My name is Flannery Musk. I've been running since the spring of 2008 when I was a freshman in high school and my sister, Angela, asked me to run track with her to stay in shape for soccer. I don't know why we stuck with it because we both could barely make it through the warm up on the first day. But with a little focus and some determination we both ended up at the state track meet that year, and from then kept on running. Since then, I went on to run cross country and track at Bellarmine University, where I now volunteer with the women's team. I now run for Pacers and Racers.
Favorite distance:
It's hard to pick! I've raced distances from 400m to half marathon, and they each have something different to like. I can definitely tell you my least favorite: the 10k. Right now my favorite is probably the 5k because it's the shortest race that is commonly offered for road race competition. I was more of a middle-distance runner in college so my favorite races there were the 800m and 1500m. It's not as easy to get something like that to race now, but the 1500m might be my overall favorite.
Do you have any running advice you'd like to offer?
Don't be afraid to set big goals. And if you don't get them, know that the process is making you better for later.
I went into college as the slowest runner on the team and I probably didn't deserve a spot there either, but that didn't stop me from dreaming and working hard to achieve those dreams. I looked up to my sister and had seen what she was able to accomplish as a national qualifier and All-American which motivated me to try to get there too. So I set that as a goal and I guess no one wanted to tell me I was crazy. It took a lot of work and I rarely saw immediate payoff for that. Right before the end of my senior track season, as the chances for me to make it to nationals were getting slimmer, I was asked by a teammate if I thought it was worth it to sacrifice everything for four years and not get the chance to run at nationals. I knew without a doubt that my answer was yes. I learned so much by the process and pushed myself to limits I never knew I had, I knew that would make me better in the future, as a runner and in general. (Somehow I did end up making it to nationals right after that and then went on to make it the next season in cross country too - the hard work paid off).
Since college I've had to find new goals to set and try to achieve to help keep me motivated. Many of them have focused on time, like the goal of running a sub 17:00 5k that my sister and I set over two years ago and have yet to achieve. I've kept chasing that goal knowing that the hard work throughout the whole process is helping me grow as a runner, whether I achieve my goal or not. I've learned to focus more and to race harder, to recall what it is I truly love about running and not just focus on times, and to just enjoy the opportunity. Those are skills that will help me long after my legs are no longer capable of running anywhere near that fast.
Maybe your goal is just to complete a certain distance, to hit a certain mileage one week, to be a little faster than you used to be...whatever it is, don't be afraid to set the goal and learn along the way, whether you achieve it or not.
Why do you like running River City Races events?
I like running RCR events for many reasons. They're local and I like supporting local organizations. They're usually pretty affordable which also means that more of my family can participate in them and I love that running is something that can bring some of us together. I also like that they are full of the Louisville running community so I get to see lots of people I know through running.
Anything else you'd like to share:
Anyone have any advice on hitting that sub 17:00 goal?
Actually, more sincerely. Last year (2019) I won the Triple Crown and I felt like there were a lot people cheering for me and supporting me through that, a lot of them not even people who know me. So I'm going to use this as a moment to say thank you for your support; it truly helped push me to achieve something I didn't know I was able to do. It might seem kind of far removed for me to be saying that now, but it helped me feel more a part of this running community than ever.
