Jennifer Howard-Brown is a run coach for Rogue Running who is passionate about helping everyday athletes accomplish the extraordinary. She has completed 18 marathons including World Majors – Boston, London, Berlin, NY, Chicago, etc. and countless half-marathons, 5 and 10ks. Jenn has trained hundreds of athletes, who describe her as their Tiger Mom coach – nurturing with a dash of drill sergeant. She also is a high-tech marketer and enjoys the rest of her time with Ironman hubby, Scooby, and Rhodesian Ridgeback furbaby, Kennedy. To meet Jenn, visit her at Wanderlust Austin, Nov. 6-9. Get tickets!
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Wanderlust: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Jennifer Howard-Brown: I’m pretty much living it. High-tech marketing by day, lululemon ambassador and run coach on the side. As long as I can impact people and help them and myself change for the better, I’m happy.
WL: What did your child self want to be when you grew up?
JHB: An English professor, until one of my professors early on told me that I needed to be in a more extroverted, people-facing profession.
WL: What is your favorite cute video?
JHB:
WL: What is your personal theme song?
JHB:
WL: What is your biggest fear?
JHB: Failure, but I keep pushing my limits. Sometimes I do fail.
WL: What is your favorite yoga pose?
JHB: Tree pose because it makes me feel powerful, grounded and in balance, unlike many yoga poses where I feel like it’s a struggle and I’m shaky.
WL: What is your least favorite yoga pose?
JHB: Locust pose because it’s so uncomfortable with my arms twisted underneath and face to the ground. I probably need it much more than I do it!
WL: What has been your most embarrassing moment as a runner?
JHB: Having a meltdown, stopped and crying at mile 20 of a marathon when I realized I wouldn’t hit my goal time, failing to realize that I was still running a huge personal best and should push to the finish for every last second.
WL: What has been your most embarrassing moment as a coach?
JHB: Forgetting when an athlete had a race.
WL: What do you love about what you do?
JHB: I love helping people find the joy in running. A lot of grew up hating running because our exposure to it was to run a mile around a track in school PE when growing up. Once athletes learn to go at their own conversational pace and build up gradually, they begin to enjoy it and start to believe they can do anything.
WL: What challenges you about what you do?
JHB: I love helping beginners accomplish things they’ve never done before, experienced runners achieve new goals and personal bests. The tough part is individualizing coaching for each athlete and helping them stay motivated through the tough stretches of training or injury. Keeping athletes out of the injury cycle, myself included, is an ongoing challenge. We all know what we should/could do – yoga, stretching, cross-training, etc., but making time to fit it in is tough.