the road to nyc

The Update

AUGUST 2026

Hey gang. August was a tough month. Some really hot days and some really long runs I didn’t think I’d make it through. 16 was by far the toughest. Even getting up at 7 a.m. to run, the heat and humidity made it unbearable. I’d like to give a special shoutout to the church that let me fill my water up in Mariemont and the woman at the Little Miami golf course who didn’t judge me for looking deranged coming into the pro shop searching for water at mile 11. Plus side, I can tell my family I made it into a church this year in advance of my sister's Catholic Church wedding. They’ll finally be proud of me again.

I failed another month to take a training run photo, but I’m not failing at tossing in an Office or Jan (the best character) reference. Oops...

But I will be better in September. I’m just not a "take a photo while running" kinda girlie. We are, however, officially halfway there and about halfway on the donation train. I really cannot thank everyone enough.

I’d like to give a special shoutout to one Veronica Mercado, pictured in the photo to the right last month on our annual trip. Her support went beyond her dollar contribution; she was even so dedicated as to give me website and outreach tips. She is a homie and a real one despite our differences in sleeping air temp. Unfortunately, the client chose not to implement all her strategies, but her recommendations were taken into consideration.

Thank you all for following (if you are). Onto the next month of training. WOOOAHHHH WE’RE HALFWAY THERE, WOOOAHHHH LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER — sung by a disgraced Jersey guy rooting for the Patriots. Loser.

Jen

July 2026

Hey gang. Back at it this month.

July brought a hot month of training in six different cities and a few early wake-ups, but not early enough to beat the 100+ degree heat on a multiple occasions. Turns out the forced preseason workouts in college have made me physically allergic to early morning runs. To my Centennial Hall sophomore year dormmates who always heard my alarm go off and my door slam shut, sorry y'all. (@Kelly, @Maria, @Megan. But alas, because I think I am more powerful than the sun, there were a few runs in Chicago where I genuinely felt like I was going to pass out. But as the philosopher Kelly Clarkson once sang, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger... stronnngerrrr."

I'm up to 14 miles on my longest run, and it just seems like they keep getting longer but I have been able to manage without carrying water with me ~humble brag~. All in all, the body feels decent so far, so for that we are thankful.

Unfortunately, during this time I did not capture any photos of me running to share. I guess I'm too serious to stop and pull my camera out, so we'll try harder in August to remember but I can't make any promises.

To those who have supported this journey already, thank you. To another month.

Jen

June 2026

Hey gang. I will continue to provide updates every month as my training progresses and my body slowly but surely breaks down. I think I threw my shoulder out on a 4-miler this week so vibes are high. I just want to say thank you in advance for supporting and following me along my journey so I can put the second 26.2 sticker on my bumper. Unlike Celine Dion, my heart will not go on without it.

Joking aside, I am excited to raise money for a cause I believe in and get back on a regimented training plan. If you are reading this, you know me. And if you know me, you know how critical it is for me to channel my competitive energy in the right direction and for the right cause. So I don’t kick a basketball across the entire court prompting people to wonder if I should go to the Olympics for kickball. Or smash the pickleball at my parent’s feet knowing my dad can’t bend well with his 3x torn quads. Or argue about the board game rules with my siblings. This is that healthier direction.

I can’t say I have always had a dream or goal of completing a marathon, I feel like I have actually said the opposite. But my dad always wanted to do the NYC marathon, but never had the opportunity to. So I guess in a sense, I am doing this for the bragging rights so I can say I accomplished something he did not. Again, joking. I am excited to do a marathon in the greatest city on earth and be part of a team again with Roads to Success.

My first and only marathon was the Big Sur Marathon in 2023. I ran that in 3:34 with 15 mph headwinds and 3x the elevation gain we will have in NYC, so 3:25 feels realistic. Things I have working in my favor: Michael plans to oversee my training and yell at me to run faster and ensure I am doing sprints, fewer hills on this course, more people watching me during marathon so I’ll pick it up. Things working against me: I am older and my body hurts in ways I never could have imagined, I am no longer in my funemployment, business school era so I am definitely not as in good of shape and not doing multiple workouts a day, I detest waking up early to exercise. We will see what side prevails in four months.

See you next month. Hopefully a tad faster, a tad less sore, and a tad closer to $5,000.

Jen