MINI FEATURE | Julie Harris: Q+A
Julie Harris
Julie Harris started training with Boulder Underground, under Matt Hensley, in March of 2019. She trains solo in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania.
She’s a mother of two, who are now college-age and she has the freedom to run when she wants, but when they were younger she had to find that running/work/life balance.
How did to strike running/work/life balance?
In regards to the work/life/kid balance, I can tell you it’s not that relevant currently for me as my kids are both college-aged and I have the freedom to run whenever I choose. When they were younger my husband and I did a lot of tag-team parenting so we could each exercise.
Mentally (and of course also physically), training helped me to be a better parent and role model. As far as work, I’m lucky that my work is training service dogs for pediatric patients. Both the dogs and myself benefit from a break in service training to go for a run.
How did you find the Boulder Underground?
I was listening to a podcast called, The Forward, in December 2018. Lance Armstrong, the host, was interviewing a very well-spoken and confident running coach who was training Lance for his upcoming Austin Marathon. I was riveted to the training plans Lance and the coach discussed. It became a quest for me to track down this coach, Matt Hensley.
Making contact with him was not easy. I googled every variation and spelling of Boulder Underground, Matt Hensley, and Roll Recovery with no luck. I finally had an idea to send a general email to Roll Recovery asking if someone could forward my information to Matt as I was interested in training with him. The email eventually made its way to Matt and he contacted me shortly thereafter.
What was on your mind when you talked with Matt for the first time?
I was just coming off an injury when I first spoke to Matt, so my main concern was a smart and challenging program so as not to reinjure myself. I was intimidated speaking to him and wanted him to know I was nothing like the celebrity and pro athletes he’s worked with.
What were your expectations?
A marathon PR!! Or actually something close to it, which we did achieve at the Chicago marathon 2019.
How do you like being coached by Matt?
I’m impressed daily! Matt’s positivity is contagious :)
What’s your favorite part of being coached by Matt with Boulder Underground?
I love being motivated via Instagram by the Boulder Underground superstar runners.
What growth have you seen in the last year+?
I have seen my pace progress especially in shorter distances. I look forward to the workout days, which I really feel like have gotten me faster.
What has been challenging?
Self- motivation at times is challenging. I find myself getting envious of the camaraderie the Boulder Underground team has training together in Colorado.
What are you looking forward to over the next months and year?
I am looking forward to competing in person again hopefully in 2021.
Is there anything you’d like to add?
As a 52-year-old runner, my confidence in my ability as I age has faltered. Matt always finds an optimistic approach to talk me off the ledge. I have placed in every race I have run as a Boulder Underground member.
You can follow Julie and her running stories on Instagram @juliecharris.