Unsung heroes. Yes, there are the obvious heroes: the Dream Team—male and female, Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt. But there are also the stories of a quieter, more genuine kind of inspiration. Some of my favorite moments didn’t necessarily involve marquee-athletes winning gold medals, but rather the great, unsung heroes -

Everyone has a story about how they fell in love with running. Here’s mine. It’s long, just like a good training run on a Saturday morning… I usually don’t make New Year’s Resolutions, passing them off as trite, meaningless promises we make to ourselves but easily forget about when the hangover wears off and we’re faced with the reality of life again. “I’ll go the gym everyday, eat healthy and try to be a more positive person at work. And I’ll volunteer for Big Brothers/Big Sisters.” The first two weeks, we hit the gym every day, eat according to the Food Pyramid and grumble less at work. We call Big Brothers/Big Sisters for a brochure. By week four, we go to the gym twice a week, eat whatever we want to on the weekends

Hard-driving. Determined. Persistent. An accurate description of Title Nine customer Jenny Chatman, but far from complete. Fun-loving. Family-oriented. Outdoorsy. Energetic. These are all qualities that Jenny zestfully exudes, and they have served her well in pursuing her goals as a professor, consultant, wife, mother, and athlete. But if you had to choose just one word to describe Jenny, you just might settle on extraordinary.

It’s a mantra of ours at T9. Failing is when theory turns to practice, failing is where the learning comes in, failing is what leads to success. But no matter how often we say it, it’s still hard to live it. So this fall, try a