A little running shenanigans

So I'm holding down the fort while Tom is out running.  The guys started running on Thursday night and have been going 24/7 since.  Right now I think that they are somewhere in Arizona (at least that's what the map says).  I haven't talked to Tom all that much... maybe 3-5 minutes each day. From what I know - they are doing well, keeping strong, very sleep deprived already, climbingclimbingclimbing, good control of their diabetes and just moving forward.  Great update huh? :)  They don't have much cell signal so our chats are very brief, mainly to see how he's holding up mentally through all of this because I worry...  He just has so much on his plate right now that he's dealing with - throwing 15 days of little Internet access, little sleep and running 14-28 miles every 24 hour period is going to do a number on him. :(  Keep sending him messages at www.teamtype1.org/run - he said that he is reading those and loves reading what people are writing. And if I get any more updates, I'll let you know.  Oh... one thing that was cool.  Last night he was interviewed on a live radio show by "Paul friggen Huddle and Bob Babbitt" (his words via text).  If you are a triathlete, you'll know how cool that was for him!

So what have I been doing while Tom's gone?  Working, shopping, sleeping, shopping, visiting with my friends and family, shopping, catching up on reality tv and working out. Priorities people...

I ran a half marathon on Saturday.  It was one of those "I'll wait to see how the weather is on Saturday morning before I sign up" kind of runs.  I woke up to sunny and low 30 temps (okay, that's a lie... it was still dark, but the forecast said sun).  I decided to make the trip (2 hours northwest) to this tiiiiiiiiiny little town called Elida for the Meals 'til Monday half marathon - great little organization that gives kids meals for the weekend who might otherwise not be able to eat between heading home on Friday after school and getting back to school on Monday.  Anyway, I paid my dues (I think the lady was a little surprised that I registered for the half on the day of the race) and just waited until the start.  It was announced that the start would be at the crosswalk to the school.  Awesome small races.

The half lined up and there were 45 of us.  That's it.  :)  I wasn't running for a goal time or anything... heck, I'm still wrapping up my bike accident wounds when I run because they are still painful (yeah, I know... it's been  9 weeks and I'm not healed) and I am slowly getting back into any sort of training.  I took off at a nice pace.  First mile was 8:16 - whoa nelly... that's a tad too fast.  But I quickly settled in.  Nothing but cornfields.  And headwinds.  In any event, it wasn't a very action packed race.  I was running third female for the first 8 miles, passed the second place woman and then was passed by the now third place woman.  I dug hard to keep that third place spot.  I ended up running behind a guy in cargo swim trunks and vibrams (yeah... no need to say anything).  The finish was literally a spot in the parking lot that you crossed and they said "you're done, great job".  hehehe - I went inside where they were serving hamburgers and hot dogs (the race started at 10am so it wasn't one of those weird finish line food option / time of day things (you know...for instance when you finish a race at 9:30am and they are serving beer and you have to question if that's alright). I waited around for awards and ended up snagging 1st in my AG and 3rd Overall Woman.  Gotta love small races.

So here are the stats:
Finish Time - 1:54:31
3 of 23 women
1 of 6 in 30-39 age group
12 of 45 overall

It definitely wasn't about what place I came in.  It was about getting a run in, supporting a good cause, and knowing that if it hurt a little, that was okay - at least I wasn't running across the country like my crazy husband! :)

So now I'm counting down the days until I get to participate in some shenanigans with Mandy, Kristin, Matty-O, and Heather, cheering on all the people at IMFL.  Oh.. it's gonna be a good time! Are you going to be in PCB?  Let me know...

Run Across America

I've talked a few times about Run Across America and that Tom, along with 9 other Type 1 diabetics from Team Type 1 Sanofi will run from California to New York in 16 days.  The run starts Thursday.  Holy smokes.

I've added a banner to my sidebar.  Once the race starts, you'll be able to track where the guys are.  I'll be updating things along the way as much as possible too.  Please keep these guys (and their families) in your thoughts as they embark on this amazing journey!!!

Marcus Grimm, one of the TT1-Sanofi members wrote a great kick off story about the adventure.  Enjoy...

A Recipe for Success - Marcus Grimm

Assuming you wanted to send a bunch of diabetic runners across the United States in sixteen days, here’s what could be called an approximate recipe for success. “Approximate” because the journey doesn’t actually begin until Friday, October 28th. Whether or not the results will be as stellar as those anticipated by the management, sponsors and supporters of Team Type 1 remains to be seen, but most great accomplishments start with a plan, so let’s begin there.

The first move is to start with a field of some of the top diabetic runners in the country. Truth be told, this is the “gimme” in our recipe, something the team has had for some time now. Many of the squad descended on rural New Jersey in March for an “Ultra-Fest,” which consisted of five races ranging from marathon distance to one hundred miles. By the time the runners left, Team Type 1 had representatives finishing no lower than 7th in any of the races, including a victory in the in the 100k (62.5 miles) and a second place finish in the marathon.

But because 3,000 miles is very far and because 16 days is very long, the runners have been chosen as much for what makes them different as for what makes them similar. In order to maintain steady pace, there are a few speedsters on the crew; guys like New York’s Matt Patrick, who hasn’t run a marathon slower than three hours in more than ten years. Patrick, Casey Boren, Kevin Powell, and Kona Ironman participant Ben Semeyn are certainly here because of their ability to pound out miles quickly.

But there’s more to the recipe than speed. There’s endurance, too. That’s why ultra-specialists like Jon Obst and Ryan Jones are on the team. Jones, from Morrisville PA, won a twelve-hour race on a very hot and humid Labor Day a little more than a year ago, covering seventy sweat-soaked miles along the way. Meanwhile Obst is looking forward to his birthday in January, at which time he’ll run one hour for each year of his life, just as he did last year (when he turned 28) and for the two years prior to that.

Experience is critical, of course, because no man on this team has ever run across the country before, but team manager Tom Kingery has raced across the country two times on his bicycle with Team Type 1, setting a world record in the process. Kingery was indispensable in this entire process, and if he’s only one cog in the wheel once the run starts, he was pretty much the whole engine in getting the run to this point.

You might look at a guy like Eric Tozer and feel that with just two marathons under his belt he’s a little green for this journey. But know this: his marathon a few weeks ago in Chicago was around three and a half hours, a full one hour faster than the one he ran in March. Plus, he’s young – barely 27 - and when you’re running 18 miles per day, young muscles recover faster.

Of course, we won’t mention young muscles to Tom Grossman and Brian Foster, both of whom have had diabetes about as long as Eric Tozer has been alive. These men will serve as the diabetic sages for the squad, simply because there probably isn’t a technique they haven’t tried in their own relentless pursuits to control a disease that for the most part, has little interest in being controlled.

Many cross country runs strive to have a doctor on the support crew, but with space at a premium, Team Type 1 upped the ante by including a diabetic runner who also happens to be a doctor. Dr. Chris Zenker’s duties, one could expect, might involve a bit more than delivering the requisite miles.

But the runners are just the beginning. The next move is to divide the roster into two units. Certainly, running ability is part of the recipe, but so is personality, as each of the groups will spend more than two weeks together, of which their time will be spent mostly running, or trying to be comfortable in the van.

With the squads divided up, the next move is to divide the country into more than 60 more or less equal chunks. Team A eats up miles for about 8 hours, and then Team B does the same. Rinse and repeat until California eventually gives way to New York. An RV also follows along, providing the runners with the comforts that can’t be found in the van.

With the runners and logistics taken care of, there’s still the matter of financing this dream, and for that Team Type 1 has their sponsors to thank. Drug company SANOFI is the team’s title sponsor and don’t think for a moment this run would happen without them, but they’re not the only ones. From the Newton shoes on the runners’ feet to the hundreds of Clif Bars they’ll consume and the sleek sunglasses courtesy of VSP VisionCare, if it takes a village to raise a child, it takes more than a few companies to get a team of diabetic runners across the country.

If there’s a secret ingredient in our recipe, it’s the spouses and loved ones of the athletes waiting at home. While a supportive wife might be a prerequisite, it wouldn’t hurt if you were lucky enough to be married to someone who qualifies for wings and a halo. From Jennifer Semeyn and Tricia Foster, looking after Ben and Brian’s young babies at home to Colleen Kingery, who’ll be watching over the family business while Tom is out, the sacrifices endured during these two weeks stretches far further than the soles and shins of the athletes.

Ironically, what our recipe doesn’t need is a nurse or an endocrinologist to monitor the blood sugars and insulin requirements of the runners. These athletes learned long ago that they each hold the greatest responsibility in controlling their diabetes. They’ll be their own guardians, even as they’re watching out for each other, counting carbohydrates, doing blood sugar tests and adjusting insulin intake as their bodies adjust to the pounding of each mile.

There is a joke among diabetics that used blood sugar testing strips – barely one inch long and only a quarter of that wide – have a habit of clinging to clothing and falling in the strangest of places. Expect that by the time the vans reach the East Coast, the floorboards of both vans will be littered with these strips, much like confetti, celebrating an incredible journey that has been years in the making.

About the Run Across America and Team Type 1:

Team Type 1 is made up of 100 of some of the finest professional and diabetic athletes in the world. Their mission is to promote wellness and achievement among diabetics worldwide. The Run Across America, a journey of more 3,000 miles, culminates on November 14, World Diabetes Day, in New York City.

"Georgia On My Mind"

So, what do the following things have in common???

• 71 streets with the name "Peachtree" in it
• The largest 10k race in the world
• Headquarters to The Coca-Cola Company, The Home Depot, and Delta Air Lines  
• Birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr.
• Home of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games
• Home of the Braves, Falcons and Hawks

If you guessed Atlanta, you are right.  And if you guessed that we are moving there, bonus points to you!!!

So that's why I've been a little M.I.A lately in bloggy land (okay, one of the reasons).  Our house is for sale and as soon as it sells, we're relocated.  I'm so freaking excited!!!!

Tom got offered a new job with his team, a job that fits him perfect, but one stipulation was that they needed him to be at the team headquarters.  So, Atlanta it is.

I've always wanted to live in the south but never really had a reason (or the guts) to move.  I mean, my my family is here, my friends are here, I love my house, my business is settled here, it's flat, etc.  So to up and relocate with no real reason other than it's gotta be better weather than Ohio from November to May couldn't really be justified. 

Now we have a good reason... a very good reason!

I'm excited, albeit a bit overwhelmed with everything.  We spent Friday and Saturday of this past weekend in Atlanta, just driving around, looking at different areas, houses for sale, commute times for Tom, etc.  It definitely helped with my comfort in the fact that I'm moving.

Now we just need good vibes that we sell this house in Delaware before the winter hits!!!  We have two showings tomorrow so keep your fingers crossed!!!

Oh... and Run Across America starts on Thursday - I'll get more information about that this week.  My hubby is leaving for 20 days to run across the USA.  And I wonder why I keep having little freak outs. :)

Fall bike rides in Ohio

Fall is one of my favorite seasons in Ohio, but it doesn't last long.  When we do get a gorgeous day, we take advantage by doing what we call a "leaf ride".  Enjoy... 

Ah, speed, I've missed you...

It's been a while since I've been able to push the pace a little on a run.  I'm still wrapping my back up and my thigh when I run and quite honestly, after running half of Chicago two weeks ago, I really felt like my fitness was down.   I know my speed definitely is, as I ran half of Chicago in 2:03. Ugh, talk about feeling like I was behind the 8 ball.

But I've been running a lot (well a lot, considering that my September was my lowest training month all year) and I'm feeling good.  And I'm seeing some speed come back.

Momma likes her some speed.

I'm not fast... I mean, I will probably never be fast. It's all relative though. But low 8:00's total felt comfortable today.  Mid 8:00's have been fairly normal.  Let's just see how far those paces can carry me.  I'm thinking of signing up for a half marathon in two weeks.  And I still have a sub 4:00 marathon on my radar. Probably won't be Disney (since I'm running the half the day before), but... I think it's coming.  I'm due! :)

Speaking of marathons... did you see that an 80 year old ran a marathon yesterday in 3:15 and that a 100 year old finished a marathon in 8 hours. 

That is awesome.

Hold up

What?  You can't believe your eyes?  Colleen's blogging?  Did hell freeze over?  Are pigs flying?

Yikes, it's been a while.  I must say, I've taken a little social media break.  No blogging, no blog reading, very little twitter and facebook.  I just don't have the time right now and quite honestly, it stresses me out a little thinking that I'm "behind" on social media.  I'm going to admit something and I hope it doesn't offend any of you...

I marked all blogs in my google reader as "read".

I'm sorry.  It was well past 450 unread blogs and it literally was stressing me out.  I love all of you and enjoy reading your blogs, but time just hasn't allowed me and I felt like I was sinking into a black hole. 

What did people do before blogs?

So I'm starting fresh.  I'm hoping I didn't miss anything too terribly much.  If I did, I'm so sorry.  I just had to prioritize a little and unfortunately that meant putting you, my favorite bloggers, on the back burner for a bit.  But it doesn't mean I don't love you!  I do... I promise!

So what's been new with me?

Fundraiser went AWESOME.  I think we raised about $63,000 this year for Women's Health at the local hospital.  I'm really proud of the event and where it's come in the last three years.  It's such a great cause and I feel so honored to have been a part of it for the last three years.  We've gotten people talking about it... anticipating the next year and that's very rewarding!  Everything came together exactly how we hoped!

This past weekend I was in Chicago with my second favorite team (Trakkers has my heart, don't worry!!!).  The Team Type 1 running team was doing the Chicago Marathon.  Although this was my "A" race of the season and I was hoping to go sub-4:00, that was put on hold for a later date.  I did manage to run half of it (I had a bib, so I started the race and then just walked off the course at mile 13.1).  That's a hard thing to do (both physically because at the half marker they have a fence on both sides of the course for a while so I couldn't get off the course and mentally because everyone else is still running and I'm adding a big fat DNF to my record willingly).  But it was either that or run alone along the lake that morning.  Much more fun to be in the environment and holy smokes was the environment crazy awesome.  I'm slowly getting back to running and feeling good.  My speed and endurance isn't there (although it never was really there, but humor me), but I'm working on it!!  In any event, I loved loved loved every minute with the TT1 guys.  They are such an amazing group of athletes, so inspiring people to be around, and freaking hysterical.  We laughed... a lot... and let me tell you... they kicked some serious butt at the race.  There were a few struggles along the way, but they stuck together as a team.  I love these guys and can't wait to see many of them in just a few weeks at the end of Run Across America in NYC.  Here they all are outside Maggiano's - the perfect prerace meal!

So I can't make any promises that I will be blogging more, and more involved in social media in the coming days.  Things are NUTSO in the Kingery house... more to come on that really soon. 

But I'll try my hardest.

I love you all still. And I just wanted you to know that I haven't forgotten about all of you.