58. "Preppy Runner" Theodora Blanchfield

"It was this weird moment of knowing I was on the precipice of my entire life being about to change. And that was terrifying. The moment I had been the most scared of my entire life was about to come, but somehow I would be OK." Theodora Blanchfield is the creator of the blog Preppy Runner — formerly Losing Weight in the City — and is a social media maven, digital content strategist, writer, and marathoner living in New York City. On this episode, she talks going from overweight and unhappy to losing 50 pounds to eventually running seven marathons and more than 30 half marathons. Plus, she opens up about the past year, which involved losing her mother to ovarian cancer and exploring the grief process that followed. Here's what you'll get in this episode: • How Theodora got into blogging & her career story (3:00) • How Theodora kicked off her fitness and weight-loss journey — including the game-changing bet she made with her mom (5:30) • Exactly what helped Theodora lose 50 pounds (14:40) • When and how Theodora's blog, Losing Weight in the City, became popular (16:00) • How Theodora got her start in digital media — and what that actually means (18:00) • What happened when Theodora landed her dream job (20:45) • How Theodora started running — and eventually running marathons (21:00) • Why Theodora left her dream job, and what she's up to now (24:45) • Theodora's story about her mom passing away from ovarian cancer last year (27:20) • The grief process (50:15) • The role running and therapy played during the grief process (54:30) What We Mention on this Episode: Preppy Runner: https://preppyrunner.com/ Daily Burn: https://lp.dailyburn.com/201701/index.html American University: https://www.american.edu/ Campaigns & Elections: https://www.campaignsandelections.com/ New York Sports Club: https://www.newyorksportsclubs.com/ Woman's Day: http://www.womansday.com/ TCS New York City Marathon: https://www.tcsnycmarathon.org/ Theodora's 2017 New York City Marathon recap: https://preppyrunner.com/2017/11/2017-nyc-marathon-recap/ Uplift Studios: https://www.upliftstudios.com/ United Airlines NYC Half: http://www.nyrr.org/races-and-events/2018/united-airlines-nyc-half "Moments to Hold Onto" via Preppy Runner: https://preppyrunner.com/2017/09/moments-to-hold-onto/ Meggie Smith on Episode 27 of the Ali on the Run Show: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2017/05/11/ali-run-show-episode-27-meggie-smith-md-chief-resident-ob-gyn-nyu-langone-medical-center/ Dan's Papers: http://www.danspapers.com/ New York Junior League: https://www.nyjl.org/ The Crown: https://www.netflix.com/title/80025678 Follow Theodora: Instagram @theodorable: https://www.instagram.com/theodorable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/preppyrunner/ Twitter @tblanchfield: https://twitter.com/tblanchfield Blog: https://preppyrunner.com/ Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1: https://www.instagram.com/aliontherun1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aliontherun/ Twitter @aliontherun1: https://twitter.com/aliontherun1 Blog: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/ Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/13333410 Thank you for listening to and supporting the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Spread the run love!