No one wants to be in pain but if we can find a reason to endure it, it makes us stronger. Alison has a pinched nerve in her neck and an unidentified foot injury. She’s living through hell as she progresses toward her dream of running the NYC marathon. She is a fighter! more »
Alison asked me to coach her for her upcoming 17 mile run as she prepares for her 1st marathon this November. I love to remind her how far she’s come since we first met. A dozen or so 1/2 marathons and triathlons later, she continues to step out of her comfort zone and succeed. I hope you are stepping out of your comfort zone and realizing you have something special to accomplish and share, like Alison. Read on… more »
Keep in mind as you read this, Alison started with 5 minutes of exercise in her bedroom. Now, there’s no limit in sight.
Alison:
“50 yards. All you have to do is swim 50 yards.”
This is the only thought going through my head. No, I haven’t started doing short little sprint races that take about a minute and half. In fact, I’m on the beach at Lake Sebago in Harriman State Park, lined up for my longest race to date. It’s an Olympic distance triathlon, consisting of a 1 mile swim, a 28 mile bike ride and a 6.2 mile run. But all I’m thinking about is swimming 50 yards. more »
Alison has come so far, from starting with 5 minutes of exercise to 6 1/2 marathons and 5 triathlons. Join the Fit Friend’s Revolution to learn the strategies that helped her change her life >
Alison- When I was in graduate school for Public Health, I had an assignment where I had to take a public health problem and fix it. I created a smoking cessation campaign that I called “Try, Try Again”, more »
Peter- I’m so glad Alison shared this blog with us. In my opinion, if you can motivate a child to be healthy by your actions, then that’s what it’s all about.
Alison- Saturday I was out on a 6 mile run. This was a hill run, where I do a 2 mile loop that contains 5 hills per loop. Let me do the math for you: that’s 15 hills and 6 miles of distance all in one run. Normally, I dread my hill run, and have to admit freely that I excel at reasons to do a flatter, more “normal” run on hill run day.
This Saturday, though, I was happy to do my run, almost excited. And no, I didn’t fall at any point and slam my head against the concrete I run on. I raced through my 6 miles and 15 hills as fast as I could. I wasn’t thrilled about the run itself. I couldn’t wait for what came after the run.
Peter K is organizing a 5K run through his club, the “Fit Friends’ Revolution”, that’s taking place on July 17th. And though I love to race, that also isn’t the reason for my exuberance. What I’m so thrilled about is that my 6 year old daughter, Olivia, is going to run the 5K with me, and we’re going for a training run after my hills from hell. more »
Alison: I am standing on the edge of the water of a beautiful lake. It’s a warm, sunny, lovely morning. I dig my bare feet in the sand a bit and look out over the water again. And I completely panic.
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Alison- I think I completed 4 half marathons before I finally started calling myself a “runner”, and it was somewhere after my third triathlon before I referred to myself as an “athlete” (and I still think I should be called “athlete*”, with an asterisk. I think I have what most athletes need: fitness, determination and discipline; there’s only one small thing I’m lacking that gives me the asterisk in my mind – skill). But this morning after having to stop a 5 mile run after completing fewer than 3 miles of it, I decided to identify myself with a new term: “injured”. more »
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Alison- I’ll be honest. I woke up this morning feeling completely sick. It wasn’t because I’d eaten an entire pepperoni and mushroom pizza (though I wish it was, sigh), or because I’d gotten up at 4 AM on a Sunday (though I had, another sigh). It was because I had a race today. more »
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Alison: Anyone who knows me knows how much I love numbers. To calm my nerves at races, I look at the numbers on people’s bibs and do mathematic equations with them; as a kid I used to balance my mom’s check book for fun (oh, please. You think I was cool as a kid and got nerdy later in life?). This morning, though, I only have one number in my head: 9:02. more »
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Alison: I did NOT want to swim today. What can I say: for Spring it’s miserably cold, swimming is my weakest sport, and even though I’ve gotten used to waking up at 4AM to workout every morning, do you ever really get used to that? more »