Allison Cleaver is a pediatric nurse by day, momma to a 6-month-old baby girl, Molly, and an elite runner. It's certainly a lot to juggle. She's still figuring out the stroller miles, is working hard to rebuild her body, and is giving herself grace. She is fiery, feisty, & fast!

At 32, Allison has already put together an amazing running resume; she's run the past 2 Olympic Trials marathons (2:36 PR at CIM), won the Indy Monumental 1/2 marathon (1:12:47, a 5:33 pace) & even bigger things lie ahead!

Someone with those creds usually had a prodigious high school career, was highly recruited to a top university, and hit the pro circuit...

...but what makes Allison's story so inspiring is that she didn't start running until 16.

In her youth, she tagged alongside Dad on her bike on his 2 mile loop and ran it for the first time in 3rd grade. They bonded, she enjoyed the feeling it gave her, started running track at 16, and never looked back. She ran 2 years of high school and then Mom calls coach Steve Sisson on his 2nd day on the job at the University of Texas to ask what it takes to run there. He tells Mom he'll keep an eye out, watches Allison run, likes her fire, and tells her he believes in her and wants her on the team. From a dream to run at UT to making it as a walk-on against all odds! They formed a strong, 9 year partnership and he became a key mentor.

"Steve was awesome and his energy helped me propel to the athlete I am today."

After moving to Houston in 2016 for nursing school before coming back HOME to Austin, Allison met and began working with another great coach, Steve Magness and they're accomplishing great things together today.

Some of the topics we cover include: mom life, pediatric nursing & trying to make a difference, coaching mentors (Toby Howell in high school, Steve Sisson at UT, Steve Magness post-collegiate), coaching styles, where the grit comes from (Grandpa Mendez, who ran in 1980 Boston Marathon), her intro to running with Dad, running in 2 Olympic Trials marathons, her experiences in LA & ATL, the big family presence cheering for her in ATL, the ATX running community, running for herself without sponsor pressure, rebuilding from the ground up, how the Tokyo Olympics re-lit her fire to get after even FASTER times and qualify for another Olympic Trials in the marathon.

I'm so excited to follow Allison's INSPIRING journey to another Olympic Trials marathon qualifier and to becoming the fastest version of herself. I hope you all enjoy this conversation as much as we did!

If you enjoy the episode, it would mean the world to me if you would rate the podcast or write a review and share feedback wherever you get your podcast groove on.

Connect With Allison:

Instagram: @aminicleaver

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Website: https://ronrunsnyc.com

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