Taking the LEAP!

(photo Audrey Ditzler)

Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway.

John Wayne 

This fall, I am taking a leap of faith and branching out.  In November, I am leaving Fleet Feet Sports and I am taking a position at Total Performance...and truthfully...I am SOOOO excited!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE group coaching.  This year we took over 150 athletes through a variety of programs from a 5k to a sprint triathlon to the marathon....and it was AWESOME.  Honestly, this is the best job in the world....creating opportunities for individuals to make a change in their life in positive way.  

This August...along with my Fleet Feet partner in crime...Heather..we started a social training group for a womens only race.  We thought we might get 20 or so people to run with us and we met socially...and the group grew and grew...and at the end of the day we had over 50 ladies run the race with us....it was so much fun...so the wheels started turning.

Total Performance was an integral part of my journey to Ironman.  I was there twice a week, I got to know Heather Moore, who owns it really well...because training for and Ironman she became my instant BFF.  We have done some joint program stuff for my groups at Fleet Feet and she is a wealth of information on recovery, treatment, and the athlete in general.   For a lot of reasons, it makes a ton of sense to grow group coaching out of a sports performance center and it is really exciting to be a part of this process.  

Fleet Feet has been my home for the past few years....and I have made some incredible friendships from the store and gained a wealth of information and guidance...but the truth is the apparel and shoes were just not my thing...I think it was not to long ago where I issued gift receipts to everyone that came in (HI JAHNNA)..The fork was in the road and I want to grow group running and triathlon programs exponentially next year.

(photo Audrey Ditzler)

The jump while scary is also very exciting.  We will have knowledgeable staff on injury and recovery, and a place with the largest variety of foam rollers....YES!  and truthfully it will allow me to completly focus on what I really LOVE and that is what is imporant. 

Loving what you do.....

I think it is pretty apparent...that I consider myself blessed.

Over the past few years we seem to have settled into a routine and life here in PA.  We have great friends and we spent the weekend at birthday parties and farm festivals...and we took a moment to take a few family photos!  Good thing we can photoshop the road rash on Jackson's face from the scooter face plant this week.

In conversation several times this week and again this weekend I was talking about how I am so lucky to LOVE what I get to do.  I love group coaching, I love my marketing work and I love my kids...and I get to spend mucho time with them while they are growing up.  To me that is very important.

Not everyone has the luxury of getting to piece meal their work to make their life settled and balanced...and I get that.  Again this weekend, I was reminded of how very fortunate I am....

It won't be long before my kids don't fit in the pumpkin anymore.

Working Hard

It seems like everytime I go to post....life passes by...between swim team, school, preschool and upcoming birthdays we have been swamped.  

And of course we have been working hard when dad is home.  I have never met a little boy so smitten with his dad...maybe because he gets to do fun things like climb on the roof.

All is good...and we are good and that makes a happy fall

Keeping Moving...sort of

Getting excited and ready to jump back into training....and boom...I end up out of the game.  Last Sunday, I rolled my ankle on the trail...and it was a BUMMER.  I missed the 10 mile race today and likely will miss the half marathon I was planning on in November.

That has not kept us sedentary though....we are enjoying fall and all the festivities that go along with that...one foot injured or not

View from my run

I am not a treadmill lover...at all.  Sometimes single parenting during the week makes this a necessary evil.

I got up at 5 yesterday morning to get in a run that I needed to concentrate on...and look who joined me shortly after.....

he swung from the TRX like a monkey....and he loves being in the basement

it was all good until he sat on the edge of this...the treadmill...and started sending matchbox cars off the back..he thought it was hilarious...I nearly had a heart attack..finally we compromised and I let him send them off the back...straight into the water heater...at an alarming rate...

an that my friends is how you get the tempo run done...a horse, trx, and a few matchbox cars!