Mamas In Training

Update From Carolyn - Running For Kate

Remember Carolyn, our featured mama from the Atlanta area.  Carolyn and her daughter, Kate, have a touching and inspiring story to share.

Deciding to run a marathon with The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s – Team in Training was the best training decision I have made thus far.  I don’t know if it is the throng of smiling faces that greet me each run, encouraging emails or the long Saturday group training sessions (GTS) and sports clinics that are keeping me motivated but I hope it keeps up.  (They aren’t even paying me to say this)!  TNT has started us out slow and is building up to those marathon distance runs by early January.  I am making sure to stay on their training program and have really been trying to improve my “mama fuel”.  No advice for anyone on mama fuel - I’m trying to learn from you all!

In addition to TNT’s GTS, I have been cross training on my own.  My husband and I set a goal to compete in our first triathlon this year and we completed it last Saturday (see picture above)!  It was a great experience for us and training for the event forced me to take off my running shoes every once in a while and get some biking and swimming in.

For me, setting a goal = action on my part.  Without a date circled on the calendar, a race fast approaching or family members asking how the training is going, I can become too relaxed about my workouts. By my husband’s suggestion, we are going to sign up for some shorter races this fall to keep us honest.

I don’t know if my training regimen is coming across as easy but it isn’t!  My family has to juggle schedules, doctor appointments, babysitters and sometimes call in favors to make the workouts happen.  In fact, my daughter, Kate, began a very intense course of chemo 2 weeks ago that has drastically reduced her blood counts and her energy.  She is out of school now, which gives me that much less time to workout.  This course will continue for 6 more weeks but we are going to get through it together.  Bottom line is that my husband and I are happier when we stick to our training and as a result our children are happier too! 

Splitting the Week

For all the reasons the other guest mamas have mentioned, my husband and I both desperately need to get in good workouts.  I also need to keep shedding baby weight and inches.  For the summer months our solution has been to trade off days since it is still quite hot in the evening.  I get up and out the door early on M,W,F and he takes T,Th,Sa.  By splitting the week we both get that literal breathe of fresh air.

After a long sleepless night with our 3 month-old or middle of the night drinks or bathroom trips with our 3 and 4 year-olds, it's torture to get up when the alarm sounds at 5:30am.  However, I have found that it's even worse if I don't get in a good workout.  Then I am tired, cranky, and feel like a lazy dead-weight.  After a good run, at least I'm just tired and blame it on the hard work-out.  Maybe it's a mental thing.

I've registered for the Share-a-Smile triathon in late August.  It's probably the last pool tri of the season and a small event.  I've been pretty good about running 3 times a week, but have only been to the pool once and haven't yet hopped on my bike.  Nine other friends and I have also signed up for the Marathon Relay at Thanksgiving Point in early September.  Since I'll be 4 months post baby then, I'm hoping to do my five mile leg at a decent pace.  Having these events to work toward makes getting out the door so much easier.  Next summer I hope to get in more tris, oh, and much more sleep.   

Running For Kate

Today's guest blogger is Carolyn Hansen from Atlanta, Georgia.  Carolyn is the busy mom of three children and works as an Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant at Gwinnett Medical Center in Atlanta.  Her five-year-old daughter, Kate, was recently diagnosed with Leukemia.  We'll be following Carolyn through her training for the upcoming marathon.

          I have thought a lot lately about what motivates me to train and I think I've come up with the answer.  It is something that I control.  As a college student I remember feeling overwhelmed by all that I had to do just to take care of myself.  I now laugh at the teenager I was as I take care of my three children, volunteer at their schools, volunteer at church, and work as an Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant.  Where is my time?  The only sacred time, where it is all about me, is when I train.  That time is precious.

          Ever since I ran my first half-marathon 4 years ago I have really wanted to run a marathon.  Even before my daughter, Kate, was diagnosed with Leukemia (on April 23, 2007) I had decided that I when I did a marathon I would run with Team In Training (TNT) and raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Last fall I sent away for information on the program and went to a meeting but then had second thoughts.  I realized that training for a marathon while building a house wasn't realistic.

          So, a month ago I decided to contact the society again and inquire about upcoming marathons.  Two weeks ago I made a committment to run the Disney World Marathon on January 13, 2008.  While there were many other more exotic locations (Dublin, Hawaii, San Francisco, etc.) I thought that this would be a perfect destination for my children and a way for them to enjoy the experience.  They are so excited for the race and hopefully my absence on Saturday mornings will be easier to take knowing that a trip to Disney World is at the end of it all.

          For each marathon the team has a child dubbed their Team Hero. For people who haven't been touched by a person with a blood cancer this person serves as motivation, if you will. They will have met an actual person with the disease, who is fighting the cancer. TNT explained that when a teammate is running and hurts, is tired, or wants to quit the Team Hero is someone to think about and to give them strength to press on.  Well, this morning I got a call from the Leukemia and Lymphoma society in which they asked me if I would be willing to let Kate be our Team Hero. Tears sprang to my eyes while she was describing what Kate would mean to our team and how she will be such a big part of the event. Of course, I would have been thinking about her every mile of the race but it is going to be that much more meaningful, knowing that everyone of us is running for her and her fight against leukemia.

Benefits of Exercising With Your Kids

I have started to really enjoy exercising with our kids.  Our son is 3 and our daughter is 6.  I think I have finally come out of that difficult phase…you know when your toddlers don’t care about the fact that you desperately need to get the baby fat off or that you have a triathlon coming up that you need to train for.  I can remember begging my children to please sit quietly in the stroller for just 30 more minutes.  Or the other plan of action was stuffing them full of goldfish and water so they would stay in the jogging stroller.  Then there’s the separation anxiety at the gym nursery.  You are in the middle of a great workout and they call you to let you know that your child will not stop crying.  Bummer there goes that great runners high.  Don’t get me wrong I loved those years just not working out during those years.

I am happy to report that there is hope and that you will be able to enjoy working out with your kids, yes I said with your kids.    It has gotten a little easier since our youngest has started to ride a bike (with training wheels).  I take them out a few times a week and I either ride my bike with them or I speed walk/run while they ride their bikes.  We also go out with dad as a family on the weekends.  They think its fun and its also great exercise for them.   We can now take fairly long bike rides around the neighborhood and our youngest hangs in there and enjoys it.  He has gotten so strong from riding his bike all summer.  We are now seeing all the positive things that are coming from our summer bike rides.   Not too mention our family dog, an 8 year-old lab, is also benefiting from all this family exercising.  She was about 6 lbs over weight and now she is back in shape and she looks forward to our family rides.

Our family is exercising together and we are instilling a love of exercise in our children that will pass on generation after generation.  Since including our kids in our exercise regime it has become a lot more fun and a lot less of a chore.  We have lost weight and strengthened our bodies while enjoying positive time with our children.  The other day my 6 year-old daughter told me that she wants to do triathlons just like her mom one day.  That was a really neat thing to hear and I am so proud of who she is becoming. 

Jodi Carcamo

, 32 year-old mom of two, resides in

South Jordan

From a Short Block to the St. George Marathon

I began running again after our second daughter was born.  She had some health problems as an infant and must have felt horrible most of the time.  She was a drama queen right from the start; her temperament being so volatile and unpredictable.  I was very tired, very overwhelmed, very discouraged, and very much in need of an outlet.  Running was the answer.  I'd run around our short block early in the morning, passing by our house about every six minutes.  My signal to stop came from my husband who would turn on the porch light.  That meant he'd done all he could with her and needed backup reinforcement.  That was the beginning of my first marathon training...just around our short block.  I gradually worked up to 50 miles a week.  To get in a long run, sometimes I'd start as early as 3:30 am in order to be home by 6:30 am so that my husband could get in a tennis match or get to work.  I know it was crazy, but training then gave me the same that it gives me now, thirteen years and three more daughters later:

• strength and energy
• a feeling of being in control...at least of something
• a feeling of accomplishment
• a peaceful time to myself to plan the day, solve problems in my mind, and look to and plan ahead
• more patience in working through a challenge or just getting through a hard day
• more confidence in myself

That same little girl, now thirteen, left a small note under my pillow while I was gone running the St. George Marathon last year.  It said, "I bet you got first in your race, mom.  I'm so glad that you're back!  I love you."  She now runs on her Jr. High School cross country team.  We're training together for our upcoming races this fall, including the St. George Marathon in October for me again.

Marianne is the mom of five girls, ranging in age from 4 to 15.  The family lives in California.

Saturday Races

It all started last year when I was pregnant with my second daughter.  A group of ladies in my neighborhood exercised in the mornings together.  They ran in 5Ks, half-marathons, and entered triathlon events.  They were having a great time.  This spring I joined them in the morning work-outs; it's the only way to get me out of bed at 6:00 a.m. 

I participated in the Strawberry Days 5K a couple of weeks ago and also the Steele Days 5K on Saturday.  The best part is watching my time drop each race.  There are a couple more short races this month I plan to run.  I've also signed up for my first ever triathlon in August.  I just got a new bike and need to fit a bike and swim day(s) into my workouts now.  In September I am going to run with this group of ladies in the Garden Relay, which is a marathon relay.  Five people to a team and each person run 5.2 miles.  These Saturday races are something I look forward to and keeps me motivated.

Finding a running partner or group is essential.  We push each other, motivate each other, and just have a great time "hurting" together (5 miles uphill at 6:30 a.m.).  As painful as getting up so early can be, it actually makes me feel better throughout the day.  My girls are still asleep when I get home, so I can use the time to work in the yard, clean the house, or just have time to myself.  When they wake up, I feel more relaxed and can spend more quality time during the day with them. 

I also feel like I am setting a good example for my kids.  I took my daughter to the bike shop with me last week to pick up my new bike.  She then asked me if she could have a bike.  Kids always want to do what your doing, so it's good to have them watch you do active things.  And maybe the biggest benefit of this work-out/race routine is that I am not as self-conscious about myself.  I'm more willing to take my kids swimming because I feel more in shape, thus less worried about what I look like in a swimsuit.  A better mom many ways over.

Mindy Trimble, orginally from Highland, is a stay-at-home mom of two daughters. 

Just To Mix Things Up...

     Just to mix things up, here are some thoughts from a daddy.  I'm the husband of staffer Tanya Boyer.  We just had our third child.  For some reason this one seems to be a lot more draining physically and emotionally than our first two.  Maybe we're just feeling the effects of getting older.

     In any case my wife, Tanya, is passionate about her physical activity.  She loves to run, swim and bike.  After some prodding she finally got me to start running a few years ago.  Running used to seem so pointless to me.  If you're going to expend all that energy at least pick an activity that incorporates some intrinsic enjoyment, like hiking or skiing.  After competing in a few half-marathons though, I’ve begun to find a different kind of satisfaction in the sport. Maybe it comes from the thought, during a 10-mile run at 5:30am, that I’m doing something many can’t do, or maybe it’s seeing my times continually drop lower and lower.  It’s hard to describe, but running does give a sense of achieving something.

     I think for this reason, it’s difficult for Tanya when circumstances prevent her from doing her workouts.  During her pregnancy she really slowed down her physical activity.  Her body just wouldn’t let her do it.  Since the baby was born though, she’s slowly getting back into it.  This means, of course, that I’m sometimes home with three crazy kids demanding attention all at once.  Ironically, I admit I often feel like I’m accomplishing the least during these times.  I mean, I know spending time with your kids is important for long term growth and relationships, but sometimes it’s difficult to find meaning and purpose behind Thomas Trains and Snow White dolls.  While it sometimes feels like a sacrifice as Tanya walks out the door with her running shorts on, I remind myself, as I watch my three-year-old dump a box of Rice Crispies all over the carpet, that this is what moms do all day long.  For Tanya, who deals with the challenges and joys of raising children everyday, I can only imagine the benefit she gets from her workouts, and the small sense of achievement they provide, which somehow puts everything back into perspective. 

Pregnant Mama

Soon to be first-time mom, Joni Stanley, is today's featured athlete.  Joni grew up in Sacramento, California and now lives in Utah with her husband.

At sixteen weeks along, I am at the tail end of the morning sickness.  Just a few more weeks and I get to find out the gender of my baby - how exciting for me!  I have continued to work-out through this pregnancy, but I do caution any expecting mamas to be careful, stay out of the heat, and clear with your doctor before you begin or continue your exercise regimine.  Listen to your body.  It will tell you if you can go harder or if you need to step back and slow down.

A little background on me.  I grew up in northern California and came to Utah to attend BYU.  I am now a RN in Women's and Children's here in the Utah County hospitals.  My husband just finished his MBA and we are so excited for our upcoming arrival.  I have always loved to be in shape, work-out, and participate in various athletic events - triathlons, half-marathons, etc.  I love swimming, running, cycling, pilates and I especially love the feeling I get from a good workout.  My favorite events:  Kokopelli Triathlon and Canyonlands Half Marathon.

I continue to exercise while pregnant because of the health benefits to both baby and me.  Stress relief is my number one reason, as I'm sure it is for many mamas.  Now that my body is changing and will continue to change, exercise is also good for body image.  Pilates is great for back ache and all those other body aches bound to come with pregnancy.  It strengthens the core and helps those muscles hold shape, and essentially prepares the body for labor.  My training now is to prepare my body for the upcoming "event" and just to stay in shape; not for the next competition.

Now lets talk nutrition.  I've always tried to have good eating habits and I usually eat six small meals a day.  That way I don't ever feel hungry or overly-full.  This keeps my blood-sugar level more even with less fluctuations.  And another big benefit - it results in faster metabolism.  One thing I have changed is the amount of water I'm drinking...MORE.

I did very much experience the first-trimester tiredness.  But, I figured I'd rather be tired and have had a good work-out than be tired and not done any physical activity.  I plan to continue some sort of exercise throughout the pregnancy, especially swimming since that is so great for expecting mamas.  The bouyancy of the water helps relieve pressure and it also helps ease the swelling.  After baby comes I'll slowly start with some walking and just see how I feel.  I'll just listen to my body.  Until then, happy workouts!

I TRI For My Soul

 

My name is Ashley. I am a  29 year old small business owner & ex-
collegiate athlete who LOVES sports. I have raced snowboarding, 
played years of tennis matches, always looking for that next 
opponent. Biking, snowboarding, wakeboarding, tennis, golf, running, 
lifting, anything that pushes me and I am there. I live for that 
competitive edge. My husband, an ex collegiate football quarterback, 
jokes we're so competitive we even race trash cans to the end of the 
driveway. Its our combining trait. I love to beat him, I love to win. 
He loves to beat me, he loves to win. We love to do everything 
together. We met at the gym of all places  after months of seeing 
each other work out and from there it was history. We married 4 years 
later. I had everything I could ask for, and I don't mean 
materialistic things. We had a blast together, we were really very in 
love, we were the envy of all our friends. 1 year after being married 
we were blessed with our first baby boy and we were so excited to 
start a new journey in our lives. What was to follow, we least expected.

2 weeks after our son was born in Nov of 2005, my husband started 
getting very sick. We weren't sure what was wrong, We were both VERY 
tired from the effects of a severely colicy baby. We thought he maybe 
had mono and it would eventually go away. It was a very difficult 
Winter, I found no time for myself, I had been giving up everything I 
used to do to take care of my two boys. A new baby and a lifeless 
husband, getting off the coach was a major feat for him.  We finally 
decided to see a doctor and to our surprise they found a tumor in his 
lung the size of his fist and a very swollen spleen. The doctors 
speculated cancer. We were horrified, but felt optimistic. Lung 
cancers and spleens aren't usually related so we were hopeful for 
infection. They scheduled a biopsy to determine what was in his lung 
the day after easter.

Easter morning, I gave my sweet husband a hug goodbye and I ruptured 
his spleen. He passed out right in front of me. He was rushed to the 
emergency room and sent in for an emergency splendecotmy. He lost so 
much blood the doctors almost lost him and they knew he was fighting 
for his life, all the while knowing the tumor in his lung he still 
had to battle. The prognosis was poor for lung cancer. After a few 
months of painful recovery and 50 pounds less, they decided to find 
out what was in his lung. Never before had doctors seen a spontaneous 
spleen ruptor with  lung cancer. Age 30, never smoked a day in his 
life, the pillar of heath, my husband was diagnosed with lung cancer. 
I was in total shock, preparing my life as a single mother and widow 
at the age of 27. The doctors decided to do a lobectomy and take out 
1/2 his left lung. We were told a tumor that size would most likely 
be everywhere in his body and lung cancer survival rates arent 
great.  We were the luckiest little family to find out the tumor was 
contained in his left lung and they believe all the cancer was gone. 
It took the doctors almost a year to diagnose, treat and cure my 
husband. They told him he'd never really be a runner or endurance 
athlete again and from that moment, he sought to prove them wrong.

I had the best possible news in the world, but I felt broken. I 
couldn't move on, I couldn't get past the pain of it all. I was worn out, 
out of shape, and couldn't bare the thought of exercise; exercise that 
used to cure me from any ailment. It was just another "thing" I had 
to do. My soul was unhealthy and tired. My husband came to me one day 
early this summer and said, I want to do a Triathlon Sprint for my 1 
year cancer free celebration. I was shocked. I looked at his broken 
and scarred body and thought.. How? but more importantly I thought... 
Wow. What an inspiration he was to me. I watch him begin to train and 
thought "He's really serious about this." He made the commitment and 
has never gone back.

And so that is the start of my Tri experience. It was my husband that 
pushed me to do this with him. It was early May. We started training 
together, took turns morning and night watching our son. We biked 
together on weekends, we swam laps together at the gym and the lake. 
We went for early evening runs. Life started to seem real again. My 
face had color and body didn't ache all the time. I had energy for 
the first time in a year. Something was happening to us that I can't 
explain, maybe a new chance at life, a new outlook perhaps.

We trained hard for 6 weeks with the hopes of doing the Provo 
Triathlon. It didnt give us a lot of time, but were were committed. 
We pushed each other hard and were very supportive.

The day of the race I was so nervous, but so excited. It was so fun 
to have that feeling again of game day, having that competition, that 
opponent to look forward to. The community of TRI people are so 
amazing, people of all athletic levels coming together for a purpose. 
It was an amazing feeling. We had all the gear, we were totally 
prepared, but what I wasn't prepared for was the feelings I 
experienced while competing. Everyone has a story, everyone has a 
reason, I just didn't realize that my story wasn't going to be about 
the competition after all. The race became about improving my soul. I 
can honestly say that when I crossed the finish line with tears streaming 
down my face, and then 6 minutes later my Rock of a Husband came 
running down, fist pumping and smiling... it was the first time that 
I thought winning wasn't important. We have conquered and won already 
in so many other ways. I can say, however, we are hooked. We are total 
Triathletes now signing up and competing in as many as we can. We are 
hoping to do an olympic distance by the end of the year and we thank 
the sport for what it has  given us.

Inspiration From Tri-ing Women

My focused attention to the sport of triathlon all began with an email from a friend inviting me to join her for the Utah Summer Games Triathlon. At the time, I was nearly one year out from having my first child and still felt like I was in the “recovering” stage getting adjusted to the new lifestyle and the added weight that had so sneakily attached itself to my midsection. There was no way I could be ready for a triathlon in just a few short months. My life felt a little out of my control. I told her that maybe I would join her at another event later in the year if I could find some motivation and lose some weight.

As the days past I thought more and more about this “triathlon” thing. It really did sound like a great way to get active again and to gain a feeling of accomplishment.  After semi-making up my mind that I did want to start training for a triathlon, I stumbled upon the Utah Mama’s both at the Salt Lake Marathon Wellness Expo. I grabbed a handout and the nice lady there told me all about these ladies from Utah Mama that decided to train for a triathlon. She also told me about the website and online blog where I could go to find out more.

I returned home that day to anxiously explore the website and find out all about these courageous moms that decided to start the endeavor of training for a triathlon. Some were starting out a little more in shape than others but they made the commitment to do it. It was great to be able to go to the blog every few days and read about their latest training sessions but especially their struggles and finding time to get their workouts and juggle kids at the same time. This showed me how human they were and that they were moms just like me. There was now a light at the end of the tunnel that told me that I really could do it.

Since I didn’t know much about the mechanics of a triathlon I decided to volunteer for the Women’s Tri in Bountiful. And as a bonus, this was the race that the Utah Mamas would be in. Cool!!! Little did I know that I would not only learn more of the “how to” of tri but I would find the true inspiration that I needed to commit myself to training and “tri”ing.

I showed up in Bountiful bright and early Saturday morning. I put on my snazzy turquoise volunteer t-shirt and went to man the entrance of the transition site. All of the athletes were preparing their transition area and getting mentally ready. I remembered hearing that the tri this year had record registration. I kept looking at all those women, knowing that 50% or more were first-time triathletes, and saying to myself, “I can’t believe that this many ladies are going to do this triathlon . . . how incredible!”

My race assignment was on the run course. I stood there for quite a while in anticipation for the first runner to come by. Could people actually swim, bike, and still have the will to complete the run? Finally, the first runner came. She was a dark-haired athletic lady and she didn’t even look tired! There was not another runner for another minute or so after her. I was amazed at her agility and speed. There were many more ladies to cross my path throughout the race. Some were walking, some were running, and some looked like they were REALLY ready to see the finish line. Despite all their feelings of exhaustion and pain, each lady pushed on and endured. They were determined in mind no matter what physical level they were on. There was no question that they indeed believed in themselves.

Near the end of the race there was a sweet lady who’s family was waiting for her around the last bend of the run before the stretch to the finish line. Grandma, grandpa, husband, and two sons. As she finally came walking around the corner I could see the look of pure exhaustion on her face. Her family cheered her on and her two small sons grabbed her by the hands and walked with her the rest of the way to the finish line. I think I actually got a tear or two in my eye. It was so inspiring! Every woman there that day inspired me. When I left to go home I felt like I was on top of the world. I felt like I could do anything I wanted. I had such a feeling of empowerment. Thanks to the Utah Mamas and all of the other ladies who participated in the tri that day. You did more for me that day than you’ll ever know.

Jessica Orchard, mama to one year old son, currently lives in Kearns.