Category: Uncategorized (Page 2 of 3)

I’ve read this single, entire article, and if the premise is going to be consistent, I can’t think of a single positive outcome other than advertising and sponsorship revenue.

The gist of the “Enhanced Games” is that it will be much like the Olympics, but athletes can use performance-enhancing drugs that have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, such as anabolic steroids and growth hormones. The idea is to break the records achieved by otherwise clean athletes, and pay the participating doper $1 Million.

Here’s what’s wrong with this whole premise:

• It’s still cheating. An athlete would be achieving some goal in a way that he or she couldn’t otherwise attain without chemical intervention.
• Records would be broken, and that would discount all previous records and attempts. Someone will break Eliud Kipchoge’s 1:59:40 in the (unsanctioned) marathon. Someone will break 9 seconds in the 100 meters. But why? Just to say it’s been done?
• It won’t count. Will we need another column in the future record books that shows a real record and a doping-assisted record?
• It glorifies this trend in society where we need it now. What’s the point of months and years of hard, dedicated, consistent work to achieve a goal?
• I could go on and on with this list but, to me, the most important is that it teaches our children something very, very wrong. Kids idolize athletes. If a child’s hero smashes a world record and did it by doping, what does this teach the child?

It’s a disheartening state of affairs when and if an athlete would even remotely consider being rewarded for doping because they need or otherwise feel they deserve the money.

Sha’Carri Richardson makes $50,000/year from winning national and world championships in the 100- and 200-meters, and from brand endorsements. NBA player Stephen Curry makes $50 Million. There’s a discrepancy there. I’ll argue until I’m blue in the face that Richardson works just as hard as Curry. Richardson’s net worth is more than $50k, and Steph’s is more than $50M, and the exact dollar amounts aren’t the point. The point is, one athlete is glorified and earns more than the other for the work, points, time, achievements, and titles. Sha’Carri can’t just up and join the Golden State Warriors so she can earn more money.

But now I guess she could dope, run the risk of destroying her body, and possibly kill herself in the name of a buck.

And why? To break a record and create a spectacle. Investors invest and will want a handsome, fast return from sponsorship and advertising dollars. The rest of the world can sit on our asses while we watch our hometown dopers compete against each other, and be enticed to buy and consume products that make all of our lives “better.”

I’m calling for a boycott now.

I’m not going to get into the intricacies of last week’s race, but Jenny didn’t get the 3:40 in the Foot Traffic Flat Marathon. Part of me is surprised, but I’m also well-aware that the marathon owes you nothing. Jenny was surprised when she realized the wheels were already coming off at the 5k mark, and rightfully disappointed and mad when she crossed the finish 12 minutes past her goal time. She let herself be angry for the just right amount of time, but she didn’t wallow. She told me she’s going to be ready for round 2.

Round 2

This morning I listened to The Real Science of Sport Podcast’s episode “How to Make an Olympic Athlete” with Mark Coogan of New Balance Boston as the guest of honor. I’m not much of a Podcast listener; mainly because I don’t have the alone downtime to pay attention to lengthy talking. And I’m pretty confident that I have undiagnosed ADHD. I’ve tried to listen to Podcasts on base runs, but I’ll invariably get lost and distracted in my own head or by the landscape. I made myself listen to every word of Coogan’s interview today. I’m a huge fan of Mark’s coaching philosophy, but that’s not what I took away from the interview.

My job in coaching is to get an athlete to the start line happy and healthy. The strength, strategy, speed, and confidence are all secondary. We did our job in this 16 week training block leading up to Foot Traffic Flat, but fell short on one (or many) secondary jobs. So now we have to figure out what to adjust and work on.

I like the data that we can get from GPS watches and apps, but I don’t obsess over or rest on that data. However, there were a couple things that stood out to me when I was looking at Jenny’s race data that was captured by her watch:

1. Ground contact time increased steadily and significantly early on
2. Cadence decreased steadily and significantly early on

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m no expert in biomechanics and physiology but to me, the work needs to be on, simply put: fast feet. And my assessment is non-generic. It’s athlete-specific because I’ve watched Jenny train for six months. She nailed every interval, hill, and tempo workout. She got in her long runs. Her weekly mileage was where it needed to be. She stayed healthy, fed, and rested.

The only time I questioned any part of her training was in her interval workouts. I second guessed myself in her prescribed pacing for 800-meter repeats. I don’t think they were too easy for her, but I think she’s more than capable and easily willing to demand more from her legs. She going to need to learn to turn her legs over faster and push harder on toe-off in each stride.

Faster, more intense interval workouts and strides.

Of all things, my takeaway from Coogan’s interview was strides. To open up the stride, slightly over-extend, engage and build fast twitch fibers, and promote recovery; once (maybe twice) per weekly microcycle after finishing a long run.

I love running because we’re literally in flight when we do it; It’s what differentiates walking from running. One foot on the ground versus no feet on the ground. Farther, faster, in the air. You put in the work and you’ll get there.

He has such an admirable and amazing communication style. He’s very motivating and inspiring on video when he speaks, and I’d imagine tenfold in person, and I think it’s because it comes from a place of love. I think he has a true love for his athletes and their overall happiness, well-being, aspirations, health, and success. I think his love for the connections with each athlete rivals or exceeds the love of the sport.

I have so many of Smith’s one-liners tucked into the back of my head and I’m absolutely comfortable admitting that I’m going to steal them and use them for my athletes.

Mike Smith is the Director of Cross Country and Track & Field at the University of Northern Arizona. You can read his coaching bio on NAU’s website.

And for my money, this is the best short series of YouTube videos that I think I’ve ever watched. Flotrack worked with Coach Smith and the men’s cross country team to produce “Running with the Boys,” which tracks the team’s 2019 season.

Episode 1:

Episode 2:

Episode 3:

So much to spectate and digest in this year’s U.S. Track & Field Olympic Trials.

Athing Mu, gold medalist in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the 800 got tangled up 200 meters into the finals last night and went to the ground. There was a part of me that was hopeful that she’d recover, rally, find some kind of gear, and podium to make the US team, but I’d imagine it’s next to impossible to make up any lost time in the 800.

I’m not going to lie. I started crying when I saw her crying as she crossed the line in 9th place.

Here’s the video of the women’s 800 meter final and Athing’s spill 200 meters in:

And then there was the 5,000 meter final. Oh, lordy. Parker Valby started out vying for some kind of position near the back, and then just decided to punch it early on to take the lead and push the pace. I loved the move because she has every reason to be cocky and to wear her competition down by throwing down a hot pace off the line. I thought she was going to keep putting distance between herself and the rest of the pack. That proved to not be the case and Ellie St. Pierre plowed through to take the lead with Elise Cranny giving her a run for her money for second place by two hundredths of a second.

And I feel terribly because I didn’t recognize Karissa Schweizer until there was maybe 1k left in the race, and she put up a good fight to come in 3rd and make the US Olympic team. And it goes to show that she’s not so sweet and reserved when she tracks Parker Valby at the 12:30 minute mark in the race to take the 3rd place position.

But man, that throwdown between St. Pierre and Cranny in the last 100 meters.

FUN FACT: I’ve done the real deal. This test was done in April 2018. It was a hard series of tests. If I remember correctly, my VO2 Max at the time of this test was 62 mL/kg/min.

Now my Garmin fenix 7 Pro says my current VO2 Max is 57 mL/kg/min.

27:30 minutes in.

“Stacking. It’s no one week. It’s no one workout. It’s the sum.”

I chat with my friend Rebecca once a month via Zoom. She and I are former colleagues and she’s and amazing and highly decorated ultra trail runner who hails from Boulder.

Today she asked me if I’d kept up with the Spring Energy saga. I had no idea what she was talking about. Spring Energy is an energy gel that has historically used whole foods and natural ingredients, and was created specifically for athletes and adventurers who prefer natural and more wholesome ingredients. I went through a period where I used Spring Energy because other products are hard for me to choke down. A necessary evil, if you will, for endurance sports.

I don’t exactly remember when and where it was, but I do remember the day that Spring Energy’s Canaberry didn’t sit well with me at all. I usually have an iron-clad stomach, but that day, the Canaberry burned through that iron and I’ve since sworn off Spring Energy’s gels.

Some astute people on Reddit recently did their own independent testing on Spring Energy’s products and apparently Spring Energy has been duping consumers, specifically around package labeling and caloric content.

Here’s the Spring Energy founder addressing the issue on Instagram:

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I very much respect and admire Jakob Ingebrigtsen. I first learned of Jakob when he and his two older brothers, Filip and Henrik, paced Eliud Kipchoge in the historic, first-ever sub-2 hour marathon in Vienna in 2019. This video still makes my eyes water.

I respect and admire Jakob because he’s an extremely talented athlete, he works his ass off, and he’s rightfully confident cocky. Nothing’s better in my book than an athlete putting their money where their mouth is.

Last Saturday Ingebrigtsen came in a close second to Josh Kerr in the Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic. It was either man’s race…

…and you can just see it in Jakob’s eyes. He lost. He was disappointed with himself.

Five days later, with a chip on his shoulder, he wasn’t going to come in second place again. Even if that meant taking a dive to break the tape in the 1500 against Timothy Cheruiyot in Oslo at the Diamond League meet.

Whatever it takes.

Izac Bauer and I worked together back in April for some portfolio footage through Granada Estates. I had to run 11 miles for this. 😉

On January 17, 2024 my supervisor fired me from my job as the Membership and Community Development Manager for Austin Runners Club.

I’ve really struggled with the idea of writing all of this down. Part of me wants to just put it all behind me and move on. The other part of me wants to get it out and document it for a myriad of reasons. First, this was the first time I’ve ever been “fired” (I’ve been through my share of layoffs). And, since January 17th, I have experienced a lot of negative emotions, especially since late March when I was denied unemployment compensation by the Texas Workforce Commission because my termination was deemed as misconduct.

I also wanted to clear the air. Being fired comes with a stigma. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned with my reputation in the running community. I’ve worked hard to earn the like and trust of the community. Wrongfully being fired for “misconduct” deserves defending. I also want it to be known how and why the Austin Runners Club fired me; a story about a running community organization and how they treat the “community.”

For some historic context, I’ve been a working professional for 24 years now. I’ve run companies, I’ve started companies, I’ve worked mostly in tech in leadership, operations, account management, sales, and client services capacities. I’ve been around. I know how to operate as a professional. I’ve never engaged in “misconduct.”  And I’ve made some good money in my career. I only bring up the money part because it’s important later in this story.

I started running 11 years ago. I became extremely passionate about running. I’ve done a lot of cool things in running. I’ve won races. I’ve qualified for the Boston Marathon 7 times. I’ve run across the Grand Canyon. I’ve run ultramarathons. And I’ve built communities. I’ve been twice certified as a Road Runners Club of America run coach, I coach individuals and groups, and I started one of the largest and most successful run clubs in Austin, TX.

After some career-related frustrations and soul searching in the last year and a half, I decided to start looking into career opportunities in the running industry. I’ve been a member of Austin Runners Club and by nature of being a part of the Austin running community, I was friends with former and current leadership and employees of Austin Runners Club (which was acquired by Marathon Kids in 2021). I applied for their open Chief Operating Officer role in early 2023. I didn’t get that job. I applied for the Marketing Director position later in that same year. I didn’t get that job either. I admittedly wasn’t the right candidate for either role, but I was trying to get in. The whole time I was in communications with the (now former) Marathon Kids CEO, who I consider a friend. One day I sent her an email and asked her if she thought I should just move on. She called me a few days later and told me about the Membership and Community Development Manager role that was going to need to be backfilled in a few weeks. She invited me into the office to talk about the job. I obliged.

She told me she was excited about how I could use my skills and experience, professionally and as a runner and do great things and have fun with this job. She was also blunt and told me that the caveat was that the job didn’t pay very well.

I didn’t care what the job paid and I would’ve signed right there in her office, but I told her I needed to talk to Elise first, just to make sure I had her buy-in. I already knew what Elise’s answer would be.

And Elise didn’t bat an eye. She said, “of course you’re taking this job. It’s what you want to do, and everyone knows that it’s perfect for you.”

And so I sent in my signed offer letter the following day. Now, back to what I’d mentioned above about having made good money in my career. My new job as Membership and Community Development Manager for the Austin Runners Club was a 57% reduction in salary for me. That’s not an insignificant number. But Elise and I would figure out how to rub two nickels together. After 17 years of managing our family, Elise went out and got a full-time job so our two incomes would allow us to continue leading a modest lifestyle.

I didn’t take this job for the money. The motivator for me was the job itself. I was getting paid to work in the running industry and support the running community. I was getting paid to do something that I was genuinely passionate about. Screw the money. I was happy.

You know that saying: “people don’t leave jobs. They leave managers?” This was definitely one of those situations. But, you see, I didn’t leave. I was fired.

I did my job. I did it well. I enjoyed my job. I liked going in to the office. I loved interacting with club members, vendors, partners, and sponsors. I liked my coworkers. And everyone liked me except for, I guess, my boss.

Now I guess this is where I get into the dirt. 

And it all started after the CEO had hired me and, per my request, I’d asked to have a coffee or lunch meeting with my new boss, the COO, just so she and I could get to know each other. I’d’ve thought a business lunch would be met with business attire. I wasn’t suit and tie, but I wore khaki pants and a buttoned shirt. My soon-to-be-boss was wearing very low rise fitted short tights and a tank top. And I had to buy my own lunch. 

After some informal small talk, I was told that she didn’t agree with the process by which I’d been hired, and she didn’t like how most of the staff and board members where already “white and heterosexual.” So, I’ve already a strike against me for being white and heterosexual.

My start date was July 18th. I’m not going to go into all the ins and outs of learning the role and doing my job but, I hit the ground running, I was happy and excited to be there, and I enjoyed my job.

I will point out that at some point in August I was asked to assume the additional role and responsibility of the Austin Distance Challenge Coordinator. This job required supporting 300 runners who would be participating in a series of six races, a race per month from September through February. This role had been previously managed on a contract basis by a good friend of mine who also happens to be the former president of the Austin Runners Club and arguably the most connected person in the Austin running community. My boss decided to end his contract with 30 days notice and had me assume the role. He offered and I took him up on it to have him continue to support me (for free) in the my newly-assumed role of Austin Distance Challenge Coordinator.

NOW HERE’S THE DIRT

On January 17th my boss summoned me into a Google Meeting where she proceeded to fire me for unsubstantiated reasons. I had absolutely no clue I was getting fired as there was no reason(s) to fire me. Two months later my former boss would then lie to the Texas Workforce Commissions about my termination.

The reasons I was given for my termination were:

1. I didn’t implement a “New to Running” program in two weeks
2. “It was difficult to get the newsletter out”
3. I didn’t employ a ticketed gear check at the Distance Challenge tent at the Decker Challenge

In Texas, if you’re laid off or you get fired, one of the first things you do is go to the Texas Workforce Commission’s (TWC) website and submit a claim for unemployment benefits. The TWC confirms the termination and reason(s) thereof with the former employer.

I was notified by the TWC in mid-March that I was denied unemployment compensation because “our investigation found your employer fired you because you did not perform your work to the employer’s standards although you had previously demonstrated you were capable of doing adequate work. This is considered misconduct connected with the work.” 

Misconduct?! I don’t like that word at all. I didn’t engage in misconduct. What it boils down to is my boss didn’t like me. A manager who knows a thing or two would fire someone for “budgetary constraints” or something equally innocuous or non-debatable.

Austin Runners Club fired me for unsubstantiated reasons. They took away my livelihood and now they were preventing me from getting unemployment assistance. I immediately filed for an appeal.

Upon filing for an appeal both parties are able to submit evidence to support their respective cases in the appeal hearing.

Below is the verbatim “final incident” that led to my firing, which was submitted by Austin Runners Club as evidence to the TWC:

Final Incident: The final incident was when the claimant was asked to complete a task and he failed to do as requested. The claim ant received prior verbal warnings; therefore, he was well aware his job was in jeopardy but failed to comply and improve. The claimant’s actions constitute misconduct which is behavior that is not in accordance with the accepted moral or professional standards.
Final Incident Date: 1/16/2024

Here is the Google Chat screenshot that was submitted by my former boss to be included as evidence in the hearing packet to substantiate my termination was based on “misconduct.”

My telephone appeal hearing was on April 29th. It was an easy win because 1) my former employer was wrong in why and how they fired me and 2) my former employer didn’t attend the hearing.

The screenshot above is the only evidence provided as to why I was fired. My rebuttal was surefire. My boss and I had initially talked about implementing a “New to Running” program on January 2nd. No details, direction, or timeline were established. We never talked about the “New to Running” program again until January 16th, and that entire conversation is captured in the evidenced Google Chat screenshot. I was fired the next day, on January 17th.

I never received prior verbal warnings; therefore, I was never aware my job was in jeopardy.

I’d initially gone into this appeal process preparing myself to defend the three reasons that I recall for being terminated. When the TWC mailed the hearing packet, the only reason for my termination was the New to Running program. But I was prepared to defend myself against any and all reasons that the Austin Runners Club fired me.

THE DETAILS

RE: Determination on Payment of Unemployment Benefits Date Mailed: March 20, 2024

APPEAL CONFIRMATION NUMBER: [redacted]

To Whom It May Concern:

I am appealing all determinations that have been ruled against me and are preventing unemployment payments from being made to me.

I was verbally terminated from my position as the Membership and Community Development Manager at Marathon Kids / Austin Runners Club (“ARC”) on January 17, 2024, via a Google Meet video conference by my former supervisor.

I do not agree with and am appealing the Reason For Decision of “Our investigation found your employer fired you because you did not perform your work to the employer’s standards although you had previously demonstrated you were capable of doing adequate work. This is considered misconduct connected with the work.” 

My understanding from my conversation with my supervisor is that my employment was terminated for the following reasons:

1. I did not draft or create documentation that would support the implementation of the Austin Runners Club “New to Running” program.
   
   Claimant’s Response: Our first weekly staff meeting of the 2024 new year was held on Tuesday, January 2, 2024 (I no longer have access to the organization’s calendar, so I am not certain of the exact date, but our staff meetings were always on Tuesday mornings and this was the first staff meeting upon everyone returning to the office from winter break and after the new year.). At the beginning of this meeting there was an “ice breaker” prompt of “Do you create or believe in New Year Resolutions?” I provided a response to the team equating to “I don’t subscribe to New Year Resolutions, but I do believe in setting small and achievable goals so you can set yourself up for success. So instead of creating a resolution to run a marathon this year, create a smaller, more achievable goal such as, “I’m going to run 1 mile a day, 3 days per week.”
   
   During my supervisor’s and my weekly one-on-one meeting that week I was told that she liked my response to the “ice breaker” prompt at the staff meeting, and was asked if I would be willing to re-implement ARC’s New to Running program. I enthusiastically agreed to take ownership of this project. My supervisor and I agreed that it would be difficult to launch this program to align with any “New Year” theme as we were already early into January. My supervisor suggested that perhaps the program could start in February. I acknowledged her suggestion, knowing that a month turnaround for implementation would be unrealistic given my existing workload, and therefore suggested implementing the program in March. I was asked to start putting together documentation to support the implementation of the New to Running program. No additional direction was provided, and no timeline was established or agreed upon at the time of my supervisor’s and my meeting.
   
   During January and February, my primary job responsibilities and focus were to support and prepare for the 3M Half Marathon, one of six races that are part of ARC’s Austin Distance Challenge, the Austin Marathon and Half Marathon, and Austin Distance Challenge finisher party. In the immediate period following our initial discussion, I had approximately 12 business days to continue preparing to support the 300 Austin Distance Challenge participants  for the upcoming 3M Half Marathon race, which was to be held on January 21, 2024.
   
   During this period, I was cognizant of my responsibility to begin documenting and preparing to implement the ARC New to Running program. Using my best judgment as an astute business professional with over 20 years of working experience, and as a certified Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) run coach, I began this process by contacting two (2) reputable certified run coaches via email to solicit their participation as coaches for the ARC New to Running Program. I emailed these two coaches 7-10 business days after my supervisor and I had initially discussed implementing the New to Running program. My objective was to secure coaching resources first in order to establish a start date for the program and determine the day(s) of the week that both coaches would be available to provide coaching services to the participants of the program. Upon establishing a program start date, I would then begin the documentation and work backward against the program start date to factor in other dependencies such as budget, marketing, program meeting locations, and any other resources required to support the program.
   
   In a subsequent one-on-one meeting with my supervisor held on January 16th, I was asked about any progress that I’d made on the New to Running program. I informed her that I had previously emailed two certified run coaches to solicit their participation in the program. My supervisor expressed dissatisfaction that no documentation had been produced to date. I explained to my supervisor that I was awaiting responses from the prospective coaches that I had contacted before establishing start dates for the program and the documentation thereof. Again I will point out that no timeline was established or agreed upon during my supervisor’s and my initial meeting to discuss the implementation or launch of the New to Running program.
   
   During this meeting or at any point thereafter, there were no guidelines, improvement opportunities, performance objectives, or expectations that were discussed, mutually agreed upon, or documented in writing and provided to me as it relates to the documentation of the New to Running program. Furthermore, at the time of or at any point after this meeting, there was no discussion, mutual agreement, or written documentation provided to me as it relates to any kind of insubordination, misconduct, or not performing my work to the company’s standards.
   
   I was fired the following day, on January 17, 2024
   
   Additionally, given that the creation of documentation to support the New to Running program was an entirely new task assigned to me, there was no previous comparable work performed by me to substantiate the claim that “I had previously demonstrated I was capable of doing adequate work” and therefore should not be considered misconduct connected with the work.
   
2. I did not provide a ticketed gear check at the Austin Distance Challenge tent at the Decker Challenge race on December 10, 2023
   
   Claimant’s Response: On December 12, 2023 in our weekly one-on-one meeting I was reprimanded by my supervisor for not implementing a ticketed gear check process at the Austin Distance Challenge tent at the Decker Challenge, which was held the previous Sunday, December 10, 2023.
   
   A ticketed gear check process would require a check-in of every Austin Distance Challenge participant, approximately 300 individuals. Myself, another staff member, or a volunteer would need to physically write each participant’s race bib number on an adhesive paper wristband and attach the wristband to any bags or articles that the participant wanted to leave at the Austin Distance Challenge tent to be picked up later at the conclusion of the race event. ARC did not have adequate staff or planned volunteer support to fulfill this task.
   
   For reference, on September 17, 2023, at the CASA Superhero Run, which was the first race event of the Austin Distance Challenge, ARC’s Race Director, and I implemented a ticketed gear check process for the Austin Distance Challenge participants. The process of having approximately 300 race participants write their bib numbers on a paper wristband and affixing the wristband to bags and other articles to be checked in proved to be a very time- and process-intensive endeavor. The line to check in with the Austin Distance Challenge tent grew exceedingly long, participants became frustrated and felt rushed to get to the starting line of the race event after having to wait in a long line for a ticketed gear check, and we received complaints on-site and after the race event about the gear check process. The Race Director and I then decided that a ticketed gear check process was excessive, time-consuming, and unnecessary as the process impeded our ability to best serve our guests at the Austin Distance Challenge race events in a timely, attentive, and organized manner.
   
   On October 22, 2023, at the Daisy Dash 5k and 10k race event, which was the second race event of the Austin Distance Challenge, I provided a self-check and honor system gear check process that allowed Austin Distance Challenge participants to enter the Austin Distance Challenge tent and voluntarily leave their bags or articles on or below tables that were provided specifically for participants so they could safely leave their belongings at an attended tent and return after the race event to recover their belongings. The tent was supervised by myself, Christie Curtis, and Elise Janicek during the entire event, and only those with an Austin Distance Challenge wristband were allowed to enter. Our participants appreciated this improved, efficient, and streamlined amenity. There were no complaints from any participants regarding the lack of a ticketed gear check process.
   
   On November 5, 2023, at the Run for the Water 10-mile race, which was the third race event of the Austin Distance Challenge, I provided the same self-check and honor system gear check process that allowed participants to voluntarily leave any bags or articles at the attended Austin Distance Challenge tent. Again, all participants were appreciative of this amenity and there were no complaints regarding the lack of a ticketed gear check process.
   
   On December 8, 2023, the Race Director and I were in the Austin Runners Club office and were both very busy coordinating and staging all of the gear, supplies, and equipment that were to be transported and utilized at the Travis County Expo Center for the upcoming Decker Challenge race event which was to be held that forthcoming Sunday, December 10, 2023.
   
   While I was in the process of moving boxes and containers of race equipment, my supervisor approached me and expressed her desire to implement the ticketed gear check process at the Decker Challenge race event. While I did not agree that the ticketed gear check process was effective or necessary, I nonverbally nodded my head in assent toward my supervisor as an indication of agreement.
   
   On December 10, 2023, at the Decker Challenge race, which was the fourth race event of the Austin Distance Challenge, I provided the same self-check and honor system gear check process that allowed participants to voluntarily leave any bags or articles at the attended Austin Distance Challenge tent. Again, all participants were appreciative of this amenity and there were no complaints regarding the lack of a ticketed gear check process.
   
   On December 12, 2023, in our weekly one-on-one meeting, I was reprimanded by my supervisor for not implementing a ticketed gear check process at the Austin Distance Challenge tent at the Decker Challenge race event. Upon discussing the matter further, I apprised my supervisor that the ticketed gear check process was time- and resource-intensive, unnecessary, and created long lines and frustration for our guests. At that time, I also noted that I had provided a self-check and honor system gear check process at the previous two race events, and that amenity was well-received and appreciated by our guests.
   
   My supervisor then asked me why I nodded assent when she expressed her preference to have me implement a ticketed gear check process on December 8, 2023. I explained to my supervisor that I felt the present time and setting were not conducive to having the conversation regarding the multiple reasons why a ticketed gear check process created a sub-optimal and frustrating experience for our guests. My supervisor assured me that it was okay if I approached her and told her if I ever disagreed with her ideas. I expressed my remorse, I acknowledged my fault, I apologized, and I assured my supervisor that I would make her aware of any disagreement that I might have with her ideas, preferences, or expectations in a timely fashion in the future.
   
   At the time of or at any point after this meeting there was no discussion, mutual agreement, or written documentation provided to me as it relates to any kind of insubordination, misconduct, or not performing my work to the company’s standards. There was no written or verbal warning that this would impact my job security.
   
   Additionally, my supervisor was assigned by our race director the task of “Help coordinate Distance Challenge (DC) bag drop” at the Austin Distance Challenge tent at the Decker Challenge race event on December 10, 2023, as cited in EXHIBIT A. These responsibilities were documented in the “Decker Challenge Run of Show” and stored and maintained on the Marathon Kids / Austin Runners Club shared Google Drive, accessible to all staff members, and reviewed by all staff members, including my supervisor, at the staff meeting held on December 5, 2023.
   
   A ticketed gear check process was not a contractual obligation, advertised amenity, or service that ARC agreed to render to the Austin Distance Challenge participants as outlined in the “Participant Perks” section listed on the Austin Distance Challenge website found at https://austinrunners.org/distance-challenge/ and annotated in EXHIBIT B, attached here. The advertised amenity clearly and conspicuously defines “a bag drop.” A ticketed gear check process was my supervisor’s personal preference, not an organizational decision. It was not a stated requirement of my job and therefore does not support the claim that “I did not perform my work to the employer’s standards” nor that “this is considered misconduct connected with the work.”
   
   Lastly, and for the record, I was hired by ARC in July of 2023 as the Membership and Community Development Manager, with the Roles and Responsibilities of the position outlined on page 2 of the June 19, 2023 Employment Offer Letter, attached here as EXHIBIT C. In August of 2023, my supervisor approached me and asked me to assume the additional role and responsibilities of the Austin Distance Challenge Coordinator. This role required the management, support, and coordination of 300 ARC members and their participation in six (6) large race events, with one (1) race event each month, and a Distance Challenge finishers party spanning the months of September 2023 through February 2024. The responsibilities of this additional role significantly increased my workload and the time required to perform the expected responsibilities of my job for which I was contracted to perform. I voluntarily assumed the additional responsibilities of the Distance Challenge Coordinator role with no additional guidance, direction, or any kind of written job performance expectations or objectives, and without any additional compensation.
   
3. “It was difficult to get the newsletters sent”
   
   From July 18, 2023 to January 17, 2024, I authored and sent four (4) monthly newsletters during the six (6) months that I was employed as follows:
   • July: I started my job at Austin Runners Club on July 18th. No newsletter was sent that month as I was still new to the organization and being trained.
   • August: Newsletter was sent on August 23, 2023
   • September: No newsletter was sent as I had recently voluntarily agreed to take on the additional role and responsibilities of the Austin Distance Challenge Coordinator. This new additional responsibility required a lot of my time and made it difficult for me to produce and distribute the membership newsletter in September. Additionally, I contributed a significant amount of time and resources in the preparation and execution of the Zilker Relays, which were held on September 9, 2023. On or around the dates of either September 12, 2023, or September 19, 2023, my supervisor and I discussed the possibility of not sending a newsletter in September due to the existing workload. My supervisor agreed that it would be fine to not send a membership newsletter in September.
   • October: Newsletter was sent on October 19, 2023
   • November: Newsletter was sent on November 16, 2023
   • December: Newsletter was sent on December 18, 2023
   • January: Newsletter was not sent as I was fired on January 17, 2024

It is my firm belief that I did not make it difficult to send the monthly newsletter. Conversely, I feel that management made it difficult for me to send the monthly newsletter.

I enjoyed writing and being provided with the opportunity to publish the monthly ARC newsletter. This was one of the responsibilities that I was most looking forward to when accepting the job. One of the reasons that the Marathon Kids / Austin Runners Club’s former CEO hired me was because of my experience, proven work ethic, personality, and deep influence within the running community in Austin.

The Austin Runners Club is a non-profit organization that supports a relatively small percentage of the Austin community who enjoys the hobby of running. The Austin Runners Club is not a large, stringent, publicly-traded Fortune 500 corporation. The ARC monthly newsletter was designed to disseminate information about general club updates and events to its members in a casual and friendly tone. I attempted to employ autonomy and use my unique personality, enthusiasm, and a small amount of tasteful, relevant, and respectful light-heartedness and humor in an effort to have our members open, read, and engage with the organization’s newsletter, which was part of my job responsibilities as indicated in EXHIBIT C.

On many occasions, my newsletter drafts were submitted to my supervisor for approval, and my personal tone was requested to be struck from the drafts. As an example, in the December 2023 draft of the ARC newsletter, I wrote the following for the introductory paragraph:

“Good tidings, happy holidays, Feliz Navidad, figgy pudding, and fartleks! The holidays are among us and we hope the season affords you plenty of time with those whom you love and to reflect. Reflecting is very important this time of year, especially on topics such as, “how many slices of that delicious chocolate yule log can I count as ‘topping off my glycogen stores?'” and, “would eggnog clog the spigot of my handheld? Whatever your plans for the holidays, we wish you health, happiness, prosperity, and many opportunities to get out for a run, wherever you are and whatever direction the road or trail may take you.”

My supervisor’s edit request was: “Let’s cut down on the cheekiness in the intro 😉 “

I made the requested changes and the approved and delivered opening paragraph of the December 2023 newsletter was as follows:

“The holidays are among us and we hope the season affords you plenty of time with those whom you love and to reflect. Whatever your plans for the holidays, we wish you health, happiness, prosperity, and many opportunities to get out for a run, wherever you are and whatever direction the road or trail may take you.”

Additionally, on multiple occasions there was duplicate and repetitive information contained in both the weekly ARC Marketing newsletter and the monthly ARC membership newsletter. ARC’s Marketing Director and I worked closely together and agreed that it would be in the organization’s best interest to maximize resources and efficiencies and work together to consolidate the marketing email and membership newsletter into a weekly newsletter. My supervisor did not agree with our recommendation. I continued to author and distribute the monthly newsletter as indicated in the bulleted timeline above and thereby fulfilled the responsibility of my job requirements. It should also be known that no specific timelines or due dates for membership newsletters were ever communicated to me, nor was I reprimanded or told that the membership newsletters were not sent in a timely manner.

Therefore, and in conclusion, given the reasons outlined above, I do not agree with and am appealing the Reason For Decision of “Our investigation found your employer fired you because you did not perform your work to the employer’s standards although you had previously demonstrated you were capable of doing adequate work. This is considered misconduct connected with the work.”

According to Section 201.012 of the Texas Unemployment Compensation Act: “Misconduct means mismanagement of a position of employment by action or inaction, neglect that jeopardizes the life or property of another, intentional wrongdoing or malfeasance, intentional violation of a law, or violation of a policy or rule adopted to ensure orderly work and the safety of employees. The term ‘misconduct’ does not include an act in response to an unconscionable act of an employer or superior.”

1. I did not engage in mismanagement of a position of employment by action or inaction. I did not mismanage my position in any way. I acted upon all of the job responsibilities as expected of me to the best of my ability to serve the members of the Austin Runners Club community. There was no “inaction” on my part. Any reasons outlined for my termination are based on “actions” that did not align with the preferences of management. Again I will note that there was no mention, mutual agreement, or written documentation provided to me as it relates to any kind of insubordination, misconduct, or not performing my work to the company’s standards
2. I did not engage in neglect that jeopardizes the life or property of another.
3. I did not engage in intentional wrongdoing or malfeasance; wrongdoing being defined as “illegal or dishonest behavior,” and malfeasance being defined as wrongdoing by a public official. I feel that there is nothing in the reasons for my termination that should be considered illegal or dishonest behavior.
4. I did not violate any laws.
5. I did not engage in the violation of a policy or rule adopted to ensure orderly work and the safety of employees. If it is believed that I violated a policy or rule adopted to ensure orderly work, there was no mention, mutual agreement, or documentation provided to me as it relates to any kind of violation of rule or policy, and therefore I was not provided the adequate means or opportunity by which to improve or correct my performance to comply with said rule or policy.

THE OUTCOME

I attended the appeal hearing on April 29th. No one from Marathon Kids / Austin Runners Club (or their outsourced human resources firm or their outsourced unemployment claims consultant) attended. It was a formal and fact finding hearing.

I said my part, answered questions presented to me by the hearing officer, and I spoke the truth under oath.

On May 1st I received a letter from the Texas Workforce Commission’s Appeal Tribunal stating that I’d won the claimant’s appeal.

This whole ordeal was a pain in the ass. The firing was bad because I was fired, but more so because I was fired for unsubstantiated reasons. But now I can say I’ve been fired. And it’s disheartening to have had to deal with such poor management. Between the attire worn by my boss at our first meeting, the discrimination for my being white and heterosexual, the unsubstantiated reasons for my being terminated, and the blatant lies to the State of Texas regarding those reasons. It’s sad that I’m no longer officially working for ARC to support the Austin running community. I guess it’s for the best. I mean, they scoffed at my idea to turn Austin Runners Club back into a running club.

I no longer support or endorse Austin Runners Club or Marathon Kids.

And, well, I guess that’s all I gotta say about that.