Supermom Elizabeth Weil Talks About Running the Boston Marathon with BOKS!

03/15/16

Elizabeth Weil is one of the coolest moms on the West Coast and she’s running the Boston Marathon in support of BOKS! This awesome momma is a habitual marathon runner with a passion for physical activity, entrepreneurship, and living her best life possible.

BOKS sat down with Elizabeth to talk about physical activity, motherhood, and marathons.

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I live in Portola Valley, California with my husband and 19 month old son. Came to the Bay Area for Stanford University where I graduated with a degree in Economics, proceeded to get my masters in Engineering, and then never left. I work in Venture Capital and am lucky enough to be able to run the beautiful trails of Portola Valley every morning. A fun fact about Portola Valley is that it’s known as the town that has more trails than roads!

2. How are you connected to BOKS?

I met Kathleen Tullie at the TED Conference in 2015 and was inspired by her mission. The BOKS program really hit a nerve with me because of a program that my own mother started as a teacher in her California elementary school decades ago.

3. Why do you see physical activity as an important part of healthy development in young lives?

My mother is 73 years old and still running marathons. As a second grade teacher for more than 25 years, she started a running program at her local elementary school decades before running was “cool.” She knew that her students didn’t get enough physical activity and introduced a program to get kids running 3 days a week for 45 minutes before lunch. She integrated learning into her lesson plans, including math and sciencein her program as well as reinforced softer social skills encouraging conversations between new students as they jogged. My mother and her students even felt compelled to run a few weekend 5K races together! Inspired by their dedication, the local running store occasionally donated some goodies to the 7/8 year olds! So many of those students have gone on to run in high school and college, and overall just appreciate what happy, healthy bodies can do for you! 4. How has being a mom inspired you to stay physically active? Being a mom has definitely inspired me for a few reasons! My mom ALWAYS got her morning masters swim in while we were growing up. She went really early, around 4:45 am, and NEVER missed a morning. When I was pregnant I had a friend tell me “Say goodbye to running every morning!” but I disagreed! My morning workout is a non-negotiable. I’m a better mom, wife, and employee and I joke that I have to earn my shower each day!

5. Do you have any tips for people who are interested in training for their first marathon?

Anyone can run a marathon! My advice is to commit to one, pull out your calendar and work backwards. Also, choose a marathon you’d ACTUALLY like to run. For example, if you hate running in HOT weather, don’t choose one that is in the summer. And schedule your long runs in advance. If Saturdays or Sundays aren’t ideal for you and your family, choose an early weekday morning. I’ve also found the value in paying for a babysitter to get a good run in because I’d rather have that than a night out! So many running plans overwhelm new runners by including interval workouts. But, if you are good about getting your long run in just jog “maintenance mileage” over the week and you will be fine. Just remember, that there is always room for improvement, so don’t be too hard on yourself!

6. Favorite exercise?

A single track trail run with a good friend.

7. Fun Fact?

I have a letterpress printing business–started it over a decade ago. Check it out at paperwheel.com

8. Describe your motivation for running the marathon in one word

Empowering

Donate and find out more about BOKS’s involvement in the 2016 Boston Marathon HERE!