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On Sunday, a competitive field of runners took on the 5th Avenue Mile, an annual road race stretching 20 blocks down New York City’s iconic 5th Avenue. For many, racing can be a stressful experience of managing expectations and external pressures. But Lindsey Butler finds joy in racing for her personal goals and love for the sport.
Having recently graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in engineering and a masters in information technology, Butler works as an engineer while also competing as an unsigned professional runner.
“Every time I step on a line I feel so weightless because there are no expectations I need to meet, just my own personal goals I want to achieve.”
Despite balancing an engineering career and professional running career, Butler finds herself more balanced than she was during her master’s degree. “Everyday Monday through Friday looks pretty much the same—wake up, go to morning practice, go to work, go to afternoon practice, go home, eat, go to sleep, repeat,” she says. “While that might sound like a nightmare for some, I feel that I thrive under such a structured day and having an outlet and identity that is completely unrelated to running.”
Plus, having coworkers outside of her discipline helps keep running light for her. “I love when my coworkers find out I can run a sub-6 minute mile, they are just FLOORED every time,” she jokes. Imagine how they’d feel if they knew she ran 4:20.9 this weekend.
As an unsigned runner, Butler sets her own goals and defines success on her own terms.
“There of course is that underlying pressure every time I get on the line wondering if this could be the race that changes my circumstance and allows me to secure a contract, but on the other hand every time I step on a line I feel so weightless because there are no expectations I need to meet, just my own personal goals I want to achieve,” she says.
Butler’s position requires her to really bet on herself. Luckily, she learned how to do that early in her career.
Butler recounts a story from her sophomore year of college in cross country. An 800m specialist at the time, Butler made a bold move to lead the beginning portion of the race. She faded to a finish in the 40s or 50s.
“While it didn’t pay off in the moment (my coach was absolutely furious after the race), it made me realize I would never be the runner I wanted to become if I didn’t bet on myself in the big races. It was later that same year that I won my first ACC 800m title and finished top 5 at my first NCAA Championship Race. I truly think that success stemmed from the confidence and embarrassment that ACC cross country championship in 2020 instilled in me,” Butler says.
“I would never be the runner I wanted to become if I didn’t bet on myself in the big races.”
Later in her collegiate career, Butler’s resolve was tested by injuries. She admits about coming back from injury, she felt plagued by pressure. “I felt like there were so many expectations (that realistically were not actually there) and completely lost touch of why I fell in love with the sport,” she explains.
At the time, the world seemed to be focused on her success. But looking back, Butler wishes she could have told herself to just run for fun. And that’s exactly what she’s doing now as she says she has found the fun in running and racing once again.
The power in Butler’s mentality shows, as despite being relatively new to road racing, she ran a new personal best time of 4:20.9 and finished 6th overall in the professional field.
Butler’s success is a reminder of the power in letting go of external pressures and embracing the joy of racing for yourself. Her story also reminds us that we can pursue careers outside of sport without sacrificing our success.
