As you all know, I am enjoying some much needed vacation time at the lake with my family, sister’s family and my parents. I didn’t forget about you readers though, and have another guest post for you today. I feel so blessed to have some great friends and bloggers willing to help out and to share their lives and time.
Today we have Jessica on the blog. We met through our Janji Ambassadorship, and it’s been fun following her athletic achievements. This girl can run folks. I’ll let her do the rest of the “talking.” Enjoy!!
Hi everyone,
It is Jessica from Laces and Lattes. I am a long distance runner with an undying love for coffee and trail running. I have been running since 2010 and some of my highlights since then have been my first ultra marathon, a 100 mile expedition, a 120 mile stage race, a 48 adventure race and my first Boston marathon.
Everything changed for me in high school when my youngest sister was diagnosed with a severe case of anorexia which she continues to battle today. My world turned on its head and I found I needed a place to process everything. We had old, abandoned train tracks by our house which was 5 KM for an out and back so I started running them after school so I could think. My first run was a breathless run-walk, but it was satisfying and left me wanting to do more.
Running immediately became an integral part of who I was and the core of it was positive self-esteem for women. Running was an extremely empowering thing for me. I shed my tentativeness and became confident and strong with every run and every goal reached. I found that I had no time for self-doubt when I filled my mind with pushing a little harder, a little further than I thought I could. I found I could not criticize my body when I knew it would carry me for as far as I needed it to go. In short, running taught me to love myself and believe in myself.
So when someone challenged me to run an ultra marathon in 2010, I just said “Of COURSE I can do that!” And I did. I took it one step further and ran it in my sister’s honour with a sign that said “For Jolene: You are stronger than you think.”
Since then, I have kept that “Of COURSE I can” attitude and running still continues to be about others as much as it is for me. Not just because I need it to stay sane just as much as my morning cup of coffee, but because miles change things. Like Bryanna, I am a Janji ambassador and I am proud to know the clothes I run in provide drinking water for others. Through my running, I have met many women who are strong, empowered and self-accepting which is what we need in a culture where women are told that there is always something lacking. Women who enjoy their cake as much as they love their running shoes and who are more worried about the number of times that they are laughing in a day than the number on the scale.
Running brings me the deepest joy and as a Type A person, I love the goal seeking element of it. I have been able to travel the world, run hundreds of miles with people I could never imagine existed and all I can think is “I am so lucky.”
Feel free to stop by my blog or my social media and say hello! My blog is an extension of my adventures, my call to make running about more than the amount of miles in your training log and my obsession with lattes.
Follow me here:
Twitter – @lacesandlattes
Facebook– Laces and Lattes
Instagram – @lacesandlattes
Thanks Jessica!!
Until Next Time Be Whole and Be Fit
When did you start running? Why sparked your interest in running? Why did you start?
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