It Runs in the Family -  Q&A with Addy Townsend, Canadian Track Athlete’s Journey to Finding and Loving the Sport. 

Growing up with a very athletic family and competing in lots of sports, Canadian National Team Athlete Addy Townsend keeps it in the family and pursues Track and Field with the guidance of her Olympian mother. She graduated from Simon Fraser University with a decorated career and has now started as a Real Estate Agent with her father. With a busy schedule, nutrition has been key in her ability to refuel and perform at the highest level. As a Rumble athlete ambassador, it has allowed Addy to prioritize recovery and continue to pursue her athletic dreams.

Q: It sounds like your family have all been a part of track and field in some way, do you find that pressure difficult? 

I think instead of pressure, I feel supported, understood and guided. Not many people get to say their mom is an Olympian and their dad competed at a high level at the same sport you are pursuing. I think it makes for interesting family dinner discussions, but it really comes down to them knowing how I feel, what I’m capable of, and how they can show they are there for me.

Q: With track being an individual sport, a coach really matters. Can you talk about your relationship with your mom being your coach? Is that hard?

I get this question a lot; I wouldn’t have answered this question the same way as I do not a couple years ago. As I have matured, I have learned how to respect her as a coach as well as a mother. I trust her abilities and we try and work together towards the goal. 

Q: You played a wide range of sports in your younger days, why did track become your passion?

Yes, I used to play tons of sports growing up; volleyball, basketball, field hockey, soccer etc., but as I got older, I focused mostly on soccer and ran for fitness whenever I could. I had always pictured myself continuing in a team sport because of the fun I had with my teammates. I had to make a decision in grade 12 and decided my dreams would be more realistic in track. This is the best choice I have ever made. Track gives me so much purpose. It’s just me out there and when I learned to believe in myself, I knew this sport was for me. 

 Q: You mentioned that you are also a real estate agent, how did you decide on that career?

Real estate has always intrigued me since a young age. I love to talk to new people and help them towards finding whatever makes them the happiest. My dad has been in the business for over 25 years and it feels right to follow in his footsteps and learn from him. Real estate gives me flexibility to continue to pursue track and field. 

Q: We know athletes have a guilty pleasure of some sort, what’s yours?

I LOVE sweets. I think lots of athletes have a sweet tooth, but I really enjoy a solid baked good or an ice cream bar. I used to be a lot worse, having sour candy almost every night, but the dentist didn’t quite like that addiction. 

Q: What would be a piece of advice to a young athlete?

Patience. It always seems like things need to be perfectly lined up… but you have time. If I could look back, I would tell myself to enjoy the process and everything else will come into place. Enjoy yourself and don’t take yourself so seriously. A sport is supposed to be fun, remember that. 

Q: Why Rumble?

Rumble came out of nowhere for me and I can seriously say I can’t imagine not having a Rumble. To me, Rumble is so raw- and by that, I mean it’s such quality, they aren’t trying to be something they aren’t. It is a pure, organic, clean super shake. What you see is what you get- and what you see is a drink that will fuel you in the way you deserve to be fueled. As an athlete, I rely on Rumble to keep my body and mind properly replenished. The community around Rumble is reliable, supportive and hard-working - all things I value in life. 

Q: Track is a tough sport and it can be hard to manage the nerves. How do you prepare for a race?

One of the things I like to do is a light jog in the morning to shake out my legs for the hard effort later in the day. I also write in my journal and read over some of my good workouts as “evidence” and confidence going into the race. Doing meditation has also been a great way for me to relax before a stressful day. I always tell myself to enjoy the process and not to focus too much on the outcome to relieve any nerves. 

Q: What are your goals for 2022? 

I do like to set goals for myself, but I always stand by “focus on the process, not the outcome” which essentially means I make process goals, for example- if the outcome I would like to achieve is running 2:01 in the 800m, my process goals would be small things to accomplish this goal. This could be “work on my top speed in workouts and always finish as hard as I can” or 

“do my weights religiously and keep increasing weight to build speed and power”. These little things work together to help me accomplish my outcome goals. 

In addition, I want to focus on being mentally present for each race and believing and trusting in my training. I hope to make one of the National Teams for this year and to compete at the World Student Games. I want to break all my Personal Bests which will help me to make the Teams I want to make. 

Follow Addy on Instagram - @addyetownsend

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