Saturday Spotlight
Name: Danielle Coysh
Age: 40
Marital Status: Married to Tom.
Children: Liliana (almost 6) and Julia (almost 4)
Occupation: Attorney. I opened my own law practice in Central Islip in August 2018.
Hobbies: Exercise, running & reading.
Hometown: Hauppauge
Current: After living in Boston, MA for 10 years, I moved back to my hometown of Hauppauge where I now live with my family.
My Story:
I never ran and wasn’t an athlete. I still don’t consider myself athletic even though I’ve run 3 marathons (New York, Boston, and Walt Disney World). I love the peacefulness of running long distances. It gives me a chance to be by myself and clear my mind. I swear a long run can solve any problem.
My running career did not start until law school. I was 25 years old, worked 9-5 at a small criminal law firm on Boston’s waterfront, and attended Suffolk University Law School, at night, four nights a week from 6-10PM. I partied all night on Friday nights and spent weekend days in the library. I rented a small apartment in Charleston, Massachusetts walking distance to the Charles River (love that dirty water).
One day, my friend from law school convinced me to go for a run with him. Our route – about four miles – went from the Museum of Science, down the Esplanade, past the Hatch Shell, across the Mass Ave Bridge (into Cambridge) and back up Memorial Drive. I remember thinking I could never run that far but sure enough, after some practice, I did. Eventually it became my morning run, every day before work. It gave me peace and solace to start my day.
On weekends, I began to venture further. Sometimes I would run to the B.U. bridge and if I felt ambitious, I would run all the way to Harvard. The Esplanade along the Charles River was filled life – it was easy to run far and lose track of your distance. The paved routes were always filled with people walking, biking and roller blading while the river was busy with people on sail boats, Boston Duck Tours, and college crew teams. On occasion I would be entertained watching students from M.I.T. make some crazy contraception and try to float it down the river. My runs along the Charles River are among my favorite memories. Boston is one of the greatest cities.
Around 30 year old, I chose to move back to New York to be closer to my family. I was a free spirited, Red Sox loving, criminal defense attorney from New England when I fell in love with a die-hard Yankee Season ticket holding police officer. Opposites attract and our families would joke that while Tom locks them up, I let them out.
As life became busier, my running became less. I no longer had the Charles River outside my door and solo runs around my neighborhood became boring. I had more responsibility and eventually young children to care for.
Years went by with minimal mileage. It was only until recent that I felt that life was at a point where I could focus on caring for myself again. I was ready to get back out there and work on getting strong. I messaged the Hauppauge Moms on Facebook and asked about any local running groups. Lisa Pinto Colby answered my post and convinced me to run the Hills. In May 2019, Lisa jogged next to me while I finished my first Classic.
I’ve spent the last ten (10) months working at becoming a better runner. I no longer run, just to run, but I run to get faster and stronger. And sometimes I surprise myself.
Thank you Lou for asking me to be Warrior of the Week and thank you all for welcoming me so warmly!