Redefining Possible

One year ago today, I was a stay-at-home mom who started going to the Central Bucks County YMCA a couple of times a week to walk on the treadmill and watch an hour of television, because I desperately needed some “me” time. A month later, I saw a video of Tough Mudder in the Y’s fitness center and thought, “Wow, how awesome is that? I wish I could do that!” A month after that, I signed up for Tough Mudder and started taking the Y’s Tough Mudder training classes and I never looked back.

In 2012, I finished:

·         Two 5K Races
·         A 10K Race
·         A 13K Race
·         The 10 Mile Broad Street Run
·         Two Half Marathons
·         A Tough Mudder
·         A Spartan Sprint
·         A Super Spartan
·         The R2C Relay Race
·         …and THE PHILADELPHIA MARATHON!

In just one year, I went from not being able to run on the treadmill for even 1 mile without losing my breath and having to slow down to walk to running 26.2 miles without stopping (other than slowing down to walk while hydrating at the drink stations and one very quick pit stop at the bathroom a little past the halfway point). I still can’t believe I did all of that this year. It seems almost impossible to me.

A year ago (or really at any point in my life before now,) I would have thought someone was crazy if they told me I’d finish all of those races in just one year – or even just in my entire lifetime. I was never athletic, even when I was a kid. I usually sat on the bench for most of the game in any sport I tried, and I dreaded having to run the mile in gym class and always slowed down to walk along the way.

How did I do it? It was actually very simple. I made the decision to do it and do whatever it took to reach my goal. My first goal was to complete the Tough Mudder with the team at the Y in April. I took the Tough Mudder training classes offered by the Y and got a personal trainer, because I had no idea what to do or how to start training.

Running was part of my training for Tough Mudder, and I knew there would be points during the Tough Mudder where I would have to run up to 2.5 miles in between obstacles. So, I started training for the Y’s 5K in March. I knew if I was ready to run a 3.1 mile 5K a month before Tough Mudder, my cardio would be in good shape for the race. I started running on the treadmill for just one minute, and then I’d slow down to catch my breath. Then, I’d increase to 1.5 minutes, 2 minutes, etc. until eventually I could run an entire 5K on the treadmill without needing to slow down.

Once I learned how to run without slowing down, it actually became fun for me. I wasn’t out of breath anymore, and mainly just felt an amazing adrenaline rush every time I ran. Sure, I felt some muscle or foot pain when I would run longer distances, but the high I got from running outweighed any of the minor pains I felt, and those pains always subsided very quickly.

I started signing up for lots of races. The excitement I felt on race day just added to my enjoyment, and I realized that I really loved to run! Someone who hated running for 37 years now LOVED to run. Once I finished the Tough Mudder, I decided to sign up for a couple of Spartan races. In addition to my love for running, I was hooked on obstacle racing too. Obstacle races were so much fun, and I loved working together with a team to help each other reach the finish line.

I signed up for the Philadelphia Marathon after I completed my first half marathon in May and planned to train the right way for the race, running one long run every week and increasing my running distance by 10% every week until I was able to run 26.2 miles. Well, life got in the way, and I never had a training run that lasted more than 13.1 miles.

The week before the race, I got a chest cold and I seriously doubted that I would be able to run double the longest distance I had ever run before. I almost decided to push the marathon off until the following year. I let fear creep into my head. I started to listen to that voice of doubt that told me I couldn’t do it…and I almost quit.

I got lots of encouragement from friends during that week, and I started thinking about all of the things I had accomplished that year. I ran hundreds of miles this year. I jumped over fire. I crawled through a pond of water with 10,000 volts of electricity shocking me as I weaved through live wires during Tough Mudder. I climbed walls…sometimes using a teammate’s back as a step stool and towards the end of the year, jumping to the top of the wall and pulling myself over all by myself. I jumped off of 20 foot cliffs into freezing water and submerged myself in a dumpster filled with water and ice cubes. I crawled under miles of barbed wire, over rocks and through mud. I dragged blocks of cement and carried sand bags up and down black diamond ski slopes. I climbed parts of mountains that were almost vertical while dodging falling rocks at Spartan Race. And the list goes on… How could I NOT attempt this marathon?   

A couple of days before the marathon, I just made the decision to do it. I was going to finish that marathon, even if I had to walk for part of it. I arrived on race day and never felt more scared and excited at the same time. I entered my corral and looked out amongst the sea of people who I’d be running with. I saw a spectator with a sign that said “Less than 1% of people have completed a marathon” and I got chills. Before I knew it, we were off, and there was no stopping me.

During the race, I soaked in the cheers from the spectators and ran a little faster whenever we neared a speaker with music. I smiled at kids who were high-fiving people from the sidelines, and I reveled in the energy that surrounded me. As I rounded a bend in South Philly, I saw a man cheering for the runners while balancing on canes in each hand. He was my motivation throughout that race. Every time I got tired, or my muscles got sore, I thought of him and how he couldn’t run and I told myself that I HAD to run because I COULD run. I wouldn’t take for granted the gifts and the health that God has given to me and I’d use it to get through this race.

Right before I crossed the finish line, a complete stranger looked me in the eyes and said, “You did it, Jennifer! You just ran a marathon!” and my eyes welled up with tears. My chest started getting tight, and I almost lost it. I was so emotional that I couldn’t even breathe. I calmed myself down and crossed the finish line with a tear streaming down my cheek. I did it! I couldn’t believe it! I still can’t believe it.

I was very sore after I finished the marathon and my muscles were so tight that night, but it got better the next day. On day two after the race, I’m barely sore and now I’m thinking about what’s next for me… One goal for next year is to get my Trifecta at Spartan Race. To do this, I need to complete one Spartan Sprint (3+ miles), one Super Spartan (8+ miles) and one Spartan Beast (12+ miles). There’s also a Spartan Ultra Beast that’s 26.2 miles with mud and obstacles.

I already know I can get the Trifecta. It’s just a matter of coordinating my schedule. But, I have no idea if I can complete the Ultra Beast. It’s hard to imagine going the distance of running a marathon, and piling obstacles on top of that. So, maybe that’s my next big challenge. Stay tuned for more, because I’m definitely not finished yet!

Tough Mudder Finisher

I can now say I am an official Tough Mudder finisher! I've been wearing the Tough Mudder shirts while training, but didn't feel like I'd really earned the right to wear them. Sometimes, people would ask me if I did the Tough Mudder when I was wearing one of the shirts, and I'd have to tell them I was training for it. Now, I can say I did it!

This was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life (right up there with jumping out of a plane when I went skydiving back in my 20's). But, while I have no desire to ever jump out of a plan again, I'd love to do a Tough Mudder again!

Don't get me wrong, I loved the experience I had when I went skydiving, but this was completely different. I had to study a book and take an 8 hour class before I was certified to jump out of a plane by myself. But, my preparation for Tough Mudder required hours of training, and the accomplishment of crossing that finish line was so much more rewarding.

When I first saw the videos of Tough Mudder playing in the fitness center at the Y, I thought: Wow, that looks so cool...I wish I could do that! After talking to my friend Lynn, who did a mud run last summer, I changed my thought process to: This is my goal...I just need some guidance on how to achieve it. But, I WILL achieve it! Thank you for inspiring me, Lynn!

I've never been much of an athlete. I didn't make the softball team in high school, and I was on the basketball team my freshman year, but really only played during the last minute of the game when the coach was certain that I couldn't mess up the lead, or when he was certain we had no chance to catch up to the other team. I spent most of my time at the games filling up water cups for the starting players and handing them out during time outs. I also could barely run a mile in gym class. I was so out of breath by the end, and I would always blame it on my asthma.

After my first Tough Mudder training class at the Y, I could barely lift my arms over my head to wash my hair in the shower or dry my hair, I had trouble walking down the stairs, because my legs were so sore, and I seriously felt like passing out for the rest of the day. I kept going to the classes though, and I also started working with the most awesome personal trainer in the world - Marsha Hughes.

Little by little, the classes started getting easier for me. I knew the classes were actually getting tougher, but I was getting stronger and wasn't in so much pain afterwards. I went from barely being able to do a push up the regular way (not on my knees) in Mike Sobczak's Saturday morning class back in January to doing 350 regular push ups on the Monday before Tough Mudder.

I started this journey not because I felt like I needed to lose weight, or get in shape. It was because I wanted to prove that I was tough, like those people in the Tough Mudder videos at the Y. I wanted to prove it to myself, and to the people who told me they didn't think I could do it when I started talking about it.

This Tough Mudder challenge made me realize one very important thing...Being an athlete is a choice, and not something that just comes naturally. Of course, there are people who have natural talent, but even the superstars have to make a choice to train for their sport and do what it takes to be successful.

You can't just show up for practice and games (or the mile at gym class) without doing anything else, and expect to be good at it. It takes more than that to be a true athlete. You need to do more than you think you can and push yourself harder than you've ever pushed before. Sometimes, it takes another person like a trainer, an instructor, or even a friend to keep you going. Sometimes, you can do it on your own and just keep pushing yourself, even when your body and your mind are telling you to stop.

I've always been a "glass is half full" kind of person, but this experience just solidified that mentality for me. I'm doing the Broad Street Run next weekend, and I just registered for my first half marathon in September. I am also quite certain that a marathon is in my future. If I can run through fire, jump into icy water and swim out when I can't even breathe, make it over a massive wall and get electrocuted at least 8 times, why can't I do that too?

There might be some things I won't do, but there is NOTHING I can't do. I believe there is a path that leads to the achievement of every goal...You just need to follow the path, stay focused and believe in yourself.

Thank you to the Central Bucks Family YMCA for helping me to realize this amazing goal!

My First 5K

I finished my first 5K, hosted by the Central Bucks Family YMCA in 28 and a half minutes. It's funny, I realized after I finished that it was the first time I'd run 3.1 miles outside. All of my training had been on the treadmill up until this point. I was always trying to make sure I ran 3.1 miles on the treadmill so I'd be ready for the 5K, but I knew it would be different running outside, with more inclines, harder pavement, etc. I even saw a post by someone on Facebook saying that running on a treadmill was like running on a cloud in comparison to running outside.

I jogged the 1 mile fun run with Zachary and Annabelle before my 5K. Zachary took off at the starting line and I couldn't even see him anymore. Annabelle struggled a bit, but I was very proud of her. She was getting so tired, but I kept encouraging her and she made it to the finish line all by herself! We were one of the last groups to cross the finish line for the fun run, but I was just happy that I didn't have to carry Annabelle for a mile, and then run my first 5K!

My 5K was next and I felt really good going into it. I think the 1 mile fun run/jog was a great warm up for me! I was really proud of myself for doing the entire 5K without slowing down to a walk at all, and my favorite part was crossing that finish line and hearing them yell on the loud speaker: "JENNIFER PEEEEEEETERRRSSSS." I don't know if that's a common thing for 5K's, but let me tell you...I could really get used to this!