Two weekends ago, I ran Wineglass marathon held in beautiful Corning, New York. It was my 18th marathon in my 11th state. I didn’t run my fastest time (3:54), but it was a beautiful race and a fun weekend with friends. My friend Molly also ran the marathon, and had a great race- having her there capped off the experience!
Continue reading “Wineglass Marathon Recap”
Hope you’re having a great week! I can’t believe that we are almost through September. After starting a new job last week, I haven’t had much down time to blog or even run much!
My last post described part of Mark and my trip to England, so here’s part 2! Stay tuned for some running updates — RRCA coaching and Boston Marathon entry — soon.
As far as England, one of our days was spent exploring the Cotswolds, a picturesque section of western England full of “chocolate-box” villages, thatched roof cottages and historical British homes.
Continue reading “England Adventure- Part 2”
Happy Friday! It has been a busy week (a busy month really!) and I finally had some time to sit down and write a post. Last night a group of us celebrated my friend’s birthday and we started talking about how excited we were for a big blizzard to hit Boston…in retrospect, I wouldn’t go that far, but I think we are all ready for a change of seasons to the beautiful fall!
Here are some updates on my life over the past couple of weeks:
-Most excitingly and relevant to running: last weekend I took the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) coaching certification course. The two 8-hour day course was held outside of Minneapolis, MN (the New England courses for the year were filled within minutes!), and was worth every penny. Even if I never coach, I learned a great deal to inform my own training. Official coaching certification happens after I pass a 100 question exam and become CPR and First Aid certified, so hopefully I can call myself “Coach Jane” soon!
I was very impressed with the scientifically-based running agenda and loved our instructor, Cari Setzler. Cari is a competitive runner herself, an RRCA certified coach, a writer for Women’s Running Magazine, and on top of that- a Veterinarian. She kept the class entertained with her funny and engaging style. Fellow classmates had a variety of running interests- some were specializing in 5k distances and enjoyed working with young runners while others were passionate about the ultra-distance and wanted to increase their knowledge of the sport. It was so interesting hearing their stories, and we all enjoyed talking about running non-stop. I hope to keep in touch with some of these fellow runners! Stay tuned for another post with more details on my experience and the course itself. For now, I have to get back to working on the exam!
Continue reading “Coaching and Celebrations”
Note: this post was originally written by me for Run Farther and Faster blog.
Some weeks can be particularly chaotic, consistent with the regular ups and downs of life. Needless to say, the moments of stress do not inspire me to lace up my running shoes and head out for a run. However, there have been workouts where I set out feeling down, but returned home afterward flowing with energy, with a clear mindset and perspective, and a more positive attitude. During these runs, I could feel my outlook change as my Garmin beeped at each mile marker. I was so thankful that I had chosen to run, mostly because it has become a habit of mine.
There are many ways to manage the rollercoasters of life- whether it be sitting back, breathing through your frustrations and letting the anger or sadness pass via meditation, or more proactively working against the angst through active pursuits such as running or another favorite form of exercise. Everyone can benefit from habitually getting outside and being active in some way on both emotionally down days as well as those feel-good days. You won’t ever regret regularly spending some of your valuable time participating in a mind-clearing activity such as running- you will only regret not doing it.
PC: @meredithmckee @Wanderlust
Continue reading “How to Make Running a Habit”
I hope you all had a lovely weekend! Mine was spent with friends and family with some running in between. I felt very in the moment all weekend, and subsequently forgot to take any photos at all, highly unusual for me. The array of pictures in this post includes some of my favorite stray images! :)
PC: @boston.com
Continue reading “A Weekend of Love and Running”
Happy Monday! For some of us, it’s back to the grind. I spent the weekend in New Hampshire with my family, including my brother and cousin whom I hadn’t seen in awhile. I always find it tough getting back to the bustling world of work and the city, so am slowly adapting this morning. Hope you all enjoyed your summer weekends wherever you were!
My time up north included a lot of outdoor activities and micro-adventures on either side of a tremendous storm that hit the mountains on Saturday night. Losing electricity and water for a few hours following the storm was fun, but I was happy for these amenities later in the evening once the power returned.
Post-storm view:
Continue reading “What I Learned from My First Trail Race”
Last weekend I ran my first trail marathon, and it was the most fun I’ve had running in a long time. Since trail running is a new and exciting territory for me, my goal was to simply finish this race feeling strong and confident (and as muddy as possible).
Continue reading “10 Running Goals Unrelated to a PR”
I am back in Boston after being in one of my favorite places in the world over the past few days: Cape Cod. I was there with my family and was able to have a mix of work and play down there.
I’ll describe the play in photos:
Taking my sister and her husband’s dog Rio on walks. Really, he went on strike and laid down on the grass whenever he got tired.
Continue reading “A Getaway and a GIVEAWAY”
Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend.
Mondays can be tough, and beyond this fact there are many life situations which cause stress to enter into our lives. Studies have suggested that proximity to greenspace and exposure to natural environments can be associated with many mental health benefits including mood and self-esteem boosts, lower levels of stress, and reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety. It’s even been shown that spending time being immersed in the outdoors has resulted in feelings of awe and inspiration. Personally, I often feel more relaxed, recharged, optimistic, and often inspired when I surround myself in nature while running, hiking, or walking.
Continue reading “Benefits of Being Outside”
Runners, listen up! Even the best playlists can get boring after a lot of miles, so I suggest you start tuning in to podcasts as an alternative to your top-40 playlists. Whether you are in need of some extra running or fitness motivation, lifestyle tips and hacks, or general entertainment, there is a podcast that will fit your mood. Here are some podcasts that I am currently obsessed with now, that will get you THIS pumped to run:
Photo credit: Meredith Ruth, Seattle 108 Wanderlust Festival
Continue reading “The Best Podcasts to Get You through a Run”
Hope you enjoyed celebrating America’s birthday and the associated food and drink, time spent with family and friends, fireworks, and all things red, white, and blue. My long weekend was the basic New England “fit in as much as possible during these summer days off” situation.
Before I talk about my weekend, I wanted to share that I am excited to be back in the blog world! A couple of months ago, I decided to take a break from blogging about my life. In reality, what I needed was a mental shift away from running (and subsequently writing about my little obsession with the sport) after my last big race. It has been a restful recess, but I have now started to train for my fall marathon (Wineglass in NY), and am eager to return to my writing routine! My next chapter of posts will focus on everything from marathon training to the adventures and “micro-adventures” (as Alastair Humphreys would say) ahead in Boston, New England, and beyond. I encourage you to: 1) follow along 2) stay in touch and 3) after you read my posts, get outside and enjoy the short-lived summer weather. Looking forward to catching up and hearing how YOU are doing!
Back to the long weekend. Here’s a recap:
Saturday: Started off with a long training run in my home town, followed by a family party with lots of hydrating and non-hydrating beverages. This was followed by more food, drink, and games with friends later that night. No photos to capture these moments unfortunately!
Continue reading “Back to Blogging on a Tuesday”
Hello blog world! It’s been awhile. Hope your summer has been off to a great start! I am excited to let you know that I have partnered with my running coaches Lisa Reichmann and Julie Sapper of Run Farther and Faster as a featured blogger on their site.
Check out the first post here. Let me know your thoughts!
Up here in Boston, my summer has started with a bang! Here are the highlights:
*Wanderlust Festival and trip to Seattle:
Photo credit: Meredith Ruth
Continue reading “Updates & A New Writing Gig!”
After a lot of thought, I have decided to take a break from blogging.
I started JaneRunsWild to narrate my marathon training, fitness goals, travels, and log my race reviews. These races have defined much of my post-college life, even if they were run “for fun” and without much training, and I have loved recalling each transformative experience. It has been so interesting dipping my toes into the blogging community- you guys are full of creativity, motivation and inspiration, and gave me the momentum to keep writing.
When I initially did not make the 2016 Boston Marathon cutoff, even after qualifying, this blog was my outlet. JaneRunsWild was a platform for me to defend my passion for the sport, and ultimately helped me reach my goal of running Boston after I had received a bib from Clif Bar. I am more optimistic that I will make the cutoff for Boston 2017 after qualifying at Phoenix in February, but I may have to re-live this journey again if not. JaneRunsWild my partner, once more!
Continue reading “Farewell, for now!”
This morning was met with cloudy skies, the first reprieve from the rain that we’ve seen this entire week! I’m looking forward to the hovering English weather to make way for normal New England spring weather next week. If only marathon Monday could have had cooler temperatures as this week!
Photo credit: @alalehc
Continue reading “Rainy Week and Ultra Advice”
Happy Friday! Hope you’ve had a great week! I cannot believe that Sunday is May 1st. Although the past few months have been full of excitement, I am looking forward to the month ahead and the beginning of the summer season! Bring it on, May!
Photo credit @angargoz
Continue reading “Soul & Wanderlust”
On Monday, I ran my first Boston marathon. This hometown race has been a lifelong goal of mine, and as I toed the line on the warm mid-morning day, I felt nothing but grateful for being there at that moment.
An announcer called over the loud speaker, “This is not the start of a long run in the middle of February. This is what you’ve been training for, your prize!” I quickly reflected on the Sunday when I ran 16 miles inside on a track because it was -9 degrees without wind-chill in Boston. I also visualized the months of training that were now behind me, predominantly focused on training for my goal race of Phoenix in February. I smiled at the experience of training for these races, and acknowledged that regardless of Boston’s outcome, the last few months had surprisingly been fun. I also developed an acceptance of being uncomfortable, which is an essential element of marathon training. Over time, I even started to treasure the discomfort; it continued to inspire and push me through each workout and this adaptability carried over in other areas of life.
Continue reading “The Thrill of the Boston Marathon”
Happy Friday! What a week it’s been back home, seeing friends and family, starting to think about wedding plans and the marathon of course! Life is so unpredictable, full of highs and lows- and I am just going to ride this high for as long as I can. I am so thankful for the loved ones in my life and for the opportunity to run this Monday. It will be a humbling experience to be running alongside so many incredible runners. Thank you again Clif Bar for making Boston a reality for me!! You can read about the #NoHeartbreakHere contest and about the other winners here.
Photo source: @ohiammart
Continue reading “Boston Marathon Weekend is HERE!!!”
We made it back to Boston yesterday and cannot stop reflecting on the wonderful week spent in Paris and the French countryside! There is so much to write about the trip, but instead of spilling out all of the details, I’ll give you the main highlights/thoughts of our France adventure:
-The biggest news is that Mark and I got engaged! And to top it off, our friends who came with us to France- Ann and Jon- also got engaged! So much celebrating and happiness this week :)
Continue reading “Back in Boston after an Exciting Week!”
Hope your week is going well so far. Mark and I are eager to finish off our work days before flying to Paris tonight!
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t put on some Sex and the City Season 6: “An American Girl in Paris” as I packed last night. While the Paris scenes got me very excited for our trip overseas, I decided to leave my Carrie Bradshaw outfits out of the suitcase. :)
Continue reading “Heading from Boston to Paris”
What a difference a day makes! We were met with sunny, spring-like weather over the weekend which quickly turned to wintry rainy weather yesterday. At least it wasn’t the reverse!
Sign of spring in Boston: Duck Boats are back on the streets!
Continue reading “Training to Recover and Recovering to Train”
Jane Runs Wild 