Jesolyn Lucas

Athlete of The Month

Jesolyn Lucas

Coach: Brian Barraza

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The Interview 

Q: Welcome Jesolyn! I’d love it if you could give everyone a brief introduction to yourself and what your running journey has looked like so far.

I grew up in the Midwest on a college campus with acres of surrounding wilderness where the outside world was an ever-changing treasure hunt. I felt a natural kinship with nature and adventure that continues to this day. For me, feeling my feet on the ground equaled feeling alive- and running now equals leaning into life and exploring what life has to offer.

I hold a Master’s degree in Applied Psychology and Mental Health Counseling from NYU and am a Classically trained Pilates instructor with over 30 years of experience. I currently teach virtual Classical Pilates classes to students around the world. 

Q: How’d you hear about Hammer & Axe? Why did you make the decision to work with Brian?

I began looking for a running coach after an incredibly unprepared ego-driven go at the 2021 virtual NYC Marathon. Almost no training other than my daily Pilates regiment and a few miles here and there on the road. I pushed and finished on my home turf out of sheer determination. After a few days of recovery and sulking, I realized that I could really use a running coach…

I found Hammer & Axe after an exhaustive online search for running coaches. I weeded through a ton of sites but kept coming back to Hammer & Axe. I liked that the entire coaching team felt real and invested in their athletes and that the Hammer & Axe site and bios were playful and humble. I decided that my Coach was playing hide and seek with me somewhere on that team.

The decision to work with Brian came easily. Once I read his bio and listened to his video clip, I knew he was my Coach. His unconditional love of running was clear and he conveyed a sense of calmness, intensity, and confidence. He spoke about his interest in not just running but the science of running and the importance of the relationship of trust between athlete and Coach. He spoke of running as a gift, something I have always believed. That nailed it for me. Also- it didn’t hurt that he was referred to in his bio as a “Lover of Hugs”, as I, too, am a lover of hugs!

Q: You recently recovered from a stress fracture that kept you from running the NYC Marathon in November. How did you navigate that experience and what did you learn from it?

The stress fracture in my tibia was diagnosed in late summer after running through pain for about a month. I knew the injury was going to take me off my feet so I resisted imaging until I couldn’t. Once diagnosed, I naively thought I could “lay off” running for a few weeks, continue to cross-train, and subsequently make my way to the starting line of the Marathon in November.  I thought my years of Pilates and cross-training gave me an edge and I saw myself as Teflon. “Push, suffer, ignore…” 

My ego took over and I got back on my leg too quickly. By the time I made the trip to NYC a week prior to the race, I knew the race wasn’t going to happen. I felt sorry for myself for a few days and at 11:30 pm the night before the race, hit the button to defer my bib to 2023. 

It was a really tough lesson but a priceless one for me as an invested runner. I learned that desperation begets desperation (and injury), that patience truly IS a virtue, and that the body DOES heal- even a mature one- given time. I used the time to reconnect with my NYC friends and to meet some amazing running legends. The biggest gift of that trip was meeting Coach Brian in person for the first time.  

Q: How has your relationship with running changed over the years, and how did being a Hammer & Axe athlete affect that?

As a kid, I ran because the outside world was an adventure. I had a forest and no fear. I lost a connection to running in my 20s, found a connection to it as a stress release in my 30s, lost a connection in my 40s, and reclaimed a connection based, like a child coming home, to it as an adventure in my 50s. Relocation and stress during the pandemic reminded my heart and body that I needed to feel my feet on the earth again with presence and intention. To let running light me up again. Enter Coach Brian…

Brian is my first running Coach. His humble, analytic, grounded, supportive, and consistent coaching style has helped me get out of my own way (overtraining, ignoring injury, skipping rest days…). I cannot thank him enough for his willingness to take on a mature body getting back on the road.

Under Brian’s watch, I have started to shift my way of thinking not just about running but about movement in general. Seeing it as an exploration of life as a want, not a need. I have started to lean in and enjoy the ride athletically much more than I ever have. I have yet to finish one of Brian’s prescribed daily workouts without laughing out loud and smiling. Does it get better than that? 

Q: What were some of your fondest memories while you were a Hammer & Axe athlete? 

Personal Breakthroughs:

Getting under a 7-minute mile. Playing with speedwork. Creating a mutually respectful relationship with a coach. Finding headspace to re-wire and allow room to see “failures” as opportunities for growth.  

Racing:

Just ran a quarter marathon night trail run and survived! It was one of the most physically challenging things I’ve done. Completely outside of my comfort zone. My work with Coach Brian made space for that challenge. He asks me to consider my intention for every run I take on and inspires me to go for it when it makes sense and stops the madness when it doesn’t. I wanted to push out of my disciplined road-running mentality and mix it up. The experience was incredible.

Q: What are you currently training for, and what are your goals for the next year of running?

I’m currently training for the NYC Half in March. I’m registered for another half and some shorter runs throughout the year. I want to play with different distances and formats and see how my body reacts to switching things up. Exploring is important to me- curiosity, adventure, and challenge. Rest and repeat…

My biggest goal for 2023 is to stay injury free and to make the NYC Marathon happen. Other goals are to ditch the watch on my runs at least twice a week and to form a more structured mindfulness practice. I am also challenging myself to reach out and connect with a running community. I have run every run of my life, other than races, alone. I think finding a running community would help me find a deeper and fuller connection to the sport.

Q: Any last thoughts for our readers, Jesolyn?

I believe running is a gift and finding a Coach who challenges, shares, and supports an athlete’s path makes that gift even sweeter. Coach Brian is a triple threat- a killer elite runner, an incredibly dedicated Coach, and a wonderfully insightful human being who makes my running experience so much sweeter. I hope all of your readers find a coach and are as lucky as I have been on my journey. 

HAVE FUN!!!

Have a Race Coming Up?

We're almost 12 weeks out from the Boston Marathon - one of the most prestigious marathons in the world! To celebrate, we're having a sale on all of our training plans. 

To use the 12-week marathon plans for Boston, simply find a suitable plan, purchase it, and drop it into your RunDNA calendar with a start date of 1/23/2022.

Act fast! The Boston Marathon sale ends on 1/31 at midnight. Use code: BOS23 at checkout for 30% off any training plan. 

A Few of Our Coaches Have Openings

Hammer & Axe coaching is $200/month and includes unlimited text and email communication, personalized training plans, weekly training calls, and more. Think of it as the ultimate investment in yourself and your running goals. Plus, our coaches are pretty cool and are ~pretty~ good at running, so they know their stuff. 

Links to coach profiles: Jordan Gusman, Joey Berriatua, Tori Gerlach, Aaron Templeton, Connor Winter, Jamaine Coleman

That marks the end of the issue. We hope you liked hearing about Jesolyn, and we can't wait to share the next story with you. If you liked it, make sure to share using the link below.

From all of us at Hammer & Axe, thank you!

And most importantly, keep the ball rolling! ⚒️⚒️⚒️