Friday night I got the wonderful fortune of a surprise visit from my friend Mindy who was in town to run an 18-mile race in Oak Ridge. Sitting there at dinner and talking with her, I was reminded of all of the people that I've known over the years who have sworn they would never run a 5k, let alone anything further than that. Yet now, years later, they are out there kicking butt and taking names.
The past two weeks have been super tough with my training. Recruitment kicked my butt and threw me way off my training schedule. Every year I always think that it's going to be different, that I'm going to eat healthy and still get my workouts in, but then the first sleepless night happens and all the sudden the only thing that keeps me awake and going is eating all the junk food that's around and counting down the minutes until I can take a nap.
I went for my first post-recruitment run the other day and it was the text book definition of a bad run. I couldn't even make it half a mile before I needed to stop and walk. My legs felt like lead, I was getting stitches in my side, and I was having a difficult time breathing. I tried all the tricks I knew - deep breathing in through my nose and out my mouth, speeding up for a minute to make the slower pace seem easier, correcting my posture, everything. None of it worked. Every half mile or so I would have to walk. I finally stopped after 2 miles and lost it. Started crying, having all kinds of anxiety and worry. How in the world was I going to be able to run 13 miles if I couldn't even get past 1?
Then dinner with Mindy reminded me that we all have to start somewhere and we all have ups and downs throughout the training process. We all have bad runs and we all have times when we doubt ourselves and our ability to keep going when it gets hard. But being able to come back from those bad runs and those hard times are the times that we show ourselves our worth and prove to ourselves that we are more than just one bad run. Today's run, while still tough, was 10 times better. So this post goes out to all my peeps who keep going despite the bad runs, especially those that once claimed they would never even consider being a runner. Funny how times change, right?
Fundraising Update: I'm almost halfway to my goal! My short term goal is to hit that 50% by October, so keep donating! Every little bit helps! https://www.raceplanner.com/donate/Jennifer-s-on-the-Run
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Sunday, August 9, 2015
My Half-Marathon Decision
I was talking on the phone with my good friend Lauren the other night and she made the comment to me about how she remembered me once saying that I would never do a half marathon, that I had no desire to do anything past a 5K.
The moment I realized that I could complete a half marathon, and actually wanted to try, was this past March. My boyfriend was running in the annual Knoxville marathon and I was also running that same day in the 5K. Being that it takes like a 1/6th of the time for me to finish the 5K compared to his marathon, I had some time to do some sitting, reflecting, and watching. Maybe it was the fact that I had just completed my fastest 5K, or maybe it was the rush of adrenaline combined with the Starbucks coffee I picked up after the race, but as I sat in Neyland Stadium waiting for him to cross the finish line, I found myself drawn to the people finishing the other races. I watched people of all shapes, sizes, and ages complete the half marathon and they looked so excited, so proud of themselves. And as I sat there watching them and reflecting on all of the things that I have accomplished, I knew that completing a half marathon was something that wasn't completely out of my league like I had always thought. I had always envisioned people that ran half and full marathons as your typical runner - tall, lean, thin. But some of these people crossing the finish line didn't look like that. They looked like me. Some older, some shorter, some heavier, some thinner. I think that's what I appreciate about running. It doesn't have anything to do with other people. It's all about you. It's all about finishing something that once seemed so impossible.
Trust me, completing this half marathon still seems so far away. Even though it's not until February, I've already started training. I wanted to give myself plenty of time and allow some additional weeks as padding in case life got crazy (such as UT recruitment week!) and threw me off my training schedule. I've completed two weeks, and so far it's going as well as can be expected. For my long runs, I'm using the run/walk method. For anyone that's interested, Disney has free training plans describing the run/walk method by Jeff Galloway here. It was definitely different. I find myself going a much faster pace than normal during the running intervals, so by the 2 mile mark I start to get pretty tired. Learning to pace myself with the intervals will be something I need to focus on during this training. And how you people that run 9 minute miles for long distances do it, I'll never know. But it was pretty fun to look down and see that I was going that fast, even if it was just for 2 minutes.
I'm looking forward to the next couple weeks as I increase my mileage. I've previously done an 8K (which is 5 miles), but that's the furthest I've gone. I've signed up for a 10K (6.2 miles) in Nashville on Halloween and that will be a good halfway point to make sure that I'm where I should be in terms of training for 13.1 miles.
Thank you so much to those that have already donated to my fundraiser and are supporting me with this race. I'm so amazed at how quickly people jumped on board. People I haven't spoken to in years have been contacting me and donating to the cause. I appreciate it all. I hope to meet half of my goal by October, so don't stop contributing, as every little bit helps! Jennifer's on the Run Fundraiser
Happy Running!
The moment I realized that I could complete a half marathon, and actually wanted to try, was this past March. My boyfriend was running in the annual Knoxville marathon and I was also running that same day in the 5K. Being that it takes like a 1/6th of the time for me to finish the 5K compared to his marathon, I had some time to do some sitting, reflecting, and watching. Maybe it was the fact that I had just completed my fastest 5K, or maybe it was the rush of adrenaline combined with the Starbucks coffee I picked up after the race, but as I sat in Neyland Stadium waiting for him to cross the finish line, I found myself drawn to the people finishing the other races. I watched people of all shapes, sizes, and ages complete the half marathon and they looked so excited, so proud of themselves. And as I sat there watching them and reflecting on all of the things that I have accomplished, I knew that completing a half marathon was something that wasn't completely out of my league like I had always thought. I had always envisioned people that ran half and full marathons as your typical runner - tall, lean, thin. But some of these people crossing the finish line didn't look like that. They looked like me. Some older, some shorter, some heavier, some thinner. I think that's what I appreciate about running. It doesn't have anything to do with other people. It's all about you. It's all about finishing something that once seemed so impossible.
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| Wearing glasses becomes a safety hazard when running in the rain! |
I'm looking forward to the next couple weeks as I increase my mileage. I've previously done an 8K (which is 5 miles), but that's the furthest I've gone. I've signed up for a 10K (6.2 miles) in Nashville on Halloween and that will be a good halfway point to make sure that I'm where I should be in terms of training for 13.1 miles.
Thank you so much to those that have already donated to my fundraiser and are supporting me with this race. I'm so amazed at how quickly people jumped on board. People I haven't spoken to in years have been contacting me and donating to the cause. I appreciate it all. I hope to meet half of my goal by October, so don't stop contributing, as every little bit helps! Jennifer's on the Run Fundraiser
Happy Running!
Sunday, August 2, 2015
This Girl's on the Run
I hate running. Let me rephrase that - Running as an exercise is not my first choice. I've found that I enjoy participating in fitness classes much more. Running, however, saved my life. It was the decision to do a 5k four years and 150 pounds ago that made me start becoming physically active and gain the confidence and the motivation to try other things and may have literally saved my life.
I recently made two big decisions. One, was to sign up for the Disney Princess Half Marathon and the other was to join the Board of Directors for Girls on the Run of Greater Knoxville. Both decisions have already profoundly impacted my life. I've taken on lots of various volunteer roles in my life, but in the short time that I've been involved with Girls on the Run, I can honestly say that I've never been as excited and as passionate about supporting and being a part of something as I am with this program.
If you don't know what Girls on the Run is, here's a brief overview. Girls on the Run is an international program that is a transformational physical activity based youth development program for girls in the 3rd-8th grades. It teaches life skills through dynamic interactive lessons and runnings games. The program culminates with the girls being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5k running event. The goal of the program is to unleash confidence through accomplishment while establishing a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness. You can learn more about the programs offered by visiting http://www.gotrknoxville.org/ or http://www.girlsontherun.org/.
As I prepare for this first half marathon, I will be updating everyone on my progress and giving everyone more information about why it's so important to support and advocate for programs such as these. I hope that all of my friends and family will both emotionally and financially (as much as you are able) support me in this endeavor. My minimum fundraising goal is $500, but in trying to be punny, I would love to be able to raise $1,310.00 in honor of the 13.1 miles that I will be completing.
To donate, please visit www.raceplanner.com/donate/Jennifer-s-on-the-Run. I'm the first person to understand that money can be tight, so even a donation of $5 is so much appreciated. Thank you all so much for allowing me to share this program with you all and I hope you look forward to hearing all about my journey!
I recently made two big decisions. One, was to sign up for the Disney Princess Half Marathon and the other was to join the Board of Directors for Girls on the Run of Greater Knoxville. Both decisions have already profoundly impacted my life. I've taken on lots of various volunteer roles in my life, but in the short time that I've been involved with Girls on the Run, I can honestly say that I've never been as excited and as passionate about supporting and being a part of something as I am with this program.
If you don't know what Girls on the Run is, here's a brief overview. Girls on the Run is an international program that is a transformational physical activity based youth development program for girls in the 3rd-8th grades. It teaches life skills through dynamic interactive lessons and runnings games. The program culminates with the girls being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5k running event. The goal of the program is to unleash confidence through accomplishment while establishing a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness. You can learn more about the programs offered by visiting http://www.gotrknoxville.org/ or http://www.girlsontherun.org/.
As I prepare for this first half marathon, I will be updating everyone on my progress and giving everyone more information about why it's so important to support and advocate for programs such as these. I hope that all of my friends and family will both emotionally and financially (as much as you are able) support me in this endeavor. My minimum fundraising goal is $500, but in trying to be punny, I would love to be able to raise $1,310.00 in honor of the 13.1 miles that I will be completing.
To donate, please visit www.raceplanner.com/donate/Jennifer-s-on-the-Run. I'm the first person to understand that money can be tight, so even a donation of $5 is so much appreciated. Thank you all so much for allowing me to share this program with you all and I hope you look forward to hearing all about my journey!
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