When You Lose Inspiration, Find A New Goal

    It has been a while since I have written last because life is busy.  Work has been insane and Jett is keeping us very much on our toes.  There has been some crazy drama with my family that I don't want to get into, but, it has caused a lot of stress.  Needless to say, running has been keeping me sane, when I can get runs in.
    Jett tends to be very wakeful starting at about 4am, so morning runs are few and far between.  This pushes my runs back to after I work from 8 to 12 hours.  I guess I can look at it as endurance training because I am heading out on tired legs.  I also head out with a tired mind, because work and money have been big stressors of mine.  My whole job is to insure that food insecure children get a full dinner after school.  It might be hard to believe how many hoops you have to jump through to do that.  Sometimes it makes it very hard to get motivated to go into work. I sit at my desk, which I hate even saying, and I think about the fact that I started this job because I wanted to help people.  I do want to help people.  I want to help people anyway that I can.  I just need to be passionate about it.  So, I have decided to start my training to become a certified running coach.  I am not an elite runner or even all that fast, but, I am a total nerd about training styles, form, and recovery.  I think I could be really good at this.  Plus, I want to be able to help all types of people reach the goals that they set out for themselves.  I want people that weigh 300+ lbs to feel just as comfortable with a training plan as someone that has multiple races under their belt already.  I am ready to take on this new challenge.

Amazing hair and big smiles for Caitlin's first race!

    This idea really hit home this morning when I helped my friend Caitlin finish her first 5K.  She started running to lose a few pounds.  When I noticed she was getting into it, I bought her a Garmin nicer than mine.  I know that life got a little hectic for her, but, she showed up to the start line this blistery October morning, under trained and unsure if she could make it.  But, I could tell that the excitement was getting her really jacked.  It was a very easy run for me, but, it was Mt Everest to Caitlin.  I stayed with her and paced her every step of the way.  I helped her change up her form and she said she felt good for the most part.  She got really mad at me for part of the race, but, when we crossed that finish line together, she had tears of joy in her eyes.  I want to help more people experience the joy that Caitlin felt this morning.
    So, next up for me is the Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon.  I would love to run the full, but I knew that I couldn't commit 100% to full training with a newborn.  That's alright though because I have a number of races this winter, including a full trail marathon in February.  I have a few more long runs to go before I run one of the most beautiful course that I know of.  I am super pumped also, because this will be Laura's come back race.  She will be running her first 5K since Jett was born.  I think I am more excited for her race than mine.  Fingers crossed for a chilly morning and strong legs.
    Running is a huge part of who I am.  I am a living testimonial to the power of running.  I am excited and I feel so motivated to move into this next chapter of my life.  Training starts today, and I couldn't be more excited!  Run hard and eat plants!