Meet Jen Steele | Running Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jen Steele and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jen, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I don’t think there is such a thing as balance. I love the analogy Bryan Dyson gave. He talks about how you can’t have balance. We’re all just constantly juggling all our obligations, but some of them are glass balls and some are rubber. The important thing is make sure you don’t drop the glass balls.

I love this analogy because it helps me remember that we’re never going to feel totally balanced. Some days, weeks, and months include more time on work or focused in a certain area while other seasons have more rest or family time. The permission that you don’t need to be balanced or have it all figured out is very freeing for me.

I tell my athletes the same thing about their training. When you’re in peak training for a goal race, regardless of whether you want to qualify for the Boston Marathon or finish your first 5k, you need to figure out the way to juggle the different parts. As your mileage increases, it’s ok to cut down on strength training. As you go into the last weeks of training, you spend more time on recovery. Again, it’s not a true balance but a juggling of time.

To include this in my life in a tangible way, I go through my obligations for the week, I make a point to really call out which are the glass. Which obligations on my calendar are the most important to me. Some weeks, that is recoding content for my current clients, other weeks it’s sending sales information, some weeks it’s finding time for my husband, for a girls night, or to sit and read with my kids.

I really use a gut check for this. At the end of the week, am I happy with how I spent my time? Do I feel like I accomplished what I needed to with my family? With my business? If I can answer those questions, yes, great. If not, I need to figure out what is glass the next week and what gets to be rubber.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a runner, girl mama, and running coach. I have been a runner for over 12 years–even when I wasn’t your typical runner. When I started running, it took me over 12 minutes to run a mile. In 2017, after 8 years of running, I ran my third marathon, the Chicago Marathon, at 8 months postpartum with my oldest daughter, Charlotte. Training for the Chicago marathon was physically the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It was also the best thing I could have done for my mental health. I truly believe that training for that marathon forced me to take time for myself and keep my pre-mom identity. That was the start for me of seeing the incredible power of running and mental health. Since then, I have only become more interested and invested in the connection between mental health and running. It led me to become a certified run coach so that I can help other women chase goals that make them feel empowered and love the body they’re in.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
When anyone visits, they always want to check out the beach, so we’d start with Pacific Beach and grab a cinnamon roll from Olive Bakery and the Best Drink Ever from Better Buzzed. After a day lounging at the beach, we’d head to the Gaslamp Quarter for a fun night out. At some point we’d have to check out a Padres game, a day on Coronado with lunch from Village Pizza, and a day in Carlsbad Village with a stop at Park 101 are all must-dos as well!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to shout-out Christian Vickery, president and founder of Vickery Properties. He is my husband but also my biggest cheerleader. I am not a dreamer by nature, but rather someone who likes two feet planted firmly on the ground and he has helped me dream a little bigger.

Website: www.misadventuresofamarathoner.com

Instagram: @misadventuresofamarathoner