Harvard Pilgrim Middletown Half – Run and School with Jeff Galloway

After a busy workweek I knew that I had a busy weekend ahead of me with the Harvard Pilgrim Middletown Half Marathon on Sunday and Jeff Galloway’s Fun Run and Running School on Saturday.  Friday night I went out with friends from work to celebrate Heidi’s last day working for New Horizons.  We had a great time at City Steam in Hartford and ended up staying there until 11:30!  It was wayyyy past my bedtime and I knew I had to get my butt out of bed at 6:30.  By the time I got home and settled down for the night I think I fell asleep around 1:00.

The alarm went off at 6:30 with no option for snooze so I jumped out of bed, made my tea and took a shower to help wake me up. That was a smart move.  I got ready and drove up to Middletown where I met up with a very small group of people and Jeff in front of the Inn at Middletown to head out for the run.  By small, I mean there were about 10 people there. But it was great!

At 8:30 and we were on the road.  Jeff instructed us on how to do some Acceleration Gliders and we ran 15/15 intervals with him down the sidewalks of Main Street and up a road towards the Wesleyan Campus.  It was a beautiful morning.  The sun was finally out and it wasn’t freezing cold.  It was the perfect temperature for running.  We continued on for about a mile and a half along the campus and down the streets of Middletown and back to the Inn at Middletown where Jeff had to go back and gather up his things for our Running School with Jeff at 9:30.

  

After we left Jeff, I looked for a parking spot and a cup of tea to help shake off the fuzz from the night before and headed over to the seminar where I hooked up with my friend Kimberlee Dziezynski.  I was glad to see her. She has been experiencing similar issues that I have been experiencing lately and has also been fighting off fatigue and winter blues.  I still find it amazing how we met on a plane in 2013 coming home from the Disneyland Dumbo Double Dare and now we hook up for events!  I love the power of social media and the running community.

I noticed something during the seminar.  The women outnumbered the men.  I thought that was a very interesting observation.  I knew Katherine Switzer was also going to be in Middletown Saturday for a discussion with Jeff and Amby Burfoot during packet pick up and I was looking forward to hearing what they were going to discuss.  

During Jeff’s class he talked about many topics like speed work, nutrition, pacing, mental training, hydration and efficient running.  One great point that hit home to me was when he said “a body in bed wants to stay in bed, but a body in motion stays in motion”. That speaks volumes to what I have been going through lately. If I just get up and get moving I feel better. But it is the initial getting up part. I mentioned to Jeff that this winter was exceptionally hard. That it had a physical impact on me even though I was very diligent about doing my runs outdoors despite the cold and snow. But mentally it was harder.  I will remember what he said next time I want to hit snooze. 

It was a great seminar.  Most of the information I had consumed over the years via pod casts or from Jeff’s newletters, web site or ecoaching; but it was great to sit for 3 hours and hear him explain these topics in his own words and they really sunk in for me.  It was like a refresher course I needed to stay on track with my running and training.

After the seminar I drove home to watch my daughter at her first softball practice of the year.  Then the kids went to my parents’ and I went with my husband back up to Middletown for the packet pick up and to hear the lecture.  I was so glad Katherine was selling her books there.  I had her autograph her book to me and my daughter so that I can give it to her when she is older.

 It was a great day.  Something I needed to get me back into the game and the weather was a good boost also.  Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be just as nice and I am hoping to have a great run and to also run the beginning of the race with Jeff as well!  Diana and I are planning to run it at a pace to survive.  I don’t have expectations for a fast race.  Thank you Hartford Marathon Foundation for putting together a great weekend of events!