Decluttering, Simplifying, and Operation Hot Body

Now that the Seaside Half Marathon is behind me (amazing weekend, 1:48:52 finish, wonderful family time, my girl loves the beach, etc.), I am ready for the next thing and that is what I have (somewhat jokingly) named Operation Hot Body.  What that means is I'm going to quit being a mileage junkie.  It is time to improve my fitness by doing other things.  And this time I'm serious.  Seriously serious.

I had a conversation with myself the other day.  I asked myself, "What do you REALLY WANT out of all this?"  So I thought about it.  And here is the honest truth.  I like running. In fact, I love it.  But more than a personal record in some distance, more than winning my age group, more than running another ultra, I want to FEEL GOOD and LOOK GOOD.  That's it.  Being a mom and homemaker and wife is what I'm in to these days. I want to feel good enough to crawl around on the floor, wrestle and tickle my baby girl, hunt for toys under the furniture, keep a clean house (more on that in a sec), read 25 books in a row, play in the backyard for hours, chase butterflies and baby bunnies, and do yard work.  Sure, running gives me energy for all those things, but on days when I am stiff and sore and creaky I have to ask myself if it is giving me what I REALLY WANT? 

So I'm going after what I really want, which is a hot and happy body.

Now for the decluttering.  I'm going to try this thing I saw on the White House, Black Shutters blog.  It is called 40 Bags in 40 Days and it is a way to declutter (my spell check says that is not a word) and simplify one's home.  I don't think mine is super out of hand, but that doesn't mean it couldn't use this treatment.  And I probably won't take pictures every day and document everything like the blogger who came up with it, but I want to give the 40 day challenge a shot.  Want to join me?  I'll try to status here how its going.

And now to the simplifying. I haven't given this much thought, but then again I have.  Today my last active client with Running Start, LLC finished her training. She's working with a personal trainer and wants to continue that route.  And I must admit, getting to workout and train with someone in person is probably better than what I'm currently offering.

When I started my business, I was working full time and I wasn't a mom. I didn't want to sit behind a desk anymore, I wanted to work in the fitness industry.  Now that I am a full time mom, it has at times been hard to be there for my clients in the way I wanted to be.  I also continue to doubt my knowledge, to change my mind, to experiment with running and training theories and what I think about it... and I'm not sure that makes for a good coach. Seems like most of the coaches I know, know where they stand on all (or most) things running and coach accordingly. I just feel I still have so much left to learn.

I would consider my coaching a success in that all the runners I trained who followed their plans achieved their goals and then some.  They continue to run and they love it.  That was my purpose.  Those who didn't try or who quit were frustrating to me and I felt I had somehow failed them.  I just couldn't figure out what more I could have done, but thankfully there weren't very many of those.

All that said, I'm pretty sure I've decided to dissolve Running Start.  I'm a little sad about that, but not much.  Maybe one day when my kids are grown I can return to it, but now is not that time.  I want to focus on my family and growing it.  I want to focus on my own running and fitness.  I want to continue to learn about it, and experiment.  In the mean time, I am still teaching the Walk/Jog/Run course at UAH which I LOVE, and I think I will work on my ACE certifications so maybe I can teach a few classes at the local YMCA.

Once I acknowledged the desire to dissolve, I felt content with it.  This is all from today, so I haven't taken any action yet, but I'm pretty sure I will.  I like the thought of simplifying my life a little, taking out what doesn't fit right now and keeping all the things that do.  I have tried to take the words "Know thyself" seriously the past few years and to let myself be who I really am.  To let myself like what I like, to let myself do what I love and to really acknowledge what that is.  I'd like to let God do His thing too.  I have a feeling I've been in the way of that as well.  But enough for now.  I've got to go fill my 1st bag. 

A Deep Breath

I'm floundering a little.  It feels so hypocritical to write about how badly I want something and how I'm going after it, only to fizzle out after a month of training/base building.  July has kind of been all over the place with my mileage.  Last week was a bust.  I took 2 days off, and with no long runs, there is no way to make a 42 mile quota on 2 days off.  I will say on the days I did run, my legs were a little fresher and stronger, and I had a fantastic hilly 8 miler (with 14 bunny sightings), but I'm still feeling a bit discouraged.

We've entered the teething phase of baby-hood and there is nothing I can do but snuggle my little girl and be patient with her through it.  Really, she's doing quite well, she's just a little more fussy and irritable than usual and from time to time we have a bad night.  But overall she is still my funny, playful, happy girl only now she's got a snaggly grin with one tooth out and one making its way. 

Watching Eloise grow and change brings me joy every day.  She's a great baby and I am so blessed to have her.  So I feel really bad when I'm down and disappointed in my running when I've got Eloise and Jason and this wonderful life.  Talk about being ungrateful.  What bothers me is that I'm not seeing any improvement.  None!  Most runs are difficult and slow.  My legs feel heavy and a lot like jello most of the time.  Surely it can't be over-training with 42 miles a week - mostly 6 miles a day.  Can it?  Burnout already?  Jason says it is the hot, humid summer and it is always like this for both of us.  We slow down, we get through it, we focus on holding on until the temps improve.  Part of me knows this and part of me says I should be able to make it otherwise.  I should be able to tough it out.  I should be improving anyway. 

And part of me says, "GET OVER IT!"  It's just running after all, and as I always tell Jason, it is supposed to make life better, it is supposed to take stress away, not add to it.  I guess it is time to listen to what I know, not what I feel. 

In other, happier news, Eloise is approaching her first birthday and I am so excited!  I can't believe it is already here, and I'm planning a farm themed birthday party.  I have become the mother I've made fun of in my head - planning a big shindig for a baby who won't remember. However, now that I'm a mom I see that it is not only for her, but for her parents and family too.  It is a celebration of Eloise, not just for her.  I have had so much fun in the planning and getting ready for it. And I have no idea how we planned birthday parties before Pinterest. 

I'm also getting ready to teach a class at UAH!  I'll be the Walk/Jog/Run instructor this fall and I am so pumped!  I've got my syllabus finished and now I must work on the content. It may make our schedule a little crazy but I think it is worth it!  I love the Health and Physical Ed department at UAH and I am so thrilled to be a part of it!  Things are also going wonderfully with my clients.  They are reaching goals, training for new distances, running PR races... it is so exciting to see!  Even if it isn't me, it is an honor to help others get there! 

So really, I need to step back, take a deep breath and keep putting one foot in front of the other.  While my heart and body can't feel it yet, my mind knows what I'm building and what the results will eventually be.  I need to let go of the constant striving and embrace the joy around me - both in my life and with my running.  One step at a time, mile by mile, I will get there. 

Bits and Pieces

1. My baby hasn't pooped since November 18 and when she pooped that day it was because we held a suppository in that special place for 5 minutes (doctor's suggestion).  Yep.  I have talked to our doc multiple times and she says breast milk is so well broken down already that my baby is absorbing most of it.  And since she's not unhappy, uncomfortable or having hard stools, she's fine.  But I prefer for me and all my peeps to be regular, and so this stresses me somewhat. The doc said 2 ounces of diluted apple juice a day and I think I'm going to start giving her the entire bottle until I see results.

2.  I watched the American Music Awards for the first time ever the other day and I came away with a few things.

• I love Taylor Swift and I don't care who knows.  
• I don't understand Justin Bieber's pants.  I know for a fact if I wore pants I had to constantly grab in the crotch area on national television my mom would have a word with me, even at the age of 32.  
• Pink's performance was amazing.  Simply amazing.  
• I think I could be a famous rapper because all you have to do is jump around and say "party" over and over again.  I wouldn't want to wear the pants, though, so that's out.  But I really can rap.

 3.  I saw a hawk the other day on my run and he was amazing.  I've seen them from time to time while running, but I've never been this close or in such a residential area when I saw one.  This guy was sitting on the post of a brick fence bordering a fancy neighborhood and he was right next to the path where I was running.  Man, he was gorgeous.

4.  I almost have 5 clients at one time right now (2 are just now starting with me and I have 3 regulars) with Running Start, LLC and I love love love it.  All of them are seeing results too and I love love love that.  They've gotten PRs in the 5k, consecutive PRs in the half-marathon, weight loss goals met... it is just exciting to be a part of their journey this way.  I love it.

5.  Now that it is chilly outside, I think I could double my coffee intake.  I want it all day long.  Not for the caffeine, although I'm sure that helps, but for the sheer pleasure of a delicious warm beverage.  I try to space it out and I do switch to decaf if we have any... but I am in a serious daily love affair with my coffee.

6.  Next week I have something to do every day.  All of it is fun, though, so I'm not dreading it.  My sis told me to eat my wheaties.

7.  Next week I'm also doing something cool (I think) on this blog which I am calling Promotion Power Week.  I couldn't think of a more creative name, so PPW it is.  Stay tuned to find out just what, exactly, it is.  I will tell you there's a giveaway at the end and lots of chances to do good in the middle.

8.  Eloise is...how do I describe her... pure joy.  She makes hilarious noises these days that make Jason and me laugh.  She squeals, she coos, she hollers, she smiles all the time.  She is also a major wiggle worm.  Major. This child wants to GO all the time.  She doesn't know where, but she wants to go there.  When she can crawl...oh my word.  She already thinks she should stand up every moment she isn't sleeping.  I feel that I should have huge arm muscles and I check them out from time to time to see if I am buff.  I don't look it, but don't try to arm wrestle me.  She may be stressing me out by not pooing, but oh my word, I love this child.  As I sit here and blog, she has been in her swing, in her chair, and now she is in my lap sucking on the desk.  Maybe it has fiber.  Maybe she will poo today.  I'll let you know.

9.  I plan to decorate for Christmas on Dec 1.  I'm in the process of cleaning and neatening in preparation because if I don't the extra stuff in my house makes me crazy.  I think I am the anti hoarder.

10.  It is time for a second cup of coffee.  Happy Wednesday!

New

New is the word for the week.  Or possibly for the rest of this year. Today is the first day of my last week at my job.  Then I will begin a brand NEW phase of life, and I am really looking forward to it. This morning I was out for a run, feeling good and strong, trying out my NEW Medela belly band for added support as this baby girl grows, and I had to cut things short to get ready for work. It was sort of funny because I stopped my watch at 3.4 miles and walked slowly up my driveway. I stopped, looked back at the road, thought about how pretty 4 miles would look in my log compared to 3.4...but decided I really needed to get in the shower and start getting ready if I wanted to be on time.  Just because it is my last week doesn't mean I can start slacking. 

Today I had three NEW clients ready to get started with training programs and that always gets me pumped up.  I love seeing new names in my Running Start in-box, getting to know new people and helping them reach their running goals.  Love. It.

Speaking of Running Start, I've started something NEW, which is to offer Group Training Programs.  I'm excited and nervous about these.  I'm excited because I love working with the group dynamic which keeps everyone encouraged and built up. I'm nervous because this is something brand NEW and I really want it to be successful.  My first program is called 15 weeks to a 5k and combines a personalized training plan based on participants' individual fitness assessments with the group dynamic of running and training with a group of people who share the same goal.  I chose 15 weeks because that gives time for new runners to build up a good endurance base and get their body used to the work before we begin incorporating speed and pace work.  For more experienced runners, I can begin their speed and pace work sooner, and this works because all runners follow their OWN plan.  It means more work for me, but this is the kind of work I LOVE.  A local running store, 1st Place Athletics has agreed to help me get this program off the ground and I am so honored by that.

Lots of NEW, lots of change, lots of excitement and lots to learn!  I'm ready and so very grateful for all of these NEW and wonderful blessings.  Man, am I ever!

RRCA Coaching Course

I spent this past weekend sitting in a racquetball court with about 35 other people, listening to a coach named Janet talk to us about all things coaching.  The Road Runners Club of America puts on this course to assist coaches like me coach the general populace of runners.  When I say general populace, I mean regular people like myself who have either desire or talent or both, to improve their running (to clarify, I have mostly desire). Whether it is a brand new runner fresh off the couch or a marathon runner who wants to qualify for Boston, these runners fit my idea of the general populace of runners (even though it is quite broad).

This course was absolutely fascinating.  Much of the exercise physiology (our first topic) was a review of what I've been learning in my courses at UAH, but some of it was new.  There is something powerful, I believe, in knowing what is going on inside the body and how to use that knowledge to become a better runner.  The more I learned, the more eager I was to use what I knew. I wanted to train for something, using all of the new information I had.  I wanted to train others using this information. I wanted to test it, to see it in action.

I drank in the information and thought about it in reference to my own training, Jason's training, and the training of my fellow runners. I could see where I'd gone wrong and I could see where everything had worked out perfectly right.  And now I knew WHY.  Ah, knowledge is such power.

I'd love to test myself, but right now the goal is to stay fit through pregnancy. In the meantime I cannot WAIT to work with others.  I started with a new client last night and have already put my knowledge and training strategy to use in our discussion of her plan, and I will continue to do so as I create it.  I am just so PUMPED!

Like with many topics, running can be controversial.  Talk about running form, shoes, and training strategy and you can quickly heat up a room. So I like to hear what is said, take it home and mull. If I come to the conclusion that it has merit, I like to test it.

I think the RRCA course has merit and lots of it.  It has not only fueled my desire and confidence that I can reach some of my own goals, but it has also fueled the desire and confidence that I can get others there as well. I've learned not only how to get the body to work for the runner, but how to work with runners and be a better, more efficient coach.

The next step for me is to take and pass the 100 question test (which I will do this weekend) and submit my CPR and First Aid certificates, and I will officially be an RRCA certified coach.  And as such, I am ready to WORK!

Working on Saturday

Today's work was not just any old work, it was the work I love to do!  Today I ran with 4 of my clients, talked with all of them about their training plans and strategies, strengths and weaknesses, the goals they have set for themselves, and their running form.  I listened to their stories whether they were about running or not, and I believe I probably learned just as much from them as they did from me. 

I love this.  As I drove to meet my first client of the day, I could feel the excitement welling up. Finally.  FINALLY.  This is what I have been waiting to do!  I feel like things are really moving forward and the experience so far has been wonderful.

Two clients are working to speed up their marathon time, while two others want to surpass the 5k distance, going to the 10k and their first half marathon this year.  It is exciting to be a part of this.  Some know they can do it and are pumped about the training ahead.  Some are harder on themselves and the challenge before them is somewhat scary.  But that's why its worth it.  It is a challenge.  It is an adventure.  They suspect their limits and then try to push past them on to something they are not even sure they can do.  But deep down...I think they know and that is why they keep running.

When I completed my last training session, I was tired and came home to a long hot shower.  I stayed in until I was pruney and the whole time I thought about Running Start, LLC and where to go from here.   I'm excited about the possibilities and hopeful for the future.  I hope runners continue to come.  Whether they want to try this running thing and see if they can grow to enjoy it or whether they want to race a new distance, going faster or farther than they have before. 

I'm excited about those training with me now and I'm excited about those who haven't even started yet. 

Doing this kind of work makes working on a Saturday sound GREAT!

Holidays, Precious Holidays!

So far this holiday season, we've been pretty busy with family.  We visited Jason's parents in Kentucky the weekend before Christmas, spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with mine, and then after Christmas took a short road trip with Jason's family again to visit his sister.  This morning Jason asked what today's plan was and I will admit to looking at him somewhat testily as I said, "There is no plan.  The plan is to do whatever our hearts desire." 

For me that will include taking down Christmas decorations and getting my house back in order.  I succeeded in getting most of our Christmas presents put away, but the tree and stockings and such are still up.  I will also enjoy a glorious run in the beautiful sunshine, something I have not seen in several days.  It was strange to wake up in such a bright bedroom, and I smiled with the knowledge that today I'd be running in the sun. 

For me it also means catching up with some of my Running Start, LLC current and future clients!  When January gets here... LOOK OUT WORLD!  This girl is going to be one busy homefry!  I've got 3 more clients ready to get started in the new year, along with another class at UAH to further my coaching goals. This one is The Essentials of Personal Training.  After this class I will take my ACE certification exam (hopefully pass with flying colors) and add another certification to my little repertoire.  In February I will attend the RRCA coaching course as well since it is geared more toward what I am currently doing than my USA Track and Field certification (although I'm really glad to have that one as well). 

With this year's Just Move It program at UAH, I will be leading a 5k training group and I am so excited!  Just Move It starts in January, but we will begin our 5k training in February with about 10 weeks before the Cookie Dash 5k, which will be our goal race.  I am working closely with the Health and Physical Education Department at UAH to get things ready for the 5k training program, and I cannot wait to get started!

This is the first time during this holiday season that I have opened my laptop or looked at a computer at all.  When work was over for the year, I just couldn't bring myself to look at a computer screen.  Today I needed to charge my ipod shuffle so that sort of prompted this post.  But now, I am off to enjoy this beautiful day during which I will do whatever my heart desires. 

Running Start, LLC

It is official!  Running Start, LLC is up and running!  This has been my dream for so long, and it has finally come to fruition. I am hopeful, ecstatic, overjoyed and ready to coach!  I'm finally taking what I love to do and putting it to work.

What is Running Start, LLC?  It is a private coaching business geared mostly toward new runners, but also to somewhat experienced runners trying new things.  Whether clients want to run their first 5k, run their next 5k faster, increase their endurance for a longer distance, or simply work on form and fitness, I am ready to help, motivate, encourage, and give them a running start on this new adventure.

Am I qualified?  This is a question I ask myself every day, and it is a question I hope to continue to ask as long as I am coaching.  I will never stop learning, reading, researching, asking, discussing and experiencing all things running.  So far I have obtained my USA Track and Field Level 1 Coaching Certification, and I am in the process of completing the Fitness and Wellness Certificate at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.  This will include certifications in Group Fitness Instruction and Personal Training as well.  In February of 2012 I will attend the Road Runners Club of America Coaching Certification course which is geared directly to helping me work with the types of new runners I hope to coach.

I have worked with new runners for three years through the New Balance No Boundaries 5k program, and I also have my own journey as a runner to use.  That is not to say I believe one thing works for all runners - I don't believe that at all.  That is the point of Running Start.  Training plans geared toward the individual - who they are, where they are, and what they want to achieve.  These are not simply static training plans either, but they can and will change with the runner.  Each week I will meet with my client, ask them about their training since I last saw them - how they felt, what they did, how it went.  With that information we will either stay on the course already set or modify it somewhat to fit the runner's lifestyle, schedule, and training needs.

Interested? Take a look at my website where I have tried to include all the information about Running Start, LLC, what I'm about and what is available.  Please feel free to send me feedback.  Is any information missing?  Is there something you would like to know that isn't included?  The website is brand new and so I am open for suggestions and improvements to better serve and educate potential clients on what is available through Running Start, LLC.

The website: www.runningstartllc.com
Contact: runningstartllc@gmail.com

I Wish I'd Thought of That

Did you know there is a running store called See Jane Run?  It is the cutest and I wish I'd thought of it first.  The girl who began it all is not even named Jane, but I absolutely love what she has made of this store and her story behind it.  If you go to the "About Jane" section, you can see her manifesto (which totally rocks), and her story as a woman who wanted to make a change.  Not only is See Jane Run a store, but they organize and plan events (races and triathlons) and offer training programs.  I love this.  I wish I'd thought of it first.  Especially since my name is actually Jane.

There is a lot out there I wish I'd thought of first.  I just bought a copy of The Runner's Devotional and I wish I'd thought of that first too.  My mom gave it a once over and said, "You could write it better," but even if I could it has already been done now (and she's my mom, so she might be a tad biased).  I also love Bart Yasso's book, My Life on the Run.  It is one of the best running books I have ever read and one of the few that has actually kept me engaged and interested from start to finish.  It doesn't bog you down in the boring details of 800s and endless mile repeats run around a track (although he has training plans and theory in there as well), it is a book of stories that comprise his journey as a runner.  The triumphs, the failures, the trials, and the hilarious and crazy events that so many runners can identify with.

I wish I'd thought of that first too.  And what a great title!  The perfect play on words.  Man, I wish I'd thought of that.

As I was thinking of all these great ways people have turned running into their life's work, I felt so...behind. Why am I just now joining the party?  Why am I just now deciding this is what I want to do with my life?  Has everything worth doing already been done?  Has everything worth saying already been said?  What do I have to offer the running community that isn't already available?

I am tired of sitting around watching all the great ideas fly by and waiting for one to fall into my lap.  "Here Jane, there is this great running program and we want YOU to run it."  That is really, quite literally, what I have been waiting on. I even thought I had a shot with the Fleet Feet No Boundaries program, but that went to someone else and I was so disappointed.  Director of a running program - THAT is my dream!  But I let it go and moved on.  Still thinking.... still dreaming.

So I've decided to act. I have decided to start my own business and it will be a private running coach company.  It is still in the beginning stages.  I'm filling out paperwork, ironing out the details, reading and researching what is already out there...and I am impatient to get started.  Actually, impatient isn't the word.  I cannot WAIT!  I feel a little unsure at times but that does not change my excitement, my resolve and my own personal call to action.

That's all I will say about it for now.  I want to have all my ducks in a row before I get things rolling.  I was hoping to have it ready by October 1, but I may need a few more days.  I will hold on to my day job at UAH as I grow my little business and continue with my classes and certifications... but the possibilities seem wide open and I'm no longer sighing as I watch all the great ideas go by.  I'm actively trying to start one of my own.

USATF Coaching Ed and Beyond

What a weekend!  My brain is full of fascinating track and field information.  Man, I love my sport!  I learned so much.  We talked about philosophy, ethics and risk management first, following that up with physiology and biomechanics - all on Friday night.  Saturday was the longest day of my life, but it was still filled with all sorts of interesting stuff.  We learned about psychology and training theory (one of my favorite parts), biomotor training for speed and power events (another favorite part), and then sprints, hurdles and relays.  We spent 14 hours sitting in a classroom to learn all of this.  I felt a bit crazy and unhinged by the end.  Sunday morning, I returned ready to learn about throws and endurance events (another fave).

The class itself was taught by Loren Seagrave, Ian Dube, and Mike Judge.  All of these guys knew their stuff and had amazing stories to tell, with bits of humor thrown in as well.  A few times Loren got so technical he was hard to follow, but it gave me a new appreciation for all that is required in track and field events.  It isn't just about being strong and fast - there is so much more involved!  Skill, focus, drills, training, technique... maybe this is all assumed, but when I watch a 10 second (or less) sprint, it is hard to fathom all that went in to preparing those athletes to move at that speed.

I can't wait to get started.  I'd love to work with a high school track and/or cross country team as a volunteer.  I'd like to shadow what the coach is doing (provided he is not simply a stand-in football coach being forced to coach another sport), see first hand what I have learned and get involved in the coaching.  I'd love to talk with the young athletes themselves, learn what they like and what they don't, and find out what they want to achieve.  Then, if I could, I'd like to help them get there. 

I also learned a lot that I can use right now, things that will help me work with new runners or experienced runners trying new things.  I learned much I can apply to my own running as well, and in the two runs I've had since getting home, I have pondered these things.  Mostly form, but also maximizing my velocity as I move forward and preventing my own form and movement from slowing me down.  That will take a lot of practice, but I think being aware is the first step.

I've wanted to work with runners of all sorts for a long time.  I've been able to do this somewhat with the No Boundaries program, but I'd like to do more than that.  I love helping brand new runners, those who have never run a step in their lives, to find a sport they love.  I enjoy showing them how strong and able they are, that they have the power to change the things they do not like in their lives.  Sure, there is much more to that than running, but if they have sought out the sport, I feel like I have the gift of sharing it in such a way as to make them successful in their pursuits. 

I also like helping experienced runners try something new.  Whether it is a new distance or a faster pace, I feel like my own 15 years in the sport have given me insight and knowledge into how things work, how they don't and how to maneuver around the road blocks runners find along the way.  Should someone come to me, however, I want to be able to provide more evidence of this than "I really like to run and I have done it for a long time."  While I do have credentials such as taking almost 2 hours from a marathon time, cutting time from all other distances, running ultras, relays, and triathlons, and learning about training strategies, nutrition, hydration and safety for all of this...I feel like there needs to be something more.  Classes, study, certifications that show what I have learned, experience in these fields - things like that.

This USATF Level 1 class was a first step.  While I do have knowledge and experience, there is still much more I don't know.  But I intend to learn and get involved with coaching others.  This is what I love.

Do What You Are

Do you ever look back and wish you knew things long ago that you know now?  It may sound cliche, but I do all the time.  In some cases, I'm glad I didn't know what I know now because it kept me out of trouble.  But in most cases, I wish I did.  I feel sure that if I had my 31-year-old knowledge in my 18-year-old self...things would be a lot different now.

And really, I don't want much to be different.  I love my life, and the journey to where I am now has been pretty great..  I think the most unsatisfying thing about my life up to this point falls into the category of what I do. Work.  While I know no job out there is perfect, all are a pain in the butt from time to time, and I have many other things in my life to fulfill and satisfy...I'd still like to find something I loved to do for 8 hours a day.  One of the many things I wish I'd known in my younger years is that an English degree at Auburn University wouldn't get me where I'd eventually want to go.  I thought I knew where I wanted to go...but I had no idea what it would take to get there and that eventually, I wouldn't think it was worth it.

At the wise old age of 18 I thought I wanted to be an English professor at a university. There was a brief stint where I wanted to be a librarian too, but mostly I wanted to get a PhD in English Literature and teach my favorite works to enthusiastic young minds.  I wanted to be a scholar, but when it came down to becoming one, what I really wanted to do was go for a run on a lovely fall day.  I'd rather listen to my favorite song and day dream about adventures than slave over a paper that would only earn me a B at the end of the day.  And I loved to read, but I wanted to pick and not to be told what my next book should be.

All the same, I held on to my scholarly pursuits for a while.  After completing my B.A., I spent almost a year in China experiencing another culture and then came back to continue my studies.  I applied to MTSU, but didn't get in because I didn't have a letter of recommendation from Auburn.  I never even tried to get that recommendation.  Why would professors remember a regular, run-of-the-mill B student (I did make A's but not in my major)?  I thought it was the end of the world at the time, but it turned out okay as most things do.  I did get accepted to their school of Library Science, but by then I had decided to move to Huntsville.

I applied to UAH and got into the Liberal Arts Master's program.  I majored in English with a certification in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.  I completed the certificate but bailed on the Master's degree.  It was no different from my B.A. and I'd rather be out running, training for marathons, traveling to run marathons and day dreaming about one day meeting a man to go with me. 

I started working at NASA as a secretary and felt pretty blessed by such a great job.  I learned a lot during that part of my life.  I learned about people and didn't always like what I learned.  I learned about men and realized I'd been wrong about most everything concerning them (some may and did call it naive).  I climbed what ladders I could while not being an engineer, made more money, met more people, and I considered this to be some measure of success.  I never really liked what I did, but I did like what it allowed me to do.  I eventually returned to UAH to major in Public Affairs and excelled at my classes while begrudgingly spending time on them that I'd rather spend running, writing, day dreaming and experiencing.

When the Constellation program was cancelled, I lost my job, ending my 7-year employment at Marshall Space Flight Center.  It felt odd getting laid off, but I can't say I didn't drive off that arsenal with some measure of excitement and a promise to myself to never go back.  A month later I started work at UAH as a Distance Education Coordinator for the Professional and Continuing Studies Department, and this job (it is the one I hold currently) is the closest I have found to actually liking what I do.  Ironically, I run the online Engineering courses.  I still have to work with engineers, but in a much different and more pleasant capacity.  (And let me note here, I have nothing against engineers - I am married to one.  I just don't want to work with them.)

Through all of this, running was my constant.  I traveled all over the US with my mom, running marathons in beautiful places.  I started focusing more on health and nutrition. I joined a gym, cross trained and gradually began to get a little faster.  I began setting goals and chasing after them.  I ran through tendonitis.  I ran through the rain.  I ran through heartache and disappointment.  I ran through triumphs and excitement.  I ran through fear and confusion.  I ran through my mistakes.  I ran up hills.  I ran off some weight.  I ran against the wind.  I ran into the man who would become my husband.

He ran more than I did and he ran twice as fast (he finished his marathons 2 hours before I did, although I have now narrowed that gap to one).  I watched him and imagined more for myself.  I read tips and stories about my beloved sport and my own improvement continued.  Minutes fell off my times for distances from a 5k to the marathon.  I researched training strategies and began writing a bit more about it.  I mixed my love for running and writing, and eventually added another love which was helping others do what I had done.  I began coaching new and returning runners through the No Boundaries program started by our local Fleet Feet store.  I took my own story of the average Jane doing so much more than she ever thought and translated it into showing others their own potential as a runner and as anything else they wanted to be for that matter.

Upon reaching this place, I now know what I wish I'd known at the tender, just-starting-out age of 18.  Sure,  I love to read and write, but I have finally found my passion.  Or maybe I didn't really find it so much as realize that the thing I loved to do should be the thing that I was doing (if that makes sense).  I thought reading and writing and teaching reading and writing were my passion and that I ran for fun.  But I had it backwards.  My passion was running, being strong and healthy, pushing myself passed where I believed I could go and helping others get there too.  I'd seen how it affected every aspect of my life - my faith, my relationships, the view I had of myself - and I wanted to share that with others who didn't know they could have it too.

So now I know what I want to do, but I'm equipped with a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, bits and pieces of various Master's degrees, a certificate to teach English as a second language... and I want to work in the fitness industry.  And you might be saying (if you made it through my lengthy missive) THEN GO FORTH!  But it is not that simple.  I believe I need some educational backing, something that proves I have studied and learned and might really know things.  I can't just walk out there and say, "I love running and fitness and health and I've experienced a lot, so let me help you!"  I think people want and need more than that.  Businesses also require more.  I'm the same way.  If you are going to teach me something, I want to know how you know what you know, and if you are qualified to teach me about it. 

That said, I have been working towards this.  I don't want another 4-year degree, and in my current location, there isn't one in this field.  I don't want to spend more time sitting at a desk somewhere - I do enough of that as it is.  But I am working on obtaining the knowledge and proof of this knowledge to match my experience.  I believe it takes both to be truly credible.

I feel like I've wasted a lot of time pursuing nonsense.  Four years of college and seven years of working.  That is a lot of time.  I'm 31 now.  Shouldn't I be well into my chosen profession at this point?  Wracking up retirement and expertise?  Maybe.  But looking back and wishing only wastes more time.  So I'm working on a few things.  I'm working on turning my passions into employment.  It will take some time, some learning, some sitting and listening, and probably a test or two.  And in the end, I won't be the head of a major health industry or the lead dietician in a hospital.  But I might be helping people set some goals, reach those goals, improve their health and improve their life.

And I think that would be pretty great.  More to come on that in another post.