Hi, I’m Jess. Welcome to Mile High Jess!
That’s me in the middle right after I completed my first marathon in June of 2009 in Seattle. On my 24th birthday I decided I wanted to become a runner. It wasn’t because I thought I would love it, oh no, it was more for the body. I wanted a body like those of the awesome runners who grace the covers of Runners World.
My running journey started slowly…literally, I was moving like a snail. I would run (what I felt like was running) for about 3 minutes and then need a walk break. The first time I completed an entire mile without walking was a HUGE day for me.
I did my first 5k in July of 2008 right here in Longmont. Thanks to my husband Josh, who of course, can just run like the wind regardless of how long it’s been since his last run, I was able to make it in just under 32 minutes without walking once. I crossed the finish line and immediately felt like I may vomit (I didn’t). The pancakes they served made me feel much better.
For the next few months I tried to increase my endurance and slowly started to move a little faster all the while gaining confidence in my running abilities. That is when I heard about Team in Training. I knew my mom had participated a few years ago and loved it, so I said I’ll just go to the meeting. Well, I went to an informational meeting, watched the video and was signed up to train for my first marathon before I knew it.
Here I am several races and a baby later, pregnant again and still running! My first marathon was no breeze. I battled tendonitis that left me in tears and yelling like a trucker for the last 6 miles of the race. There is no way I would have made it to the finish line to be plastic wrapped with ice had it not been for my awesome mentor. But that didn’t stop me from doing it again and again.
Let’s talk who I am other than running. I am a full-time working mom. I do marketing for a healthcare logistics company which leads to business trips to exotic locales such as Anaheim and Salt Lake City…I know you’re jealous.
I met the love of my life while going to college at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. We tied the knot on Oct. 11, 2008 and we have a dog named Lucky Red who has an unbelievable amount of energy. Since getting married we’ve been embarking on some adventures around the world and I’m always looking for the next opportunity to discover a new country.
We welcomed our daughter Ella Marie on July 3, 2011. She is the sweetest and most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen, yes I’m totally biased. We’re expecting our second child, a little boy(!), in August 2013. We cannot wait to meet him.
Hi! I just found your blog after you posted the link in a babycenter post about being a working mom and wanted to introduce myself! I live in Laramie, WY so we’re neighbors and I am really wanting to take up running too but, like you when you started running, not because I enjoy it. I just want something I can routinely do that is good for my health! I have two kids – a son born in September 2010 and a daughter born in May 2012. I work full-time as an accountant. I’m wondering if you have any tips for starting out with my running habit?
Hi Nichole! Thanks for coming over to visit. What really helped me in the beginning was starting off slow and setting small goals. This was especially helpful when I starting running again postpartum. I started with a program like the Couch to 5k (C25K). That way I had a goal and I had a plan for running each week. Once I was able to run a mile without walking, my next goal was to run two miles with out walking (or not feeling like I may die) and so on and so forth. It was not at all about pace in the beginning, just trying to build endurance. Feel free to shoot me an email at walker.jessa@gmail.com.