Episode 27 - Sam Burmester On Taking It One Leg At A Time

If you've come to a Pacers Social Run on Monday or Thursday, you've probably come across Sam Burmester. He will introduce the workout, probably tell a few jokes, and cheer you on the whole way. 

Sam is the community lead for Pacers Running. In this episode we delve into what that role means, how Sam became involved with Pacers, and how Pacers engages with the community through its social runs and a variety of activations meant to make running more accessible and less intimidating in the District. 

One of the ways Pacers has made running more accessible this year is through its free training plans (and corresponding social runs) for various race distances. The current half marathon training plan is culminating with this weekend's DC Half Marathon. Catch members of the running community racing, pacing, cheering, and water stopping (I think think this is called thirst trapping?).

Along with talking shop about Pacers, we delve into Sam's own journey with movement, as a runner and swimmer growing up and eventually as a triathlete. We talk about the training, the coping with injury, the PRs, the Ironman attempt, and all of the lessons learned along the way. Sam give a bit of helpful tips for those attempting multisport events. (Spoiler: Don't forget your nutrition plan!) 

We talk a lot of connections: movement, mental health, supportive community, feeling confident enough to go after big goals.