Don't Stop Believing

Hello 2010!

Yesterday was the last day of what we hope is the worst year we ever have. I know things can always be worse than what we have at present, and here's to hoping that this is the worst pain we'll ever know.

I am excited about the new year. Can you believe it? I'm excited about something for the first time in 5 months. I am adopting a new way of looking at things, I'm trying anyway.

About a month ago, I got in touch with this somewhat local athlete, Brian Boyle, to see if he could come to Fleet Feet for a fun run. He just released a book and I wanted him to come for a book signing and then run with us. He is coming, this Thursday, January 7th.

Brian is a young guy, only 23, and he's seen more sadness, pain and despair than most people do in their entire lives. When he was 18 he was in a horrific car accident that should have killed him. It did kill him, he was pronounced dead 8 times, but he fought and came back, literally, from the dead. I won't go into the details of his accident and his injuries, you can read his amazing book, but I will touch upon his recovery because I feel very connected to his story.

His accident occurred in July, and in addition to that he had some other family hardships that occurred in subsequent Julys. In fact, one chapter of his book is called, "July is the Cruelest Month." Well, I can relate to that. Our lives changed forever this past July. Anyway, Brian spent years working tirelessly to overcome his injuries. His accident occurred 5 years ago. And he was told he probably would never walk again. But he somehow found the strength, through the love, support, and courage from his family and friends, to fight on and work. And he did work. Three years after his accident Brian finished a half Ironman triathlon (70.3 miles of swimming, biking and running). Then 45 days after that he completed the granddaddy of triathlons: the Ironman World Championship at Kona, Hawaii. This is 140.6 miles of swimming, biking and running. And he did it. He's still doing it too. This past fall he ran 5 marathons in 5 weeks. He's a Rock Star.

I'm writing about this because I feel completely connected to him and his story. He overcame tremendous sadness and pain to live the life he always wanted. He talked about his hopes and dreams for himself, the plans he had for himself, and how they were dashed because of his accident. But he found the courage to make those dreams happen anyway. While I could never imagine what he went through, I know what it's like to have plans and dreams dashed. I know what it's like to have dreams that will never come true through no fault of my own. We can't control everything that happens to us. Our loss was something out of our hands.

I read his book in less than 24 hours. It is an amazing story. I really relate to his parents. They are really great people and I feel connected to them for some reason. It's weird to feel connected to people you've never met.

There's a quote Brian uses in his book that really resonates with me: "A person hasn't lived until he has almost died, and for those who have fought for life, the world has a flavor the protected will never know." I feel like I have been fighting for life for the past 5 months. No, my story is not the same as Brian's. I didn't almost die. But part of me did die on July 24th when we lost our son. We have been trying to come back from the dead ever since.

So I look to 2010 as a year of coming back from the dead. I'm using my races as a way to leave the pain and sorrow behind us. We will never forget our baby, we will always be sad about our loss. But we have to move forward. We have to be happy again.

That's my New Year's resolution: to find a place of happiness in each and every day. I may have sadness in that same day. I may cry and scream and ask "why" but I will also laugh and smile and find a piece of happiness. I deserve it.

Happy New Year.

Stressed Out

Yes, that's a song title.

And, yes, I'm stressed out. Not only do I have to deal with my nerves regarding Chicago marathon, but I have to deal with getting everyone ready to travel (including Lola!), finish things up at work since I'll be out, and find the time to fit in my final runs. Ack!

Though, I have had some moments of serenity. Last night was the second meeting of my Beginning 5K group at Fleet Feet. These people freaking rock. They are so excited and wonderful. It also looks as though everyone in the group (all 27 of them) really seem to mesh. There's lots of laughing and smiling, which makes me happy too.

And, right this very minute, I'm watching my just-over-3-year old child write letters on his little white board. He's writing! Legible letters! And spelling! It's crazy.

I so wish I could just wiggle my nose and be at the finish line of Chicago. I am really looking forward to it, but at the same time, I'm so nervous. I don't ever really get nervous before races. But I've been so looking forward to this one, and now the weather is going to be hot and it may not go as I'd hoped, which makes me anxious. Ugh.

Well, I'll try to blog while I'm in Chicago. If not, you'll most definitely hear all about the race, and Keller's first plane ride, when I get back.

Happy running!

Run for Your Life

I wanted to let everyone know that I'll be coaching 3 new programs at Fleet Feet Sports, Gaithersburg this fall.

I will be coaching a Beginners Running 5K program, an 8K program and a Marathon/Half Marathon program.

The Beginners 5K program will meet at the store every Wednesday at 6:30 PM beginning October 1st. The goal race is the Frederick Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis 5K on December 6, 2008.

The 8K program will meet at the store every Monday at 6:30 PM beginning October 22nd. The goal race is the Rockville Jingle Bell Jog on December 14, 2008.

The Marathon/Half Marathon program will meet at the store every Tuesday at 6:30 PM beginning November 11th. The goal race is the National Marathon and Half Marathon on March 21, 2009.

So, if you're looking to start running or looking for a new goal, or just want to meet new people to run with, there is a program for you. I have heard from a lot of interesting people so far, so it looks like these groups will be a lot of fun.

You can email me at jenn@coachjenn.com for more info. You can also get more info by going to Fleet Feet's website.

I hope to see some of you out there this fall!

I Want You To Want Me

Ok, that sounds a little desperate. But it's really true.

Now that I'm, ahem, in my 30s, I don't think it's worth it to be doing something you just don't love. I mean, yes, it's rare to find a job that makes you jump out of bed in the morning. But, I think you should at least have a job that doesn't make you contemplate throwing yourself off a bridge everyday.

I'm not saying this is how I feel about my job. I actually like my job. I really love writing. But my passion, as you all know, is running. And I love coaching. Seriously, I find it so rewarding to help someone reach their fitness goals. I have heard so many people say how they never would have believed they could run a race and they were so proud they did. Hearing that makes me want to cry (in a good way) and it inspires my own running.

So, I've been thinking long and hard and I really want to try to coach full-time. I don't know how I would go about doing this, seeing how I already have a full-time job, but I want to try and make it happen. And I could still work my job now.

Anyway, I have been kind of working my ass off trying to promote my coaching services. I've taken out ads online and have been doing various other things. I was hesitant to bring this up on my blog because I didn't want to sound desperate. And I'm not. Up until this point, I haven't been trying to make this a full-time gig. But now I think I want to.

How can you help, you ask? Well, promote the you-know-what out of my website: http://www.coachjenn.com/. And tell anyone you know that is interested in running that they definitely need a coach. And you just happen to know a great one (that would be me). People often think that they have to be a really competitive, experienced runner to need a coach. So not true. Anyone that runs can benefit from having a coach. I've coached true never-run-before beginners all the way through to experienced runners looking to reach a new goal. I compare the process to that of a personal trainer's role. If you wanted to learn how to lift weights correctly, or develop a new strength training program, you'd hire a personal trainer, right? Well, I'm a "personal running trainer."

And I coach in a lot of different ways. For individuals, I primarily coach online through email and phone calls. It works because everyone is busy and this way they get the benefits of having a coach without having to carve out time to meet me. Plus, I can coach anyone anywhere. You could be in Thailand and still get all the benefits of me. :) But, I also coach individuals in-person, and I coach groups as well. If you and a friend want to start running, or train for a certain race together, I offer group rates. And I'm still coaching groups through Fleet Feet Sports.

Whew. I'm not used to promoting myself. But if I want to make this work, I need to get the ball rolling.

Happy Friday! I hope everyone has a great weekend.

I Run For Life

I have to say that if you're reading this and you don't run regularly, this post will bore the hell out of you.

Last night was the most perfect night for running. I had to go into Fleet Feet for a little while. A new Beginning 5K group started last night. So, I was there to help the new coaches get things started and welcome the new runners. It was nice. But I didn't get home until about 7:30. When I got home, John was giving Keller a bath, so we all played for a while and then got Keller ready for bed. By the time he was in bed, it was 8:00. I normally really hate starting my runs so late, but I only had a short one ahead of me so I needed to just suck it up.

But it really wasn't that hard to get me out the door. Earlier in the evening, a thunderstorm came through and cooled everything off. It was about 70 degrees out when I started, with a nice cool breeze. Oh, it was gorgeous. I ran along, listening to the sound of my feet hitting the ground. I know this sounds kind of crazy, but I love hearing the sound of my feet hitting the ground, mixed in with the sound of my breathing. It's just a sound that makes me happy. It's like I know I'm alive.

I just ran 3 miles of bliss. I felt like I could run all night. I actually closed my eyes for a few seconds and just took some deep breaths while I ran. Just to feel it. Picture Leonardo DiCaprio screaming, "I'm the King of the World." That was kind of me. Only I wasn't screaming. Or on a boat.

You know, you don't have to be a runner to understand what it is I'm talking about. Think about something that you absolutely love to do. Close your eyes and picture the most perfect conditions for that particular activity. Breathe it in. Everything is moving together, all the pieces fall into place. It's something as human beings we strive for on a regular basis. We want the pieces of our families, jobs, friends, etc., to all fall into place and be perfect. It's very rare that we ever get to experience that feeling. But when we do, you know life is just awesome.

If anyone wants to know why I run, it's because of everything I described above. I run to feel alive. I may not feel that way on every run. But when I do, man, life freaking rocks.