Andrea Smalling
ANDREA SMALLING is a runner, personal trainer and group fitness instructor who recently left a successful career in the wine industry to start her own business, fueled by her passion for athletics. Her company, Fitness Advantage, focuses on personal and small group training for women, and will expand to specialize in strength training and conditioning for kids.
Andrea’s love of sport was inspired her dad, who played professional football in the Canadian Football League. She began playing softball at age six, was selected to play for the Canadian National Softball team, and also started coaching younger girls as a way to give back to the sport. She started running in her later teens, primarily as a way to stay in shape, and grew to love distance running. Five marathons and several distance races later, Andrea is member of the Forward Motion Racing Team (Danville, California) and relies on running to help her feel healthy emotionally and physically.
As the mother of two children who participate in soccer, baseball, dance and gymnastics, Andrea is driven to educate kids on the value of physical fitness and nutrition. When she’s not shuttling her own kids to sporting events or training herself, she volunteers for Girls On the Run (an organization that’s near and dear to Athleta), and has started coaching kids on how to use strength and conditioning to supplement the skills they learn in a particular sport.
ANDREA’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
- Qualified twice for the Boston Marathon
- Four top three age group placements in races with distances ranging from 5k to ½ marathons
- Received USATF (USA Track & Field) Coaching Level 1 Certification
- Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor (CFES – Canadian Certification)
- Started her company, Fitness Advantage, focusing on fit camps for women and personalized running training plans
2010 GOALS:
- Increase her involvement in Girls on the Run
- Grow her business by launching a sports and conditioning program for youth teams
- Run the Boston Marathon
- PR at all distances that she competes (marathon, ½ marathon, 10k and 5k), and place in the top three in her age group in ½ marathon, 10k and 5k
- Complete her CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) certification
IF SOMEONE WROTE HER BIOGRAPHY, IT WOULD BE TITLED: Miles of Smiles
GUILTY PLEASURE: Teelicious T’s in nearly every color
you go girl!!
What an inspiration! Beautiful woman, too! Go Andrea!
You are amazing !!! Good luck with your new bussiness !!!
All the best, from Barcelona, Spain.
wow.. would love to talk to you about what you are doing!
Wow, Andrea!!!It’s nice to see woman like you, it’s such inspiration…I am try to see if I am able to do this Marathon too in Boston … I may see you there:)… Good look girl!!!
Hi! You are all too sweet! Thanks for the nice comments. I’m looking forward to hearing from all of you and will be posting articles shortly…Take care :)
Congratulations Andrea. A woman after my own heart! Some of your goals are the same as mine for 2010. I wish you every success in your new business!!!. Looking forward to your articles.