At St. Pete Running Company, we’re passionate about people in the community. We’ve got an incredible couple to introduce to you who live out the Believe Achieve lifestyle. We’re thrilled to share Chris and Jenn’s story.
It began with a seemingly simple decision: let’s start walking.
In January 2022, Chris and Jenn visited the St. Pete Running Company booth at the St. Pete Beach Classic, a race on St. Pete Beach. As the couple watched people push themselves to walk and run the race, they were inspired. It was one of many circumstances that helped them make the decision to start walking. Jenn had been dealing with a debilitating medical condition, and they both wanted to shed some weight. Most of all, they wanted to get healthy.
That Was Then…
Year 22 on the Move
“With Chris’s support and encouragement, I just put one foot in front of the other; one more step, then one more, and so on,” says Jen about getting started with walking on the Pinellas Trail.
“My time was much slower then my training. I was so disappointed that I signed up for another race a few weeks later and got back to training. My second go around was slightly better but still off of my training pace.”
“The bling is a great motivator,” says Jenn. “And PRs (Personal Records) are pretty cool too. It’s about moving forward and continuing to be mindful of my body.”
Believing and Achieving
Now both Chris and Jenn have completed several races and enjoyed the many health benefits of staying fit. Chris completed the 2023 St. Pete Beach Classic Half Marathon in his goal time of under 2 hours, the same race where Jenn and Chris had gotten some awesome inspiration in 2022.
“Cheering Chris on during the St. Pete Beach Classic Half was kind of a full circle moment for us,” says Jenn.
“Everything is so much easier now,” says Chris. “Doing things around the house, running errands, enjoying going places and experiencing life. These all used to take so much effort and wear us out, and now we don’t even think twice about it. I can’t tell you how many things we cancelled or missed out on because we physically weren’t up for it. We’re doing more than ever before and everything is so much more enjoyable because we physically are able to do whatever we want.”
This is NOW
A Beautiful Picture of Getting Healthy
When measuring success, Chris and Jenn focused on their motto, which encouraged them to keep moving forward. Success led to more success and before they knew it, they cut their combined weight in HALF. Chris shed 130 pounds. Jenn shed 190 pounds and was able to get off of 8 medications.
Together they’ve dropped 320 pounds!
Advice from Chris and Jenn
Sometimes it’s that first step that’s the hardest. For CHRENN (the combination name of Chris and Jenn), they didn’t let how hard it was to keep them for pushing on toward their goal. They have this advice for anyone who wants to get healthier:
Jenn says, “First and foremost, listen to your body. Take control of what you can. Surround yourself with positive supporters and like-minded people. You’re your best cheerleader but having a great group of people around you that encourage you on your journey is super cool. Most importantly give yourself credit and grace.”
Chris says, “Just get out there. Just take the step, every little bit you do just helps. Give yourself the credit for things, even the little things. If you went 10 steps yesterday and 12 today, give yourself credit.”
Do you have a goal for getting healthy? We can help! Call or come into the store where our shoe and running experts are ready to provide the high-quality customer service you expect from a Top 50 Running Store in America.
