability to excel in life. I believe that running and any sport for that matter is a way that we can break that mold and instill that confidence at a young age. Which is why I greatly support what Girls on the Run is doing.
You wrote a feature entitled “Be your own hero.” In it you said, “In order for me to become my own hero, I developed a new outlook and positivity.” What prompted you to make that change, and how has this helped your life, and your ability to see yourself as a hero?
I became tired of placing myself in the shadows of other people’s success. We live in a time where it is so easy to compare our lives to others, especially when it is displayed on social media. I asked myself “why do I idolize everyone else when I can be proud of my own accomplishments?” As soon as I shifted to that perspective, I was able to see myself as a success. I’ve slowly saved myself from getting trapped into a cycle of insecurity and self-doubt. I stopped putting limits on myself and became a happier person. When I started to focus on what mattered and what made me feel good about myself, I developed a new love of myself. I began to see myself as my own hero.
You will be taking part in a certification weekend with the Lydiard Foundation in Boulder, CO, in December. What are you looking forward to most about the course, and what are your plans once you become a Lydiard certified running coach?
There are so many things I look forward to with this course! Overall, I look forward to adding to and fine tuning my knowledge of the sport. I think in addition to becoming a coach, the course will really help me as an athlete so that I can train better and smarter. My plan after this course is to dive further into the running community and work with people that I can share the running journey with. I was very fortunate to have some amazing mentors when I became a runner who deep rooted the power of this sport in me from the beginning. My hope is to become that mentor for somebody else and to share that passion with them. To pass on the torch so to speak.
You had a close encounter with a mountain lion in Colorado in 2015. You said that the rendezvous made you value life so much more. Does that feeling still stay with you, and does it ever cross your mind that you may have another encounter in the future?
That feeling definitely stays with me to this day. That close call truly put some perspective into me. I’ve wasted so much energy and time on things and people that don’t matter or deserve my attention. As soon as I was in that situation where I could have potentially been attacked, all of those silly things didn’t matter. It might seem a bit dramatic but in that moment, it was like my life was flashing before me. When all was said and done, I valued being alive and all that I had so much more. Life really is precious and within a matter of seconds or minutes, it could end. It does cross my mind that I could have another encounter but since then, I have educated myself a bit more and have taken more precaution when being in the outdoors.
Can you describe one thing that is uniquely Becca that no-one would know by looking at you?
I would say that one thing is that I love and hurt with my whole heart.
What are your running and life goals for the rest of the year, and 2018 beyond?
I want to be a runner for life. Since I began running back in 2002, the sport has become almost like an appendage. I need it to bring me back to who I am and I need it to cleanse my soul. I want to continue to run marathons – my goal is to run a total of 15 – 20 by the time I’m in my 40’s. I also want to run an ultra-marathon. I will be 30 in January and I have some pretty big goals that involve my athletic abilities but I don’t want to jinx them since I only have a few months =).
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Terry Chiplin, the visionary behind activacuity, provides positive coaching sessions for clients, working with athletes to enable a positive focus on their status and goals. He can also create personalized guided imagery sessions for clients, delivered as an mp3 audio file that you can listen to on multiple devices.activacuity provides a daily dose of positive guided imagery or visualization sessions. Find out what you can do when you make that mind-body connection – check out our subscription options here.
You can help raise funds for the American Cancer Society by becoming a subscriber to activacuity®. We are thrilled to announce that from February 1, 2017, we are a partner with the American Cancer Society.Use the code activacssupport2017 when you subscribe for an annual membership through our website, and $10 of your subscription goes to the American Cancer Society. We will also provide a free subscription for activacuity® to a cancer survivor for each paid annual subscription received. The Society will establish a list of cancer survivors that will benefit from the partnership, using the Patient Navigator Program.
Our goal is to raise $5000 for the Society over the partnership period.
