Wife Mother Runner running Archives - Page 6 of 8

Disney Marathon Weekend Event #2

February 10, 2014

The second day of the Marathon weekend was filled with two events for us. The Inaugural Minnie 10K and the Kids Races. I was up at 2:00 a.m. to get ready and catch a bus to meet up with Mandy and Diana. I got there early, met a nice guy named Matt from Alabama on my bus and wandered around the gathering area for a while to try and find everyone. While there Danielle Nardi spotted me. So I hung out with her for a few minutes, then went over to Corral A area to wish Kim, her daughter Katherine and Alison good luck on the race. I found Mandy and Diana and in our Corral and we waited for the race to start. The race ran through the outside of the parking lot of Epcot for the first 2 miles and then goes through the back of Test Track, through World Showcase and into the Boardwalk and Beach Club area. You could smell the foods from around the area and we were starving! It was just 7:30 by the time we finished!

I really enjoyed the 10K course. We didn’t stop for character pictures, but we did take pictures along the world showcase. After the race was finished we took pictures outside the Finish area and then I had to rush back and shower, eat and get the kids over to the Kids races.

The Kids races were fun. The kids were excited to participate but were very anxious to wait for the start of the race. We got there early enough so that they were in the beginning of the corral. They had to wait about 15 minutes for the race to start, so I kept them cool with cold water to drink and Kevin waited with them while I scoped out a place at the finish line to get video and photos of them.

When it was time to go, my son took of quick. My husband Kevin ran with Adrienne. My son went by so fast I didn’t even see him! Thankfully I took video so I could find him afterwards. He came in around 8th place. I spotted my husband and Adrienne coming along and in the video recap I was able to see her give Mickey a high five on her way by him!

The kid races were a lot of fun and something we will definitely take part of in the future. View a video of Day 2 of our trip including the 10K race and the kid races along with a few other surprises at the end of the day!

Everyone has a story… My story

January 21, 2014

My running story begins when I started running in 2002. It was the year I got married. At the time I started running I had been undergoing tests and multiple doctor visits, skin biopsies and an upcoming kidney biopsy to determine why I had petechia on my lower legs and feet and blood and protein in my urine. Prior to my kidney biopsy we learned that my grandfather had lung cancer and he was hospitalized quickly. He passed away very quickly after his diagnosis and hospitalization. I believe that he knew that at the age of 90 he wasn’t going to fight the fight of cancer. I had to have my kidney biopsy the week after his funeral. I had a lot of stress so I decided to visit the Woodbridge Running Store and get fitted for a proper pair of running shoes. I needed an outlet for my new stresses.

I began running on the treadmill. I had to take a brief pause in my new hobby because of my kidney biopsy. But once I was cleared to run again I continued on. That year, my boss at the time, was running the New York City marathon. I was fascinated by this. I guess I can say I was a little in awe about it. On the day of her marathon I watched it on TV and decided to lace up my sneakers and run it with her virtually. I turned the race on the TV downstairs and ran on the treadmill for 9 miles. That was the longest I had ever run. I think deep in the back of my mind I knew that I wanted to run a marathon and maybe I would.

That year I had to be put on a chemotherapy-like immunosuppresant drug and a high dose of steroids to try to knock this mysterious illness out of my body and reduce the inflammation in my kidneys. I was not happy to be on the steroids and I did gain weight being on it which also bothered me. I ran on the treadmill to try to reduce the weight gain, but if you have ever been on steroids for a long period of time, you will know you can’t really do much to eliminate the weight gain.

I was totally stressed and overwhelmed by this mysterious illness and course of treatment and at the time, being newly married, my husband and I wanted to start a family. However, in September when I was told that I had to go on these drugs I was also told that our dream to start a family had to be put on hold for an undetermined amount of time. I was not happy. I was devastated. We were devastated. I needed an outlet. After a few years of being on different immunosuppresants and on and off doses of steroids I continued to run on the treadmill at our house. I never ran outside.

I had to have one more kidney biopsy in 2005 and my diagnosis was confirmed as Henoch Schonlein Purpura, a disease that usually strikes children when they are put on antibiotics for strep and clears up on its own. I was in my early 30s at the time of my diagnosis. Because I had this disease and my kidneys were affected by vasculitis (inflammation of the small blood vessels), I would have to be on medication until I could stay off of it without getting petechia on my legs or feet.

After five years of treatment I finally had the chance to try to get pregnant. But ironically the decision was to try while taking the medication that I was told five years earlier wasn’t safe to take while trying to get pregnant. We met with several researchers and learned about the risks of taking the drug while pregnant and made our decision to proceed. However, that didn’t go as easy as planned. After several months of trying, we learned that I couldn’t get pregnant on my own. We needed help. I met the great staff at the UCONN fertility group and they helped us conceive our son. This was also a stressful time of multiple doctor visits, tests (some uncomfortable), MANY blood tests and a LOT of waiting. We had gone through all of this alone while not telling our families. We wanted to surprise them when we did finally get pregnant. We gave birth to our son on June 7, 2007.

After he was born I resumed my working out on the treadmill with walking and took him for walks in the stroller in my neighborhood. Then once cleared I resumed running again on the treadmill downstairs while he was in the baby chair or napping. It felt good to run again and helped me lose the pregnancy weight. I kept up with this until it was time to try for our second child. Once again we needed help and Adrienne was born 16 months after Kevin on October 13, 2008. During my pregnancy with her I was much more active. I took walks with Kevin in the stroller pretty much up to the week before having Adrienne. Then when she was born I was out with my husband and my son hiking in the park near our house. I enjoy being active.

I suffered post partum with Adrienne but didn’t realize that I was going through it. I honestly think I suffered with it for 4 years after she was born until I finally got some help in 2013.

My running for races and outdoor running began in the summer of 2011. On vacation I started to jog up in New Hampshire and was hooked when I got back home. I wanted to do a 5K before my 40th birthday. And to summarize I have done several 5Ks, at least 8 half marathons, 10ks and now 2 full marathons.

My parents were at the finish line of my marathon this year and were so proud of me. I enjoyed knowing they were going to be there when I crossed the line to see me accomplish my dream again. Being a parent myself I now understand how they felt seeing me cross the line with a friend in need rather than cross the line to get my best finish time. As a parent I look forward to watching my children at their races or sporting events with the same feeling of pride.

The picture my dad took at the finish line.

Stay tuned for the stories of Alison and Gail in my upcoming posts.

2014 Marathon Weekend Kid Races

January 2, 2014

This year is going to be a first for my kids for marathon weekend. My daughter has been interested in my running since she recognized what I had been doing and has asked me several times if she can do a kid race. I had always known that I wanted her first race to be a Disney race so this year I registered both my son and daughter to run the 200 meter races.

At first when I was considering signing them up, I wasn’t sure if it would conflict with my race schedule. I am running the 10K on Friday and the full on Sunday. I learned that the kid races are held every day during the marathon weekend. That was good news to me. I am arriving to Orlando on Wednesday, and my family is flying down on Thursday. So I planned to have them run their races on Friday. This way I can run the 10K, then meet them over at ESPN for their race and then we can swim or do a park later that day.

The schedule on race day is as follows for Thursday – Saturday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports:

10:00 a.m. New Balance Track and Field opens, warm up begins
10:50 a.m. 100m Dash participants (1-3 years old) meet at green start flags
11:00 a.m. 100m Dash Starts
11:10 a.m. 200m Dash participants (4-6 years old) meet at yellow start flags
11:20 a.m. 200m Dash Starts
11:30 a.m. 400m Dash participants (7-8 years old) meet at blue start flags
11:40 a.m. 400m Dash Starts
12:00 p.m. Diaper Dash Starts
12:15 p.m. Mickey Mile participants (13 & under) meet at white start flags
12:30 p.m. Mickey Mile Start

The races take place at the track in the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

Each age group will have its own start line, which will be color-coded for all parents to
easily find. Each participant’s bib number matches the starting flag for their distance.
Parents can run with their children and are encouraged to do so. If you don’t, you can claim them at the finish line. Each race bib will include a tear off tag with your child’s race number on it. You remove the tag prior to the race and present it at the finish in order to pick up your child and leave the secure finish area.

Kids will receive a medallion for finishing the race and when you pick up their packets, they will receive a T shirt and a bib number. Kid races are a great introduction for the children to begin running Disney races. Once they are a little older and can run further you can have them join you for the 5K races which are also very fun and full of entertainment!

View more stories about the Marathon weekend events here!

Virtual Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Blog Hop Directory

Recovery Plans

November 20, 2013

I saw my chiropractor recently. That is one of the things that I do as a recovery item after a long run. I don’t go the same day, but within a few days of my long run. Doing long runs does add some additional compression to the spine so it is a good idea to get adjusted. It also makes your back stronger, ironically. While holding yourself upright for x number of miles your core is engaged and your back muscles are engaged which in turn makes you stronger. He told me he noticed some strength in my back.

Another recovery tool that I love after my runs is to have a glass of skim milk with Ovaltine! That’s my treat, but it is also recommended to drink after a long run because of the carb to protein ratio.

Lately I have been adding more anti inflammatory foods to my diet to help speed up the process. Foods like watermelon, red peppers, fish oil and green tea.

Listen to episode #108 from the Mickey Miles Podcast and you’ll learn from the runDisney nutritionist Tara Gidus what foods she recommends before a run, during a run and after a run. This was a very helpful episode because she used plain and simple foods like Greek Yogurt, an english muffin with peanut butter.

Here are other foods Tara recommends prior to, during and after your runs and races.

Prior to your Race or Long Run

Carb loading – full marathon
A few days prior to your event, be sure to do some carb loading. Be aware, you will gain weight during that time and you will feel bloated. But that is ok because your body is doing what it should and it is topping out with your glycogen stores. It is also water weight. Rice, tortillas, potatoes, multigrains and any source of carbs is good.

Race Day or Long Run Day

Breakfast 1.5 hours prior to the event you can have your cereal and milk, banana, bagel and PB, egg and toast or oatmeal. Then 30 minutes up to race start it is good to eat a banana, plain bagel, sport drink or granola bar.

Recovery

Post race meal within 30 minutes of your event the following food choices that are primarily carbs are best:

chocolate milk

banana and water

smoothie

fresh fruit plus protein powder

breakfast

granola plus water plus yogurt

Within 2 hours have protein plus carbs with a more complete meal to help your muscles recover.

What is your recovery plan?

This is why I run!

November 13, 2013

As a follow up to my earlier post Why do you run, today is a perfect example of why I run. Monday night I saw that there was a chance for snow showers in the forecast so instead of running Monday night I decided to save my run for Tuesday morning. I love running in snow showers. Well, I didn’t quite make it in time to run while the snow was falling around me, I still got out there when it was cold and quiet.

It was a beautiful run. Snow coating the leaves, wild geese feasting on the crumbs left in the fields and 4 deer crossed the road in front of me! (hard to see in the picture, but one looked back at me from the field).

I love getting outside when it is cold out and especially when snow is falling. It’s so quiet and peaceful. I also had to get in a recovery run after my 20 mile run on Friday and I felt great. I didn’t have any soreness hanging around from my long run. During the weekend I was eating red peppers and home made vegetable soup and drank coconut water to help with the recovery effort and inflammation.

Why do you run? Why do you run Disney?

November 12, 2013

When I was out on a run recently I was thinking about everyone else’s pod casts and blogs and thought to myself, I wonder why everyone else runs. I know that I run because I enjoy the time outside, I have made a lot of new friends at the Disney races, and I feel better knowing that I am doing something that is good for my body.

When people learn that I run one of the first things they say is “I will never run”, or “my knees hurt when I run”. They also say that they are too heavy to run. It’s all just an excuse. I tell them to never say never. Anyone can run. You don’t have to run the whole way. I don’t. I use the Jeff Galloway method of run/walk/run. This has allowed me to run complete a marathon, which I thought would NEVER happen. I always WANTED to run a marathon, but I never really thought it would happen. Now I am training for my second one within a year of my first and I have a list of marathons that I would like to do such as the Marine Corp Marathon, NYC, Chicago and Nike Women’s Half in Washington D.C. to name a few. This coming from a 41 year old wife and mother of 2 children, who only started to run races in 2010!

Why do I run? I started many years ago on my treadmill in my basement after I was told that I had an autoimmune disease but they doctor’s couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. You can read more about that in my About me page. But I was determined to go against what my mind was telling me and being sick. I didn’t want to think that something was wrong and have to deal with taking steroids and immunosuppressants. So running for me was a coping mechanism. But I didn’t consider myself a runner back in 2002. I really started running in 2010 when I started my journey outdoors and invested in real running gear and registered for races.

Why do you run Disney?

I first heard of runDisney from Danielle Nardi www.liverungrow.com. I work with her cousin and she told me Danielle started a blog about running. So of course, I had to check it out because I was a sponge trying to learn as much as I could about running at the time. I never knew that there was so much you could learn about running. I thought you just put on some shorts, sneakers and sunglasses and run. Well, you could do that; but eventually you will chafe, get shin splints and burn out. There’s a whole community and industry related to running. My wallet can attest to that!

Danielle talked about the Wine and Dine half marathon in her blog and it sparked an interest in me. She also talked about her first marathon and that’s when I was roped in. It planted the seed for me and during the spring of 2012 I decided to train for a half marathon in CT. During that training I thought that I may be able to do a full one day. I went with my husband and kids to our Disney trip in May and that’s when I decided to go for it. I signed up for the full marathon in June along with Sarah McGovern Luka from Running at Disney. My training was hard but successful and I had an awesome experience for a first marathon! I met Mandy Remo and her husband Ken and we have become friends and they welcomed me into their family on my trip to Disney Land this past September. I remember distinctly on marathon morning that Mandy told me once I do one Disney race I will want to do more! Boy was she right!

So why do I run Disney? Why not run Disney?! Their races are great! They are so much fun, the entertainment along the course is awesome! The medals are beautiful! The costumes are so fun! The water stops are plentiful, the expo is loaded with great merchandise and guest speakers, and the friendships I have made along the way are incredible! I have been chatting with Laurel Moffitt who is all the way in Japan, I met Mandy and Kenn Remo from Michigan, Sarah Luka from West Haven, CT, Danielle Nardi and Jennifer Lazzaro from NY and Linda Bachand who is working towards her marathon maniac status! Oh and Ann Cook and Mickey Wellmon! I can’t wait to make more friends in my next upcoming races!

What RunDisney race will you be running in 2014? I am registered for the 10K and full in January, and the Princess half in February so far. Hope to see you there!

20 mile marathon training run for WDW marathon 2014

November 11, 2013

I must admit, I was not interested in doing this run. In fact, around mile 3 I sort of wanted to bag the idea. But thankfully I had my ipod loaded up with Mickey Miles Podcasts and they were keeping me interested in continuing my run. I also finally started to come around at mile 5. I created a new route with some familiar roads as well, but it was nice to know that there were some areas where I haven’t run before, or even driven, so then I had new scenery to look forward to.

I started to get into a groove around mile 8. I made sure that I started to give myself some Gu early on so I wouldn’t fall behind in my needs for fuel. I had taken 2 Gus by mile 10. I also took caffeine Gus with me for this run and I think they were successful for me. I had a little mishap around mile 10. I stepped off a sidewalk to get to the road and stepped into leaves, but they were hiding a hole in the ground and I actually fell. I was ok, I didn’t twist anything and get hurt, and thankfully no cars had seen me. But I was a little irritated by that.

My strongest point was miles 10-15. The weather was very nice and I was familiar with some of the areas that I was running because I had done them last year. I also enjoyed running on sidewalks because they sort of break up the road for me a little bit. It is also not on the road with cars so I feel a little bit safer.

By mile 17 I was starting to feel a little bit of a cramp in one of my calves, but it wasn’t anything major. I started to run towards my work and took a few longer walk breaks. Onto Salem road I was doing ok and then again, I took a little longer walk break just to freshen up my legs for the last 2 miles home. By mile 18 I was feeling strong again but I knew I had a large hill to go up on my way home. I walked up most of it like I do every time I end my route on that hill. But I kept up my pace and when I reached the top and saw I only had a mile left, I was feeling very strong. I actually started to run a little faster and had some left in my tank.

I am very happy with this run. I finished it 10 minutes faster than last year and my recovery time was great. Two days out and I don’t feel at all like I ran 20 miles just 48 hours ago. I am mapping out my routes for my last 23 and 26 mile runs to see if I can change up the scenery again. I feel that it is really helpful to have new roads to run on. The anticipation of what I have to see and not knowing how much further ahead I have to go is very helpful in the mental training.

I am also getting very excited for marathon weekend now. Earlier in the fall I was feeling nervous because I knew the hard training I had laying ahead of me. But in actuality, the journey is just as much fun as the destination and I am learning to love the journey and embrace the positive things that happen along the way.

Dumbo Dare training recap less than 3 weeks left!

August 15, 2013

I had a rough week, but a productive week. Let me explain. I went on two short runs during the week, but had a lot of pain on those runs. I had PT on Tuesday and Thursday and I ran on those nights as well. Tuesday’s run was worse than Thursday.

In my appointment Thursday I showed Lisa where the pain was isolating in my IT bands and told her that instead of just the exercises, I need to break up the muscle spasms and loosen them up. So she inflicted pain (good and bad pain), by using her elbows and digging into the IT bands along the sides of my knees and my thighs. I am still bruised from it, but I knew it was necessary pain to go through to regain my strength and pain free running. Thursday night’s run was better. Not perfect, but better.

On Friday when I got up I felt things that I knew needed attention right away, rather than wait until the following week’s appointment. So, I made an appointment and went to physical therapy. I showed them where the areas of pain were and did my exercises and then was able to benefit from the deep tissue massage.

This was good. My legs were feeling better Saturday and by Sunday morning I was nervous, but ready to go for a long run. I had hoped to get in a 10 mile run, but was open to the fact that I may not get past 6 or 8 miles. The weather was spectacular. It was sunny, mid 70’s and no humidity. I had a little pain; but was in a much better place. I enjoyed the run. I did not have any negative thoughts in my mind either despite some fatigue and pain I was experiencing around mile 7 and I knew I still had 3 miles to get me home.

Having a good 10 mile run under my belt, I am feeling a lot more confident about the 1/2 marathon in Disney Land. I was sore the day after and it took a lot of heat and rolling, Bengay and stretching to allow me to walk. Instead of running this week I made the difficult decision to take an extra day for rest and to also walk on my scheduled run day. I usually push through the pain. This pain has been something that I shouldn’t push through anymore. Especially with several PT sessions and slow progress. I would rather go to PT and have benefits of the therapy, rather than go there and do disaster recovery. It was a tough decision for me not to run, but then I realized that many times I had to not run for 7-10 days because of my back and I continued to get my alone time and training time by just walking instead, and according to Jeff Galloway you are still training for endurance by walking. So I realize I won’t lose too much of my training if I walk two of my runs instead of run them. Instead of hoping to do 13 miles this weekend I am going to hope for 5-8.

As for my packing and costumes, I am really happy. I have my 10K costume picked out and I think I have coordinated something good for the 1/2 marathon. I purchased this shirt from rawthreads.com and I love it! Their fabric is so nice! I will be sure to purchase more from them at the Expo. I started packing my bags and putting things aside along with making my lists of don’t forgets! Mandy and I have plans for me to join her family for dinner on Friday, we’ll participate in the Run Disney so I can Eat Disney event, and I am looking forward to the meet ups scheduled for Saturday as well. With all this fun, I still have to figure out time to go into the parks!

Weekend training for Dumbo

August 5, 2013

As we are 24 days away from Dumbo Double Dare, I am getting nervous. I want to get in one more long run. My longest run this week was 5 miles. While it hurt when I started my run, I am glad I was able to do the full distance. My hamstring issue is now moving its way to my IT bands so I am wobbly and hobbling the day of my runs. I am foam rolling and doing my PT exercises religiously. I hope with at least 4 sessions of therapy that will resolve the issue quickly. Looking at the calendar in front of me, I’d like to have a 8 or 12 mile run between now and August 18 to allow time to taper before the race.

I also have on my to do list is to create a list of things for packing:
-purchase a park pass
-arrange for shuttle transportation
-check my hotel reservation
-making a list of things to pack

I remember things like pack some snacks (pb crackers, pretzels, oatmeal, tea bags and sugar) that I can have in my carry on. I want to purchase powerades while I am there to make sure I have some for race day in my fuel belt.

I have also been gathering up my costume pieces and made a pile of them with carry one bags in my room. I need to organize it all in my mind and in person.

There’s one more thing that I am working on between now and the race. I want to lose a few pounds. Who knew that even though we run, we gain weight. I feel like I am actually gaining because I don’t eat enough. Ironically, the day will go by and I will realize, hey it’s 12:30 and I haven’t had anything to eat since breakfast. Time to have my lunch. But I know from the past, that you should feed your body every 3 hours (5 small meals a day). So I signed up for the program I did once or twice before, Rob Nevins’ Living Lean . I’d like to at least lose 5 pounds. I swear it’s from the beer. I like to enjoy a beer with dinner during the summer. I don’t have one every night; but it’s refreshing with dinner when we cook on the grill.

Do you all feel like even though you run, you are carrying extra pounds that snuck up on your or that just won’t go away? What do you do to get rid of them?

One month to Dumbo

July 29, 2013

Well, I finally broke a milestone for myself lately, I ran 10 miles Sunday. I haven’t run double digits since my half marathon in Cheshire on April 29. Sadly, 10 mile runs used to be short runs for me a little over a year ago. Time for me to begin building up this mileage to prepare for the Dumbo Double Dare, and also for the WDW marathon in January.

Dumbo Double Dare is just about a month from now. I am still battling an injury and will be moving forward with physical therapy. I am hoping doing this a month before the race will put me back on track.

I pushed through my run after walking a bit in the beginning, then limping, then run/walking. My speed hasn’t been fast, but I am learning something. I am learning that to go longer, you don’t have to go faster. It’s all about building the endurance.

I guess hovering around 11 minutes per mile isn’t all that bad considered my leg is bothering me and it was still quite hot and humid during my run at 10:45 – 12:30 mid day. I ran in a newer pair of sneakers, but I don’t like the model so much. They are the Nike Lunarglide +4 model. I prefer the Nike Lunarglide +3 model and am waiting for a pair that I ordered on ebay to arrive. I think the sneakers are a key factor in my injury and also the way I feel after a long run. The +4 model seems to not have as much arch support in them and now my calves and both hamstrings were more sore. I may use those for faster, shorter runs.

What do you do when you get injured? Do you try to nurse it yourself or do you go see someone right away? What have you found to be helpful when you are hurt?

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