“Don’t see your athleticism or your competitiveness as a negative. In our society, when women are seen as driven or passionate or athletic, that can be seen as a negative. It’s so important to accept who you are and take advantage of it, see it as a gift…” Alisa Meraz-Fishbein is a current sophomore running Track and Cross Country and majoring in Journalism at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Like me, she’s an alumna of Albuquerque High School and was coached by my dad, Doug Dorame. In high school, Alisa had three-straight top-10 finishes at the NM State Cross Country 5A Championships, including a third-place finish as a junior. She was also a member of the 1,600-medley AHS relay team my dad coached a few years ago, which broke the state record (4:11.10) with Alisa running the 800m anchor leg. In this conversation, we catch up about Alisa’s recently launched podcast, Running Start, as well as life as college student-athlete during a pandemic. She’s had to adjust to so many things over the past year– from solo training to staying social while not being physically on campus. Now, she’s back in Boulder ready for year two! She shares with us her advice for aspiring collegiate runners and gives us some tips on how she stays organized, uninjured, and mentally focused.   In This Episode: Oiselle | Running Apparel for Women Oiselle’s Women Run the Vote 2.0 Virtual Relay Alisa Meraz-Fishbein – University of Colorado XC Profile Running Start Podcast, Episode 1 - Sage Hurta Grounded Podcast, Episode 14 - Beth Wright I’ll Have Another with Lindsey Hein Podcast Let’s Run Track Talk Podcast This American Life Podcast Red Oaks | Season 1 (on Amazon Prime)   Follow Alisa Meraz-Fishbein & Running Start Podcast: Instagram: @alisamfish Twitter: @alisamfish Listen to Running Start Podcast   Follow Grounded Pod: Instagram: @groundedpod Twitter: @groundedpod Facebook: facebook.com/groundedpodwithdinee   Subscribe, Listen, & Review on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Soundcloud | Stitcher   Music by Jacob Shije (Santa Clara Pueblo, NM). This podcast was made possible through the Tracksmith Fellowship Program.