Lindsey Sachs: Leadville Trail 100 Run and Blueprint for Athletes

Blog Post Re: Lindsey Sachs
Blueprint for Athletes, Beta Athlete
Sr. Brand & Marketing Director, Life Time Media & Events

Design a life you love. This mantra continues to center me across all aspects of life. I resonate with these five words because they help me remember that we are gifted with choices to design our life vs. letting life just happen.

A Minneapolis, Minnesota native, and rival to the Energizer Bunny, I have an abundant zest for opportunity and putting myself forward to take risks and try. By trying through the years, the chapters in my life are growing quite compelling. For example, when my career at Life Time Fitness began three years ago, I was hired to design a women’s event brand centered on extending and enhancing The Healthy Way of Life and influencing a fitness lifestyle attractive to strong, aspirational female athletes. With a white board and much brainstorming, Gildan Esprit de She – The Spirit of Her Race Series was born and has since hosted more than 20,000 women across the country, celebrating their athletic accomplishments in running and endurance events.

While working in unison with other like-minded individuals and inspiring more women to set and accomplish their fitness goals, I began to discover my own new passion – trail running. Parallel to my career investments in designing a new brand, were investments in my personal well-being. Invited by my co-worker to explore the benefits of trail running on South Mountain in Arizona, I instantly felt I had found my endurance home. The variance of terrain, the unexpected matter beneath your feet, the miles logged seemingly quick without a constant check of the watch. I discovered a new sport that leads me steadfast to the start line of the Blueprint for Athletes Leadville Trail 100 Run presented by New Balance on August 22, 2015.

This trail running evolution helped me graduate from a 5K evening run after work to a growing curiosity – “could I go further?” Over a three-year span, I’ve raced half marathons and marathons in many cities, with an ironic exception of completing a running event in my home state. Atlanta, Cape Cod, New York, Washington, DC and my most sincere favorite, Leadville, CO.

Last July, I inherently stepped into the zone (or perhaps many zones) beyond my comfort zone and committed to the Blueprint for Athletes Silver Rush 50 Run, part of the Blueprint for Athletes Leadville Race Series. Knowing how my body felt after 26.2 miles in a marathon, I reveled in the many unknowns and “what ifs” could happen while trying to double down and trek 50 miles at elevation. I approached my race knowing I had to race my own race and be true to my body. I simplified the visualization of the race in my head to the notion of traveling from point A to B. If I get to point B (aka the finish line), I succeed. Well, I got to point B and my immediate thought was “I’m not ready for this to be over.”

That honest gut feeling told me something and now, four days from now, I anticipate the LT100 Run.

My decision to endure the mighty, grueling race was by choice and by design, that is why I’m excited to have access to Blueprint for Athletes (BFA). I finally have a way to know what’s going on inside of my body and how my body is responding to my training. This will allow me to be more informed and precise when I design my training and nutrition to ensure my race experience is set up for a successful finish.

I gain much assurance in the race ahead because I have Blueprint for Athletes to support my training investment with more data, more knowledge and more specific ways I can positively impact performance. Together with my husband and pacer, Chris Sachs, we’re looking forward to being fueled with relevant personal information from Blueprint for Athletes and respect the talented Quest Diagnostics team who are committed to improving athlete’s performance.

Let the Blueprint for Athletes Leadville Trail 100 Run chapter unfold…