This Is How I Run
Debora Warner, Founder, CEO and Program Director of Mile High Run Club
Debora Warner was a professional artist who turned her love of running into a new and widely popular fitness trend in New York City. Warner opened the first Mile High Run Club in November 2014 bringing group treadmill classes designed to build endurance, strength, and confidence to New Yorkers facing incredibly hot, cold and polluted outdoor running options.
Music is a critical element of the MHRC and playlists are specifically designed for each MHRC class. Here Debora shares her personal running playlist, philosophy and routes.
My Playlist:
My Favorite Running Routes:
5 Mile Run in Central Park
Running Philosophy:
The more you run, the easier and more enjoyable it gets!
Q&A:
You’ve lived and ran in New York for a long time. What is one of your favorite runs outside of the usual local spots on the highways or Central Park?
One of my favorite runs is along the Forbidden Drive at Valley Green outside of Philadelphia. Now that it’s winter, I’ve been doing more cross-country skiing (most recently in Maine), which is one of the best cross training activities for runners.
Where do you go when you’re craving an outdoor run?
If I run outside in New York, I’ll pop over to the East River Track or head up to Central Park. The West Side Highway was my “go to” route for a very long time, but I prefer to have some hills when/if possible.
How do you use music? To warm up before you run, during the run, after?
Yes. Music is so important before a race or run. I always run and race with music. Creating new playlists has always motivated me to go out. After the run, I switch gears to some cool down tracks. My favorite artists for cooling down is anything by Sia and I love James Blake.
How does music impact the experience at the Mile High Run Club?
Music is critical to creating a motivating and high-energy class experience for our runners. It fuels the high. It’s also a great way for our customers to discover new songs and artist.
You were an artist before becoming a full-time athlete with MHRC. How does your passion for art impact your philosophy around running?
I was an artist for over ten years and have always been an amateur athlete. To me, running is an art. It’s such a wonderful way to move the body, and it’s a form of meditation for the mind. I often joke that Mile High Run Club is my latest work of art. It’s my largest scale work to date. I feel challenged in so many more ways running a business, and that has made me more passionate about my “work” than ever before. Running is also a daily practice, like art. It becomes a part of you.
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