RACE DAY from Jill's Perspective

It’s the night before the race, my very first race, ever. I’m so excited I can barely stand it. I feel a little bit like I did the night before my wedding. Full of hope anticipation and expectation. I have a lot of emotions and thoughts running through my head. I thought I would share a few of these with you. Well, first I think I will share my nightmare from a couple weeks ago so we end this blog on a high note.
So the other night I dreamt it was race day. Me Cassie and Amy were there ready to go and so excited. We take our spots at the start line and we are surrounding with 2 types of people: children under the age of ten and men and women with really gray hair, obviously much older than us….Since we all color and/or pluck our gray hair out (with the exception of Cassie – she is the youngest and has no gray). The race begins and we are doing it. However, we are at the very back of the pack. Everyone passes us and just as we are about to cross the finish line an elderly gentleman in a wheelchair with an IV attached to him zooms right by us. We were dead last. I woke up in cold sweat.
THIS is how I daydream about the race.
It’s race day. Me Cassie and Amy show up looking like Movie Stars in our Running Spuds T-shirts (courtesy of Advertising Mania) with full makeup and the best ponytails you ever saw. I am wearing the sweatband of all sweatbands. Our fan’s line the streets with Running Spuds shirts and Signs with my name in glitter chanting our names. The crowd goes wild. They wanna know who we are, where they can get a shirt, and where did I get my cute sweatband. The gun sounds and we take off. The sun shining on us, not a gray hair in sight. We stand a little taller, run a little faster, and wave to our adoring fans. Even Oprah shows up to bid us Good Luck. She’s been following the blog and finds us hysterical.
We are laughing. We are the pace setters. The Epcot ball is glistening in the sun and we are pumped. Oh look, there is the water station. I’ll take one of those. I chug the water, crush the cup and toss it to the side. I can hear music. It beats to my pace. I smile to everyone cheering us on. Finally, we see it. The finish line…It is the most glorious thing I have ever seen. Our pace picks up we hold hands raise them high and cross the line with the whole world chanting…RUNNING SPUDS RUNNING SPUDS RUNNING SPUDS. We stop, the whole world stops and it’s just the three of us. All we can hear now is the sound of our hearts beating and theme music to Rocky. We look at each other and burst into tears. We hug each other and our family comes over and gives us a giant group hug. WE DID IT!!!!
And then of course a giant jug of Gatorade is poured over heads.
It might be a stretch, but oh well. It could happen.
Now, I will share with you what actually happened on RACE DAY.
What no one tells you about running a morning race is that you have to get up early. We FINALLY know what the butt-crack of dawn looks like, and let us tell ya - it ain't pretty. Speaking of pretty, we decided that we were going to need to look beautiful when we crossed the finish line, so we all did full makeup and hair, which required us getting up even earlier!

Each of us had our own personal night-before preparations for the race. I tried on all my clothes and ran around the house a couple of times to make sure that my undergarments wouldn't, um, ride. Cassie ironed her shants (short pants) and prayed that God would give her "hinds feet in high places." We both prayed that the golf cart wouldn't come and pick us up for running too slow.

When we got to the race in the Imagination lot at Epcot, the adrenaline was pumping as loudly as the music. Some people were in full “Princess” costume. We were taking it all very seriously. Stretching, emptying our bladders, stretching some more.

At this point, our excitement level was at a 10. In fact, the words "OMGITSRACEDAY" became our go-to phrase and our twitter hashtag. We thought we might actually explode. It was close to the start time and they were herding us into the corral which were marked with paces. So we went to our appropriate pace slot. The gun sounded and we were READY!!!! Our family and friends were there with their Running Spuds Tshirts and signs. We felt like true rock stars.
Unfortunately we had never run with 5,000 people for and were not ready for how slow 5,000 people can go. I mean seriously!!! This is a race people. Move or get out of my way. But they wouldn’t, and I was getting angry. Amy, however, ditched around the orange cones and we never saw her again. Finally about ½ mile in the crowd thinned out and I was mortified to find out that some people were walking. What?!?! You are messing up my time! We were running though. And enjoying the beautiful Epcot scenery. Still however trying to bust through little walking groups who obviously had no idea the importance of this race to us Spuds. All the Disney people were there cheering us on including characters! Sorry, Mickey, I can’t take pics with you now, I got a finish line to cross. The most exciting part was the water station. I took that cup and tried to guzzle the water like in my daydream but was too hyped up and could only take a sip. I tried to crush the cup but it was the heavy duty plastic cups and didn’t really work but I threw it on the ground anyway.
OK…there it is the final ¼ mile. I pick up my pace and turn the corner and set my sights on the finish line. I felt like I was floating. And there it was the finish line and I was going to cross it running….not on a golf cart. I cried when I crossed it. Then when I saw Cassie cross it I cried harder because she was crying. And then it happened….Our names…over the LOUD SPEAKERS…”Congratulations to Cassie Jill and Amy our Running Spuds.”

It wasn’t Oprah but it was still pretty dang cool. Also, there was a lot less glitter than I had imangined and my poor mom had spent the entire race in the porta potty throwing up. But still it was definitely a fantastical experience. And you know what I learned, I don’t anyone to carry me on their shoulders and chant my name to feel completely and totally accomplished. I just need my Running Spud T shirt and my Running Spud Cassie. Thank you to my amazing Cousin Cassie for inspiring me and encouraging me and pushing me. This feeling I have at the finish line is because of you. Thanks for more laughs and better memories than I have ever have.

I need a nap.
Where’s the couch?

T-Minus 1 Day!

After over nine weeks of training, tomorrow is the day!  We will run our first 5K at 7:00 am. 

Both Jill and I have had family in town from Indiana to celebrate and cheer us on, so it's been difficult to find the time to blog together.  However, we will leave you with this one little video clip of our check-in today at Disney's Wide World of Sports:



We will check in tomorrow, after the race, to give you the final run-down of the day's events.  Wish us luck! 

Track Shack by Cassie & Jill

Well our marathon, um 5K, is about 2 weeks away, and we've been seriously evaluating our wardrobe for the day of the race.  This is of primary importance, because we don't want to look poorly dressed, sweaty, and red-faced as we cross the finish line.  If we're going to be sweaty and red-faced, we at least want to be in matching outfits.  And, one of us (ahem, Jill) has been sort of obsessing over getting a sweatband.  So after our run together on Wednesday, we decided to make our first ever foray into the one place that true runners go in order to obtain cute running attire... THE RUNNERS STORE.  

Orlando actually has a great runner's store on Mills Avenue called Track Shack.  

It's where real runners go.  It's like a giant wonderland of everything a runner could ever possibly need.  Like stretchy pants!  License plate frames that say I HEART RUNNING!  Fanny packs with special energy bar pockets!  Wristbands!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  


We clearly need it all:

I Want It All from Cassie Hendon on Vimeo.

When we arrived in the store, we met the diva of Orlando running, Betsy. Betsy owns Track Shack (more about her in another post). She knows pretty much everything about running. It was after meeting her that we realized what we knew of running was but a drop in the vast, enormous ocean that is running knowledge. It's quite intimidating:

The god of running from Cassie Hendon on Vimeo.

We had quite a successful visit and were able to obtain shoes (more to come soon about our shoe-buying experience), but unfortunately, the pursuit of the sweatband was fruitless. :-( Keep dreamin, Jill.

Week 7 - Running is Mental, by Cassie

Running is mental because you literally have to be crazy to do it.  This was Week 7 of the training program for us.  And week 7 was, by far, our hardest week yet.  By now we are running for long spans of time.  And by long, I mean 25 minutes.  You might be thinking, "Twenty-five minutes?  That's nothing!  An episode of The Office only lasts for 25 minutes.  It goes by in a flash." To that I say, when The Office causes you to hurt, breathe heavy, and sweat for the entire span that you're watching it, call me.  When your muscles hurt and you feel like you've been kicked in your nether-regions by a steel-toe boot after 25 minutes of The Office, call me.  We'll talk then.  

This week both Jill and I experienced what it was like to NOT be able to make it through an entire run.  In week 7,  a lot of Couch-to-5K'ers end up quitting the program.  It's a big deal to go from running ten minutes, taking a break, and then running again, to running a solid 25 minutes.  This is when your mind starts playing games with you.  Your brain starts saying things to convince you to stop running, even if your body is ok with it.  Your mind tries to reason itself out of running by thinking things like:

• People were only meant to run from dinosaurs and stuff.  When cars were invented this became obsolete.
• Even though you just tweeted to all 3 of your followers that you were about to go for a run, no one will know if you walk. 
• Look at that old man walking in front of you.  If you pass him up you'll make him feel bad that he's so slow. You better slow down.
• Why don't you just walk, but lift your knees really high?  It's almost like running.
• If you run too hard you'll mess up your body and have to start ordering Boniva pills from Sally Field.
• I shouldn't push my self because I:  ate a heavy lunch / haven't eaten lunch / haven't drank water / drank too much water / have a headache / am just getting over a headache, etc. {fill in the blank}

This is when you look down at your timer and you realize that you are ALMOST there.  You just have five good minutes of running left before you can finally give in to the urgings of your brain and walk.  Obviously, your mind is bent on talking you out of running.  So you have to distract your mind.


This is where "CASSIE'S MENTAL TRICKS FOR FINISHING A RUN" come in.  I only actually have two tricks, but they work.


1.  Street Distraction.  The lakefront path that I run on is perpendicular to a series of streets named after states.  So, as I pass a street, I use the street name as a catalyst for thinking thoughts about that particular state.  My mental script might sound something like this:  New Jersey, New Jersey, who do I know that lives in New Jersey?...Ooh the Real Housewives of New Jersey...Those crazy italian broads...Ooh I want spaghetti!... And GARLIC BREAD!!!...My friend Joe lives in New Jersey...It's cold there now...Glad I don't live in New Jersey...Wonder how his job's going.  Do they have a website?  I'll have to check that out...I wish I had a website...It would be purple....  In this technique, I try to think of as many random thoughts having to do with that state as I can  until I reach the next state, when my thoughts might sound something like this... Missouri, Missouri, who's a senator from Missouri?... I sure don't know... We visited Branson, Missouri on vacation... Branson has a great steakhouse...  This trick will work for any type of street names, not just state streets.  Presidents, flower names, etc. - really any names you can make random associations with to distract you from your run.


2.  iPod Shuffle Diversion Technique (ISDT).  I have two variations of the ISDT, and I tend to save them for the very last few minutes of the run, especially if things are getting really bad.  The first is where I open up my iPod to the playlist and just shuffle through the songs, feigning dissatisfaction with any song that comes up.  Like this:  [shuffle] Poker face?  I'll poke YOU in the face with my awesome running skills!  What a crappy song.  Next... [shuffle]  Ooh yeah, Black Eyed Peas, I'm gonna boom boom pow all over this run! [play song for 20 seconds... then shuffle] I like to move it, move it, you know I do!  [shuffle, etc., to the end of the run].  One fun modification of the ISDT is available on updated iPhones.  Now, when you shake your phone, it shuffles the songs at every shake.  So sometimes I tuck it in my sports bra and let it go crazy for the last few minutes of the run!  Love technology!


Remember, kids.  Running is mental.  It helps if you're mental, too.  Which is why I'm so good at it. 

A Torrid Affair by Jill

This is the story of my love/hate relationship with The Potato Masher.


It began several weeks ago in a virtual world called iTunes. I stared across the page and locked eyes with it. I heard the angels singing and the light from heaven shined down and illuminated the Couch to 5K app for my iPhone. Alas, it was $4.99 and I am more of a free app kind of girl. Several days go by and I cannot get it out of my head. I need it. I have to have it. It gets the best of me and I download it. And I hear it for the first time. Ahhhh!


App: "Welcome to Couch to 5K. Begin warm-up now."

Me: "Well hello lovely. Your steady voice welcomes me and calms me. I no longer need to do long math problems of addition and division to figure out where I am in the program. This is going to be amazing. This is the beginning of something beautiful."

App: "Run now"

Me: "Oh I love this. I can just listen to you and you will guide me and I feel safe holding onto you. I am running and I'm not doing math. This is great.
(time lapse)
Man, how much longer do I have to go? When are you going to call out me? When will you remember I am waiting for you? Say it! Say it! Say it right now!!
(time lapse)
How you hurt me. You care nothing about me. Everything is on your timetable, your schedule. What about me? What about my needs? Don't you care I'm hurting? No you don't. All you care about is what you want. You selfish little jerk... I oughta throw you in that lake right there.

App: "Walk now"

Me: "Oh thank you thank you thank you! You do care about me. You do care about how I'm feeling. I was so wrong about you. This situation is so much better than me being on my own. I need you. I can't do this without you."
(time lapse)
Now because of you I can notice the birds singing and appreciate the beauty of nature all around me. You have eliminated my stress about the schedule. Thank you for loving me enough to plan for me.

App: "Run now"

Me: "Are you freaking kidding me?! That was not 3 minutes. You promised me a full 3 minutes and you lied. How can I trust you? Did it ever occur to you that I don't feel like running? That maybe, just maybe, I wanted to keep walking? No it didn't. Because you never ask me what I want. You just tell me what to do all the time, with no regard for my wants, or my needs. Man, I can't believe I fell for you. Please, I want out of this. I can't take it anymore. You are too difficult to deal with. Look at me! I'm crying! You did this! You did this to me and you don't care at all. I HATE YOU! I never wanna hear your voice again."

App: "Cooldown"

Me: "Oh my goodness! I was so wrong. Please forgive me. I should have never have doubted you. You're right, I feel so much better now. You do just want what is best for me. You do want me to succeed. I know that's why you push me so hard. I was so wrong. I do wanna hear your voice. You make me feel like I am on top of the world."

App: "Workout Complete" (check mark appears in box)

Me: "Thank you for making me a better woman. You complete me."

Week 6 - We're Still At It

For those of you who aren't familiar with our training schedule, usually Jill and I run together every Wednesday because I have the morning off. Two other days of the week, we run separately since we have different schedules.

This particular Wednesday started with me getting the following text message at 8:37 a.m.:

Jill: Can I come now? Let's lay in bed for a little bit. I'm tired.

So when she arrived, we went upstairs and got under the covers. What you don't understand about Jill and me is that we come from a long line of Studdard women. Women with this family name have "lay-in-bed-under-the-covers-for-long-periods-of-time" firmly encrypted into their genetic code. We just can't get away from it. So this is what the first portion of our training day looked like:


Untitled from Cassie Hendon on Vimeo.

At 10:00 exactly, we got up from bed, and proceeded with our training.  We did our 5 minute warm-up, an 5 minute run, a 3 minute walk, an 8 minute run, another 3 minute walk, and a final 5 minute run, with a 5 minute cool down.  We were on a roll once we started running, and actually ran further than we ever have!  Unfortunately, this was due to us NOT hearing the voice of The Potato Masher (the endearing term we use for the voice on our Couch-to-5K training application that tells us when to walk and run), telling us that we'd reached the halfway point.  We actually ended up going the full distance of the 5K, and in under 45 minutes.  That was really encouraging since we're only on week 6, and we know our endurance and speed will increase as we continue training through week 9 in prep for our 5K on March 6.  


After such a great accomplishment, what did we do?  Well, check it out for yourself:

 
Untitled from Cassie Hendon on Vimeo.

P.S. For those of you who doubt that we ever left the bed and went on our run, please note that my clothes are different and my hair is pulled back in video 2!

Week 5 - Not Only Do We Run, We Do It Upside Down!

Unfortunately, vimeo has an occasional issue with iphone videos not uploading properly that has yet to be fixed by their tech staff. However, for our adoring fans who question whether or not we're still on the running wagon, this video is proof.


Even the birds are cheering us on! :-)



Week 5 from Cassie Hendon on Vimeo.

Week 4 - Like A Rockstar!

Ah, week four. Aside from my deep chest cold and stuffy nose that forced me to breathe like an asthmatic elephant, and Jill's "amish bangs" that plagued her during this run, we are progressing quite well. See for yourself:



Week 4 Running Spuds Vlog from Cassie Hendon on Vimeo.

Visualization for Athletes (That's Us) by Jill & Cassie

We found an interesting article about how athletes (that's us) can use visualization to help them achieve their goals.  We thought we'd share it with you, and add in some of our commentary, wisdom gained over FOUR WHOLE WEEKS of running.  Our comments are in parenthesis. 

VISUALIZATION PREPARATION FOR ATHLETES

For some time, visualization in sports has been granted "weird" status by many who do not understand it (oh, WE understand it). In spite of that bias, visualization has continued to grow as a valuable tool used by nearly every Olympic and professional athlete (That's us.  We're runners.  You're not). There was also a time when people pooh-poohed the idea of using computers to analyze physical movement and train for improvement, but that is now commonplace also (My pooh poohing wasn't commonplace either, but I took the Activia challenge and it fixed that.)Whether you call it visualization, imagery, mental rehearsal, or mental practice, the idea is to place importance on improving your cognitive performance along with your physical performance.

...It is also important that we use all 5 senses in the process. When you examine the methods and even the language we use in sports, you can tell how important these senses are. A good visualization should include all your senses, even when the image is relatively short-term. Here's how they relate:


Sight - It is important to actually "see" what you will do (Cassie:  I see my tight, taut, tanned legs with no cellulite, draped in cute Nike running shorts.  I don't SEE my legs rubbing together when I run.  Nope, they DON'T do that. Jill: I visualize finally wearing a sweatband, crossing the finish line with my entire family wearing Running Spuds t-shirts and greeting me there with signs that say my name in glitter, and a Five Guys cheeseburger). Again, think of those bobsledders at the Olympics, golfers, etc.who stand and "see" what they are about to do, then go and do it. We even use the term "you have that look in your eyes", as though we can recognize when someone looks as though they are about to succeed, though we can certainly see determination or concentration or seriousness of purpose (yep, we got all that). 


Touch - What will you literally feel during the activity? (I feel sweaty.  I feel tired.  I feel like I need a nap.  And there's a brief point right before the halfway mark that I feel really angry and just wanna hit that cute running mom with her sporty jogging stroller.  How dare she pass me so arrogantly as I sit here and pant for my last breath!  Then of course that feeling passes, and I jog up next to her and say, hey, isn't it great that we're runners?)  It may be the touch of the ball/bat/club in your hands or the grass/turf under your feet. We talk about an athlete having "that feeling of power" when they are performing exceptionally(Hopefully what we don't feel is the dog poo under our shoe on the track.).


Smell - Will there be popcorn (we HOPE!!), fresh grass, rain or water, locker room odors (oh God, who forgot deodorant?), etc. in connection with your activity? ...We often hear the phrase "the sweet smell of success", even though we know that success has no actual odor (Shoot, our kind of success smells like it needs a shower afterwards!).


Sounds - There are lots of natural ones that occur in games and practices - bat hits ball, pads crash, swish of the net (swish of my swishy pants) - so it is important for us to filter the ones we enjoy into our visualizations. We say, "It sounds good to me".  (After the first initial groans of the run, we just mainly hear our asthmatic wheezing as we take the last corner and head for the car.  We hear the beautiful sound of the lady on our Couch-To-5K running app, also known by us as The Potato Masher, saying "Walk Now".) 


Tastes - In sports, these are not always the greatest things (They must be in the wrong sport.  Have they tried competitive eating?). We might taste our own sweat, blood in our mouth, acrid odors, etc. (which, by the way, can all be washed away by a post-run chocolate chip cookie), yet we recognize others as positive. We say that victory is "sweet", and that losses are "bitter".  (Wait.  Who's competing?  I thought we were doing this for charity!)
It is vitally important that when you are structuring your visualizations, you incorporate as much from your senses as possible, so the image will be as real as possible. The more real your imagery, the more successful your technique will be.