Athlete Spotlight: Joanna Sohovic-Urban

 

Joanna has been running with the No Boundaries program for ten years and has joined several of our other training programs over the years. She just completed her first triathlon this past June and we can't wait to see all that she continues to accomplish!

"I have been a member of Fleet Feet No Boundaries for 10 years! It all started back in 2014 when I would go for walks in Liverpool on the Parkway for exercise and always noticed these organized groups of runners. It looked like they were having so much fun and I wistfully wished I could be a runner but didn’t think it was possible as I was very out of shape and had never been a runner. One day after the group ran past me, I decided to start jogging but after less than 50 yards I was out of breath and stopped, thinking to myself “Yup, just what I thought, I can’t run.” BUT THEN ... I started a new job and would see one of the employees changing into running clothes after work and there was that name again “Fleet Feet.” After a couple of weeks I decided to ask her about it. She was so excited telling me about Fleet Feet and No Boundaries. I looked it up and VERY hesitantly signed up for the next session. I was just sick of watching life from the sidelines. I joined the beginner program and couldn’t even run for one minute when I started, but that was okay. The program and coaches were so amazing that I kept going back every week. The shirt here is from my very first 5K. I’ve kept it all these years because it was such a huge accomplishment (plus it’s a super cool shirt!)

 

In No Boundaries I have made lifelong friends. We run together, travel together and do a ton of things outside of running. The comradery in all of the Fleet Feet programs is so amazing. I know this because since that very first No Boundaries session, I have also run with the Fleet Feet Distance Group and trained for the 15K Boilermaker. I’ve done several sessions of FFXT (a strength program that from my experience is the best), and the Fleet Feet Triathlon Program having just completed my first triathlon in June. I couldn’t believe it when so many of my No Boundaries friends drove 1-1/2 hours at the crack of dawn to cheer me on! The training, support and friends I have made through No Boundaries and some of the other programs is something I will always be extremely grateful for.

 

I have learned SO MUCH since that first day. Most importantly is that if you’re sick of watching life from the sidelines, you have to start somewhere. No Boundaries is a great place to start, no matter what your goals are. Seven of us wore our No Boundaries shirts to The Mammoth March (a 20-mile hike through Letchworth State Park) a couple of weeks ago. So many people yelled, “Go No Boundaries!” that it made me really think about the name of this program. There really are no boundaries to what we can achieve with the right training, support and of course, the friends we make along the way."