Most people write about the end of the year around the end of December or January. But I’m not most people.

While the calendar may say it is Feb. 4, 2012, today is my end of one year and start of another. Today also happens to be the day I am running 100 miles. Yes running. Yes all in one day (or less). When I first registered for the race, I didn’t notice the date. Till a few weeks ago. I don’t believe it is a coincidence. And for some, running 100 miles seems impossible. But for what I have been through in my life, 100 miles doesn’t really seems all that bad. I don’t know you how celebrate surviving one tough year, but as fate (?) would have it, I am running 100 miles. True Sarah Stanley fashion (I ran my first 100 miler on my 30th birthday to celebrate it). 

2011 was (another) tough year. Let me highlight a few of the majors.

1) Setting a goal of running all 18 RnR’s and raising funds and advocating for different causes (the FIT Project)

2) Sensing God’s call to move to Colorado and four weeks later I packed whatever would fit in my car, took the rest to Goodwill, drove 2,000 miles solo in the worst winter storm in 50 years and spent the first night in Colorado in my car (it was 9 degrees). Feb 4, 2011.

3) Lost several part-time jobs and a roof over my head

4) Had former friends (some so-called Christians) not only turn on me, but stab me in the back AND chest

5) Being falsely accused, mocked, bullied, attacked and hated

6) Betrayal of agreements and promises

7) Sometimes flying to the races I was committed for and not knowing where I would stay or how I would get there (because of 3)

But I want to focus on 2. I left the Washington, D.C., area on Jan. 31, 2011 and started making the trek to Colorado. That evening I ended up in Columbus, Ohio due to a bad ice storm moving in. I got stuck there for the next 36 hours. Finally, on Wednesday morning, Feb. 2, I was able to start driving again and drove through some nasty weather to end the day in a foot of snow in Kansas City, Mo. Feb. 3, I left Mo. and started the eternity drive across the state of Kansas. I thought it would never end. God bless all of you who live there. I spent all day driving through it! I shouted out loud when I saw the wooden “welcome to Colorado” sign! Driving over the mountains on Route 70 I hit a blizzard. Welcome to Colorado, Sarah. I finally made it to the promised land. Barely knowing a soul. 150 percent knowing that God wanted me here.

Feb. 4, 2011. Unknown future. Uncertainty. But a peace that calms even the most stressed out soul.

I was in a brand new place, new state – everything was unfamiliar. Unknown. There were moments when I wondered how I would ever make it, let alone survive. While the full details of 2011 will be disclosed in my book, I can say that I did survive (who else would be writing this?!) and in spite of some VERY tough times, I kept the faith. Was it easy? No. Was it hard? You bet. Was it the right thing to do? Absolutely.

So today as I run 100 miles, it is a celebration of living and surviving a very tough year. Running 100 miles will be a piece of cake, comparatively. Because when God wants to do a good work in AND with you, you heed that calling. Even when it is tough and rough and dark and lonely and just doesn’t make sense.

I listed the seven major things that made 2011 a very tough and rough year, but I always believe in the positive in spite of the negative.

1) That friendships I thought were good, but God knew they weren’t and replaced with much better ones

2) I learned that God always provides, but not in the way I thought he would

3) Strength doesn’t come when we are strong; strength is made when we are weak

4) Determined to keep living with the passion and the faith and the grace that brought me this far

5) Forgiveness is healing

6) A few key people that made me believe in friendships and trust again

7) That just because I had/have tough times, it doesn’t mean I quit/give up, it means you dig deep and keep the faith

Perhaps you just found this site because of what I am doing today (running 100 miles) and you are having a rough, tough year or just plain life. You might feel alone, depressed and wondering why you are here. Let me assure you that God not only loves and cares for you, but has a plan for your life (Jeremiah 29:11). That plan looks different for each one of us, but the one thing that remains the same is this: God loves each and everyone of us, no matter what state of that plan we are in.

Dear 2011, you taught me to never give me up. Dear 2012, remind me of 2011 when I am tempted to give up.

And Lord, to all of those who are struggling, help them not to give up. May my struggles help them to see that you are a God who cares and loves. Even in our darkest valley. Amen.

peace, sweat, love: life

Each Friday we feature a real-life person who has embraced a healthy lifestyle from a former sedentary life. We hope their story inspires you to start living and breathing a healthy life!

Today’s story is from Adrienne who lives in Phoenix, Ariz.

Sarah: 2003 was the year that started the change for you, can you share with us what happened?
Adrienne: In 2003, I moved to Arizona to take yet another job in television. While I’d been somewhat athletic growing up, I was always raised to think it was better to be smart, than pretty. And it showed. By the time I arrived in Arizona, I was at least 50 pounds overweight, a complete party girl, with many health issues looming on the horizon (diabetes, stomach issues, etc) and most of all, my self-confidence was shot. And I didn’t realize ANY of these things.

Sarah: How did you start your healthy life journey?
Adrienne: Through circumstance, a co-worker was successful following the Weight Watchers program, so I thought, “Why not?” In April of 2004, I’d removed 56 pounds to reach my goal weight, and was approached by Weight Watchers about becoming a Group Leader – and helping others reach their goals. Again, I thought “Why not?” and agreed to take the facilitation training and start part-time. Within weeks of the training, I realized that TV was no longer a good fit for me, and came to work for WW full time.

Sarah: Wow! That is incredible! Tell us about your new job!
Adrienne: Fast forward eight years, and I’m now one of the Managers of the company, helping with training, media and still leading members to reach their goals each week, some even taking off more than a hundred pounds.
This isn’t a WW commercial, though. Losing the weight sparked me to find ME. I often say “My outside matches my inside now.” I’m confident. I’m raising my family to be healthy and active, so they can avoid the struggles I had. My daughter has a fabulous self-image, which means the world to me, since I didn’t have that kind of role model growing up.

Sarah: Tell us how you started running.
Adrienne: After having my daughter, I was trying to find “my thing.” That thing that was mine, that wasn’t work. Or family. And some friends across the country reminded me about running. I’d dabbled in running here and there, but didn’t think much of it. Well, having a toddler was enough to make me lace up my running shoes and hit the pavement.

It was quiet. I could think. Or not think. And my feet just kept moving. The miles became my therapy. And I felt stronger and more confident than ever before. That was fall of 2010. Since then, I’ve run two half marathons, and more than a dozen other races. And then, less than two weeks ago, I crossed the timing mats of my first marathon. Needless to say, I’m hooked.

Sarah: What is life like today for you?
Adrienne: I’m healthier and happier at 34 than I was at 24. My goal used to be just to see my next birthday. Now my goal is to be that healthy, white-haired woman who passes the young whipper-snappers at races, while encouraging them the whole way.

Sarah: Do you have any healthy goals for 2012 and beyond?
Adrienne: My  goal is to run seven races. Raging from four miles to two marathons. I have specific time goals for the marathons so I’m working with a coach on that. Incorporate some cross-training and continue to live a healthy life!

Adrienne before

 

Adrienne after (finishing a race)

We’re kicking off a new series called Fitness Friday! Each Friday we’ll feature a real-life, inspiring story of someone who has changed their life from inactive to healthy.

I think you’ll be really inspired by today’s feature!

Matt is 26 and lives with his wife, Lindsey of 3.5 years in Greenville, SC. They hope to adopt a child in the next year. He is a branch manager for a local bank and you can follow him on Twitter.

Matt & Lindsey (before life style change)

Sarah: What motivated you to start losing weight and exercising?

Matt: Three factors primarily: one, was a diagnosis of pre-hypertension (high blood pressure) at age 23. My doctor had me on blood pressure drugs and warned me I might have to take them the rest of my life. Second, I began to notice that the pants which had fit me all through college didn’t fit so well anymore! Finally, and most important, was the quiet encouragement of my dad. He took up running in his late 40s for his health and had even gotten into racing a little. It occurred to me that I couldn’t conscience a world where my own dad could outrun me. Plus, he seemed to be enjoying it so much that I figured I’d should try it.

Sarah: How did you and your dad help each other?

Matt: Well, we live 700 miles apart so chance to actually run together are pretty unusual. But I can tell you, every time we are in the same state on a weekend we are looking for a race to run together! For example, this summer we are planning to do Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, MN. Also, we text each other often about workouts. We both have to get up between 4-5 am on weekdays to get a run in before the day starts!

Sarah: How long did it take you to reach your goal weight?

Matt: I started my running career at 240 pounds. A fitness challenge at work inspired me to watch my diet and keep up the exercise. Within 15 months I had dropped from 240 to my target weight of 165 – I guess that works out to about 5 pounds per month.

Sarah: love the healthy weight loss! 

Sarah: You have some impressive and inspiring marathon and half marathon times! Share them with us!

Matt: My first three marathons were anything but impressive in terms of time goals (but I had fun!). I really hadn’t built up the physical stamina to run that kind of distance so I ended up walking much of the last 6-8 miles. Then in October 2011 a training plan with much higher mileage finally got me ready and I ran a 3:04:35, just 25 seconds faster than my Boston qualifying time. In that race, I was running with the 3:10 pace group until mile 14 when I decided I was going to go for broke and see if I could make up 5 minutes on the last 12 miles and I did!

My half marathon PR came just a couple weeks ago at a local race. It was 1:23:35. I’m pretty happy with that but I definitely feel like I can improve.

I’ve also done a couple of ultramarathons – one 50K and one 24-hour run. Both were very low-key events with about 80 runners in a state park. Those were surprisingly fun. Not a lot of pressure to finish in a certain amount of time, and you can really enjoy nature and companionship with other runners.

Sarah: What do you love about running?

Matt: Where do I start? I love being able to get out an enjoy the world on foot. I love the fact that I’ve made friends with runners all over the country. I love beautiful sunrises enjoyed in solitude on the trail near my house. I love the thrill of toeing the line at the start of a race, full of anticipation about what will happen over the next 3 or 13 or 26 miles. I love my volunteer work as the social media guy for PACE Running Magazine (on Twitter @pacerunningmag). I love coming in from a hard training run knowing I’ve left it all out there. I love being able to clear my head before or after a busy day at work.

Sarah: In order to drop the weight, you had to not only start running, but also change the way you eat. What is your plate today vs before?

Matt: I worked in foodservice at the university I attended, and that meant all-you-can-eat buffets three times a day. Nice for a college kid on a tight budget but not great for my waistline! Since then, I’ve become much more concerned with eating unprocessed foods. We live less than a mile from a great little farmers’ market, and we probably shop there more than we do a regular grocery store. I limit my meat consumption and have really grown to love some “unusual” vegetables like zucchini, eggplant, and avocado.

Sarah: So many people are looking for a quick fix when it comes to their health. What would you say to them?

Matt: It’s not going to be quick. Almost everything in life that’s worthwhile takes time, effort and patience. The most important thing is to write down your goals and your plan to get there. Nobody is successful by thinking “You know, I’d like to be healthier.” You have to have specific goals and a detailed plan on how to get there.

Sarah: What are your goals for 2012? 

Matt: I spent a good amount of time on New Years’ Eve 2011 writing out what my goals would be for the coming year. Here are some of the running-related ones: sub-2:50 for a marathon; sub-1:20 for a half marathon; run 3,000 miles total, and enjoy every day of it. But the one I’m most excited about is this: help at least 3 other people get started with running so they can enjoy this sport that’s become such a big part of my life.

Spinx Marathon 2011

Thank you Matt, for sharing your incredible story with us! We hope this encourages others to take that first step- literally- and start embracing and living a healthy life!

peace, sweat, love: life

Time and time again I hear (and see) people who don’t take training for a marathon seriously. **Note: for the sake of this article, we will focus on marathon training, but the basic principle of training applies to all race distances.

And yes, the title was picked for a reason – so you would read this . Lighten up!

Somehow, there is a preconceived notion that you can imagine your way across the 26.2 mile finish line. While it is true that running (a marathon) is 91 percent mental, there is no substitute for solid training. Especially for your first marathon.

While you may hear of training programs that only have long runs of 14 or 16 miles or a few months of training or perhaps someone who just ran their first marathon on little to no training and BQ’d (Boston Qualified). Well runners, let me assure you that is not the majority of  marathoners out there. For some of these “training programs” the runners have been running for years and have been dedicated to it. 

And the other red flag for little training is injury. Cramming in training and long runs in a few weeks is a recipe for disaster. Or injury

We live in world of instant gratification. We want the success without the hard work. We want everything in the least amount of time possible. We want things NOW.  We want the 26.2 medal without putting blood, sweat, tears and sacrifice into it.

Sure, you might be able to inch your way along the course, survive and cross it off your bucket list. But is that really how you want to feel?

There is no substitute for training. Be it in marathon training or life. You have to put everything you have into it. Do you really want ___? Or are you just going about life (and training) with a lot of excuses, ifs, ands and buts?

Have a marathon coming up? Get on the wagon and train. Get in your long runs. Eat right. Drink H2O. Be disciplined. Be passionate about your marathon! Be passionate about life!

The definition of training according to dictionary.com is: ”the process of bringing a person, etc., to an agreed standard of proficiency, etc., by practice and instruction.” Yep, practice. You probably didn’t want to hear that. But, oh, how true it is.

It’s getting up day after day, perhaps when the rest of the house is still asleep. When it’s cold, hot, rainy or perfect out. You see training isn’t optional, it’s pretty much mandatory for living life. And marathon training.

And you know what? When you put your heart, soul, mind and everything you have into training, you will have a feeling that you won’t be able to describe. You will know what it really means to train and cross the finish line. With a smile. The satisfaction of a job (run) well done. And perhaps a few tears of joy .

Photo by: lizbadley

This morning I woke up to shocking news. A Facebook status saying that my dear friend, Tracey, passed away. I did a double take – did I REALLY just read that? I went to her profile page and saw that her husband posted it. My heart almost stopped. I talked to her just YESTERDAY on Facebook.

I knew she was going through a rough time. I know that the last few years for her haven’t been easy. She struggled with stuff just like the rest of us. While her pain may not have been visible (to us), it was there. We don’t know the cause of death yet (her husband posted that the medical examiner will tell us later). But we don’t need to know the reason why. She is gone and we are left to pick up the broken pieces of our hearts and lives.

She wanted to be a mom. And that desire came true – she had a beautiful daughter and handsome son. Her daughter started kindergarten three days ago. She was a source of encouragement. A bright spot in my day, and others too. A nurse, a published author, a wife, a teacher …

There are so many wonderful things to say about her. And that’s usually the case when a friend passes away. We say what they might have wanted to hear all along and we never told them. We went on with our lives while they were dealing with pain. Pain that we might never know or experience.

Put aside your differences. Your petty arguments. Whatever YOU think they should do. They could be gone in a a blink of an eye. If ___ was gone in the next hour, what would you do RIGHT NOW? Pick up the phone and talk to them? Apologize for judging? A simple “I love you” or “I’m thinking about you” or “hang in there.” A smile. A hug. Even to strangers that pass us on the street.

We live in a self-centered world. Wake up, people, wake up. There are hurting people all around us. They don’t have casts. They don’t have band-aids. They might not have a “serious” diseases. But they are there – for this fleeting moment. They could be gone when you wake up tomorrow. Just like Tracey.

Photo by: Dyanna

We all have dreams. Some of us are brave enough to go after them. And in doing so we have no clue what that will really entail.

The last 18 months have been especially rough. As I am trying to make a difference in the world, I have been faced with challenges beyond challenges. Wondering daily where I will rest my head at night. If I will have food to eat. Water to drink. Strength to train. Wisdom to not get nasty when people stab in you in the back. To keep on trusting when everyone around you keeps bailing. And the courage to preserve in spite of everything that is going on around me. And just when I think I see the speck of light at the end of the tunnel, it disappears. And all I can do is cry and ask God to please make the nightmare end.

I was talking with a friend yesterday and he said that strong people are given strong battles. I certainly agree with that. It goes along with the thought that I said early this week. Or last week. I can’t remember. “If God will only give you what you can handle, then He must think I am a pretty strong person“.

I know that in making my struggles public I will have my share my haters and judgmental people. But I don’t care. Because they don’t know me. Nor do they know my heart. Only God does.

My only intentions are in helping those in need. Be it kids in Africa. Kids in America. Adults who need motivation & inspiration. And people who are seeking encouragement in their battle.

It’s not easy bucking the do-what-feels-good-for-you trend. Want to have ice cream every day? Sure, why not? Want to only think about yourself? Of course, it’s me and me alone! “I’m not going to change because I don’t want to.” So what if I want to eat processed crap, fast food and soda for the rest of my life? And so the story goes. Yes, the challenge is great and the need couldn’t be greater. Just how tough it will be to face these challenges, I never knew.

If God has brought me this far, then He must have big plans in store for me. The path behind and ahead of me is filled with boulders, sharp, blood producing thorns, stinky mud and raging waters. Making a difference in people’s lives is not an easy job. It is not cake & ice cream!

And I will say this, being positive only gets you so far. While it’s better than being negative, it doesn’t solve every freakin’ problem. I am one of the most positive people out there (if I do say so myself). And you know what? I am still struggling. Just because you are positive doesn’t mean everything will work out the way you envision it.

This is real. This is life. I don’t know about you, but the road ahead is about to get very bumpy. Hang on. And never lose sight of the hope that has brought you this far.

I have been clinging to this verse. I hope it helps you too.

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

Photo by ActiveSteve

Who doesn’t love a warm, gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie (wheat free, dairy free for some of us). But this post as nothing to do with cookies. Sorry. I just wanted to write “warm”, “gooey”, ” chocolate” in the same sentence.

Back to reality. I received an email recently that explained to me how they could not move/get active because of x, y, z and 1, 2, 3.  It was an email of despair. Giving up. Just plain old chocolate chip excuses.

My heart goes out to this person. And endless compassion for them and the countless others that believe the excuse crap. To go through life always living by excuses. It sucks to be miserable. Telling yourself lies. AND then believing them.  Just like this person, many people go through life believing what they have convinced their mind of.

If you’ve been living by excuses for years, stop now. Excuses make you unhappy, sad & living life always looking for a way out.

Are you blaming Starbucks for your extra weight? Don’t go to Starbucks! Can you really not move? You walk to the fridge to get that cold slice of pizza, then you can absolutely walk around the block a few times to get your heart rate up.

In the end it comes down to if you really want something or not. You want to be rich? Then you will work your butt off in order to have that mansion & the gated entry way. Want that 2:58 marathon? You’ll train, sacrifice  & train some more to achieve that goal. Want to lose weight? You’ll stop diets, diet pills, get your butt off the couch and eat clean, move your body to a unbelievable sweat fest.

The choice is yours- live by excuses, always finding a way of out something. OR you will choose to live life by saying no to excuses. Choose to be happy and the rest will fall into place.

Sarah Stanley is a professional endurance athlete who is passionate about sweating, dark chocolate and living life. For more inspiration, sign up for her monthly e-newsletter.

Photo by: callme_crochet

I don’t own a TV and if I am around one, I don’t watch much. I’m either running or sleeping. I get my entertainment from social media. And laughing at myself.

I have watched a few episodes of a certain show called The Biggest Loser. In fact I wrote about it in the spring of 2010 after watching the contestants run a marathon. On 30 days of training. To say I was livid was a understatement.

Last night I was browsing my Twitter stream (when I should have been sleeping) and saw mentions of the show. Apparently the contestants had to run a marathon.

Now before you send me hate mail, let me state these few things:

A) I applaud anyone for running a marathon

B) I am happy to see people moving

C) I am thrilled that people are getting excited about healthy living

So, with that being said, let me now explain why I have issues with the show (not to be confused with running, marathoning, eating right, etc).

A marathon- 26.2 miles- is not a distance to take lightly. It will humble a Navy Seal in a heart beat. The show gives an unrealistic picture that you can run a marathon on 30 days of  ”training”. And by 2 trainers who have NEVER run a marathon. And from my research, not even a half marathon.

While I am a big believer in positive thinking, I am not a believer of stupidity. Running a marathon takes hard work. Dedication. Getting up when you want to punch the alarm clock. Or silently praying that your running partner won’t show up so you can snuggle up on the couch with a cup of coffee & watch TV with your eyes shut.

Respect the marathon distance. There is no shame in training for it. Or making it a goal in one, two or perhaps three years. Should you put it off forever? Hell no! But if you are two days old to running, perhaps a long-term goal of running a marathon is the SMART choice for you. Have people run a marathon on zero “running life”? They have. But I would caution that this is probably not the best idea for the general public.

Running a marathon doesn’t make you a better person than your neighbor. It doesn’t mean that since you’ve run one, you can now check that off your list and eat Lemon Drop Ganache Cupcakes for the rest of your life. It means running for the rest of your life or as long you can. Or always moving and staying active in some capacity.

What is your motivation to run a marathon? Is it to be healthy? Set a positive example to your kids/others? Is it to drop 100 pounds? Or are you trying to prove to others that you can do it? For money? For fame? Run a marathon for YOU. No one else.

The integrity of the marathon is lost. While I am over-the-moon giddy that people are running and signing up for marathons, I caution people to be smart when embarking on the marathon journey. And yes, it is a journey. You wouldn’t sign up to bake the next King & Queen wedding cake (yes, that is in reference to Prince William and Kate Middleton) when you have NEVER baked in your life before, why would you run a marathon when you have never run before?

Whatever your reason for tackling a 26.2 race, remember these few things.

Running a marathon won’t make you shed weight like you see on TV. If you are obese, you will shed weight. Fat is easy to shed. Especially if you have been sedentary for a loooooooong time. Yes, running will help you lose weight, no question. But many people with a little weight to lose, find that they gain. Yes, that is true. You are running 20-30 miles, you need to fuel properly for it. So, you may gain weight. Use running as a weight-loss tool, not a toolbox.

Running a marathon requires dedication, a plan and a coach. And not a coach who has run a handful of 5k’s. Not someone who promotes diet pills. By a certified running coach. By someone who understands running, nutrition, hydration, etc. By a coach who leads by example, not demanding, shouting, intimidating . (And yes, I am an RRCA certified running coach.)

A marathon is not a sprint, its a way of life. Work your way up to a full 26.2 miles. Run a few 10k’s, a 10 miler, a half marathon (13.1 miles). Build your base! You will be more successful when you toe the start line of a marathon.

A marathon is not a pretty slice of cake. But when you cross that finish line, its the best sugar high you will ever have.

Want to run a marathon? AWESOME!!! But please be smart and don’t be fooled by what you see on TV. Its not real life.

Sarah Stanley is a professional endurance athlete and runs marathons as training runs. She is passionate about running, living an active life and helping others achieve their goals & coaching new (and old) runners. Sign up for her monthly, FUN newsletter here.

Photo by: hfb

We run for lots of reasons. For causes/charity. For peace. From bad memories. To give others hope. Perhaps for love. Or maybe to prove something. We run to overcome.

We run to deal with grief. We run to celebrate milestones. We train in the snow, heat, rain. We deal with injuries. We set PR’s. Or we have bad races that make us wonder why did I even start. We run to overcome.

Our training and racing might be hardcore . Or maybe we are a weekend warrior. We run through personal pain. We run to deal with sadness. We run to find food. We run to find change – be it a penny on the ground or to bring awareness to a cause we are passionate about. We run to overcome.

Take Meb Keflezighi, he didn’t even know he was a runner til high school. In fact he didn’t even know what a “marathon” was. He ran as a kid in Eritrea. He ran to hide so he wouldn’t be killed. He ran to find food.  He ran to overcome.

He saw his parents sacrifice for him & his (10!) siblings. Meb lived through a war-torn country. He remembers the day he became a United States of America citizen and how proud he was to be an American. He always ran with his faith. He ran through injury. And harsh criticism. He ran to overcome.

Meb ran in the Olympics. And oh yeah, got SILVER in the Athens Marathon (2:11:29). He ran to become the American world record holder in the 10k. He ran to WIN the 2009 ING NYC Marathon. He ran to overcome.

Meb is a talented & gifted runner. But he just didn’t go out one day & start winning races. Major races for that matter. It took days, months, years to earn some of those races. He faced setbacks. Major injury. And happiness – he has a beautiful wife and three beautiful girls. He had disappointment along the way. Running isn’t perfect. Life isn’t perfect. But he ran to overcome. And so can you.

The story of how Meb ran to his victory’s is truly amazing and inspiring. It makes me wish I could run a four minute mile. But even if I can’t,  his story has encouraged me to keep running to overcome.

How will you run to overcome?

Sarah Stanley is a professional endurance athlete and when not running can be found taking a ice bath or enjoying a square of dark chocolate. Stay in touch here.

Disclosure: Sarah Stanley was asked to review the book & received a copy to do so.

How many times have you heard the phrase “life is short”?  We all say that, but how much do we really GET that? On a daily (and sometimes semi-daily) I encourage you, myself, others to live life. To help others. And to run.

About 5 weeks ago my former running coach was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. To say I was shocked was an understatement. And it was the 3rd friend of mine to be diagnosed with cancer within a month. What is the water??!!

And then, just as quickly as the first news was [attempting] to sink in, last Friday, Coach Mike passed away at the young age of 54. A day before his 55th birthday. 4 weeks after getting the news. Yes, life is short.

A little background, Coach Mike was a runner. Not just any runner mind you. But a brilliant ultra runner. He has run countless 100 milers.  And of course other race distances as well. In fact just a few months ago, he finally got to run Western States 100 miler. Western States is like Boston Marathon for marathoners. Or Ironman Kona for triathletes. WS is the Mecca of 100 milers or ultra running in general.

Coach Mike didn’t always run, he actually smoked till his late 30′s. Then a friend introduced him to a 10k running race. He had caught the running fever & quite smoking. A lawyer by profession. A running coach by passion.

I have tears in my eyes as I think back to the times he coached not only me, but COUNTLESS others to PR’s (personal best). A love for the trails. A zeal for running free.

I will never forget the one evening at a track workout. I had just PR’d in a half marathon and my time indicted that I got to move up to a faster pace group. I felt like a kid being told I had won the Spelling Bee. Only this was better. Although I don’t have a photo of that moment, it will live forever in my heart.

Another memory I have is when I ran my first marathon (26.2miles) as a training run. Its one thing to run a marathon as a race, quite another to run it simply as a training run. He always checked in on me. That morning it was raining HARD the entire time. But I survived. And he congratulated me on my first “marathon for fun”. I had “made it”.

Coach Mike was like a dad to me. He had the most caring, patient, and kind spirit. Perhaps that’s why I will miss him the most. He was a running coach who was not only extremely knowledgeable, but also down to earth,  and nonjudgmental. Something rare this day & age.

Coach Mike, a running community not only mourns the lost of a great runner, but a person. A coach. A husband to Jill. A mentor. A friend. My friend.

My next 100 miler will be run in your honor Coach Mike. I will do you proud. And in my heart I will know & feel that you are up above telling me to survive, go slow when it feels like I’m already at a turtle’s pace and walk the hills.

I love you Coach Mike. I will miss you. I will run more determined then ever. I will pass on the love of running to everyone I come in contact with. And continue to be an ambassador of trail & ultra-running. And continue to remind people that life IS short. Live every day that you can. And ALWAYS, ALWAYS, help others.

If you would like to leave a tribute in honor of Coach Mike, here are 3 foundations that are accepting donations in his honor.

Madison House Giving

The Rex Foundation

Team Labrecque (uniting against lung cancer)

Post photo is Coach Mike just after he finished running Western States 100 miler.