This week, we’re sharing our conversation with Emily Kam of Emily’s Running Diary. Emily talks about becoming a runner in the Bay Area after years of believing she “wasn’t a runner,” finding community through the Sunnyvale Rumble Run Club, and using whimsy—glitter, color, and joy—as a form of resistance in hard times. We also dig into her return to social media after a complicated first chapter on TikTok, and how she’s building a virtual run club that’s more about connection than pace. Some highlights from our conversation: 🏃🏻♀️From “running as punishment” to running for joy—how Emily reframed her relationship with the sport after growing up around a more intense, competitive version of running 🚀 The run club leap—why she was initially “anti–run club,” what got her to show up, and what made Sunnyvale Rumble Run Club feel genuinely inclusive for runners, run-walkers, and walkers 🌸 Starting Emily’s Running Diary—how she pushed through the fear of hitting “post,” balanced authenticity with influencer brain, and tried not to get pulled back into obsessing over numbers. ✨ Whimsy as resistance—what whimsy means to Emily, why reclaiming softness and femininity matters, and why “I can still be strong… but I’m gonna do it wearing glitter” became the vibe. 🧚 Building a virtual run club—weekly themes, Strava + Discord, and why the goal is community and joy (glitter runs, views, flowers), not running at the same time or at the same pace. 🌁 First marathon at the San Francisco Marathon—3:00 AM wakeup, mile-16 struggles, the Rally Note app voice messages, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, meeting a follower mid-race, and the emotional finish surrounded by family and friends. 💕What’s next—why she signed up for SF again before even running it (a “free jacket”), her post-marathon comedown, and why she’s still in a racing phase. Listeners can get $10 of the Rock 'n' Roll San Jose | Rock 'n' Roll Running Series by entering code BAYRUNNERS10. See you in San Jose!
