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Strongest Self

Coaching and inspiring others to become the strongest version of themselves

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      • 5 Things a Runner Should Invest In
      • Leadville Trail Marathon & Heavy Half Q&A
      • So how did those 2018 running goals go?
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      • Why I Passed on a BQ 2019 Shot and Am Focusing on 2020
      • How I Prepare for a Trail Marathon at Altitude
      • Easy Miles Should Actually Be Easy – Calculate your Maximum Aerobic Heart Rate.
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      • Sub 3
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      • Frosty Half Marathon – Thank you, Robert.
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      • Hi there! It’s been a while.
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    • 5 Things I Do Every Morning to Start My Day off Right
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  • Binge Eating Disorder
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    • A Glimpse into My Struggle with Binge Eating Disorder
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    • Training & Mini Life Update
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      • Staying on Track During the Holidays
      • Why I Gave up Refined Sugar for 60 Days
      • So, how did I lose 25 pounds?
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    • Post-Workout Shake
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    • 5 Things I’ve Learned while Dealing with Grief
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Grief

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Meet Elizabeth

Screen Shot 2018-06-22 at 6.39.40 AM

Welcome to Running for Robert! I’m Elizabeth, a 27 year-old certified running coach living in Boston, and running marathons in memory of my older brother, Robert. Running for Robert documents my journey to qualify for the Boston Marathon and beyond, while sharing the struggles and successes I’ve faced throughout my journey.

RRCA Certified Coach

Certified May 2018

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^Definitely more of a peppermint hot chocolate kinda person than any fancy Starbucks drink😜 Going for my first run after the Frosty half this coming Saturday and really excited for it😊👍🏼🎉
It’s true that my running fitness isn’t where it was in fall 2018. Life outside of running since last December has been hard. By far the hardest year since 2012-2013 when I lost my brother. I’ve fought some battles that I absolutely don’t want to fight again. I keep showing up with my running because I love it, but it’s true that stress and emotions took a toll on it this year. My goal for half training was A) sub 1:40, B) PR. I didn’t get either. It stings. After 3 months of hard training you hope it falls together on race day and it didn’t for me. There were a lot of times on Sunday I wanted to give in. One mile I wanted to throw in the towel, the next mile I was feeling good and playing mind games like, “stay with this group” and “keep that person in sight”. It was very back and forth, similar to this year. I’ve been open this fall that running has been hard mentally. I’ve channeled my energy and emotions into a lot of places this year and it’s exhausting. It’s a difficult pill to swallow that I wasn’t where I was last fall. But I keep putting one foot in front of the other because that’s what I do, I don’t give up. 🌟3 years ago, I was on cloud 9 to run a 1:49. 🌟5 years ago, I ran a 2:20 and remember telling myself I’d never be fast enough to run in the 1:40s. 🌟On a hard day after a really hard year, with 450 ft of hills, I ran 1:49. It’s not my best but it’s still progress over time and fitness was still gained. Treating my recovery just like I would’ve if I had run a 1:39 so no structured running until 2020, and we’ll see what it brings! But first, time for some R&R😊
When the announcer says, “Female 20-29 third place: Elizabeth Jansen🏅Oh wait, no, my bad...”😑😒😫😭 What a morning! Fun course with lots of challenging hills and just missing bringing home a trophy stings a little bit not gonna lie😭 No PR today but left it all out there. That course is no joke!⛰Half marathon training challenged me in a way I’ve never been challenged before with running and it makes me want to come back for more in the spring. Congrats to all who raced today!
And that’s a wrap on half marathon training!🎉 2 mile shakeout✔️and the race tomorrow👍🏼 Goals: run happy, strong, and smart😊
Happy birthday, Kyle!!! Thanks for running one of the most difficult marathons in the country with me😉 Swipe to see the many expressions of Kyle after he crossed the finish line🤢
Seasons of life🍁❄️🌸 We all have them and move through them in our own time and way. Kyle and I are in a season that we have been in for 18 months and will stay in for the next couple of years. He is a full-time law school student and I teach PreK with an awesome side hustle of run coaching. I 100% financially support the two of us living in Boston. We eat out once every couple months, we don’t buy each other things, and we spend a lot of time on our weekends working for our future - Kyle for law school and me for my run coaching. Sound fun? It is! We’ve gotten the hang of how to live very frugally and save for our future. It’s true that money doesn’t buy happiness because we’re over here working days, nights, and weekends so we can reap the benefits in a few years - and enjoying it. It’s exciting, exhausting, stressful, fun, rewarding, and sometimes unpredictable, and we’ve both grown a lot since entering this season in summer 2018, right after our wedding. I have developed a love for cooking, reading in my down time, and like I always have, spending quality time with the people I love most. Maybe you’re going through a similar season, maybe you’re not. It’s not easy at first and takes time to adjust and get into a routine, but this is one chapter of our life together - just the two of us - that I will cherish forever💗
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