Run, Kat, Run: Turkey Run at Iroquois Park

5 miles, to the top of Iroquois Park and back down—no worries!  Ran this same course 50 times.  Woke up ready to do it.  My goal was under 50 minutes and with all the hills involved that would be what I consider “really good”.  

It had snowed the night before and it was COLD but beautiful!  The race was packed, about 900 people I think.  The gun blew and we were off!  Made it to the top in pretty good time, at least in good enough time to be under my goal.  The awesome thing about the top was the view of what seems like the whole city from the overlook covered in a fresh blanket of snow.  Once we started downhill, it was all good!  I finished in 49:12 which was under my goal!  I was happy.  

After the race they had tons of awards and prizes. They also had a ton of food for the runners and walkers.  

Great race, I’ll be doing this every year! (2014 IHR Thanksgiving Day run/walk)

Run, Kat, Run: Urban Bourbon Half Marathon October 2014

My last mini-marathon I swore it would be the last.  It was awful.  I never officially checked my time because it was so awful.  I was 30 pounds heavier, eating food that came out of a drive thru window, and not training to the level that I should.  I learned my lesson, oh boy did I learn my lesson.  I vowed to either change and train right or not do another race.

After losing weight I decided that I would give it another try.  I dedicated myself to training like I knew I should and signed up for the Urban Bourbon. 

pre-race

Training was fun!  I enjoy running, I enjoy cycling, and I enjoy being active so that was not a problem but finding time to do all those was the problem.  I started training about 10 weeks out and ran 2-3 times a week for shorter runs then once a week for my long runs.  Long runs are my favorite!  I know I complain while I’m running but I enjoy it. 

I missed one long run because of being out of town but otherwise I made all my long run dates!  And through the training I continually was impressed by my ability and my time on training runs.  But I wasn’t convinced that all that training “greatness” would surface on race day!

We lined up for the race, headphones in, garmins on, ready to rock it!  I was lined up near the 2:45 pace group, not at all where I wanted to be.  My first and best half marathon was 2:24 and my goal was to be under 2:24, even if it were 2:23.  I quickly passed the 2:45 pacer, then the 2:30 and I was feeling good.  Up ahead my running partner saw the 2:20 pacer and said “there’s your pacer” to which my reply was “there’s OUR pacer”.  We caught up and stayed in front of the 2:20 pacer for a long time.  Eventually, my partner and I got separated on the hills of Cherokee.  But I just turned my music up and kept going all the while the 2:20 pacer was still behind me.  And I was feeling good!  I couldn’t believe that I was on pace to finish under my goal. 

My folks and my Granny came to see my about mile 8, my kids and in-laws came around mile 11, and then at the finish line.  I cry every time people come see me, it makes me so happy.  Try running and crying at the same time.  I always get choked up when I see my kiddos and I get a burst of energy from their hugs and high fives. 

Around mile 11 I started getting cramps in my calves so I slowed down but kept going.  Just keep swimming, just keep swimming was going through my head.  I saw the finish line and tears welled up in my eyes, I was just about done!  I turned it up and headed to the line.  I crossed the line at 2:19 and my chip time was 2:17:11!  I was thrilled!  So proud of myself and my dedication to training correctly.  Of course, now I’ve got like three more half marathons scheduled to do in the near future and hopefully a marathon will happen sooner rather than later. 

post-race

Kathy Kingsbury

Run, Kat, Run - Do What in MUD?

The Rugged Maniac is an Obstacle Course 5K, in MUD!  There are 25 obstacles that you have complete while running a 5K.  I ran the race in Paoli Peaks, IN on the ski slopes, so it was up and down and up and down the slopes.  Some places running was impossible it was so steep! 

Some of the obstacles included: a mud pit with barbed wire over your head, iron rings to cross, seesaws covered in mud, walls to climb, fire to jump, creeks to cross, and so MUCH MUD!!!  To me it seemed like they put the easier obstacles first and they progressively got harder.  The first obstacle was a giant mud pit about knee deep that you had to walk through—several lost shoes in that one!  Then we went to walls to climb and mud to army crawl through.  The last obstacles were hard!  There was a 12 foot wall with 2 steps, needless to say you needed help to get over it.  And then there was the “wall” that was straight up covered in slimy mud.  The idea is that you get a good running start, run up the wall, catch the top ledge with your hands and hoist yourself over.  I tried two times and got so close each time but slid right back down the wall each time, making the bruise on my hip bone get larger and larger. 

It was fun!  It was muddy!  It was everything I had hoped for!  I have the bruises to prove it!  

My Journey to Healthy - Kathy Kingsbury

I wanted to start running, bad! I had no idea what to do to start. The month of my 30th I decided now was the time. Running started small, driveway to driveway. A week later it was 2 driveways then walk one. Pretty soon I learned that at my park by my house there were green dots every 1/10th I ran the park for months increasing the number of green dots each time. I became a green dot runner! 
 

I remember the first time I ran the whole park, it took so long but I did it! I was so thrilled! I felt so accomplished. At this point my father-in-law (a 30 year runner) asked me to do a club run with him. I knew I could do it but didn’t know if I could do it with everyone watching. Thankfully it was cold so there weren’t a lot of spectators and thankfully he is patient and willing to go slow with me. We made it! My first race! Hook-Line-Sinker, I was a runner now! From then on I met my father-in-law once or twice a week to run together. I loved it.

I had been running about 1.5 years when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. At this point I had completed 2 half marathons, lots of 5K’s, and ran probably 4-5 times a week. I was pretty good and decently fast. My life came to a sudden halt, I had cancer. Many surgeries, chemo, and overall feeling like crap days later, I was finally released to run again. My plastic surgeon knew every visit I was going to ask “the” question, “when can I run again?” Thankfully he was a runner and understood that I needed to be on the road. 
 

Trail running with friends.

After taking about 6-7 months off from running, I was finally released to run again! I couldn’t have been happier! Laced up my shoes as soon as I got home from the doctor's visit, headed out. I ran one driveway and realized my body was not ready for that. So I waited some more and tried again about a month later. This time a little easier, not comfortable but a little easier. I eventually went on to complete my 3rd half marathon just 4 months after the completion of chemo—no hair but I was there!

I slowly transitioned back to being a runner but had gained about 25 pounds during chemo and the weight added to the inability to train, made me really slow, REALLY SLOW! Nothing like I was. I continued to run and run and run some more even if it was slow. In April of 2014 I started a cleansing program and finally dropped the weight. This past summer I have worked super hard on my body and finally am back to my pre-cancer weight and pre-cancer ability. I AM BACK! Took 2 years to get back to me.

Now I run 2-3 times a week, cycle 2-3 times a week, strength train twice a week, and rarely take a full on rest day! I get cranky without exercise. I appreciate so much what my body can do, and where my body has come from. There was a point in my life I couldn’t sit up on my own and now I can run 13.1 miles! I GOT THIS!!! 

Kat (in the green on the left) with her workout buddies

Thanks for sharing and inspiring others to be a green dot runner, Kat! You will be reading more from Kat in future months in her featured posts, "Run, Kat, Run."
Be sure to check out others who have shared their fitness journeys in the Features tab above.
Interested in sharing your journey and inspiring others? Contact me at fitinlou@gmail. I would love to hear from you!