See Jane Run

What’s better than a cure for breast cancer? Never getting it at all. That’s the goal of Breast Cancer Fund

At See Jane Run, we like a good challenge, which is why we organize and produce races for women who want to experience competition and have fun at the same time. Now, we’re partnering with Breast Cancer Fund to make a big impact in the prevention of breast cancer.

It’s your classic win-win situation. You raise $500 or more for Breast Cancer Fund, See Jane Run refunds your race registration fee. Together, we help Breast Cancer Fund prevent breast cancer.

Darlings, don’t forget the big chocolate-and-champagne finish. As with all things Jane, it’s big fun and big impact.

Our goal is to raise $100,000 for Breast Cancer Fund in 2012. Run for a cause!

It is two days before Christmas and I feel like I have already had my fair share of holiday fun. See Jane Run held its first annual Miles For Meals Holiday Fundraiser this year. It was nothing short of amazing.

The essence of the program is to get folks thinking about their own personal health as well as the health of their community, especially those who find themselves in less fortunate predicaments over the holiday season. Participants of the program predicted how many miles they would/could run from December 1 through December 15. After predicting their miles, each participant found sponsors who donated either one food item per mile run, or $1.00. See Jane Run hosted 7 group runs from the Boise store and offered hot cocoa to warm up/defrost afterward. All proceeds directly benefited Boise’s Women’s and Children’s Alliance; a shelter for women and children who are victims of sexual assault and/or domestic violence.

We had over 40 people sign up in less than 12 days. We raised $712.00! On December 16, more than 400 cans of food were delivered to our store.

It was yesterday, though, that I realized the success of the program. I bagged and boxed all the food items and loaded them into my Subaru, taking several trips from the frigid cold, into the store, and back outside. My little car was filled to the brim as cans rolled under my seat at the stop light during the short drive to the shelter. I had no idea 400 cans of food took so much space.

As I parked, I saw a woman getting out of a taxi with two children in tow. They climbed the steps of the shelter quickly. I knew they were checking in to find safety and comfort from a situation I have never known.

Two volunteers helped me carry all the food into the storage room. We laughed at how heavy the boxes were. I handed the cash to the receptionist. Her eyes glistened as she thanked me and all of us from See Jane Run. I looked past her, at the locked door leading to the rooms housing women and children, knowing I had never known the weight those women feel. “It is the least we can do.”

Over the fifteen days of Miles For Meals, more than 1,000 miles were run by folks in the Boise community. Some of those miles were probably pretty easy to run. Some of them may have been more arduous, and some may have been cold and icey. No matter the margin of ease, they were easier than running to a shelter for sanctuary.

See Jane Run thanks all those who participated in Miles For Meals, 2011. Your generosity is overwhelming.

See Jane Run honors the women who run to save their lives and the lives of their children. In this endeavor, every step away from harm is a step in right direction.

Here’s to running. Sometimes it’s great, sometimes it’s hard, and sometimes it’s necessary.

Happy holidays and a festive New Year.

See Jane Run

Date:  Thu Sep 20, 2001  2:43 pm

Subject:  The Chronicles of Jane – September 2001

<< Dear Friends: The tragedy that struck our lives last week will most likely change all of us forever. Here at See Jane Run we spent most of the week focused on the television with the desperate need to connect with our family and friends from around the world; most especially those in NYC. The majority of us here originate from NY, this includes our very own Jane, the author of the witty and insightful emails we send every month. Most of you are not aware of this, but Jane is actually a real person who has a life outside of SJR, lives in NY and works on Wall Street.

Before this tragedy, Jane was going to write to you about how you can help in the fight against breast cancer and what we at See Jane Run Sports are doing for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. She did not want to let this message to get lost now that our attention has been pulled to the people in NYC. The battle against breast cancer goes on, and Jane has found a way to get the word out even though she is going through her own personal struggle. I hope we can all find strength and meaning behind the events last week and most importantly continue to have compassion towards all people. Below, Jane has outlined our SJR News as well as her own personal account on Tuesday. Our hearts are with all of you.

Lori Shannon and Staff, See Jane Run Sports>>

I wish I could write my usual frivolous and frisky newsletter this month, but I’m afraid I’m just not feeling my fabulous self. The world and our lives are not the same. In fact, under the circumstances, I want to speak with you heart to heart, which, I’m afraid, entails my revealing a bit about who I really am. Don’t be mistaken! There IS, of course, a real Jane — my alter ego.

I will go on with SJR news right now, but please read on for a few notes on my experience Tuesday, September 11th in NYC as well as a few personal notes to you, the glorious women who love life…

I, Ms. Jane, have another life as a conference director on Wall Street in New York (In fact, I put on an annual conference in SF – that’s how I know Ms. Lori). If you know NYC geography, you might know that Wall Street is pretty close to what was the World Trade Center. I don’t wish to diminish the reality of people in other regions of the US. Just know that the footage on TV hardly represents the demolition of the landscape or the look of complete bewilderment on the faces of New Yorkers – a people known for their knowledge of everything.

Tuesday morning around 8AM as I tried to decide which outfit would provide the most impact in an important meeting later yet would still accent my eyes, I would have never imagined that in about an hour I would see the worst act of violence a person could ever imagine. As I stepped out of the subway near Broadway and Fulton Streets, there seemed a mad rush of people screaming. I ran onto the street wondering what the heck was going on. “A bomb!” one person yelled. “A plane hit the World Trade Center!” another yelled. Finally the truth from a third witness — “ANOTHER plane just hit the World Trade Center!” I looked up to see both towers blazing, bits and pieces flying everywhere. My jaw dropped and I was paralyzed. People from the World Trade Center (WTC) began to gather on this street having just run from the inferno, having just survived. As we gathered we began to speculate — This must have been intentional. It was no mistake.

I stood for awhile gathering trying to make some sense. It just didn’t seem real!  After 20 minutes of shock, I decided to head for my office which is another block away from the WTC. It seemed a safe enough plan. However, as I emerged from a deli where I’d gotten some peanut butter toast (I was hungry!), I ran into a hoard of people running and screaming. I asked someone what was going on! “Another building just blew up!”  I couldn’t know at the time that the truth was that the first tower collapsed. As I saw a ball of smoke 6 stories high hurtling down the street towards us, I ran and screamed too, thought bombs were going to drop out of the sky, thought I was going to die.

I didn’t know where I was running, just away from danger. I saw the Brooklyn Bridge ahead and decided safety lay in Brooklyn. I pulled my shirt over my face and found my way through the smoke with the other lost souls — covered in soot, dazed, terrified. As I made it about 1/4 way across and the smoke had cleared a bit, I heard a rumble and turned around to see the second (and final) giant tower pancake to the ground. The grand towers that had always helped to orient me in my direction in Manhattan were suddenly gone. I realized at that very moment… thousands of people had been killed.

There were no taxis or subways running. Besides, I wanted to stay outside where I could see the sky, so I walked the next five miles to my home in Brooklyn along with the masses of other “Financial Center” workers who looked more like third world refugees. Women had traded in their pumps for Chinatown slippers for the trek home. As soon as I walked in my door, I turned on the news to see what really happened. I found out about terrorism, hijacking, Pennsylvania, the Pentagon… Then I called my family to tell them I was alive. My peanut butter toast sat cold on the floor. Eating was not possible.

Since first seeing the towers destroyed I have feared germ warfare (did I breathe in Anthrax?) and bombs falling out of nowhere. I wonder if I’ll ever fly again. I jump at loud noises and am constantly looking up for planes. I hear success stories of friends who made it out of the WTC in the nick of time, and miserable stories of friends still missing. I have nightmares.

I theorize: I seek to understand how acts of violence and destruction could enter my relatively quiet life. Alternately, I examine how, as an individual, I might have contributed to an unpeaceful world, examined any hateful thoughts, deeds, or words. I feel angry at the attackers while I try to be aware of their reality, to understand our differences. Eventually confusion and fear will fade and my life, our lives will go on — though not unchanged.

Now I pray that our leaders will find the most gentle solution in order to seek peace. I pray for all of our safety and comfort. As women of the US, I hope we can use our strong sense of interpersonal communication to teach peace, perhaps one day we will find a creative solution to violence.

I’ve always believed that SF is one of the warmest places on this planet. For a story on how the Bay Area has helped out, click on http://www.redcross.org/news/ds/0109wtc/010911wtc_pa.html

There are yet many, many more ways to help the victims. Luckily the US is a rich country and we can afford to recover — whether you give with kind words, a few dollars, or volunteer time, the American Red Cross is a good place to start. Visit http://www.redcross.org.

My friends, I hope only to return soon as the effervescent Jane, full of fanciful commentary on health, fitness and diva-ness. But for now, we mourn and howl in grief. I wish love and serenity for all of you, my dear, dear friends.

XOXO

Jane

If you’re training for a race right now, you probably agree that a deep tissue massage sounds pretty nice. You also likely consider the word injury to be one of the most dreaded in the English language. (Are we the only ones who shiver at the mention of IT band syndrome and runner’s knee?)

A few minutes with a basic piece of equipment called the foam roller is a satisfying alternative to pricey regular trips to a masseuse. It can even effectively heal and prevent injuries. You might have already heard some runners get passionate when talking about foam rolling, citing it as the activity they “love yet hate” because it “hurts so good.”

Many of the injuries runners experience are the result of muscle knots. Direct pressure rather than stretching is most effective in breaking up these trigger points. The foam roller, which looks like a giant rolling pin without the handles, uses body weight as pressure.

A few tips: The best time to use the roller is after running and before stretching. You should avoid directly rolling over bony areas like your spine. Get rolling with a helpful video tutorial from Runner’s World for techniques.

Now tell us, do you use a foam roller? If so, what benefits have you experienced?

Running can be quite the solitary activity. We lone warriors trudge out the miles with no supportive teammates or perky fitness instructors pushing us along. We often hear that what women enjoy most about running is the time alone with their thoughts. It’s the one hour of the day when they can just focus on themselves.

Yet pounding the pavement isn’t always solemn, and it’s almost never dull. We could run into anything while we’re out burning up those miles. Last week we asked our Facebook fans to tell us the weirdest thing they’d seen on a run. We had a good laugh at some of the wild answers. We’ve chosen some of the most outlandish stories to remind us runners that we never know what awaits us on the open road.

Do share, what’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen while out running?

I live in Guam and have literally been chased by black birds called Drongos. They’re protective of their nests during mating season and will swoop and chase runners away to defend them. Runners usually carry sticks or clap above their heads to chase them off. – Shea P.

Last summer I hurried to get in a run before a big storm hit. My boxer and I were about one mile from our house when trash cans started flying and I could see back behind me that there was a mini tornado. We were on a trail, and the dust made it impossible to even see my feet. I live in Boise, ID so this kind thing doesn’t happen here, longest mile I will ever run! After I got home I found out that house about two miles from us had really serious damage. I think I would have rather seen the naked thong man who some of you have seen! – Leslie D.

Someone running with their bird … in a covered stroller. – Jill M.

A coworker from 10 years ago way off on a mountain trail. – Donna H.

Another runner who has hair and a beard down to his knees, arms out and angled down, and he ALWAYS wears smiley face boxer shorts. He is always running, and he makes me smile every time I see him! – Leslie S.

Dog wearing running shoes. – Jenna B.

Banana slugs that were six-plus inches long on a trail in Oregon that were a bit of a challenge to dodge and weave around so that I didn’t step on them. – Shannon B.

A man riding his bike with a fluffy white cat sitting on his shoulder. – Amanda K.

Two armadillos waddled right in front of me … Texas. - Miste E.

Come to think of it the weirdest thing I’ve seen running is ME! I never thought I could be a runner … still have a hard time calling myself a runner. – Rosalie E.

Tell us, have you seen anything as strange on any of your runs? Happy trails!