When an opportunity to help someone is presented to you - Take it. And, don't look back.
Coach Jennifer HarrisonIt's cliché, but the hardest part of any journey is the first step.
Wanting to change and deciding to do something about it are two different things. To have the guts to say
"Enough! Today I am going to be different, today I am going to take a stand! From here on out everything will be different." To act on these words is harder than any race you will ever be in. Acting on
these words means changing everything, something
Marathon Dan has committed to doing and I am lucky to be a part of.
I coach triathletes and marathon runners for a living: All day, every day and all over the world. I find nothing more rewarding or more challenging than my job (and I am a mom of twins!). This is the story of my journey with
Marathon Dan and his quest to finish The Chicago Marathon.
In the fall of 2009 I was reading an
article written by David Wallach regarding Dan Malinski and how he had made an attempt to train for the 2009 Chicago Marathon but without success. He weighed over 300 lbs, unhealthy and headed further down an unhealthy rabbit hole. He was not dedicated to a specific plan. Unfortunately, he never started the 2009
Chicago Marathon.
His story caught my eye. Dan is also a father and comes from a history of Heart Disease. He was looking for some motivation to get him through weight loss, training and getting to the start line of the
Chicago Marathon injury free and prepared.
I only had to read his story once. I immediately emailed Dave Wallach and told him I will coach Dan for free. His story touched me and I am lucky enough that I was in a position that I could play it forward with my coaching and I wanted to offer my services to Dan. But, I had three rules:
#1: Dan had to get a full physical/blood work by his physician and get an "OK" from his Doctor for me (clearly understanding what this marathon training would entail for the next 12 months).
#2: Dan had to run for a charity. I wanted this joint venture to have a purpose larger than both Dan and I. Dan chose to work with : American Heart Association.
#3: Dan had to blog about it. What Dan lacked in physical conditioning, he made up for in heart and passion. I wanted him to be an example to EVERYONE....to get people in shape, to get people off the couch and to show everyone that with some support (it takes a village!) that anyone can achieve their goals. Dan's blog is
Cubicle Dad if you want to stop by and offer him your support!
At first I could tell that Dan was excited and nervous. Of course!
Who wouldn't be? This is a new journey and not only did Dan have to
train for a marathon but he also had some weight to lose. Dan and I
talked through all the details of the training...what he can
expect...what other races he should do in the summer to prepare him for
the October 10th marathon. I knew Dan thought that this journey wasn't
going to be that bad.
Fast forward to week #1. I instructed Dan to
buy a heart rate monitor. I needed a way to monitor his workouts.
For beginner athletes it is critical that not only do I have subjective
feedback but also objective feedback. The heart does not lie. Then, I
told Dan to join a gym. I needed Dan to incorporate strength, core and
functional lifting in his routine. I was worried about the running on
his 300 lb frame. I knew he would lose weight safely...but I had to
make sure that we were also making his joints and tendons and ligaments
stronger as well. AND, week #1 found some walking...and some jogging
with walking dispersed within the workouts.
Dan, 40 pounds lighter
Dan was very good. He
followed each workout as I prescribed. He asked questions when he did
not understand something. He stretched. He started to clean up his
diet. He even hired a Registered Dietitian
Beth Shutt, because I wanted to make sure Dan was taking
the nutrition and training/recovery food as seriously as his training.
Sometimes the job of a coach is to know when to bring in help. I could
have helped him too, but I wanted him to work with someone that
specializes in athletes and nutrition and with Dan being clinically
obese, I was concerned it was out of my realm of expertise. We wanted
to make sure that Dan had every base covered and was safe for this
entire journey.
Dan and I are entering our 3rd month working
together. Making a massive change to your life is hard, but Dan has
committed to it and is always positive. We have had a great time. Dan
has lost in excess of 35 lbs and is now up to running, without stopping
for 70 minutes. He still may be concerned about finishing the
marathon, but he has taken care of the hardest part, those first
difficult steps.
Working with Dan has been a journey for me as a
coach, something I am enjoying. I have tended to work with athletes
that have done triathlons and are training for an Ironman...or training
for their 10th marathon. Working with Dan has taken me back to my
roots of training - we ALL started someplace...and I remember when I
would go out for a 9 min run and think that was the end of me (and I
was an athlete all my life!)...so, we all have to start someplace and I
hope Dan's story inspires some of you reading to get moving. We all
just need a little nudge. OR kick in the pants!
Happy & Safe Training!
To find out hoe Jennifer can help you reach your training goals,
click here.
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2 Comments
cubicle dad said:
Jen...I'm so thankful for the support and guidance you've given me so far! Thank you!
AtHomeDaddy said:
Jennifer and Dan, great job! Count me as one of those motivated by Team Cubicle.
Thanks to Dan sharing his story on his blog, I am closing in on 100 miles walked/jogged in the last few weeks. 8 years as a stay at home dad has been A LOAD of fun, but I did not stop to realize how much all of the snack times with the kids were starting to add up.
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