RCTC welcomes Megan MacGregor, UC Davis XC and T&F alum

What was your introduction to running?

When I was a freshman in high school, my mom convinced me to go out for the cross country team. As a runner herself, she thought it would be a good way for me to make friends and get involved at school, and a good way to stay in shape for soccer. I was a soccer player growing up, and convinced myself in my early years of high school that soccer was my primary sport. However, after I started to get better at running, I realized I actually really enjoyed it, and ended up focusing on running towards the end of high school. I found a very supportive community through running, and was even close friends with some of my competitors from other schools! I decided I wanted to run collegiately, and was able to join the cross country and track and field teams at the University of California, Davis.

Tell us about your experience running collegiately!

I was lucky enough to walk-on to the UC Davis XC and track teams, and was not one of the strongest runners when I first started out. However, I had an amazing coach who supported me and challenged me every day during my freshman year, and I was able to improve significantly from my freshman to sophomore year. Unfortunately, this coach left after my sophomore year, and I struggled a lot under the new coaching staff. Despite some of the not-so-good memories towards the end of my collegiate career, running collegiately introduced me to some of my best friends and boyfriend, and taught me valuable lessons about myself and my goals in both running and in life.

Why did you decide to join RCTC?

I moved to Oregon from California this past July, and wanted to join a running team where I could meet other runners with similar goals. Running has been more casual for me over the last couple of years following college, but this past year, I have rediscovered my motivation and love for training and racing. I raced my first half marathon over the summer, and trained for it on my own. I realized I really missed training with teammates, and RCTC seemed like the perfect place to meet other runners that can help keep me motivated and make training and racing fun!

Where are you at with running right now?

After competing in my first half marathon over the summer, I took some down time to focus on moving and getting settled in Oregon. Now, I am working on building my fitness back up to hopefully race in some road races and another half marathon this spring!

What are your strengths as an athlete?

I think my strength as an athlete has always been long runs. During college, long run Sundays were my favorite day of the week. There's just something I love about getting into a rhythm and feeling like you can run forever, and then finishing with that feeling of accomplishment after a good long run.

Any race-day rituals of superstitions?

I'd have to say the most consistent thing for me on race days has been what I eat for breakfast. I always have a bowl of oatmeal with some brown sugar with a cup of coffee. Sometimes I'll add a banana depending on the time of the race.

What about running makes you laugh?

Running with friends! I have found that running and talking with others always leads to some random, weird, and funny conversations. Also, race photos. I don't think I've ever had a photo taken of me while racing that doesn't cause me to cringe or laugh.

Where do you want your running to take you?

I am excited to explore what running has to offer me as I enter this next phase in my running career. I don't have any specific long-term goals or plans, but I do know I want to continue to improve as a runner, and possibly race a marathon in future.

Anything else you'd like to share about yourself?

I love animals and have a dog of my own named Baloo! He is an American staffordshire terrier and collie mix. He's not much of a runner, but we've had a lot of fun exploring different hikes with him around Portland!