RunwithJenn

RunwithJenn Helping you find your inner runner and achieve all your running goals. In 2009 I made a conscious decision to better my life. I began running Spring of 2009.

I began taking yoga classes and started running. I met with a nutritionist and started changing the way I ate. It started with 20 steps down my driveway. My first race, a 5k, was July 2009. Over the years I have found that I LOVE to run. I have run numerous 5K's, some 10K's, a bunch of half-marathons. I have added cross-training such as yoga, weight lifting, Blast and bike riding with my husband.

Sometimes the workout out is 20-30 minutes...sometimes it lasts over 4 hours. Nutrition was always one of my biggest struggles. In 2002 I weighed close to 200lbs. I have pictures to prove it, but never got on the scale. I had a friend that helped me pay attention to what I ate and I have slowly gotten better. My biggest struggle has been eating the correct foods to fuel my fitness. And I think I have finally found the answers. Join me, follow me, be a part of my team. Together we can become what we strive to be.

Sometimes you just want to run. Even though I raced yesterday I wanted to get back out there this morning to start the d...
06/09/2026

Sometimes you just want to run. Even though I raced yesterday I wanted to get back out there this morning to start the day with some miles. I reached out to see if my early morning girls wanted to share miles. I set my cloths out and realized I’d likely run whether or not the girls joined me.
Luckily I had company. It’s easier to run with company. I’m quicker when I run with company. Our pace was solid for the 5 miles. Our final average pace was 8:39 minute mile. Each mile got faster. I love that we’re able to do this. Conversations the whole way.
I’m blessed to have found running friends. I’m blessed to have non running friends. Friends I can talk to and share experiences with.
Sometimes life reminds you to take a moment and tell those around you how much they mean to you. Sometimes life reminds you how short it can be. Sometimes you need to take a moment and tell others how much you appreciate and love them. Sometimes you need to stop, look around, give hugs and accept hugs.
Who did you get to share your day with?

Worcester Firefighter 6k My first 6k race. One of my friends invited me to join her and her friends at the race. I signe...
06/07/2026

Worcester Firefighter 6k My first 6k race. One of my friends invited me to join her and her friends at the race. I signed up. We traveled down together. Three runners and two cheerleaders. Not sure how we didn’t get a picture of us all together.
It was a a sunny warm morning. I had offered to pace my friends. They suggested I just go for it and chase my own personal race. I had brought both my racing sneakers and a second pair. I found another friend in the porta potty line that had done this race before. She explained the course was two 3k loops. That helped us know what to expect along the run. There was a hill. Just before the start of the 2nd loop, so also as we finished.
I decided to put on my racing sneakers and headed up toward the front of the pack. Though I was still too far from the line for a quick start. There were over 1000 finishers. After I got around some other racers and walkers, I settled into a nice comfortable pace. I concentrated on breathing and moving. One water break each loop. It was a pretty great course. Towards the end, up that last hill, I had my eyes on passing one runner. As I finished, someone said I was in the wrong side of the shoot. I had followed the signs. I guess those were only for the first loop. I lost a few seconds as I found someone to open the gate and let me through to the correct side. My finish was good enough for 4th in my age group! I’m always proud if I finish in the top 10.
After I completed my race, and not finding the guys around the finish line, I headed out for my friends. For real though I would have headed out even if I had found my babe.
I added another mile to my run. I saw so many other friends as I was running back to find my girl. After finding them I joined them back towards the finish line. I got them to run up the hill as I turned off the course and walked towards the finish, more water, and my babe.
It was a fun morning, and afternoon. After the race and finding some more of my friends, we headed out to lunch, the ice cream. A good end to a good weekend.
How did you make yourself proud today?

This morning was kind of epic. I decided to run the second loop. I decided I didn’t need 12 miles, but was totally ok wi...
06/07/2026

This morning was kind of epic. I decided to run the second loop. I decided I didn’t need 12 miles, but was totally ok with 8ish.
The second loop stayed around 7am. Around mile two we saw a small group of runners heading toward us. We thought we knew them and said hi, and waved. They crossed the street an we all realized we didn’t know them. They were from NY and were in town for a wedding last night. A friend from their run group got married, and the runners were sharing some miles before their trip home.
They joined us! We shared the remaining 5 miles together. We climbed hills. We talked about races. We became Strava friends. We made plans to race together this fall and next winter. So many stories. Lots of smiles, and laughter, and support.
To find a small group of runners with the same love of running and running for fun and supporting each other was pretty cool. During our conversations we realized just how similar our running groups are. I really hope to see the at races this fall and next January. Maybe a road trip to NY needs to happen too.
Who did you meet today?

My Wednesday track workout went a lot better than I could have hoped for. 400 with 200 recovery, repeated 8x. Each one g...
06/06/2026

My Wednesday track workout went a lot better than I could have hoped for. 400 with 200 recovery, repeated 8x. Each one got a little bit quicker. That’s better than I expected it would be. It all felt pretty good too. I almost quit at 4. I almost did 10. At 7 my legs stayed talking back, and I didn’t want to push. No injuries.
Wednesday ended with class at the gym and a run. I went to get the pup, as I had for the last two months, and we met up with the group. We chatted and pet the pup. He made a new friend. The group had a plan. Some were working through week 1 of Couch to 5k, others were just going to run. As we took off, the pup sprinted away. He chewed through his harness while we were talking and planning. Thankfully, we had some sprinters show up. They chased the dog, and were able to corner him in a yard. I got him hooked back up to a leash. Then his parents came to get him. No run with the pup this week. Almost 8 weeks of being together…and he decided he wanted to go it alone.
The run finished uneventful. We broke into two groups. One just running, and one following run/walk. A great part about the Wednesday night group, it really is for all levels of runners.
Yesterday I got up for the morning run. Then shared miles with my friend. We’re finishing up Week 7 of Couch to 5k. Our next race is next Thursday night. After a full day of work I had a massage. I always feel relaxed after the massage. And if I don’t have enough water during the day or after the appointment, I wake up sore and thirsty.
So this morning started with lots of water. I definitely didn’t have enough yesterday. I coached class this morning, then took class. After my dermo appointment I met up with a friend for a hug and a short walk. The day was full of work. There’s so much to do. Even with the extra hours put in this week, I didn’t work enough to feel caught up. There’s always next week!
What was the end of your week like?

The temperatures are staying to get warmer. It was a little chilly this morning. I wore capris and long sleeves. I’m try...
06/03/2026

The temperatures are staying to get warmer. It was a little chilly this morning. I wore capris and long sleeves. I’m trying to not wear pants, at least til September. I definitely needed the long sleeves during the morning runs. I was comfortable in a tshirt for the afternoon run. Well, really it was a late morning run. I had on a tank top for the gym. I think tomorrow is going to be close to the same. I have a tshirt picked out for the morning track workout. If I do the workout I’ll be warm enough in a tshirt.
I think I’m going to try the suggested track workout. I don’t know how it’s going to feel. I don’t know how many repeats I’ll be able to do. I might as well give it try. The worst that will happen is that I end up walking. Likely, I’ll either have slower repeats or I’ll just run loops. It’ll be interesting either way.
What kind of workout do you do after a race?

One of the run groups that is am a part of, SQRR, meets once a month for a brunch run. One person from the group hosts t...
05/31/2026

One of the run groups that is am a part of, SQRR, meets once a month for a brunch run. One person from the group hosts the run, plans out a route, and opens up their home to share some time with other runners sharing food and conversation.
This Sunday was my day to host. Last year I lead a slightly hilly 6 mile route. This year I had chosen a mostly flat route that could be anything from 2 to 5 miles. There were a few that chose to do last years 6 miles. I lead others on a 4+ mile route. There were a few that walked.
The weather was beautiful. It was sunny. It was not too warm, and not too cold. We ran. We chatted. We ate. We chatted. I met some new runner friends. I caught up with some friends I hadn’t seen in a couple of months. It was a nice relaxed morning.
After some time in the hot tub, and a load of laundry, I fell asleep on the couch. Out. The cat curled up with me. I slept almost 2 hours. Obviously I needed it.
Do you nap during the weekend?

Marathon number 49 - Delaware Conquer the Canal - 4:16:39. The day was full of sunshine. The course was an out and back ...
05/31/2026

Marathon number 49 - Delaware Conquer the Canal - 4:16:39.
The day was full of sunshine. The course was an out and back along the canal. My goal was to pace my friends. We started near the front of the pack, mostly because no one else was moving up to the start line. There were 78 marathoners. The race had a half marathon, a 10k and a 5k also.
My friends had a goal pace in mind. I had a slightly different goal pace for them. We stuck somewhere in the middle. We ran. We talked. The fact that we talked for 20 miles meant that the pace we were running wasn’t too hard. The fact that after mile 22 we didn’t talk at all meant that the pace was a challenge. The fact that our overall pace was just under what I had planned meant that we rocked the race!! We actually had a few other runners in my ‘pacing’ group until the first water stop. They went ahead when I stopped for water and Gatorade. I didn’t try to catch them.
It might have been a small crowd of runners. It was a super friendly crowd. We cheered each other on. We chatted after the race. All of the aid stations were super supportive, and had great choices. They had water and Gatorade, jolly ranchers, and fruit chew snacks and either bananas, orange wedges or watermelon.
The course had only a couple of hills. They went up and then down. The uphill may have been a challenge, but the downhill was sweet. We used those to our advantage.
The day was pretty amazing. Lots of smiles. A couple of PRs. Lots of miles. Some stories. An energetic ride home.
What did you achieve today?

Today was a travel day. After getting up to Coach my group at Commit Fitness, I had some breakfast and waited for my gir...
05/30/2026

Today was a travel day. After getting up to Coach my group at Commit Fitness, I had some breakfast and waited for my girl to pick me up.
Four of us spent most of the day traveling. After three stops, one of which was for lunch, we ended up at our destination in Delaware.
Dinner is done. Clothes are set out. Alarms are set. We are ready. Tomorrow is another race day. We’re running Conquer the Canal marathon. We checked earlier and there are only 91 marathoners registered. This is likely the second smallest marathon I’ve run. Our bib pickup is tomorrow morning. That’s kind of a bonus. We didn’t have to rush to get here. And once we pick up our race stuff we can just put it in the car. The weather looks like it’ll be almost perfect for a race. Though that may depend on how warm or cool you like your races.
Where did you travel to today?

Thursday morning miles. Look at all the daylight at 5am. These days are so amazing. Sunshine in the morning. Sunshine la...
05/29/2026

Thursday morning miles. Look at all the daylight at 5am. These days are so amazing. Sunshine in the morning. Sunshine later into the evening.
After the morning run I share a few more miles with a friend. Covering our longest distance this year. And we found another race to do this summer. Sharing miles is always fun.
The rest of the day was work. Trying to get as much done as I could. I am off tomorrow. I’ll be traveling to Delaware with friends. We’re running the Conquer the Canal marathon. I’m packed. I’m ready. I have goals to help achieve. I think everything I need is in my bag. The most important, sneakers and running clothes.
What do you pack for a race?

A quick update for my Wednesday. No track workout today. I went to the track, but just for some loops. The marathon Satu...
05/28/2026

A quick update for my Wednesday. No track workout today. I went to the track, but just for some loops. The marathon Saturday means I should be tapering. So I am trying to not do too much.
My babe and I took a short walk for a quick work break.
I did go to Leg Day this afternoon. It might be my only strength workout this week. I did some PT exercises and some strength exercises. They all felt good. No cranky body parts.
Then one last run for the day. A pup and runners. Miles and smiles. And enjoying the summer weather.
Just a good day overall. Sharing movement with friends. Enjoying the summer-like weather and the sunshine. Being grateful for what my body can do and all the people I get to share movement with. Who did you move with today?

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