Wednesday, July 26, 2006

When you come across a turtle in the road...

help him out. I was finishing up a great run in northern Illinois this past weekend when I came across a turtle sitting in his shell next to the curb. There was no way he was getting over that curb by himself so I picked him up and moved him safely across the road to a nearby pond. I am not privy to turtle etiquette, but I walked away smiling and thinking it was a good thing to do.

It made me think of how he must have gotten there. He had to cross the road at some point and when he did, he was met with a huge obstacle and something he couldn't tackle on his own. Well, he could have crossed back over the road again... technically speaking. Still, he got himself into a tricky spot.

I began to think of all the times I have gotten myself into a tough spot in training or in a race. Particularly, in an adventure race I did solo and got lost in the middle of the night. At first, I sat, like the turtle with my head between my knees and cried (I AM a girl...). Then, I saw some headlamps in the distance and decided to head down the mountain and see if they were lost as well. Turns out that all I had to do was walk about 500 feet down the mountain to find the trail. The answer was right in front of me but I couldn't see it without help.

These days, when I find myself in a tricky spot, I embrace a little help from my friends.

Happy Trails,

Coach Jenny

Monday, July 17, 2006

Girls on the Move - Baltimore


What a weekend! I was visiting family in the DC area and had the chance to run with a great group of ladies who are part of Health Magazine's Girls on the Move Running Club. GOTM is a national running club that motivates new and seasoned runners to train together. Sue Hays, a GOTM leader has developed a great running club in the Baltimore area. Most of the club started as new runners and could never imagine running one mile, let alone a race. Last month, all of them ran their first 5K and have the stories to prove it. They will be featured in the November issue of Health Magazine.

We met at a women's fitness facility run by Lorraine Bibb called "Contours Express" and talked running, fitness and chafing (all the good stuff) and then headed off to a beautiful park for a 3 mile run. You know you are a real runner when the skies open up and the rain pours down and you think it feels good. GOTM - Baltimore, you're a great group of runners.

Happy Trails,

Coach Jenny