4 minute read
Weekend Warriors
Jennifer Rich Turner, Runner & Cyclist
56, Running Coach with Can’t Stop Endurance and Volunteer Life Skills Teacher at Munford High School.
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LONG HAUL: I started running competitively 28 years ago. My first competitive race was the Elvis Presley 5K in 1992.
WEEKEND WARRIOR MOMENT: My most memorable running event was the 2019 St. Jude Marathon. It was my first marathon in 20 years and I reached my goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon with 17 minutes to spare.
VIRTUAL RUNNING: I have participated in five virtual 5Ks since our races were canceled due to COVID-19.
I f RUNNING: I love setting goals and putting in the work to achieve them. I’m motivated by my running tribe and the Memphis running community, particularly the faster ladies who help me get faster.
MOTIVATION: I never want to say “I used to be fit.” I’m motivated by the thought that one day I might be forced to stop running. I’m thankful for every day that I am well and physically able to run. I run because I can.
INSPIRATION: I’m inspired by the runners that I coach. We just completed the first Can’t Stop Endurance Tipton County Training Group, and these runners inspired me with their hard work, determination, and focus.
FAVORITE CURBSIDE BEVERAGE:
Chick-fil-A 1/2 sweet-unsweetened tea with lemon and light ice. The Millington location knows me well. BEST EATS: I enjoy Buckley’s Lunchbox. Their Cheeseburger salad is delicious.
DESERTED ISLAND READS: Daring Greatly by Brené Brown, Atomic Habits by James Clear, and Start with Why by Simon Sinek.
MANTRA: Since 2019, my mantra has been, “Don’t let great be the enemy of good.” I am a perfectionist and am trying to re-wire my brain to believe that good can sometimes be good enough.
Tom Webb, Runner
69, Retired, St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan.
LONG HAUL: Running competitively started for me in the 1970s. My first competitive event was a 5-miler at the Schlitz Belle and Brewery.
MOST MEMORABLE RUN: 1st Place and one of the most improbable was winning my age group in the 2019 Death Valley Marathon. Beautiful course with wind and rain. I was the only one in my age group to finish. The race was on an open highway where temps get up to 130 degrees.
FAVORITE WEEKEND WARRIOR EVENT: The 200-mile Ragnar bring all sorts of challenges, including logistics and sleep deprivation. I have completed seven. Thirty sleepless hours and three earlier runs of two hours, I had an epiphany that I was okay. I did not have to worry anymore about the next step being the last.
VIRTUAL RUNNING: I am participating in the Memphis Runners Virtual Road Race Series.
RUNNER’S HIGH: When I go out and stress myself with a decent effort…my head clears; call it endorphins, but I definitely settle and relax. Running is relatively inexpensive and the return on health and overall fitness is remarkable.
INSPIRATION: Cardiac Athletes inspire me. In Lars Andrews’ book Cardiac Athletes, he assembled an international collection of athletic people who survived major heart events, procedures, and repair only to return to high levels of fitness against odds and often against medical advice. This book got me going again. The second book, Cardiac Athletes—Advance of the Ambassadors, contains the personal sagas of 26 individuals who have experienced heart events, of which I am humbly one.
BEST EATS: The Rendezvous. I enjoy the ribs straight, no sauce. The slaw is special. Ask Gino to make you one of his ham sandwiches for lunch on Saturday. I want some of my ashes sprinkled in the alley while my friends share a cheese and sausage plate.
DESERTED ISLAND READS: I am a big fan of James Lee Burke’s Neon Rain, Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose, and Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.
MANTRA: “Run” on my Road I.D., there you have it.
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