Rise Run Retreat – 2019 in Woodstock, Vermont

Rise Run Retreat – a retreat for women runners and the passion project of Sarah Canney. It’s a simple concept of bringing together women who love running, who want to find connections and confidence in the company of other female runners, with plenty of running, bonding, sharing, and (of course) eating and drinking, all set in a stunning location.

Last year I was able to help out Sarah last minute, when the assistant she was working with was suddenly unable to make the retreat. I loved every minute of the experience, but since I was making it work on the fly, I was running back and forth between Sarah’s retreat home base, work, and home, catching little bits and pieces of the weekend and not being immersed. This year, I was able to take time off work, left all 4 boys with my partner, and was able to be there for Sarah one hundred percent.

I went in stressed out (I had tried to fit all my work and clients into the first few days of the week), feeling teary and emotional I was missing the last two nights of my precious every-other-week time with my littles, and thinking I wouldn’t be able to focus on the retreat, guests, or experience. Just before I left, my partner Michael grabbed me by the shoulders, looked me in the eye, and said, “Go, surround yourself with estrogen. You need it. Enjoy every moment.” On the short drive over (yes, I am lucky enough to live in this special part of the world), I remembered Sarah’s main point in the last email she sent to me, Rebecca, and Sandra, her assistants for the retreat: “My biggest goal for this weekend is that the women who come feel welcomed, loved, empowered and have an amazing time. If we can do that, we will be on the right track.” I knew I could do that – it’s what I try to bring every single day to my job.That is how I want every single one of my clients, and every person who takes one of my classes, to feel.

What didn’t occur to me is that in doing so, in welcoming and loving all the fabulous attendees of the retreat, it also made me feel empowered, loved, and part of a large, strong, amazing group of kickass women runners. I bonded, I shared, I cried, I hugged, I ran lots of miles with great company, I made some real friendships.

I can’t say enough about the presenters Sarah organized for the retreat. If you aren’t following Sally McRae on social (she’s the yellowrunner, a Nike ultramarathoner), run don’t walk to click follow. Sally’s heart and the love that pours out of her is greater in real life than she could ever express in her posts. She had all of us in tears with her story, then full of hope and optimism and just a deep desire to be our best. She’s wonderful.

Sarah spoke about her experiences with not feeling enough, about going through what so many of struggle with, the dreaded imposter syndrome, and when she talked about just showing up, about believing enough to turn up and just see what happens, it resonated with me so much that I shared it with my regulars in my group fitness classes my first day back at work. I told them about what she’d said, and thanked them for showing up, for making the commitment, and for being there, week after week, to put in the effort and work.

Coach Christina, the former head swim coach at the University of Miami, who works with Olympian swimmers, was so perfectly succinct in elucidating the difference between the male and female brains, and breaking down why male-dominated advice doesn’t work for female brains. After she spoke, it seemed so obvious, but not until we had someone who took years to find the key to breaking through the mental obstacles female athletes put in their own way, simply by recognizing their brains aren’t wired the same way men’s are.

Kim Nedeau, the corrective exercise specialist (and Sarah’s coach!) was so gracious with her time and expertise. She gave one-one-one advice to any of the women who needed more information after her presentation. I saw her videoing a runner’s stride after a run one morning and going over her assessment, she invited anyone to come up to her table for a more thorough review, and she shared videos and workouts on a closed site for her athletes for all the attendees. Plus, she was just a lovely human.

But most inspiring? The attendees. They were amazing. They were open, honest, raw, shared their hopes, dreams and fears. I think every one of us at the retreat opened our hearts and were vulnerable with each other. Pace didn’t matter, goals didn’t matter, accomplishments and PRs were not the focus. Our stories and struggles, and love were what made us form bonds.

This year, Sarah also had a professional photographer for the weekend, Joe Viger, who specializes in sporting event photos, landscapes, and portraits. Talk about the perfect photographer for our weekend. His photos are stunning, and he was such a lovely man, and so equally inspired by the group, which comes across in the beautiful shots he took of the attendees. One of my favorite stories of the weekend is that a bachelor party had rented a property near ours, and one afternoon we watched them playing softball – poorly. Out of nowhere, Joe piped up and said, “You ladies would destroy them in a game.” Yes we would, Joe. Yes, we would.

I’m in for next year. Selfishly, I want all the attendees from this year to come back because I want a reunion! 🙂 But life doesn’t always work that way, so I know I’m going to meet and be inspired by more amazing women (and hopefully a few alumni!) next year. Sign up on the Rise Run Retreat website, so you can get all the info on next year’s retreat in May, and start saving now – I promise you, it’s worth it for the experience you will have.

When you’re running lots of miles, learning how to take care of your athlete’s body, and forming friendships, lots of delicious, healthy food is a must. Sarah’s sponsor Inside Tracker provided us with amazing catered food from the Woodstock Farmer’s Market, and there were snacks and goodies from Cabot, Grandy Oats, R.E.D.D., Nuttzo, as well as a bounty of deliciousness Sarah supplied from Trader Joe’s. Add in craft beer, wine, kombucha (it is Vermont, after all!) and trips to town to sample coffee, fries, doughnuts and more, and we definitely never went hungry!

Each attendee also went home with an amazing swag bag, too! Sarah has a ton of sponsors, and we went home with Under Armour gear (including some awesome running shoes), Goodr sunglasses, an Erica Sara necklace, a Confidence Nuggets bracelet from Coach Christina, socks from Darn Tough, a Trigger Pin, goodies from Grandy Oats, Fre Skincare, Cabot, Spring Energy, Maurten, Inside Tracker, Senita Athletics, REDD bars, Nuttzo, and Epic Wipes, all in a beautiful backpack from LL Bean.

Thank you to Sarah, and thank you to every one of the women who came and made all of our hearts a little bigger, and our runs feel more special. You guys ROCK.