Want To Help? Charities of the Glass City Marathon 2016

Some wonderful charities have partnered with The Glass City Marathon this year to provide awareness to their cause and to raise funds to support those who they help. Since 2009, Toledo Roadrunners Club has raised over $300,000 for area non-profits.
Through a careful selection process, partner status is awarded to programs or organizations who are aligned with the TRRC’s constitutional purpose which is “to educate Club members and the community about physical fitness and health through the sponsorship and promotion of running, physical fitness and other health related events.”

Official Charities of the Mercy Health Glass City Marathon

Mercy Children’s Hospital — A regional resource for advanced pediatric care located in Toledo, Ohio. Since 1999, Mercy Children’s Hospital has brought together a broad spectrum of physicians, researchers, educators, nurses and allied professionals specializing in the unique needs of children. Mercy Children’s Hospital has become the leading healthcare resource in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. Money donated to Mercy Children’s Hospital goes to support the Mercy Autism Program, Mercy Hippotherapy program, Mercy Family Care Team, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Inpatient Child Life program, along with equipment and other needs within the hospital…

Great Lakes Collaborative for Autism — The Great Lakes Collaborative for Autism works within the community to promote awareness of Autism as well as collaborates with community partners to provide programming, services, and support for those affected by autism…

 

Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity — Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity works with low income families in Lucas County, Ohio to provide new or rehabbed housing, critical home repairs, clean-up and exterior maintenance. Please visit www.mvhabitat.org for more information…

Kids Unlimited — Kids Unlimited is an after-school tutoring/mentoring program operating in five central city Toledo locations. It focuses on providing a comprehensive approach to educating and mentoring children in three critical areas…

 Catholic Charities Diocese of Toledo — Catholic Charities Diocese of Toledo serves more than 41,000 people of all faiths and backgrounds in 19 counties of Northwest Ohio by providing food and shelter, adoption services, pregnancy support, guardianship for the elderly, jail and prison…

 Toledo Community Service Center, dba Family House — We provide services and programs to over 267 homeless families every year, at an average cost of $1700 per family served. With $10,000 we will be able to shelter, empower and re-house 6 families who find themselves in a homeless crisis…

 Girls on the Run — Girls on the Run is an after school program meeting twice a week in small teams of 8-15 girls. The program teaches life skills through dynamic, conversation-based lessons and running games. Running to inspire and motivate girls, encourage lifelong…

 Goodwill of NW Ohio — Goodwill Industries, a household name that evokes images of thrift stores, donated goods and workers with disabilities. We improve the lives of people with disabilities or other disadvantages through employment training and job placement…

 Racing for Recovery — Our mission at Racing for Recovery is to prevent all forms of substance abuse by promoting a lifestyle of fitness and health for all those affected by addiction. Racing for Recovery works to save lives and improve the quality of life for addicts and…

 Hannah’s Socks — Hannah’s Socks – restoring dignity one pair of socks at a time. It’s a simple premise really. Giving a person a brand new pair of socks. What many take for granted by opening their drawer in the morning to get ready for the day, is not possible for…

 Josina Lott Residential & Community Services — Enriching the lives of persons with developmental disabilities by providing quality services, safe environments and opportunities for self-determination and community integration… 

 Adopt America Network — Dedicated to helping place children with special circumstances, whether they are physical, emotional or something else (for instance, older children and/or siblings)…

 

Partners for Clean Streams — Striving for abundant open space and a high quality natural environment; adequate floodwater storage capacities and flourishing wildlife; stakeholders who take local ownership in their resources; and rivers, streams and lakes that are clean, clear and safe…

   

Serenity Farm — Our Mission: A professional team providing growth and learning opportunities through the use of equine-assisted therapy to improve the quality of lives. Our Vision: A nationally-recognized organization giving persons with physical and behavioral disabilities a journey of therapy that enriches their lives through the bond of affection with the respect of horses…

Post Surgery Update #5 / Vacation

     Hey everyone, sorry this post is a little late due to a very busy schedule and my business/vacation trip to Arizona last week.  So to get right to it, two weeks ago I got to my PT's office and she was excited to get me on two feet with no outside support.  I was a little nervous, mostly because it had been five weeks since the surgery and I haven't taken an unassisted step since then.  When I took my first steps, I was so afraid that my leg would just give out on me, but it didn't.  Subconsciously I think I was babying it a little and wasn't putting my full weight on it.  Alisha quickly corrected me and got me up on the treadmill for a nice slow stroll.  She was monitoring my every step, correcting me when needed so I wasn't limping or favoring it in anyway.  When we were finished we discussed the up coming week that housed my business/vacation trip.

     With me being out of town last week I would not be able to have my therapy session till this week so Alisha gave me two weeks worth of homework to do for each week that would get me to our next appointment.  I have been continuing a lot of leg lifts and stretches, but this week we added standard planks, short squats (meaning I only go down about a 1/4 of the way) and some high knee marching to keep things moving.  Of course I was also informed "NO RUNNING AT ALL" before I left.  She knows me to well and how I like to push myself!

     The first three days of my trip would be at a work convention that would have me doing quite a bit of walking, plus I would be doing a lot of sightseeing with my wife and I was concerned that all that might be to much to quick.  Alisha suggested I take my cane with me because she was concerned that if my hip and leg muscles get tired it could affect my gait and cause more issues that would lengthen my recovery time.  When my convention was over Mandy and I headed out to see her old stomping grounds and do a little sightseeing.  Here are a few pics from our time.

     Anyway sorry for a short uneventful post, but we will see how my next appointment goes this week and I believe next week is my follow up appointment with the surgeon so next week could be a big day for me.  I hope he gives me some good news on my progress.  

Training For A Race

      

     Today marks 16 weeks till the Mercy Health Glass City Marathon.  If you haven't started your marathon training yet, you probably should look to start NOW.  Looking for that right plan to follow, well I can say with 100 percent certainty that there is no one plan that works for everyone.  Whether you are a first time marathoner or this is your 100th time toeing the line, everyone requires a different way of doing it.  Having said that, at the end of the day it is all about getting enough miles in that your body will be prepared for the stress a marathon can put on you.  Since I won't be able to run the Mercy Health Glass City Marathon this year, I'll be working my way back so I can run the Medical Mutual Glass City 5K.  Throughout the training cycle for you marathoners, I'll share my thoughts on where I was when training for my first marathon, while I share my rehab journey so I can accomplish the 5K race.

     

     First, as I said before, if you are taking on the Mercy Health Glass City Marathon you should be starting now.  If you don't have a plan to follow, here is a few of the more popular ones out there.

Hal Higdon - arguably the most popular plan out there.  He offers plans for the complete novice to the most advanced runners out there.  I used a slightly modified version of his intermediate plan when I trained for my first marathon. 

Jeff Galloway Training - To be honest I am not familiar with his plan and never used it myself, but I have heard his name mentioned quite a lot when it came to training plans for beginners so I thought I would list it. 

CoolRunnings.com - Just another free online program to look at.

Hansons Marathon Method - This is a strategy that I would only recommend to someone who has at least one if not two marathons under their belt and has been running for some time.  I purchased their book and read it cover to cover and was fascinated by their approach.  They buck the trend of conventional wisdom when it comes to the long run we have heard so much about.  To be honest, I have yet to try this method, but I want to attempt it at some point.  The link is to their free basic plan, but I want to caution you, if you want to do their plan, read the book!

For those of you taking on the Owens Corning GCM Half Marathon or the Medical Mutual 5K, your training will start soon, so get out there now and get a few miles under your belt in preparation for your training.

Post Surgery Update #4

     It has been just over 4 weeks since my surgery, and to be honest I didn't think I would be where I am right now.  Things are moving along quite well and I am so happy for that.  At my last PT appointment, Alisha was quite happy with my progress in just one week.  She told me she was going to consult with my surgeon on my progress and my case to decide on a continued course of action.

     I worked hard on my exercises each day, getting in at minimum 2 sets each day.  Prior to my next appointment I got an email from Alisha stating she had spoken to the surgeon and had some good new for me.  Fast forward to Wednesday, I had to change my appointment time to 7:30 am due to my work schedule changing.  The good news was, do to the type of procedure I had and that my muscles have reacted so well to my rehab, I was ready to transition to a single crutch.  First we worked on the proper way to use a single crutch, which I was surprised that you use it on the opposite side from your bad leg.  I figured you would use it to give support to your bad leg, which you due, but to keep a normal walking stride you use it on the opposite side and put weight on it when you take a step with your bad leg.  After I got the hang of that, I climbed on the table so she could do a lot of stretching and manipulation of my leg.  We discussed my at home routine and how it was going to change for this week and next, yeah I don't have to come in next week.  If all things go well for the next two weeks, then we will discuss the transition to no crutches!!!

     Most of my home exercise routine has stayed the same, we just increased the number of reps per set, the number of sets or the time to hold a certain move.  I have been feeling really good lately with little amount of pain or the need of any pain meds.  I am still taking the prescription strength aleve type meds, but I have cut it down to two a day instead of three.  I truly think all the strength training I did with Alisha has been the huge key to what seems to be a faster than normal recover.    

Out With The Old, In With The New

     So another year has come and gone, and boy am I happy that 2015 is gone.  It started out on a bit of a down note dealing with my IT Band injury, but things started to head in the right direction once I started getting treatment for it.  I got hooked up with my AWESOME Physical Therapist at Elite Sports & Orthopedic Physical Therapy, who got me stronger and helped me correct my bad running habits.

     April turned out to be the best month of the year and in one case my life!  Alisha trained me for my comeback race at the Glass City Half Marathon, where I ended up crushing the shit out of my PR by more than 12 minutes, which was awesome!  I would say though the most shocking day I had was at my run-aversary race, when I not only set a new 5k PR, I won the whole fucking race!  Oh yeah, and how could I forget one of the proudest and greatest moments in my life, day that I hit my weight loss goal!

     I would say I took things fairly easy for the next couple months till I was getting ready to start training for my second full marathon in early July.   That is when my year in running took a total shit.  I was out on one of my runs when pain and tightness in my hip showed up.  After a couple visits to my PT, anti-inflammatory meds and rest the pain would go away.  I ended up going to see a specialist that eventually diagnosed my pain as a labral tear in the hip joint.  After months of dealing with insurance company bullshit December 3rd was finally the day that I could start looking forward again.

     I took a pause at looking forward so I could look back at what goals I set for myself and what I was able to get accomplished.

2015 goals in no particular order

Get back to regular running
I would say this was partially accomplished in the first half of the year anyway.  Once the hip injury entered the picture that goal pretty much was over.

2015 or more total miles for the year
Really, do I need to state the obvious.

Run a trail race

I did a couple of trail runs to try it out, but again the hip.

37 miles on my 37th birthday
Nope

Complete an Ultra Marathon
HAHA yeah right

Complete the Detroit Marathon
I held out hope till the very end but not a chance

Hit my goal weight of 173 lbs
2 years, 3 months & 8 days to make it happen.  One of the proudest day in my life!

Maintain my weight within the range of 168 - 178
I'm going to take this one.  I'm close on this and really I have managed to keep it right at about ten pounds.  Plus this goal was made with the thought that I was able to run all year, so I would say I did it. 

Try more fruits & vegetables 
I have added cabbage to my lunch pita sandwiches, I now eat 1 to 2 apples a day and I tried a banana twice, so yeah I would say I accomplished it.

     After looking at that list, I would say I set some big goals for myself, and to be honest I didn't think I was going to do them all, but I sure wanted to try.  So 2016, what do I say, well as much as I want to go big I think it would be stupid to put undue pressure on myself, so here is my modest list of goals:

Get back to running regularly
For me to accomplish this I want to be able to run 3-5 days a week consistently.  I know it will take time to get my distance built back up so if I am getting in the daily runs and able to increase my mileage consistently then I will be happy.
Run and complete a 5k and a 10k (stretch goal would include a half as well)
As I build up my mileage I don't want to push myself to hard, there is plenty of time for that.
Hit my goal weight again (stretch goal would be 165lbs)
While I am happy with how well I have maintained things with the lack of exercise I really want to get back to my goal weight.  
Incorporate regular strength and cross training to help prevent future injuries  
I think this will be the key to it all.  nuff said 
Try more fruits and vegetables
No matter what this should always be a goal of mine
And last, try to be a better blogger
I haven't done a great job of blogging regularly, pretty much since my hip injury.  I think being down and depressed about things had a big affect on me.  I started this to bring hope to those who needed help and inspiration like I did over three years ago, and I am not keeping up my end of the bargain. 

     Well there you have it.  While 2015 was a bust, well except for Star Wars, that was pretty f-ing cool.  Anyway, I am no longer looking back and have my eyes fixed on the future!