Daddy’s Little Girl

This is my friend, Jennifer

I actually knew who Jen was way before I officially met her and became friends with her.. I first noticed her in 2002….. When I started participating in organized running races around my home town.

I started running in the year 2000, and by 2002 I felt confident enough to join in on some of the local races. The running community around this area is very well established and the organized races have built themselves up to be pretty big over the years.

l would see this girl… Jennifer …running the courses like she owned the roads and trails.  She made it look easy… Wearing headphones and carrying a CD Walkman in her hand as she ran…

After that, she was unforgettable. I saw her around a lot…… Not only at races, but randomly running on the road around our town, and at the YMCA – where I noticed she was in the pool a lot… doing “laps”.

This girl means business. It’s obvious she puts 100 percent (plus..) into her fitness routine.

Jennifer is/was tall, attractive, athletic, and serious.

I’ve always envied her. She definitely carries herself in a way that many others wish they could.

Jen and I have common friends, but never officially met each other for all of 10 years. I only knew OF her…

When I was training to run the New York City Marathon, many of my running community friends told me that Jennifer was also training for the same marathon.

When that race was finished, … Of course, Jen did great. She ran it fast as usual. I think she finished 1 and 1/2 hours before I did. A role model that I only saw from a far….

Fast forward to when we finally actually met.

It was 2 1/2 years ago when I had a job at a catholic school working in the tuition office. There a was a message for me to call a parent back who had a question about tuition. Turns out, it was Jennifer.  I called her back. Helped her out by answering her question.

Jen is married and has 2 elementary school aged children. They are adorably cute! She also has a few other children who are older and have their own adult lives going on now. She doesn’t even look like she has 1 kid..and here she’s got a whole slew of them!..

During that particular telephone conversation, while I was working at the school, we discussed the NYC marathon that we both ran together (2011) and we compared notes.  It was a nice conversation….

And we have been friends ever since.

Each time I saw Jen at the school I worked at, we talked about the fact she was training for her next marathon… coming up that fall. I was excited for her. She was working hard, as usual.

I remember, as Jen’s race day became closer, I was thinking about her and hoping she reached the “finish time” goal that she had been striving to reach. She is so good at running races, that she can actually plan out the time she will run each mile. So, she knew if she could follow the plan she put together for her self,… Mile by mile… All 26.2 of them,.. she will be successful… As long as there are no injuries or illness….

She trains herself well and she is very detail oriented.

Again, I envy her so.

So, Jen ran the Hudson Mohawk marathon, the one she had been keeping me updated on regarding her training …. I was thinking of her that day.. Hoping it turned out the way she wanted it..

That night, I saw that I had a new text message on my cell phone.  A phone number that I did not recognize..

The message said “Hi. This is Jen…. I did it !! I reached my goal time. I saw so happy, I dropped to the ground at the finish. I think I may have kissed the ground … I was so happy !”

Turns out, a common friend gave her my cell number. Jen was sweet enough to share that special moment with me.

She finished that marathon in her best marathon time to date.. 3 hours and 14 minutes.

Jen has ran 10 marathons so far. Including, NYC marathon ( as I mentioned earlier).. and Boston Marathon.

I could totally relate to her emotion she expressed when she broke her personal record at Hudson Mohawk Marathon.. Her heart gets so into it… As does mine… I totally felt her joy at that moment !!

From that point forward, Jen and I got to know each other even more.

We texted.. Back and forth.. About random running stuff, personal stories of our lives, and I always had running advice questions for her. Jen was always nice enough to help me out…She knows her stuff. Every bit of advice she gave/gives me has always worked. She’s my” guru” and she’s my friend !

~ Side note — Jen ran in The Boston Marathon during the year of the horrible bombings at the finish line . Jen had finished her run before the explosions occurred. She said Boston became chaotic that day. She was trapped in Boston in a hotel room with a bunch of other runner friends. They couldn’t leave the city.~

Well, I eventually became Facebook friends with Jen. I did not learn anything new about her by being her Facebook friend. I already knew a lot. We became such close friends……. Better friends than what anyone would share on Facebook.

So, now…I want to tell you a few additional things about Jennifer.

First off, I asked her if it was okay if I could feature her in my “Being Hack” blog.

She was delighted with the idea…..

You see, Jennifer was raised in New Paltz, NY… New Paltz is situated about 15 miles south of Kingston, NY. Where she lives now.

Jennifer is the youngest in her family.

Jennifer grew up with both parents in her household.

She has always been very close with both of her parents.

She was especially close with her father. Very close.. since “day one”….

Oh .. By the way… There is one very important thing you need to know about her father..

Her father was Floyd Patterson…. The World Undisputed Heavyweight Champion boxer. He had a record of 55 wins, 8 losses , and 1 draw.

He was a super star known through out the world.

Floyd Patterson won a gold medal at the 1952 Olympic Games as a middleweight boxer.

He settled in the New Paltz, NY area with his family and that is where Jennifer grew up.

Jennifer adored her father.

Sadly, he died on May 11, 2006. He died from cancer.

Jennifer and I have had many conversations about her father.

I learned right away, that…up until the very end, she was always “daddy’s little girl”.

Jen said it was her father that inspired her to become a runner. She and her dad used to run together down Springtown Road, in New Paltz.. Near their family home. That’s one of the many fond memories she has of the time she spent with her dad.

Here are some thoughts she shared with me about her dad..

Yup. He was just perfect in my eyes. I really just never thought he would die. Thought he was invincible.

Jen has such a strong bond with her father, that even upon his last moments of life., actually at the very moment of his death… … Things happened ..”Things” that could only be explained … by the fact that it was her DAD involved in these incidences. Too personal to share … but, believe me when I tell you. These stories made the hair on my arms stick up when Jen shared them with me.

Last night I texted her and told her I had just watched the video on youtube of her father when he matched up against  Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden, 1972, Live television….. I was amazed at how well respected her father was. Even by the announcers at the live event that night. They were so complimentary of him.

Here is what Jen said about that…

I was there. I remember it well..

When the fight was over he looked awful. I whispered in his ear and asked him to never “do that” again. He pulled his head away and looked right into my eyes, smiled and said “ok”.

Whenever he was asked …in years to come…. if he would fight again,..he told reporters they would have to get my permission first.

Floyd was defeated by Muhammad Ali that night. That defeat proved to be Floyd’s last fight.

Last night… I asked Jen to share a little known fact about her dad that she would like to share with the rest of the world…

Here is what she texted back to me….

My dad was a marathon runner in his retirement. He ran 8 marathons. New York City Marathon was his fastest time.  (3 hours and 35 minutes)

Also, he used to warm my school shoes for me.. in the oven… on cold winter mornings…

Then, I asked her.. “Did you meet any famous people through being the daughter of Floyd Patterson?” ….Here is what she said..

Yes. Many people… Including the NBA player (knicks) who died today… Anthony Mason.

When her dad passed away on May 11th, 2006. … These are her words as she reflected on that day..

Honestly, it was the saddest day of my life.

So, get this…….Jen’s dad died on May 11th. His funeral was on May 15th. Jen was pregnant at the time and her due date for her son, Ryan, was on May 16h.

Ryan looks so much like his grandfather it’s not even funny… Jen says that Ryan IS her father.. in many ways..

It makes me think of that old adage “For every person that passes away, another person is born”… Well, that is very true in this case.

I want to add that Jen and I have a common bond with the month of May. When she learned that May 8th is the day I lost my mom… She realized we can always help each other through that difficult time of year… Each year…

Last year, around that time, Jen and I met up together with another amazing friend, named Farrier. Farriers mom’s death is around that time, also… All 3 of us donated blood together in honor and memory of our parents.

If you could see all three of us , each laying side by side on the blood donor tables, it was a sight to be seen. I was so proud to be with them that day. There we were, 3 girls who had common sad situations, ..there together .. trying to make some good out of it…

I could actually do an entire separate story on Farrier, by the way. If she lets me.. She is also very amazing and has some inspirational stories that are both comical and sad.. Depending on the story…Farrier is another  friend who inspires me.

I am glad Jen agreed to let me write about her. I wanted to focus on that part of Jen’s life .. regarding her dad… Not only because he was a celebrity, but because he was also a regular guy.. A great dad, who showed his love by spending time with his daughter and cherishing his time with her. I wanted to explain how much he inspired her.

I also asked her “What do you miss the most about your father?”

She replied…

His advice. I never made a decision without talking to him first. Guess I’m on my own now.

Also, I miss the fact that  he was my “sweet tooth buddy.” I inherited that from him..

I need to add a few more things.

I imagine every race that Jen runs.. she does in memory of her dad.. But, I know of 2 that she runs especially because of him.

One race is on Father’s day and it takes place in her home town of New Paltz, NY in the trails..  Most years, when she is able, she runs in that half marathon early in the morning of Father’s Day, and then takes a ride over to her dad’s grave site to visit him right after. It’s a special Father’s Day tradition for her.

Also, she runs in a race (Which is actually coming up next Sunday) called “Celebrate Life Half Marathon” (in Rock Hill, NY) ..All the proceeds from this half marathon go to help local folks who need assistance with cancer care. Jen purchases a sign that is shown on the course with his name on it….In memory of Floyd Patterson.

I also need to add that Jen and I share a common love for “Pulled Pork Tacos” from a local mexican restaurant here in our area. We were out together one night for dinner and realized how delicious they are ! Those darn tacos have been a common theme to many of our text messages to each other.

One tradition I have when I run in marathons is that I write things on my arm for inspiration. My last marathon I ran, I wrote “Pulled Pork Tacos” on my arm in pen. I also wrote Jen’s mom’s name on my arm.. Her name is Janet. She is fighting cancer currently and Jen is working hard to help take care of her.

So my left arm said “Janet” and “Pulled Pork Tacos” . That helped me finish that marathon..!

I like to call Jen “superstar”…

I texted her once and said “How’s my superstar today?”.. She wrote back…

“You are so sweet. Nobody has ever called me a superstar before”

I still write that to her every so often – just to remind her of her awesomeness.

Jennifer, you are so much like your dad,,..You are definitely a superstar. Being a superstar is just one of the many traits you and your dad have in common….

 

P.S. – Jen is currently training for marathon #11. She recently shared with me that she went out in these sub zero temperatures and ran 20 miles .. She had icicles hanging off herself when she was done .. Again … “Superstar”… Go Jen !!! I will always be a fan of yours.

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Be sure to check out this interview .. Mr. Patterson talks about his love for his wife, Janet !! What a nice man!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p-alTJ90K8o

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