340. Emilia Benton, Freelance Writer & Editor

Ali on the Run Show

“I kind of spiraled into this years-long cycle of trying to constantly seek improvement in my times and not give myself a break when I really needed it.”

If you’ve read an article about running in the past few years (which, who hasn’t?), you’ve probably read something by Emilia Benton. Emilia is a freelance journalist (we talk a lot about her transition to going freelance after working in the magazine industry, and about why she’s so much happier on her own) and is a regular contributor at Runner’s World, Self, Women’s Health, Shape, Popsugar, Prevention, Verywell, Fast Company, and more. On this episode, Emilia talks about making her freelance dreams come true and about the stories she’s proudest of, and shares the one publication that’s still on her writing wish list. Plus, Emilia — who lives in Houston, TX, with her husband, Omar, and their dog, Astro — shares her running story. She explains how she’s gone from dreaming of one day running a two-hour half-marathon to recently running a sub-1:40 half, and talks about her Boston Qualifying dreams. She talks about developing a strong mental game, offers her thoughts on being a woman of color both in running and in publishing, and talks about being a twin! (Hi Carla!)

SPONSOR: AfterShokz — Visit ontherun.aftershokz.com for 15% off wireless headphones.

What you’ll get on this episode:

• A day in the life of a freelance journalist (6:00)
• Why Emilia loves being freelance, and what the career is really like (9:40)
• Emilia shares her earliest experiences with racism growing up (28:20)
• Emilia’s best advice for making a scary career move (34:00)
• Emilia reflects on her childhood growing up in Houston, Arizona, and Portland (38:15)
• How Emilia found running (41:00)
• On “learning to chill out on the run” (47:25)

What we mention on this episode: