Photo by Spencer Johnson, Sota Clothing
by Andrea Jones
Maybe it’s because I’m short, always having to walk fast to keep up with everyone taller than me that I started to run. I never liked the short distances– the shuttle run was always the hardest part of the presidential fitness award in elementary school. I chose track in high school because 1. It’s the most inclusive sport-anyone can join! 2. My best friend Rachel was doing it and 3. It was co-ed, duh. My high school track career was uneventful, no medals to show for it, but I still remember Coach Powell shouting, “You all sound like a heard of elephants, land lightly!”
I carried that with me and continued running on my own, exploring new routes and even wrote my college essay about my mediocrity on the track team and how it didn’t matter because it was part of my story. As luck would have it, a sorority girl at UVA bowed out of a relay race last minute and, feeling the liquid courage from the night before, I agreed to run in her place. Good God Almighty, I was fast! My mile time was faster than it ever was in high school and that was enough to spark the competitive spirit. I ran. Everyday I ran. If I wasn’t running I was calculating paces, mapping out courses and training for 10ks and half marathons. Four years later I had two marathons under my belt and…..a host of injuries. Fallen arches, torn meniscus, and a bruised ego. I was so mindful of my training! I trained so hard! But training hard and training smart are not the same thing. You’ve heard this story, right?
I reluctantly hid my running shoes in the back of the closet and moved on with my life- got married, had some babies, opened some CrossFit gyms and co-founded a new fitness concept that allowed me to pull my running shoes out again! No, we don’t run at Alchemy but I’ve found the balance of strength training, intense conditioning and yoga kept my legs from feeling like concrete on my long distance training runs. I ran the Twin Cities marathon in 2014 while my 10-month old, and 4-year old twins cheered for my husband (yeah, I even convinced him to do it!) and me from the sidewalk with grandma. I ran a lifetime best of 3:42. It was an incredible 10 minute PR, 10 years after my last marathon!
Nearly 8,000 runners participated in the TC Marathon last year, and a tiny fraction really think they have a chance to win. That doesn’t make it any less meaningful for the rest of us “average” runners because after all, it is part of our stories. As I embark on TC Marathon part deux this year, these are the valuable lessons I take away from my-20 year career as an average runner:
- Training matters. But cross-training matters even more. Adding distance to your legs is important but you must Sprint, Squat and Stretch.
- If something hurts, dial back. You cannot run or push through an injury. That’s nonsense. You are not an Olympian. You can work endurance, stamina, and recovery in other ways (see #1).
- People ask me, how do you fit it all in with your life? If it’s important, you just do. I’ve had break through ideas and discussions on my own or with co-workers on a run. This blog idea? On a training run this morning!
- Let your mind wander. You’ll be surprised what you find. Running might be the only time in your week where you can look around and enjoy the landscape and the cadence of your feet hitting the pavement.
Andrea Jones is a coach and founder of Alchemy and Union Fitness. When she is not working, working out, or spending time with her family, you can find her sipping on a Brasa Breeze.
