Jumpstartrunning Presents:

In The Long Run

IMPACTful THOUGHTS:

Hello Reader,

17 attempts before success.

I'm going to talk a moment about golf, and a different type of Masters.

Last weekend, I was able to watch the end of the Masters golf tournament. I watched it with my Dad, which made it even more special :)

Whether you are a golf fan or not, the STORY of Rory McIlroy and his victory was incredible.

Prior to this year, you could sum up his time at the Masters like this:

Year after year, he would show up, do the best he could do, but it was never enough for him to attain his goal: winning.

Of COURSE I was crying (after high-fiving my Dad) while while watching Rory drop to the green after sinking the playoff putt. You could just see 17 years of emotion all in that moment.

OF COURSE it made me think about running - how often do we train/practice/race to "win" and have that awesome feeling when crossing the finish line?

This could have easily been another year that Rory was so close. He persisted, and stuck with it. It's not instant, it's hard, but this year, he did it.

If you continue to work at something, the only way that you won't succeed is if you quit.

It's a good thing that Rory didn't decide to give it up after loss #16.

Don't even THINK about quitting when you have a bad race/workout. You never know know when you will have your own "#17".

Congrats Rory, and thank you for showing the world greatness, resilience, and what it takes to become a CHAMPION.

Keep moving forward my friends, one step at a time.

Coach Nicole

THE MAIN EVENT: TIME FOR THE BOSTON MARATHON!!

I'm sitting at my airport gate in the Salt Lake City airport at 11:04 pm. Normally, I would be thinking about my upcoming snooze on the plane.

However, there is something else going on here. There is an anticipatory energy/excitement in the air. This plane is headed to Boston and it is coming up on the third weekend in April - this plane is taking runners to the Boston Marathon.

I look up from my computer, and here's what I see: a guy in a Boston Marathon jacket sitting with his family/friends. You can tell they are here to support him. I do but I don't want to stare, for fear of getting caught. YAY! Just got a shot...

There is a woman wearing a mask, who looks a bit nervous - she has her running shoes strapped to her backpack. This is often something runners are told to do when packing for a race - "no matter what, have your racing shoes with you at all times so there is no chance they will get lost." I couldn't grab a photo of her, she kept moving/nervously pacing and I think I might have given her a heart attack...

Another man is walking around and stretching his (very long) legs while wearing his Boston Marathon jacket (circa, ???).

We are surrounded. We are in community. We are each other's people.

For me, it is one of my favorite weekends of the year, for SO many reasons. As a matter of fact, like a book of memories, the reasons continue to grow each year, because the connections and community grows each year.

Since I've had my head down in this computer, someone might have captured another strange creature in a Boston Marathon jacket...

TREADMILL TUESDAY

WHAT IF THIS IS IT???

I had a bit of an "aha" moment during my last training run this week:

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THE DAM GOOD RUN:

Dam - that was a mental/physical challenge, I fell down (right in front of another runner of course) it hurt, and I was never so happy to see that finish line.

I'm NOT a trail runner. Well, not yet at least.

Many road runners decide to transition to trail running over time, and they love it. What I did last weekend was not love, it was loathe. It was also a lesson.

The lesson was to do something hard, and make it outside of your comfort zone. Check, and check.

A 16 mile trail race in AZ - I signed up for it because I wanted the opportunity to give myself more miles before Boston, since I've been pretty undertrained thus far.

I actually had no idea what to expect - I didn't know the course, I didn't know how I would feel, and I certainly didn't know how I would be rewarded for doing this to myself.

I randomly bumped into Molly Sheridan (please Google her) - an incredible runner who just completed the World Marathon Challenge - 7 marathons, 7 continents, 7 days. Oh- and she's FREAKING 68!! We did a panel together last year for the Boston Run Show - she's an icon - not just of a runner, but a genuine human being.

My clients (husband/wife) have done this course the past few years, and loved it. They inadvertently planted the seed in my head to do this. They are training for a massive hiking trip to Ireland this summer, which is why it was unfortunate that Nancy rolled her ankle at mile 3. OF COURSE she ran the other 13 miles on a sprained ankle (with screws from a previous surgery). She's been doing much better now, and will be running again in no time - with a brace, per the advice of her coach :)

My amazing and speedy friend Dylan decided to jump into this race as well. He's one of the happiest runners I know, one of the fastest, and has an INCREDIBLE amount of knowledge about running shoes! He flew through the course, and was kind enough to meet me at the start to give me a few extra gels. "Girl, we have like one minute before it starts!" I think he was slightly appalled by my lack of urgency to get in the starting chute.

Until I put this photo together, I didn't realize the authentic smiles on everyone's faces. I think that's one of the BEST things about running - the connections and friendships.

We are each out there trying to push ourselves to be the best we can on the course. What this race taught me is that one of the rewards in doing those hard things and pushing yourself allows you to share these experiences with like minded folks who are trying to better themselves too.

I hope if you find the opportunity to do something hard/challenging, you will go for it. You never know what benefits await you on the other side!

Oh - another thing the race taught me is how unprepared my legs were for 16 miles of trail running. I was SO SORE that I had a hard time walking down stairs for three days. But I did it with a smile :)

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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!

Have a question or a topic request? CONTACT NICOLE