Athlete Next Door - Danielle Snyder

“Often, crisis prompts change. You get this time to look at what’s important to you. To take a moral inventory of your life and how you’re spending it.”

— Danielle Snyder

Danielle Snyder is a therapist, coach, and accomplished ultra-distance athlete. Her business, Inner Drive Athlete, strives to empower athletes with the inner strength and mental resilience they need to reach their physical goals.

Among many other accomplishments, Danielle holds the fastest known time (FKT) for the Oregon Section of The Pacific Crest Trail, which she set in 2019 with a time of 9 days 15 hours and 8 minutes.

I first met Danielle at Territory Running Camp last year, where she was a keynote speaker. I was immediately struck by her ability to approach meaningful topics in a lighthearted way.

We spoke about her coaching business, how her plans have changed with Covid, and how running with her dog, Petra, has been an opportunity for growth for both of them.

“life is fragile, we never know what might happen, and if you’re unhappy you don’t have to wait. You have the ability to make changes in your life. ”

From Danielle’s description of her Oregon Pacific Crest Trail Record on FastestKnownTime.com:

“I am nothing special, I am not an elite or sponsored athlete. I do train extremely hard and am extremely dedicated to trail running, empowering other athletes, especially women to be brave in pursuit of their dreams despite the outcome. I have never attempted such a huge undertaking but I wanted my message of trying despite the outcome to be heard. The difference between me and others? Is solely that I said yes to an adventure that could have ended in ‘failure’. I can only hope that others can use this an example of what they can be capable of if they try and learn from hard moments.”

“Making manageable goals, being proud of your progress, and realizing that it’s ok to have hard moments. I see positive self talk as being the belief that you have the ability to get through anything.”

Speaking at Territory Run Camp 2019

Photos Nick Danielson

“ Learning to run with Petra has been a really amazing growth experience for both of us.”

JT: You had some big plans for Inner Drive Athlete and for your lifestyle when Covid hit. What kind of plans were you making and how have they changed?

Danielle: For the last two years I've been running my business on the side while working full-time, with the hope of transition to Inner Drive Athlete full-time. A week before the pandemic I left my job with a plan to buy a van and travel around to my athletes, races, and adventures. Then I had a conversation with an epidemiologist. After hearing their thoughts on Covid I decided it wasn’t in my best interested to spend so much money on a van. Instead, I reached out to friends in Portland who had offered me their extra room.

My business has taken a hit because people are losing their jobs and can't afford to pay for coaching, and disappointing as this all is I still feel really, really grateful.

JT: Can you tell us a little bit about Inner Drive Athlete?

Danielle: Inner Drive Athlete focuses on working with athletes as whole individuals. I look at their mental wellness, their lifestyle, their overall choices, their stress. I help them develop a running plan or give them one-on-one coaching that that focuses on mental training and coping and stress.

JT: Have you had a lot of inquiries around coping with stress related to Covid specifically?

Danielle: Covid has definitely been the main topic of conversation with most people. People that I coach are primarily runners and running has changed a lot because trails are closed, races are being canceled, and people are losing jobs, so we've had to adapt to what's happening in their lives. I've had a lot of conversations with people who can't afford to pay the same rates so there's been a lot of figuring out how we can continue to work together.

JT: Do you have any tips for people who are dealing with social distancing and training right now?

Danielle: This is a unique time because I have a lot of space with my athletes to build a really strong base. Some athletes are used to going to one race after another and don't give themselves enough time to recover or really build a strong base. I think it's a unique opportunity to build fitness and aerobic development. As a wellness coach and a therapist, I know open space can be hard, but it's also a really good time to reflect on the important things in your life.

JT: In this space that’s opened up, what are some of the things you’ve been thinking about?

Danielle: Something that's been popping up for me a lot is how we place emphasis on certainty. As humans we crave certainty, but we really don’t have as much control as we want. I’ve been reflecting on how many people wait to do the things that they love. But life is fragile, we never know what might happen, and if you’re unhappy you don’t have to wait. You have the ability to make changes in your life.

JT: How do you help your athletes to know if they're ready for a big adventure run or a big race?

Danielle: I prepare my athletes by setting up schedules and we make sure that they're getting the miles in. On the mental side, a huge part of success is belief that you can do it.

JT: You’ve done a lot of coaching around positive self talk and how positive thinking can transform performance. Are there practices that you recommend to strengthen that positive self talk?

Danielle: Making manageable goals, being proud of your progress, and realizing that it’s ok to have hard moments. I see positive self talk as being the belief that you have the ability to get through anything. If you learn to believe in yourself you can understand that bad things will happen, and you’ll be able to get through them. It's not that everything is bright and cheery and sunshine all the time. The world can be good, the world can be bad, and sometimes shitty things happen, so how can we find ways to build trust in ourselves and how we’ll respond to those situations?

JT: Negative self talk can be something that happens without us realizing it. How can people recognize their own negative self talk?

Danielle: That’s the hard part, people don't even know they're being negative. I'll often point out the words that clients used to describe things. The reason I point them out is that words are really powerful. Keywords that limit self belief are “should", “can’t", “just", "not good enough", anything where there's underlying judgment statements. Even “slow" versus “easy”. We don’t need to judge it.

JT: Do you think there will be any positive things that come out of Covid on an individual or societal level?

Danielle: Often, crisis prompts change. It's a good time to stop and reflect and change. You get this time to look at what's important to you. To take a moral inventory of your life and how you're spending it. Hopefully people stop and take the time to think about these things and then implement intentional changes going forward. I'm doing a lot of inventory for myself right now about what's important post pandemic. One thing that I know that I want is a place to call home, and a community. I don't know if I felt the same way before.

JT: What does that sense of community look like to you?

Danielle: To me not having a family nearby during this time has hit home. Community in the form of family is really important to me and I want to strengthen that after this. I'm not sure how that will play out, but I'm thankful that I have this time to realize that that was really important to me.

JT: What are some ways that you’ve built community in the past, or ways that you think about building community in the future?

Danielle: If I meet someone and decide that I want to be their friend I don't hold back. I am a communicator and when I think someone's awesome, I tell them. I put energy and effort into making time for that person. When I think about building a community, I think about building it with people who have similar values, similar desires, and who bring me up and believe in me.

JT: I want to ask you about Petra (Danielle's dog). What’s it been like to learn to run with her?

Danielle: Learning to run with Petra has been a really amazing growth experience for both of us. She doesn't like to run on pavement and she wants to run slower than I do. I used to get super frustrated with her, but slowing down and running with her has helped me pause and enjoy slow runs. For the last four years Petra has been the only constant in my life. She’s a grounding force for me, so I can slow down my runs to make her happy.