OH, HEY!

"Does it burn you? Does it spread flame inside?

Touch it again. Let it consume you.

This is the why you were after."

~ Nick Govastos

This morning I woke up and realized the last time I posted here was July. Not because I haven't wanted to. Simply because life has been a little nuts and sitting down to write my personal ramblings has not made it to the top of my list of priorities in a while. Sadly, this happens more often than I would like. And sometimes I wonder if it's time to let the blog go while I focus on other aspects of my life. But, then I sit down again, as I did today, and start to write and realize I'm not quite ready to do that. So, fifteen years after writing my first post, we are here. And I'm good with that. I love this blog, mainly because it's a way to channel my inner thoughts but also because it's another form of connection for me with the running world; a world that is mostly foreign to my family and friends. Not that they don't understand and appreciate what I do to some degree.  More that they don't get how someone can be so totally obsessed with a hobby that is often perceived as ridiculously uncomfortable and not something the majority of people do by choice. And I get that. Running is for a unique breed. That said, we all have our passions. And while I wish I could play the guitar or paint, those creative genes did not make it into my DNA. So, running it is.  And along with the running itself there are a lot of other parts of my life that are running related and, at the moment, are filling my cup.  Lucky me. 

A few major updates. In July, my friend, Ashley Arnold, and I started a podcast called Still Running. Ashley, is a 39 year old mom of 2 young kids and I'm a 51 year old empty nester. Both of us are competitive runners. We met through our work and as we got to know each other better we began to realize that, despite our age gap and the different phases of life that we are in, we both had a lot of the same questions on hot button topics like motherhood, nutrition, menopause, supplements, sleep, and, of course, running. 

Still Running with guest Kara Goucher

We dove right into the deep end, our first episode about wearables versus our own body's battery and which one to trust more. And we haven't looked back. Additional episodes can be found here.  We've had some good, hard, honest conversations with each other, with professional athletes like Kara Goucher and Kiera D'Amato, and with various experts in the fields that we are digging into. I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't ridiculously excited about this project and eager to watch it expand and grow into something that hopefully many can both relate to and will want to share.

Photo cred: Leslie Poitros

As far as my own running goes, I have raced two 10ks, one in early August and one in late September.  The first one was ok. Not great, not terrible. I had wanted more at the time but my body was clearly not ready to give me that effort. So I buckled down in the seven weeks between the two races and focused hard on my training, especially my recovery, while also doing some work on the mental side of things with the help of sports performance coach, Shannon Thompson, who I had the good fortune of meeting this summer while at a coaching clinic. Turns out, even at 51 years old, I can still sharpen my body and mind in new ways. 

Whirlaway ladies

The underlying theme of my racing, however, is my team. If not for them, I wouldn't continue to line up and push myself at this level. I love to run and I will hopefully be doing it for the rest of my life. But racing and why I do it has changed as I've gotten older. I am no longer seeking fast times or focused on outcome goals. I am drawn to the simple beauty of connecting with friends and teammates, working together as a group with the common goal being to perform well as a team. That is where I am finding the joy and what's making the work, which feels monumentally harder lately, still very worthwhile. For the firs time in thirteen years I will not be racing a fall marathon. Which feels both weird and right. After a long discussion with my coach, we both agreed a break from the distance, which I often do twice a year, if not more, just makes sense right now. So, I will be running the Cambridge half in November and then resetting in 2027 to prep for my14th Boston marathon.

LEX XC 2026

In late August we began our cross country season, my 16th as the head girls coach for Lexington High School. If you've been following me for a while you know that I love my job. Every day I get to surround myself with young athletes who share my passion for running and trust me to help them grow and improve and runners and humans. I mean, does it get any better than that? The girls have hit the ground running, pun intended, with some decisive wins at their first few meets. Their strength is their team first mentality.  They are truly a family and their success is primarily due to how much they support each other throughout the season. Their goals are big. The bar is high. And I have zero doubt that they can achieve what they have set out to do. I think you'll want to stay tuned for this one. Big things ahead.

When I started this blog, my own girls were four and six years old. Today they are nineteen and twenty one, both in college, the older graduating next spring. WHAT???? Over the past couple years the house has been too quiet but they are both living their best lives and, as a mom, I can't ask for more than that.  So, yeah. That about wraps it up for now. Lots of good stuff. And I am beyond grateful. And with that, the blog goes on to live another day. I'm pretty happy about that, too.

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Hasty! by Jahson Paynter

Jahson Paynter · hasty!