Ragnar Miami Our From Fat to Finish Line Five Year Anniversary

Five years ago I boarded a plane and flew to Miami Florida to run my very first Ragnar with 11 other very special people. It was the original From Fat to Finish Line team and none of us knew what to expect.

The group of us, about 1200 collective pounds lighter than we had once been was not only embarking upon a 200 mile Ragnar Relay Race but we were also being documented and filmed along the way.

Director Angela Lee and I filming at the start

As a producer, I expected to be more the one telling the story than someone being a part of the story. If you've seen the film, you know that wasn't the case.

That experience. All of it. The people, the run, the film, has profoundly changed my life.

It was a tough race for me. Filled with both struggle and failing but also graced with the triumph of getting up and moving forward. I was also blessed with the gift of having the love and support of my team when things were falling to shit and I was falling apart.

That experience was super significant for me and in a lot of ways really represents this whole other journey I'm on.

There are ups. There are downs. There are moments where you feel like you've got it all together and there are moments where you feel like quitting. Ultimately, though, there's only one way to the finish line. As long as you keep on moving forward - whether it's losing 100 pounds or crossing 200 miles - as long as ya keep moving, you (and I) will get to the finish line. There's just no giving up. It's OK to struggle and it's OK to have setbacks it's all apart of it.

And oh yeah. It doesn't hurt to have 11 other or 20,000 fellow teammates or tribe to help you get up when you're down.

If you haven't found our FFTFL tribe on Facebook, please join us here. We're there to help you when you're struggling and cheer you on in your successes.

If you haven't seen the documentary film - please check it out. It was such an honor to be a part of that team and film. It's on Netflix, iTunes, Amazon and DVDs can be ordered directly from our store. 

XO
Jen

2018 is Off to a Good Start!

Happy New Year all!

First, some exciting news! Our documentary film, From Fat to Finish Line, made this "10 Things to Watch on Netflix on New Year's Day" list. That was very exciting :) 

After sleeping in a little this morning I got up and decided to make spinach pie. I find it to be pretty tasty and it's only 1SP per serving on the new Freestyle Weight Watcher's program. If you want to check out the recipe you can find it here. It's pretty simple and tasty with a cup of soup, as a quick snack, a side dish or even for breakfast.

My very green meatless 1SP lunch -
That's the Split Pea Soup I made yesterday.

After lunch I finally decided to get myself to the gym. My goal was to do at least 30 minutes of walk/run on treadmill - I managed 4 miles and a little over an hour. It felt great! 

I also took all of my measurements and made some short-term goals for myself:

Nutrition: I want to be as on point as possible with WW - my aim is 25 'blue dots.' For those of you not on Weight Watchers, the app gives you this blue dot when you're tracking and within your point range for the day. Looks like this: 

Fitness:  I'm aiming for 16 workouts or runs this month. With a combination of cross fit (or strength training) or running. Now I want to do more than this but this is a good goal. 

Personal: My goal is to blog 3-4 times a week if not daily for my own personal accountability and blogging really does help me to keep on track. 

Have you made any goals for the new year? How's your 2018 so far? 

XO

Jen

I'm Back! My Personal From Fat to Finish Line Goals for 2018

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Is this thing on?

Are any of you still out there?

It's been a looooong time since my last post. More than a year as a matter of fact.

Even though it's been forever and a day I'm back.

From Fat to Finish Line on Netflix! 

I need to be back. You see, in spite of the success From Fat to Finish Line has enjoyed as a documentary film and From Fat to Finish Line as an online movement and tribe - I've been personally struggling hard. I've dealt with weight gain, lack of motivation and some depression. Looking back at what worked for me in reaching my goals all those years ago, I have come to realize that this blog was pivotal in my journey.

Writing this blog provided me:
1. Accountability and
2. A journal of sorts.
I need both so here I am.

First things first, A few highlights/ not so highlights from the last year or so:

Some of us FFTFL'ers in Dublin at 5K

1. From Fat to Finish Line the documentary is doing well and you can watch it on Netflix, iTunes, Amazon and other streaming services.
2. Thanks in part to the film, From Fat to Finish Line has grown into a big, supportive FB community and company. We have resources for new and overweight runners.  You can join the FB community HERE, Learn how to run your first mile HERE, and check out our website HERE.
3. I ran two Ragnars last year (Del Sol and Poconos) which really made me fall in love with Ragnar. 
4. I celebrated my 45th birthday in Dublin, Ireland with the FFTFL tribe.
5. From Fat to Finish Line had an amazing meet-up in Las Vegas again.
6. I am up 25 pounds from my goal weight.
7. I have dealt with depression.
8. I have been struggling to run and get my workouts in.
9. I moved to a new apartment.

Van 1 Ragnar Del Sol: Team Running Down a Dream 

So here's my goals for 2018 in no particular order: 

HEALTH: I need to get back to basics and cut the shit. I've not been doing the right thing. I intend to make my health a priority by:  Losing the 25 pounds I gained and get back to goal. I will accomplish this by running at least 3x's a week, weight training at least twice a week, choosing healthy foods and tracking by sticking to Weight Watchers. 

I will commit to and make drinking my water a priority. I will cut down or cut out alcohol. I will take my vitamins, and avoid gluten.  I will continue to see my therapist and find ways to cope with stuff that doesn't involve food or alcohol such as meditation. 

HOME: I will disconnect from electronics when connecting with friends and family. I will make human interaction a priority and spend less time, nose down in my computer and wasting time on social media like FB. I will also honor my home itself by keeping the clutter down and keeping my home clean and organized. When it's a mess it drives me crazy and doesn't help anything! 

CAREER: I will continue to build the From Fat to Finish Line brand. This is my life and passion. I am committed to chugging forth in giving my best when it comes to the company. I want to reach my finish line goals and I want others to as well. I will finish my life coaching course which has me studying how to support others in mental/emotional/physical and spiritual health. This not only helps me to be able to support the FFTFL tribe but it is teaching me how to cope with my own stuff too! 

RUN: Although mentioned in my "Health" section above - Running deserves its own place. First of all, I have a lot of running coming up in 2018.

• I got accepted into the Chicago Marathon for 2018.
• I am running FOUR FFTFL Relays in 2018: The Buck Fifty in OH, Ragnar TN, Ragnar Chicago and Ragnar Northwest Passage. 
• I'd like to run NJ half marathon at the shore and Rock 'n' Roll Vegas half.

Second of all. Running makes everything better for me. Mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I MUST make it a priority. I was able to keep my depression more or less in check for years just by consistenly running. This last year my running game was off and the depression came back in full force, the weight crept further up, I lost my overall mojo. I'm trying to manage, went on a mild anti-depressant and am working things out in therapy but I need my runs. 

Turning 45 in Dublin

So while the last year or so has been a little challenging - it's all a part of life. All a part of the journey. I'm taking the positives and learning from the negatives. I'm ready to take on 2018 and make it my bitch the best year ever! 

What are some of your goals for 2018?

From Fat to Finish Line Film: Pinch Me!!

Holy crap, people.

This is happening.

The film is out, people are watching it and they like it. They really, really like it.

 Amazon Five Stars! 

It's so incredibly humbling and exhilarating all at the same time.

I am still in awe of all of it. It seems like just yesterday where I was grossly obese, out of control, hopeless and desperate. I still sometimes struggle with food, motivation to run, temptation to over-eat, and the desire to be lazy rather than work out. But yet, I find myself in this place of having a film out there, in the universe, about running and making it to the finish line. I am so blessed.

I am even lucky that people like it enough to try to steal! We had to alert YouTube no less than five times this week of people trying to pirate the movie.

And that's not all. We have made it to the top ten ( top 7 as a matter of fact) of all documentaries on iTunes! OMG!! We were featured in the main banner on iTunes and are sitting side by side with heavy hitters - folks who have won OSCARS, folks supported and made by major movie companies... Little 'ol us. Pinch me.

Top banner on iTunes and under News & Newsworthy! 

#7 on iTunes for ALL documentaries! What!?

So here's the deal. If you want to get it, you can get it here on iTunes and here on Amazon.

If you watch it. Let me know what you think!

-----------------------------

In other news outside the whole exciting movie thing and all, I've had a last few months of ups and downs weight wise. I finally decided to do something a little radical and do a few week of really clean, VEGAN eating.

beans, quinoa, avocado, onions, peppers and tomato - delish

The vegan thing is super edgy for me because I have always heavily relied on meat-based protein at every meal but it's been a better than expected experiment. I'm about a week and a half in and while it's been a little challenging it's been very interesting to note that I can be satisfied without animal protein. It definitely takes effort but I'm doing it. I should also tell you that since I'm on Weight Watchers, I am counting points. Even plan based foods can add up quickly and I could easily be an overweight vegan. ;)

As far as running is concerned, I'm getting my groove back. I've been struggling to get in miles when I can (we've been super busy and I've been traveling a lot) and I'm super nervous about being prepared for the NYC Marathon. I'm not where I would like to be for that. But you know, what can you do? I'm going to just keep on trying the best I can and fighting to keep my head in the game.

How are you guys doing?

Any veggie based dishes I should be trying?

Have you seen the movie?

XO
Jen

From Fat to Finish Line Documentary Film Nears Finish Line!

Who would've thunk all those years ago when I first made the incredulous, ridiculous decision to "start running" that the journey would've led me here.

I've had ups and downs. The scale has been kind and evil. Through the years I've had set-backs, injuries, weight gain, and fall-downs. I've also experienced victories, incredible moments, experiences, inspiration, motivation and have gained friends for life.

It took me a long time to say the words, "I am a runner." And now I get to say, "I am a runner... in a movie!"

And this weekend you can own the film via iTunes for only $6.99!  GET IT HERE

You can view the trailer at iTunes too!

From Fat to Finish Line documents the journey of 12 formerly obese people who all lost about 100 pounds each through running. The 12 come from all over the country and team up to run a challenging 200 mile Ragnar Relay Race to celebrate their success and test their limits.

I'm so proud that this film has happened. It's funny, inspirational, entertaining and drives home the point that whether you are losing weight or running 200 miles, if you take one step at a time you can get to your finish line.

Thank you for being a part of this journey of mine. 

XO

Jen 

San Diego Screening of From Fat to Finish Line Documentary and other stuff

Hi all!

I've become such a bad blogger but that's only because we are kicking booty and working so hard in many other areas.

Just thought I'd do a drive by and update you on some good stuff:

1. It's been slow and not-so-steady but the weight is slowly coming off. I'm back at WW and also using some of the tools at SparkPeople. Since December 27 I'm down 15 pounds and I'm about 7 pounds from my goal weight. I'm feeling good and my clothes are fitting better.

2. I've completed 30 days of no alcohol and super hydrating. I gave up the alcohol because I was drinking too much. Nearly every day I would look forward to a glass of wine (or if the day was particularly stressful) a martini. The fact that I was starting to 'count down' the minutes until wine-o'clock scared me and I just felt like it was undermining all the healthy things I've done. I have read that it takes 21 days to make a habit and 30 to really cement it. I'm at 31 days and feel really great. I don't miss the drinking and I think it's sped up my weight loss. I sleep better and wake up better. The super hydrating has been a win for me too. This has always been a place where I've struggled. My weight loss has been much better since incorporating both of these things. For the hydration, I've been using an app called Plant Nanny. Every time you drink water you 'water' your plant and it grows. Forget to water it and it gets sicks and dies. That's a lot of pressure. LOL.

 

3. We are having a special From Fat to Finish Line Documentary screening in San Diego!  On May 23, 2016 we will be having a pre-release sneak preview screening at the Green Flash Brew Co.! I will be there, alongside our director Angela Lee and a few of the runners from the film. It will be a night of beer and cheer you won't want to miss. :) Please find all the details here!

4. The film will be released world-wide this summer! I will update with an official announcement as soon as I can.  If you don't know what the movie is about it's basically about 12 runners (moi included) that have all lost a lot of weight and team up to run a 200 mile Ragnar Relay Race from Miami to Key West. It's funny, emotional, and inspirational (if I do say so myself). We are proud of it.

5. Don't forget to sign up here to get updates and news on the film, soon to be released running app, and more. :) 

Hope all is well with you!

Do you have any special apps you use to help you drink water or get to your health goals? 

XO

Jen 

From Fat To Finish Line the documentary Nashville Premiere

So the last few weeks have been an exciting whirl-wind. I'm practically pinching myself that it all just happened.

Official movie poster! 

After three years in the making, From Fat to Finish Line the documentary premiered at the Nashville Film Festival this past week.

My "industry pass" and screening tickets

Wow. What a trip.

It was exciting and nerve-wracking to think that the film we've labored over for years (and one that showcases one of the most difficult runs of my life) was going to be viewed by strangers on an enormous screen and in a real-live movie theater. 

It started with a little more than half the team traveling to Nashville to be a part of the screening. A few of the team couldn't be there for various reasons and that was the toughest part. It made everything just slightly bitter-sweet because I kept thinking of them and wishing them there. I know that it was hard on them to not be there as well and that made me sad. We are planning on doing quite a few festivals so I'm sure that everyone will get the chance to see it on the big screen and enjoy a festival so that is the good news. 

Aside from Linda who came in a little later that day and Carly who came in for the second screening later that week, the team who was there and myself decided to kick off the premiere day by running a local 5K. It was fantastic and fun. Every run should be filled with that kind of joy.

Allison, Me, Rik, Lealah, Meredith, John

Then we had a nice post race brunch in a fun Nashville spot, relaxed for a bit and got ready for the premiere!  

There was a red carpet and we got interviewed and pictures taken! 

Me

The team and Director:

Allison, Meredith, Rik, Lealah, John, Linda, Me, and Angela

We had two screenings with Q&A's afterward. 

We were flying high and then Runner's World ran an online story about the premiere! How fricken cool.  You can see the article here and they even linked to the trailer. 

People seemed to really love the movie. 

Here's a girl with her own amazing story who wanted a picture with Carly and I after the second screening. Stuff like this makes all the hard work worth it. I was just blown away:

Carly, Annette, Me 

The plan right now is to do a festival circuit of various cities (I will let you know where and when) and then be ready to distribute for the public by January. 

It leaves me speechless. Who knew that all those years ago when I decided to pick up a pair of running sneakers, and try to run for a minute and made an audacious goal of running a race that it would lead to all this stuff? God/the universe/ whatever you want to call it just works in mysterious ways. I'm so thankful and grateful for this journey. 

XO

Jen 

What I love about marathon training and other things

Hello!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Ground Hogs Day.

I know it's been a while. I'm a terrible blogger but I'm going to work on that.

Things have been going pretty good. It's been a great start to the year for me even though I fricken hate winter and cold. 

I've been marathon training and things are going well. I'm not doing anything crazy long yet (Last week and this week's long run is 10 miles) but it's been going good.

And dare I say I've even enjoyed the many miles... and those many miles have been on a treadmill! I've been able to manage treadmill boredom by really digging into stuff on Netflix.  My longest run on the treadmill was last week's 10 miler and I've been doing just about every other distance on there.  I'm actually learning to really like the treadmill. I don't have to worry about the elements or where to carry all my stuff. I just have to hop on and go. 

Ten Treadmill miles thanks to watching Dirty Dancing
#NoOnePutsMyTreadmillInTheCorner

Here's what I love about marathon training - once you start building those miles it becomes almost like a "light workout" to run 4 or 5 miles. There's something very cool about that.  I'm also loving the feeling of accomplishment as I check off these workouts. 

And I'm super proud of the miles adding up - this month I managed to run 84.27 miles WOW!! 100 miles!! - the most I've run possibly ever in one month. 

the first few days of the year wasn't included in this graph
so I actually ran a solid 100 miles this month on the nose! 

I am now just 'loosely' following the simply filling plan for Weight Watchers. I am still keeping an eye on portion but am just concentrating on eating as healthy as possible. I feel like that is working out for me. I've lost a few pounds over the last few weeks but I'm trying not to be scale obsessed. I had to lighten up, i was making myself nuts worrying about the scale. I'm running lots and eating well. This is enough for me right now and I'm at peace with it.

Other good stuff this month included getting a rough cut of the From Fat To Finish Line film done! The finish line on that is in sight and we are excited! :) I also got to have a little reunion time with my good friend Linda from Fricken' Fabulous At 40. 

And I tossed my hat into the ring for the NYC marathon lottery again. We'll see and fingers crossed. 

And finally I happened upon a pair of compression running pants from Old Navy on the clearance rack.  They are a little loud for me since I'm a 'stick to basic black' type of gal (OK once in a while I get crazy and wear grey) but at just $9.99 on clearance had to give them a shot.

actual legging purchased

I have to say these are great running leggings (even though both my hubby and son kind of looked at them funny as I left for my run today). They didn't fall down when I ran and the compression feels great. They are on the Old Navy website in black or grey for $29.99 (but there's a 20% off code right now - you type in SAVE at checkout).  I'm definitely going to pick another pair up. This actual turquoise-striped color pair is on sale for $19.99 on the website so I really got lucky finding them for $9.99!

How is your winter going? Find anything good that's running or training related lately?

XO

Jen

PS: The legging review is my own entirely, Old Navy has no idea that I bought them or reviewed them - however, Mr. or Mrs. Old Navy - if you are reading this, feel free to send me an old navy gift card or a free pair of black compression running tights in a large. That would be fab. Thanks!! ;) lol

I'm in Runner's World and so much more to tell!

Hey all.

Sorry for the month lapse in blogging. I've been super busy and took a vacation with the family.

First  off, here is some EXCITING NEWS!

My self, along with a few of my Ragnar Relay / Fat To Finish Line teammates are featured in this month's (April) RUNNER'S WORLD magazine!!! I'm still pinching myself!

ohmygod so cool!! 

Of course it talks about how important my blogging journey is to my running and weight loss - annnnnd this would be the time I go for a full month without blogging ;) oops.

So pick up the issue and read the article if you get a chance I'd love to hear your opinion.

Theeeeen there's this - the trailer for Fat To Finish Line the Documentary. We are still editing but just seeing little pieces of it come together is thrilling.  You can check it out on the Fat To Finish Facebook page - it was posted on March 11th so just scroll down a bit on the page. 

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Next is some running stuff. My running has been like my blogging lately - not doing it as much as I'd like. I have been grabbing a mile or two here and there - but nothing big and suddenly I just realized that my spring half marathon is now only 6 weeks out. Gulp. I'm going to have to figure out how to safely get there because my base miles are just not there. I have run a few 3 or 4 mile runs but that's about it. This week I'm going to add a five miler, and then a six, etc... and hope that's enough.  :/  The race is April 27th.

But, I did get to run an unexpected 5K this past Saturday. I took a 3 day cruise on the Disney Dream with the family and when I got on board discovered they were doing a 5k on their private island of CoCoKay. What's even better than an impromptu 5K in the Bahamas? A FREE 5K! They didn't have a race fee so I signed up on the spot.

It was a pretty race. I ran it in 34 mins or so and even got a Micky medal to show for it.

-----------------------------------------

Lastly I'm still trying to lose weight. I enjoyed the Whole30 program but for now I'm back to watching calories. Angela got me a fit bit as a surprise gift so I've been using that. It's working. I'm going in the right direction. I've stuck to some Whole30 rules like avoiding sugar, MSG, artificial sweeteners and food chemicals, etc. But I've brought brown rice and oatmeal back. Those foods work for me. 

I am sure I'm forgetting a million things.

How have you been?

Do you use a fitbit?

Have you ever done a race on vacation?

Lemme know what you think of the trailer and the article!!

XO

Jen 

Whole30 Day 4 - A special day

A year ago at this time I ran the Ragnar Relay - Miami to Key West FL. It was an incredible 200 mile journey that I shared with 11 others - all with amazing and inspiring stories of their own. Our team, team Fat To Finish Line, consisted of 12 people all whom at one time or another had an average of 100 extra pounds on them. We were all overweight and far from runners. Each one of us, on our own journeys found a path of healthy eating and running. We joined forces a year ago and ran as a team to the finish line.

My producing partner and I decided that this should be a story told and we filmed the journey and are making a documentary film. We are still busily editing but here is a sneak peek of some of the film and a look at my motivational teammates:  



You can read the blog posts about my Ragnar journey here.

In other news, it's day 4 of the Whole30 everyone! I'm still feeling pretty good - no big withdrawal symptoms or anything. My poor hubby got up shaky and cranky today and then proceeded to slip on the ice and nearly break his ass. Even so, he's hanging in there like a champ and I'm very proud of him.

We visited a friend of ours today and I brought some leftover grape leaves and she put out a veggie platter (she knows of our Whole30 thing - so nice of her!) We noshed on that and then ordered steamed shrimp and broccoli from a chinese place and used Coconut Aminos that I brought along.  The visit was fine. I thought I was going to be bummed and miss the wine and cheese that usually happens during these visits but it wasn't the case. I might've thought about it for a second but I didn't lament on it.

The day was pretty low fuss (especially compared to yesterday). Pretty much my standard breakfast of eggs and sweet potato. I had a snack of some grape leaves, a hard boiled egg and some veggies - lunch was steamed shrimp with broccoli and dinner was a leftover hodgepodge of stuff.

Hope you are doing well too!!

XO
jen

TODAY SHOW - Tune in Alert!!

YIPPEE!!

From Fat To Finish Line, our film, Ragnar experience and teammates: Katie, Carly, Rik and Ada was featured on the Today Show!!!

Yay! There we are!

Carly behind the scenes of her interview

Watch the piece here: 

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Woo hoo!!

If you are finding us from the Today Show - why, hello there!

You can follow the team on our Facebook Page and learn more about us and the project at our website.


If you are looking for my personal race reports from Ragnar click here.

XO
Jen

RAGNAR RELAY Race review - Part 1 Best day ever

From Fat To Finish Line's Ragnar run

Where do I even start?

I arrived mid-day Thursday which was a whirlwind of picking up film crew members and getting situated! 

So much was going on! There was the TODAY SHOW which interviewed four teammates: Katie, Rik, Carly and Ada. It made sense why the show decided to highlight these four teammates. Katie and Rik put the team together, Ada is a former Biggest Loser and it's kind of cool to see "where are they now" and BL happens to premiere this week, and Carly because she still is in the process of losing weight and she was the newest member of the team.

The Today show piece will air on Thursday morning January 10th. I have no idea what time or which hour but I'm very excited!!

After their interviews, we headed to a little Italian place for dinner.  The Today show filmed us all meeting for the first time. We were all excited and overjoyed to be meeting each other and gathered under one roof. It was awesome to be surrounded by all of these people who have become close friends over the course of nearly a year.

We were anxious, however, to get back to our rooms to turn in for a good night sleep.

I slept so/so. I was too excited to sleep but got a few hours in, before my alarm sounded at 4:45 for our 5:30 AM meet at the van time.

This was it!!

We got to the location where it was a flurry of activity. Once again The Today Show was on location to shoot the start line. Katie was runner #1 and was going to kick off the run. Unfortunately, her start time was 7AM and her safety briefing was taking forever! They were ticking down the seconds and Katie was rushing to get to the start line - talk about nerve-racking!

But she made it, WHEW. And it was so cool because she was front and center and ready to get it going! 

Van 2 was excited to support Katie coming into her first leg - she looked strong - but hot! We were all in for a steamy, hot day of running.

Katie, Runner #1 finishing her first leg

The rest of Van 1 ran their legs while we in Van 2 went and fueled up on some Starbucks oatmeal and coffee and then headed to the major exchange point where we got safety briefed. I was runner #7 which meant I was the first from my van to run. I was getting nervous but excited! I was also concerned with the heat. It was already almost 90 degrees with the heat index and 98 degrees humidity. I knew I had to slow it waaaay down if I didn't want to burn myself up and screw myself up. I had to save a lot for that middle of the night, 10 mile run.

The whole team is awesome. I feel like we are beyond friends now, like family. And my first taste of what it means to have such a family is the support I got on my legs.

Our van featured all of our before and afters - it was a hit!

Rik from Van #1 is announced into the check point, in he comes, slaps me with the relay bracelet and off I go.  My van-mates formed a human bridge and chanted "Go Roe" as I took off. It was so fun…. and hot. Whew. 

At mile 1 my team was set up and waiting. Linda was holding up a sign, "Rock and Roe" and my team was cheering me on - handing off water, asking if I needed anything. I felt like a Nascar race driver. I got the supplies that I needed and ran off again. Most of the time, I was being tailed by a camera for the documentary. I have now come to realize that I'm going to look absolutely insane in this movie. When I run I sing, I play air drums, I "Jersey girl" fist pump away to my favorite songs, I hoot, I holler. These tactics keep me preoccupied especially during tougher runs. Do you think it would occur to me to contain myself with a camera on me? Naaaah. Fantastic. Oh well. 

"Go Roe"

I finally end my 4.1 mile run and hand off to teammate Linda - and she is off for a brutally hot 7 mile run, followed by Jen, Allison, Carly and John. We offered van support for all of the runners as it was just soooo fricken hot it was dangerous. 

John is runner #12 so as 12, he hands off back to Runner #1, Katie to take off again and into the night. This type of transition is called a "major transition" and there's a whole lot of activity that goes on there. While walking from the van to the transition, I bump into BART YASSO!! I was so excited. 

I'm so happy in this picture to meet him, I could cry:

best part of this pic is the photo bomber - lol

What was even cooler, was just the day before, BART YASSO emailed me! He caught wind that our team was running and being documented and sent me this note: 

I mean. Are you kidding me!! Who gets an Email from Bart Yasso!!??

So, pretty awesome day - right? After Katie heads out after John came in, we decide to head out for some dinner and get ready for our loooong night ahead…

PART 2 of the story continues here.

XO

Jen

Ragnar Florida Keys… This is it!

team dinner

I can't believe it's here!!

As I sit in a dark hotel room as team mate Ada Wong (from season 10's Biggest Loser) sleeps  - I just had to write a quick post. I can barely contain my awe and excitement.

It's been a surreal day of travel and seeing everyone all together for the first time!

 The Today Show interviewed a bunch of our teammates - YES! From Fat To Finish Line will be featured on The Today show!! It's going to air sometime next week. I will keep you posted.

Then we all had dinner at an Italian restaurant and they even gave me gluten-free pasta.

It's 9:55 PM and I should try to wind down and sleep. Alarm is set for 4:45 AM.

Talk to you on the other side!

XO
Jen

2012 a runner's year in review

Here we are again! At the end of another year of running and just 2 months shy of my 3rd year runnaversary!! WOW. Time is flying.

Here's a list of goals I made for myself from last year and  how I fared:  

1.  Run 1012 miles. I was going to shoot for 1000 but figured I'd throw in the extra 12 for good measure. This year I think I'll come in just shy of 850 - so it's not an impossible goal to shoot for but still challenging. FAIL. Though, truthfully I am not disappointed. I feel pretty satisfied that I did the best I could - I ran more than 10 races this year - had a few PR's, tried new fitness things like boot camp, Zumba and yoga. Total Miles were 721 - I'll get 'em next year!

2.  Run a sub 2:20 half marathon.  Last year I ran a 2:24 - so shaving another 4 minutes off - will be challenging but not impossible. SUCCESS! My best was the Hollywood Half which was 2:19:58! LOL, so it was that close.

3.  Run another marathon.  I will aim for around 5 hours but am flexible when it comes to time. I am still in the 'just finish' zone of such a goal. NOPE - but again I'm OK with it. It wasn't my year to train for it and I think I would've resented the super long miles it would take to get another one under my belt. It'll happen.

4.  Continue this blog. SUCCESS! Here it is!

5.  Run a sub 28:30 5K.  My last 5K I ran in 28:48 so if I focus and work hard, I should be able to achieve it. SUCCESS! How does 26:46 grab ya!? Read about it here.

6.  Continue to maintain my weight loss. SUCESS! Just celebrated my 2 years firmly at goal!

7.  Remember to be thankful.  For family, friends, running, love, this blog, I am incredibly blessed. YES, of-course, there's not a day that goes by that I don't count myself incredibly blessed.

8.  Remember to ENJOY it.  At the end of the day - goals for speed, miles and marathons are great but the most important part is to embrace it. This isn't a chore, this is a privilege. If it becomes a chore then it's time to reassess - don't let anything steal the joy away. (But don't be too quick to give up either!) Yep. For the most part. I started running with Moms In Motion and began running with a few friends. It's been a lovely year in the running books even though I had some set-backs and fell (OK, very) short of the mileage goal - it's all good. I run because I love it. It keeps me healthy and happy and whether it's 70 miles, 700 miles or 7000 miles, I am grateful for every single step.

And what other goodies happened for me?

I turned 40, I got to travel all over the place, I met/made a bunch new endurance friends, I was on The Today Show, featured in Health Magazine, interviewed for NPR Radio and Cook, Train, Race, Eat TV and I was invited to run on a Ragnar Relay team - that race will kick off my  2013 race season and I'll be leaving in just 2 short days - and we'll be filming it for a documentary! 

2012 has been a pretty good year personally and professionally and I believe it's paved the way to make 2013 the best year yet to come!

I am still not sure about my goals for 2013 but will be thinking about it and will be listing them soon.

What was some of your 2012 highlights? What are you hoping for in the new year ahead?

XO

Jen

You never know where the road may go

You never know where the road may lead.

It's funny. Never in a million years did I expect to be living the life I'm living. Running really changed my life and in ways that I could've never predicted.

Back in February of 2010, I was struggling with my weight (stalled for a long time at about half way to my weight loss goal). I had just lost a sister-in-law to diabetes, was still trying to get footing on the next chapter of my career. I went in and out of bouts of depression and was having a tough time mothering my child who was difficult and often frustrated because of some of the special needs he has.

Running led me to this blog, which in turn helped me pick up jobs in the writing world. Those writing jobs helped me to put food on the table while I continued to build my film & TV business.

Running and blogging about running led me to meeting some of my best friends in the world including running buddies and Moms In Motion.

Me, meting up with fellow blogger and dear friend Jason, Angela filming - on location 

at REV3 Portland Maine, filming Jen Small 

Running led to weight loss, good health, better mental mood, less depression, a magazine article and confidence. It's opened doors to opportunity that I would've never imagined.

When you do one positive thing in one direction, other things happen. Things fall into place without even trying. At least they have for me.

Fall races: Top left - Rik (Jerry) Katie - Rik & Katie are the ones who started the Ragnar team!
Top right - hubby and I, bottom - newest runner to the team, Carly, Jen S. and John H.

And my partner and I are making my dream film. A film that will inspire others to run, seek good health, find good friends and make their own dreams come to life. We even now have an IMDb film page now!

How did I get this lucky? All because one day back in Feb. 2010, I decided to start running.

On location with Ragnar film runner, Allison

It hasn't been easy - mainly because making a film is expensive and we've struggled to piece together enough money to be able to pull it off. Also, every week we've been traveling to film the 12 racers - MI, WI, ME, CT, CA, OK, KS, CA, NY, and today we go to Ohio. (I missed the trip to AZ for one of the racers). And finally we'll travel to the race in Miami, Fl in Jan. It's not easy to do all that traveling with little money and a family. My husband had been a rock star - he believes in me and the project. Even my son Ben takes it in stride, bigs hugs, "I love you's" and "see you in a few days, Mom!"

The traveling makes it tricky to keep up on all the running and fitness I want to fit in - but we do our best to keep it a priority -

Angela rocks the bike as I make the best out
of the hotel treadmill in Kansas City, KS

I know we are on the right road. I know that like any tough road or race that if we keep moving forward, even slowly, that we'll get to our finish line.

And as I have learned, staying on the road, putting one foot in front of another and crossing finish lines, is what its all about.

I am so grateful. It's hard to put into words. If I had woken up with a cold, or in a different mood, or if I didn't tell a bunch of people when on a whim I decided to start running… If I hadn't immediately plunked down too much cash on a race that was too big for me… who knows who I would be and where I would be.

What other gifts has running given you?

XO
Jen