You deserve to be celebrated.

Hi! My name is Jess, but you can call me Murdz.

  Welcome!  I'm so glad you're here.

The first time I ran a mile, I was 8 years old.  I had a teacher at the time who loved running so much that she decided to add running to her teaching curriculum.  Every Tuesday and Thursday we'd go outside during the school day, and run back and forth on the shale track behind the elementary school.

I hated every minute of it.

I would get the worst side stitches that would debilitate me to the point of tears.  I couldn't keep up with my classmates.  A mile was so far for my tiny little spindly body and I didn't understand how anyone could for a moment think that this running thing was fun.

I kept at it - and I didn't like it any more than I did when I started, but eventually it did get easier.

Flash forward to that spring - I'm nine years old, and participating in Field Day for the first time.  I signed up to run a 4x200m relay for my class - and found out that I was pretty fast!  Certainly not the fastest on the field, but that two hundred meter lap at a break-neck speed was much more sustainable than running a whole mile and boy, was I hooked.

Three years later, when I was finally able, I signed up for my school's outdoor track team.  I spent the next four and a half years running indoor every winter and outdoor every spring (though I didn't run outdoor my senior year due to an injury).  Nothing longer than a 400 meter race (even that felt too long), I still hated longer workouts, and I loved the relays the most.  There was something amazing about being on a team, and seeing your hard work pay off in an individual result, but also having a group of instant friends to celebrate the victories with, as well as lament the defeats.  We kept each other accountable - we didn't want to let each other down so we all worked hard.  It turned an individual sport into a team sport.

This was my first introduction to the power of running in a group.

After high school, I didn't continue my running career - I pretty much stopped running entirely, only occasionally hitting the treadmill in college and beyond.  As I got older, I missed the sense of accomplishment and fulfillment I got from running - but realized that running sprint workouts probably wasn't the best choice.  So I downloaded a Couch to 5K app on my phone and tried to get back to running.

I failed.  I'd start again, and I'd fail.  I might get a little further... and I'd fail again.

Looking back, two things were missing, but only one was evident at the time:  I needed a goal.  I needed something to shoot for other than finishing the program - because once the program was done, what was I going to do?  So I set my sights on my first ever 5K, marked it on the calendar, put my head down, and got to work.

On Thanksgiving Day 2018, on one of the coldest days on record for the Troy Turkey Trot, I finished my first 5K in a respectable 31:49.  I was hooked.

I went to my local running store shortly after, and got myself a more appropriate pair of shoes.  It was on this visit that I learned that the running store had a training program as well as a run club.  I went out and ran with a group of total strangers the following weekend.  I was so nervous. I wasn't great at meeting new people at the time - but by the end of the run I realized how much faster the time had gone by, because I had company.  It was actually pretty amazing - the miles weren't easy by any means but the time ticked on by like it was nothing.  I realized the second thing that was missing from my running - other people.

This was my re-introduction to the power of running with a group.

I joined the training program that spring.  I started with the beginner group, and very rapidly stepped up to the advanced 5K/10K group.  I ran so many 5Ks in 2019 and set a personal record in almost every single race - because the group kept me accountable, and the group kept me consistent.  My endurance increased, I was able to go further.  I was obsessed with getting faster, being at the front of the pack, proving my worth.

2020 changed everything.

For all of 2020, training programs were largely suspended.  We could run together, but apart.  Racing was largely not happening.  Most of my runs were solo; my consistency faltered.

Flash forward to 2021 and I somehow land myself in the Half Marathon and Marathon training group.  I ran my first 5 mile race in March of 2021.  I upped the ante and ran a 10 miler in May of 2021.  I decided I had already run a 10 miler, so why not go for a half marathon?  I ran my first half marathon in October 2021 and finished in just over 2:10.  It's crazy how it happened; but while upping the distance I also started mentoring a couple of the training groups.  I helped beginners running for the first time, provided support to more seasoned runners looking to go further or faster, and I loved helping people hit their goals.  I set some pretty sweet personal records in the process during the 2022 season, running a 23:15 in the 5K, and 1:56:39 in the Half Marathon less than a month later.  My own racing started to fall a little flat in 2023, so I started pacing people in their goal races.  I got fully invested in their results over my own.  I stopped running for my own purposes, started running for others, and found the joy in running again. 

I learned that watching others succeed brought me more fulfillment than I ever though possible.

Because of this realization, Miles With Murdz was born.

Over the years, I've seen that the tendency is to celebrate the runners in the front of the pack.  As runners, we tend to be so focused on times, and being faster, faster, faster.  Better than others; better than ourselves.  Therefore, that's what we celebrate - and a lot of times, we lose a lot in the process.  We lose that joy.  We lose our real purpose.  We lose our ability to set, achieve, and celebrate goals that aren't time related.  We lose sight of the fact that there can only be one winner on paper, but we can all win at running in our own special, meaningful ways.  I want everyone to be able to celebrate their achievements - no mater where they land in the official results.

At Miles With Murdz we celebrate runners in the middle to the back of the pack!

I specialize in coaching those that aren't out there to win their age group, or win their race, or even crack the top 10 (though if this is your jam you are always welcome to run with us).  Whether you're gearing up for your first ever 5K, looking to tackle the marathon, are getting back to running after a hiatus, or are lacing up your shoes for the very first time, you are welcome here.  Slow runners are still runners.  Slow runners are deserving of coaching.  Slow runners are deserving of setting and achieving goals, and having a strong community to lift them up.

Miles With Murdz isn't just a training group - it's a community.

While I do specialize in coaching female runners, and runners that are bringing up the rear of your local 5K, please know that I am open to working with runners of all abilities and of all genders.  Running is for everyone - and coaching is too.

Truly, I'm glad you're here.  If you've made it this far - I'd love to work with you.  Please check out my training offerings, free resources, or set up a consultation to see which Miles With Murdz program best fits your needs.

I hope to run with you soon!

See you on the road -

XO, Coach Murdz