Lindsay McClelland lives in Houston, Texas and is an account manager for Digital Public Relations at MMI Agency, a full-service advertising agency. She fell in love with running while living in Hawaii and has been running marathons since 2010 and participating in Racery races since Nov, 2014. 

Q. How far do you run in a week?

30-45 miles, depending on what I’m training for.

Q. What’s your longest run? 

When I’m marathon training, I usually go up to 20 or 22 miles as my longest run.

Q. Do you have any dream races or dream runs you aim to complete someday? 

My biggest goal right now is qualifying for Boston!

 Q. Do you run often with other people or alone? 

I prefer to run with other people. Not only do they keep me accountable, but it’s also more fun! I do my speed training and long runs with a running club and on my easy days I try to join social running clubs or run with my girlfriends.

Q. What or who inspires you to run.. even on the hard days?

I’m pretty competitive so I think it’s fair to say that I push myself and am driven by my goals.

Q. Do you remember the first moment you felt “like a runner?“ 

I ran my first 5K my junior year in college. I was on the swim team and didn’t really do much on land, but I loved the way I felt after the 5K and was surprised that I enjoyed it! Although I didn’t really start to run until the summer after I graduated, I could tell it would be a good activity for me.

Q. How do you measure success as a runner? 

I’ll always measure my success by my times and personal records to some degree, but I also look at how much fun I’m having and if I’m running smart. My last race, The Houston Marathon was one of my most successful, although I was 1 minute slower than my PR, I negative split for the first time ever and had a blast running the entire 26.2.

Q. What’s the coolest connection you’ve made because of running? 

I inspired my dad to start running and now we run marathons together!

Q. What role does running play in your life?

It plays a huge role! I moved to Houston two years ago without any friends. Meeting runners really made a difference in making Texas feel like home to me. Running also keeps me balanced, stress-free (for the most part) and happy.

Q. What role does Racery play? 

It’s a great way to see my success and keep me accountable! I’m extremely active on social media so I love the online integration and being able to share my success. It’s also pretty neat to think that I run far enough to travel from NY to SF!

Q. What’s your favorite thing to think about or talk about while running? 

Oh, we talk about everything! I’m starting to plan my wedding so that’s always a hot topic, but when that gets boring food…always food!

Q. And FINALLY, what’s one word that best describes what/how running makes you feel? 

Happy!