Today we’d like to introduce you to Jen Steele.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m Jen, founder of the Misadventure Squad, a certified run coach, girl mom, teacher, and beach lover. I fell in love with running at the age of 21 and never looked back.
I remember my freshman year of college I tried to run 0.6mi around my tiny college campus with my roommate who was barely 5 feet tall and partied like a rockstar. I finish one lap with her and called it quits. It was SO hard.
But there was something about running I always admired. Even when I couldn’t run a mile, I loved watching marathons on TV. I remember writing a bucket list when I was 18 and “run a marathon” was on it.
I didn’t run again until I turned 21. This time, a friend convinced me to sign up for a race. My first race. It was a 10k and it was love at first step. The atmosphere, the crowd, the cheering, the competition. I loved every second it. Even the parts I hated.
From there, I kept running. Not fast, but I long. I ran my first marathon and it took almost 7 hours.
But I kept running.
Over the years, through career changes and grad school, first teaching jobs, a marriage, two pregnancies, a pandemic, job changes, and more, I ran. And I learned a lot about running along the way.
When I ran my third marathon, the Chicago Marathon, I worked with a running coach. It was a life-changing experience. It taught me that if you’re chasing big dreams, you should invest in them, learn all you can, and look to people who know more to help you. It inspired me to become a run coach myself – to provide women of ALL levels an expert in running to help them achieve their running goals, whether they’re pace, distance, or mindset goals.
After that decision, I dove into the sport even more. I devoured books, podcasts, and studies on running. I ran thousands of miles. I became a certified run coach, first with Revo2lution Running in 2019 and then with the RRCA in 2020. I have coached hundreds of women to achieve their running goals through coaching with Another Mother Runner, my one-on-one coaching, and various other group coaching programs.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been relatively smooth, although like all of us, the pandemic greatly affected things. When things shut down in March of 2020 and all races were cancelled, as well as finances changing for most people, run coaching became a luxury that wasn’t really needed anymore. With no races to train for, it was hard for runners to see the value in a coach.
After a time, we figured out how to pivot and create virtual races and training events that helped with motivation. Then races came back.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a run coach who specializes in working with women who want to train for races without the training consuming their time. Through my unique style of training runners as whole athletes by incorporating strength training and their own passions outside of running into their training, I have helped runners fall in love with running, gain more self-confidence, and run faster and farther than they thought possible.
What does success mean to you?
This is two parts for me. First, as a coach, I see success as helping my athletes to achieve their running goals while feeling grounded and proud throughout the process. Second, as a business owner, I see success as growth without constantly feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or tied to working all the time. For both, loving the process is the biggest key to success, whether it’s in writing a blog, sending a training plan, or marketing.
Pricing:
- 1:1 run coaching $100/month
Contact Info:
- Website: www.misadventuresofamarathoner.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/misadventuresofamarathoner
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/misadventuresofamarathoner
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr3kdJR5aMH_1hiTG_DVM8Q
Image Credits
Shane Fellows Photography
