5k Club Summary

After 10 weeks of twice/week trainings, the 5k Club met its goal to walk, run or run/walk 3.1 miles! It was fun and rewarding to witness the progression of each participant. Many allowed themselves to be pushed out of their comfort zone to walk further and faster than ever before. The runners began with intervals of 1 minute running, 90 seconds walking (never imagining they’d be able to string together enough running minutes to equal 1 mile, but of course they did) and steadily built from there, with one member taking on the personal challenge to run non-stop for 3+ miles.

We had ideal conditions yesterday afternoon for our 5k – 70’s, sun, low humidity, light breeze. One client invited his parents to witness his run (he even made his own bib J), and boy did he run – leaving my co-worker Angela, and me in the dust. He finished in 27:00 minutes (8:43 pace), Angela & I finished next in 28:30 (9:10 pace) and the remaining two guys finished in 41:00+ (13:30-ish pace). I have to admit I was disappointed with some of the walkers who opted to walk around the river once, instead of twice (twice = 5k), but try to remind myself that the fact they came, committed to training and are moving their bodies at all is a good thing. Pride, confidence and camaraderie abounded after the 5k was completed, with requests that the club reconvene annually.

Jokes were made in the 5k Club that I sold my soul to Mother Nature because we consistently had amenable training conditions. When we began in April, there were many rainy days wherein the clouds simply sealed themselves for the precise amount of time we needed to be at the river (seriously, it was uncanny). In those beginning weeks, participants often fretted over the weather – days in advance of our meetings – wondering if we would cancel. Over time, I saw them embrace the mindset of fortitude to get the walking/running done regardless of rain, wind, heat or chill. Motivation and self-esteem levels increased with each new accomplishment in distance, pace and perseverance.

The Club started with roughly 25 members, quickly whittling down to a core crew of 12-14 regulars. The original plan for members to take part in an official race at Frame Park fell through when the Fiesta 5k event organizers chose not to offer that 5k this year. The 5k Club voted to hold their own informal 5k and each member donated $3 towards a celebratory post-race party.

Below are some general stats:

·         25 clients started the 5k Club

- 11 group home residents

- 14 community clients

* It is noted that group home clients received transport, while community clients came on their own by foot or bus

·         13 completed the 5k Club training

- 8 group home residents

- 5 community clients

- 8 women

- 5 men

- Age range 23-55

·         3-4 clients routinely came to 5k Club to be a part of something, though they did not walk or run

Lastly, I am ever grateful for the support of the following staffs who despite their busy schedules took time to help with this endeavor:

Dawn – Dedicated herself to motivating the walkers (this meant competing against the urge of walkers to sit on benches watching baby ducks)

Angela – Co-led the runners with me, became a stronger runner herself in the process and frequently opened her car to hold participants backpacks and purses

Jaime – Co-led the runners with me, hammering out a respectable pace with an ever-growing baby belly. I’d like to note that Jaime works in a separate Health & Human Services Unit and still offered time out of her hectic schedule whenever possible. When she couldn’t make it, the runners were disappointed – she’d become part of the team. 

Julie – Despite having multiple end-of-the-day nursing crises pop up, managed to attend several sessions per month – spreading her time amongst the walkers and the run-walkers

Marybeth – Without Marybeth’s buy in, this program would not have reached the group home clients. Marybeth turned out for the initial sessions to help jump-start group home client investment in the process – they were sooooo excited to see her walking with them that first day!

PR's For Everyone!

Rosanna, Me, Ellen, Jen, Wendy

Me, Joe and a group of my friends all snagged PR's (Personal Records) yesterday in the 4th Annual Summerfest Rock-n-Sole Half and Quarter Marathons. I suspected it was possible for myself as my past two weeks of training were yielding fantastic results, but I did not go in expecting a PR. I went in expecting to run non-stop, including up Lafayette Hill (in previous years I'd walked this hill as fatigue was setting in), and to use my race-specific mantra "trust yourself, trust your training" to keep me going when my mind tempted me to walk. I ended up doing it all! No stops, ran Lafayette Hill, set a 90 second PR AND a 10 minute course PR, with a 2:08:05 finish (9:47 pace).

If you think that's impressive, let me blow Joe's horn. Joe, who's only been running for 6 months (after nearly 7 months off with the shoulder surgeries), snagged a massive 2.5+ minute PR, finishing in 1:36:17 (7:21 pace). In his male 40-44 age group, he placed 15th out of 203 and his Overall Place in the race of 194 out of 3,557 puts him in the top 5%!

55°, sun and no humidity, created the best running environment one could ask for in a June race. The altered course, which only had us running over the Hoan Bridge once (due to construction) instead of twice, was a welcome change and the addition of more local bands along the course (cause, c'mon, this is called the Rock-n-Sole) helped the miles pass more quickly. Or maybe it was my fleet feet after months of smart training that made those mile markers pop up so fast?  Maybe the race was doused with auspicion by the rare happening of the full moon the night before on Friday the 13th - an event that will not happen again until 2049 - and maybe it's all of those factors blended together. All I know is that I felt strong and gave 100%

The group of ladies pictured above were a part of my Hill Repeat series, conducted in the 6 weeks leading up to the race - and we all PR'd. To keep the momentum going and the body challenged, we will now spend 6 weeks in the Minooka Mornings series - a little sumpin'-sumpin' I dreamed up that will strengthen everyone on the pre-dawn trails of Minooka Park. 

Up next, Joe and I will run the Madison Mini (half marathon) on 8/16/14. This race is a sister race to the Rock-n-Sole, and together the two races are called the M2 Challenge. When you do both races you get a 3rd medal for completing the M2 Challenge. For now, we've got the one, rather weighty Rock-n-Sole medal to propel us into the next round of training...

With our heavy medals
under the Hoan Bridge

  

Happy Updates

My exciting news of the day is that I ran my 600^th mile this morning AND hit a PR on my standard Friday morning Lookout Hill Route – a 3-mile, 25 floor loop – done at a 9:32 pace! Last year when I was picking up speed, my best was a 9:57, and so far this year I’ve been consistently hitting it at a 9:36. I have to say, I think the twice/day runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays (running in the morning as usual and then again with my 5k Club) has made me stronger both mentally and physically. I don’t enjoy running at 3:30 in the afternoon on a warm day in the blazing sun, but since I have to do it for the clients, I am forging a tougher mind. The additional exposure to running outdoors vs. a treadmill is making me physically stronger. The 5k Club ends 6/26, but I think I may continue to do two-a-day runs one day per week. It’s good stuff, the results don’t lie.

The weeks have been ticking by, and my 5k Clubbers have made steady progress. The runners faced 25 minutes of non-stop running this week. Could all of them do that? One of them could, keeping a steady pace with me and other staffs to log his first ever 2.55 miles run! The other runners took walk breaks here and there, but gave their all and felt the pride that comes with toughing something out. The walkers, who have needed more nudging, performed well this week too – reaching landmarks I set as destinations without the previous pit stops on benches to watch ducks (Me: “Ladies, you’re busted! There’s no sitting in the 5k Club, get moving!”). When I designed this program, the training was to culminate in us participating in the Fiesta 5k at Frame Park in Waukesha. Unfortunately, that event is not being held this year. Knowing that most client’s would prefer not to spend $25 on a race entry, and that some would have excess anxiety over being in such a public venue, we democratically decided to hold our own informal 5k at Frame Park (where all of our training has taken place) on June 26^th at our normal training time. Everyone will contribute $3 for a healthy post-race party that I will supply with the usual race foods … fresh fruits, salty carbs, water. I anticipate lots of backslapping and high-fiving … instigated by me☺ One of the biggest symptoms our clients face, a symptom that cannot be treated with medication, is lack of motivation. All of my Clubbers, whether they slowly walked (and snuck breaks on benches) or ran with all their heart, demonstrated a commitment to training two times per week, sometimes in icky weather, for 10 weeks, which takes a lot of motivation and discipline. Hooray for them! Also, Hooray to the 4 co-worker’s who took time out of their busy schedules to help me and support the clients with this endeavor.

As you can see, the 5k Club has been mutually beneficial for me and the clients. They have a new physical accomplishment (and maybe learned something about their strengths in the process) and I have grown stronger. Tomorrow, I begin my taper for the Rock-n-Sole Half Marathon, scheduled for 6/14/14. I’m feeling good, I’m feeling strong, but am reluctant to make any race day predictions. Tune in next week to hear how Joe and I fare in the 4^th running of the Hoan Bridge!