Whoop, whoop! It’s Friday! You know what that means, don’t ya? Well, for me, it means the weekend is about to kick into high gear. As I mentioned yesterday, we’re packing and selling, and listing on Sunday. So we have got our work cut out for us to make everything spic n span! No time to relax for these exhausted fools.
But what does Friday mean for you? It means you get to read about running-life balance of another athlete! Yippee! This week I’m featuring Jessie. Jessie is a truly athletic athlete. She works for an NBA, NHL, and WNBA team! Amazing, I wouldn’t be suprised if you saw her on somewhere like https://www.fanduel.com/fantasy-wnba. Thanks for sharing your story, Jessie. 🙂
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My name
is Jessie Zahner. I am a 30 year
old female from Erie, PA but now living in Baltimore, MD. I work
full-time for an NBA, NHL and WNBA team. I also run my own website and
blog www.athletchic.com. I do not
have any children but I do have two really sweet cats. In my spare time I
love to play soccer, run with friends and hike or climb to really high
places.
is Jessie Zahner. I am a 30 year
old female from Erie, PA but now living in Baltimore, MD. I work
full-time for an NBA, NHL and WNBA team. I also run my own website and
blog www.athletchic.com. I do not
have any children but I do have two really sweet cats. In my spare time I
love to play soccer, run with friends and hike or climb to really high
places.
What are you training for (if anything)?
I run a lot of races each year so I am always training for something. I have already ran two half marathons this year,
the Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon in DC and the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in
DC. I have the Baltimore Ten Miler coming up in mid-June, the Presque
Isle Half Marathon in Erie, PA coming up at the end of July, the Charles Street
12 Miler in Baltimore, MD in August (12 miler? Really?! Couldn’t they
just tack another 1.1 miles on it and make it a half!) and the Baltimore
Marathon coming up in October.
the Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon in DC and the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in
DC. I have the Baltimore Ten Miler coming up in mid-June, the Presque
Isle Half Marathon in Erie, PA coming up at the end of July, the Charles Street
12 Miler in Baltimore, MD in August (12 miler? Really?! Couldn’t they
just tack another 1.1 miles on it and make it a half!) and the Baltimore
Marathon coming up in October.
How do you balance your training with
family time? With work?
family time? With work?
Working in the field that I work in, it can be extremely difficult to find time
to train for races. I work for
an NBA, NHL and WNBA team full-time. Sometimes my days are the regular
9:00am-5:30pm work hours and other times I work from 9:00am until around
whenever the game ends. When the teams are in season, I work all
day and during the home games. I also live in Baltimore, MD but commute
to Washington, DC every day for this job, which takes on average three hours
round trip. With all that being said, I do not have a lot of time.
to train for races. I work for
an NBA, NHL and WNBA team full-time. Sometimes my days are the regular
9:00am-5:30pm work hours and other times I work from 9:00am until around
whenever the game ends. When the teams are in season, I work all
day and during the home games. I also live in Baltimore, MD but commute
to Washington, DC every day for this job, which takes on average three hours
round trip. With all that being said, I do not have a lot of time.
At first it was very difficult for me to find time to run. I left
too early to get up and run in the morning and I came home too late to run at
night, which is what I used to do. For the first two months of my job, I
didn’t run at all because I could not find time to run. I hated this and
felt really bad about it but I kept saying, “I do not have the time.” After weeks of using that as an excuse, I ran a marathon and it was horrible!
I was tired, I had to walk at mile 20, and I didn’t think I would be able to
finish the race. I did finish, not very well, and went straight to an NHL
game for work afterwards.
too early to get up and run in the morning and I came home too late to run at
night, which is what I used to do. For the first two months of my job, I
didn’t run at all because I could not find time to run. I hated this and
felt really bad about it but I kept saying, “I do not have the time.” After weeks of using that as an excuse, I ran a marathon and it was horrible!
I was tired, I had to walk at mile 20, and I didn’t think I would be able to
finish the race. I did finish, not very well, and went straight to an NHL
game for work afterwards.
As I sat at the game thinking about the run, I
thought to myself, “I know there are busier people than me finding time to work
out.” I decided I was going to make it part of my daily routine and do
whatever I could to make it happen. The following Monday went to the gym
that was closest to my office and got a membership.
thought to myself, “I know there are busier people than me finding time to work
out.” I decided I was going to make it part of my daily routine and do
whatever I could to make it happen. The following Monday went to the gym
that was closest to my office and got a membership.
Since then I have
been training regularly. Every night before I got to bed I pack a bag
with all of my gym stuff in it. On my lunch break, I walk to the gym and
either lift weights, run on the treadmill or take my running outside to the
National Mall and the monuments (that is the best place in the world to
run). I usually run between 4-6 miles per day on my lunch break. If
I ned to run more than that, I will run the additional miles when I get home
from work. I do all my long runs on the weekend, early in the morning,
even if I have to work go to work that day. It isn’t always easy and
sometimes I complain, but it works. It actually works so well that
I have PRed in my last two half marathons.
been training regularly. Every night before I got to bed I pack a bag
with all of my gym stuff in it. On my lunch break, I walk to the gym and
either lift weights, run on the treadmill or take my running outside to the
National Mall and the monuments (that is the best place in the world to
run). I usually run between 4-6 miles per day on my lunch break. If
I ned to run more than that, I will run the additional miles when I get home
from work. I do all my long runs on the weekend, early in the morning,
even if I have to work go to work that day. It isn’t always easy and
sometimes I complain, but it works. It actually works so well that
I have PRed in my last two half marathons.
Who is your biggest supporter?
My mother, Cyndie Zahner, is my biggest supporter. She too is a career woman and has a family to take
care of. She gets up every morning at 5:00am to run. She inspired
me to make time in my day to run. I would think, “If mom could make time
to run while working and raising three kids, I too can make time to run.” Not only has she inspired me to find time in my busy day to train, but she has
pushed me to become a better runner. She has pushed me to my half
marathon PRs and last year when I ran my first marathon, she ran the entire race
with me.
care of. She gets up every morning at 5:00am to run. She inspired
me to make time in my day to run. I would think, “If mom could make time
to run while working and raising three kids, I too can make time to run.” Not only has she inspired me to find time in my busy day to train, but she has
pushed me to become a better runner. She has pushed me to my half
marathon PRs and last year when I ran my first marathon, she ran the entire race
with me.
My mom, her best friend – Robin Smith, and two of her closest
running buddies, Heather Cass and Leann Parmenter, drove from Erie, PA to
Baltimore, MD to run my first marathon with me. And they did it without
training for it! When I told my mom that my running buddy, Becca Adam,
was injured during training and could not run the marathon with me, Robin told
my mom she needed to run the race with me. So on a whim, all four of them
decided to come down to help me out and it was Leann’s first marathon
too! We all ran the race together in matching WTF (Where’s the Finish)
shirts and we all finished the race. She is not only inspiring but
she is a knowledgeable and experienced runner. She will answer questions
for me about injuries, training schedules and diets before races. I could
not ask for a better supporter.
running buddies, Heather Cass and Leann Parmenter, drove from Erie, PA to
Baltimore, MD to run my first marathon with me. And they did it without
training for it! When I told my mom that my running buddy, Becca Adam,
was injured during training and could not run the marathon with me, Robin told
my mom she needed to run the race with me. So on a whim, all four of them
decided to come down to help me out and it was Leann’s first marathon
too! We all ran the race together in matching WTF (Where’s the Finish)
shirts and we all finished the race. She is not only inspiring but
she is a knowledgeable and experienced runner. She will answer questions
for me about injuries, training schedules and diets before races. I could
not ask for a better supporter.
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Do you want to be a featured athlete for this series? Email me!
