spotlight on Jon!
Introducing…
Jon!
Jon & I have been working together for a few years now — when he “interviewed” me as a potential coach, he had a lot of questions about how I coach, what he should expect, and what I thought were realistic goals for him based on his previous races/training. (If you know me, you know I love answering questions like this — helping people to really understand why they’re doing something makes it more tangible & attainable, and the follow-through is much better!) — so I knew we’d make a good match as coach/athlete, and we have! Jon has been making huge gains since he got back into consistent running just about 5 years years ago with a local group, and I really think we are still just scratching the surface. Read on to learn more about his story!
- Dr. Coach Megan
What is your story? How did you find running?
I started running during my junior year in high school when I was asked to be an aide for a student with autism who enjoyed running cross country. This experience made me realize I enjoyed running so I joined my school's track and cross country team for the last two years of my high school career. Due to severe shin splints and race anxiety I only ran intermittently until 2019 when I discovered the Clifton Park Beer Runners. I run with them on Wednesdays and made some very good friends in the group who I now run with most other days of the week. The friends I've made encouraged me to start running more consistently and run longer distances than I ever thought I'd be able to. I signed up for my first half marathon in March 2020 despite my longest run ever to that point only being 10 miles. I absolutely loved the race and distance and have been doing at least one 13.1 mile run every month since.
What are your personal best races/times?
5K - 18:59 (Run for Kids, Brunswick ME, 2022) — see a video of Jon’s finish here, and note his amazingly friendly & encouraging comment to the winner of the race!
10K - 39:36 (Troy Turkey Trot, Troy NY, 2022)
15K - 1:03:37 (Stockadeathon, Schenectady NY, 2022)
Half marathon - 1:28:48 (Mohawk-Hudson Half, Albany NY 2022)
Marathon - 3:23:12 (Philadelphia Marathon, 2023)
What running-related accomplishment are you most proud of?
My first half marathon, because that was something I never thought I was capable of doing.
[note from Megan: Jon has now done a half marathon, either officially/in a race or unofficially/long run, every month for four years!!!]
Where is your favorite place to run? Do you have any “run-cations”? If you could spend a whole day dedicated to running, where would you go and who would you take with you?
I don't know if I have a favorite place to run. I like to mix up my routes to keep from getting bored with the same area. I travel overnight for a few races every year but otherwise enjoy running in new places when I'm on vacation and occasionally will try to find a random race if I'm traveling.
If I had an entire day dedicated to running I would go along the coast in Southern Maine with my closest friends.
What does a typical training week look like for you? Do you have a favorite / least favorite race and/or distance?
I typically run six days a week with 1-2 10+ mile runs and 1-2 runs with speed work mixed in. My favorite race distance is a half marathon and least favorite is a 5k.
My favorite race to date was the Philadelphia Marathon; the experience, spectators, and route made the entire day so enjoyable.
[note from Megan: if you talked to Jon 2 years ago, you would not believe he’d ever choose a marathon as his favorite race!!]
What have you found to be keys to success in your running career so far?
taking breaks when I feel like I need to,
focusing on running easy paces, and
not pushing too hard if things don’t feel right.
What has been the biggest challenge in your running so far?
“I usually struggle with motivation to do speed work during December and January each year because I don't have any short term goals that I am aiming for during that time.”
When you do a long race or long training run, what do you eat during the run? What are your go-to pre- and post-run/race foods?
I usually do a good job of staying hydrated throughout the day regardless of my running distance. For longer runs I will increase my electrolyte intake and try to focus on carb heavy foods. Some sort of pasta is my go-to leading up to longer runs/races. I don't have a go-to after races and long runs, I just go with whatever I'm craving.
[note from Megan: listening to your body’s cravings is a great place to start with refueling! sometimes it’s a certain food that brings up an emotion, sometimes it’s a group of foods that have a common nutrient that your body has depleted during exercise … whatever it is, it’s beneficial to tune into those signals and refuel accordingly!]
Share a fun fact about you in your non-running life!
I really like to travel to different places. I have been to nearly 20 countries and five continents.
Share some final thoughts / words of wisdom for other runners:
There are no bad days. Even on days when you don't feel your best, be grateful of your accomplishment that you were able to run.
