Tag: running

let’s run/walk again

let’s run/walk again

by Beth Strickland ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Back in 2010 I started run/walking through a Couch to 5K app. I ran/walked 5 marathons and multiple (I lost count) half marathons, 10Ks, 5Ks, and the occasional 10 miler or 4 miler.

Then I got burned out on running and through conversations with online friends decided to give Tae Kwon Do a try. I discovered I really liked it – well, the forms anyway. I didn’t like the sparring at all. I made it to Double Black Stripe and was just missing the test for Black Belt, but my dojang was super spar-heavy on the test and that was a nope for me. Technically I could still go back – I was on the “Black Belt Plan” which covers ALL classes until you test for Black Belt. But…

Through other friends, I learned about OrangeTheory and got into that. Like really into that. And then came 2020. And we all know what happened then. Everything shut down. I did my best to get out, I tried run/walk again. I had a couple of pretty bad falls – one understandable tripping on a janky sidewalk, but the other was on a perfectly smooth sidewalk so no reason other than my middle name should have been Grace.

I struggled with getting back into OTF once it re-opened, and then they changed things up a bit with a lot of classes being you chose cardio or strength…most of them being the times I could make. To me that defeated the purpose.

I downloaded a walk/run 5K plan and did a 5K in August with friends. Well, we met up before and after. They were much faster than me. Which I’m used to.

But Winter was rough with cold weather. I do technically have a gym membership for about a month and a half more – I won it at a raffle at my running club’s variety show. But I HATE the treadmills they have, so it was never enticing to go. I was supposed to do a 10K yesterday, but I knew I was in no way, shape, or form ready for it – even to walk. So I DNSed it. (Did Not Start for those unfamiliar with running jargon.)

BUT. I need to make sure I’m getting my exercise in. And eating right. Some of my numbers which have been great always have crept up and need to get back down – my doctor feels confident that adjusting diet and exercise will be able to manage them. I want to prove her right. I’m on the Hers GLP-1 program as well as WW. So I’m working on it.

A little while ago I signed up for the Brooklyn Pride Run on June 14. Back to my walk/run 5K plan. It’s in my calendar and the plan starts tomorrow.

To keep me motivated through the summer I signed up for the runDisney Virtual 5K series. Can’t pass up the cute bling!

I’m going to make it a point to use the last month and a half of membership at the gym to get in some strength work – either by classes or with weights (or a combo). I’ll likely change to Blink or Planet Fitness after the membership ends – the gym I have one at now is expensive and like I said, I don’t like their treadmills.

So… It’s past time. Let’s do this!

one little step at a time

one little step at a time

by Beth Strickland ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Back in 2011 I embarked on learning to run using a Couch to 5K program. Did my first 5K – attempted to run the whole thing but ended up walking at times…more and more as it went on.

Then I discovered run/walk and things began to change. I was never fast, but I completed 5 full marathons and more than 10 (I can’t remember exactly how many) half marathons using run/walk. I generally enjoyed it, but I never really had that lightning bolt moment so many people talk about when they cross that first Half Marathon and/or Full Marathon Finish Line. And then my final full was done as part of the 2015 Goofy Challenge at Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend – the only place where you actually say “I’m ONLY doing the Goofy” – which is a half and a full on back to back days. Yep. 39.3 miles. And you say “ONLY” because they also have the Dopey Challenge which is a 5K, 10K, Half and Full on subsequent days. And honestly that burned me out. My final half was the Ottawa Half in May 2015.

I got into tae kwon do – something I never saw myself doing – and enjoyed it. Or at least enjoyed forms. I got up to a Double Black Stripe – one belt lower than Black Belt. I could have tested for my Black Belt, but my dojang was very spar-heavy for the test, and I did not enjoy sparring one little bit. I kept going, and if I was lucky I’d get paired with someone who competed on the international level and would often stop and say “OK, what can you do here?” but it just wasn’t me.

Then, thanks to hearing about it from friends, I found Orange Theory Fitness and really got into that. I loved the variety of the workouts – how none of them were the same. I learned how to row. I lifted heavier than I ever thought I would.

And then COVID happened and gyms closed down. At first I was doing walking, but gradually started to do run/walk again. It was not horrible. And I was at least able to keep up some exercise. Once the gyms opened back up, I went back to OTF with the 8-times per month plan and my intention was to supplement that with run/walk. It was all great until I had a couple of falls. Both ended with bloodied knees and palms – the second I even got some road rash on my jaw. I knew I was being risky bracing with my hands, but I also knew that if I didn’t, I was going to really mess up my face – even with the bracing I couldn’t keep my face totally uninjured. I ended up with my wrist hurting pretty badly and an MRI showed a badly bruised – but thankfully not broken – scaphoid bone and was in a brace for a few weeks.

So no more running.

I went back to OTF on the unlimited plan, but a lot of the motivation I’d felt was gone. Part of it was a change of some coaches. But a lot of it was they were gradually changing the workouts and making around half into classes where you chose strength OR cardio. And many of those were at the times I could go. To me, making you choose defeated the whole unique point of the workout. I dropped that membership and changed to a gym with classes – and I did a couple, but… It just never clicked.

When I was doing run/walk, one of my running heroes was always Kara Goucher. Even moreso after her book – “The Longest Race” – came out and I devoured it. I actually got to meet her before the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville, TN in 2013.

Kara has had to retire from professional running due to dystonia, but she has continued to run on her own. Recently, her son Colt has gotten into running and set a PR that Kara set a goal to beat – and she did it at the 5K in Boston. Following her journey and watching her do that through her struggles with dystonia made me feel like I can do it – I’m just a big old klutz after all. I commented as much on her instagram picture following her 5K where she beat Colt’s PR – and she replied and was so encouraging.

This morning, I went out and did a run/walk at a 1 minute run/3 minute walk interval times 6 and felt great! No falling! I know I’ll never be super fast – and I may fall again at times – but I got out there and I’ve got a plan to follow.

It’s baby steps, but I did it!