JOE SHAYNE
name: joe shayne
occupation and hobby: i’m a resident counselor at a family shelter in Brooklyn and I’m a runner
age you feel: i’m 32 but feel much younger
CAREER
GGNYC: so tell us a bit about being a resident counselor at a shelter
JS: it’s not as glamourous as you’d expect {laughs}… okay no, seriously i’m not sure what type of expectations you’d have for someone who works at a homeless shelter, but it’s rewarding and it’s good because the families that come in are sad and don’t have any other place to go and you see them come in - in that state, but you get to see them leave in better spirits. it’s temporary housing so they’re not there forever, helping those families make their way back out is what’s most rewarding to me
GGNYC: what exactly do you do
JS: well i counsel family members, i help them with things like resume building, finding jobs, obtaining new housing . all that i do ties into my bigger passion of caring for people, particularly helping people reach their fitness goals
GGNYC: right, you’re a runner extraodinaire! tell us how you figured out this was one of your passions
JS: well i’ve always been into fitness and sports… i’ve always had a talent for sports. if you asked my sister she would say that it’s intuitive for me… give me a ball and i’ll learn what to do with it. so i got into running recently, my best friend ran the new york city marathon in 2014 and seeing him train and how disciplined he had to be —- especially as a smoker— it was inspiring. he stopped smoking, and on top of that as a bartender he made sure to cut down the drinking by a lot. so seeing him do these things, seeing his transformation made me want to run. i’ve always been competitive with him so it was one of those things where i felt like if he could do it, then i can do it too!
GGNYC: we love when friends spark a vision in us… so what happened next
JS: next i connected with one of my frat brothers amir and i knew he was a runner for a long time… so i asked him if he would help me train for a marathon, and he was like say no more. then i joined his run club and emerged as a leader within the group. i pace the run every week. i love being a part of this and helping this club grow and do better. we started with around 10 people and now we have a membership of 100
GGNYC: where would you like to take this in the next few years
JS: well i see harlem run turning into one of the major urban running groups in new york city. i want us to continue to expand and help people lead healthier lifestyles, motivating them to run races they never thought they would be a part of. we have a lot of great things coming down the line, i don’t want to reveal too much but i will say we just got a partnership with under armor that we are excited about
GGNYC: what about for you, where do you see this taking you
JS: well the idea is that this will turn into my full time job… and it can be both fun and rewarding for me. within the next three years i want to be a running coach, registered with the united states' track and field. i never thought that this would be a goal for me, but i look forward to it
GGNYC: how many marathons have you ran
JS: i’ve done two so far, i did paris last year and i ran the nyc marathon in november of 2015
GGNYC: what’s the hardest mile
JS: the hardest? i think the 18th and 19th mile… this year i set a really lofty goal for myself, i wanted to shave off one full hour from my paris time which was 3hrs and 59 m, and there’s a new york road runner company video from the marathon where you see the 3hr pacer with that group of runners and you see them passing me and my face was like how come i can’t run any faster?? {laughs}… it’s funny to see… but also a very real moment about how i was feeling
GGNYC: do you have anyone who inspires you
JS: my group members in harlem run, they’re all amazing people, we all push each other… it’s a group of fast runners and it’s awesome because we really motivate each other. it’s grassroots for me, i don’t look at an athlete as my source of inspiration because i feel like they’re so far ahead of the game that i can’t even touch them! but my friends, with them i feel like i at least have a shot competitively
LETS TALK DATING
GGNYC: tell us about your first kiss
JS: i don’t have to say a name do i?? {laughs}… ok this is the story i’ll run with…i was 12 years old playing in the park, me and this girl were hanging out on this tree we had climbed on… i tried to do some slick stuff like hey look over there.. and when she turned back to look at me i stole a kiss… it was sneaky i know
GGNYC: tell us about your first heartbreak
JS: well i’ve experienced a few… but the very first would be losing my mother at a very young age, that really broke my heart
GGNYC: that’s very sad… we’re sure she was lovely. what about the first time you broke a girls heart
JS: hmmmm guys are the worse with this type of stuff… we can be very self-centered. but the first time i was aware that i broke a girls heart was probably in high school. i was a senior and the girl that i was dating at the time was a year younger than i. and i told her we had to break up because i was going away to college… she was not happy about that
GGNYC: women don’t get why men do certain things, imagine you’re talking to your 24 year old daughter, what advice would you give her
JS: first off! don’t believe a word a man tells you. men are so full of shit! {laughs} it’s not even funny actually. i would also say don’t wait on nobody or follow nobody, go for what makes you happy. you definitely need to march to your own drum, and if he’s on board that’s great- but if he’s not keep it moving
GGNYC: finish this sentence. the last time you were crazy about a girl was because _____
JS: she pushed me to be a better person
JUST FOR FUN
GGNYC: what’s the difference between you now in your 20s and you in your 30s
JS: i’m a lot more calm… more cerebral, i’ve always been a thinker. i think a lot more now before i react to things though
GGNYC: tell us a memory from your child or teen years
JS: okay, so my family and i we used to go ice skating on the weekends… we would do different activities on weekends. one time we were walking back from the ice skating rink, and my older brother and younger sister out of nowhere grab me and do the pile on top of joe thing. so we’re in central park rolling around the floor, play fighting... it was dope, even if i was the one being picked on
GGNYC: give us your top apps
JS: instagram, whatsapp, map my run and a chess app {laughs}
GGNYC: who’s your favorite person to follow on social media
JS: well, i like following yari blanco! {laughs} … i'm not ashamed to say i like following the rock, he’s always up in the morning at the gym, he gets silly and gangsta sometimes, he’s dope
GGNYC: name a website you look at that not everyone would expect you to
JS: i love buzzfeed… i will take their random quizzes. i always think that i’m supposed to pass it somehow {laughs}… i know they use that information though because i get advertisements that pertain to what i just clicked on in their website
GGNYC: your boys are roasting you, what do they bring up
JS: they always roast me about being a sensitive guy. but i’m fine with that!
GGNYC: you just won an oscar, tell us your speech
JS: oh snap! ummm “first off all i’d like to thank the academy”… right? you gotta thank the academy. “thanks to the man upstairs, or woman upstairs, my friends and family and everyone that watched my sht…” i’m not even sure how i got to the oscars {laughs}. but i’d wrap it up with “thank you all!” - i don't want them to play that music and kick me off that stage, i can be long winded so i’d try to keep it short and simple
GGNYC: tell us four songs that you love, old or new
JS: lets see, most def - ms fat booty, luke ellington - in a sentimental mood, biggie - juicy, and justin bieber - love yourself
LETS GET PERSONAL
GGNYC: what scares the shit out of you
JS: global warming. i was like a sophomore or junior in college and i was taking one of those required classes everyone has to take. it was an animal planet class, and the professor changed the entire curriculum of the class to cover global warming, this dude was a scientist. he drilled it in my head how important and vital it is for us to take care of the planet for the next 20 years, because there will be a point of no return. look at the ice caps… this is very real
GGNYC: what makes you feel vulnerable
JS: probably what makes most people feel that way, which is the uncertainty of not knowing how someone is going to react when you share something very personal with them
GGNYC: what do you want your life legacy to be
JS: i want to be known as someone who might have fucked up a lot of times but finally got it together and showed other people the way to get out of their own tunnels
GGNYC: name something about yourself that you're currently working on
JS: a few things… being a faster runner, being more transparent with the people that are important in my life and lastly being punctual!
GGNYC: name something about yourself that you love
JS: i love that i don’t take myself too seriously
GGNYC: tell us about a female that has taught you something and what was it
JS: i once took a girl out on a date… i thought we had connected and that it was an amazing date. but i never heard from her again, and that taught me that even if things look like they are clicking on all cylinders they might not be in reality, you gotta be okay with that… make peace with that
GGNYC: what would you tell your 52 year old self
JS: i told you we was gonna be aight…
GGNYC: let’s play finish these sentences… when i’m a grandfather i will be___
JS: pretty damn cool
GGNYC: new york is ____
JS: smelly but super fun
GGNYC: the last time i got into a heated discussion was _____
JS: over dinner!
GGNYC: the women in my life are ____
JS: beautiful, talented and amazing