Running with the wolves

Hooooowwwwwwllllll.

Did you see that full moon this week?  Absolutely stunning.  A blue moon in fact.  Not in color, but in astrological/meteorological terms.  It is the 4th full moon in a season, thus, termed a 'blue moon'.  That, my friends, ends my trivia update.

In other news, let's talk running with the wolves.  Here is an update in the Run, Kimmy, Run! thread.

Well, I did it.  I ran my first official 10K race AND I lived to tell about it!  I signed up at the urging of a friend and fellow aspiring Disney half marathoner.  We wanted to run a 10K to qualify for corral placement at the WDW half.  There are not many options that worked with our busy schedules, so we decided on a whim to sign up for this one.

Two problems.  First, it was a 6:30 pm race in August, on a Wednesday!  I don't run at night.  I am an early bird.  I run very early in the morning.  I have no idea how to prepare nutritionally for an evening 6 mile run.  I am tired by dinner time.  I had a crazy long day at work and had work to complete upon returning home. The last thing I wanted to do is run a 10K!

Second problem, the heat.  Although the temperatures have been blissfully cool for August most of the month, this week, it was hotter than usual.  It was 86 degrees and moderately humid at the 6:30 pm start time.  My body and the heat/humidity do not get along.  The saving grace was it was a beautiful out and back run along the Assabet River Rail Trail that was blissfully shaded.  Adorned in a running tank and skirt, sweaty band head band, sunglasses, water belt and running music, I was as ready as I'd ever be.

The end result?  It was fun!  The race was limited to 300 runners and was sold out.  It was called Running with the Wolves because it is on the eve of the full moon.  Some were in wolf costumes.  There was even a little Red Riding Hood.  There was a great DJ.  The race began with a beautifully sung National Anthem, followed by a group howl.  Then, we were off.  It was chip timed and the course was great.  The race was well organized and the volunteers were numerous, friendly and immensely helpful and supportive of all the runners.  The other runners were also quite possibly, the happiest group of runners I've seen at a race. Especially nice, the water stops had COLD water!  I admit, I drank some and wore some!  Hats off to the Highland City Striders for organizing such a fun race.

I ran with a friend.  We opted to follow Jeff Galloway's run-walk-run strategy with 90 sec run and 30 sec walk.  We skipped a few walk breaks on the down hills since it was downhill out and up hill on the return loop.  We slowed down the last 2 miles, but overall, given the heat, I think we did quite well.  We conversed most of the run.  It was nice to run with a 'buddy'.  Thanks, Mel!  She could have run the entire race, and probably a few minutes faster, but it was nice to run together. It was the only race I've ever run where my name was announced when I crossed the finish line (that tells you I finished behind the 'pack'), which was pretty cool.  I was also handed a pretty cool finishers medal, a cold bottle of water and a gingerbread cookie in the shape of a dog bone that was delicious!  Might be the best post race snack ever!  The technical T-shirt is pretty cool, too!

I ran my first official 10K in 1 hour, 9 minutes and 54 seconds.  It was about what I expected to run given the heat. It was an average pace of 11:17/mile.  That should translate into a sub 2:30 half marathon, and for this girl, who couldn't run 90 seconds ONCE when I began this journey a few years ago, that's damn impressive if I do say so myself!  ;-)  Go me!

When I returned home, I found this on my computer monitor.  My husband rocks!  He sent supportive text messages prior to the race.   He bought me a T-shirt that says, "13.1 Only half nuts".  He has been so wonderfully supportive of my running, it has helped spur me on when I wonder what the hell is wrong with me that I want to run this far and often!  He massaged my weary muscles when I got home.  He and my boys often run 5K's with me and I love that we do it as a family. They did not run this one because of the distance and because of conflicts with soccer.

Interestingly enough, from a spiritual perspective, wolves are about new journeys.  Discovering our strength and perseverance. Wolves teach us about balance, spirituality and health/healing.  As the fairy tale tells us, wolves often come to us in disguise, teaching us much about ourselves and the world around us.  Huh. Appropriate race for my first 10K, don't you think?  

Then there is the full moon.  Full of feminine energy.  She shines brightly, reflecting the sun's rays, illuminating the night.  Pure beauty and serenity.  Showing the way to honor our inner self.

It's a good thing that full moon is a calm yet energizing force of nature.  I have less than 5 months to be able to run that distance twice in a row!  I wonder if I can catch that mouse...

Run Kimmy, Run. An update.

For those of you interested in my conversion to a crazy middle-aged running mom, I thought I'd share a bit about what the last month or so of training has been like.

So, summer.  Yeah.  It's been hot.  And humid.  I lost some ground in late June when I vacationed in Florida. I just couldn't manage more than 3-4 miles 1-2x/week even running before the sun rose.  It was just too humid and hot for my physiology to adapt to.  Then there was the face I was on vacation!  We spent 4 days at WDW and walked 10-14 miles each day!  Staying hydrated was SO hard!  I returned home to the Northeast, with weather as hot, if not hotter for several weeks!  No rest for the weary.  Oy.

Jeff Galloway, my new mentor and running hero, because without him, I'd never have made it past 5K, advises to slow your pace when running in temperatures over 60 degrees.  I can count on 1 finger the number of mornings I've run when the temp was below 60 since June!  So, I've been basically listening to my body and using a much tighter ratio of running to walking and trying to get out the door as early in the morning as possible before it gets too hot and before the sun gets above the trees.

It has meant sacrificing sleeping late (past 6 am) when I otherwise could.  It has, on occasion, meant that I walked way more than I intended to, but still got the mileage in and therefore, maintained/built endurance.  It has meant sacrificing 'me' time that used to be productive in other ways.  That said, I'm really not convinced my pace will be any faster when the temperatures start to fall.  I guess time will tell.  Heck, I'm not sure the temperatures will fall given how warm this summer has been!  Not that I'm eager for snow, either!

I've been trying to stick to Jeff's Half-Marathon training program but I do admit I'm tweaking it a bit. I've got the time and I've got an average of 2 races per month between now and then.  Mostly 5K's and 2 10K's. I've been playing with run-walk-run ratios to see if it impacts my overall pace and how I feel afterwards.  I've also been experimenting with terrain.

On my 'short run' days, which are usually 3-4 miles (and 30-40 minutes) and mid-week, I run various loops to/from my home.  I live on top of a hill, so these are highly variable elevation runs.  I run up hill and I run down hill with bits of flat or mild rolling terrain in between.  How much is determined by which route I choose.  I vary it for the pure variety, so I don't get bored, and because I run on the road, and being a woman, I am a bit leery of being too complacent in my routine because there are crazy people out there! The overall elevation gain is over 1000'.  Much of it in one, very long, very annoying hill that falls at the end of my run.  Someday, I will own it...God willing.  And calves willing.  :-)

On my long run days, I drive to a place where I can run on a relatively flat stretch of road.  It's a somewhat busy road, but not so much at 5:30 or 6 am on a Sunday.  I'd never do it in the afternoon/evening.  It's an out and back loop with a few neighborhood diversions for some variation and to get extra mileage and last weekend it was a 7 mile loop.  I used a ratio of running 90 sec and walking 30 seconds.  My pace averaged 10-11:30/mile.  It took me about an hour 20. I still slow down every mile after 5K.  Especially when hilly.  I wonder if that will ever change...

In between days, I've been trying to cross train.  It's a half-hearted effort.  Burpees twice a week (up to 18, goal is 100, in sets of 10.  I've done it before...).  Some upper extremity free weight training.  Stretching/easy yoga.  And of course, ballroom dancing!

Today, a bit of a breakthrough and a PR!  A personal goal for me was to run a 30 min 5K.  When I ran my first, almost 4 years ago, it took me 42 minutes, and that was faster than I thought I'd be!  I've been stuck around 31:30 (my previous PR in May)-33 minutes for the past year, even in ideal conditions.  Today, I met my goal!  Yay me!  I did 'cheat' by skipping a few walking intervals to do it and it was a hard push for the last minute, but it was a good feeling.  It would be interesting to see if I did run the entire 5K, if my time would be better or worse.  On a flat course, I might be able to do that.  On my hilly run, I doubt it.

I also learned the value of sport snacks before and during a run.  Since I run first thing in the morning, I don't eat first.  I drink a chocolate coconut water and sometimes have a cup of tea (caffeine) and I run with a water belt, but have never hand an issue.  Until now.  I have noticed that after 3-4 miles, I start to feel sluggish.  So I tried sport beans.  OMG, the difference was amazing.  I realize that I need the calories, sugar and electrolytes for those longer runs.  I'm in the process of testing various products.  I like the sport beans.  I also tried snap beans and I really like those!  Gu and Clif blocks/products are next to try.

Oh, and stretching, massage and 'rolling' with the foam roller (torture) or the 'stick'.  It actually really helps, despite the self-inflicted pain that is necessary to get from tight and sore to happy and injury free.

Next week, my first 10K race!  It's going to be a qualifying run for a corral placement for the WDW Half Marathon in January.  I plan to interval it at my 90:30 ratio and hope to average about 10:30/mile and finish in 64 minutes or so.  It should be fun.  Weather looks to be quite warm that day.  Only 300 runners and it's a rail trail run.  My biggest concern is it is an evening race!  I don't know how to run in the evening!  Or on a rail trail, even if it's paved!  I'm a bit frazzled with how to prepare nutritionally.  I hope I'm not too tired.  It should be interesting.  I'll let you know how it goes!  It is actually a good experiment, because eventually, it will be too dark at 6 am for me to run and I'll have to shift my runs to the late afternoon as we move deeper into fall.

For inspiration, I just ordered myself a cooler weather running shirt.  It's from Running Princess.   It says,

"The race is my ball, my running shoes are my glass slippers, the finish line is my prince charming and the accomplishment is my happily ever after."

Hell, yeah!

Run Kimmy, Run. Destination, Disney!

If you follow my blog, you probably know my desire to run a 5K before I was 40 somehow grew from a personal challenge and bucket list item for a girl who not only used to hate running, but whose body railed against her running efforts at every turn, to the girl who is not only planning to run her first half-marathon, but is actually enjoying running!

WTF has happened to me?! 

It hasn't been easy.  I've been intermittently active throughout my life having done gymnastics at a young age, then roller skating for years, more than my share of aerobics, dancercize variations and working out at the gym and at home, rowing crew my freshman year in college (holy crap, that's harder than it looks!), skiing, a year of yoga (which I miss terribly) and then back to gym again.  My fitness endeavors never lasted very long.  It seemed once beyond college they were interrupted by work, kids, and other more practical pursuits. Time became fleeting and precious and there was simply not enough of it to go around.  Like many moms, I sacrificed my 'me' time for my family, my job and to allow my kids to pursue their dreams.  

Then my body and my mind went to hell.  That served no one! 

I'm a physical therapist.  I get fitness.  I teach it every day.  I understand the physiology of exercise.  My job used to be my workout when I worked full time in a clinical position in a nursing home or rehab unit.  I walked miles of hallways and flights of stairs. I got my strength training helping others get theirs.  A change of job that required me to spend more time sitting and more hours working, the stresses of every day life and finding little to no time for me at all, let alone to exercise, began to take it's toll.  

I was out of shape.  I was cranky.  I was eating crap.  I wasn't sleeping well.  I felt disconnected.  I wanted to go back to the gym or back to yoga, but there was no time, no ability to do it with any consistency.  My husband and I have taken up ballroom dancing, for 2 years now, which we love and is great exercise by the way.  You try a back to back Lindy Hop and Viennese Waltz and tell me you don't feel like you were back in step-aerobics!  The problem is we barely make it once a week to dance.  We'd go far more often (and really get our money's worth) if we could, but we can't.  It's an expensive form of exercise at that rate.  

Then I was facing 40.  I decided I wanted to run a 5K.  It was for a good cause and one I supported.  I trained for 6 months starting with the couch to 5K program.  I did it!  It damn near killed me, or at least it felt like it would, but I did it.  I could hardly believe it when I crossed that finish line at 38 minutes!  I finished upright, alive and in less time than I thought I would.  

Then, I found myself registering for another race.  I figured if I didn't have a goal, I'd never keep running.  

Fast forward 3 years.  I've run on and off.  Mostly off in the winter.  Then, this January, I saw a photo of the start of the Disney Half-Marathon.  I was shocked to hear the words, "I want to do that!" come out of my mouth!  Lucky for me, my sister and a friend are also crazy and agreed to do it with me.  We are registered for the January 2014 Disney Half-Marathon!  

Thus, the training has begun in earnest now.  Set backs due to the heat and humidity and vacation are actually frustrating me!  My buried alive competitive streak is surfacing.  Not to 'beat' anyone else, but to prove to myself I can run a consistent 10 min mile.  It's no easy goal, let me tell you.  I've recently changed to the Galloway method of run: walk: run.  I'm experimenting with ratios.  I get up early to run before work, before the kids get up, before I lose interest or get preoccupied.  Of course as my runs get longer and the daylight gets shorter, this may be more challenging.

I just returned from Disney for a vacation with my family.  It totally got me inspired and psyched up for the race.  I was thinking about actually running through the parks in the dark, and then, in the early light of day. Running across the start line, through Cinderella's castle, along the roads, into EPCOT and then across the finish line.  Receiving my Donald Duck 1/2 Marathon medal.  Cheering on my sister, who is running for the first time in her life.  Cheering on total strangers for dancing with their fitness demons.  Hearing that gospel choir propel us to the finish line.  The 20,000 people running with me, having fun, achieving their own personal goals.  Hearing the ChEAR squad cheer for us all, but especially having my parents and aunt there at O'dark thirty in the morning to support us.  Sharing the moment with people I love and care about and all those that I don't even know, but in spirit, we are all there for a similar reason, and that's powerful.

The start.  Can you imagine the excitement?!  Even for 5:30 am in January!

This says it all.  Although barely 3 miles in, this is the inspiration for so many Disney lovers who run. 

I have registered for a 10K in August.  I have a month to my first opportunity at a qualifying time for the Disney Half.  You don't have to qualify to run, but you can get a higher corral placement if you qualify.  

As my training is in full swing, I'll try to post updates on how it's going.  Wish me luck! 

Running away

Something very bizarre has happened.  I fear I might be ill.  Or crazy.  Or both!  I'm almost afraid to say it out loud, so I'll whisper.

I like running!

Now, you may not think that's a sign of illness or insanity, unless you know me.  I've always enjoyed some form of exercise.  The one thing I've always hated was running.  It was boring.  It felt bad from a cardiovascular standpoint.  It sucked.  I just didn't see the point.  Treadmill or outside.  B-O-R-I-N-G.

When I was young I was a gymnast, until I dislocated my elbow in 5th grade.  Then I took up roller skating and even competed a bit in roller dance and enjoyed being an assistant teacher in exchange for lessons and free skating.  I went through an aerobics phase and was addicted to step and hip-hop aerobics for a while.  I've always loved to social dance and did the club thing for a while. In college I tried crew, which I enjoyed, but didn't keep up with because it almost killed me.  Now, I love ballroom dancing with the love of my life.  We just entered our first competition, which is another form of crazy and another discussion for another time...

About 3 years ago I decided since my life was too hectic and crazy busy with work and kids to allow for going to the gym, and working out at home just wasn't working, that I'd try running.  It was logistically the only form of exercise that I could do at 0'dark thirty in the morning or anywhere, anytime.  It was cheap and portable.  All I needed was proper attire.  I also needed the exercise as much from a physical health standpoint as I did for my emotional well-being.  So I decided my goal would be a 5K before I was 40.  I started the Couch to 5K program in May of that year and ran my first 5K about a month after I turned 40 (October).  It was not easy to train. I did not enjoy it.  I forced myself out the door every single time. I did not run anywhere near fast.  I did not run the entire race.  But I did it.  I finished alive.  I still didn't like running, but I knew that if I didn't register for another 5K, I would not stay motivated.

I found if I ran the 'fun' races, I enjoyed it more.  So I choose races for charity or those that I can run in costume, because hell, I love to dress up and be silly!  Some of my favorites are the Gobble Wobble on Thanksgiving which is in the town I grew up in, and the Jingle Bell Run, in which nearly every person runs in a holiday themed costume and being that it's in Somerville, MA, the finisher medal is a bottle opener!  I also captain Sammy's Super Stars for the NECC 5K for autism every spring in honor of my nephew.  My  husband and my boys often run with me.  My next race is the Diva Dash - an obstacle 5K for women!  It's in September.

Then, this January, I lost my mind.  I decided I wanted to run the Disney Half-Marathon!  Before I was 45.  Maybe it was too much egg nog or the cold weather did something to my brain.  I don't know what the hell happened to me!  The only thing that would motivate me to run 13.2 miles is Disney.  The memories of my childhood (and adulthood) of Disney trips, the excitement, the magic, the characters and entertainment on the course, cast members cheering you on all along the route, running down main street and through the castle, street lined with cheering spectators, including my parents as ChEAR squad members (they are Disney crazy, too), running through EPCOT to the finish with a gospel choir motivating you to the finish line?  Hello?!  Who wouldn't want to do that?!  So I convinced my sister and some friends to join me and WE REGISTERED!  Yes.  It's true.  I am running the 2014 Disney Half-marathon in January.  And yes, I'm out of my freaking mind!  For the record, I'll be 44.  :-)

Except that I'm really excited about it!  Not only is it going to be a fun girls getaway weekend, it's motivated me to ramp up my running.  I got back on track in April and ramped back up to 5K distance regularly.  I tried the 5K to 10K bridge program but it wasn't working for me.  My body just wasn't handling it well. I was feeling doubtful I would be able to do it at all.  Injury and passing out are not an option!  Running through summer is going to be hard, even if I run at sunrise, as my body does not deal well with heat and humidity and exercise.  Low blood pressure sucks in that way.

Then I discovered Galloway's run-walk-run program.  Lots of Run Disney runners use his method.  OMG, the difference is amazing!  I really enjoy running now.  I can run longer, for a greater distance and ultimately at a faster pace taking short, regular, walk breaks.  I feel fantastic!  The hills still suck, but I'm managing them much better with this method.  I purchased a GymBoss interval timer so I don't have to futz with trying to keep track on my own and I love that, too!  My goal is a 10 min/mile pace for the half.  I got a PR at my last 5K, shaving nearly 3 minutes off my previous time (I ran the 5K without stopping).  I'm presently running 5.5 miles.  I'm almost half way there!!!!

I just registered for the Tufts 10k for women in October.  It will be a good test of half the distance of the half  (does that make a whole?) and provide proof of time should I choose to use it for corral placement at the half, and assuming I run a decent race.  I actually expect to be running 10 miles by then, so it should be relatively easy.  The three of us running the half are also running the 10K together.  It should be fun!

As part of my motivation, I spent waaaaay too much time on Pinterest last night creating a vision board of my Run Disney adventure.  If you want to take a peek, you can find it here.  Part of my inspiration will be Meg.  She and I shared a love of all things Tinkerbell.  Since I do love to run in costume, and the spirit of Disney encourages such silliness, guess who I shall be.  Yep.  Tink!  I'm pulling together a Tinkerbell inspired running outfit.  I figure with the help of my own personal angel and some pixie dust, I really can fly!

Periodically, I'll post about my preparation and eventually, about the experience itself!  As the training T-shirt that I want to get says,  

"This race is my ball, my running shoes are my glass slippers, the finish line is my prince charming and the accomplishment is my happily ever after."

In the meantime, gotta run!  ;-)