My personal goal of running a marathon started when I was 11 years old
handing out water at the Chicago Marathon. I remember watching these
runners and saying "I'm going to do that some day." I was always a
casual runner, a mile here, 2 miles there, and continued this through
my adult life. Of course, life got crazy; college, marriage, career,
kids, but I never let go of that goal. I bought all the marathon
books, read all the different plans, and even started a few, but I
never felt like it was the right plan for me. As the years crept by I
wondered if I had missed out, was it too late, could my body handle
this type of training? Although the dream was still alive in my head,
the reality of it started to fade a bit.
In November of 2007 I met
Jackie by chance at Tre Jolie Salon in Thiensville. We immediately hit
it off and after talking to her for 10 minutes, I felt like I had the
energy and excitement to run that marathon tomorrow! Jackie said we
should meet in April to start discussing my training which would start
in May for the Lakefront Marathon in October.
April couldn't come
fast enough for me. Once we met and the training started, I made it
through each week, one at a time, with Jackie's constant support and
motivation. As the marathon became closer and the miles
increased, there were days when I thought "Am I crazy, what was I
thinking?" Each time these thoughts crept into my head, Jackie got me
right back on track believing in my training, my ability and
myself. Thirty years after setting that goal at the Chicago Marathon
I ran and finished The Lakefront Marathon. I never could have started, continued, or finished the training without Jackie by my side.
Lynn Raffanti (October 2008)
I
have been working with Jackie for less than a year, and I have to say
that I have never felt more confident about myself than I do now. I am
a dancer trying to achieve my dream of dancing in a professional dance
company. Daily being surrounded by thin girls had me constantly
comparing myself to them and putting myself down for what I saw in the
mirror. When I first met with Jackie she told me that her goal was to
get me running. I smiled, said okay, but inside I was dreading it.
Jackie took my running baby steps at a time and before I knew it, I ran
my first 5k without walking. I have lost the weight I needed to, but to
maintain my weight and to stay in shape I run regularly. I am now happy
with myself and know I could NOT have done this without Jackie.
Melissa Stern (September 2008)
"When I started training with Jackie, I could honestly not run 3 blocks. Her motivated spirit and dedication to training 1-on-1 was just what I needed. Through a lot of hard work and strong vote of confidence from Jackie I have completed multiple 5k, 10k and half marathon road races. I did my first triathlon this past summer and hope to participate in more triathlons in 2008. Jackie really helped me ATTAIN what I never thought was possible!"Catherine Corrao (October 2007)
"Training and a healthy lifestyle are part of who I am. I started my journey 2 years ago by losing 75 pounds and incorporating running into my weight loss program. I was fortunate to run into Jackie at a local 5k race. Her incredible motivation and willingness to put others first helped me cross the finish line at that race when I had given up. From that point on we started to run together and she helped me set goals, see my potential as an athlete and inspire me to develop myself as a runner and a triathlete. Today I am an Ironman finisher, a coach and hopefully an inspiration to others. I was put on this road by an amazing person-Jackie. Without her I may not have found the path to ATTAIN the athlete inside me." Kristin Schraml (November 2007)
"I was a casual runner. I would run 3 miles, maybe 4 and had only run as far as 5 miles a couple of times. I always told Jackie that I could never see myself running farther because I didn’t think my body could take the pounding, especially after knee surgery. After watching one of Jackie’s other success stories, Kris Phelps, ATTAIN her goal of completing an Ironman triathlon, I told Jackie I wanted to do a half marathon. She put me on a build-up program and ran with me, encouraging me and helping me to believe in my ability to complete the 13.1 mile distance. With Jackie’s inspiring motivation, I not only ATTAINED my goal of completing a half marathon, I also lost 25 pounds and feel better about myself than ever before."
Mike Kaminski (December 2007)