I’m coach janae richardson, owner of evergreen running.

One of my favorite stories my parents told me from my childhood was my birth story. The story goes that my mom was due to have me any day and my dad had committed to be a leader at a scout campout during this same time. The deal was if my mom went into labor my grandpa would go up the mountain and alert my dad to hustle back home. Well as fate would have it, my mom went into labor with me the very night my dad was camping. So, my grandpa rushed up the mountain to my dad and carried out the plan (so my dad wouldn’t miss his most important child’s birth ;-). There wasn’t time to go clean up and so my dad came straight to the hospital in his scout outfit smelling like campfire and the great outdoors. My parents said it was the one of the first smells I smelled and I was hooked on the great outdoors ever since.

Of course when I think of the great outdoors I think of mountains and trails, but what adds so much beauty to the terrain, and freshness to the air, is the trees. I have become fascinated with trees. Did you know the oldest living organism in the world is an 80,000 year old grove of Aspen trees in Utah all connected by one massive root system? And then there’s the smell of evergreens...the clean, fresh smell of evergreens. Can you beat it?! Absolutely not. I love the smell of evergreen trees.

Thinking of evergreen trees also provides great metaphors for life when you think about their root system (all the hard work and connections below the surface), how resisting the wind builds strength in the trunk and in their roots, they show patient and consistent growth over time and yet they stay green all year round despite the seasons. There is strength and protection for trees in growing together and the very shape of them teaches us to look up and have gratitude.

The human body is so complex. We require so much from both our physical and mental body in our lifetime. Life is tough with schedules, stresses, unexpected life circumstances, and a variety of other forces pulling us in different directions. We need to be grounded. We need to build our mental and physical foundation to withstand the winds and floods of life. We need to build the best version of ourselves so we can stand tall and proud in adversity and to provide shade for those around us. I hope that’s one of the reasons you are here reading this...you want to see growth in yourself. You want to be a stronger version of yourself. You want to connect with others aspiring to do the same.

Running has always been a tool for me to stay grounded and has helped me strive towards building the best version of myself. It has been a way for me to escape and spend time amongst the trees. It has allowed me to connect with some amazing people.

There is a Chinese proverb that says “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” Let’s get started now planting your tree to a better version of you.