A New Year's Resolution

A New Year’s Resolution

Tori Copley made a 2022 New Year’s resolution that has flourished into an exciting passion packed with new experiences, amazing memories and even bigger things to come in 2023. Running hasn’t always been a cornerstone of Tori’s life. As a middle school cross country runner, Tori experienced the challenges of the sport and swore she was done with running. However, the word Bloomsday struck up some interest when Tori’s co-worker asked if she wanted to be a part of their corporate cup team. She was intrigued by this and it eventually  blossomed into her New Year's Resolution.  

The Running Journey Begins

Tori slowly settled into her new running schedule in late January and then transitioned into outdoor running on the Centennial Trail in the spring. She later joined her first structured program, the Fleet Feet Spring Ignite! 5k Training Group. This is where she really made bounds of progress and was able to reach her goal of completing Bloomsday in May! “I felt very excited and confident about running Bloomsday since I had been training for a while. After Bloomsday, I was ready to continue training and signed up for the Coeur d’Alene Half Marathon. I wanted to run in another race and push myself to run an even further distance than my original goal.” Bloomsday lit a fire of motivation under her and she went on to complete the Fleet Feet distance training group, as well as accomplishing 11 races for the year, totaling 100 miles of racing!

Tori’s Races for 2022:

• Bloomsday (7.46 mi)
• Coeur d’Alene Half Marathon (13.1 mi)
• Hiawatha Trail Run (10k)
• Run 4 Freedom (5k)
• Spokane to Sandpoint Relay (200 mi total, 20 mi individual)
• Silver Mountain Trail Run (9k)
• Hood to Coast Relay (200 mi total, 20 mi individual)
• Spokane Half Marathon (13.1 mi)
• Wild Moose Chase (10k)
• Halloween Hustle (5k)
• Huffin’ for the Stuffin’ Turkey Trot (5k)

A Year in Reflection

As 2022 came to a close, Tori was able to look back at some of her most memorable races and running moments of the year. She is proud of completing her first half marathon in CDA and had fun training with the Fleet Feet running groups where she really grew to enjoy being a part of the running community in Spokane. She met new friends along the way and appreciated seeing them throughout race courses and events. She participated in her very first relay race where her team won the “Red Lantern” Award – an award for grit, determination and perseverance at the Spokane to Sandpoint Relay. She pushed herself past her limits in this race running 20 miles in total. She experienced the spontaneity of signing up for the Hood to Coast Relay, only days before to be on a team of strangers who quickly became a team of friends.

Along with so many memories from the year, Tori has been able to reflect on what she learned just by hopping on the running train for 2022. “I have learned so many things from running!”

• Motivation to keep learning and growing about the sport and also myself
• Testing limits and setting goals- to the point of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion 
• Gaining community through groups, teams and races 
• Competitiveness but also just enjoying the experience and love for running
• Adventure and spontaneity of running and saying ‘yes’ to opportunities that come my way

Looking to 2023

Tori’s resolution does not have an end in sight. Her running goals and plans have only continued to grow and she keeps pushing her limits.  She was chosen to captain a team for Hood to Coast and she hopes to run a full marathon this year! With the goals that have been accomplished and the experience gained, Tori has some encouragement for people unsure of making running a 2023 goal. “My advice to someone would be to start small, one step, one mile, one foot in front of the other! Pretty soon it becomes less about the miles and more about the feeling of pushing yourself and finding others who are striving to do the same. There’s a great community in Spokane and the surrounding areas who desire to push each other to reach their miles and grow together. I’ve been super blessed to get to be a part of it this year and would recommend anyone to join me/us in 2023!”

2023 is going to be an exciting year for the running world, with races lining up and Spokane training groups starting soon! We hope you’ll come run with us in 2023!