Seriously…how lucky are we to know Maygan Cline? As the Remote Team Leader, she connects women across the country and helps everyone know they are an important member of the team community. Let’s dive in and learn more about Maygan…
Who are you?
I’m a geologist-science-geek, dog-mom-animal-lover, big hugger, and fun starter. If you don’t find me running trails or cooking healthy food, consider checking the nearest dance floor where I’m likely starting a dance party 😉
Why did you want to bring Arete to your city?
In 2016 in Santa Barbara, I was watching through social media how Arete and SIB were growing in Santa Cruz (my hometown). I found myself wishing for a similar community of supportive women runners here in SB. I kept replying to their social media posts with supportive and encouraging messages, saying how much I loved what they were doing. I grew up with Melissa and she was supportive of me leading a chapter outside of Santa Cruz and eventually the Remote Team with members across the county and a local Santa Barbara chapter were started 🙂
How has it impacted the local running community?
There’s plenty of other running clubs in Santa Barbara, but they are all coed. Bringing Arete to Santa Barbara has offered up a new outlet for women to train and race together and support one another. Occasionally our male runner friends or significant others will join us on group runs, and that’s lots of fun too! But I have to say, there’s something special about bringing together a group of fast, dedicated and fun women to challenge and support each other as we chase our running and personal life goals.
How has Arete impacted your own running?
I ran with only my dog for years and years and loved it, but through Arete I’ve learned that I also love running with training partners and friends. I still cherish my solo miles to think, reflect, and create or chase my personal goals, but there’s nothing like the motivation of meeting fellow training partners at o’dark thirty in the morning to get me out of bed and put in work. Arete has inspired me to be more consistent and dedicated in my own training, and many of the remote gals have said that my cheering (virtual or in person) does the same for them. There’s just something contagious about the Arete team support, even if we’re miles, cities, counties or states away from each other. I’ve noticed that when we respond to each other in real life, or to a social media post with real words and true compassion or empathy, we remember that we are not alone. Even though I’m part of the Remote team, I feel connected to the women across the Country in Texas, Ohio, Florida, New Jersey, Colorado, etc., and that’s a great feeling. Like I said earlier, the good vibes are contagious in the absolute best way 🙂
A couple good memories from the year…
Wow. There are lots of good memories from the year. Can I give you my top 5? I’ll try to keep it short but there’s a lot of good stuff!!
1. The All Chapters meet-up races in Santa Cruz: She Is Beautiful Race in March and Wharf to Wharf in July;
2. The All-Chapters meet up at Mountains to Beach Marathon in Ventura. Cheering our teammates on at that race and then brunching afterward was SUPER FUN. There were some amazing PRs at that race and everyone was just giddy. Super fun meeting all of the significant others after that race too!;
3. Meeting all of the Santa Barbara girls this summer and realizing that Arete was growing in my own town! Followed by weekly runs through summer, fall and winter!!!;
4. Brunching with gals from all over CA in Santa Barbara after the September She Is Beautiful race in Santa Barbara (www.runsheisbeautiful.com);
5. Cheering everyone on at CIM in Sacramento just a few weeks ago on December 2.
And of course, now I’m wrapping up and reflecting on all of the good stuff from 2018 and getting psyched for 2019.
What would you like to see happen with Arete in 2019?
I’m still creating goals and getting psyched for 2019, but I’m truly excited to see the team continue to grow and expand across the Country. I’m also excited to incorporate running with teammates into my out-of-state travels plans next year when I visit friends and family (see you soon Colorado Springs Gals!!).
In terms of running, I feel like I’m coming back home. Historically I always ran trails with my dog, rarely pounded pavement and pretty much never did speed workouts. My goal for 2018 was to get comfy on the road and doing speed work and I feel like I conquered that goal. In 2019, I’m ready to get back to my beloved trails where I can enjoy nature with my pup, however, I will continue to incorporate speed work to keep me challenged and engaged and let’s face it, speed workouts are FUN! 2019 will still include the She Is Beautiful and Wharf to Wharf races, but the rest will likely be trail races. I’ve got my eye on a race in Montana this summer and there’s talk of doing an ultra with one of the Santa Barbara gals, but we’re still working out the details and I’ll share more on that later.
Thank you Maygan for your leadership and insight. We are lucky to call you our leader. If you’d like to join Maygan and women across the country, Arete membership opens January 1 and we’d love to share the journey with you. You can join January 1 at runarete.com.
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