Jane Rolfe Story

Just Another Runner’s Story November 2013   Written by Gale Fischer

Bouncing Back

“Man is so made that when anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish.”     ----Jean de la Fontaine                       

Throughout its history, running has been associated largely with being an individual activity.  This image still holds true today in a large capacity with sights of runners pounding out miles individually at any given hour, during any given day on any given stretch of road.  Even with its solitary nature, running today holds an integral group component.  Today’s running community survives to some extent much as our world does through the circle of life.  One runner may provide mentoring, guidance, or inspiration for other individuals and beyond.  Those runners, in turn, do the same for others while this coaching and inspiration lifeline makes its way around the circle, only to pick up steam before looping around again.  As participants in this circle, we are well aware of the part we play on the receiving end, but I am sure that many of us are unaware of the role we play on the giving end of this circle. This month’s featured member, Jane Rolfe, has provided this guidance and inspiration to me personally over the years so often that I have lost count.  As a runner experiencing success over the years, there have been times when it has been all too easy to forget about those who share in the credit for my successes.  Being witness to what  Jane has done over the years has been part of what has helped to keep my ego in check with her example of the positive impact of one’s overwhelming love and passion for a sport.  This passion can drive the individual from within, but its influence can also create a beneficial ripple through the running community as a whole.

Jane’s running story began back in 1988, after twenty-eight years of smoking cigarettes daily.  She gave up smoking and replaced a negative habit with a positive habit, filling the void with aerobics, some swimming, and a little running.  Her running picked up steam ten years later when she was introduced to the Battle Creek Roadrunners at the Arbor Dash 5K race.  She came out to the next group run, which ignited her passion for running.  “I went there and met a lot of nice people who had been runners for a long time.  They helped me with running, and we would do track work once per week and then meet on Sundays to run.”  Jane’s knowledge of track workouts, tempo runs, and long runs grew with the guidance of her new circle of friends, but their expertise in running went well beyond the physical aspects of how to train. “I will never forget Chris Thomas was at our first winter run and she couldn’t believe all the clothes I had on. Chris explained that I would get a lot warmer when I ran, and she was right.  The learning process of how to dress for running began with that initial run with Chris.”

Jane’s new running group encouraged her to run her first marathon. “I couldn’t believe that they were telling me that I could run a marathon. With the group’s encouragement, I ran my first marathon in 1999 in Chicago. There were thirteen of us who ran the Chicago Marathon that day.  After I crossed the finish line, I said I would never do this again.  I have done five marathons since then.” 

Jane found it difficult to choose just one thing that she liked most about running. “There are so many things that I like about running, including running with a group, running with just one other person, and days when I need to be alone with my own thoughts. So there are many choices when running.”  Jane cherishes the freedom that comes with running. “I love to be outside no matter what time of year.  Each season is beautiful to be one with.  The winter is a bit more challenging, but with a fresh layer of snow, one can feel like they are in a winter wonderland.  I love the feeling of being able to choose where I want to run, the distance, and how I want to run.”  Jane’s words really sum up how running is different than most other sports.  For individuals who choose to run, there are truly no restrictions.

Perhaps what Jane appreciates most about running is the running community.  “For me, running has been a very important part of my social life.  I have done the groups with Kalamazoo Area Runners (KAR).  I’m not sure how many years, but when I started, there were about five of us that would carpool to Kalamazoo.  At that time, there were maybe twenty runners in the group.  I love the fact that I have met so many great people over the years.  To me, this is very important.”  With Jane’s words from her heart about the social aspect of running, it is obvious that she is part of the running community’s circle of life.  Jane lists me as one of her running mentors.  “For three or four years, Gale and I would run once per week at five AM in Battle Creek.  Gale would push me, and at that time, my running was the best it has ever been.”  I may have pushed Jane, but she also pushed me during those five AM runs with her love and passion for the sport of running rubbing off on me through our conversations as we ran the streets of Battle Creek on those early Tuesday mornings.  Jane has found inspiration and mentorship through many other members of KAR, including famed members Francine Bangs and Julie Hoffman.  Through the years, Jane has spoken of Francine and Julie on many occasions as her rivals.  Even though Jane has considered Julie and Francine her competition, they have both earned her deepest respect and admiration. 

Jane retired eight years ago as a probation officer in Allegan.  She commuted from Battle Creek to Allegan each day for work while heading over to the east side of the state on many weekends to spend time with her family.  It seems that her car has put in as many miles as she has.  Although her kids live on the opposite side of the state, it seems that they have made running a family affair.  She has two sons, two daughters-in-law, and four grandchildren.  Both of her boys and one of her daughters-in-law had been recreational runners in the past.  They had given up on the sport temporarily, but witnessing their mom complete her first marathon in Chicago in 1999 brought them back to running.  “My sons and one daughter-in-law have all run the Boston Marathon.  My grandson ran cross-country and track in high school.  When I would visit him, and I was training for something, he would always ride his bike with me.  He was probably around nine or ten years old.  I believe that from this, he learned to love the sport.  My granddaughter started running more last year and ran the WMU 5K with her dad.”  In the conversations that I have had with Jane over the years, it is obvious to me that she is very proud of her family.

Perhaps what impresses me the most about Jane is her determination to come back to the sport despite layoffs from her many injuries.  Jane’s first encounter with injuries came in 2000 when she fell down a flight of stairs. “I remember thinking that I was going to die as I tumbled down the flight of stairs.  I had no broken bones, which I credit to being fit.”  Jane also fell in January of 2004 on one of her five AM runs with me. Her foot clipped a chunk of ice, and I can still visualize the image of her bounding forward, trying to catch her balance.  I reached to try to stop her fall, but there was nothing that either of us could do.  The X-rays in the ER showed a broken bone in her upper arm. The doctor told her to forget about running in the future, but this only fueled her desire to run.  While on a Christmas-themed run in Battle Creek in December of 2008, Jane slipped on the ice and fell again, but this time, her future in running seemed very grim.  Her initial diagnosis was incorrect, and she was told she could resume running.  After three weeks with no relief, an MRI showed that she had broken her hip.  She had partial hip replacement surgery a few weeks later and was again told she would never run again.  She had come to terms with a life without running, but this changed as spring racing season approached.  Her desire to run returned, and she sought a second opinion.  She was reunited with running, and I was able to watch her finish her first half-marathon post-hip replacement surgery in Indy in 2010.  She decided to give the marathon a try one more time and ran the Detroit Marathon with her good friend, Ginny Middleton, in 2011.  I was there with her family and friends in Detroit at mile twenty-six to see her and Ginny approach the finish line.  A wave of emotion hit me as I watched her finish her half in Indy and her full marathon in Detroit on a partial hip replacement.

For the last two years, Jane has dealt with burning in her legs and was diagnosed with Spinal Stenosis.  She had surgery to repair this in August and is still in the recovery phase.  Jane’s commitment to exercise has continued with a desire to get out and walk every day throughout her recovery.  She drove her nurses at Southwest Rehab crazy and, at the same time, impressed them with her unwillingness to sit on her bum during her recovery from back surgery.   I firmly believe that her level of fitness has aided her in her recovery from her recent back surgery.  Like a prize fighter lying on the floor of the ring, seemingly knocked out, she has pulled herself up time after time to continue her life as a runner.

Through the years, Jane has implemented swimming, biking, and yoga into her fitness routine, which has allowed her to keep running at the ripe age of seventy-three.  Most people her age would never consider running after surgery to correct Spinal Stenosis.  Thoughts of running again are part of what has kept Jane going through rehab after her latest surgery.  Although she remains positive, frustration is still a part of the equation, with the all too familiar feeling of starting over after every setback.  Running after such a major surgery is not a guarantee, but if I were a betting man, I would put my money on her running again.  Like all of us, Jane’s running days will end at some point, but her influence and inspiration on the running community will live long after she runs her last step.  Good luck, Jane.  We hope to see you on the roads soon.

 

Everyone has a story.  Stay tuned next month for another runner’s story.