In the Spotlight: LinkedIn
Dan Dancescu
Engineering Manager, LinkedIn Feed 
Favorite Fitness Activity: Cycling
What’s the secret to your success? Being competitive and always wanting to improve my performance compared to previous workouts. For example, if I go cycling, I want to get there faster than I did last time. If I get on the elliptical, I want to go a longer distance in the same period of time.
What’s the biggest obstacle to moving more, and how do you get over it? Everybody is busy, and it's not easy to find time to work out, but setting up a block of time, just like a meeting and making a point to always attend it, does it for me.
What advice do you have for other members of the LinkedIn Challenge to Move 1 Million Miles? Set a goal for yourself, then move up the bar higher and higher.
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Runcoach user Mark Gillis set a new PR at the Pittsburgh Half-Marathon this month. But the real reward was the strength he gained—and the 60 pounds he lost —on the way to the starting line. He's already setting his sight on his next goal, breaking two hours in a half-marathon this fall.
What prompted you to start running? I wanted to get healthy. And it was part of my weight-loss routine.
What was the key to your weight-loss success? Tracking what you eat is critical, because it is so easy to just grab something without thinking. If I don't portion out my meals and snacks, it's really easy to overdo it. I don't deny myself any specific food, but try and limit the salty snacks that I usually crave.
What’s your biggest obstacle, and how do you get over it? It’s fighting the small nagging aches and pains and getting motivated to run in the morning. I have my clothes and shoes beside my bed, so when I wake up, I automatically put them on. Once they’re on, I’m motivated to go out and run.
What advice would you give others? Start small, and keep the progressive increase in your distances small. I started by run/walking a mile. I use music to keep my pace steady. Now my daily minimum is 3 to 4 miles of running. Consistency is the secret to my success.
Terry Henlin
Concierge
Blue Star Golf & Resort
In the spotlight: Shea Companies
Favorite fitness activity: 18 holes of golf. My husband and I play three times a week, and a boot camp once a week. You can also find us walking in our neighborhood and gardening in our beautiful yard! I also do a boxing class once a week.
What is the secret to your success? Having a partner you exercise with keeps you accountable! And it is more fun. I just turned the “BIG” 60 and I wanted a physical activity I could do with my husband into our 90s. And we will be celebrating our 40th anniversary this year. This keeps up our energy for our three grandchildren and other activities. When you slow down from raising kids and working full time it is a very important time to keep the body moving.
What is the biggest obstacle to moving more and how do you get over it? To start any exercise it is best to join an organized class that you pay a fee! It is fun to groan with many people and a dedicated partner who holds you accountable to work out with!
What is the most rewarding part of moving more? The health rewards are many! Lower blood pressure, sleeping and a fun activity to do with my husband.
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Click here to join the Shea Moves 750,000-Mile Challenge
Download movecoach moves Shea app for iPhone or Android. Robin Baurer grapples daily with the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis: pain, imbalance, numbness, and trouble seeing. But she won’t let the disease stop her. She trained with runcoach and completed the 10-Mile Broad Street Run, and after revamping her diet, lost 85 pounds.
“Maintaining a focus on running has brought positive energy to my psychological, emotional, and physical well-being,” says Baurer, who also has Type 2 Diabetes. “I am determined, dedicated and disciplined to beat this mess of a disease.”
Robin Baurer
Major milestone: The 2017 Broad Street Run. I ran the entire race and I was not winded!
How did you get started? In the spring of 2015 my doctor broke the dreadful news that I was Type 2 diabetic and my [blood sugar] levels were horrendous. I took this awful news very seriously and evaluated my eating habits. I designed a nutrition plan and watched my weight decline. After about four weeks, my energy level increased and my MS symptoms lessened. I incorporated power walking and light jogging. By fall, my jogging became a run. The Broad Street Run seemed organized, safe, and challenging. The training was awesome! I felt prepared going to the starting line, and evidently I was. I am so PROUD to have participated and completed this incredible race! Next: I am participating in a duathlon in Bucks County.
How does running impact your MS? On a daily basis, I experience pain, numbness, imbalance and difficulties with my sight, and these are constant reminders that I have this dreadful disease. Maintaining a focus on running has brought positive energy to my psychological, emotional, and physical well-being . Now, my MS symptoms and flare-ups are less frequent. I have lost 85 pounds since May 2015 and feel amazing.
What motivates you to keep going? For many, many years I had difficulty walking so I feel blessed to be able to stand up everyday and teach as well as walk, jog, or run. I not only wanted to show myself but also show others who experience physical difficulties to "push" forward and give it your best.
Regardless of my speed or lack thereof, I am a winner every time I cross the finish line!
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In the Spotlight: Genentech
Kara Teklinski only started running 10 years ago. But she’s already completed more than 85 endurance events, from Ironman triathlons to 100-mile ultramarathons, using the Marin Headlands and Mt. Tam as her training grounds. “I see any race or event I do as an accomplishment‚” she says, “no matter how fast or slow I go.”
Kara Teklinski 
Group program manager
Favorite fitness activity: trail running
Are you training for anything in particular? I see any race or event I do as an accomplishment no matter how fast or slow I go. Right now I have my sights on the San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run in June. I did not finish this same race in 2016 due to missing a time cut off by 4 minutes around mile 70. The past 6 months have been complete focus and dedication to finishing it this year. Fingers crossed!
What advice would you give for any aspiring trail runners? Just go out and try it! It may be a mile or ten, but the first step to getting into trail running is taking it to the trails. If most of your running experience has been on the roads though, be prepared to be a LOT slower on trails. And trails mean hills! It’s okay to take a few walk breaks. a The first and hardest step is getting out the door. I do most of my training in the Marin Headlands and Mt. Tam, since it is basically out my backdoor. I train for ultra-distance events, so I have been come very familiar with this area. If anyone is looking to head out on the Marin trails feel free to reach out to me with questions!
What advice would you give to other members of the Challenge? Register for an event that takes you out of your comfort level. Train with friends. Have a training plan that you will stick to that is still flexible with your life andwork changes.
What’s the biggest obstacle to moving more?Sitting at a desk all day. I try to take breaks or at least walk to a different building for meetings.
What’s the most rewarding part of the Genentech Moves 500,000-Mile Challenge? Seeing others move more!
In the Spotlight: Genentech
Jeanne Cheung
Senior Scientific Supervisor, Cancer Immunology
Favorite fitness activity: long hikes with friends
What’s the secret to your success? Staying active on a such a regular basis means that it feels awful (mentally and physically) to slack off for more than a few days. It also helps to have active friends.
What’s the biggest obstacle to moving more and how do you get over it? The weather, as I usually prefer to be active outdoors than in a gym. I also sometimes just feel lazy but I force myself to work out anyway (even in the gym) because I know I will feel great afterwards. Half the battle is just getting ready to go and starting up.
What’s the most rewarding part of participating in the Genentech 500,000-Mile Challenge? Post workout euphoria and knowing that if I indulge a bit food-wise I won't feel too guilty about it. Also--not gaining weight!
What advice would you give others? An active lifestyle is a disciplined choice. If you make the choice and stick to it, the rewards go far beyond more Genentech schwag. You'll feel better, stronger, more energetic and your body will thank you as you try to age gracefully.
Sesa Pabalan discovered one of the most important lessons of running: if you want to run fast, you have to take your easy runs truly easy. She just finished a 1:48 half marathon. "It's fun to run fast," she says, "but best to not do it all the time."
Sesa Pabalan
Sport: Running
Major milestone: Going under 1:50 in the half marathon for the first time in three years. I'm still three minutes from my PR, but I'm getting more fit under the runcoach program!
What is the secret to your success? During my long and easy runs I switch the screen on my Garmin so I can only see my heart rate. That way I truly run at an easy effort and save my legs for speed workouts and races.
What is the biggest obstacle to reaching your goals and how do you get over it? Staying consistent with my running during major life changes. It's easy for me to stop running when things aren't going well in the office or with my relationships. I have very little motivation to run during difficult periods in my life, but I just tell myself I will feel a lot better if I run, even if it's just for 20 minutes.
What is the most rewarding part of training? Seeing it pay off in a hard workout or race. With the direction of runcoach, I've been running my fastest times in three years!
What advice would you give to other members of the runcoach community? Trust the process - but don't be afraid to back off if you feel sharp pain, sick, or burned out. I owe most of my progress to being consistent and doing the hard workouts, but it's better to be undertrained than injured because I didn't listen to my body. Run easy most days. I feel like most people run their easy runs too fast. Most of my runs are 11- and 12-minute pace, and I just ran a half marathon in 1:48. I think of sub-9 miles as my "party pace." Yes, it's fun to run fast, but best to not do it all the time.
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In the Spotlight: Genentech
Isidro Garcia
Senior Facilities Coordinator
Favorite fitness activity: Cycling
What’s the biggest obstacle to moving more, and how do you overcome it? Many times, I say I’m going to rest. But when I wake up in the morning I end up saying ‘no I'm adding 10 more miles to my belt.' Plus, there are times I get so nervous thinking about having an accident and there's been times that I leave my bike at home because of that. But there are other times that I am able to just do it.
What’s the most rewarding part of moving more? I've been participating in charity rides for more than a decade to raise money for Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, and AIDS. Just knowing that I've supported people with these illness makes me feel good and glad to be able to help them in some way.The movecoach challenge had kept me in better shape and ready for these upcoming events. I’m glad that I'm healthy, and because I'm riding my bike, I don’t have to spend as much time driving in a car !
What advice would you give to fellow challengers? Have the fear, and do it anyways. With this wonderful weather there's no excuse to move more. Why not get on the saddle and pedal for an hour or 30 minutes daily? Or stop by the gym. I'm glad this challenge was created and I can see everybody pushing the rest of the crew. We keep riding even if it's just because we need to beat the other teams.
Matt Vulanich
Favorite sport: running
Major milestone: My first milestone was deciding to start running nearly 15 years ago at age 45. I started with 20 minutes, three time per week on a treadmill as a stress reducer. Since then, I have run enough miles to go nearly halfway around the world. In terms of racing, it was completing Leg 5 of the Hood-to-Coast relay last August, as I approached my 60th birthday. Leg 5 is widely recognized as the most challenging of the race.
What is the secret to your success? There’s no secret. Just dedication, commitment, the challenge to get better and doing so as the clock ticks. Father Time is the only undefeated opponent known to humankind. I won't beat him either, but I'm going to make it tough for him to win!
What is the biggest obstacle to reaching your goals and how do you get over it? At age 60, the biggest obstacle is staying fit, staying healthy and knowing how hard it will become to maintain my current levels of achievement as I get older. I try overcoming it by making sure that I focus on training, not exercise. Training is making sure that the workouts, fueling, diet and sleep needed to perform are all in complete balance. Doing so keeps me physically fit and mentally prepared.
What is the most rewarding part of training? To me, it is rewarding to enter a race and compete at a level that is competitive with a few age groups lower than me. When I compete, I look to see how I performed overall and against anyone, say, 20 years younger. So far, I've done well and hope that it continues for a while longer.
What advice would you give to other members of the runcoach community? It's never too late to start. Be committed to an overall training regime. It's the best way to stay healthy and compete at a high level. And have fun! I All the running plans and programs I've used over the years, I truly appreciate runcoach. The ability to have a dynamic plan that adjusts along the way to my performance has been great.
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