Running summary from last week and sharing the love of running with teenagers.

52 miles total.

Monday: 2.25 miles (8:31 pace) in the morning with friends and 9.75 miles (7:30 pace with last 4.25 @ 7:02 pace) at night on the treadmill.

Tuesday: Not sure how much I ran around antelope island for the movie filming but maybe a mile or so?!

Wednesday: 9.5 miles of trails @ 9:02 average pace. I LOVE MY TRAIL RUNNING DAYS THE MOST.

Thursday: 10 miles of crazy hills @ 7:58 average pace. Leg felt like jello by the end of this.

Friday: OFF. A little walk to go find the best place to read.

Saturday: 20 miles @ 7:20 average pace with 10 miles @ 6:50 pace. 4 breaks throughout run.

View on our long run:

Sunday: OFF but a walk with some of my absolute favorite people. Brooke said the word doggy at least 500 times throughout the walk.

PS I have been sporting my EZ T III RUN HAPPY shirt for all of my walks and some of my runs and this thing is beyond comfortable, I love the color and it is made out of moisture-wicking and odor-resistant fabric… win-win for everyone. Yes, I get Brooke ready for the day hours before I consider even brushing my own hair.

Plus, who doesn’t love a shirt that says Run Happy all over it. What a good reminder:)

I am stoked to share with you an interview that I had with Noelle Morgan-Chilcoat. As a special education teacher, Noelle works daily with students who struggle academically and behaviorally. She started a cross country team as a way to teach what she enjoys and as a chance for her students to positively interact with their peers outside of the academic area. This year she had four special education students on the team! I love her story and it reminds me of the good ol’ days when I started a cross country team at the high school that I used to teach at. Sharing your love of running with teenagers is the best!

Q: How long have you been a Brooks ID member?

A: I have been a Brooks ID member since 2009.

Q: What does being one mean to you?

A: I love being a part of the ID community. I’m a big believer in their products. I have only worn Brooks running shoes since I was first fitted into them years ago. I really like how Brooks focuses on running and they take input from runners to develop their shoes (such as Scott Jurek).

The coaching help I have gotten from the ID community has been great. Last season I posted on the facebook page about different games I could incorporate into my middle school cross country and I got tons of ideas from the other coaches. It’s a fantastic resource and way to connect with other coaches.

Q: How has running changed your life?

A: Running has helped me be a stronger person, both physically and emotionally. The older I get, the more challenges I have to face with aging parents and children becoming teenagers. Going for a run always helps my mood improve. I have never once come back from running saying, “I wish I hadn’t done that.” It’s usually, “I wish I had gone longer.”

Q: What’s your favorite part about coaching?

A: My favorite part of coaching is introducing kids to the sport. The kids who are not the athletes but who come out to run and discover a love for it.

I’d have to say that the most fun was taking my middle schoolers to our first ever cross country meet and winning both the boys’ and girls’ races. The other schools had never seen us before and we showed up and won!

Q: Any fun student success stories you’d like to share?

A: Last year I had one of my special needs students decide he wanted to run on our middle school cross country team. I was really nervous about it since he had quite a few behavioral issues. He has an educational identification of Emotionally Disturbed but a multitude of medical diagnoses (Autism, OCD, Tic Disorder.. to name a few). I had a meeting with his parents and my special ed coordinator because we were so worried about him during the races. I had visions of him running off the trail and into the woods with us searching for him. We discussed having the need for an aide to run with him, a peer buddy, and other accommodations. Needless to say, all our worry was for nothing; he did awesome. He never needed someone to run with. He was slow but just kept going and followed the other runners. He came out for every race last year and will be going to high school next year. He says he’s going out for high school cross country :)

Q: What is one of your favorite quotes or mantras?

A: I love the saying of “Relentless forward motion” since it applies to life as it does to running.

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How was your running week? How many miles did you get in? Felt good or not so much?

Best run of the week?

Any jr. high or high school cross-country or track coaches reading? What is your favorite part about it?

What was your Sunday morning breakfast?!?