My TNT Goofy Challenge 2012 - Orlando, Florida 2012 Jan 6, 7, 8

Back in July of 2011 this crazy email came into my mailbox from Team In Training Canada that only TNT Alumni were now allowed to do the Goofy Challenge through TNT - the first time ever!  I had ALWAYS wanted to do this and I needed a new goal that was challenging! 

Off went my registration forms to Cheryl Pollock with TNT Canada Flex.  Nope, I never even told Kevin.  Fundraising doesn't scare me.  I needed a challenge since I had just finished one of the biggest challenges of taking my Muscle Activation Techniques courses to become a MAT Specialist.  I always rise to the occasion of a good challenge! 

My main goal for 2011 was to get faster with my 10K and Half Marathon times so I never had my Goofy Challenge training on my radar.  I remained focused for my goal race in Los Angeles in October, 2011.  I trained hard and hired an online personal run coach, Tania Jones of Goalspeed Coaching.  Tania is located in Ontario and I found out about Tania from another TNT friend, Brock Skywalker.  Acquiring Tania's coaching skills was exactly what I needed!  I needed to become accountable to a coach.  Yes I could have done my own program and planned my own workouts but not having that higher accountability seems to make it much easier to make excuses not to do the workout that I have planned. 

My training with Tania was perfect!  She tested and challenged my mental and physical ability with running.  Weekly, on Wednesday evenings, we would meet to do our group training for LA Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon but Tania stressed that I must start running for myself if I had a goal for myself.  I, on the other hand, often sacrifice my own goal just so I can help someone else achieve their own goal.  I guess that is the Run Coach within me.  I was faithful to my journaling and keeping constant contact with Tania.  The goal was to train 5x per week - 1 run was intense with intervals and 1run was the distance training for the Half Marathon.  The other 3x per week were anything between 6km to 12km.  Most weeks, I managed to get 4x per weeks and seldom was I able to achieve the 5x per week training as planned.  I wasn't too disappointed in myself as I was also teaching fitness and cycling classes 4 to 6x per week.  I knew I wasn't sitting on my butt and not training.  No matter what, I knew if I had a time goal I would have to put in the hard work to achieve it.



Rock'n'Roll Los Angeles 2011 - Half Marathon PB

Needless to say, I did several 10K events within Calgary and I started to run consistently faster than I had ever run before for a 10K.  Wow...I never ever thought that would happen, but it did.  I actually saw results from my training and that felt good.  Then our event of the LA Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon in October I finally got the monkey off my back and ran faster than I have ran since 2006.  I ran faster and I a 5 years older.  I was very happy with my results of the hard work. 

After taking a couple of weeks off to recover from the race, it was then time to get back on the training plan, but this time, it was specifically for the Goofy Challenge!  For those of you who don't know, the Goofy Challenge if a Half Marathon on Saturday (21.1km) and then a Full Marathon on Sunday (42.2km).  Then we decided to do a little 5km race on Friday just so we could get more "bling" from the weekend.  My training for the Goofy officially started November 14, 2011.  I do not recommend that new runners do this but I had a SOLID half marathon base where weekly I was running a minimum of 21km to 25k on a Saturday followed by a minimum of 10km to 15km on Sunday.

My training schedule sort of looked like this:

Day 1	Day 2 Workout	Day 3	Day 4 Saturday	Day 5 Sunday
8K Easy	Intervals ~ Approx 10K	10K Easy	Nov 19 2 Hrs	Nov 20 2 Hrs 30 Mins
10K Easy	Intervals ~ Approx 10K	12K Easy	Nov 26 2 Hrs	Nov 27 3 Hrs
8K Easy	Intervals ~ Approx 10K	10K Easy	Dec 3 REST	Dec 4 21.1K @ 3 Hrs Vegas Rock'n'Roll
10K Easy	Intervals ~ Approx 10K	12K Easy	Dec 10 2 Hrs 30 Mins	Dec 11 3 Hrs 30 Mins
8K Easy	Intervals ~ Approx 10K	12K Easy	Dec 17 3 Hrs	Dec 18 4 Hrs
10K Easy	Intervals ~ Approx 10K	10K Easy	Dec 24 2 Hrs	Dec 25 2 Hrs
8K Easy	Intervals ~ Approx 10K	12K Easy	Dec 31 10K	Jan 1 10K
10K Easy	10K Easy	Jan 6 Race Day Three Amigos 5K	Jan 7 Donald Duck Half Marathon 21.1K	Jan 8 Mickey Mouse Full Marathon 42.2K

Remember, this plan worked for me but may not work for you!

Before I knew it, the time was here to execute my plan!  What was my plan.....gosh, I really didn't know!  I had never done something like this before.  So what was my plan....my goal or game plan for the Goofy Challenge was to be realistic and enjoy the moment!   My TNT Goofy Challenge was amazing thanks to our dear friend, Michele Pedersen!

Goals for each race:

~  Three Amigos 5K - Friday, January 6, 2012 - No Goal :) - Have fun!  Take pictures!  Dance!  Smile!

   ~ Mission Accomplished!!!  We had a blast!

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~ Donald Duck 21.1K Half Marathon - Saturday, January 7, 2012 - Goal 3:00 :) - Have fun!  Take pictures!  Dance!  Smile!  Enjoy the weather!  Find Cinderella and pirates!

~ Mission Accomplished!!!  It was so much fun!

__________________

~ Mickey Mouse 42.2K Full Marathon - Sunday, January 8, 2012 - Goal NONE!!!  Keep moving!  Beat the crowd to the Magic Kingdom so I could use the flush toilets!  Smile!  Enjoy the moment!  Find Cinderella!  Smile some more!  One foot in front of the other!

~ Mission Accomplished!!!  I had an amazing experience and my time was way better than I expected!  PLUS....I not only got to see Cinderella but also got to hold onto Prince Charming!

____________________________

The hardest thing to do in preparation for this amazing event was not to be tempted to stay on your feet for long days.  The temptation was there!  To keep ourselves active plus rested, we did buy a park hopper pass so we could spend small amounts of time at each park.  Prior to getting to each park, we would make a decision on our "priority" of the visit to each park.  Hollywood - It was to ride the Tower of Terror; Animal Kingdom - It was to find the donkey and piglets (but were unsuccessful); Magic Kingdom - To go inside Cinderella's Castle and find as many characters as possible; Epcot - Well, that was the celebration after all the running - it was to have a celebration drink at each country :)

The challenges of doing this event were plenty.  Water was extremely expensive but it was a necessity; Good food on the Disney Parks were difficult to find.  It was there but in plentiful amounts.  We were looking at snacking quantities not meal sized.  There was a big time change shift to our disadvantage too.  Of course, we did not plan for these sort of things.  Thankfully, I did bring half a dozen coconut water for my electrolyte and a case of protein bars.  I always travelled with several of my own snacks handy.  As for the lack of sleep, we just coped and did our best!  On average we had 3 to 4 hours of sleep per night but it didn't seem to matter.  We still had energy and were just as happy as ever, after all, we were at the happiest place on earth and somehow we really were happy!

Finally, why do I think this event was so amazing for me...............

     1.  I had a positive attitude and didn't set ridiculous goals for myself.  No stress!

     2.  My travel companion (Michele Pedersen) was amazing and respected that my priority for the visit was to run these races. 

     3.  I snacked all the time and I tried to keep them small and as healthy as possible.

     4.  I drank as much water as possible plus one coconut water per day for electrolytes.

     5.  Recovery socks!  I slept in them each night.  It honestly was awesome.  Prior to the socks, I did ice my feet.

     6.  I ate a Power Crunch Protein Bar prior to my event and during my event.  I wasn't starving during this race.

     7.  I sucked on lifesaver Candies during the entire marathon.  My sugar levels didn't drop at all.

    8.  I went for a MAT treatment with Suzanne Gross in Orlando (Love her!!!  The best treatments EVER!!!)

    9.  I allowed myself to look around, smile, be in the moment - I LOVED IT!!!

To those of you considering the Goofy Challenge, I would highly recommend it!  I completely forgot to mention Team In Training!  WOW!!!  Team In Training did an amazing Inspiration Dinner.  It was a million times better than some I have attended in my years of experience with TNT.  I was extremely proud to be apart of such an amazing group of heroes and to have the honor of being a run coach for this organization.  It was the Inspirational Dinner that always recharges my batteries!  I end up loving life more than ever and appreciating each and everyone that are in my life!   Another thing I was thankful for was that our dear friend Michele was there to actually see and experience this event with me as I know TNT is amazing but sometimes I am not sure if our friends see it the same way as I do.  I know Michele love her experience in Orlando too!

So where do I go from here?  I'm not sure.....I do have new goals but with this amazing experience, I am unsure if anything can compare to this experience. 

I have, however, registered for the Disneyland Half Marathon in September, 2012 where I will qualify for another medal called "Coast To Coast Challenge".

2012 Goofy Challenge Completed!!!

I Did It!!!

My Finisher Photos Below:





 





Wow...what a "Rockin" year!

Blogging isn't one of the things that I put on my list of things "TO DO", but after reading several other blogs out there, it has inspired me to get back to business.
So why was my year "Rockin"? 

Several reasons:

San Diego Rock'n'Roll Event - June 5, 2011

Kevin participated in his FIRST Team In Training event as a participant.  We had just lost our bulldog of 12 years, Georgia Peach, and this seemed to be a good reason to love life again and have a purpose.  Kevin dedicated his event to our dear friends' Ross and Lynda Hunt's brother and nephew.  I am very proud of Kevin for the awesome job he did and for me, it was an wonderful reward to see Kevin experience my passion of Team In Training!

Los Angeles Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon Event - October 30, 2011

Here I'm rockin' it out at the finishline.  Kevin and I trained the Bikini Boot Camp Babes for this event.  We were small in numbers but BIG in spirit!  For this race, I, for once, had set a goal to beat my last personal best for a half marathon, which I set in Vancouver back in 2007.  I'm five years older BUT 4 minutes faster than I was then.  It felt awesome to "RACE" for myself which is something that I would normally never do.  I'm all about helping everyone else achieving their goals and my goals are secondary.  For this race, I hired a run coach, Tania Jones, and all my coaching was done online.  Yes - I feel I do know what I need to do and No - I felt I could not do it on my own.  I needed to be accountable to my run coach.  Tania was very patient with me.  I am very grateful for her guidance and advice.  I credit my increase in time to my dedication of improve myself.  Thank you Kevin for dragging my butt around the neighbourhood so I can get my speed and distance in for the week.  I was happy with the results!

Las Vegas Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon Event - December 4, 2011

The final Rock'n'Roll event for the year was in Las Vegas.  This trip was strictly for fun!  Yup....FUN!!!  We travelled with our long time friends and running buddies.  Normally races have an approximate 25% no show or drop rate but not this race!  All 44,000 people were there in some capacity!  I had the pleasure of running with Deb and Elena who had their race check list to accomplish.  You know you're in trouble at a race when your feet and legs are aching from dancing so hard before a race.  Yup, fun was the perfect pace!  Let's see, there was beverages, dancing, almost running through the wedding chapel, pawn shops, wedding chapels (The one where Kevin and I got married - The Chapel Of The Bells, which by the way, is connected to Tons Of Fun Motel.  That cracks me up!), gambling, photo opportunities with nice looking policemen and plain and simply having fun!  The race alone was crowded (Sally!  Sunshine!  Our code words to yell when we couldn't see each other) but we were never alone.  The gong show began once we crossed the finishline but that can't take away the awesome and fun experience I had with the girls.  Yup - mark this race off my bucket list.

As a result of running TWO Rock'n'Roll events, I will be receiving my ROCK ENCORE medal.  Kevin will be receiving his TRIPLE CROWN medal for completing THREE Rock'n'Roll events.  It's all about the *Bling*!

These events ~ AMAZING ~ Yes, even Las Vegas! 

This is it for my Rock'n'Roll Series for 2011.  I'm extremely happy with the outcome.  Was there more to life besides the Rock'n'Roll Series?  Hell ya! 

My next blog in January will take you on my RunDisney journey.  My taste of the Disney race events started  this September where we purchased, on a whim from Craig's List and ran under alias names.  It was fun and spontaneous!  My journey starts on Friday, January 6 when I run the Three Amigos 5K; then Saturday, January 7 I run the Donald Duck Half Marathon; and then finally completing my Goofy Challenge, I will run the Mickey Mouse Full Marathon on Sunday, January 8.  I'm nervous and excited ~ all rolled into one!  One thing that I do know for sure, I'm ready for the challenge - mentally, physically and emotionally!  Bring it on!

Well, that's all for my Rock'n'Roll Series for 2011.........I just wonder what will happen in 2012?

  

Skin Cancer Screening - Done for another year!

Did you know that some of your old moles that you have had from birth can be develop skin cancer? I didn't! I always thought it started with new moles.

Today I went for my annual skin cancer screening. Yes, head to toe; inside and out (yes, exactly what you think); between the fingers and toes. I did feel confident that I would get an all clear BUT I do not want to EVER take that chance where it "IS" Melanoma ever again.

So, when I was in San Diego in June of this year, I severely burned when out on the race from my shins to my ankles. The doctor's words were to me, "once you have been given the warning, you shouldn't ever get another sunburn again as they will develop again." Yikes! Really?

A very good reminder for me.....especially when we are enjoying tons of sunshine. One more month of summer and then off to Palm Springs for September. Shares in the sunscreen company perhaps?

So, another year completed. Next check up is already scheduled - April 12, 2012, prior to summer, when it is a good starting point to measure the growth of a mole.

Please be careful everyone!

I wanted puppy and things got a little goofy!

Okay....it's official.....

I'm totally frickin' nuts! I've just signed up to run a half AND full marathon in ONE weekend!!! Have I lost my mind???? Well it gets better!!!! Not only do I have to train for this event, I also decided to raise money for LLSC on top of training. Yup, I'm nuts, actually more like GOOFY! Kind of fitting, don't you think?

The puppy is on hold until the event is done! The Goofy has been on my bucket list.

Thank you for considering to support me in this worthy cause.

Gotta run........

Sheena – The Crazy Running Lady!
(403) 620.9663
Email: tntcoachsheena@gmail.com or sheena@healthmattersfitness.com

I am raising money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC) as a member of Team In Training participating in the WALT DISNEY WORLD Full, Half & Goofy Marathon Run (VTNT) and I'm asking you to help by making a contribution! Please forward this email to as many people as you can to encourage them to donate as well! You will be supporting LLSC’s mission: to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

You can help support me by making a secure online donation using your credit card. Click on the link below:

Click Here To View THE CRAZY RUNNING LADY'S Team In Training Donation Website!

You will receive an email confirmation, along with your tax receipt for your donation and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation. I thank you in advance for your support, and really appreciate your generosity!!

How Much Can A Brain Retain?

Today, as I study for my Muscle Activation Techniques exam, I started to wonder just how much room the brain actually had to retain all my thoughts and knowledge that I have recently learned.

I was thinking of my 89 year old mom, who on our last visit, thought I was only 37 years old and not 47 years old. When I corrected her, she actually was surprised as that meant she was coming 90 years old and not 80 as she had thought. As she put her hands over her head saying, "That means I'm coming 90!", she was a little confused where the absence of time went. Here's my question....what happens to those thoughts and memories recorded in the brain? Are they gone? Are they replaced? Are they filed somewhere else and only to be recalled when needed?

As I am studying, I too think, how can I remember this stuff. I am erasing my other thoughts? Am I making a new filing system in my brain? Am I going to be able to recall and remember these thoughts? How did I manage to side-track myself thinking about how I can remember things?

What to I think? I believe the brain is amazing! It will do what it needs to do and it will understand what it understands.

Is there room for more knowledge? YOU BET!!! If my mom can be 90 years old and only get a few things mixed up, that means I'm only half full of knowledge compared to her :)

BACK TO STUDYING.......

What do you do to keep your mental sharpness? We focus on our physical sharpness, but don't forget we need to have the mental capacity to do it!

Until next time.....

Gotta Run...........

Summer Events Begin!

Happy 4th Of July to our American friends!

Here's to a fun filled month of activity for July!

Enjoy Summer Everyone!

Life With Structure!

Hello Health Nuts!
I did it!!! I have officially completed the Greg Roskopf's Muscle Activation Techniques Internship - Denver XIX program.


I had started the program in September, 2010 and at that time I was scared, frightened, excited and nervous to take on such a task. Now the next step has just begun - preparing for my exam to become a M.A.T. Specialist.

Time and experience invested = Satisfaction and personal pride rewarded!

If you haven't heard about M.A.T. let me know. I'd love to have the opportunity to explain what it is all about.

Onto the next step on my journey....