It’s race week and we all know how special race weeks can be. The preparation that you've been putting into training. From eating well to getting good sleep to making sure you have your new socks. This week is even more of a special week because it’s not just any race. This is our own event, handcrafted by me. A course laid out by a runner for runners. In this week’s blog/podcast I will tell you how the Keep Calm And Run To The Best You 5k came to be. We also got a chance to talk to a special guest Angelina Hawk, our newest 5k transformation. Angelina is a shift worker that decided that she was not going to let her busy work schedule stop her from becoming the best version of herself. Angelina simply heard about our program and decided to give it a go from a distance all around her busy life. We are going to ask her why she chose us to be a part of her transformation. We will also get to know from her exactly what transformations she has noticed in the last 8 weeks.

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In July 2020 our focus was on Gabrielle Cruiss and her success with our 8-week 5k Transformation Program. Around that same time Angelina Hawk from Cape May, NJ joined the program herself. The beautiful thing about Angelina joining our program is that she would have to do all of the training on her own due to her work shifts. Angelina’s work schedule would not be her only challenge, she lives in a different county as well. That’s right, Angelina completed all 8-weeks by herself, yet she wasn’t alone. Angelina had the support of Coach Tadris and the rest of the Keep Calm And Run To The Best You Tribe! Angelina completed her first 5k on September 5th, 2020 with a time of…….it doesn’t matter what her time was, Angelina was amazing! Coach Tadris was able to catch up with Angelina before the race to see what her motivation was for joining. The coach was also able to get live reactions from Angelina and other members of the crew for the podcast.

Coach: What do you do for a living?

Angelina: I am a registered nurse and an emergency medical technician. I work in an ICU and as a critical care transport nurse. I also do ER respiratory triage.

Coach: How long have you been in your profession?

Angelina: I’ve been an RN for three years and an EMT for eight years

Coach: What moved you to get into this field?

Angelina: My granddad was a paramedic and my grandmom was a nurse. They raised me, and when I turned 16, my granddad signed me up for EMT school, which was the program he coordinated.

Coach: Take us back to the start of your journey, how were you feeling?

Angelina: The start of my initial weight loss journey? That was January of 2020. I always felt so bloated and tired all the time. I felt like I was moving in slow motion. When I reached out to you about the program I was 7 months or so into my journey and I felt much better, but I still wanted to learn to run.

Coach: What was your wake up call?

Like what made you get up one day and say I need to change my habits?

Angelina: I've had a lot of those. Last August when we were in Las Vegas I was at my heaviest weight and I literally felt like I couldn't walk. That was about 45lbs ago. When we would go on cruises and there were weight limits for excursions that I couldn't meet, that always hurt. Or taking care of my patients and preaching a healthy lifestyle that I wasn't living myself kinda felt hypocritical.

I think my biggest wake-up call was when my mom died this past December 2019. She was only 41 and left behind five children, ages 25, 18, 12, 6, and 3. I realized that I'm the oldest and I’m what the younger ones have right now. I wanted to stay around for them as long as I could, so I knew I had to get it together and get healthy.

Coach:

We call our program a transformation program, what transformations have you noticed over these 8 weeks?

Angelina:

I’ve learned a lot about myself these last eight weeks, most importantly that I CAN push myself when I want something. I would have never entertained the thought of running a 5K a year ago.

Coach: What At The Moment Are Your Healthy Habits? As a busy young lady in the medical field, what is your schedule like?

Angelina: I have a hectic schedule which was always a big part of my problem to manage. I’m full time on overnights (7p-7a) and sometimes I do someday shifts. I work 4-6 days a week doing that. I try to keep myself on a regular eating schedule though. Meaning I eat breakfast in the morning, lunch in the afternoon/early evening, and dinner in the late evening. I supplement my lunch with a protein shake because lunch is always hard for me, so I would rather just not think about it. I love being active, so I run, box, strength train, and sometimes do yoga.

Coach: How do you feel now since adopting this healthier lifestyle?

Angelina: SO MUCH better! I feel like I can move again!

Coach:

That's Great! How does your family enjoy the new you?

Angelina with Her Husband Steve Hawk

Angelina: They're definitely enjoying the fact that I can run around more. My brother loves that I can ride amusement park rides that I couldn't fit in before!

Coach: Is there anything that you are doing now that you could not do before losing the weight?

Angelina: Running! Haha! And I feel like I've become a lot more daring and confident with trying new exercises!

Coach: Congratulations Angelina on being down 45lbs, running your first race, and your excitement for the future! We are all routing for you. Thank you for being on the show!

Before we let you go........

WHAT can you say to our listeners who may be ready to start their journey tomorrow?

Angelina:

Just do it! You won't regret it.

You have nothing to lose but that weight!

This blog post is just scratching the surface of Angelina’s amazing story! Listen Now To Episode #66 - Running & Weight Loss (The Angelina Hawk Story)

How The Keep Calm And Run To The Best You 5k Came To Be

It’s race week and we all know how special race weeks can be. The preparation that you've been putting into training. From eating well to getting good sleep to making sure you have your new socks. This week is even more of a special week because it’s not just any race. This is our own event, handcrafted by me. A course laid out by a runner for runners. In this week’s blog/podcast I will tell you how the Keep Calm And Run To The Best You 5k came to be.

Our Start In 2013

I am just a guy from New Jersey who started selling nutrition products to help my wife get to her desired weight. My wife Nichol had bypass surgery in 2011. By December of 2012, she was down 100lbs but had a desire to lose another 20lbs. I became a health coach with the nutrition company in January 2013. At one of the meetings that I attended, they said: “wrap the business around things you enjoy doing.” The people that were doing the training that day said that they run half marathons and bring people with them. I told myself I can never run a half marathon but I can teach people how to run their first 5k. I can show them an easy schedule to follow, teach them what to eat, and have them ready for race day. So I started a Couch 2 5k program in our community in February 2013. About eight people joined, but only 2 members finished. I help two parents, Maria Rodriguez and Mike Woerner to the starting line and finish line of their first 5k event. I was so nervous and excited at the same time. I ran my race as hard as I could then I went back into the trail to find each of them and ran with them to the finish. The legacy had begun. That is still the formula I use today.

Maria went on to run several races with me. However, after that first class, both Maria and Mike took time away for spring softball with their children. When they left I was a little lost but I had some people that wanted to train for a fun run called: “The Color Run.” That small group showed up to less than half of the training. Since it was a fun run, they really didn’t take it as seriously as I did. I took the winter off in 2014 to brainstorm. When I started back in spring 2014 I decided to attach a small fee to enter my class and you had a chance to win some money back by losing the most weight in the 12 weeks as well. We had four people sign up for it. Those four individuals set the way for what we see today. What we have today is a tribe of individuals that are so supportive of one another. A tribe that does not give up on themselves and is willing to help their partner not give up either.

Our First Race In 2017

In the fall of 2016, I had a thought: “I've been helping people get ready for races around Atlantic County New Jersey for years now. What if we had our own event?” So immediately plans have been set into motion. I found a good cause: South Jersey Field Of Dreams (Helping adults and children with disabilities play baseball on a cushioned field.) We were able to pull it off by the spring. Our first race was held on June 3rd, 2017. So many great memories.