Episode 37 | Sabrina Little on the Intersections of Philosophy, Running and New Motherhood
by Nikki Parnell — December 18, 2020
This week we talk with Sabrina Little – a professional ultra runner for Hoka, a philosophy professor and a mom to a 6 month old. We loved getting to hear about each of these worlds and how they have intertwined in her life. We learned how she got into philosophy – intending to be a doctor but finding her true passion lied in the study of humanities and asking the big life questions (what a person is, what we’re doing here, what is morality, character, virtue, flourishing, etc).
Sabrina has a way of bringing theories from the past to the present, applying them relevantly and practically to our modern world. She says, “Science keeps progressing, math keeps progressing, all of these fields are moving us forward, but still at the end of the day, when your head is on the pillow at night, you’re a human who wants to know, ‘Who am I? What should I be? Am I thriving? What’s my life oriented towards? What is of value?’ As long as we’re humans, philosophers should have a role in society.” And she brings her gifts of investigating and reflecting these great concepts to her students, to her research and to the public through her column called, “The Examined Life” for iRunFar.
As far as running goes, Sabrina has been doing amazing things for a very long time (she actually can’t remember life before running, it’s been part of her for, well, forever). She is a 5x national champion, a world silver medalist and she set the American record twice in the 24-Hour race. She’s a natural achiever, competitive and always trying to accomplish as much as possible – which she says is probably her “best asset and greatest foible.” It’s clear she’s driven and sustained by curiosity in this sport of ultra running, always excited to see just how far her body and mind can take her.
When it comes to 24 hour races, she says, “I think if people knew how fun these were it wouldn’t be so rare. There’s something very satisfying about having a day in front of you and knowing that all you have to do is run.” Her advice for attempting this kind of endeavor: 1) Take quitting off the table – you pass by the starting line hundreds of times so it becomes very difficult not to quit if you haven’t banished that idea from your brain. 2) Break it down. Put yourself in cruise control for the first 100 miles, start to compete for the rest of it (only 50ish miles which is TOTALLY doable!! …according to Sabrina…).
And lastly, with her recent walk into motherhood, Sabrina shares about her pregnancy, the reordering of love a mother goes through when their baby is born and how even though her priorities have shifted, she is no less ambitious of a person and will be getting back to racing and professional goals as soon as the world allows. She has the best support system in her husband and we can’t wait to see the things she goes on to do next!
Click the link below or search “Run Hard Mom Hard” on your preferred podcast platform to give this inspiring and thought provoking episode a listen! Don’t forget to share this one with your mom tribe too! Thank you!
Big thanks to this week’s podcast sponsor, XOSKIN! They make awesome running apparel that protects athletes from chafing, blisters, hot spots and odor. Use code “treeline” for 20% off your purchase!
Show Notes:
Follow Sabrina on Instagram
Read her philosophical writings in her iRunfar column called “The Examined Life”
Also read her blog!
Sabrina’s sponsors:
Sabrina’s Favorite Race: Rocky Raccoon 100
Sabrina’s Favorite Meal: Homemade Sushi!
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