How Searching for a Race Starting Line Led to Running with Fleet Feet

How Searching for a Race Starting Line Led to Running with Fleet Feet

Do you believe in coincidences? For Janie A. and Emily Estelle, the simple moment of searching for a parking spot ended up being one that sparked an interest in group running. Janie and Emily clicked right away, and that’s when the rolling snowball started. Read our chat with Janie about running with Fleet Feet and advice for out-of-towners getting involved with a group.

FF: What drew you to our training groups? 

JA: It’s a funny story, I was trying to park at the David's Hope 5K on June 13th and couldn't find the start of the race. I met someone named Emily there because she was also looking for the start of the race. As we continued to chat, she happened to be the coach of the Ignite! 5K group and was wearing an Ignite! t-shirt. We started talking about Ignite!, and she invited me to join the training group. She told me to look up the training groups online and gave me her cell phone number. We cheered each other on during the race and I watched how she stayed with her team. We connected right after and I was excited to join the group!

FF: What was the most challenging part of your journey?

JA: The most challenging part of my journey was sticking to the schedule, not forgetting the solo runs and cross-training. 

FF: When did you start running?

JA: I started running in High School and in the Marine Corps. I stopped running when I became a mom and then picked it back up again when I became an empty nester. 

FF: What was your biggest reward from your training experience?

JA: The coach (Emily) was my biggest reward. It helped me to connect with an intentional coach that cared. She checked in to ask how we were or how our week was going, was professional and cultivated camaraderie. I enjoyed running with like-minded people from all different levels. 

FF: What are your goals moving forward?

JA: I would like to get back to running half marathons. I'm hoping to train for a couple distances like 5K, 10K or half marathon. I'm planning to run the Idaho Potato 10K on May 14. 

FF: What would you tell someone who is thinking of joining our training groups?

JA: You'll get a lot out of it. Go for it. Be like Nike and "Just do It." The camaraderie and being fresh air with the community will be worth it. The group is open to all levels of running. I made a lot of running friends that became my community outside of our training runs. It was a great group to join and meet people if you are from out of town. 

Janie is very involved in our running community, and is currently helping out as a mentor for our Ignite! 5k group. For more information on running with us, visit this page.