Wife Mother Runner podcast Archives

The Another Mother Runner Meet Up and Book Signing

March 24, 2015

Thursday, March 12 was an event on my calendar I was looking forward to. Dimity and Sarah were going to be at Fleet Feet in West Hartford and I was going to meet up with Kimberly Markey and her best friend Nicole, Kimberlee Dziezynski, and Anne Martin for dinner beforehand.

I had a blast! It was great to see the girls outside of a race or on a plane! We ate at Bricco in West Hartford. The food was delicious and it was good to catch up with everyone! Then, we walked to Fleet Feet.

There were a lot of women there and lots of activities to fill some time prior to the book readings. I enjoyed the activity to get the names of two women there and the latest race distance they ran. While doing this I got to meet two great women from CT One of them did the women’s triathlon last September that I was aiming to do last year but chose to sit out. We talked and she told me all about the race and that it is not intimidating. She opened my eyes to consider the idea of doing the tri again this year, but right now it’s not in my heart to do so. But it was great to network with other and to talk about things that scare us.

Our activities to complete while we mingled

Also while we mingled and waited for the readings we had to visit the merchandise table and the sponsor’s table and identify an item that we would like to own. At the Saucony table I saw a few items that caught my eye. The hipster pouch was something I was interested in, as well as the capri pants they had.

After mingling we sat down to listen to the readings from Dimity, Nicole Blades and Alison Overholt. I heard their essays before on previous episodes of Another Mother Runner podcasts; but it was nice to hear them reading their essays in person. In between readings, Sarah and Dimity did raffle prizes for the items on the Sponsor table. Unfortunately I was not a winner. But I had a great time! After the event was over, I had both Sarah and Dimity sign my book and I hung around to chat with them and the other essayists, Nicole and Alison. They are awesome and I hope to see them again at future events.

Alison reading her essay

Sarah (a two-time BQ qualifier) and me

me and Dimity (an Iron Woman)

If you haven’t checked out their books or podcast already, visit their website and listen now! They also gave us a swag bag at the end of the night filled with all of these great products! Thank you to Nuun, RedFox Wireless, SofSole, Gu, Hylands, Runner’s High, Action Wipes, Heart Strides, and Trigger Point for contributing the Sarah and Dimity’s swag bag.

Our swag bag goodies

After the event was over we mingled some more, took pictures and had Sarah and Dimity sign our books and I did some shopping at the Another Mother Runner merchandise table. One of my favorite sweatshrts is my Philly Mother Runner sweatshirt so I HAD to pick up their badass mother runner sweatshirt! They are so soft and comfy. I also picked up an Another Mother Runner soft baseball shirt.

It was such a great night and I know that it was a chance to see them for a book reading that may not happen again for a long time. The next chance I may get to see them is at Wine & Dine in Disney in November. They mentioned that they may attend that race, but if they are at a local race again like Philly then I will be sure to stop by their booth. I keep tabs on where they are from their web site and their pod casts. It was great to see them again and I had a great time hanging with the girls for the night! Thank you Sarah and Dimity!

One Word Resolution

December 26, 2014

I have spoken of this often, I listen to The Two Gomers Run For Their Lives pod cast and each year they come up with a word for their New Year’s resolution. I don’t make resolutions, but I liked the concept of applying one word to my year. Last year the word Grow came to me when I was out on a run. It was a very appropriate word for me for 2014. I have changed in many ways. I left a company I was with for 24 years and started a new job. This job requires that I travel more than the 2 mile commute that I used to have, I am out of the house 5 days per week and I am teach people and interfacing with several people. I love the job. It wasn’t that difficult of a decision for me to take the job. I needed to grow. I was feeling stuck where I was working. My old job wasn’t making me happy. The moral at the company was in the toilet, people were miserable and I was feeling miserable with them. I took a risk, changed a few words in my resume and the job came to me!

As I reflect on my 2014 over the next week, I am thinking of a word that I can apply to my life next year. Grow is still pretty important to me because with my new job I am growing with all of the new things I am learning; but I need a new word. Something to represent what I want to do for myself next year in my career, family, running and personal life. I also want to find more success in my Jamberry business. When I started it last year I had no specific goals, except to keep afloat and not to fail. It is a fun business with cute nail wraps, but I have met so many awesome people who are also runDisney friends and also Mikey Milers! What another great way to network and meet new people! I want to find a specific goal and set it this year.

Do you make resolutions? Do you do a one word resolution? Share with me!

Hmmmm some words that I picked up on while writing this post were “network” “success” “interface” “risk”. I’ll have to chew on those for a bit!

Be Our Guest Mike Rahlmann runDisney Marathon Training Follow Up Interview

December 10, 2014

Earlier in the year I interviewed Mike Rahlmann from the Be Our Guest podcast. He is training for the runDisney full marathon. He NEVER thought he’d be running a marathon and here he is, just one long run away from doing it in less than a month! Here’s the interview, enjoy it! I ran into Mike on the bus at the Tower of Terror weekend and we took some pictures together before the race!

Mike and I at the Tower of Terror 10 Miler – October, 2014

How is your training going! I see your training stats when you finish and they look awesome!

My training is going pretty well! I think I’m starting to become a bit of a “runner!” I make sure to schedule my days and weeks not to miss my 4 “run days!” I feel so much better when I get out there and get in my miles!

How are you feeling mentally, physically and emotionally about the race?

I’m very excited about this all! Once I completed my 24 mile training run last Saturday, I started finally feeling like I can actually do this marathon! I realize after running many runDisney events that the excitment of the race and being with “running friends” does carry you a bit, so I know if I can get close, I can get to that finish line!

Now that you are one more long run away from race day (and I know you said you are saving the .2 for marathon day), do you feel ready?

I do! Thanks to the encouragement of so many of our podcast teammates and others from the Disney Community, I’m starting to believe in myself. It is great having this shared experience with so many friends. I know that I won’t be the only one in those corrals on January 11 going for 26.2 for the first time! Also, I know that every mile of the race, there will be smiles, friends, and encouraging words to get me to that finish!

What was the hardest training run for you so far?

I think some of the hardest training runs have been on the coldest days so far this winter. I run every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and on Tuesday and Thursday, I have to run before school. It’s still dark when I get my run in, so it is tough to leave that bed in what feels like the middle of the night knowing how cold it is going to be out there. However, I know others are doing the same and it will all be worth it when I get to the race!

How do you feel the day of and the days after your long runs?

I’m always a bit anxious to just get out there when it is my “run day!” Also, when I know I have a long run coming up on Saturday, I’m at bit on-edge that entire week. I actually feel good knowing that I only have one long run left before Marathon Weekend. I do love the training, but the nervousness that I feel before the weekend of my long runs is a bit crazy! After I get in those long runs, I reward myself with a nice Saturday afternoon nap on the couch watching college football, unless it is my beloved Mizzou Tigers! Then, who could sleep?

Now that you have seen how much work goes into training a marathon will you do another after this one?

I’ve heard my great friend Adam mention that this might be his only marathon due to these long runs during the training and I really can see where he is coming from. There are many days I feel exactly the same. However, I’m the kind of person that never says never. I NEVER thought I would run a Half-Marathon, and now I’m nuts enough to get out there and shoot for 26.2. Who knows, Dopey anyone?

Your times are very fast, have you considered trying to qualify for Boston?

Not a chance. That actually cracks me up! I heard someone mention that one day on Twitter about my times. I use the Jeff Galloway Run-Walk-Run method in 1:1 intervals, so I don’t consider myself at all fast since I walk half of the time. Also, I see Boston as an elite athletic event, and I’m just out there to have fun with some buddies and get a great Walt Disney World Vacation at the same time!

Are you staying healthy and injury free during this time?

Actually, the day I’m writing this, I’m fighting a tough stomach bug that caused me to miss my first “run day” in over a year. However, I feel like I am a “real” runner now because while I was laying in bed, I was worried about not getting in my miles. As soon as I got up and ate some breakfast the next day having had to stay home from school, I made sure to head downstairs and get in at least 6 miles of walking on the treadmill.

Are you hungrier?

Yes, I can eat just about anything these days. Before I started this journey, I ate a ton of fast food. It was almost my exclusive diet. Now I tend to eat out just about as much, but we go more to sit-down restaurants where there are slightly better choices. I enjoy fajitas from my favorite Mexican restaurant about 3 times a week and watch what I eat for breakfast and lunch and enjoy a healthy-sized dinner.

Do you have a goal time in mind or do you just want to finish? Is your daughter still running it? How has her training been?

I would love to finish the Marathon in about 4:20 or so, seeing as I have run about that pace here in Missouri where it is rather hilly, but I’m in a dilemma here. I want to make sure I enjoy this experience. I’ve been working on this goal since July 30, 2013 when I took my first 1 mile run. I want to be able to stop for pictures on the course, take pictures of other running and inspiring signs and scenes along the way, ride Expedition Everest, and more! Life is about the journey, right? It’s not about who gets done first. Being competitive, that’s going to be hard for me, but I think I will slow down and enjoy one of (hopefully) the best mornings of my life!

Paige is still running the Marathon with me, but hasn’t done much training. She was injured for about half of her Cross Country season this year with a stress fracture so she needed to stay away from running for a bit. I have been getting on her for the past month about getting out there and training, but do you think an 18-year old girl is going to listen to her step-dad? I think she will do fine. She is very athletic. I just want her to have an amazing time too.

What do you listen to on your long runs?

Let’s see if this surprises you – podcasts. I really do enjoy hearing “friends” while I am out there on the road. I always “screen” our upcoming Be Our Guest Podcasts, but also love hearing WDW Today, The Disney Dish Podcast, RFF Radio, MacBreak Weekly, This Week in Tech, Mickey Miles Podcast, Resort Loop, and more. Also, on Saturday mornings with my long runs, I listen to College Gameday on the ESPN Radio App. What can I say? I’m just not a music guy!

Do you have a mantra to help you through the tough times?

Luckily (knock on wood), I haven’t had too many tough times. I see friends out there thousands of miles away who are on this journey with me. We keep each other motivated. I have friends like Mike Bankhead and Stan Harris who will post just the right motivational message on Facebook when I need it. Social Media is more powerful that I think most people give it credit – it has helped shape me as a runner and changed my life for the better.

What do you use for fuel for the long runs? I used to use Gu but now I use pretzel fish and gummy bears and Nuun because they cause less upset to my stomach.

I will be honest – I don’t fuel on any runs. Before my 24 mile run, I got up and ate a small bagel with some peanut butter and hit the road and I was fine. My mistake was that I didn’t have any water available during this run either. I made it home after the run, but on my last training run, I’m going to ask my wife to meet me around mile 15 with a sports drink or something. I tried a gel years ago at the first Tower of Terror race and it made me sick to my stomach, so I tend to run light and eat when I finish.

Clothing- you are training at home where it is cold. Are you conscious of what gear you will wear in Florida? It’s hard because we don’t have the chance to test out the summer clothing for the long runs in our winter states.

I’m pretty simple – I’m planning on just running in some running shorts and out BOGP Running Lizard Team shirt. However, I ran the “Frozen” WDW Half-Marathon in 2010 and I learned my lesson. I will have my cold-weather running gear with me, but hope that I don’t have to use it. When it is cold here in St. Louis, I run in Nike Combat Hyperwarm undergarments and swear by them. I can run in wind chills down in the single digits and be fine except for my exposed skin.

It sounds to me like Mike is ready to go! And if you ask me he’s a runner!! No doubt about it. Great job Mike! I can’t wait to hear all about your experience and yes, Dopey may be in your future one day! Like I always say, “Never Give Up!” I also say “Never Say Never!”

Check back in January for my recap of my first experience with the Dopey challenge and I will also interview Mike again after he completes his first Full Marathon! I can’t wait to hear what he thinks of running a full marathon, and running the Disney marathon as his first marathon.

Dreamers Podcast – Joe Pardo

July 28, 2014

I had the opportunity to connect with the owner of the Dreamers Podcast, Joe Pardo when my friend Eddie McCoy posted to Facebook a podcast interview he did with Joe. I instantly loved the podcast. I connected with Joe and told him how much I loved his podcast and we go to talking. He learned that I was a runner and asked me to be on his show as well! I will share my link to that podcast when it becomes available. But what I wanted to do was interview Joe himself. Joe is very active with fundraising for Give Kids the World and he has created a CD called Adventurtorium which is an UP Inspired Adventure. You can listen to it from his site or purchase a CD where some of the funds are donated to Give Kids The World. Learn more about Joe, the man behind the questions from the Dreamers Podcast. I love what he is doing with his show and inspiring me to live my dream and to not let my fears or doubts get in my way.

What is your pet peeve? That’s pretty tough for me to answer. I’d have to say at the top of my list are noises, clicks, creaking, scratching, tapping, high pitched squeals and rattling. A good example of this is random rattling inside my car. Another good example would be nail clipping.

I love music and sound, but I like to hear it clean and crisp. I find it very annoying when there is a noise coming from one of my speakers. Haha, my wife could tell you how many times I have stopped movies to try and remove a noise being made from a speaker vibration for one reason or another.

When did you begin running? Through most of school, I was not very active. I would spend most of my time on computers playing video games, so it wasn’t till after high school that I really made a push to get healthier. Though I never ran consistently, I took the interest seriously in 2010.

How did you start running? Running for me was a cheap, quick and, most importantly to me, efficient way to lose weight. So I got started just running around my block and up to a stop sign that I knew netted me 1.8 miles back and forth to my house.

That was until I got involved with the Disney running community and joined the All Ears Running Team at the end of 2011. By that point I was already running pretty seriously because I had signed up for my first ever race, the 2012 Princess Half Marathon. As it turns out, I probably over trained for that half marathon, and could’ve probably run a full at the time.

Over training turned out to be a bit of a mental block because I became pretty lax after the Princess. By the time the next race for me came up, 2013 Marathon Weekend Half Marathon, I did very little in the way of training, which caused me to do much worse.

Do you have running goals or dreams? I have a lot of hobbies and goals to go with them. Including:

Podcasting (www.HowToDream.co) DJing (www.Adventurtorium.com) College Mentoring Roller Hockey As well as running.

So with running, I try to keep my goals loose. Getting out to go for a run is a small victory, but ever year I try to run at least one half marathon. I do have plans to run a Goofy Challenge, but had to put them on ice due to timing issues in 2014.

What is your favorite Disney race? Marathon Weekend’s Half Marathon because of the size and scope of the race. I get to see so many friends while down there, and it’s more like a reunion than a race.

Which Disney races have you done? 2012 Princess Half Marathon 2013 Marathon Weekend Half Marathon 2013 Wine and Dine Half Marathon 2014 Everest 5k Challenge

How did you start the podcast? While on a plane heading to the 2014 Everest 5k Challenge, a good friend of mine told me about a podcast called Entrepreneur on Fire. That’s when I got inspired to interview people who live their dreams, because I know quite a few.

Before we got to the rental car, in Orlando, Florida, I had already registered the domain name, Facebook Page and Twitter handle. By the end of the weekend I had people that were excited to be a part of this new venture, and over 100 people in my list of people I knew I could get to be on the show.

My friend, Al Kessel, offered to do my opening and closing bumpers for the show, and help me out with getting the podcast started. You can check him out, and his voice-acting career on Episode 1 of Dreamers Podcast.

I bought a Blue Yeti mic, and I got started by booking guests to record with, and haven’t stopped since!

What is your dream? I want to build a community based on the idea: Society starts with you. I want to help people reach higher, and push harder to obtain their dreams.

I have some book ideas that I plan on fleshing out in the near future.

I’d like to continue running, and being active through life. Getting myself back on track with a routine running regiment is definitely in the plan.

I would also like to eventually have kids with my loving and supportive wife, Melissa.

These are great answers Joe and I hope you are living your dream! Your podcast has helped me to work towards my dreams and I would love to report back to you later in the year and after I complete the Dopey challenge to let you know how well I did with working towards my dreams and to see what life has provided me in the next 6 months! I also look forward to guest blogging on your site and sharing what I have learned from the guests on your show! Keep up the good work Joe!

Kathryn Switzer – The First Woman To Run The Boston Marathon

April 15, 2014

On my 20 mile training run I listened to the Another Mother Runner podcast #101 with Kathryn Switzer. What an amazing story she told! She is the first woman to run the Boston Marathon. She is a professional journalist, speaker and commentator, and has several books Marathon Woman, 26.2 Marathon Stories and Running and Walking for Women Over 40. I have not read any of her books yet but they are next on my list.

She is most famous for running the Boston Marathon 45 years ago, when she officially entered what was considered to be a men’s only race. This is my first time seeing this image, but this was a very famous image of her running the Boston marathon and being attached by the race director for officially wearing a bib during the race. Her boyfriend protected her and she continued to run and finish the race.

In 1974 she won the New York City Marathon and in 1975 Kathryn finished second in the Boston Marathon with a finish time of 2:51:33.

Her most recent work is the 261 Fearless Women’s Marathon which took place on March 30, 2014 in Madrid, Spain. Bib number 261 was her 1967 Boston Marathon bib number. Women from around the world have been wearing this bib number because it makes them feel fearless in the face of adversity.

Learn more about Kathryn on her website and listen to the podcast, it’s an amazing story!

Category: podcast

The Another Mother Runner Meet Up and Book Signing

One Word Resolution

Be Our Guest Mike Rahlmann runDisney Marathon Training Follow Up Interview

Dreamers Podcast – Joe Pardo

Kathryn Switzer – The First Woman To Run The Boston Marathon