Bob

The race is over.  Photos were posted on social media, adult beverages were enjoyed and I am finally warm.  After sleeping over 11 hours last night, the time is right to reflect on the past week.

Wednesday was the Fifth Third River Bank Run Junior.  I gave out high fives and cheered all of the kids on as they ran around the track.  It was a lot of the fun to see the kids zoom past.  As an added bonus, several of the Road Warriors brought there kids to the event.

Thursday was the sponsor reception at mLive. The food was amazing and it was nice to
dress up and spend time together as a group.  Bonus...we have Road Warriors that can dance

Friday was the Sports & Fitness Expo.  I did a little shopping, checked out some amazing vendors and volunteered in the Welcome Center.  The bonus was meeting the individuals behinds the scenes from my charity partner, Stand Up To Cancer.  I snuck into the expo before it opened so I could meet them and then check the rest of the expo out.  Ssssshhhh, don't tell!

Race Day!  My plan was to run/walk the 10k in one hour and twenty minutes to make it back to the start line in time for the 5k community walk.  It was going to be tight, but I knew I could do it.  Unfortunately, at mile 5, I realized that I wasn't going to make my time goal.  From that point, I got really negative and went "inside" my head as I am a perfectionist.  If I say I'm going to do something, I do it.  Fortunately, I met two of my fellow Road Warriors at the top of Ionia hill.  Road Warrior Sarah B. ran me in to the finish, but I was not happy about it.  I PR'd from my previous 10k time by 8 minutes, but I missed the goal I set for myself.  I swapped my bibs and headed down to Monroe to start the 5k Community Walk.  The timing mats were gone and everything was packed up.  So, I started walking on the sidewalk.  I knew some members of Team 383 would be walking, so I tried to catch up to them.  The entire time I was beating myself up for not making the start.  Luckily, I met a man, let's call him Bob, in front of the Ford Presidential Museum.  Bob was walking with a cane all by himself.   My only intent was to check and make sure he was having a good time.  His first comment was to tell him that he was slow but very happy to be there.  I love a good story, so I decided to walk with him for a while.  Bob was in Mary Free Bed last year after spinal surgery, when he caught a bug that caused him to lose the ability to walk. For months he had to struggle to deal with the back surgery, while at the same time working to get his mobility back.  Completing the Fifth Third River Bank Run Community Walk was his way to celebrate being able to walk again.  We slowly walked the course and chatted about his journey.  I was most impressed by his determination to not give up.  While I was down on myself about not getting the time goal that I set for myself, this man was walking a race when he couldn't stand up the year before.  It was an instant perspective change for me.  Gratefully, Bob has the "gift of gab" so I didn't have to say much.  I just listened. His wife is in a wheelchair and could not attend the race.  His friends all wanted to join him, but in the end he was the only person to show up.  I tried my best to fill in the gap for him.  We continued to walk at a slow but steady pace.  When we hit the top of Ionia hill, I cheered him on reaching the top of all the hills.  Rounding the corner onto Ottawa is my favorite part of the race.  The energy is electric.  The crowd of 25k runners was pretty thick, but we were able to stick to the side and continue towards the finish line.  People began to cheer and yell words of encouragement.  Bob turned to me at one point and said that they must be cheering for a friend.  I turned to him and said, "No, Bob. They are cheering for you."  I was watching the crowd and the people that were cheering were saying it directly to him.  As we approached the finish he started to realize that people were actually cheering for him.  He picked up his cane and crossed the finish line without using it!  He completed the entire 5k without stopping or slowing down. I am sure that he inspired more people than he realizes, including me.  I don't know what happened to Bob after that.  I was freezing and needed to get some warm clothes.  Unfortunately, that was when it started to hail, so I went back to the hotel with my sister and Road Warrior Liz.  I know that I will never forget Bob and his determination.

Pay it forward

I want to thank everyone that contributed to Stand Up To Cancer!  I HIT MY GOAL!!  Thank you to everyone that supported my efforts.  I truly appreciate every donation, even if they were made anonymously.

While I believe the mission of Stand Up To Cancer is extremely important, the other charity partners of the Fifth Third River Bank Run provide much needed assistance to the communities they serve.  Each of my fellow Road Warriors is racing on behalf of one of the charity partners.  My ask is that you consider making a donation to one of the remaining charities!  I know the Road Warriors would appreciate, as would their charities.

Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan: Be Nice campaign

(Jim) https://runsignup.com/jimthemhf

(Crystal) https://runsignup.com/benicerunfastgivebig

TrueNorth Community Services

(Sarah B) https://runsignup.com/be_the_cause

(Mandy) https://runsignup.com/Race/11072/Donate/3ZGJyg9VmNRKXtAa

Alzheimer’s Association

(Liz) https://runsignup.com/Race/11072/Donate/HRUFFseQ2odniKlh

(Sarah M)  TBD

Make-A-Wish Michigan

(Scott) https://runsignup.com/runfitzrunforwishes

(Tommy) https://runsignup.com/Race/11072/Donate/hzus3Sr6zCkVlvdU

C-Snip

(Andrea) https://www.crowdrise.com/teamcsnipatthefiftht/fundraiser/andreazufelt

(Court) https://www.crowdrise.com/teamcsnipatthefiftht/fundraiser/courtziegler

Stand Up To Cancer

(Lisa) https://runsignup.com/Race/11072/Donate/DncpgHkZHOlcpBmQ

(Sarah G) https://runsignup.com/warriorsarahg

Speechless...almost

Race recap:  Today was the Gazelle Girl Half Marathon and 5k.  The weather couldn't be any better and everyone was pumped.  I had a great race.  I stuck with my intervals and felt really good throughout the entire race.

I am sitting here at Kendall and I should be working on my research papers, but there is something I need to put out there...

While I truly appreciate everyone telling me that I am their inspiration, and that is my goal, I want you to know that every single person I saw today inspired me.  You all inspired me!  I am inspired by the speedster that makes running look effortless and truly look like gazelles.  I am inspired by the group of friends who are out to have a good time while exercising.  I am inspired by the person that is at the back of the pack and just isn't sure if they are going to be able to do it.  I am inspired by the volunteers that took time away from their families to support all of us.  I am inspired by my friends that let me walk with them at the aid station.  I am inspired by my friends that ran their longest distance today.  I am inspired by my sister that drove from Lansing to surprise.  I am inspired by the runner that is still running her race, but takes a moment to tell me that I am doing a great job.  I am inspired by the spectators that are out there cheering endless hours for people they may never see again.  It's okay if you don't think you are inspiring, but I am here to tell you that each of you inspired me!!

Getting better

This past week was an amazing week to be Road Warrior.

Tuesday evening we had a road warrior dinner with our coaches.  It was really nice to spend some "non-running" time together.  These people are truly amazing!

Thursday evening we had our usual run with RunGR.  I was given the approval to run 4 min/walk 2 min for up to 24 minutes or until I had pain.  I was VERY nervous and started out very cautious.  I didn't want to push my body to the point of getting pain.  By the end of the first segment I was feeling really good.  And not just physically good, I felt like I was shaking the dust off of my body and my mind.  I looked at my watch and I was going quite a bit faster than my usual pace....with no pain.  I decided that I would continue to push my pace for the first mile.  I could always use the second mile to recover, if I needed it.  Guess what??  I didn't need to recover on my second mile.  I was feeling NO PAIN.

Saturday I ran at the Upward Spiral event (organized by a prior Road Warrior).  It's a 24 hour run/walk event that raises awareness for depression, bullying and suicide.  My plan was to do my run/walk intervals the same as Thursday night and then keep walking until I got to four miles.  My run/walk intervals felt really good.  I don't want to jinx it, but I felt like my "old runner-self".  The walking was good too.  I got to the four mile mark and my coaches were still running.  I road with them, so I figured that as long as they were running, I was going to walk.  Well...by the time they finished, I completed a 10k (6.1 miles).  Pretty good for someone that wasn't allowed to workout the week before.

Now, I know that I need to be careful as two good runs does not mean I am completely healed.  I am continuing my hip exercises and my physical therapy appointment.  To be honest, it just feels good knowing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Why I run

hy I Run: I am an extremely organized person. I love to create schedules and color code my calendar based on what I need to do. The first thing I did when I was chosen as a Road Warrior was to add the training/event schedule to my calendar. I believed that if I completed all the trainings on the schedule and showed up for all the Road Warrior practices, I wouldn’t have any problems completing the race. In a perfect world, that would be the case…. 

I started having hip pain while running in December. In January I began physical therapy as the pain was getting worse. As a result, my pre-planned training schedule came to a dramatic halt. At first I was only allowed to do intervals of running 2 minutes then walking 2 minutes up to 20 minutes every other day. I have slowly progressed. Right now I’m allowed to run 4 minutes and walk 30 seconds up to 25 minutes every other day. The specific days of my training schedule have not changed; it’s the time and distance that I have to adjust. (Woohoo, I still get stick to a schedule!) I was at the Community Run in February. While I couldn’t do the 6 or 10 miles with the group, I was out there doing my intervals. As frustrating as my injury is, I still show up for all my scheduled training runs. I will get back to running longer distances; I just don’t know when that will be. At this point, all that matters is that I keep showing up.

The 10k training plan started at the end of February and the 5k training plan starts in the middle of March. Have you printed out the training schedule from www.53riverbankrun.com ? If you are currently training, have you gotten off track? It’s not too late to adjust it. Just keep showing up!

 I will be at the Community Clinic/Training Run (and walk) in March…doing my intervals. Come on out and join the entire Road Warrior team!

Stand Up To Cancer:

Did you know that 1 in 2 Men and 1 in 3 Women in the US will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime? You can help make a difference by donating to Stand Up for Cancer when you register for the race. Make a donation of $35 or more and you will receive a technical (tech) shirt upgrade!!

The Goal Doesn't Change...Just the timeline does

“The goal doesn’t change, only the timeline.” I’ve said this quote to myself at least 50 times over the last two days. After a discussion with my supportive and inspiring running coaches, I decided that I will not run the 25k at the Fifth Third River Bank Run this year.

You are probably aware of my ongoing hip flexor issue. I am currently working with a physical therapist to repair it. While I’m doing everything possible to repair my hip flexor, I need to keep the bigger picture in mind. I started exercising to be healthy, not just to complete races. While I can push myself to complete the 25k this year, there is a chance that I could push myself too far and cause significant injury. A healthy running lifestyle is more important to me than one race.

I am still a Fifth Third River Bank Run Road Warrior and I will participate in a race on May 14th. However, I’m not sure what race distance that will be at this point. I’ll post that as soon as I know.  And, next year, I will run the 25k with a healthy and strong hip flexor!

I'm trying to stay as positive as possible, but it is a struggle.  I had a lot of plans for this year for many half marathons and a marathon, including the 40th anniversary Air Force Marathon in honor of my father-in-law.  Today I trashed my race list for 2016.  Aside from removing the constant reminder that was hanging on my desk, it was a way for me to clean the slate.  Now, the pressure is off for the year and I can take the time to make myself stronger than when I started!!!

Finally, thank you to my amazing husband, family, coaches, fellow Road Warriors and friends for all your support.

Take 2

Great news! I was given the okay by my physical therapist to try running again. I get to run 2 minutes and walk 2 minutes for up to 30 minutes!  If I have any pain, I have to walk until it goes away.  Then, I can start the intervals again.  If I have pain a second time, I have to stop completely.  My next appointment is Wednesday morning.

I did not think taking a weekend off from running would be so hard.  But, by Sunday evening, I was climbing the walls. So, tomorrow morning I will venture outside for my interval run.  Fingers crossed!!!

A Detour

All runners have done this.  As you are running you notice a twinge.  Is that some tightness?  Did I stretch enough beforehand?  Is this an actual injury?  Is this going to ruin my training schedule?  Is the race over for me? Last month I had this conversation in my head while doing a Road Warrior workout at the YMCA.  I felt a pain in my hip that just wasn't going away.  I spent several laps trying to decide if I should mention the pain to my coaches. Ultimately, I told one of my coaches about the pain...and then I heard it.  The two words every runner fears...

DON'T RUN

Really?  Don't run?  I immediately thought my training was over and I would never run the 25K.  (Yes, I can be a little dramatic)  But, all was not lost.  We came up with a strategy to get me back on track. I would go to hot yoga and add deep stretching on regular intervals throughout the day.  During one of the community runs, Dr. K recommended that I contact a physical therapist if I had any pain that lasted longer than a week.  Luckily the pain subsided and I was able to start running again in a few days.  Problem solved...or so I thought...

Thursday night's Road Warrior workout was with RunGR.  The plan was to to run 4 miles around Reed's Lake.  The run started out great.  I was feeling really good and had a lot of energy.  At mile 2 the twinge in my hip returned.  I decided to push through the pain as it wasn't that bad.  Unfortunately by mile 3, I was in a lot of pain. And, the pain didn't go away at mile 4 when I started walking.  That was when I knew I had a real problem and it was time to contact a physical therapist.

I met with my physical therapist today.  Unfortunately, the appointment was not as positive as I hoped it would be.  She said that my hip flexor is mangled.  Mangled?  And, it's possible that I have a joint issue underneath the hip flexor issue.  Great, not only do I have a nasty hip flexor but now I have a joint issue.  All was not lost again, because she said the goal is to repair my hip flexor and then fix the joint issue so I can complete the 25k without hip pain.  Did you see that?  She said I could still complete the 25k.  My spirit was renewed!  Even with my issues she still thought I could finish the race.  And then, I heard it again...

DON'T RUN

At least this time I was prepared for it. I was still happy knowing that I could finish the 25k, even if I was out of commission for a little while.  Instead of running, she allowed me to cross-train.  So, tomorrow morning, I will join my fellow Road Warriors at the morning run.  When they go outside for the run, I will head upstairs to ride the bike.  My next appointment with the physical therapist is on Monday....so stay tuned.....

"Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it"

This week is one of my favorites weeks of the entire year because I love fresh starts.  As Anne Shirley states in Anne of Green Gables, "tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it".  The new year is a time that we set resolutions and strive to make the next year better than the last.

I do not make resolutions.  (No offense meant if they work for you!)  Go to a gym on January 5th and make a note of the number of people working out or filling out paperwork to start their membership.  Go back to the gym on March 5th and the gym will not be nearly as busy.  Why?  Because it is way too easy to give up on a resolution.  To make a resolution "stick" there must be a "why" or driving force behind it.  Why do you want to workout 5 days a week?  Why do you want to save an extra $50 a month?

I prefer to make goals for the new year.  This week, I will spend some time working on all my goals for 2016.  I will set goals for several different areas of my life (school, health, relationships, fitness, etc).  I have found that goals are more attainable than resolutions.  I start by stating the goal, adding action items to achieve it, and listing what motivates me to achieve the goal.  What motivates me to achieve the goal is the "why" behind each goal.  I make it as specific as I can.  But, most importantly, I try to add something tangible to the "why" to make it as visual as possible.

An example of one of my goals from last year was to lose weight.  One of the reasons I wanted to lose weight was to be able to shop at Victoria's Secret and carry the small pink bag around the mall containing clothes that I could wear.  That is an experience that I could visualize to make the goal personal.  I could see myself walking around the mall carrying the small stripped pink bag.

So,  if you make resolutions or set goals for the new year, try to find your "why".  If you do, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the results.

-Celebrating every step

#53rbr

I am a Fifth Third River Bank Run ROAD WARRIOR

I want to be a Fifth Third River Bank Run Road Warrior because ....*

I am not a traditional runner. I was super-morbidly obese for the majority of my life. I was slowly dying and needed a drastic change. I decided to have bariatric surgery. As the weight started to come off, I found that I could move more easily. It no longer hurt to walk around the block. So, I started walking on a treadmill at the gym. I completed a couple 5ks and was content being a walker, until one day when I wondered if I could run. It was a question that just popped into my head while I was on the treadmill. Next thing I knew, I was increasing the speed on my treadmill and I started jogging. No, I was running! It only lasted about 30 seconds, but those 30 seconds had a huge impact on my life. If I could run for 30 seconds, what else could I do? Could I run a 5k or 10k? It was a life changing moment. Prior to this moment I saw myself as someone that lived inside her comfort zone and never tested her capacity. Running on the treadmill for 30 seconds made me believe that there was a whole world of things that I could do, if I wanted to try. Surgery was the moment I saved my life; running is when I started to live my life. That day on the treadmill was just over a year ago. Since then, I have completed 6 5ks and 2 10ks, while running with a training group and have lost 198 pounds, all because I wondered if I could run. Next, I will run the 25K and I look forward to both the challenges and rewards that it will provide.  #53rbr