In Their Words.... I met Julie in 2000 after completing a triathlon as a swimmer on a relay team. To make a long story short swimmers are not runners and runners are not swimmers and if you can do both you will have a great triathlon career. Julie was the run coach with a local beginner tri group that I signed up for. She explained at the ARC Track the faster you run move to the left lane, sprinters run on the inside lane. After having a career ending back injury (herniated disk) with United Parcel Service in 1988 I didn’t know if I could run at all, because of the impact. I started running the straights and walking the turns at the track I had the lungs and cardio but my Harry Potter Quidditch Broomstick legs didn’t have the strength to carry my heavy girth of 160 lbs. for very long periods of time. I remember after a few months I was running full laps and I had a great workout that was painless and fast. The next week I could not wait to get back to ARC to have the same success. But after I ran a couple of laps I got in the car and drove home with a sore left lower leg? It was the most frustrating day as a want-a-be runner. It was the worst! Maybe I am not cut out for this? Maybe I was not born to do this? Maybe God is trying to tell me stick with swimming. I was So Low…. Now 5 years later I have learned from being with Julie and others sharing the same issues that just because you want to do something it doesn’t mean it will just fall out of the sky in front of you. If you prepare through your training you can make major gains as a runner. My wife Pam and I have always been active lifting weights, hiking, biking, and stand-up jet skiing. Like lifting weights and you keep adding more and more weight. It is a system set up for failure. Learning to listen to your body, running hard, followed by an easy run, or taking a rest day; you begin to understand your body and what it needs. Not a day goes by that Pam and I wish we would have started running years ago. Now back to this young lady Julie. She gives you a run schedule and you look at it, DANG! THAT IS A LOT OF RUNNING! When you call Julie she always has the answers to your what, when and where questions, oh so many of them. I dropped out of my first ½ marathon from having to train on a treadmill the last week because of the winter storms in the area. I then ran the full CIM Marathon in 2003 in 4:55:00. Luckily I was 2 minutes ahead of 81 year old Helen Klein. My 5K co-workers never would have let me live that down. After gaining strength and stamina over the last couple of years, moving from Sprint Distance Triathlon on up to Olympic Distance, and now I have competed in 5 Half Ironman Distances always getting faster and younger along the way. This year, 2005 I bettered my CIM Marathon by 45 minutes with NO walking only stopping to stretch the hamstrings and earlier this year I better my CaliMan ½ Ironman time by 50 minutes. Thanks Jules for making me the runner I am today!!! Curt Harvel Folsom, CA
Julie Fingar's Fit To Run classes are fantastic. They take into account that different people have different goals. When I started in the Spring of 2002, I had not run farther than a 10k. My particular goal was a half-marathon. Julie gave me a detailed training schedule which I followed. She explained and had seminars on fueling, mental toughness and motivation. There was and is a supportive group of runners at various levels. After meeting my half-marathon goal, I was motivated to train for a marathon. I ran my first marathon in December 2002 with a time of approximately 5 hours and 20 minutes. I continued to train with Julie and have since run three other marathons with a personal record of 4 hrs and 11 minutes. Besides helping me to improve my time, other benefits of the Fit To Run classes have been weight loss, that I sleep better at night and that I have more energy during the day. I highly recommend training with Julie. Elizabeth Osborne Davis, CA	“I joined my first course with Julie as a beginner and didn’t quite know what to expect. I never dreamed that after just four months I would be completing my first half marathon. The techniques I learned helped me to focus on good form, enjoy running, and to achieve my goals. Julie is an inspiration and a great coach. I would recommend her courses to runners of all ages and any skill level. Thank you Julie for helping me to reach my goals!” Denise Quenell Sacramento, CA
I contacted Julie about a year ago, because I was in desperate need of some help with my running and general overall fitness. After the birth of my daughter (she is 4 now), I was run down and struggling to regain my fitness. I work full time so I needed someone who understood the personal and professional demands on my time. Julie has been just that person. Over the last year she has created a flexible schedule that has allowed me to achieve some long sought after goals. I ran a marathon this past October and I am currently training for a 50K this February. It is my goal to do a 50 miler. As a coach, Julie works very interactively with me to set training and race goals based on my current fitness level and life demands. When I am overcome by life events and slack off, Julie gently nudges me back on track. She challenges me to not lose sight of my goals! I feel better than I have in 5 years and I continue to gain in strength and stamina. Thank you so much Julie! You’re the Best! Sincerely, Sandra L. Ross. Auburn, CA	I guess I have to agree with Curt it was either live with it or join the group AND RUN! So I joined. Julie was very patient with. I was definitely a newby. I really never thought I would be able to run on any consistent basis having had a serious back injury 15 to 18 years ago. So I started a ½ block than a couple of blocks, run/walk, 30 minutes maybe. Julie gave me the tools to continue to want to run and be successful. Start off my running 30 minutes, than 45 minutes, than that monumental ONR WHOLE HOUR. Do what you can but keep testing yourself. I trained at ARC track for 2.5 years and started running the straights and walking the turns. Eventually I was able to run all the workouts Julie would set up, 400’s, 800,s pickups, fartleks, timed miles, I truly was amazed that I could do it and be successful. The track workouts are a great way to build your endurance and speed. I train with Julie to this day and I am where I am today because of her training style. I have completed 5k’s, 10’s, trail runs, and ½ marathons and will continue to run to stay healthy and fit. Thanks Jules Pam Harvel Folsom, CA