Tread is Latin for “PR”.

Did you know that? 

Indeed. Fascinating, right?

The prefix “tre” means individue (where the English term “individual” comes from).

And “ad” is recore (record).

Individual, or personal, record. Mind blown.

Did Courtney and the People’s Champ know this when they named it? Started the program?

Of course not, because I just made all of that up.

HOWEVER, before I lose the trust of all of you…stay with me! 

It should be.

I talked to some of the most committed TREADers, those who stuck with the program—showed up in all sorts of Ohio-like weather—and they freakin’ crushed their PRs at Cap City.

The term TREAD actually means, “to form by the action of walking or trampling”, “to treat with disdainful harshness or cruelty; crush, oppress”.

And yes, Team TREAD certainly trampled over, crushed, AND oppressedtheir previous times and notions on long-distance running.

And here are some of their words. Straight from the horse’s mouth (a really, freaking fast horse):

Madison Thompson(Congrats on the PR!)

Tread was absolutely VITAL in my training. Without Team Tread pushing me to give it my all, I would not have shown up every week. This was my third half-marathon and first one back after doing a full, I was honestly pretty cocky “oh I know what I’m doing, I’ve done this before time attitude” but no. Team Tread humbled me, encouraged me, and challenged me to my core. Each week the workouts our Tread captains would come up with would keep me on my toes.

It is through this community that I felt empowered and confident in my training that would bring me to a PR.This is the first race that I have finished and thought, wow I can’t wait to run another! Now who’s with me?! #TeamTread

Kaitlin Jahn(Congrats on STICKING WITH IT!)

For me Tread was my everything when training for this half because of a new job in which I’m traveling out of the state every other week. The schedule helped me focus on what I needed to do week by week to keep myself on track. Although I couldn’t make it to Tread all of the time due to traveling, the group chat motivation to get the workout done, even if it was on an awful treadmill, helped me feel like I was still very much a part of the group. If it wasn’t for this team, this family, this motivation, I probably would have backed out of doing the half this time around in all honesty. When it comes to traveling for work, you lose a lot of your self motivation to get the workoutin because you’re so tired or have to work late at the client. The group chat and its uplifting powers really did wonders. It made me feel like I had something extra to work for. To say, yes I was at this disadvantage, but at the end of the day I still went out there and kicked ass. Although this third half marathon was not my fastest run, I still accomplished something that a lot of people have not - and that is completing my third half marathon! Love my SOS family!

Molly Disabato(Congrats on getting comfortable with discomfort…and recovering like a BA!)

TREAD really took me out of my comfort zone. I was training with people whose warmup was close to my race pace. But I pushed myself to run with them. I know if I would have stuck to what I was comfortable with, my normal pace, they would have waited for me. But I didn’t want them to. I would have never been able to run as hard as I did without that group of people…

…And, after the race, I came home, stretched and foam rolled, and felt great. I felt fine. I even took The Course and Slo Flo the next morning.

Jacqueline Spearman(Congrats on your PR!)

I co-lead the very first Tread class at 5:30am back in February. I think the weather was 20F degrees and it was continuing to snow. Everything was covered in ice. As my alarm went off that morning, I thought to myself "No one in their right mind will be at this class." And to my EXTREME surprise 6 bundled up badasses walked onto the track.  They were genuinely excited to get their training started, and as I watched them run around that track for their first timed mile I was amazed, proud and most of all inspired by their passion and dedication. At that moment, there was nowhere else in the world I would have rather been even though I couldn't feel one extremity on my body. And that's how the remainder of the 12 weeks went. Showing up each week, getting a great physical workout but also a mental and emotional one. Actually wanting to show up and dedicate yourself to the workout because you wanted to make your fellow runners proud. Having a team of people behind you supporting you, pushing you, encouraging you and holding you accountable to your workouts and to yourself. Tread did a lot for me when it came to breaking down my training schedule in a manageable way that allowed me to set and track my goals. But my treadmates also inspired me with their passion, supported me with their words of encouragement and instilled a confidence that helped me crush this half marathon. I beat my goal time by 2 minutes, and did so running alongside an SOS'er-pushing each other the entire way. I definitely wouldn't have been where I was physically or mentally on race day if it wasn't for my fellow treaders- some of the most driven, dedicated, supportive badasses I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.

Ashley Claprood(Congrats on your PR…and knowingyou’re a runner—because you are!)

I ran the Cap City Quarter Marathon for the first time last year. It was further than I had ever run in my life. I was never a runner, I was the girl that played sports in school but died when it came time to run a mile. I ran my first 5K in 2013 when I was 23, and I nearly died. (My only defense is that it was in South Carolina in the summertime with about 500% humidity). So anyway, signing up for 6.55 miles was a big deal for me. I followed a training schedule and was proud of myself for finishing under a 10 min/mile pace (1:04:44). 

I had zero intentions of running again this year (busy with work, about to go back to school again, freezing winter), but when SOS announced Tread, I literally thought "Why not me?! I can do this! Sure, I'm not the best runner, but what do I have to lose?" So I signed up, and was a little nervous about what I got myself into when I got Courtney's email with the training schedule. I HATE speed workouts- let alone at 5:30am, in the rain, snow, and 30 mph winds. But I did my best to make a tread workout each week (I think I missed 2-3?) and doing them with a group made them suck a tiny bit less. I even made some friends along the way. There were times when I got discouraged being the slowest in the tread group... but I tried to remind myself that these are some amazing athletes! I was slow compared to them... but I started with a 9:30 timed mile on week 1, and by our second timed mile, I ran a 7:48. That is not fast for some, but let me just tell you- I have NEVER run a sub-8 min/mile IN MY LIFE! 

On Saturday, I felt good. Strong. Like- dare I say- I was a runner. I chugged along and felt great and I think I had a smile on my face the whole time. I was giving high-fives to every child that was cheering on the crowd and I was having so much fun. I finished strong and wasn't even sure what my official time was- I just felt so happy. I looked at my results online while drinking my post-race beer and was kinda shocked- 59:01. I couldn't believe I shaved off over 5 minutes from last year's race time! I just felt really proud of myself, which I think is really rare for a lot of people.

Sam Haft(Congrats on your PR…and finding your sweet spot!!)

I absolutely loved TREAD. I’ve been a long distance runner for most of my life and have done a wide variety of running clubs and programs. TREAD has been the only one that I saw such dramatic positive results with. So many programs either burn you out by doing too much or don’t do enough/have the personal touch. I think TREAD hit the sweet spot!I beat my previous half marathon PR by over 7 minutes, which I never thought would be possible!

Hell yes, indeed.

Congrats to all the TREAD runners. Whether you crushed your PR or found a new belief in yourself, you’re all badasses that deserve celebration.