Jennifer DeVore
It was 2013. Here I was thirty-six years old and about twenty pounds over weight. Now, I had been running on and off on the treadmill, but nothing consistent. A co-worker had asked if I would run a half marathon in August with her. This was January. She said, “You’re a runner.” At the time, I didn’t think I was a runner, but up for the challenge.
First thing was first. I had to get this weight off before I would even start running. So, I dove right in. I got myself a referral with a dietitian and we analyzed my diet. It was not good. The dietitian gave me some good suggestions to get started. I was incorporating more vegetables and protein into my diet versus carbs.
Second, I hired a personal trainer who came to the house. Now, I was already running but knew I had to get on the band wagon with strength training. Two days a week, we strength trained and the other 3-4 days, I was running. I lucked out and my trainer was a runner to. I had someone to bounce ideas off and ask questions.
As this time, I was a newbie. I knew nothing about running. But the more questions, I asked and the more I read, the more I learned. Training for a big race is a hit or miss with everyone. Not everything that one runner does applies to everyone else. You have to find what works for you. That was the biggest thing I was learning.
The more I ran, the more I loved it. It was therapy for me. With working full time and having a family, I had some stress. This was my stress relief. I also learned that it’s okay to do something for me. It’s not selfish at all. In fact, it made me a better wife and mother. I was more relaxed and easy going.
I started training hardcore in June of 2013. I found a training plan and followed it religiously. I even did my very first 5K that year and finished in just under thirty minutes. I was pretty proud of myself.
In the midst of all this training, I was approached by a good friend to run the NYC marathon for charity, the Dystonia Medical Research foundation. I had to raise $2500 dollars. I wasn’t sure I could do it. My trainer (at the time) was pretty brutally honest. I asked her for her opinion. She thought I could do it, and so I said yes, to running a marathon.
Race day rolled around for my first half marathon. I was pumped. I had trained hard and I knew I would finish. And that I did. I had run 13.1 miles. What a feat. Now on to marathon training.
So, within my first year, I ran a 5K, a half marathon and the NYC marathon for the Dystonia Medical Research foundation. As always, whenever I do anything, it’s always big. I hope I can inspire you to know that if you work really hard, and see your eyes on the prize, you can achieve anything in life you want to.
