Wow - this has been quite a journey so far. Let's go back a bit...
So, approximately 5-6 weeks ago, I met my good girlfriends at Charles Hooker's house in order to start this running journey extravaganza. I was nervous, worried, and positive that I would not be able to run - at all. Having never really played sports (only in the shadow of my much more sportily-gifted sister), I thought running would render me an utter failure in the world of being physically active - as usual.
Well, there is a magic that happens when good people get together and are supported by a patient, caring coach. Sports-shmorts - I am running!
The past few weeks of Sunday runs have produced a much happier, less-stressed me. I look forward to our runs together as a team, and I think of my individual jaunts almost as therapy - I know I'm going to struggle a little bit, but afterwards I feel so good - so ready to tackle the rest of my day, that the small-time struggle just falls away; it doesn't matter.
When Jennie threw out the idea of signing up for the Turkey Trot, I thought - YES! Let's DO IT! A few days later, KG and I mapped out the course, and I have to say, this helped me a bunch. Knowing where I was going / what to expect made me relax during the actual run. Note to self - repeat this for any other upcoming races! :)
Race Day, as I've come to expect, contained supportive, caring friends and (surprisingly!) family (calls from / to my family in Colorado and a shocking message afterwards that my cousin finished about 2 minutes behind me...what??) which made the experience a soon-to-be tradition for me. Because I was surrounded by racers ALL THE TIME during the race, my competitive side started to emerge bit by bit. I wanted to keep going; I knew I could do it; I felt the pride that is connected to completing a goal. Heading toward the finish line, I saw my husband Dan - taking pictures and yelling "Woo Hoo...GO, Amy!" His words of encouragement helped me to jog across the finish line, and man, as I did, that the rush of adrenaline definitely kicked in. I immediately joined Melissa and friends to cheer on the rest of the team.
The team - KG, Carolina and Jennie - we were a team that day.
So now, I'm loving my runs through New Cumberland, and I look forward to our Sunday runs as a member of The Gamut Girl Squad. I'll admit - I'm still a little nervous about running a 10K...this seems like a LONG WAY, and it is - but my team and I will make it.
Until next time...
Monday, November 26, 2012
Turkey Trot 5K - Our First Race!!
As we train for the 10 mile Run for the Arts in April, Coach Charles thought we should schedule a couple of "milestone" races between now and then. So, Amy, Karen, Carolina, and I ran the 5K Turkey Trot in New Cumberland on Thanksgiving morning along with 2,000+ other crazy people.
Look! We're runners:
We missed Coach Charles who was spending Thanksgiving with some Germans, but Melissa was there to warm our muscles and our hearts. We did great! I had two personal goals:
1. Finish it in under an hour, and
2. Don't be last.
I'm happy to say I made both of those personal goals.
WE DID IT!! And we were awesome! So, now I offer you, in true Letterman-style, the Top Ten Reasons to Run the Turkey Trot in New Cumberland on Thanksgiving Morning:
10. Why the heck not?
9. Grown men wear turkey hats.
8. The start of the race is.... something. Jogging in a sea of 2,000 people is a special kind of awkward you really need to experience. I would have loved to have seen that from above.
7. You're doing nothing else Thanksgiving morning. Unless you're the cook. Then you're doing a lot Thanksgiving morning.
6. You can justify eating thirds of everything at dinner.
5. When I said, "I would have loved to have seen that from above," I meant from a helicopter or something. Not from Heaven.
4. Someone is stationed every half mile or so to cheer you on. (And to make sure you don't veer off the trail and end up in Ohio.)
3. You get cool gifts, some of which are kinda shady and bring you pause.
2. Did I mention feeling like you can eat whatever you want?
1. YOU GET A COOL NUMBER TO PIN ON YOUR SHIRT AND THEN YOU WEAR IT ALL DAY LIKE A DORK!
Here are our times!
Friday, November 9, 2012
Jennie here!
Greetings to all Gamut fans and lovers of the arts! Jennie here. I'm active in the local improv comedy scene--you may have seen me in a T.M.I. show or my all-female charitable troupe No Artificial Sweeteners. I used to work for Gamut back in the day... you know, WAY back in 2005. It was a simpler time then. We walked to work barefoot down a dirt road, Clark would play the fiddle after supper, and I used the reliable and efficient Pony Express to send you all your Gamut membership cards. Two thousand and five. I remember it like it was yesterday.
"THEN what happened, Jennie?"
Well, I got married (to Gamut resident playwright Sean Adams!) and had two beautiful daughters. I got a desk job. I also got seriously out. of. shape.
I've never been a runner or even a good athlete. But, I knew I needed to find some kind of exercise that was 1. inexpensive, 2. efficient, and 3. something I could stick with. I tried a running program one time before. I learned about the Couch to 5K running program through... I don't know... somewhere. But I couldn't stick with it, so I quit after three weeks. I think my problems with it were numerous. One, running by yourself is boring. Two, I had nobody to answer to. Three, it progresses through a series of milestones that increase in difficulty each week, which are wonderful when you accomplish them but can be discouraging if you're having an icky week. You feel like you might need to repeat a week which makes your heart feel sad. A sad heart cannot sustain a runner.
But then! Then came INSPIRATION! The Gamut Girl Squad! I was SO impressed by the accomplishments of my dearest friends last year. So, when we got the e-mail from Coach C asking us if we were interested in joining this year, I LEAPED at the chance.
No. No, I didn't.
I actually thought about it for, like, a week. I wasn't sure if I was really ready for the commitment. My life is busy. Sean works when I don't, and we have two kids. When, I ask. When in the world am I going to do this? But, I have a pretty awesome husband who was super encouraging. We will make the time, which is the most difficult part of this. But so far, because I've wanted it badly enough, I've made the time. Well, I've found the time anyway. Even if that time is ten minutes. Even if I've had to take my girls running with me. Even if I've had to drag my lazy self out of bed at 6am because it's the only time I could find all week, then that is what I have to do.
I want to get in shape. I want to be healthy. I want to support Gamut and the arts. I want an excuse to spend an hour a week with some of my favorite women in the whole world. For these reasons, I am here. Thanks for reading and following us!
"THEN what happened, Jennie?"
Well, I got married (to Gamut resident playwright Sean Adams!) and had two beautiful daughters. I got a desk job. I also got seriously out. of. shape.
I've never been a runner or even a good athlete. But, I knew I needed to find some kind of exercise that was 1. inexpensive, 2. efficient, and 3. something I could stick with. I tried a running program one time before. I learned about the Couch to 5K running program through... I don't know... somewhere. But I couldn't stick with it, so I quit after three weeks. I think my problems with it were numerous. One, running by yourself is boring. Two, I had nobody to answer to. Three, it progresses through a series of milestones that increase in difficulty each week, which are wonderful when you accomplish them but can be discouraging if you're having an icky week. You feel like you might need to repeat a week which makes your heart feel sad. A sad heart cannot sustain a runner.
But then! Then came INSPIRATION! The Gamut Girl Squad! I was SO impressed by the accomplishments of my dearest friends last year. So, when we got the e-mail from Coach C asking us if we were interested in joining this year, I LEAPED at the chance.
No. No, I didn't.
I actually thought about it for, like, a week. I wasn't sure if I was really ready for the commitment. My life is busy. Sean works when I don't, and we have two kids. When, I ask. When in the world am I going to do this? But, I have a pretty awesome husband who was super encouraging. We will make the time, which is the most difficult part of this. But so far, because I've wanted it badly enough, I've made the time. Well, I've found the time anyway. Even if that time is ten minutes. Even if I've had to take my girls running with me. Even if I've had to drag my lazy self out of bed at 6am because it's the only time I could find all week, then that is what I have to do.
I want to get in shape. I want to be healthy. I want to support Gamut and the arts. I want an excuse to spend an hour a week with some of my favorite women in the whole world. For these reasons, I am here. Thanks for reading and following us!
Welcome the New Squad
Hi all. "Coach C" here.
So....with a cliff hanger, we ended the last installment of the Gamut Girls Run Squad Blog-o-report-o-gram.
Briefly, everyone did fantastically in the race and the group raised the second highest overall amount in donations in the event! Donations that went directly to support your Harrisburg Shakespeare company!
I'm proud of everyone in the squad for both those accomplishments.
A few weeks afterwards, we debriefed at a diner just outside Halifax Pennsylvania. Image the scene! Besides the many memories relived and stories retold, we knew looking forward that we wanted to have a Gamut team out for the 2013 Run for the Arts.
Good people, faithful readers: that team is here. That team is now.
And you may already know some of these brave souls!
Once again (after some wrangling with recruitment efforts) the team is all ladies. (Except for this guy - but you won't be hearing so much from me.)
In the next few posts, they're going to introduce themselves to you, let you know what the hey they're doing here. (And some of the Alumni might even let you in on their trials and tribulations from last year's race and...well, most of 2012.)
I'm excited for you to meet them and so looking forward to the next few months of training toward April.
best,
c
So....with a cliff hanger, we ended the last installment of the Gamut Girls Run Squad Blog-o-report-o-gram.
Briefly, everyone did fantastically in the race and the group raised the second highest overall amount in donations in the event! Donations that went directly to support your Harrisburg Shakespeare company!
I'm proud of everyone in the squad for both those accomplishments.
A few weeks afterwards, we debriefed at a diner just outside Halifax Pennsylvania. Image the scene! Besides the many memories relived and stories retold, we knew looking forward that we wanted to have a Gamut team out for the 2013 Run for the Arts.
Good people, faithful readers: that team is here. That team is now.
And you may already know some of these brave souls!
Once again (after some wrangling with recruitment efforts) the team is all ladies. (Except for this guy - but you won't be hearing so much from me.)
In the next few posts, they're going to introduce themselves to you, let you know what the hey they're doing here. (And some of the Alumni might even let you in on their trials and tribulations from last year's race and...well, most of 2012.)
I'm excited for you to meet them and so looking forward to the next few months of training toward April.
best,
c
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)