Wife Mother Runner Walt Disney World 5K Archives

More Inspiration For runDisney Marathon Weekend 2017 – Mike Green

January 3, 2017

The next inspirational athlete who will be running the runDisney Marathon Weekend 5K is Mike Green from Houston TX.

Mike is a U.S.military veteran and retired police officer of 25 years who recently found a new, rewarding way to serve his community and stay healthy at the same time. By participating in the YMCA’s Enhance®Fitness program made possible by a Cigna Foundation grant, Mike has improved his health, increased his strength and endurance which opened the door for him to discover and achieve new goals. In recognition of Mike’s milestone, this January, Mike will participate on Team Cigna in the Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend 5K. As part of Cigna’s commitment to the health and well being of people at every stage and phase of life, Cigna is sending Mike and his wife to the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, an annual 4-day event that combines family, fun and physical activity, to be an ambassador for the EnhanceFitness program.

“After I retired, without a way to serve my community I felt lost. My health was also not at an optimum which added to my challenges.” Mike took three different blood pressure medications to manage high blood pressure and manages post-traumatic stress disorder, a disability from war. That’s when Mike, a longtime member of his local YMCA, decided to make his health a priority and turned to his community at the YMCA and friend, YMCA associate director, Lharrisa Jacobs, for support and ideas how to achieve his health goals.

“Earlier this year I joined the EnhanceFitness program at my YMCA provided through a Cigna Foundation grant. By keeping myself healthy, increasing my strength and endurance in the EnhanceFitness program, I’m now able to compete in community 5K runs for charity to help raise money for education scholarships and other community causes,” said Mike. He also mentors other participants in the program as a way to give back.

“Through EnhanceFitness, I feel better, have more energy and have new and rewarding ways that I am able to continue serving my community.”EnhanceFitness is a proven community-based senior fitness and arthritis management program designed to help improve health of older adults through increased physical activity and strength exercises in a fun, social environment. EnhanceFitness is nationally recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Council on Aging and several other federal agencies.

Measurable health improvements like reduced risk of chronic disease and falls are benchmarks tracked and results of the EnhanceFitness program. Mike is one of 13,569 EnhanceFitness participants.As a result of participating in the EnhanceFitness program at the Greater Houston YMCA, Mike’s blood pressure is now within a normal, healthy range; his doctor reduced his blood pressure medication from three pills to one and Mike is no longer pre-diabetic. Mike’s improved core strength and balance empowers his independence and enables him to walk with stability and confidence across uneven ground and sidewalks without his cane, and he no longer needs to wear a brace on his left ankle. Since joining the program, he reports no falls—a marked improvement.

“The Cigna Foundation has been the stronghold for the EnhanceFitness program at the YMCA. Cigna Foundation’s support of the EnhanceFitness program along with the dedication of the YMCA instructors have helped me get to this point,” said Mike. The Greater Houston YMCA is one of two YMCA’s in the U.S. to launch the EnhanceFitness program earlier this year as a result of a Cigna Foundation World of Difference grant. The classes are specially tailored to support health and well being for older adults. This isn’t one-size-fits-all. Members are encouraged to participate at their level, and the instructors are trained to know how to support individuals’ ability levels and meet them where they are.

“The Cigna Foundation is dedicated to helping individuals live healthier, more secure lives; and for our seniors that means healthy aging through physical, mental and social well-being,” said David Figliuzzi, executive director of the Cigna Foundation. “We’re proud to partner with the ‘Y’ to help seniors in Philadelphia and Houston become more active, energized and empowered for independent living through the EnhanceFitness program.”Mike shared, “When Lharissa invited me to participate in the 5K at Disney World on Team Cigna,I was very excited to have this opportunity. I’m looking forward to representing the YMCA and hopefully inspiring others to keep achieving your goals and discover new ones.”

Mike supports other EnhanceFitness members along their journey to success.“I tell other members, be dedicated to the program and it will be dedicated to you. Do what you can, and you will get there.”After Mike crosses the 5K finish line in Walt Disney World, he looks forward to accomplishing new goals like running in community 5Ks to raise money for educational scholarships, and mentor other members in the EnhanceFitness program along their road to health and wellness.

2017 runDisney Marathon Weekend Race Inspiration – Nicole Gaines

January 2, 2017

This year, as in several years past, Cigna is the sponsor for the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. I had the pleasure of being invited to the blogger meetup event taking place this weekend. Prior to the races this year, I want to share some inspirational stories with you to give you some encouragement if this is your first race, or maybe your 50th race. Nicole is part of Team Achilles, which I also volunteer for. I hope to meet Nicole in person this weekend.

Nicole hiking Mt Ellinor after concussion

The first story I will share with you this week is of Nicole Gaines. Nicole is a Cigna customer and Achilles athlete participating in the Walt Disney® World Marathon 5K. Nicole Gaines, 33 years old from Troutdale, Oregon, is an active mother, wife, and registered nurse whose passion is caring for infant patients in the NICU and family birth centers patients. When she isn’t caring for patients or spending time with her family, you’ll find Nicole on the mountain slopes volunteering on ski patrol or teaching wilderness medicine to mountaineers and skiers.

But, on January 8, 2016 her active lifestyle came to a halt when she suffered a traumatic brain injury during a skiing accident. Nicole was also left with sustained injuries to her (left/right) shoulder and bicep tendon. In the days following, she went to an Urgent Care center and started physical therapy, but six weeks later when her symptoms of not being able to keep her balance, stay focused or have a coherent conversation persisted, she saw a concussion specialist who did an MRI and diagnosed her with post-concussion syndrome.

At work, Nicole’s injuries limited her ability to perform regular duties. Her main barriers to returning to work were vision challenges, memory issues, and fatigue as a result of her head injury. She took time off work to recover. Nicole continued with physical, occupational and speech therapy for eight months. During recovery, her husband and daughter were a huge support—driving her to and from her appointments and helping her with simple tasks at home such as cooking and cleaning.

By April, Nicole felt ready to return to work part-time doing back-office tasks and following up with patients over the phone. But, she was still unable to meet the cognitive demands of the shift, so Nicole was asked to take more time off work. That’s when in mid-June Nicole met Cigna vocational coach, Robin Randol, and the two teamed up to help Nicole reach her health and return to work goals.

Nicole vision therapy

Robin provided Nicole with screen magnifiers and screen readers to assist with vision issues, coached Nicole with nutritional and sleep hygiene best practices as well as computer use best practices to alleviate concussion syndrome triggers and fatigue, and provided cognitive strengthening strategies. “Robin has a deep background in working with people who have had brain injury,” said Nicole. “Robin’s expertise and the resources she’s provided helped normalize my struggle so I can worry less and stay focused on getting healthier and stronger.”

Robin also provided job placement and resume assistance to help Nicole connect with other RN opportunities, not 12-hour shifts, to help with her recovery. This September Nicole started a new RN position in employee health at a local hospital where she’s much happier working with patients again, has better hours and a better commute which support her while her brain continues to heal. To help Nicole strengthen her physical and cognitive stamina, Robin introduced Nicole to Achilles International, a non-profit organization Cigna partners with to help people with disabilities achieve their goals. Nicole worked with an Achilles personal trainer who provided a customized exercise program to help her increase physical activity gradually.

“Increasing physical stamina has made a big difference in my cognitive stamina,” Nicole said. “By doing my Achilles walk/run exercise program, I have more energy throughout the day which helps my cognitive stamina as well. I wasn’t a runner before my accident, but I love running and am making long-term health improvements.

”In recognition of Nicole’s desire and dedication to regain her health, Robin invited Nicole to participate as a sponsored Achilles athlete in the Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend 5K in Orlando this January.“When Robin invited me to participate in the Walt Disney World 5K, I was excited to join Team Cigna with other Achilles athletes whose stories have motivated me along my health journey. I hope my story can motivate others too.”

Nicole and daughter Kaytlin will participate in the 5K together. After completing her 5K, Nicole looks forward to her next goals: returning to work without restrictions, volunteering and being back on the mountain slopes. “My dream is to be fit and recovered enough to climb Mt. Rainier next year. Doing this 5K is a great start in making that a reality.”

Nicole 11-2015 Mt. Hood

Dopey Challenge – The 5K

January 22, 2015

The first race of the Dopey challenge finally arrived! I realized the night before that the 5K began later than the rest of the races during the weekend, so I was lucky enough to sleep a little later Thursday morning. The weather forecast was calling for cold temperatures in the morning so instead of my original costume, I had to improvise and add layers and still try to keep a costume-look intact. This was the first time I was driving myself to a race so I had to make sure I allowed myself enough time to drive to Epcot and get to the parking lot. I left my hotel around 3:30 and got there very early. So I ended up sitting in my car for close to an hour just to keep warm. I was in touch with Diana and planned to meet her near the corrals. The wind was howling and the temperatures were in the low 40’s. With the windchill it felt like the high 20’s. No joke.

I finally got out of my car and headed towards Diana in the corral area. I packed space blankets for every morning of the races. Smart move. I used my blanket while waiting behind a sign and in an area where everyone was huddling together to stay out of the wind and also close together for warmth. It was crazy! Christina and Chip met us in the same area and we waited there until it was time to move to the corrals.

Me, Christina, Chip, Diana

While waiting in the corrals, everyone huddled close together again to try to keep each other warm. When the wheelchair corrals went off, then we had to wait about 5 minutes between each corral until it was finally our time to take off. We were in Corral D for the 5K and the 10K. Once we started running it was still cold so I held onto my space blanket for a bit until we got into Epcot.

We stopped for a character stop on the way into Epcot. Then once we were in Epcot we didn’t stop for photos. We were so cold we just wanted to finish the race and get warm again. I enjoyed the 5K course. It ran through Epcot for most of the course which was entertaining. On the way into Epcot I saw a runner who had two blades as prosthetics. He was getting up off of a bench and everyone was cheering him on to get him pumped up to start running again. That was powerful to see. The 5K course went by quickly, but I enjoyed it. Next year my entire family will be participating in this race and they will enjoy the course for sure. the waiting time prior to the race and the early wake up call may not be so ideal; but hopefully some time in the pool will help them forget about the pain of getting up early.

After the race, I went back to my hotel, made some tea and took a shower. After getting dressed I planned to meet Diana and Christina at the expo. I love going the expo. There’s a vibe that happens there. I visited Jeff Galloway to check in with my race recap and to talk strategy for the weekend. On the way out of the expo I ran into my friend Joe Pardo! I was so glad to see him! We talked for a bit and then I had to head out to meet Christina and Diana for lunch at Beaches and Cream.

I was HUNGRY and we had a great lunch of grilled cheese and soup for a chilly day and then Christina wanted to get her first Kitchen Sink ice cream extravaganza. It was also my first experience with a kitchen sink. That’s a LOT of ice cream; but it’s fun to experience the event of getting a kitchen sink.

After lunch I had plans to drive out to Merritt Island to visit my good friend Shannon. I was so glad to have the ability to drive to her house and hang out with her, go pick up her son from school and play with her kids outside for a bit. I got to see what her life is like in Florida, cats chasing squirrels, kids popping firecracker poppers with their feet and hands! We also played a few games of hot and cold where I hid a coin in their playroom or the house and they had to find it. They thought that was the greatest game. It was a lot of fun to hang out with her and her family for a few hours.

It was getting late and I knew I was going to have to eat and hit the sack early so I made the drive back (stopped at Target on the way back for a few supplies), then had a dinner of Raisin Bran again before getting to sleep before 10 p.m.

I was enjoying the pace I was taking between races and having the freedom to come and go wherever and whenever I wanted. I didn’t even feel the need to head into the parks at this point. I knew once my family arrived I would be seeing the parks with them. I got my race items ready for the 10K and was asleep quickly. I knew I could set my alarm for 3:30 the next day since the drive to Epcot was quick and I didn’t have to meet Kim, Gail and Becca until 4:30 so I had a little less stress knowing I wasn’t waking up at 2 a.m.

Tag: Walt Disney World 5K

More Inspiration For runDisney Marathon Weekend 2017 – Mike Green

2017 runDisney Marathon Weekend Race Inspiration – Nicole Gaines

Dopey Challenge – The 5K