I thought that subject line might grab your attention! Allow me to explain:
You can't make this stuff up!!!
While scrolling through the Boston Marathon facebook page, I couldn't help but giggle at this "marketing" from Dicks Sporting Goods. The caption at the top was from the individual who posted this, and I'm SO glad he did.
MEANING/MEETING IN MICHIGAN:
It has been 33 years since my last high school soccer game. At that time, I HATED running. Most of my friends hated running. Why?
Because our coaches knew that running/fitness was a critical piece to becoming state champions (twice in my four years of playing!) and we had to pass fitness tests.
As teammates, we loathed the beginning of the season when it was time to go to the track and the stopwatch came out for the "test". We all had different fitness levels, and part of being a teammate was encouraging and helping one another pass those tests.
That was just one area where we helped each other as teammates and "soccer sisters". We spent hours, days, and years together, and what I didn't know at that time was how those important those relationships (coaches, teammates, soccer parents) were/are to happiness.
The Harvard Study of Adult Development, https://www.adultdevelopmentstudy.org/, a longitudinal research project, reveals that strong, supportive relationships are the most important factor in a long, happy, and healthy life.
Here are a few takeaways from the study: Prioritize relationships: Make time for meaningful connections with loved ones, whether it's family, friends, or partners. Reach out to people you care about: A simple phone call or thoughtful gesture can make a difference.
A few months ago, we learned that one of our beloved coaches has been struggling with significant illness/hospitalization in the past year. We never had any type of reunion for the soccer program, and after hearing about the coach and his illness, it was quickly decided that NOW was the time.
Past and present Athens Red Hawks Soccer
I had not seen my coaches or some of my teammates for the past 33 years, and it was AMAZING:
I also busted out my high school varsity jacket, which has not been worn for 33 years!
Having the chance to reconnect with people you spent so much time with is an indescribable joy:
Running contributed to us becoming state champions, but time spent together (relationships) made us sisters/family for life.
Coach Blake had tears in his eyes and ALL of us gained love in our hearts.
"If we accept the wisdom - and more recently the scientific evidence - that our relationships really are among our most valuable tools for sustaining health and happiness then choosing to invest time and energy in them becomes vitally important." - Robert Waldinger, The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.
If you have the opportunity to reconnect with people, take it.
Make the time. Make the effort. Make sure you don't forget about what's REALLY important.
Keep moving forward my friends, one step at a time.
Coach Nicole
"PUSH INTO THE PIG":
One of the perks when working with virtual clients virtually is the variety of "persons, places, and things". What I mean by that, is each environment is different- some clients use their home gym, others find a spot in their bedroom. One of my favorite things is when the clients animals will join our sessions - dogs, cats, and last week was a PIG!
Allow me to introduce you to Neil (get it, KNEEL???)
When I asked my client to do some kneeling exercises, I did a double-take when I looked at the screen. "Is that a pig pillow?" I asked, which was immediately confirmed by my client.
"Push into the pig!" Those were my instructions to my client as she worked on her mobility. I was at the airport at the time, and I'm sure my coaching voice/instructions were heard throughout the Southwest gate. After our session, my client noted that my jacket did not seem to have enough cushion. She said "You need a travel pig." What a brilliant branding opportunity!
When we met today, the pig returned and I asked if it had a name. My client let me know that the pig actually belonged to her daughter, who is grown/out of the house, but her entire pig collection remains in (what is now) her husband's office. She said she would ask her daughter if the pig had a name:
TREADMILL TUESDAY
This week, I'm introducing (some of you might already be familiar) you to the "Bolder Boulder" race that is coming to Boulder on Memorial Day.
My friend Tan is 52 and has been running for years. He struggled with an injury to his hip, and needed to modify his training for Boston this year.
He showed me this book, which I have not "officially" read, but I'm familiar with the principles, and you should be too. Specifically, instead of MORE miles, it's more INTENTION with the miles. This means you will still do a long run, but you will also incorporate some speed/hill/tempo miles as part of the training.
Too often, masters runners don't modify their mileage/training schedules to include more recovery and fewer days of pounding. Another mistake is to run at the same intensity/pace, which does not produce any sort of stimulus for the body to adapt.
Tan changed both of those things (fewer miles/increased intensity) and also added biking/skiing. He finished Boston with a 3:14, which was a PR for him!
As we enjoyed some celebratory champagne together and I congratulated him on his inspirational performance, he gave me a little smile and said that maybe he's not quite ready to retire from Boston as he had planned...
DON'T BE AFRAID OF CHANGE!!!
If you would like to discuss some ways that you can work on changing YOUR routine in order to change your results, hit reply, and let's set up a session!
A THREE STATE (frozen) PIE
Our family is from Michigan, and one of the things my Mother fondly remembers is a local pie company:
Pronounced like "Jackets" without the J!
Since the soccer reunion was only a mile away from this location, I thought it would be great to bring Mom an authentic Achatz pie for Mother's Day!
However, I wasn't really sure how that would work, since I was also going to be traveling to AZ from MI before heading home to CO.
When I walked into the store, the aroma told me that I MUST FIND A WAY! I spoke to the woman working there, she told me "Oh yeah, people do that all the time - just wrap it in Saran Wrap and freeze it."
It made it out of MI without incident, but was "fondled" in AZ by TSA. When I asked the agent if having to examine food in luggage was common, he said "As long as it's frozen, we don't have a problem. You can't freeze explosives."
I was intrigued by this, and decided to ask how often he is stopped to examine food - "You wouldn't believe how many frozen turkeys come through at Thanksgiving!"
Hmm. Good to know, and now YOU know. You're welcome!
Mom, even though the boxed is crunched on the outside, it's all about what matters on the inside. (I'm pretty sure that is one of many lessons you taught me over the years!).
To all those celebrating this weekend - Happy Mother's Day.
PS - For those still looking for a Mother's Day gift, a pre-paid consult with JumpStartRunning is a FABULOUS idea! Shoot me a reply, and let's make it happen!
If you (or someone you know) are interested in learning more about JSR Coaching/Injury or Performance Consult - hit reply, and we'll have a chat!
Let me know if you have any questions or requests for topics in these emails. Thank you so much for reading, and forward to your running friends as well!
Jumpstartrunning Presents: In The Long Run IMPACTful THOUGHTS: Hello Reader, Well, it happened. My first BolderBoulder experience was yesterday and it was awesome, but to be honest, it also bummed me out. I was planning to volunteer - as a course marshall for the professional runners. Getting there wasn't the problem - I actually allocated enough time and parked without issue. I couldn't find my people and somehow walked 20K steps around the course: Didn't mean to "bandit" the course at the 5...
Jumpstartrunning Presents: In The Long Run IMPACTful THOUGHTS: Hello Reader, Have you been feeling over-JOYED lately? It's not uncommon for the topic of joy to come up on a daily basis - in conversation, on television (I'm not talking about the host from the View), and many different books, podcasts and printed publications. Why all the joy?? Joy has been found to have a positive impact on mental and physical health. This includes: resilience and coping, improved cognitive function, lower...
Jumpstartrunning Presents: In The Long Run IMPACTful THOUGHTS: Hello Reader, One week ago at this time, I was in bed: A few hours before that, I was doing this: A few weeks prior to that, I wasn't sure how I felt about running marathons anymore. Shh - don't tell anyone! I have been so fortunate that my body has put up with twenty five years of running and marathons. While much has happened in my world since running Boston a year ago, I didn't expect losing the joy of running to be on that...