Today, my daughter Carrie and I participated in a 5k.
Over 1500 runners showed up for the Thanksgiving morning North Reading Turkey Trot. It was chilly outside, but I was bundled up well. I am not a fan of cold weather running.
At 7:45am runners headed to the start line. A bunch of high schoolers runners lined up in the front, followed by more runners and families.
At 8:00 am…and we were off. Carrie can beat me pretty easily, so it did not surprise me when she flew by me at the start.
Many people were racing hard, I was “trotting” along. I enjoyed the three-mile journey around the town of North Reading. I wanted this race to be more of a fun run, rather than a competitive race.
I enjoyed having my daughter there, it made the race more fun. It was nice bonding time.
As I mentioned in a previous blog, I am training for the Dopey Challenge. It is a Run Disney event that takes place during marathon weekend at Walt Disney World in January It consists of 4 days of races, starting with a 5k on Thursday, 10k on Friday, a half marathon on Saturday and ending with a full marathon on Sunday for a total of 48.6 miles.
My weeks have been altering from higher and lower mileage.
This week prior to Thanksgiving, I completed my first Dopey Simulation, running 4 consecutive days with mileage of 3, 4, 10, and finally 20 miles. I am happy to report, my body is adjusting well to the rigorous training.
Monday 3 miles + Barbell Class
Tuesday 4 miles
Wednesday miles 10 miles
Thursday 20 miles …body wasn’t ready to play but the mind said DO IT! Marathon training is a Mental Game!
I also been cross training. Barbell Strength+ Surrender Yoga
One more week, until Thanksgiving. WOW. Since, I am hosting Thanksgiving, I have begun preparing make-ahead meals and freezing them. I love cooking.
I also been watching Football. Enjoy watching my home team PATRIOTS.
Staying Cozy 4 dogs…during down time
I am looking forward to a less running week this Thanksgiving.
WEDNESDAY… 20 miles. Yes! It was a good 20 miles! This run was done both outdoors and inside on a treadmill. I finished just over 5 hours.
The first 9 miles, I ran around my neighborhood enjoying the fall crisp air.
For the rest of the run, I decided to run indoors on the treadmill, while binge watching the Gutfeld Comedy Show. Laughing, during the show seemed to make my long run zoom by.
It looks like my body is happy with the balance of running, rest and cross-training. The Jeff Galloway Training Program is working for me. I am not dreading the long runs, but rather enjoying alone time. The walk breaks are making these long runs very manageable. I feel like I am not dying, or overly huffing or puffing. My training plan can be found at www.rundisney.com search Dopey Training.
THURSDAY Rest
FRIDAY… Barbell Class
SATURDAY 1 mile walk
SUNDAY 3 miles Blah… just tired…Probably from allergies, weather, so on…
It’s been rainy, windy and cold here… I have been focusing more on cross training this week…especially Barbell Strength.
Also, to change things up in my training, I also took an AMP Cycle class at my gym. ( SPIN) AMP cycle is a high-energy cycle workout that’s fueled by the beat of the latest music.
The Cross-training has been a nice breather from running. Next week, I have some big milage runs on the schedule.
Besides exercise….
Last week, I did something really different and special. I volunteered as a research participant for the Framingham Heart Study.
The Framingham Heart Study is a long-term, ongoing cardiovascular cohort study and is now on its third generation of participants.
I have been a participant, since childhood and last week I was involved in a study of how blood flow affects the brain’s cognitive and neurological function.
The study is looking for clues about the causes of brain disorders, such as strokes, cognitive decline and dementia.
I was given a cognitive test, and I had an MRI done on my brain. I actually enjoyed being a participant. I had fun taking the cognitive test as I tried to solve all the puzzles.
The only thing I hated about the test is when the examiner asked me “Could you draw us a clock, house and person?” I have no artistic talent and I always hated all types of art classes since I was a child. I lack hand dexterity. I rather run a mile, than pick up a paintbrush. Hopefully, I did not break into too much of a cold sweat when asked to draw pictures in front of the examiner.
Overall, being part of the Framingham Heart study has been amazing. I had my heart looked at through an echocardiogram, an electrocardiogram, done a cardiac stress test and my vitals are always recorded for future knowledge.
Middle Age Slow Runner Robin's Running Stories 