Avocations, AGRR, January/February 2010

Volume 12, Issue 1 - January/February 2010

Avocations
life beyond the auto glass business

Fifty (5Ks) by 55
Bob Rosenfield, President, JN Phillips Auto Glass

FAST FACTS
Name: Bob Rosenfield
Day Job: President, JN Phillips Auto Glass
Location: Boston
Alter Ego: Runner

JN Phillips Auto Glass president Bob Rosenfield has always been active, but five years ago he moved it into high gear when one of his daughters began running cross country and issued him a challenge: to run a 5K with her before her official school season began.

“I thought, why not?” recalls Rosenfield, who is based in suburban Boston.

Since that race in 2005, Rosenfield has become an avid runner, and now is seeking to achieve an unusual challenge: to run a 5K race in every state by the age of 55.

“I started about a year and a half ago and my goal was to do it before I turned 55. ‘Fifty fives by fifty-five—it sort of had a ring to it,” he says.

Rosenfield has already done ten of these, and, at press time, had two years left to meet his goal.

“I’ve done five of the New England states—Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut and also New York,” he says.

In addition, just since last May, when he embarked on this challenge, Rosenfield has run races in Charleston, S.C., Wilmington, N.C., Chicago and previously in Santa Barbara, Calif.

On Rosenfield’s most recent races, he was joined by some other industry representatives; Glasspro president Paul Heinauer completed the Charleston Reindeer Run with him on December 5, and Dave Johnson of Interstate Glass ran the Battleship 5K with him on November 1.

To train, Rosenfield runs approximately every other day, for a total of about 12 miles a week. He documents his races on a blog, www.50fives.com, and also uses the site to correspond with other runners who might offer race suggestions.

“If anyone wants to go to my blog and post a race idea, that would be welcome,” he says.
And, for those that wish to hit the trails like Rosenfield has done, he encourages them to pick up a copy of Runner’s World and follow their simple steps for training for a 5K.

Rosenfield and his wife, Marjorie, have three daughters, ages 19, 17 and 13.

Education through Athletics
Though JN Phillips Auto Glass president Bob Rosenfield enjoys running, he also has another goal in mind with his recent adventure of running 50 5Ks before the age of 55.

“I am running across the country for a purpose—developing programs for math and science education of young people in the United States,” he says.

During the year 2010, he hopes to launch a non-profit organization focused on engaging elementary-age students in math and science learning through sports related curriculum and mentorship. He hopes to raise awareness for the group, the 3 point14 foundation (which has a website at http://www.3point14.org), through this effort.

“You know the physics behind dribbling a basketball, for example—it’s probably something a kid can relate to,” says Rosenfield. “So our goal would be to send a college basketball player into an elementary school with workbook pages and show them basketball dribbling and go over the pages with them, and then go back in two weeks to follow up on it.”