SOLE SISTER SPOTLIGHT - 2015
September 2015 - Debbie Carriere
December 2015 – Maria Keeley
Maria grew up in Stoneham, MA and graduated from Stoneham High School. She was accepted into the pharmacy program at Northeastern University, graduated with a BS in Pharmacy and is currently a pharmacist at CVS. She married Brian Keeley 21 years ago and has two sons, Christopher (18) and Sean (16). Christopher is a freshman at Salem State and Sean is a sophomore in High School. Maria loves skiing with her family and has had her sons on skis since they were 3 years old.
Maria started running in May of this year. She was brought to the club by Jill Chisholm, since their sons are friends. Maria felt she needed a push to get back into shape and make her health and well-being a priority and knew Sole Sisters was the great to help her with this! She started to just get out there and run at an 18-minute mile. She was running on her own at first and then continued to improve and started to make group runs!
During the group runs she made a goal to keep up with the “sister” in front of her. She continued to shorten the distance between and was eventually keeping up with them! She set a personal goal to speed up and was able to achieve this!
She is always reflecting back to when she first started running and encouraging people to start! Giving the sister in the back of the pack encouraging words and advice is very important to her and recommends that everyone do this! She knows first hand how difficult it is to start something new. Her advice to new runners is to get out there and run! Running with people with more experience has helped her continue to improve her running and health. The first group run is the most intimidating and after that it’s easy. Maria enjoys running with the “Sunday Sisters” and they all continuously encourage each other and provide the motivation to show up weekly.
Maria’s biggest running accomplishment is running the Smutty Nose 5K in October 2015. It was her second 5k and fell on the 12th anniversary for her father’s death. She made a promise to herself that she would beat her previous time and make her Dad proud and she did! Maria not only made her Dad proud but also her fellow Sole Sisters!!
Maria loves the “bling” at the end of races and is making her next goal a 10k so that she can start collections those awesome medals! She can’t wait to have that medal placed around her neck!
Congratulations Maria and thank you for the friendship and support you give your fellow Sole Sisters! We are lucky to have someone like you as part of our group!
November 2015 – Juli Hunt
Juli grew up in Peabody, MA and was a competitive figure skater until College, and then continued to coach skaters after. Juli has a BS in exercise physiology from Merrimack College and a DPT in Physical Therapy from UMASS Lowell. She is also certified in strength and conditioning. She is co-owner of Leonardo Physical Therapy in Wilmington. Juli has 3 children ages 5, 6, and 8 and lives in Wilmington. Her family is always active and loves to hike, bike, ski and play sports!
Juli’s passion is helping athletes recover from injuries- specifically figure skaters, dancers and runners. She is continually furthering her education and studying the mechanics of running and other sports so that she can not only help those that are injured but also prevent these injuries. She is a major asset to the Sole Sisters Running Club and is constantly helping our members. She offers running assessments, gives advice on strength training and helps rehabilitate runners’ injuries. If you have ever run with Juli you know that she is a wealth of knowledge and is always willing to help and answer any questions you may have. Her best advice to other runners is to listen to your body. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t ignore it. Always ask for guidance and suggestions. Not every pain is an injury that will sideline you, but pain left ignored will eventually wreak havoc on your training.
Juli began running about 6 years ago after the birth of her 2nd child. She was battling post partum depression and anxiety and used running to help. At first she hated it but continued and eventually started to embrace it! Her motivation initially was to have time for herself but now she is also running to become a positive, healthy role model for her children. Melissa Davis introduced her to this group and she is forever thankful! She has met so many women that inspire her and continue to push her. She is thankful for the many friendships she has made!
She has completed many races and is steadily increasing her distance. She ran a half marathon recently and will run her second half marathon at the Seacoast Half and hopes to finish under 2:15, we all know Juli can do this!!!!
Juli is always smiling and laughing and running with her is amazing! Thank you Juli for helping you fellow Sole Sisters- we are so lucky to have you!
October 2015 – Marli Piccolo
Marli grew up in Mansfield, MA, is the oldest of 4 kids, and went to Bishop Feehan High. She was a volleyball player, swimmer and did spring track (no running) as a shot put thrower. She went to Bridgewater State College and played on the volleyball team there. Shortly after she started she decided at the time that she needed to take a break from school and started working full time. She was married in 2002 and has two children, Ava (11) and Ben(9) with her husband Artie. Marli continued to work and raise her children while she went back to school and received her Bachelors degree in 2009!
Marli started running when she was 26 years old. She entered her first road race in 1996 and ran Falmouth Road Race for the first time! As she got more confident in her running abilities she decided to run the Rhode Island Marathon in November 1997. She finished with a time of 5 hours and 8 minutes. In April of 1998 she ran Boston and finished in 4 hours 24 minutes! Shortly after she ran another marathon with her sisters for a charity and then went back to shorter distances for a while. In 2011 she came back and ran Boston and has kept going ever since! In 2014 she ran Twin Cities Marathon with a time of 3 hours 54 minutes, and had a PR for half marathon distance with 1 hour 45 minutes. Just this past weekend she ran Chicago Marathon and killed it! BQ time of 3 hours 47 min! GO Marli!
Marli is also an accomplished Triathlete. She has completed sprints, Olympic Distance and a Half-Iron Man on a relay team. She is hoping to complete a Half Iron Man on her own in 2016! Marli we are all confident you can do anything you put your mind to!!
Marli’s motivation to keep running is to be healthy and active and a good roll model for her children. She feels alive and rejuvenated when she runs and thanks this group for all the other wonderful women she has met! Marli can always be seen cheering her fellow runners on and is a major motivator for this group! Besides running you can see her on the field at many team sport activities in Tewksbury cheering her kids and other children on! “Coach” Marli is always a favorite and is well known and loved!!
Nicole Fields introduced Marli to Sole Sisters! This group has allowed her to add passion to her running and continue with her hectic life outside running. She thanks Sole Sisters for having her as a member, but we all know how much we need her too. She is a friend and motivator when we need her most! THANK YOU MARLI!!!!
September 2015 – Debbie Carriere
Debbie grew up in Wilmington, graduated from Wilmington High School and attended UMASS- Lowell where she received a degree in Biology. She then worked in research and development for a pharmaceutical company. Debbie met her husband in the produce section while working at Market Basket. She is currently a SAH mom, avid recycler and spends her day taking care of her three children!
Debbie started running in 2013. At the time her husband was training for his first Boston Marathon. Watching him train got her out there and she found she truly loves this form of exercise. She was self-motivated to keep it up as a form of therapy! Her best advice to new runners is to make it a habit. Put it on your to-do list or calendar so there is no excuse to miss your run! She joined Sole Sisters in 2013, shortly after Jill started the group, and finds by surrounding herself with like-minded individuals also keeps her motivated. This group has motivated her and helped her push her limits to get out there no matter what! She continues to log miles week after week and this keeps her outlook on life happy!
This year Debbie is pushing herself even more! She will be running the New York City Marathon! After having lived through her husband running 8 marathons she decided to throw her name in the lottery and got a spot! She was initially nervous to start the training and struggled finding a goal to get her through it. She decided to run for a charity (even though she didn’t need to). The charity that she decided to apply for was The Martin Richard Charitable Foundation. She was informed that her application had been accepted and was absolutely thrilled to be a part of this amazing charitable foundation! This truly shows the kind of person Debbie is. Always thinking of others! Every mile she logs she is truly helping others. To read about her journey go to: https://www.crowdrise.com/TeamMR8NYC2015/fundraiser/debracarriere
Big Congratulations to Debbie as she continues on her journey to NYC! Anyone that knows her can see how happy and giving she is. She is ALWAYS smiling and laughing! Her passion is shown through her running (and her love for Market Basket and Artie T summer of 2014). A true motivator and inspiration to this club! Thank you Debbie!
August 2015 – Julie Barrett
Julie grew up in Haverhill, MA. She has 3 brothers and they helped her become tough by using her as a wrestling dummy! She and her husband Sean live in Wilmington with their daughters Shannon and Caitlin. She is a business analyst/project manager for BNY Mellon. She has worked there for 16 years.
Julie started running track and cross country in middle school but didn’t really enjoy the long distance running as much as the 800 meter and mile racing. Track was her real love. She attended Fitchburg state University and received her bachelor’s degree in Business. While in college she ran some but found it difficult to manage her running, studies and a busy college social life.
After college she started training with the Mystic Runners Running Club of Medford, where she actively raced 5k’s. With speed training on the track she was able to get to her PR of 19:39! She ran the Boston Marathon in 2005. After this she vowed to never run another again! She continued with 5k’s until joining SSRC in 2014. Jessica brought her to the club with her stories of 5am runs with other strong, dedicated women. At first she thought these early runs were crazy! But is now an early morning runner herself and is always looking for a friend or two to join her!
Julie started out not liking long distance running, but now finds this to be a great outlet to help with life’s stressors. It gives her the challenge she is looking for. She knows she is her toughest critic and continues to challenge herself and set new goals! While she feels that she may not be the fastest (and as we all know she usually is!) as long as she works her hardest she is happy with the results. Since joining SSRC she has completed 4 half marathons, with an amazing PR of 1:39. She still has no plans of running another marathon, but we know we can talk her into it….
Julie feels lucky to have joined this group of women that helps her push her limits and keep her sane. She is so happy to have met so many people that share her same passion for running. If you haven’t joined Julie for a run you must! She is fast but will always be willing to help out a fellow SS and get them to push themselves! Thank you Julie for your dedication to this club. You continue to amaze us with your race times!
July 2015 – Paula Minichiello
Paula keeps herself busy with her big family! She is married with 3 sons, 2 stepsons, 2 daughter-in-laws, 2 grand-kids, and 2 grand pups! She grew up in Burlington and is living there now with her Husband, Mike. Paula is an attorney in Malden.
Paula started running on a consistent basis after the Boston Marathon bombings, due to the amazing and inspiring running stories that came out of this tragedy. She registered for her first race “kick it for kids” in 2013 and has been hooked ever since. The way running makes her feel keeps her going! Paula is an early morning runner and it helps her stay focused during the day and gives her a sense of accomplishment. Paula also loves the friendships she has made and feels that when we all come together we can help each other solve any problems!
Paula was introduced to Sole Sisters by Jeannine Foley and is thankful she found this group! We are all so lucky to have her by our side when we are running! She is kind, funny and always motivating others.
Paula’s real love is “destination running”. She loves a run with a good view and is always willing to travel! She has completed 6 half-marathons and is planning on completing a full in the near future. We all know Paula will do this since she can do anything she puts her mind to. If you’re looking for a buddy to travel with Paula is always ready and willing! Key west here she comes!!!!
Paula is consistently working hard and setting new goals and PR’s! Thank you Paula for being a member of our group!
June 2015 – Melissa Davis
Melissa grew up in Lancaster, MA and gradated from UMASS. She worked for 10 years as an environmental engineer/consultant. She married her high school sweetheart and has 4 children, ages 9, 7 and 4 year old twins. They have lived all over the country and finally settled back in MA 2 years ago. She has been a member since 2013 when she started out on her long runs with Jill and Jessica.
Melissa started running 4 years ago after her twins were born. She enjoys the way running makes her feel. Running helped her fight off her anxiety/depression and makes her feel alive! After completing her first marathon in WI she realized how great running was for her health, both physically and mentally! She struggled with PPD and running has helped her get through many tough times. She is a strong advocate for women with PPD and is always willing to share her story to help others.
Anyone who knows Melissa knows that she is such an amazing, giving person. She volunteers for team triumph, ran the Boston marathon this year and raised 9k for her charity and is always one of our group’s biggest cheerleaders. If you ever have a chance to go on a run with her you will be amazed at how great she can make you feel! She has that sparkle that makes your run better!
Melissa is also not afraid to try new challenges. She is an accomplished tri-athlete. When she first started swimming she could barely do the doggie paddle and has since qualified for the USAT age group triathlon in August. Her motto is “if I fail I at least tried”.
Big congrats to Melissa and we are so lucky to have her as part of our group!
May 2015 – Stephanie Rice
Stephanie grew up in a small town in Montana and now lives in Wilmington. She went to MIT (yes she is nice, fit, gorgeous and SMART!). She started running while she was at MIT since she saw so many people outside enjoying the streets of Boston. She would run along the Charles River, but never participated in any races until years later when her husband talked her into her first 5k. Stephanie is a mom to two wonderful girls and enjoys running with them in races! They recently PR’d with her at the WOW 5k!! Stephanie enjoys the energy of the runners and feeling of accomplishment she gets from running races and has passed this along to her daughters.
Stephanie’s favorite race is the Falmouth Road Race, and enters the lottery every year. For years she thought about running a marathon and was inspired by a friend to sign up for the Cape Cod Marathon, this she considers her greatest running accomplishment! In 2013 she joined Sole Sisters after she noticed a group of women running from Body Infusion. She was added to the Facebook page by Kristy Bouchie and it couldn’t have come at a better time. She was training for the Wilmington Half Marathon and was happy to have company on her long runs. This was helpful since she had been struggling through the long, lonely runs. She had always been to shy and intimidated to join a running club thinking she wasn’t fast or serious enough for them. She soon realized after running with Kristy, Jill and Jessica that she was hooked to this group and the runs! She is thankful for the friendship, motivation and support the group provides for runners of all abilities. She loves being able to post for a run at random times, unpleasant weather for various distances and paces and always being able to find a buddy or two to run with.
For those of you that haven’t met Stephanie she is an amazing person! Always supportive and on group runs she will never leave anyone behind. She is exactly what Sole Sisters is all about and we are so thankful to have her as part of our club!
