Dancers are often told they can’t run — the stereotype says “it will wreck your knees”, “your thighs will get bulky” or “all that impact will shorten your career.” Dancer and history teacher Kathryn Thayer knew this, but she decided to break the stigma  and try running herself. She instantly fell in love with the sport, leading her to create a blog to share her journey with the world named From Dancing to Running.

“Having danced since I was little and all the way into college, people have always told me that dancers are not physically fit to run,” Thayer said. “Seeing my husband go through training and run his first marathon motivated me to try it myself.”

Thayer started her blog as a way to record her training and progress and to share her story with family and friends. Since, she has built a community of followers with whom she is able to connect about  her running journey.

“My interactions on my blog are mainly with other runners. First, they would just be with other runners in the DC area, but now my connections have expanded across the country,” Thayer said.  “One of the fun things to do is meet other bloggers at races. Sometimes people will even recognize me just from my blog.”

Thayer uses From Dancing to Running to publish her reflections on recent training and recaps of races she has run. She says it is a way she can keep on track to accomplish her goals and for her to connect with others in the running community.

“A way to think about a personal blog is that it’s a journal or diary that you could handwrite, but instead, you’re doing it electronically and in a way that others can see,” Thayer said. “One of the great things about the blogging community is that people are so encouraging and they support you in your goals.”

Link to Kathryn Thayer’s blog: https://dancingtorunning.com/