#runwalkrun – Rooting to Rise

Ten + 3 Reasons Why I Keep Running and how Jeff Galloway’s tips help me

Posted on April 12, 2015July 12, 2022 by twomomsadmin

As this New York winter subsides and the spring air tries to push its way back in, I and other runners begin to introduce ourselves back into the outside world. A lot of my friends have asked me why I like to run or why I continue running.

Running has inspired and impacted my life in numerous ways ~ on that note here are Ten + 3 Reasons why I Keep Running, (in no particular order).

Run Wear – a runner’s wardrobe has endless possibilities! It gives me a green light to wear sparkly, glittery, and loud skirts, shirts, and sneakers. TuTu’s are absolutely acceptable and if you are running a themed race, the sky is the limit! It’s really not appropriate to wear a sequenced skirt and rainbow knee socks to work or even the grocery store (Walmart included!) – But to run in, the more vibrant the better!

Race-cations – the first time I heard this term was when I booked a stay at Walt Disney World for the 2015 Princess Marathon Weekend with my friends. My “Soul Sister” Nicole referred to it as a race-cation, a term she picked up along the way. What is a race-cation you ask? It’s a period of time you set aside away from daily activities for the recreation of RACE-RUN-FUN! Yes, a runner’s idea of relaxation and fun includes …… running in a race!

Camaraderie – there is a community of runners who are full of positive energy, goodwill, and knowledge and are willing to share it with their fellow running companions. I had a recent conversation about running at a doctor’s office and instantly connected with the other person I was speaking with. By the end of the conversation we were making plans to meet up and run!

Race Bling – have you heard of the saying, “a diamond is a girl’s best friend”? Well race bling is a runner’s best friend and makes the hard work of crossing the finish line even sweeter. Sure the collection of t-shits most races dole out are great, but the collection of shiny colorful medals dangling from a lanyard is what we are really looking for!

Breaking Barriers – Each runner has their own reason for why they run. For me it is about testing myself, pushing my limits. It’s about setting a goal, meeting it, surpassing it and then creating a new one. Which brings me to the next reason……..

The Feeling of Strength and Accomplishment – when I set goals – meet them – and surpass them, I attain an amazing feeling of mental and physical strength. My self-confidence shoots through the roof and I believe this confidence leads to other successes in my life.

Running is a Diversion from Negative Body Image – My whole life I have tried to maintain a level of fitness, mostly to remain a certain weight or clothing size. Running changes my definition of fitness and helps to remove the stigma of negative body image. My goals have morphed from, “I must have the perfect body”, to, “I want to be strong, run strong and strive for my personal best run.” My thoughts are more focused on my set goal in miles and my reward is the positive feeling of accomplishment when it is met.

Endorphins – I am sure you have all heard of a runner’s high? A high can be experienced from any form of exercise, though I will tell you I have experienced it more solely when running or from the completion of a run. For me endorphins coupled with my above listed reasons of, ‘Breaking Barriers’ and ‘Feeling of Strength and Accomplishment’, create the ultimate runner’s high. When I have finished a run or a race I entered, I feel like I am on top of the world for the rest of the day; it is truly a wonderful feeling and is what keeps me coming back for more!

Makes me Feel Alive! – Running makes my inner-self shine brighter! I was told that when I speak about running I beam, what an awesome compliment! When I am running in the open air, that “on top of the world” feeling I mentioned above, comes from feelings of strength, empowerment, and peace. When something enhances my total being in such a positive manner of course I want to continue doing it!

Happiness – running truly makes me a happier more fulfilled person. It has become part of who I am, “I am a runner.” I love the way that sounds and feels. The definition of happiness is, “a state of well-being and contentment: joy, b: a pleasurable or satisfying experience”. That pretty much sums it up for me! Running may not be for you, it might not make you feel as happy as it does me, but I encourage you to find some sort of physical activity that makes you feel happy- go ahead – get out there and find your happy!

The Only Time my Mind is Clear – All day my mind is going at high speeds with things I need to do now, later and much later. When I set my feet on the pavement and begin traveling, it puts my brain to rest. It is like a form of meditation. I become focused on the sound of my heart beat, my breathing, and the beauty of the outside world that is surrounding me.

Inspiration – I was inspired to run almost exactly one year ago and now I see others inspired to run from watching my experiences. My daughter has seen me set goals and stick to them which motivated her to join our local Girls on the Run program. It is a wonderful feeling to inspire others to begin their own run journey!

Supporting my Community and other Causes – runDisney events are awesome! I had the pleasure of running in the 2015 Princess Marathon Weekend in Walt Disney World and I look forward to running in endless runDisney events. That being said, there is something equally as wonderful running races in and around your own community. Many of these races I have run were to support causes near and dear to either my heart or the hearts of friends and family members. Who knows, maybe you can inspire a friend or family member to run with you!

There you have it! My Ten + 3 reasons why I keep running; honestly I could come up with another ten!

In closing I want to say a word about inspiration. To be inspired or to find inspiration within something can be life changing. But I have learned something important I want to add to that ~

To not idly wait for inspiration, but to already be engaged in what ever I am doing in life, so when it does find me I am amidst ingenuity and already in motion toward a new journey of success~

To continue on my journey of Why I Keep Running, I follow –

Jeff Galloway Blogger Tips

Training and Motivation Tips

by Olympian Jeff Galloway
www.runinjuryfree.com

Why do we get injured?

1. Be aware of irritation of weak links.

The Key Weak Links are body parts where my runners tend to experience injuries are these: Knees – Feet -Calf – Achilles -Hip – Glute/piriformis/sciaticia

But the body parts that YOU need to be aware of are the sites where you are injured or suffer more aches and pains.

So if you’re sensitive to the first indication of irritation in these areas and take immediate action it’s possible to avoid injury.

2. Stress buildup due to the way we train.

Training schedule is too intense-not enough rest between stress.
Adverse Training Components-speed is too fast or has too much, too soon.
Running form-too long a stride, forward lean, bouncing too high off the ground.

So staying focused on the way one runs and following these guidelines, can often allow runners to maintain a manageable increase without injury

__________________________________________________

Top 5 ways to avoid stress buildup-and avoid injuries

1. Take walk breaks more frequently, and run shorter run segments

2. Form: shorter stride, feet low to the ground

3. Slower long runs, with more walk breaks

4. Avoid Stretching

5. Be careful when running speed sessions

First Stop! runDisney Health and Fitness Expo ~ and more Jeff Galloway Tips

Posted on March 20, 2015May 1, 2016 by twomomsadmin

I have so much to share from my 2015 Princess Marathon Weekend. It was more than four princesses running three races. It became a time of enlightenment, new beginnings, many firsts, and new friendships.

In the upcoming articles I will talk about my journey as well as the journey of my fellow princess teammates. Our love and joy for not only runDisney, tiaras, and tutus but for new seasons in life, new achievements and new goals we made after this amazing and successful trip.

The anticipated runDisney weekend quickly became captioned, “Our Race-cation” and would be the primary focus for the coming months ahead. I was clueless to what awaited me, the phrase “Girl Power” comes to mind but does not quite encompass the sentiment wholly.

Fast forward from July 2014 registration to February 2015 – I left for this anticipated weekend at 5am on a frigid New York morning with excitement, a little nervousness, and a luminous spirit.

Packed in one suitcase were the usual essentials for a Disney vacation, but in my carry on were things I have never brought to Disney or anywhere for that matter. A huge red tutu, a hairband embellished with little birds, Jaq – Cinderella’s mouse friend, and a pair of running sneakers that have become a significant part of my life.

Nicole and two of her friends that I had never met were meeting me at the Orlando airport. As I walked off the plane and made my way to baggage claim, I felt as if I should pinch myself. I was really here, in my beloved Florida, going to my Happy Place – Walt Disney World, meeting my dearest friend for a runDisney event. Life has certainly changed since last July when I stepped out of my door for my very first run – a new season of life for me.

With luggage in hand I headed for the passenger pick-up area. The doors opened and I stepped out into the lovely warm Florida sunshine – WAIT! Where was the warm Florida sunshine? Nicole warned me about it being chilly, but come on, I’m a New Yorker! I know what cold is, I have been living in it for the last five months. Sadly she was right, it was chilly and my jacket remained on for much of the race-cation. Little did I realize I would have a frozen tutu the next morning.

My teammates arrived and there was no guessing where this vehicle was heading! It was decorated with phrases that I had become accustomed to reading on social media for months. The girls jumped out and greeted me with hugs (I tear up now as I remember our initial greeting). Nicole introduced me to her best friend Julia and Julia’s sister Christy and from that moment on any lingering nerves I had …. disappeared. Off to the Expo!

I could not wait to get to the Expo! I remember seeing Nicole’s photos from her first Expo experience and I was pumped! Here is where I would receive my 5K and 10K race bibs and see my new favorite vendors and run wear. We parked the car and jumped out to get prepared. This was our runDisney Princess Weekend so we must all dress accordingly. Nicole had made us matching T-shirts and surprised us with embroidered draw string bags. Last but not least, on went the tiaras.

This was actually my first visit to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and this may sound funny, but I was a bit starry eyed as we approached the WWOS globe. The red carpet was rolled out to “welcome all who have come to this happy place” and helped to make our tiaras sit just a bit taller atop our heads.

As we approached the Expo doors at the Jostens Center, I was tickled princess pink to be greeted by Cinderella’s very own footmen, might there be a pumpkin carriage just ahead?

WOW it was a runDisney dream! There was so much to take in for a newcomer like me; I was so glad to have Nicole leading the way. The energy was electric and I felt an immediate pull drawing me down those stairs and into the mix.

We made a beeline toward the back because Nicole and Julia were running the half marathon and were in search of particular items. We moseyed around the expo checking out what was new, what was cool, and what we thought we couldn’t live without. I even got a glimpse of Jeff Galloway! I was too shy to take a picture with him, but next time I won’t pass up that opportunity!

My purchases of the day were a green sparkle skirt from Sparkle Athletics, some really cute sneaker charms from BeeCause Charms, and a buddy pouch from Running Buddy.

It was time to get those running bibs! Packet pick up was held in the HP Field House, so we crossed over the walkway……. to finally become official. Each small step starting with registration day to actually running this race felt as if they were milestones, and picking up my runDisney race packet was no exception. We found our appropriate booth by alphabetic order of last name and signed away.

Along with our race bibs we were handed a clear drawstring bag that would hold the contents of a race shirt, 2 Luna Bars, a 2015 Princess ½ Marathon guide and any purchased merchandise along the way. This bag was for Gear Check at the race if any additional items were to be brought in.

After Nicole and Julia received their half marathon packets they were instructed to get their photos taken so there would not be an issue of mistaken/stolen identity with their half marathon bib# and it’s owner.

Hunger and fatigue was beginning to settle in from the early morning wake-up and all the days excitement. We all decided it was time to end our expo excursion, but not before capturing a few more photos!

I loved the expo! It was vibrant, not just in color but in energy. It was filled with ladies (and some gentlemen) of all ages, and all stages of their run journeys . As I passed fellow runDisney princesses, I wondered if this was their first or fifth Princess Marathon Weekend, how long they’ve been running and why they continued on their journey. Yes, journey – best described in a quote I recently read,

“So often we can get caught up in the rankings, times, personal bests, and competitions that we forget about the true joy and life changing experiences that our sport provides. Running is about a journey, a journey that engages an entire community and culture, yet inwardly transforms the mind, spirit, and body.” found on flotrack.org

It was time to move on and check into our resort …….. which one you ask? Port Orleans Riverside, the Princess Room of course! We were on our way to our next royal experience!

Do you have dreams of entering in a runDisney event but are afraid running will injure your body? Everyone can experience the awesome thrill of this sport with Jeff’s principles and methods. Read below and start your run journey today!

Most injuries experienced by my runners are due to:

1) pacing long runs too fast,

2) increasing the weekly mileage too quickly,

3)lengthening stride and

4) stretching.

The principle in staying injury free is to balance gentle stress with the right recovery periods-allowing for rebuilding. (for more information, see my book RUNNING INJURIES)

Finding the right Run Walk Run strategy from the beginning of a run has been the best way I’ve found to stay injury free, come back from an injury and in some cases, continue to run while the injury heals. (See my book RUN WALK RUN)

As long as you stay below the threshold of irritation you can often continue to run while the injury heals.

Are you concerned that running will damage joints, and other body parts ? I was told this regularly, from my first week of running over 50 years ago but the research shows the opposite result: Runners have healthier joints, etc. than non runners as the decades go by.
While researching for my book RUNNING UNTIL YOU’RE 100, I reviewed dozens of studies and could not find one showing that running harms legs, feet, joints, etc.It may surprise you to know that many studies show that runners have fewer orthopedic issues compared with non-runners as the years go by.
It may surprise you to know that many studies show that runners have fewer orthopedic issues compared with non-runners as the years go by.
A respected and large population study out of Stanford following thousands of runners over 50 who had run for more than 20 years concluded that runners had less than 25% of orthopedic issues compared with non runners of the same age.

Tips that can Help You Run the Glass Slipper Challenge!

Posted on February 25, 2015May 1, 2016 by twomomsadmin

I’m back! I can’t say I am happy to be back because I just had an amazing #runDisney weekend! I knew it would be a great weekend because I was spending it with my best friend and in Disney no less, but it exceeded my expectations. I made two new friends that I know I will be sharing many more races in the future with, I learned I can push limits I didn’t think I was ready to push and I fell in love with running all over again.

I ran with Nicole and two of her friends who use the Jeff Galloway run/walk method. This weekend I got to see this method in full effect because I too joined the girls in run/walking. I was very nervous to run these Disney races because I had not truly had the opportunity to run during these past winter months; I have been using other forms of exercise to keep my endurance strong. I ran the 5k with much ease and to my surprise the 10K was a breeze because I used Jeff’s run/ walk intervals. I felt I could go on for at least another 6 miles! It was at this time that I knew I had made a horrible decision in not registering for the half marathon; I would have to longingly watch Nicole and Julia from the sidelines. While I was more than happy to cheer on my fellow princesses, I would be in silent sadness to not run alongside them.

Here is some food for thought and a few training tips that I received from Jeff to pass along to you. I encourage you to look into these tips and apply them to your style of running. You can achieve amazing heights without stress or injury and enjoy your amazing run journey!

The training journey for a marathon or half marathon raises your body’s physical performance capability and your sense of what you can do in life.

Running helps to bring body, mind and spirit together in a unique and wonderful way

In researching my book MENTAL TRAINING I discovered that running turns on brain circuits for a better attitude more vitality and empowerment better than other activities studied.

In researching my book RUNNING UNTIL YOU’RE 100 I found numerous studies showing that runners have healthier orthopedic units than non runners even after decades of running.

Training:

When a runner takes walk breaks early and often enough for the individual the muscles are strong to the end. See RUN WALK RUN at www.jeffgalloway.com for recommendations by pace per mile.

The “exhaustion wall” can be avoided by running longer long runs up to or beyond race distance-using the appropriate run-walk-run strategy.

Marathoners tend to improve time by an average of more than 15 minutes when they increase their longest run from 20 miles to 26 miles.

To recover fast, run the long runs at least 2 min/mi slower than you could currently run in a marathon

The right run-walk-run strategy from the beginning of each run, gives any runner control over fatigue, injury-elimination, and recovery.

In numerous surveys, runners improved over 13 minutes when they shifted from running continuously to use of the right run-walk-run strategy.

You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks~ renewed inspiration from Jeff Galloway

Posted on February 7, 2015February 7, 2015 by twomomsadmin

If you have been following Two Moms and A Mouse, ‘WE HEART RUNDISNEY’ posts, you know that Nicole was bitten by the run bug last year and posted her first article on February 10^th, 2014 entitled, ‘My runDisney Journey’. Within this article she states, “I’m using the Jeff Galloway training program, and I’m in complete awe of what we can train our bodies to do. I’ve gone from barely being able to run a mile, to stretching my weekly long runs to 4.25 miles (12:12 mile pace, #tootsownhorn).” She goes on to list her run goals which include the 2015 Glass Slipper Challenge and she is indeed ready to rock it in just a short couple weeks!

I in return caught that “run bug” from Nicole and have literally run through a journey of determination and achievements in the past 6 months. My steady accomplishments were a revelation and left me wanting more. But for me more would mean running a longer distance and I did not know if I was up for that challenge. The thought of running a half marathon straight through was rather intimidating. It didn’t occur to me that I could use the Jeff Galloway run walk run method because I was dead set that the achievement was within the “running”. If I could full out run a 10K, why would I want to use walk breaks in between?

I am here to tell you that you certainly can “teach an old dog new tricks”. I don’t care much to refer to myself as an “old dog”, but in this case if the shoe fits – wear it! I am going to digress for a brief moment–

Recently Nicole sent me a message that Jeff Galloway was choosing a select number of people to participate in his new Jeff Galloway Blogger Program. Since I knew she was an avid fan I saw it fitting to apply as participants and I am excited and so proud to announce we were chosen to be a part of it! We received our first message with information that Jeff would like us to share with all of you, but if I am to participate in posting Jeff’s tips and information about his run walk run methods, I felt it necessary to read about his program and become more informed. In doing so I began to change my thought process.

Jeff talks about being “hard wired” from early on lessons embedded in our subconscious and how we can change these thought patterns. As I read on he listed the benefits of adapting to a run walk run method. To read the list in its entirety, see Principles Behind Run Walk Run.

After reading just this small portion of valuable information on his website, I am once again inspired and that “more” I was seeking is now in clear view once again.

If you have had a desire to join the ranks of runDisney or just want to get out there and experience the euphoric feeling of attaining a Run Goal that you never thought possible, Jeff Galloway’s methods and principles is your ticket onto that run train – HOP ABOARD!

So now I present to you~

Jeff Galloway Blogger Tips

Training and Motivation Tips

by Olympian Jeff Galloway
www.runinjuryfree.com

Olympian Jeff Galloway has coached over a million runners to their goals through his clinics, wonderful retreats, training programs, books and e-coaching. Sign up for his free newsletter at www.JeffGalloway.com

When paced correctly, running delivers the best attitude boost you can get. Sustain this by pacing yourself gently during the first mile or three.

A well-paced run enhances vitality for the rest of the day. Start each run at least 30 seconds a mile slower than you will run at the end.

If you have a Run Walk Run strategy that is right for you on that day, it’s possible to feel good after every run-even the marathon.

Running is the best stress reliever I’ve found. Research shows that running tends to activate the conscious brain which over-rides the emotional subconscious brain and manages the negative and anxiety hormones during and after the run.

Research shows that as runners get faster, their stride length shortens. A quicker cadence is the mechanical key to faster running.

The finishing of a run that is longer than you’ve run in the last 3 weeks can bestow a sense of achievement that is unique and empowering-due to positive brain circuits that are turned on.

You can’t run a long run too slowly or take too many walk breaks. You’ll get the same endurance based upon the distance covered.