Runners Q&A: Jen Goff

Editor's note: Jen Goff, who is taking a short break so that a foot injury can heal, has been featured in content several times during Running Shorts' 15-year history, but she had not been the subject of a Runners Q&A.

Until today.

The Warmup

Age

44

Residence

Greensboro

Family

Husband, Mike; sons Logan and Cooper; dog, Piper (Miniature Schnauzer; "the daughter I never had")

Day job

Owner, In Pursuit Running; copy writer and copy editor, National Board for Certified Counselors

Why I run

"Well, let's see. I'd be a bitch if I didn't.

"I started running with my dad (Jim Reid) when I was in third grade (in Bethel, Conn.). It was something that I looked up to him for, and I was curious about it. I started going to the track with him at night. He convinced me, when I was in fourth grade, to enter a race. I was so, so, so, so, so nervous, but I ended up winning the race. It was a cross country, one-mile run, in 7:24. 'Oh, I'm actually kind off good at this.'

"I didn't keep running all the way through that. But come high school, I liked competing. I like the ability to be, and the opportunity to be, good at something. But running is just ingrained in my blood now. It gives me purpose, it gives me a sense of identity. I should probably say that it inspires my children, because that's what we're supposed to say, right? But it does.

"I love the community part of it, but I think I love the solitude. When I go out and run, you'll rarely see me doing speed work or a long run with other people. It's my time just to space out, and I don't have to worry about  how I'm affecting anybody else. My brain goes to some pretty interesting places. When I run, I can slow down, I can speed up. It's just my time to myself."

On growing up in Connecticut

"My cross country team in high school: I'm still really good friends with a couple of my teammates. I still talk to my high school coach. Mark Goodwin was the best coach ever. I learned so much from him that I've applied into my coaching today. I felt such a part of something there. I didn't quite get that in college (running at Lehigh). I was on my team in college, but it just wasn't the same.

"If I didn't have my cross country team in high school, I would have been pretty lost. I wasn't very popular. When a lot of other students were socializing at their lockers, I was sitting in my homeroom because my coach would put the Harrier magazine on my desk. And that's what I did in the morning.

"Those are my fondest memories. We had a good team. I was never the No. 1 runner. I was like the No. 3 runner. We had a lot of fun together."

The Middle Miles

My running tribe

"Elle Ellender, of course. We literally even get injured at the same time, and we literally injure the same body part at the same time. She's probably the person that I run with the most. Liz Hittinger. Other Winosaur girls: Meg Vaslow, Tara Wommack, Molly Nunn.

"And then John Dewey. He was my boss (at Fleet Feet Sports), and when I ended up leaving and starting IPR, we've worked together on some stuff. He's become a really good friend, and I can more freely swear in front of him. We have some of the most hilarious runs.

"Joe Hall: He can't run much anymore, but we still talk a lot. Emily Boles, even though she left me and moved to Texas."

Runbragging

"This really isn't an accomplishment because I didn't accomplish the goal. I struggled with confidence for a while. Getting myself to a position to try to qualify for the Olympic marathon trials (2020). At that point, I had found a new sense of confidence in myself, and I really thought I was going to do it.

"It didn't work out, obviously. I tore my calf. I don't know if I tore it before the race or during the race to try to qualify, but I had to drop out of the race. So not quite over it (laughs). I still cry about it or throw things at the wall. The first five miles felt great. We were on pace, and I was like, 'I'm gonna do this.' Then this searing pain just shot up my calf. If I had been at mile 21, I probably could have, but you can't run 21 miles on a torn calf. I worked really hard, and I really think I could have done it. It just didn't work out. But I'm proud of that.

"This might be a little off the cuff, but I'm also proud. I remember being 31 years old, and someone said to me, 'You know, you're no spring chicken anymore. You're not going to keep getting faster.' And I was like, 'Whoa.' It kind of got into my head a little bit, but I rose above that, and here I am. I'm 44, and I'm proud of myself. I just did the Elm Street 5K, my first race, really, in a year, and I ran 18:35. That's not bad for 44 years old. I'm proud of where I'm at now and that I'm able to rise above stupid comments like that and just be able to still put myself out there and not let shit like that limit me."

Miles per week

"I do about 50 to 55 pretty much every week. For my first marathon, I maxed out at like 52. As I got better, I was getting up in the 70s. I've never been super-high mileage. I still remember the first time I felt my calf hurt in that training, I was trying to hit an 84-mile week and it broke me. When you have a lot of other stuff going on, you have to remember that we're not pros. You've got to respect everything else you've got going on, and you might not be sleeping as much, nutrition is not always great."

Must-have gear

"I'm old-school: My little old Timex watch.

"Running is one of the simplest things we can do. All you need is your shoes. Don't get me wrong: All the data and Strava and all that stuff is cool. And as a coach, it's a great tool to be able to look at what your runners are doing.

"I clip on my MP3 player with my long cord that I wrap around. I get laughed at. I don't care. It works for me, and I'm sticking with it until they don't make these anymore. My sunglasses: You'll never see me run without sunglasses, even in the rain. They've just become a fixture on my head."

My running shoes

"I've been running in the Nike Alphafly, even in training. A lot of people say, 'These shoes make you so much faster.' And I disagree on that. I don't think they make you faster in the moment. They can make you faster because they help you recover better. If you can recover faster, and you can keep your injury rate down, then it's going to make you faster.

"If I need something a little bit more stable, I'll put on my Hokas, the Rincon.

"But the switch I'm thinking about making, Elle wears these: Hoka has the Cielo. It's a new carbon shoe. I tried hers on, and they felt really nice."

Favorite place to run

"I love running on a track. Any track. The track doesn't like me, though. Usually my calves hate it afterward. I'm in Military Park a lot and on the greenway around there. I love to run by myself, but I love to see people out. I love being in an environment where there's a lot of other people running around me, biking, walking, whatever. And I say 'hi' to everybody, and that's why I think I gravitate toward that area a lot.

"A lot of people might say Salem Lake (in Winston-Salem) or Hamilton Lakes (in Greensboro). I have yet to go to Salem Lake and have a good run."

Fueling for a race

"I eat Pop Tarts (laughs). That has always been my go-to. S'mores. You know where I got that from? Adam Goucher. That's what he did. It's got the complex carbs. It's got the simple carbs. It's got a little bit of everything. They're kind of dry, so it doesn't upset your stomach. It's got 400 calories, which is a good amount. And they taste great.

"In general, my nutrition is pretty shitty (laughs). I don't try to track macros or 'how many carbs am I getting?' Protein. Fat. If 'm hungry, I eat. And I eat what I want. I eat a lot of pasta.

"But before a long run, a lot of times I do bagels and cream cheese.

"I don't really crave sweets. If you put a cheese board in front of me, it's gonna get finished. If you were to put desserts in front of me, I probably wouldn't even touch it."

Celebrating after a race

"Alcohol (laughs). Usually have a beer, because it cools you off a little bit. A chicken Philly and wine."

On my playlist

"My playlist on my little old MP3 player has everything from Eminem to Boyz II Men, Chris Stapleton, Madonna. Molly has shared her Spotify playlist with me. I couldn't even tell you what some of the stuff is, but it pumps me up when I run. It's funny: I can be doing something fast, and it's the slower songs that pump me up.

"I'm watching 'Ted Lasso' right now. My husband's second time; this is my first time."

Running mantra

"I'll quote something from a Chris Stapleton song, 'nobody that wins is afraid of losing.' In competing, think about how many people are afraid of doing it. They're afraid of  failing, they're afraid of not running a better time, and they avoid doing it. They don't give themselves the opportunity to win or succeed, either. When that song comes on, when I'm running, I always like to yell it out loud on my run. I just think it's a good lesson.

"Another is comparison is the thief of joy. I remember running in the Philadelphia Marathon, and we were at mile 8 and I felt fine. I was perfectly paced. But a guy next to me was freaking out already, talking to his running buddy, 'Oh my God! Oh my God! We gotta slow down.' It made me nervous for a minute. 'I'm going too hard.' Then I was like, 'Jen, chill, you feel fine. You know nothing about this person. Maybe they didn't train at all. Maybe they forgot their fuel. Maybe they went out and partied last night. You have no idea what that person's doing.' So many runners get caught up in what other people are doing without knowing anything about their situation, and they screw themselves over because they're too worried about somebody else. You've got to focus on yourself because the only thing you really know is what you're ready to do."

My running inspiration

"My dad. Obviously he's the reason I started running. We would eat dinner at 6:30, and then he would go run. He would work all day, we would eat as a family, and then he'd go to the track and he would run. ... When I do races, and even when I'm just out on a run, he's always the first person I want to call and tell about it. I always want to make my dad proud."

A favorite race

"Richmond. That was my first marathon (2009). Everything about that race was awesome. The weather was great. The course was awesome. The crowd was awesome."

My last race

"Elm Street 5K."

My next race

"I'd like to run a half marathon this fall. If guess if I'm going to get injured at any point, now's the time. I was thinking of maybe going back to Richmond (Nov. 16)."

The Cooldown

What I've learned about myself through my running

"This might actually coincide with the mantras: not to compare yourself to others, because that applies to other stuff in life, too. And not to be afraid to try things.

"I've learned that I really don't give a shit what anyone thinks of me. Yeah, there's that.

"I guess I've learned that I'm tough. I fight for what I want in everything I do. I don't give up very easily. Stubborn as all hell. Things like that in running that you learn to apply to everything else in life. I don't take shit from people.

"I'm really saying some good things here.

"If you would have asked me that question years ago, it would probably be different. I'm so much more laid-back now than I used to be. I used to be very uptight and almost too focused on things. Through running, I've been able to see that you've gotta have fun. You've gotta be able to relax. A lot of times, that's when you're going to do better anyway.

"And that goes for everything in life. It's easy to get uptight as a parent. It's easy to get uptight in your work. When you have a more laid-back approach, you're going to end up doing better. I've learned that firsthand in running, but it's helped probably more being a mom. My kids are going to see how I operate, and they're going to learn from that. It's taught me to have more fun. Running should be fun. If I miss a day of running, it's OK. If I have to cut a run short one day because I'm not feeling good or it's too hot, it's OK."

Words to the wise

"Don't underestimate recovery. That's huge. You've got to take the easy days. That's hard for runners to do. The recovery days are where you actually see the benefits of the harder days, especially as you get older.

"Don't let age limit you.

"Stay true to yourself and not to what other people are doing. Don't let them get in your head. We all have individual goals. It's easy to get jealous or worried about what other people are doing, but it'll destroy you. You've gotta focus on you."