Zensah Athlete - Amy Dedic

Name: Amy Dedic

Hometown: Flourtown, PA

Sport: Running, Ultrarunning

Years in current sport: 5 years in running, 2 years in ultrarunning

What got you started: I was a swimmer in high school, but due to high demands of physical therapy school, I gave it up and became very out of shape.  The straw that broke the camel’s back was having high blood pressure and gestational diabetes during my first pregnancy.  It scared me that I really wasn’t a healthy person anymore.  I wanted to get back into shape and feel better.  Being a new mom, I needed something that was inexpensive, didn’t require a gym membership, and I could just fit in whenever I had time.

Biggest accomplishment of your career: It’s a tie between 3^rd overall female in my first 100K (which is also my longest distance to date) and a BQ at the Philly Marathon this past November.

What parts of your training are key to your success?  Consistency and listening to my body.  I rarely miss a workout, but I adjust my pace or difficulty of workouts based on how I’m feeling.

What is the biggest challenge you face in your sport, and what do you do to overcome it? Having enough time to train for ultras.  I have two very young children, an ultrarunner husband, and I work part time as a physical therapist.  We have become more organized; sometimes there are charts indicating our activities and workouts for the week.  I couldn’t accomplish any of it without my husband being so supportive and understanding of how important the super long runs are to get done.  We also include our kids whenever we can both in training runs and at races.

What is your favorite Zensah product and why? Calf sleeves!!!  They have been a life saver for me.  I used to have horrible shin splints just running short distances, not to mention the leg swelling during the long runs and ultras.  Since I started using the calf sleeves on a regular basis, I have no more shin splints and I’ve noticed a huge change in how my legs feel during and after super long runs.  They have also been critical in recovery for me as well.

 How long have you been using Zensah? 2 years

If you could be great at any other sport besides your current one, what would it be? Open water swimming

What’s your favorite thing to eat after a tough workout? So hard to pinpoint one thing! A  big burger

Who/what inspires you? Everyone out there that is working hard and doing what they love inspire me to keep doing what I love, no matter how hard it is sometimes.  They remind me how blessed I am that I am able to run.

 How does Zensah help you perform without limits? First of all, the team is awesome and so supportive!  But of course all the products!  All the gear I’ve used from Zensah has positively influenced my running.  It helps me perform better and feel better while running.  Sometimes I look forward to a run just so I can wear my Zensah sleeves or compression socks.