Miss Consistent -June Bug
I owe you all an apology. Sorry
Sometimes you forget why you starting doing something, it is not intentional you just do. Last night I was looking at the blog and for some reason I read my little bio on the side.
The original reason for starting this blog was to celebrate my friends and our adventures and to hopefully motivate others to get off the couch and realize they can do anything they want to - that really How bad can it be?
In the past few years I have veered from this path. It is time to get back on track and introduce you to more of my super amazing running/tri peeps.
I want to tell you about my friend June - aka JUNE-BUG. The most consistent and dedicated runner I know.
I met June in 2006. I was training for my second marathon and was a pace leader for the 4:30 group. June was training to run her first marathon - what she failed to mention was that she had power walked 5 marathons! She started walking them to have something to do while she was waiting for her brother who was running them and she hated running so walking them seemed like a good idea. She walked her first one in 2003 and did it in just under 7 hours with her friend Dale. The last one she had done in just over 5 hours by run/walking so she had decided that it was time to get some guidance and run one.
June is a high school teacher and on race day she hit it out of the park she was amazing and she changed from a walker to a runner that day! After the race a mutual friend invited me to help co lead her half marathon clinic and in turn we asked June to come on board as a pace group leader. We were so lucky she agreed because obviously as a teacher she is a natural leader.
June was the 2:15 pace leader for a few years then we bumped/promoted her to 2 hour leader for the half marathon group. While she was doing all this she was still running marathons with us. We would do the half marathon distance and then we would do the additional mileage after we finished the clinic run to get our training in for the marathon. We did lots of relays and she even did a few Ultramarathons (anything longer than 42km).
I can think of only 2 times June did not run - when she injured herself just before we went to Dublin Ireland in 2009 to run the marathon there. She powerwalked that one and came in only about 15 minutes behind me and in 2012 when she had a stress fracture and could not run. Otherwise she has been consistent in her running never faltering or missing a run for the past 9 years.
The thing that is amazing is that when I met June it was the year of her 50th birthday and I am super pleased to say that she is still going strong with next year being her 60th. So for all those people who say to me I am too old I say pshhhhhh old is a state of mind. In the 9 years that I have known June she has run 23 marathons and over 20 half marathons as well as all the other runs I have talked her into.
The thing that is so great is that for June's 60th she wants to run 60 km - I told her I am in. She is talking about the Abbotsford run for water and that sounds like fun. I however also tossed out a little idea - lets run from Vancouver to Oliver and then drink some beer and wine. I told her we could do it as a relay - it is only 400km -how bad can it be.
June was a little hesitant when I first tossed the idea out but I think she is warming up to it - it is just crazy enough that I might convince her to do it. In the end I will do what June Bug wants to do - I mean we can always do it another time - I am sure we can convince someone that it is a great idea.
In the end remember age is a state-of-mind and that if you stay positive and keep it fun you can also be running and inspiring people when you turn 60 to!
Peace out Shaun
Sometimes you forget why you starting doing something, it is not intentional you just do. Last night I was looking at the blog and for some reason I read my little bio on the side.
The original reason for starting this blog was to celebrate my friends and our adventures and to hopefully motivate others to get off the couch and realize they can do anything they want to - that really How bad can it be?
In the past few years I have veered from this path. It is time to get back on track and introduce you to more of my super amazing running/tri peeps.
I want to tell you about my friend June - aka JUNE-BUG. The most consistent and dedicated runner I know.
I met June in 2006. I was training for my second marathon and was a pace leader for the 4:30 group. June was training to run her first marathon - what she failed to mention was that she had power walked 5 marathons! She started walking them to have something to do while she was waiting for her brother who was running them and she hated running so walking them seemed like a good idea. She walked her first one in 2003 and did it in just under 7 hours with her friend Dale. The last one she had done in just over 5 hours by run/walking so she had decided that it was time to get some guidance and run one.
June is a high school teacher and on race day she hit it out of the park she was amazing and she changed from a walker to a runner that day! After the race a mutual friend invited me to help co lead her half marathon clinic and in turn we asked June to come on board as a pace group leader. We were so lucky she agreed because obviously as a teacher she is a natural leader.
June was the 2:15 pace leader for a few years then we bumped/promoted her to 2 hour leader for the half marathon group. While she was doing all this she was still running marathons with us. We would do the half marathon distance and then we would do the additional mileage after we finished the clinic run to get our training in for the marathon. We did lots of relays and she even did a few Ultramarathons (anything longer than 42km).
I can think of only 2 times June did not run - when she injured herself just before we went to Dublin Ireland in 2009 to run the marathon there. She powerwalked that one and came in only about 15 minutes behind me and in 2012 when she had a stress fracture and could not run. Otherwise she has been consistent in her running never faltering or missing a run for the past 9 years.
The thing that is amazing is that when I met June it was the year of her 50th birthday and I am super pleased to say that she is still going strong with next year being her 60th. So for all those people who say to me I am too old I say pshhhhhh old is a state of mind. In the 9 years that I have known June she has run 23 marathons and over 20 half marathons as well as all the other runs I have talked her into.
The thing that is so great is that for June's 60th she wants to run 60 km - I told her I am in. She is talking about the Abbotsford run for water and that sounds like fun. I however also tossed out a little idea - lets run from Vancouver to Oliver and then drink some beer and wine. I told her we could do it as a relay - it is only 400km -how bad can it be.
June was a little hesitant when I first tossed the idea out but I think she is warming up to it - it is just crazy enough that I might convince her to do it. In the end I will do what June Bug wants to do - I mean we can always do it another time - I am sure we can convince someone that it is a great idea.
In the end remember age is a state-of-mind and that if you stay positive and keep it fun you can also be running and inspiring people when you turn 60 to!
Peace out Shaun
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