Wife Mother Runner Blog - Wife Mother Runner

Be Our Guest Podcast Mike Rahlman Now Runs and Loves It!

April 23, 2014

If you listen to the Be Our Guest Podcast, then you are familiar with Mike Rahlmann. You may know that he has run a few of the runDisney events, but he has never admitted to really “liking” it. Well now he’s been bit by the running bug and registered for the full marathon with his step-daughter Paige.

When I saw his tweet about that I had to ask him if I could interview him for the blog. He was so gracious to give me his responses to my questions and I’d love to share them with you.

How did you begin running?
I really never liked running much. I was a high school baseball and basketball player, but only ran because it was a necessity to make the team. I was always the slowest guy on the team. During college, I became an inline indoor speed skater, which took me around the country to competitions. This was a lot of fun and got me excited about the “race” environment. Finally making the National Championships one year, I was really into the competition of it all. After a few years of skating, I settled into a more “typical” lifestyle and gave up skating and all things athletic. After being a Disney fan and hearing about the races back in 2007 or so, I thought this might be a great reason to get an “extra” trip to Walt Disney World in. If I had to run 13.1 miles to get there, it would still be worth it. Isn’t 3 hours of pain worth 3 days of WDW fun?

What was your first race?
My first race was the 2009 WDW Half-Marathon. I never did one training run for this one (actually, never trained once for any of my races before last year’s Tower of Terror 10 Miler; not recommended by the way), but really enjoyed the environment. I got to meet some of my favorite podcasters and other people from the Disney Community and it was fun! Also, getting to see the parks during the winter months was pretty cool.

Mike and Kristin Long at the Tower Of Terror 10 Miler in 2013

At first I think I recall you didn’t really like running, am I right? Has that feeling changed for you and why?
I think I’m liking running more now simply because of the community of “regular” runners we have built around the podcast. There are constantly friends on Twitter, Facebook, our forums and other places that are encouraging each other to get out there and put in a few miles. Also, podcasts like the Mickey Miles Podcast do a great job of educating the novice and experienced runner while keeping us company out on the road. Finally, it’s great to have very successful runners encouraging us beginners. It really is an awesome community of friends encouraging each other!

How do you train?
I typically train 4 nights a week. I will run 6 miles a night on Tuesday evening, Thursday evening, and Sunday afternoon. On Saturday, I try to run at least 10 miles. On the days that I don’t run, I try to walk around 15,000 – 20,000 steps due to having a FitBit which keeps me motivated.

I believe your daughter runs cross country, do you run with her at any races or for training?
I love watching my step-daughter, Paige, run cross-country for her high school. She is also an amazing soccer player. I don’t run with her, though. I know my limits. She is 17, I’m 40. That wouldn’t end well. However, we are running the 2015 WDW Full Marathon together, so that will be a great moment for me.

What or who inspires you?
There are so many people that do inspire me that it is hard to pick out certain names. I will say that just hearing Jeff Galloway many times on the Mickey Miles Podcast has encouraged me so much. He is always so positive and really makes you feel as if you can do anything. I love that he gives “regular” people like me permission to run/walk/run. That method has made it so much better for me to enjoy my experience. Also, great runners like Stan Harris and Mike Bankhead from Team AllEars have been more kind to me than I deserve. Finally, friends like Adam Roberson from our podcast keep me motivated, as we are both on an incredible journey together.

Do you have a dream race?
My dream race is going to be the WDW Full Marathon in 2015 with Paige and so many friends who will be also running their first full marathon with me. I never, ever thought I would even think about running a full marathon in my life. If/when I cross that line, there will be some incredible feelings going through my mind. I have watched the finish of the WDW full marathon twice and known those people were super-human. I just wonder if I can step up and meet his challenge?

Would you say you have now been bit by the running bug?
Absolutely. I have learned that with work, your body will change, but so will your mind. At first, I dreaded the days I had my runs, but I knew I had to get out there. My weight was not where I wanted it to be last summer at the end of our podcast cruise. I knew I needed to do something about it. As of today, I have lost 62 pounds and feel so much better. That motivates me a lot seeing these physical changes. However, I think the most important thing is the mental change. I feel like I can do so much more now. Stan Harris posts a lot of things on Facebook about running being more mental than physical, and I totally believe this. When my legs feel like they are going to fall off, I just have to tell myself I can make it. This has lots of carry-over into the rest of my life. You can do this even if people tell you you can’t.

Do you have any favorite gear or gadgets?
I don’t have a lot of gear or gadgets. I run in a pair of Reebok shoes that I bought at the Tower of Terror 10 Miler Expo last year that we closeouts for $29.00. These shoes have about 850 miles on them now, so I think I got my money’s worth. I just run with my iPhone and earbuds and great friends on podcasts in my ears. I can’t thank the fellow podcasters enough for putting out great content to keep me company through these miles this past year.

Which Disney Races will you be doing this year and next?
I will be running the Tower of Terror 10 Miler for the third time this year and starting 2015 with my first full Marathon at Walt Disney World! I would love to run more, but due to living in St. Louis and being an elementary school teacher, it’s tough to get away for lots of runDisney Weekends. However, I do love sharing my experiences with my students. If this old teacher can run 26.2 miles, they can do more than they think too!

Melissa Griffith and Jenny Clark at Tower of Terror

How has running changed your life (if it has)?
Physically, I feel so much better. I used to get terrible migraine headaches a couple of times a week that I had to take some pretty potent medicine to combat. Since running at least 4 times a week in July, I have taken that medicine twice. Mentally, I just feel awesome knowing I’m now kind of a “runner.” I get time to get out on the road and take a mental break. It’s nice to say “Hi” to your neighbors, hear birds chirping, and see wonderful sunsets and sunrises. I also hope that I am making my girls proud that their dad is out there trying to be the best he can be.

Has your diet changed since you started running?
As far as diet, since last July, I have been watching what I eat. I tend to eat a bagel with peanut butter in the morning, a turkey sandwich and baked chips for lunch, and then have a “normal” supper with the family. I figure that I save enough calories from breakfast and lunch to eat fine at supper. 😉 I also eat out a few times a week as well, stopping at Chick-Fil-A on Tuesday evenings while Mallory has Dance Class and at my favorite Mexican Restaurant, Las Fuentes every Friday after school. You just have to have fajitas at least once a week!

And what podcasts do you listen to?
As far as podcasts that I really enjoy, there are quite a few. I always listen to WDW Today, Wedway Radio and the Mickey Miles Podcasts as soon as they are released. Not only are these very quality shows, I’m very lucky to call each of these hosts friends and that makes it nice to have these shows riding along with my on my runs. The only drawback is that I typically want to send a quick Tweet or text to them about something they said during their shows, and I need to focus on my running. I think they do stuff like this to try to kill me. 😉 I also listen to the Resort Loop Podcast, RFF Radio (Reality TV Podcast), and I love baseball, so I will listen to any baseball game that is on through the MLB At-Bat App!

Mike with Mike Scopa and Michelle Scribner-MacLean from the Mickey Miles Podcast

You can check out Mike’s podcast on itunes and at Beourguestpodcast.com Mike’s twitter handle is @BeOurGuestMike. You can also find him on Facebook. Look for Mike at the races he is registered for and say hello! He loves to meet the listeners of his podcast!

I will also interview Mike after his WDW Marathon experience with his step-daughter Paige next January. Be sure to cheer them on!

The Boston Marathon – An AMAZING Day!

April 22, 2014

One round trip ticket to Boston!

When I woke up I saw the sun shining in my room and I was excited that I was about to go to the Boston Marathon to hopefully see my friends run it! I put Kevin on the bus then I dropped Adrienne off at school and had to make a quick stop to rite aid so I could get cash back for the tolls and the train. I hauled up to Worcester for the 10:45 train and caught it in time with about 3 minutes to spare. I have to admit that was cutting it close!

The train tracks run right alongside the marathon route at mile 6 so I got so excited when I looked out the window and I was able to see the runners. At that point there weren’t as many as I expected and they didn’t look like elite runners either. A smattering of them were scattered about. Then we went to the another stop and were held up there for a while. At that point I saw more runners and according to runner tracking and Facebook I was right about near be area where Eddie McCoy was.

Fenway Park

I met a girl on the train who gave me some advice. The train arrived at 12:15 and we got off at Fenway park. That was cool. I have never been there. The atmosphere had some electricity in the air. To my right was the baseball stadium with a game going on and to my left up a block the runners were approaching mile 25 where the famous Citgo sign is. I went through bag check and parked myself at mile 25.2. I figured this would be a great place to wait for Eddie. I decided against going to Heartbreak hill because the B train has too many stops both there and back.

The famous Citgo sign I always heard about

I was loving the energy at mile 25 and wanted to see what I could see in this part of town. I was overcome with emotions. I got emotional when I was talking to my husband on the phone. This is one special race. I WANT to be a part of it.

I was doing the math in my head trying to figure out when I would see Eddie because I got an alert that he already passed the 30k mark. I knew he shouldn’t have passed me yet and I almost left but I didn’t get an alert either that he had crossed the finish line, so I waited. And then I saw him! I have to admit he looked upset or tired. He had his head down and was walking a little bit. I recognized the buff he had on his head in his Facebook picture this morning so thankfully I knew for sure that was him! I was only able to get a picture of the back of him but I got one!! My mission was to go to the race in hopes of seeing some of my friends and I did! I wished I was on the same side of the street as him so I could cheer him on and give him the boost he needed to get to that finish line.

Eddie at the far left in the blue shirts and shorts and yellow sneakers

After seeing him I decided to call rich and see where he and Charlie were. They were on the T coming back from the hill. I walked towards the finish and took in the sights. It was a spectacular day. The sky was so blue the air was the perfect temp and there was a special feeling in the air. I ate my packed turkey sandwich and continued to walk and see where I would end up.

The trees blooming in the City

The streets of Boston were beautiful with the trees blossoming and the streets are lined with store fronts and restaurants. I definitely want to make a trip up there more often to take in the sights of the town and bring my kids to the aquarium. I was really enjoying myself.

Boston Strong On Bolyston street

With a lot of zigging a zagging I did get to see runners cross the finish line and I walked on Boylston Street where then bombs had gone off just one year ago. It was a little bit eerie. I was wondering which part of the sidewalk was the backpack on. And since I am reading the book Stronger I thought of the victim who looked at the bomber right in the eye.

Mike 26 on Bolyston Street

After a lot of walking I found myself in the back stage area where the runners get their water, their medical help, and reunite with their families. It was neat to see this side of the race. Being a marathoner I know what it is like after you go through the chute to get your medal, water, space blanket and “stuff” and then sort of collapse or come down for a few minutes from the rush that you just had of the final stretch of the race. There were people in space blankets everywhere and many of them looked really wiped out. Like I said it was a beautiful day, but it was full sun for the runners.

The Finish Line!

After two hours of walking around a maze, I was finally able to cross the street at Boylston street in front of the Prudential building. I had to walk around most of the city, but I made it to the area where Rich Garing and Charlie Gessner were. Rich and Charlie are friends of Eddie McCoy and Michelle Scribner-MacLean. It was great to meet fellow Mickey Mile Podcast friends and Disney race lovers!

A mom hugging her son as he is about to cross the finish line. He was running for Team Spalding Rehab

I hung out with the guys at mile 26 for a little over an hour to wait for Linda Ambard, Linda Bachand, Jeff Galloway and Michelle. Somehow Linda Ambard slipped by me! Then Team Hoyt came by. That was emotional! I was very, very happy that I was able to see them in person! It was beautiful to see the father and son team run their last Boston marathon together and the Team Hoyt runners gathered all around them! Watch the video!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsQ4ZEBOtqc&w=420&h=315]

I saw some amazing things today. I saw a pregnant woman who I would guess is 6 months pregnant, run by me at mile 25 doing a sub 4 marathon. I saw a man completely out of it barely walking to the finish. The woman standing next to me saw him, too. He needed medical attention because he was about to drop. I saw history made as Dick Hoyt pushed his son past me and to the finish line for his last Boston marathon – that was emotional. I saw blind runners being led to the finish by their guides, soldiers running in camo and boots, amputees running, and I saw pain, happiness, elation, runners in tears pass by me to the 26.2 finish line.

On my way home I did see two men with dark bags near the finish line being questioned by police. I didn’t want to go into too much analysis of what-ifs. I didn’t want to ruin the spirit of the day. But it was on my mind as I am sure it was on everyone else’s.

Goodbye for now Boston!

I said goodbye to Rich and Charlie just before 5:00 so I could catch the train back home. As the train was pulling away from the city I said goodbye to it, but not for long. I will return one day to run that hard and rewarding race! My plan is that it may take 4-5 years to accomplish this goal. If I cannot get faster to get to this race on my own then I will work hard to raise funds on a charity bib so I can run it for an organization who can benefit from my help. I won’t give up trying! I have had a taste of it and saw the joy on people’s faces for having run it. It is such a major accomplishment. It’s not just any marathon, it is the Boston Marathon.

As a follow up to my Shalane Flanagan story, she took her loss very hard. View her post race interview

Boston Marathon World Run – A Success!

April 20, 2014

I ran my Boston Marathon World Run on Friday. It was a perfect day for a marathon run. My dad watched my kids for me, which I am very grateful for! I couldn’t do these races and training runs if not for the support of my husband and my family! I can’t thank you enough for helping me make my dreams come true! It means so much to me.

The day was a perfect temp, not too much sun and the roads weren’t very busy either! I mapped out my route ahead of time; but while I was out there, I made minor modifications to try to get in a few more mileage in the beginning closer to my house in a less hilly area so that I wouldn’t have to end the route on as many hills that I originally mapped out. In the end that worked out nicely for me. I had to end on a gradual hill on Route 17 but it was totally manageable and it was also the same road my husband drives home on so he was able to wait for me. When he saw me I told him I had 1 mile to go and to pick me up there so I wouldn’t have to walk the last mile home and treck up our hill. I just didn’t want to do it. I was already out there over 6 hours and I wanted to be home with my family.

I felt great. I did what Jeff Galloway recommended and set my intervals to 15/30 and walked the entire first mile. When I was trying to go slow in the beginning my pace was coming up around 12 mins/mile. Jeff recommended going no faster than 15 mins/mile. I couldn’t slow down at first. Eventually, I evened out around at 14 mins/mile pace. And when in a grove it would speed up to 13 mins/mile.

While out on the run, I enjoyed my favorite podcasts, Mickey Miles Podcast plays first, then Laugh or Go Crazy, followed by Two Gomers. I had several saved up so I couldn’t listen to the rest of my favorite podcasts. I will save them for my weekly shorter runs now and to listen to while at work! I enjoyed laughing while running. The Laugh or Go Crazy podcast really had me chuckling at one point and so did the Two Gomers. I shared this with them via Twitter. I think it is important to let them know that their podcast does impact our lives. It’s great entertainment for me while out for 6 hours training!

The Mickey Miles podcast taught me so much about nutrition. I also learned so much listening to Tara Gidus on the mickey Miles podcast that I am going to write a summary of what I took away from it and may consider hiring her as a nutrition consultant for my training. She is VERY knowledgeable on the subject of nutrition and training, supplements, vitamins and much more. Of course she should be, she’s the official nutritionist of runDisney!

The Laugh or Go Crazy podcast topic was about Living the Dream. Are you living your life as if it were a dream and you are doing all that you dreamed of doing. Are you handling the good and the bad as best as you can? Life won’t always be perfect, there will be hard time and then there are the good times. Are you making the best of your life?

The Two Gomers are on a quest to do the St. Anthony’s triathlon in St. Petersburgh,FL on April 28. I am so proud of them. They are way ahead of me in terms of stepping out of their comfort zone. They have talked for years about stretching out there and wondering if they would ever do a triathlon. Their podcast has giving me the nudge to get on my bike more and I’m also working towards trying a new race this year. I hope I fulfill my New Year’s one word resolution and GROW towards that. If anything, I am cross training with my bike which I hope helps with my running.

I’m very glad my training run was so successful. I am not sore at all. I did as Jeff recommended and didn’t have to rush home to pick up Adrienne from school so I was able to slow down my pace like Jeff said and it really makes a difference. I haven’t run this weekend because I was busy with the kids, sports and the Easter holiday, but I could have easily gotten in a 4 mile run with hardly any leg issues if necessary. I am heading up to Boston Monday for the marathon and hope to run in the evening or I’ll have save it for Tuesday. I’m looking forward to watching the race and soaking in the excitement and using that as the fuel towards my quest to qualify for Boston one day! If I can’t get there on my own within 5 years I will try to go on a charity bib. But I want to earn it ON MY OWN! It’s going to be the hardest thing I ever try to do.

Providence is two weeks away and I’m looking forward to getting a PR for my marathon time and growing towards my next goals for this summer!

You Sometimes Have to Fail To Succeed

April 19, 2014

Have you ever been fired from a job? Have you ever not finished a race? Did you flunk out of a class? Have you ever had a business fail? I have experienced several of these situations. I was once fired from a job that I went to college to study for. I did open a business that I had to close because it was not making the money I had hoped for in this state. I have failed, but I don’t consider these things failures. I consider them learning experiences. Yea when they happen to you they seem like the crappiest things you can go through, but in reality they are building your character and making you see how strong you really are.

When I lost my job as a legal secretary at a very big law firm in Hartford, I thought I would never go anywhere in life, but I was fortunate to be hired back from the employer I left (who I still work for now). I had to start over in a different capacity there, but I moved into new positions and learned new things and ended up going back to school and got a B.S. in Computer Science with a specialization in web design. And I am much happier doing this creative type of work than filling in forms and pushing paper in a law firm.

I also took a risk and opened a business in 2005. I learned so much about how to open a business, the laws, the taxes, the fees associated with running a business and how you can’t make money when you own your own business. At least not in the way we ran the business. While it was a stressful time and a difficult decision to close the business 4 years later, it was a smart decision. Looking back, it still stings when we think about what we went through; but I do know that I have learned so much and can say that I was a business owner in my lifetime. I dealt with all of the aspects of owning a business from the finances, to payroll, maintenance, marketing, hiring personnel, purchasing and sales.

When it comes to the sport of running, I can say I have had failures. They haven’t come in the form of a DNF, but they have come in injuries from doing too much too soon. I have learned from some of my friends. My friend Laurel Moffit attempted to the Dopey Challenge in 2013 and was unable to finish the full marathon. She wrote a blog post about it at www.penniestoyennies.com after waiting several months after the event because she needed to process everything that happened to her. I am always writing about successes and goals and wishes, but there is something that we have to deal with when setting goals and attempting to raise the bar to harder and harder achievements. There are times where we are going to fail. And that’s totally OK.

I read Laurel’s blog again and how she admitted to being sore and under trained and cried when she had to be picked up the sweeper bus. But she also realized that she didn’t succeed because she didn’t put the time in that is needed for such a challenge. She took what she learned from that experience and spent most of 2013 training for the 2014 Goofy Challenge.

I have another friend who was a victim of the sweeper bus for the marathon in 2013. She also blogged about it and I found reading their articles were more helpful to me than reading articles from people who succeeded because I can learn from their failures and things they did wrong and also get inspiration from them; because both of those friends didn’t give up. They picked themselves up and tried again next year!

I have written about my other podcast that I listen to called Laugh or Go Crazy and they talked about redefining failure. It was great to hear a perspective that if you didn’t have a day where you failed then you aren’t succeeding because you aren’t learning from your failures.

Why are we so hard on ourselves when we fail?

Here’s what I know about failure. If you always do everything right and don’t fail, chances are you aren’t trying very hard. Failure does build character, and you should try new things. You can succeed in trying. I say this time and time again to my children. NEVER GIVE UP. They know it. My son was having a hard time with baseball and was throwing a fit in the driveway last weekend but I told him to NEVER GIVE UP. You may not catch every ball, but no one can.

I am registered for the Dopey challenge in 2015 which is 4 races in 4 days covering a 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon. I hope I don’t fail at this major commitment I signed up for. I will be confident in my training. I WILL train. And if by chance I don’t finish, the experience of trying and working towards it is almost as good as the race weekend. Not quite as good, but almost.

Dick and Ricky Hoyt – Their Last Boston Marathon

April 19, 2014

Get your tissues ready, this story is beautiful and inspiring. The 2014 Boston Marathon will the 32nd Boston Marathon for Team Hoyt. Last year, due to the events that happened, they were forced to stop about a mile from the finish line. Dick Hoyt at the age of 73 says he has one more Boston Marathon in him. He has been suffering from severe back pain. Their first Boston marathon was in 1981 as Dick pushed Rick in a wheelchair.

Ricky was born in 1962, but suffered from oxygen deprivation to his brain and was diagnosed as a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. Against doctor’s suggestions, Dick and Judy had a quest to include Ricky in everything they took part of in their lives. Dick and Judy saw that their son was intelligent and had the ability to learn like everyone else. However, they needed to find a way to help Rick communicate for himself, so they built him a computer. Because his first words were not “Hi Mom,” or “Hi Dad,” but “Go Bruins!”, his parents knew he loved sports and followed the game just like anyone else. After graduating high school, Rick attended Boston University, and graduated with a degree in Special Education in 1993.

Their racing career began in the spring of 1977. Ricky told his father he wanted to participate in a run for a paralyzed Lacrosse player. His father agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair. They came in next to last, but that night Rick told his father, “Dad, when I’m running, it feels like I’m not handicapped.”

Since that day, Team Hoyt has run over 1,100 races including marathons, duathlons and triathlons (6 of them were Ironman competitions). And Dick and Rick biked and ran across the United States in 1992. It took them 45 days to complete the 3,735 miles. They are absolutely unstoppable. The thought of even doing an Ironman blows me away, but to know that Dick did this while pulling his son in a boat or riding a special two-seater bike and then pushing the wheelchair is absolutely remarkable.

When Dick and Ricky first wanted to run the Boston marathon, they did not want them to. Now there is a bronze statue of them near the start line. With their motto “Yes You Can”, they want so show that if you are disabled it doesn’t mean you have to site on the sidelines. Although his father won’t be pushing him in future Boston marathons, Ricky will continue to compete with a new partner. He will still run with his dad, and compete in shorter races, just not in marathons.

I have a brother with special needs but we always included him in everything we have done. I remember going to the Special Olympics when he was younger and being so proud of him. I was so touched by the athletes giving their all in their events. My brother works a full-time job where I work and participates in the volunteer Fire Department in our town and we have lived with the same motto as the Hoyt family. You can do anything you want to do.

This is a message that I am teaching my children. They are sitting with me right now as I type this blog post and they watched the movies and stories of Dick and Ricky. I want my children to know that “Yes You Can”. My motto to them is “Never Give Up.” I hope for the chance to see Dick and Ricky at the race on Monday. What a special relationship.

Shalane Flanagan – The Woman Hoping to Win The Boston Marathon This Year

April 18, 2014

A 5 foot 4″, 102 pound fiery Bostonian has her eye on the finish line to win the Boston Marathon. Shalane Flanagan has been training the Boston marathon route repetitively. She is called a pony tailed assassin in knee socks. The Olympic athlete who now lives in Portland, OR has been training in Boston, Portland and at high altitude in Arizona.

Watch a segment on 60 minutes about her quest towards her goal. The 32 year old sponsored by Nike, runs as her full time job. What a dream! She watches everything she eats because it is not only food, but fuel for her body. Shalane ran 2:25:38 at the 2012 Olympic marathon trials in Houston, which many of the women have faster marathon bests than that. That blows my mind!

Shalane grew up watching her father run the Boston marathon. So winning this race to her means everything. It even means more than winning an Olympic medal. It’s in her blood. Her mother, Cheryl Treworgy, was the world-record holder in the marathon in 1971 and her father, Steve Flanagan was once a 2:18 marathoner.

When watching the CBS 60 minute story of her you can see the desire in her eyes. You can feel her passion for wanting to win this race. It’s going to be an amazing marathon this year for many reasons. I will be watching (or listening via my iPhone from my car on the way up to the race) to see if she can beat the Kenyans at this year’s marathon!

You can watch Live coverage streamed online on Monday from http://watchlive.baa.org/. For more media coverage click here. Will you be following the marathon live on Monday?