Why I Run: Distance Runner Rachel Young is Proof that Perseverance Pays Off

Rachel Young Fast Facts

Age: 30  

Husband: Chris, married for 9 years  

Hometown: Monett, Missouri  

Current Hometown: Monett, Missouri  

High School Alma Mater/Year Graduated: Monett High School/2013  

Military: Joined United States Air Force in 2015. Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) was 1A3 Airborne Systems Engineer. Discharged in 2017 following a heart procedure.  

Career: While living in Japan when her husband was serving overseas, Rachel worked as a teacher at a private school with Japanese and American military children. Served as a volunteer fire fighter for 6 years and after leaving the military, worked full-time as a firefighter (Battlefield, Missouri, Fire Protection District) until getting shot forced her to leave this job. Also worked as a medical assistant for several months. Currently works at a T-shirt print shop.  

Hobbies: Hiking, camping, hand embroidery, crochet, costume making and playing a good board game    

Join the Club: Now a regular runner, competitively and leisurely, Rachel is also part of The Golden Hour Run Club (started by Madeleine Miller), and she says, “The two of us (Rachel and Madeleine) were in class together in high school. The club started last summer. It’s free and open to all skill levels, walkers and runners. We meet every Tuesday at 6 p.m. outside the Briar House Brewing Company in downtown Monett. Madeleine has fostered an encouraging and friendly environment. We usually stay after our runs for a drink at the brewery and to chat about life.”  

Quotable: “I’d like to emphasize that you are strong enough. You can endure.”  

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When Rachel Young played basketball for Monett (Missouri) High School more than a decade ago, she didn’t like having to run. Ironically, following a traumatic time in her life after getting shot and suffering tremendous physical, mental and emotional anguish, she showed incredible resolve and found that running helped her on the road to recovery.  

“I’ve been running for a little more than a year and a half and have included strength training alongside it,” Rachel says. “In that time, I’ve done many 5Ks, an 8-mile trail race and a half marathon, and I’m currently training to run the Bass Pro Dogwood Canyon 50K (Lampe, Missouri) this month (Nov. 8).  

“I’d say I lean more toward endurance races where I can push my body to its limits and ask myself, ‘Is this really my limit or can I go further?’ My current training has me running between 25 and 30 miles a week. After my race, that will decrease to about 15 miles per week.”  

While things have turned around nicely for this resilient runner, Rachel’s world was jolted off its foundation about 5 years ago.  

“When my husband and I returned home (after his military tour of duty), I was hired as a full-time fire fighter with the Battlefield Fire Protection District (Greene County, Missouri).  

“Three months into my new position, I was shot while on duty during a morning run. It was unprovoked. The day of this incident is also my wedding anniversary. It’s now a happy and solemn day to celebrate.”  

Everything spiraled from there, and Rachel says, “This created a constant feeling of paranoia and anxiety that left me incapable of relaxing. I stopped sleeping and if I did get any shut eye, it was shallow and restless. I lived in a constant state of panic.  

“Six months after the shooting, my body had met its limits of sleeplessness. One Saturday morning, the entire left side of body went numb and I lost sight in my left eye. The emergency department called it a mini stroke.  

“My healthcare team decided I’d experienced a complex migraine induced by extreme sleep deprivation that presented itself with left-side numbness. After that, I lived with absolute exhaustion.  

“It’s like I was under water constantly. It was taxing to draw a breath, my limbs were heavy to move and my head felt so much pressure, like being at the bottom of a pool. I lived every day with debilitating migraines, extreme dizziness and mental fog.”  

Things only got tougher, and Rachel says, “I couldn’t continue in a high-stress job (fire fighter), while dealing with these complications. After 2 months of refusing to admit my decline, my commanding officers and I concluded it wasn’t safe for my own health to continue working.  

“Words can’t express my heartbreak. I’d been shot, developed migraines and lost my dream job in one calendar year, and I was only 26 years old. My husband had to quit school and get a job to supplement our income. The following months were full of doctor appointments. Depression began to grip me, and I essentially became a zombie.”  

Rachel tried to work to help with mounting medical debt, but health issues persisted, and she says, “My husband and I decided it would be best if I spent time at home to give myself space for healing.  

“The only light in my life was my amazingly supportive husband that loved and cared for me during all this. I honestly wouldn’t have made it through all of it without him by my side.”  

Searching for answers, Rachel says, “I was looking for meaning in all this and began attending a church with an uplifting and encouraging atmosphere. In Christ, I found spiritual freedom and peace. Spiritual healing gave space for mental healing, which led to physical healing.  

“My mindset began to change. I began to find hope. I was finally starting to feel better, and moving around didn’t feel like being under water. I had an insatiable desire to move my body after 2 years of struggling to leave bed.”  

The next uphill trek was a game changer for Rachel.

“I wanted to move but couldn’t afford a gym membership with our medical debt. I began hiking. It was time to reflect and give God gratitude for my improved health. Then, a friend and I took a trip to Colorado.  

“On a whim, we decided to climb a ‘14er.’ It was the hardest thing I’d ever done in my life, but I did it. I climbed to the top of this mountain (14,000 feet) a year after I could barely walk from my bed to the bathroom.

“That mountain represented more than just a climb on a sunny day. It represented the struggle I’d been through and my healing. It also showed I could do more than I thought I could do.”  

Returning from Colorado with a renewed sense of responsibility, Rachel says, “I knew I wanted to move, and I knew I could run. I grabbed my $20 Walmart tennis shoes and went for a run in the local park. The first time I ran, I could only go for 30 seconds before I was winded and exhausted.  

“I snagged a Couch to 5K Training Plan from Google and started there. I slowly built my capacity and eventually ran my first 5K without stopping since the first migraine. My reward was a proper pair of running shoes.”  

Rachel continues to run, and she says, “I stumbled upon the trail running community through a random listen to the ‘Choose Strong’ podcast hosted by Sally McRae. Sally’s words of encouragement helped show I was capable of much more than I’d ever imagined.”  

Every run is exhilarating, and Rachel says, “Words can’t describe the freedom I feel running on the beautiful Ozark trails. There’s something peaceful about being in nature. Trails are kinder to my feet and more entertaining for my mind. Running is a celebration of movement. Running isn’t a battle with miles but a battle with my mind.  

“Running continues to prove to me I’m capable of more than I imagined, and that I can do hard things. Running teaches me things are going to hurt, and life will hurt, but I can endure. There’s a finish line, both in racing and life, and I want to cross it giving it my all.”  

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