Wife Mother Runner @MickeyMilesPod Archives - Page 2 of 2

Marine Corp Marathon Training – 14 miles

August 1, 2015

After my whining and complaining the other day on my blog, I followed through on my promise to myself and woke up when my alarm went off (6:30 on a weekend morning), made my oatmeal and tea, mapped out a route, and loaded up my ipod. I was on the road by 7:30. I hadn’t checked the temperature; but it wasn’t as humid as it was during the week. It was still warm though. I’d take a guess that it was still around 70 degrees at 7:30 this morning.

To help make this easier for me I reached out to my Mickey Miler friends and learned that I was not alone. My friend Kristie Green was heading out to do 18 miles at 1:30 in the morning in Texas! If she was doing that, then my little 14 miler was nothing. Others were also having a hard time with putting in some more miles lately and we are thinking the heat may be to blame.

To help me mentally prepare I began gathering up my running gear during the day and laying it out so I would see it and start to embrace the fact that I WAS going on this run and I AM picking up my training mileage. Summer is here, and yes it’s harder to get in the longer miles during the summer months, but I knew the worst that could happen would be that I may need to walk more of it. I also made sure to make my water bottles and freeze them as well as mix up some Nuun to make sure I am properly hydrating with electrolytes during the warm warming run.

I set my alarm for 6:30 and was very good about getting up as soon as it went off. I didn’t want to wake up my husband and I knew that I had to get up at that moment or else I could possibly back out or delay it even longer. I am very good at sticking to my plan; but with the way I have been thinking lately I didn’t want to leave any opportunity to fail.

It took me a few miles to get into the game. I walked the first 1/2 mile to warm up my mind and body (or stay cool) and then once I was in the shade I began my 30/30 intervals. After around mile 3 I was starting to get into a little groove; I was also on a shady road so it was helping me feel more comfortable and not overheated. The first 2 miles had a lot of sun on it and it was starting to concern me.

Miles 1-2

As I approached mile 4.5 I had to walk up some beastly hills. It was tough. Then I was in a lot of sun again. So as I finished around mile 6 I decided that I would stop at my house to get some ice and refresh my water bottles with ice and water. It was too hot and I didn’t want to take any chances of getting sick from the heat. My stomach was also growling so I grabbed a few pretzels. I think my pit stop was for about 15 minutes and then I was back out on the road to finish the last 6 miles. I decided to take a different route than originally planned and ran again on one of the shadier roads.

Mile 3

Mile 4.5

Picture never make hills look as bad as they are!

Mile 5

For the last 2 miles I did a lot more walking than running. But I wasn’t too hard on myself. I knew I was getting back into it again both mentally and physically and the fact that I was out there still in the heat and being smart about it made me feel ok about my pace. When increasing my mileage the last 3 newer miles I tack on since my previous long run are always the hardest. So since my last long run was Chicago 2 weeks ago I knew I’d be ok.

Mile 13

Now to keep up the positive momentum and continue onward toward the Marine Corp Marathon and the 2016 Dopey Challenge!

Let’s Go For A Bike Ride

June 30, 2015

With my recent blog post about losing your running mojo, I took some advice from the Mickey Miles Podcast. I didn’t really think that I was doing it; it was more something that I wanted to do with my kids for something fun. But I took my bike out and have been riding it at night after dinner with my kids for 3-4 miles. It’s not a “training” ride; but it’s getting out and moving and adding variety to my exercise.

During my run last Friday I listened to the podcast about getting your mojo back and one step was about adding variety to your workouts to switch it up and to help you get out a rut. Last spring I started riding my bike for 6-10 mile rides because I was considering doing a triathlon. That’s no longer on my radar, at least for this year, but I do enjoy going for a bike ride.

My kids are getting older now and sometimes just riding their bikes in the driveway is just plain old boring for them. I also want to do activities for myself like running; but want to include them. They can’t keep up with my training runs; but I decided to take them out with their bikes along the same route that I run. I thought of this because my son recently asked me if he could run with me. I knew he wouldn’t be able to make the distance in the heat, but biking isn’t as hot for them.

The first time I asked them if they wanted to go they were so excited! It was a drizzly Saturday afternoon but they didn’t care. We got the bikes ready and I had them walk theirs up the hill since our road is such a major cut through. I rode alongside them and then we were in a safer area where they could ride. My son loved it the most. He was yelling “Wheeeeee” along the road where we had freedom to ride faster and then he was laughing and yelling out how much fun it was! That made my day. Then I decided the next day that we should do it again. It was another drizzly evening and I had just done the treadmill and some weights but wanted to get outside despite the cloudy day. It was just as much fun as the first time. But it was even better because we saw deer jumping through the high grass, rabbits out by the road and you could smell nature because everything was wet from the rain.

After work on Monday I went for my run and told the kids that I would take them out after dinner. So we hit the road again around the same time as the night before and it was fantastic. The sun was setting, there were lots of deer out and my son said it was “Magical” when we were riding. I am enjoying the daily routine of going for a ride with them at night. It’s awesome that now they are older and I can do things with them like this. I wish my husband can join us; but he can’t right now and that’s ok. It’s special time I can spend with them.

So this looks like it is going to be a daily event for us, as long as the weather holds up. And maybe we can explore other roads in our neighborhoods that don’t have as much traffic on them. Look at the beautiful views we get at twilight! When was the last time you went on a bike ride?!

Losing Your Mojo

June 27, 2015

The Mickey Miles podcast had an excellent pod cast this week about losing your running mojo. Chris Trawick was a guest and he nailed every point on the head to what I had recently experienced and now realize was a true case of losing my running my mojo. It wasn’t an extreme case of mojo loss, but I was in a little slump. I am also thinking back to this time last year and will have to visit my blog posts to see if this happens at the same time every year. I do believe that after my fall training and then completing the Dopey challenge, I tend to want to ramp down my mileage for a little while. But knowing that the Princess half marathon isn’t far off from the completion of those races; I still have to keep my training fresh so I have the miles under my belt for the Glass Slipper Challenge. But then after that I tend to want to back down on the miles again for a short period before working up again for the Spring half marathons I typically sign up for. Then before you know it, you look at the calendar and it’s time to start picking up longer runs again in July/August to get ready for the fall races. So for me it is cyclical.

Mike’s definition of mojo was when it brings you the euphoria from getting out there and doing something that makes you feel good. Michelle’s definition of it was how it makes you feel about yourself as a runner. How you feel about your training, your body/weight, your speed. How you feel about yourself as a runner. These are great definitions. I identify running as a major component in my life and when it starts to disappear from my daily or weekly routine I begin to feel like I am losing a part of myself. My chiropractor recently explained that when it falls out of our regular routine we begin to feel out of whack.

So what is the loss of running Mojo? They defined it as a loss of excitement about the training and upcoming events, races. Training can be fun; but sometimes the hard work requires us to get out the door and sometimes something gets in the way from us getting out there. For me it was recent events at work and home. I have been very busy and have had some early morning and late nights.

I was having successful races this spring with almost getting a PR for the Cheshire Half marathon, finishing the Middletown Half Marathon at such a great pace considering how hilly it was and also actually doing those races despite my lower mileage during training and a nagging injury. I think part of my mojo loss right there was the last word in that sentence. Since February and the long winter that wouldn’t let go; I was dealing with an ankle injury from doing something non running! I twisted my ankle when my boot got stuck in icy snow. So I believe that for me, when I am injured, it makes it harder for me since I don’t feel 100% and it makes me hesitant to get out there and add insult to the injury.

If you are experiencing a loss of running mojo, ask yourself , how did you lose it? Is it from something you did wrong? Are you injured? Did a specific event trigger it? Fitness, weight, stress from home? Does that throw you out of your rhythm or routine? Non physical can take the enthusiasm out of it for you. Fatigue, sickness, over training, boredom, the weather. There are so many things that can take the fun out of it for you.

How do you get it back? Well Mike, Michelle and Chris had some great tips for getting the Mojo back.

Acknowledge it. I realized I didn’t have the same energy level back in late April. I thought something was wrong with my health. But then looking back to what Chris is saying, if I did just acknowledge that I am in a slump or losing a little running mojo, I could move forward with it. I was in a rut. I had lost a little love of running. But I didn’t want to ever admit that because it is something that I really enjoy.
Reset. Reset the goals and priorities. I had to refocus on smaller goals. For me it was getting my butt out of bed again sometimes to get in a run in the morning because for me, a day begins better when I can get a run done early in the day. It helps give me clarity of thinking and then I feel better knowing I got my workout done early in the day while the kids are sleeping and then I don’t have to lose family time at the end of my work day. Jeff Galloway said, “A body in bed stays in bed. A body in motion stays in motion.”
Diversify. I did this this very weekend. I had the chance to get in two runs in a row on Thursday and Friday and then on Saturday I took the kids out for a 3 mile bike ride. That was a lot of fun for them to ride their bikes on a road; but it was great for me to get out as a family to do something active. Try to mix up your workouts. I want to get weight training back into my routine again as well.
Set a goal. Back off of an ambitious goal you have and start with smaller successes. Sometimes as runners, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves with our training plans and long runs. Try doing a few short races so you don’t have the pressure to put in the long miles. Do it for fun again.
A point that I find helpful is friends. When you run a race with friends it makes the race so much more enjoyable than running it alone. It also gives you something to look forward to.

So if you are experiencing a loss of running Mojo, listen to the Mickey Miles Pod cast episode 286. It was just what I needed to hear while I was out on my second consecutive day’s run on Friday afternoon. I just started making running a priority again and forcing myself to get out there because once I start I know I will feel better. Sleep is something that I have been needing more of lately; but I know that if I stay up late and sleep late, which means no morning run, then I WILL make it a priority to get the run in after work instead. If I know that I can’t run after work, then I figure out a way where I will get the run in during the morning.

Are you in a running slump? It happens. It happens to the best of us. Don’t let it get you down. Acknowledge it and move on.

Today I Needed A Reset

June 10, 2015

Do you ever feel guilty or overwhelmed because you weren’t doing the things you want? Hello? Isn’t that pretty much all of us 99% of the time? Well something happens in June where all of a sudden the calendar has something set on 6 out of 7 days of the week. And the one day you don’t have plans it’s time to catch up on what you had to ignore while being out busy all the time. Or at least that is how it has been for me this month.

I feel like since we landed after vacation we haven’t stopped. Birthdays, baseball games, races, work and life. It’s all good stuff but I feel like I haven’t been able to balance it all lately. And what I have been doing is hit the snooze button. But I keep justifying it in my brain by saying that I need the extra sleep because I am so busy.

Well today I felt like it was starting to crush down on me. I set my alarm for earlier but didn’t follow through on it. I did the treadmill instead but all day I knew I was going to hit my roads for some therapy. I took a walk during a work break as well to get some fresh air. But when I got up today I had a headache and neck ache and my body was telling me I needed my therapy. I had been missing it. It was time to get back to it. And despite getting home around 6 I changed and hit the road. And it felt so good. There was a pretty bird just sitting on the side of the road. I just had to stop in my tracks and take its picture. It wasn’t moving at all. I just sat there. But it wasn’t there on my way back. I think it was telling me to take my time and enjoy all of the nature out there. It was very warm out and I was drenched in sweat but it never felt better. There was a fragrance of flowers in the air. There was a light breeze. The sun was warm but the shade was cool. I hit my reset button. I even did some cadence drills while I was out there. Now I have to continue that momentum.

Creating Good Habits

March 7, 2015

As I was driving to work the other day, I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, “Laugh or Go Crazy”. Steve and Michele were talking about how easy it is to start bad habits but it seems harder to fall into good habits.

After finishing the WDW Princess Glass Slipper Challenge my goal was to start incorporate weight training back into my workouts. This means that I also want to do strength training for my legs.

I have been good about keeping up with my runs and doing them outside despite the frequent snow storms. I look forward to them. But lately I have added an early wake up to my day and I walk on the treadmill for 30-40 minutes. I want to get my steps in before the day starts and I head to work and sit for most of the day.

Another habit I am starting is to head down to the “tunnel” at work and walk every so often during the day to get moving or to walk to a bathroom farther away from my desk.

While these are good habits I also needed to cut out some bad habits like enjoying a refreshing beer after work. Even if it is just one. If I don’t have room in my calorie budget I can’t have it. So I didn’t buy any treats or drinks to keep in the house.

I am also making myself accountable by joining the latest Mickey Milers Diet bet. Heck if I can lose a few pounds, gain some control and good habits plus win some money why not?!

When I am at work with my packed lunch I am very good. It’s when I get home that all hell breaks loose. So I bought lots of veggies at the store this week and cut them up ahead of time. I also purchased foods for our meals so we didn’t have the old “What do you want for dinner?”?… “I don’t know”…. “What do we have?”…. “Not much” conversation which end up as a cereal for dinner night.

Each night I will be sure to have something thawing out or have some thought put into a meal ahead of time. I didn’t think I ate bad but once I start tallying up what I eat the calorie total tells the true story. It’s not what I eat but how much I was eating. So I am dialing it back again and making myself more accountable for what I am eating. I’m keeping tabs on things and using my conscious brain to make my decisions. This was something Jeff Galloway also explained to me last summer.

Drinking more water and getting in 10,000 steps per day are also little milestones I set for myself during the day and track with my fitbit. Sadly with all the running I do you’d think I wouldn’t need to diet but I do. I need to be aware of what goes in and what gets burned off. You don’t burn off as much as you think with your regular 3-4 mile run. It doesn’t give me free reign to have whatever I want any day of the week. Even when I am doing my long runs!

Fitz Kohler was on episode 256 of the Mickey Miles Podcast and hearing what she said solidified my recent thinking. She said that runners can’t just run. Strength training is important to keeping a runner healthy and all around strong. The episode was AMAZING to me! One of my favorites. Go check it out. I met Fitz at the Princess Half Marathon weekend on Saturday afternoon at the Mickey Milers meetup. We sat and chatted for a long time, even after everyone had left! She is a great person and a great resource for training information. I will be using her knowledge to help me get stronger so I can lose more fat and gain more muscle and run stronger and faster this year. Fitz has workout routines that you can do 3 times a week for 8-10 minutes that will make a difference in your running within 6 weeks! I started weight training again last weekend and have been sticking to it. It felt good to be sore again. I miss that feeling.

So my goal this year is to have a faster half marathon finish time again. I’ve been running the Disney half marathons for fun and haven’t pushed myself lately to go faster so it’s time to start working towards that goal. The sun is going to stay out longer which means I can get out and run after work again and race season is starting in the Northeast soon so I have to get out there and start getting some long runs under my best and register for the half marathons!

What are your goals for the year? Do you have any habits you need to break or to start?

Give Kids The World Village

March 2, 2015

This past February, when I went to Florida for the Princess Glass Slipper Challenge, I went to visit the Give Kids The World Village. I went to the village to drop off donations of autograph books and photograph books and toys for the children. I’d like to make this a regular event of mine when I head down to Florida for my races.

I saw a few families while I was there and it made me feel extremely grateful that my healthy children. I want to give back for the blessings that I have received. I have a lot to be thankful for and I want to give. Giving to others gives me a good feeling. While that may be selfish, I think it is a good selfish.

My running Team, the Mickey Milers raises money for Give Kids The World and I also use my commissions from selling Jamberry nail wraps towards donations for Give Kids The World.

If you would like to host a party to give donations towards GKTW, please feel free to contact me at pamela.frost@comcast.net. If you would like to donate please click the donate button on my blog of visit http://support.gktw.org/site/TR/Events/General?fr_id=1040&pg=pfind. Thank you!

Tower Of Terror 2014 Medals Released

July 1, 2014

runDisney released the medals for this year’s Tower Of Terror races. The Tower of Terror medal looks the same as last year except for the year and the ribbon. It has glow in the dark windows and the elevator goes up and down. The Happy Haunted 5K Trail Run Medal looks awesome! Now I wish I were getting up to run that one! It glows in the dark, too! Kids who run the the diaper dash, 100m, 200m 400m and 1-Mile races will receive the Donald Duck Kid’s Race Medallion.

Disney Tower of Terror Medals

I ran the Tower of Terror race last year for the first time and it was a fun race at night in the dark! Being just a 10-mile race (I say just because it isn’t a half marathon), it is about a 2 hour race that begins at 10:00 p.m. It was lots of fun but I had to plan my eating accordingly last year. This time I will also try harder to get in a nap prior to the race. I’ll be there with friends so it’s hard to say how the day will play out; but I’ll do my best! The expo was fun last year and there are opportunities to listen to the guest speakers at the expo also. This is a nice race because it isn’t super large. People get dressed up and have fun with the night race theme and you can also attend the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party during that weekend. I am hoping to bump into Mike Rahlmann from the Be Our Guest Podcast as well as Mike and Michelle from the Mickey Miles Podcast while I am there, too!

Will you be running the Tower of Terror 10 miler this year? What will you wear for a costume? I need to think of some ideas for my Tower of Terror costume. I didn’t do anything rather exciting last year so I need to be more creative. Do you have any ideas to share?

In a future post I can share with you tips and tricks for training and preparing for this race. Stay tuned!

Learn More About Michelle Scribner-MacLean from Mickey Miles Podcast

May 5, 2014

I love to listen to podcasts when I run. As you know, some of my favorites are the Mickey Miles Podcast, Be Our Guest Podcast, Laugh or Go Crazy, Two Gomers, and the DIS Unplugged. I decided while on a run that since I listen to these people (friends) all the time in my headphones, I’d love to start more of a dialogue with them and learn more about the voices behind the podcast. I recently interviewed Mike Rahlmann and Rikki Niblett from the Be Our Guest Podcast because I know Mike attends the races, but learned via Twitter that he registered for the WDW marathon. That surprised me so I reached out to him and learned that he was bit by the running bug and Rikki is also going to run the 10K during 2015 Marathon Weekend.

I have had the pleasure to meet Michelle Scribner-MacLean and Mike Scopa at various meetups at runDisney races and

they are the friendliest most welcoming, personable people to meet. I had never been to a meetup before, so my first one was in Disneyland during the Dumbo Double Dare in 2013. It was Mike and Michelle’s first time hosting a Mickey Miles Podcast meetup and it was a big success! There were a lot of people there and Mike and Michelle were so gracious to stand in the hot humid sun to talk to their fans! I also attended their meetup during Princess weekend this February also. And I ran into them one night in Epcot during marathon weekend in January. It’s nice to just run into people and they remember who you are! That means a lot to me!

Just a few weeks ago I went to the Boston Marathon as a spectator to cheer on Michelle and other friends. I like to support those who are reaching for their dreams. Unfortunately I had to catch a train home and just missed Michelle by about 20 minutes! I really wished I could have seen her!

I asked her and Mike if I could interview them for my blog and of course, they said yes! Here is what Michelle shared with me:

Have you always been interested in running?

Absolutely not. I have always been active. As a kid I did baseball and tennis and as a teen I did field hockey and was captain of my tennis team in high school. Running was a punishment or something I needed to do to get do the real sport that I wanted to do.

What was your first race?

My first race was a half marathon — Disney 2010 in January. It probably would have made more sense to start on a local race but Disney felt like a safe place to start.

What was your first non Disney race?

I did the Turkey Trot on my town (probably 2011)

Do you have a dream race?

In terms of location, running in Hawaii would be amazing. I’d love it if runDisney would branch out and do running vacations in different locations.In terms of my dream running team…any time I run with friends and family is the best.

You have been running with your son Liam lately. Do you think you will run a marathon with him?

I love running with Liam (and he’s signed up for some 10Ks this summer). His goal is to run a half in two years. He’s not great about practicing but he’s enthusiastic about running and loves running Disney.

Now that you have accomplished the Boston Marathon (yay!) do you wish to do it again?

As someone who grew up 10 miles outside of Boston, the marathon has always been something I’ve revered but never aspired to. The events of last year and the opportunity to run for my mom’s hospital (Spaulding Rehab, who did a lot of the rehab for the bombing victims) made it important for me to run this year. Doing the Dopey last year gave me the confidence to be able to do it. Boston was my third marathon and, by far, the most difficult. Having said that, I would do it again in a second. The crowd was amazing and the feeling of running down Boylston Street was really indescribable. I was very proud of my city.

Do you have a favorite moment from that day?

Seeing the crowds, generations of families, with “take back our finish line” posters was really cool. However, my favorite part of the day was the hugs and the look of pride that I received from my family and friends who were there to to cheer me on.

Do you listen to podcasts when running? What are your favorites?

I rarely listen to podcasts while I’m running (I usually listen to music). If it’s over 13 miles I’ll listen to WDWToday, This American Life, The Moth, and books on tape.

How did you and Mike become friends and decide to do the podcast?

Mike and I were both writers on AllEars.net. It turns out that we had a lot in common: running, teaching, and love of Disney. We also lived near each other and became friends. He coached me through my first half marathon and a few years later we started TeamAllEars to raise money for breast cancer research, help foster the love of running Disney, and to encourage new runners. We wrote many blogs about running and had lots of discussions with new runners. The podcast was born out of this and the desire to help folks learn about running Disney races.

I love new gear just like you do. What is your favorite gear you use?

I’m a “gadget girl.” I love my technology gadgets. My favorite is my Garmin 220.

I am also using Jeff Galloway for ecoaching. What was the most valuable thing you learned from him?

It was wonderful to work with Jeff. It was nice to have a “go to” person for my questions and he was so supportive.

I train teachers and he’s a born teacher. The thing I learned is that running, like teaching, is a craft. You can always learn more, always improve if you want to.

Thank you Michelle for answering these questions! I love it! I do wish I could have given you a hug that day in Boston! But I am very proud of you and so happy you enjoyed that special day and major accomplishment! Keep up the great work! You and Mike are doing a great job keeping us informed of runDisney events and also of running information that we can find useful and entertaining.

Tag: @MickeyMilesPod