Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend and enjoying some of these cooler temps! I would love to share your stories, accomplishments or anything else you would like to share, please send them to barb.meely@steeplechasers.org.

This week’s amazing member spotlight is on another one of our fabulous coaches, Michele Newton.

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“I joined the Honolulu Marathon Clinic in 2009. While my dream of completing the Honolulu Marathon was thwarted by food poisoning the night before the race, however joining a running club and completing my first races while living in Hawaii proved to be life changing. I eventually moved back to the mainland, and joined the Steeplechasers in 2014.

After participating in several Steeps Half Marathon Training Programs and the 2018 Marathon Training Program,

“I decided that it was time to give back.”

I started volunteering to help coach in 2019.

While I see a few marathons, maybe a 50K, and some trails in my running future, I am currently embracing my role as half marathon coach, maintaining a run streak and racking up miles for the Market Street Mile “Miles and Miles Challenge.”

I Am a Runner, By Michele Newton, Inspired by Dr. Seuss

I am a runner.
I run in the day. I run in the night. I run in the winter. I run with a light. I am a runner.
I used to run races with runners and faces closer than six feet.
Now I run solo or with a small group, with myself I compete. I am a runner.
I am not the fastest. I am not the slowest. Usually the sweatiest. Sometimes the smelliest. 
I am a runner.
I am a coach. I want to help others achieve their objectives. 
In July I became a certified RRCA coach to be more effective. 
Whether it’s improving a time or increasing the distance, 
I like to plan routes that require persistence. 
With hills, without turn-by-turns or water-stops too, coaching in the year 2020… who knew?
Sometimes running is perfect, the conditions just right. 
I wake up, feel great, my legs so light! I feel like I am flying and could go on forever. 
It’s the runners high for which I endeavor.
But sometimes it’s not perfect, it’s anything but. 
Someone annoys me on Facebook. This world can just suck! 
So I lace up my shoes and get out the door. 
I can’t solve the world’s problems, but at least I can ignore. 
Even when I don’t feel my best, my heart feels heavy, my stomach contests, 
I know that if I just put one foot forward and get out the door, 
if I take a few steps, I’ll begin to restore. I am a runner.
I know that I am lucky. Some can’t run. 
They might be injured, or sick or already undone. 
I think of these folks when the long run gets long. 
I run for those who can’t, and it keeps me strong.
Most of all, I want others to love running as much as I do. 
Because if not for my running friends, 
who would I have to talk about running to?
So whether your name is Max, Tara, Heidi, Chris or Amanda, 
thanks for encouraging and for listening to my running propaganda. 
Steeplechasers are inspiring. 
To our Club I owe a lot, so with you I leave this final thought:
“We’re off to Great Places! Today is our day! 
Our mountain is waiting. So… let’s get on the way!”