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I haven’t written in a while, and I blame that mainly on this ridiculous winter we’re in the midst of. I’d like to say nearing the end of, but when I said that last year, winter went till May. I have never experienced anything quite like this one, so I will not declare it’s over until every last bit of snow is melted away. And even then, anything’s possible in the Midwest. Seriously.

Anyway, the weather has, at times, clouded my judgment and made me want to curl up in a ball on my couch all day long. Training has been less than ideal, but great meals and fun times with friends and family is at – dare I say it – an all-time high. And that, combined with my great love (you might say obsession) of the Olympics, has gotten me to this point in the year with a smile on my face and warmth in my heart. (thank God, because there is little warmth to be found ANYWHERE else!)

I feel like I manage to become a little more enamored with/captivated by the Olympics with every four years that they come around. To me, it never, ever gets old hearing stories of Olympic athletes overcoming and sacrificing so much to get to where they are, and watching the culmination of years of hard work play out on truly the world’s biggest stage. The underdogs and the favorites, the grit and the grace, the joys and the heartbreaks. I just plain love it all. And at the heart of it all, it all goes back to a kid with a dream.

The Olympics get me thinking long and hard about my goals, my hopes, and my dreams. So, too, do great books I’ve read like, What Color is Your Parachute?, Daring Greatly, and The Success Principles. And it’s through these things that, day by day, little by little, I become more confident in who I am, and therefore, what I want and what I need to do to achieve those goals. I can’t express enough how crucial it is to take some time and brainstorm what you I really want, and how you can make all of it a reality. And then write it down.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve dreamt of being an Olympian, or somehow getting a taste of the Olympics. And now that I’m 25, I know it’s highly improbable I will figure skate, YOLO flip on a snowboard, or speedskate my way to the Olympics. It’s highly unlikely I’ll run my way there. But, I’ve gone back and forth so much, thinking on those dreams as a young girl, and I just have this place in my gut that tells me I can’t quite give up on that dream just yet. And that’s where I am now. I don’t know my status with grad school yet (won’t start till at least the fall,) and I live in a community full of great runners (and people). I have a support crew who’s helped me learn how to properly fuel my body (although always a work in progress), to learn to think a little more “grey” (things don’t always have to be so black and white!), and to embrace just being myself (#keepingitreal). After running the idea by my coach and support team, I truly feel like there’s no time like the present to try running a marathon. I want to see how I like the training and how my body handles it. I’ve wondered if it’s realistic to still shoot for my dream of qualifying for the Olympic Trials in the marathon… and I won’t know until I try. As a wise Wayne Gretzky once said, “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” (the Winter Olympics highly approve of my quoting of him.)

So…June 21st in Duluth, MN, if all goes as planned, I’ll be on the starting line of Grandma’s Marathon!

Would appreciate any and all marathon tips, favorite motivational quotes, and encouragement you may have along the way. The adventure that is marathon training officially begins near the end of March.

I’m sure you’ll see me tweeting plenty along the way. I’m going to try to blog a little bit more, too. Excited.

Happy training… and may all of us across most of the country get a little love from, like… Jamaica and the Bahamas…instead of Canada…VERY soon.

~Jenny

• “There’s not a better feeling than when you have found that moment of balance and harmony when both running and life come together. Then you know why you run and that you couldn’t live without it.” - Joan Benoit Samuelson
• “If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon.” - Emil Zatopek
• “I dare you to train for a marathon, and not have it change your life.” -Susan Sidoriak

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