Jenny Crain

Hi All... quick update on today's and yesterday's runs. Yesterday's was great! Today's actually turned into a bike ride (Hal's program lets us choose between a run or cross-training on Wednesdays) because the weather is unseasonably warm here in Wisco and I had to get outside! :)

You'll notice the title of this blog is Jenny Crain, not to be confused with Jenny Craig, the food delivery plan that helped Valerie Bertinelli lose 40 lbs, run a half marathon, and rock a smokin' bod at nearly 50 years old, but Jenny CRAIN. Read on, my little blogettes, read on!

Jenny Crain is a former elite long distance runner and resident of the great city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Unfortunately, Jenny's dreams of making it to the Olympics were shattered on the morning of August 21, 2007. Jenny was hit by a car that day and her life has been forever changed. Her story was featured in the November 2009 issue of Runner's World magazine. Click here to read more...

Jenny had begun her cool-down jog on the city streets after an early morning run along the lakefront. She probably had other things on her mind. She was a consultant at Northwestern Mutual and had a client meeting in just a couple of hours. She entered the crosswalk at Brady Street and Farwell Avenue and was hit by a car almost immediately. Her body was struck in such a way that her brain began to bleed quite quickly and had she not been closeby a large hospital, she likely would have died. As fate would have it, Jenny was merely blocks away from her home when the accident happened.

If you clicked the link, you've now seen the pictures and read the testimonials about this amazing woman. What an inspiration, right?! I understand, everyone has those days, you know what I'm talking about... tired, ache-y, bummed out, or just plain lazy! I know I've skipped a few scheduled workouts. I know I've taken beautiful sunny days and parked-it in front of the TV instead of heading outdoors for a run. But seriously, after reading Jenny's story, I realized something that I hadn't really thought about before... There is no excuse for wasting a day! I need to take advantage of everyday that I can move my legs, everyday that my brain functions properly, and everyday that my heart continues to beat! Because in a split second, my life could change just like Jenny's.

I'm always a sucker for a good, bust-out-the-kleenex, motivational article like that. Aren't we all, really? Today I made a promise to myself that I will never forget the lesson behind her story. Jenny Crain was an Olympic marathon qualifier and now she struggles to walk a few feet down the hallway. Despite some minor permanent brain damage, she still has the cognitive ability to think and reason. She understands conversations. Deep down she knows that something very bad happened to her. What do you think she would give to have one day in our shoes? One last run along Lake Michigan... One last camping trip with friends and family... One last chance to qualify for the Olympics...

The answer is, she would probably do anything.

Let's not let Jenny down. Make everyday count. Hug your kids. Take your dog for a walk. Call your mom and thank her for putting up with your crazy business for 18 years (and come on, was it really only 18?!). Because, let's face it, this life could change in the blink of an eye. And I don't know about you, but I don't want to wake up tomorrow with regrets from today.

I hope I still have all these positive vibes during my 3 mile tempo run in the morning. Three miles isn't daunting, its the fact that I look at my schedule and realize I'll be doing 8 mile runs by Thanksgiving! What?! I can't eat and run! Whose idea was this anyways?!

Time for bed.

xo, c