Wife Mother Runner Jeff Galloway Archives

Running With Insulin-Dependent Diabetes

December 28, 2017

As the race weekend is coming up quickly, I am sharing stories about the athletes from clients, employees or Cigna foundation partners. Cheryl Murphy is an insulin-dependent diabetic. When her endocrinologist read her latest test results, he asked, “What in the world have you been doing? Whatever it is, keep doing it. You are saving your own life!”

How Running Helped Cheryl

Taking up running last yearis what transformed Cheryl’s health. As Wellness Manager for the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, Cheryl is responsible for improving the health of over 6,000 county employees. When Cheryl was diagnosed with diabetes 4 years ago, she didn’t really do anything about it. “I didn’t have the education about the disease to know what to do. Had I known the changes I needed to make, I could have made lifestyle changes when I was pre-diabetic.” Now, she takes insulin, cholesterol and triglyceride meds, and has to be careful to maintain her sugar levels.

Last year she walked the 5k as part of Team Cigna during the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. After watching her friend finish her first full marathon that same weekend, she decided to pick up the pace and make running a part of her lifestyle. She started following the Jeff Galloway Run Walk Run program, and actually met Jeff at Disney’s Wine & Dine race Expo. She was already registered for the 5k but was hoping to also run the 10k; however, only half marathon registrations remained. She was feeling daunted when she met Jeff and his wife Barb, who both encouraged her to go for it. She finished the half with flying colors, and cannot wait to be back at the Disney Marathon in 2018, where once again she’ll participate as part of Team Cigna! Cheryl’s goal for 2018 is to run a half marathon in both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris to tackle the Castle to Chateau Challenge.

Cheryl’s Wellness Role at HCBOCC

In her Wellness role at HCBOCC, Cheryl’s goal is to encourage colleagues to take an active role in understanding their own health and with the help of onsite Cigna Health Coach Holli Rahmings, she is doing just that through a program that focuses on physical, social, emotional and financial well-being. In recognition of their commitment to health, Hillsborough County recently received the Cigna Well-Being Award. “We’ve more than doubled the number of physicals employees took this year. Our Weight Loss Challenge had over 1,000 participants, and our Water Challenge this summer had more than 1600 staff walking around with their reusable water bottles instead of sugary drinks!”

Just as important as those numbers are Cheryl’s own: since taking up running and improving nutrition, her total cholesterol level fell from 208 to 164, triglycerides from 595 to 169, and her A1C dropped from 8.8 to 5.8. Reducing her numbers to normal levels reduces her risk for arteriosclerosis, coronary artery disease, stroke, etc. Not only did this health improvement result in higher energy levels and a reduction in medication, it also had an effect on her mental health and stress levels. “Running has now become a way for me to clear my head and let go of some of the frustrations in life.” She not only looks forward to the possibility of one day becoming insulin free, but also the possibility of spending her retirement at Disney World with her grandchildren instead of sitting in a doctor’s office.

Cigna Health Coach Holli Rahmings explains, “Cheryl has taken many powerful strides to improving her health. She adapted a predominantly plant-based diet and found a passion for competitive races! What started as a 5k has evolved into successfully completing half-marathons. Cheryl has truly demonstrated a firm commitment to resuming control of her health and no longer allowing her conditions to control her passions for living!”

Cheryl’s tips for diabetic runners

It’s really important for diabetic runners to follow all the steps:

Consider your nutrition and hydration a few days before a race. Make sure you drink plenty of water and eat the right foods to ensure you fuel your body. No, this doesn’t give you permission to eat whatever you want!It’s more important than ever to choose healthy foods that will stick with you.
Continue to take your prescribed medications.
Take blood sugar levels before you run, make sure the levels are slightly elevated since you’ll burn off sugar so quickly. Nourish yourself throughout the race to keep your sugar level and your energy up.
Stay hydrated at all times. Drink plenty of water and Powerade or Nuun along the route.
Stay ahead of your diabetes, don’t wait until you feel light-heated to take action-by then it’s too late. If you start feeling weak or dizzy, slow down and eat a snack until you feel better.
As you’re training, it is important to experiment and find out what works for you. For example, I can’t run with food on my stomach, so the energy gels work best for me during a run. But I was so elated to be near the finish line during the Wine and Dine Half Marathon that I forgot to eat my last gel. When I crossed the finish line, my blood sugar plummeted and I had to go to the medical tent.Knowing this, I now make sure I stay ahead of my body signals and immediately have a medic take my blood sugar after crossing the finish line.

How To Start Running

October 2, 2017

As the Fall racing season is upon us, I have had several people approach me and tell me they wanted to start running but needed advice. When the summer heat breaks and the cooler temperatures come in, more people enjoy running because it isn’t so unbearable. And those who may have not had an interest during the heat of the summer take up running as a change in their workout routines.

I will give you advice from what I learned not to do, as well as what I learned when I started to use Jeff Galloway’s run/walk/run method, attended his seminar, and hired him as an e-coach to help me survive my first runDisney Dopey Challenge in 2015. I am now going to finish my fourth Dopey Challenge in January of 2018, and I will be running the NYC marathon in just about a month from today! To date I have run 8 marathons and countless half marathons, 10Ks, and 5Ks. But it all started with the basics.

How to Start Running

Footwear

First, one of the most important things you should do before you even head out onto the road is to go to a local running store and get fitted for the proper pair of running shoes. Don’t go to your closest sports store and pick something off the shelf. You need to go to a specialty running store who can fit you for the appropriate shoe for your foot, your gait and your mileage.

Clothing

Clothing is almost as important as footwear. You need to know how to dress for the weather. You also need to find the right clothing that won’t cause you to chaffe. Many people think they can put on their cotton t-shirt and a pair of shorts and tube socks and hit the road. That may work for the first few runs; but eventually, you are going to need to purchase clothing that removes moisture from your skin as well as socks that won’t cause you to get blisters on your feet. The key component to running attire is the fabric that pulls the moisture away from your skin to help regulate your temperature and also avoid chaffing. When it is 85 degrees out with 80% humidity nothing is going to keep you dry, but at least your clothes won’t feel like they weigh an extra 5 pounds because they are soaking with sweat. If you are unsure if running is going to be your sport, I suggest going to WalMart or Target to purchase some of their workout clothing to get your started. They are affordable, come in bright colors (good for safety) and really do the job.

Socks

I put socks in their own category. It’s important to get the best socks for running. Believe it or not wool socks are perfect for running. The brands I like are Balega, Feetures and Thorlo Experia. Out of the three brands Balega is my favorite. It’s important for the socks to pull moisture away from your feet for two reasons. One is to avoid blisters, and the second is because in the winter your feet will feel cold if there is moisture on your feet.

Sports Bra

When picking out a sports bra I like to keep a few things in mind when making my selection. I do not like the bra to have any brackets or strap adjustments in the front of the bra near the shoulder because it hurts my skin. I also want to make sure the bra fits me correctly. If it is too big or too small it will cause chaffing.

Note that this bra has the adjustment pieces in the back near the shoulder blades. They don’t dig into my skin when they are on the back like they do with bras that have them on the front.

Getting out on the road

When you begin your first time out on the road or the treadmill, I recommend you start slow. Using the run/walk/run method allows you to use an interval time (you can purchase one or use an app on your phone) and set it to the amount of time you want to run and the amount of time you wan to walk. Then as you find what intervals you like best, you use those for your training. Jeff’s site also has a lot of information on the intervals he recommends.

What NOT To Do

Don’t do too much at once. What I mean is, don’t run every single day, a mistake I made at first.

Don’t go out too fast, build up to the speed you want to run at.

Don’t run too far too soon. When increasing your mileage you should increase it by 10% each week. This will help you avoid injury.

What to Do

Cross training is also very important. You need strong muscles in your hamstrings, glutes, quads, and also your upper body to hold you up. I like to incorporate Beach Body On Demand videos into my weekly routine so that I am building muscles on the days that I am not running. I used to run and ignored cross training and have found that I was constantly fighting injuries that were so bad I needed physical therapy. Now that I have been cross training more I feel stronger and recover faster from my long runs.

Find a friend. I enjoy training alone, but I love making new friends and all the friends I have met at the races. If you find a running buddy you will have someone to share your successes and failures with. That’s what I love about the sport of running. You can do it alone or you can run with a group or team. Or you can be alone in a large crowd!

This is my first blog post to help you get out on the road and work towards your first race or just to get out and run for your enjoyment and fitness.

Dopey Challenge 15 Mile Training Run

November 20, 2016

It’s time to get back on track. I am increasing my mileage towards the runDisney 2017 Dopey Challenge. I used to follow the Jeff Galloway plan very exactly in the past years. But in recent years I have decided to not do a full 26 mile run prior to the race.

I did a 15 mile run this weekend. I was sure to keep my mileage around 13 miles per minute because I wanted to get the miles under my feet more than I was concerned with pace.

For fuel I packed pretzel gold fish and left over skittles from Halloween. They are the perfect size packages to stuff in my fuel belt. I also had a bottle of water since I knew I needed hydration for that long of a run.

It was a beautiful day and a little warmer than usual for this time of year. It was 60 degrees with not a cloud in the sky and a slight breeze. I was out on the road by 11:30 and got home around 3:00.

The first five miles were similar to my past long runs. They are the hard miles to get started. I took in some pretzels and skittles around mile 5.5 and was feeling good. Between miles 6-10. I was doing well but started to feel thirstier around mile 12. I stopped at the library and filled up my water bottle for the last 3 miles. I also had more skittles at this point as well.

I finished up around 15.2 miles with the last .3 miles up my hill. I felt strong after the run but my feet were hurting a little. I knew that this was the last run with these sneakers so I have to retire them and start wearing my next pair which will take me through Dopey.

I was happy with this training run and was able to enjoy time with the family and didn’t feel spent. I also didn’t have a lot of pain the following morning either. So I think the leg work I have been focusing on is helping me with recovery. I also found 40 cents on the run! Winning!

And nothing is better than a cold chocolate milk after a run!

Getting In The Zone – Heart Rate Training

May 19, 2016

With my approach to a more successful Marine Corp Marathon this fall, I am working on my training plan. I already printed out my Jeff Galloway training plan for completing a marathon and filled in the dates going backwards from race day. However, I also want to incorporate heart rate training into my plan this summer. I was listening to two of my favorite podcasts, Another Mother Runner and Team Shenanigans, and they were both duscussing training plans in a way that I hadn’t really heard it explained before.

Dimity, from Another Mother Runner is training for an ultra with her coach Mary-Katherine “MK” Fleming, so she wanted to do so in a way that will help her be successful and also to avoid injury since she has been prone to injuries with her feet so frequently. The Team Shenanigans podcast had Matt Fitzgerald on the show several times and he was talking about doing an 80/20 plan. Meaning 80% of your runs are done at an easier exertion level, and then spend 20% of your training working on speed, whether that be cadence drills or track work.

For the last two weeks I have been doing the heart-rate training with my running. With heart rate training the rule is to keep you heart rate below 140. If it goes above 140 then you have to walk until it lowers. The purpose for doing this during your training is to establish a solid cardiovascular base. Over time you will become faster but while in the training it is grueling because your pace is significantly slower. Heart-rate training requires a lot of patience. It teaches your body to convert fat instead of glucose for fuel.

So far, despite feeling much slower while running, I am doing pretty well with using a heart-rate monitor and training at around 140 bpm. It’s hard because sometimes you easily jump up to 150; but it also syncs in well with my Jeff Galloway run/walk/run method. When my heart rate is higher, it happens just about the time that my timer goes off for a walk break. So my stats have been averaging around 140-144 bpm while running.

The Train Like A Mother Club is providing Heart-Rate Training Programs as well as a Stride Into Summer Plan so I may take advantage of those two plans to help me have a successful summer of training in preparation for the Marine Corps Marathon.

It’s Not How Fast You Are, It’s How Far You Can Go

September 23, 2015

Now that Autumn is here, race season is getting into full swing and the miles are piling up. Long runs are on the calendar for the next four months. I have a 20 miler on my schedule in preparation for the Marine Corp Marathon. I’d like to get that done prior to the weekend so I can enjoy the Durham Fair and my daughter’s softball game without having it on my mind.

Since the Disney Dumbo Dare Challenge, my IT band has been slightly irritated. I have been taking care of it with hard massage and I have still be able to run. I just wonder how much it will be affected by a very long run. I am going to be careful to not push too fast on this long run. It’s not how fast you run, but getting the miles under your feet. This fact from Jeff Galloway, who also wants you to run slower than your race pace by almost 2 minutes while training for the long distance races. I just hate being out on the road for 5 hours!

I plan on loading up the iPod with all of my favorite podcasts and loading up on some sunscreen and fuel to get the miles done. I was listening the Another Mother Runner podcast and Rod Dixen mentioned, running the races is the easy part. That is so very true. The race is the reward for all of the training that has happened. Fitting training runs into the schedule and putting in the time and enduring the injuries is all the training that has to get done so you can enjoy the races and relish the medal you earn.

The reality is setting in that I am going to the Marine Corp Marathon in a little over a month. I did finally book a room and I am going to purchase a ticket to attend the Pasta Party, where we can listen to speakers like our pal Jeff Gallowaoy! I’m going to go to this event with my friend Kimberlee. It’s best to do something with friends when you can with any race. This race isn’t going to be about getting my best finish time. It’s the ability to actually run in this event and to “Beat The Bridge” and get my Marine Corp Finisher medal. My friends Kimberlee and Anne are also feeling the same about not being prepared for this race so we are going to try to stick together and survive the distance together.

Time for me to do my mental training and prepare myself for my task coming up on Friday and to know that I can do this; it’s just a matter of, once again, wrapping my head around the feat.

Team Chocolate Milk Training Run

July 13, 2015

I was on a weekend escape to New Hampshire with the family this weekend but still needed to get some miles under my belt. I have the Team Chocolate Milk Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon in Chicago next Sunday and want a longer run done prior to that. I am not so sure it is going to happen this week but my goal is to get in at least 7 miles on Tuesday or Wednesday night.

This is so out of character for me. It’s now how I trained when I first started running half marathons and I would stick to the training plan to a T. While I have several races under my belt this Spring I could stand to have been more diligent with my training; mostly my long runs.

So I was sure to get in at least 5 miles while away on this trip. I am familiar with the area because we stayed there before and I had to do my long run while we were on vacation last year.

It was good and it was bad getting this run in over the weekend. The good part was that I got it done m. The bad part was, I took my time sleeping in, having tea and visiting with my family on the deck, so I didn’t hit the pavement until after 11:00 and it was already over 80 degrees. My husband had to run to the store so I told him to grab me a water and meet me on the way back. That was a good plan. I was feeling ok for the first two miles. But I was in full sun at that point. So as I turned around to head back I met up with him and drank some water and poured some on the top of my head which was awesome!!! We continued this for the rest of my 2 miles home up hill and it saved me from getting sick from the heat.

When I got back to the cottage I wasn’t quite up to 5 miles so I walked on the grass and beach area near the kids to top it off to a 5 mile route.

Despite the high sun and heat at that time of day I was enjoying the run. I was listening to the Mickey Miles podcast and Jeff Galloway was on and he was talking about controlling your fears and emotions with your conscious brain. This is something I have been doing and also applying to challenges I face outside of running as well.

I was also enjoying a run in the beautiful area of Newfoundlake in New Hampshire, glad I was feeling better again and glad that I was sticking to my commitment to run during this mini vacation.

I wish my mileage were higher than I have been doing and I am going to have to work on that when I get back from Chicago. Marine Corp marathon is not too far away and I need to get my act in gear! I am still training and juggling the delicate acts of work, life and training but I need to get more serious about putting in the miles required so that my races will be more enjoyable.

Harvard Pilgrim Middletown Half – Run and School with Jeff Galloway

April 11, 2015

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!

Jeff wearing his Wesleyan jersey from his college days.

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.

Jeff showed us which dorm room was his and Amby’s.

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.

Katherine wanted to get a picture with my husband and liked his muscles!

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!

Middletown Half Marathon Training Run

April 4, 2015

I have the “hilly” Middletown Half Marathon on my schedule for next Sunday and it’s been haunting me lately. I haven’t done long runs as religiously lately because of my ankle. But I wanted to get in a decent 10 miler before the race weekend so I wasn’t going to the race completely unprepared. I think back to when I was training for my first half marathon in 2012 and how I was do diligent about getting in my training runs and how dedicated I was to following Jeff Galloway’s plan to the T. Now I have slacked off a bit. I am not expecting this race to be pretty; but I am hoping to complete it under 2:45. That’s not a good number for me. My best half is a 2:25 finish and that was 2 years ago. If I can survive this half marathon and my leg recovers from it pretty quickly then I am going to sign up for the Cheshire Half Marathon which will take place 2 weeks after the Middletown Half. I’m trying to listen to my body and let this injury heal. I’m trying not to push it in terms of speed so that I can do the races and still walk the next day. So there is a good chance that I can do Cheshire because I feel pretty good now after completing my 10 mile run.

According to the stats, it was slow, but I did that intentionally. I didn’t push too hard and I chose a hilly route so I can prepare myself mentally as well as physically for the hills. I woke up so late this morning – 10:00! But I needed that sleep. I tried not to get upset that I slept so late, then made my tea and had my oatmeal and mapped out my route. I was on the road by noon. It was a really nice Spring day. It was very windy but it didn’t bother me and the sun felt good. I had my jacket on for the first 2 miles but was able to take it off and felt comfortable. The first 2 miles were a little hard for me because my leg was stiff; but I used pre-tape spray and rock tape today to hold it together and it worked out well. By mile 3 I was warming up but had the hills to conquer between miles 3 and 4. At one point I had to stop and catch my breath because the hills were kicking my butt. I tried not to walk too much of the hills and kept with my 30/30 intervals. But I think with this recent onset of fatigue I am experiencing it did kick me in the ass a little as I was going up the hills. I verbally said to myself out loud “I can do this!” I needed to remind myself of what I am capable of and I have been injured before and pushed through it. This was minor.

Around mile 5 I felt like I had a little spring in my step. Suddenly the running felt light again and I didn’t feel like I was struggling. So I tried to hold on to that feeling and kept moving forward. That was the mantra that was running through my mind today, just move forward. I chose a route that I hadn’t run in a long time because I wanted a change of scenery and to give my brain something to be distracted by. As I ran towards my “old running route” it was refreshing to see the things on the side of the road that I used to see every day. I saw my duck pond on Maltby Lane, I saw friends on another street that waved to me and my friend driving down the road beeped to me. That was cool!

When I had 2 miles left I had to keep reminding myself that I was almost done and was doing well for not having had a long run since the Princess Half Marathon in February. I felt confident that Middletown now isn’t as scary as it seemed to me a week ago and I am looking forward to the pre-race activities on Saturday with a 3 mile run with Jeff Galloway and then his running workshop in the afternoon and also the chance to meet Katherine Switzer and also see Amby Burfoot again! I blogged about her a year ago to date when I was doing my Boston Marathon themed blog posts.

So I’m happy and feel encouraged about Middletown now and I also feel good to have this 10 mile run under my belt. Looking forward to some good days ahead! The Spring weather was also a great mental boost for me as well. Who else is running the Middletown Half next weekend? Hope to see you there!

Dopey Training Going Well!

October 28, 2014

I had my long run this weekend in preparation for the Dopey challenge, but mainly for the Philadelphia Marathon on November 23. I haven’t really talked about that marathon, because I haven’t really been thinking about it! I have mainly been thinking about the Dopey races in January. I need to do some research about this race to find out what train I need to take to get there and also to get home, which station to get off in Philadelphia, what time the expo closes, and to figure out all the details to prepare for that race! I guess it’s a good thing I don’t feel too nervous about it. I was nervous about the 23 mile run that was on the training plan this past week. I had to do 3, 5, 8 and 23 miles. I did 3, 5, 8 and 22. I did most of the runs on the treadmill because of timing and my job and my husband’s job. But I’m ok with that now.

I started the training at 9:30 a.m. on the treadmill. My husband was working so the kids and I went downstairs and they played while I got started. I had my iPad and ate a bagel with peanut butter prior to the run so I was fueled up and ready to go. I learned that after 99 minutes, the treadmill shuts off. I stayed on it for 12 miles so that I would only have to do 11 miles on the road. I did well. I wasn’t as bored as I thought I would be. I don’t know if I would WANT to do the full 23 miles on the treadmill, but I think if I had to I could.

Around noon I got off the treadmill, mapped out a new route for an 11 mile trip, ates some pretzel fish and then hit the road. I was on the road until 3:00 p.m. I started to feel sluggish around mile 7 so I started to do the marathon math in my head and realized I was approaching mile 18 so I was getting close to a wall. I brought with me some fruit chews and ate some of them to help get some sugar to my brain. I mapped out a new route so that I was doing something different and that helped. When I was feeling tired, I decided to walk a mile and then resume my 30/30 intervals. I was maintaining a pretty consistent 13 minute mile. My legs were doing ok but I was getting tired of running. I had been doing it since 9:30 in the morning and I wanted to get home to my family. I ended up cutting the run short by 1 mile. I don’t like to do that, but I needed to. We had plans for the evening and I needed to get showered and ready to go out.

A beautiful fall day. Not a bad view to have to run by.

I know Jeff Galloway recommends you walk most of your runs prior to your long run, but during the week I ran most of the short runs. I was in a time crunch so to walk 8 miles would have taken me too long so I had to run most of it. I don’t feel too bad for cutting my long run short by a mile because I realized that it was the last run of 4 consecutive runs and considering that I really felt good. It was a beautiful day to be out for a run and I did enjoy the wonderful weather I had to run in.

The downhill I was approaching and it was so difficult to run DOWN that steep hill!

So I am encouraged now to know that I CAN do the Dopey challenge. I WILL do the Dopey challenge and based on how well I felt that night and the following day I am going to be just great when it is all over!

The issue I was having with my left leg has improved greatly since I got my orthotics replaced. I don’t need to use KT tape anymore to help lift my arch. Something I did notice is that I should consider wearing different shoes for every other day. My shoe laces were digging into my foot from my treadmill running on the previous days so by the fourth day, it was quite sore. I also heard that it is best to pack 2 different pairs of shoes for the race in case of weather. You want dry shoes each morning. However, my older shoes have more miles on them, so I will wear them for my shorter runs and save the newer shoes for the long runs.

Dopey Challenge – It Really Is A Challenge

October 19, 2014

This past month I started a new job. I really enjoy the new job and so far it hasn’t gotten in the way of my training for the Dopey Challenge. The challenge for me is that I was Dopey to sign up for this challenge when I never before even did the Goofy challenge! What have I gotten myself into?

My training has been going well, I will admit that. But I don’t feel as successful as I think I could feel. Maybe I just don’t know how I am supposed to feel. I do know that at times running does feel like work. Mike and Michelle talked about it on their podcast in a recent episode and it hit home with me. I do enjoy running still and I get out for my two short runs during the week and then my assigned run per Jeff Galloway. Typically if it isn’t a long run or race weekend then it is a 4 or 6 mile run. Again, I still enjoy those runs. It’s when I have the long run showing up closer on my calendar that I start to feel anxious.

I knew that next weekend I have a long run on the schedule and I can’t take a day off of work to fit it in. This means I will have to spend a weekend day running for 5 hours. It also means that I have to figure out when and how I will get out there because my husband is starting a new job and has to work on Saturday. I don’t want to spend my Sunday out running for half the day when it is the only day he will be home with the family.

So we discussed the plan over breakfast and since he will only be working 5-9 on Saturday I will head out when he gets home. This is similar to when I would go out for my long run after getting Kevin on the bus and dropping Adrienne off to preschool last year. So if I keep that mentality I will be ok.

However, the difference this time is that I have to do a 3, 5, 8 and 23 mile run in 4 consecutive days – The Dopey part. It’s getting dark out very early and it’s also dark early in the morning. I can’t run in the morning because my husband is starting his new job this week. So I’ll have to plan on doing my 3 miles Wednesday after work, 5 miles Thursday during lunch since I am taking online training at home, and I am not sure yet how I am going to get in my 8 miler on Friday. Here’s where the crazy juggling comes in.

I think what helps me not freak out too much is knowing that I only have 2 more groups of training runs like this in the next two months. One right before the Philadelphia Marathon and then before the WDW weekend the week before Christmas. I guess I’ll worry about how I’ll fit that all in when the time comes. I may have some accrued vacation time to squeeze in the long run on a Friday. I may have to fire up the treadmill in a few weeks and put in the miles indoors early in the morning. I don’t know how to get back into treadmill mode. I swore it off four years ago.

Do you have any advice on how to integrate the treadmill back into my training routine?

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Tag: Jeff Galloway