ARMPOCKET AMBASSADOR: JANY R.

Feb 7, '18

About

I never ran in high school or college. Instead, I was a typical weightloss/diet yo-yo-er most of my life. I started running in the fall of 2010 as a way to maintain the weight I had lost over the summer of 2010 through walking.

At the time, it was one of the hardest things I did (as I could barely do 100 meters without feeling like I was having an asthma attack) & would pretty much use every excuse to not go outdoors (e.g., raining, too cold, etc.). Then came a week of rain & fear of bad habits - the weight I had lost creeping back up. I decided to challenge myself to run around a local park (roughly 1.86 miles). Little did I know that would begin my running journey & love for the sport.

Since then, I've set multiple different goals for myself (run my 1st road race/Half Marathon, finish a marathon, qualifying for Boston Marathon, becoming a Boston finisher, etc.). Each run & road race has taught me something new. It has also further motivated me to break previous mental limits I had.

Along the way, I have fortunately met incredible people/runners, made lifelong friendships, explored different places, & made countless memories. While every run may not be easy or fun (those track workouts never seem to get easier), I truly love to run. Running has become my daily "coffee" (trust me, I don't function well without it).

I started posting on social media too, hopefully, inspire people. If I can inspire even just 1 person to try the one thing they've been wanting to do but is scared of, then I will consider that a win. It may be hard at first (as all things worthwhile are), but it'll be one of the most rewarding things that you can do for yourself!

2018 was a rollercoaster ride with twists & turns, and plenty of high/great moments. In 2018, I completed my 50th marathon, paced for the 1st (and a 2nd time) a half marathon, & ran the Tokyo, Boston, & NYC Marathon. Still working on that sub-90 half marathon, but was thankfully able to PR at Tokyo with a time of 3:14:28, which I just about matched in NYC. All these feats couldn’t be done without my support team & tons of training! I definitely counted on my Armpocket to carry along my phone to hear my tunes, as well as find my way back to my starting point (thank goodness for Maps). I’m hopeful that 2019 will come with an array of PRs & that sub-90. For as they say, we only fail when we give up, which I refuse to do!