Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssa Ford
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started running as a kid, copying my dedicated marathoner mom. As I got a little older, running became an outlet, a stress relief – something I would do occasionally to clear my head or just because I loved it. For a long time, running was something I did “on the side” as I played sports through high school and college. When I stepped away from playing other sports competitively after college, I turned to distance running for a new challenge and fell in love with the process of training and racing. However, my new found love for the sport quickly turned into frustration as I developed a knee injury. I kept pushing anyways, until my injury forced me to stop and I fell into the exhausting cycle of rest, return to running, re-injury, repeat. It got to the point where every time I limped across another finish line or had to cut a run short, I thought to myself “never again”. It took me a long time and a lot of frustration to get the help that I needed to overcome this injury for good. My own struggles with injury sparked my passion for helping other runners overcome similar situations, and started my deep dive into learning everything I could about running, training, and managing running related injuries.
I continued to chase my own running goals as I started physical therapy school. I was constantly looking for ways to expand my knowledge and also became a certified running coach and strength coach. After school, I started my career as a physical therapist, working in a sports medicine clinic. I was very involved in my local running community, and I constantly heard horror stories from runners who got injured and had a negative experience in healthcare or were stuck in this awful re-injury cycle. I knew there was a better way, and started my business Resilient Running with the goal of changing how running injuries are managed. I started working with local runners in my community and things evolved and grew from there. I eventually expanded to offer virtual services so that I could connect with and help more runners without location being a limitation. Having quality care and support when navigating an injury can be crucial and I strive to be a dependable resource for guiding runners through injury recovery and setting them up for long-term success.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I think being an entrepreneur always comes with it’s unique set of challenges! I’m very grateful that I’ve had some amazing mentors and incredible support along the way. Running a business takes a lot of time, energy and effort. I started my business with the intention of helping runners in a meaningful way, and I wanted to give my athletes an amazing experience while also juggling working full time in a PT clinic and continuing to train for my own running goals. There were a lot of long nights and weekends as I got things up and running (pun intended!).
When my husband got an amazing job opportunity in Salt Lake City and we made the decision to move to move across the country, I took the leap and decided to focus on my business, Resilient Running, full time. This was an exciting yet very nerve-wracking step, especially as we navigated a cross- country move and I left the financial security of a full time PT position. But as scary and stressful as that transition was, I’m so glad I decided to go for it. We fell in love with our new home in Salt Lake, I’ve connected with the amazing running community here, and business is thriving!
I think owning a business has a lot of parallels to running – not every day is a breakthrough, but working hard and showing up consistently are the key ingredients and can yield some amazing results. Some days are more challenging than others, but whenever I run into a challenge, I remember my “why”, and look back at all the amazing athletes that I’ve helped so far. I’m really passionate about what I do, and I feel like I’ve really been able to make an impact with the athletes I’ve helped. Even on the hard days I really love what I do!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a physical therapist, strength coach, and running coach who specializes in working with runners. As both a clinician and a coach I’m experienced in working with athletes across the injury to performance spectrum. I love helping injured runners overcome injury and return to healthy training and racing. I also love helping runners maximize their performance and tackle their big running goals. I believe in an approach that emphasizes individualized care, and a coach-athlete relationship that is built on collaboration, support, and trust.
I work with runners of all levels and my coaching services are fully virtual so runners can have access to expert guidance no matter where they are located. Whether a runner is building back from injury or striving for a new personal best, I aim to provide the structure, expertise, and support to help them succeed. My 1:1 coaching includes a personalized running plan, a customized strength and mobility program, and unlimited communication and feedback so that athletes can have ongoing support and guidance whenever they need.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.resilientrunningpt.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyssaford.dpt/
