The Goofy: My Version

500 Club Medal, Mini 500 Finishers Medal, Pump and Run Bronze, Flying Pig Finishers Medal 

Have you ever heard of the Goofy Challenge? It's part of the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend where you run a half on Saturday then the full on Sunday; finishing both races earns you a special "Goofy Medal". I know there are several other races that offer participants challenges like this, usually called "doublers". For example, Pikes Peak offers the ascent only on Saturday and the full on Sunday; the Post Oak does the same but with a 50k, then a marathon.

Well, earlier this month, I created my own Goofy or Doubler by running the Indianapolis Mini 500 on Saturday May 5th, and the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon on Sunday May 6th. The Mini 500 is the nations largest half marathon with 35,000 runners and a trip around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Other than the run through downtown and the 2 mile lap around the speedway, there is not much scenery at this race, but the speedway makes the race worth it.




35,000 at the Mini Start and The Indy Motor Speedway

Crossing the Bricks, then giving them a kiss. 




Cincinnati is a short 2 hour drive from Indianapolis and host one of the best marathons I have participated in. The Flying Pig has a great route that runs through two states (Ohio and Kentucky), downtown Cincinnati, spirited neighborhoods, offers awesome views of the river, and after a steady incline from miles 5-9 it is flat to downhill the rest of the way. In addition to the course, the expo gives away some of the best SWAG of any race: shirt, logo duffle bag, and event poster are included with registration.

Running out of Downtown Cincinnati and uphill the next 4 miles, Pump and Run at the Expo 

At the Flying Pig there is also a separate event called the pump and run. This event allow race participants to bench press a % of their body weight and deduct a the time form their overall finish time. There is a separate registration fee, and money raised goes to local charities. I was able to complete 16 reps, good for a 32 minutes deduction from my overall time. Without the deduction, I was third place for all those who signed up in the pump and run, but after everyone's deduction, I finished in 13 place.

The Goofy/Doubler weekend was a lot of fun and I look forward to doing another one sometime soon, but next time with my currently prego running partner.

One of several "Flying Pigs" placed around the course and possible my favorite shirt ever

Running While Preggo: 3rd Trimester

Finishing up the 2^nd trimester was great.  I was feeling really good and still enjoying running up to 5 miles, about 5 times a week. Once I hit about 7 months I got shin splints. It was strange because I have never had shin splints. After doing a little research I realized that it isn’t uncommon for pregnant runners to get them because of the quick increase in weight. That would make sense as I began to get bigger! So, I took some advice from livestrong.com (which is a great resource for athletes btw) and took a week off. After that I gradually got back to 3-5mi runs, but I had to start out really slow to warm up my legs. In April I did the Walker Johns 5K. My goal was to keep my mile times around or slower than 10min.  For the most part, I succeeded. It was nice to feel “back in the game”. Dustin kicked booty at that race. It was a 2 loop course and he took 1^st place overall in the 10K by a long shot!!! On his first loop, he ran by as the 2^nd runner overall in the 5K. People were trying to get him to go through the finishing shoot, but he had to tell them that he still had another lap!!!  Such a stud :)

The past few weeks (starting around pregnancy week 32) it has been tougher to get my calves and shins warmed up enough to where I can continually run. I still felt great overall, but my legs below the knee weren’t very interested.  It would take about 2 miles before I could run continually and hills seemed to aggravate it more so I substituted the HS track for my running group. I miss running with the girls, but I didn’t want to make them stop to walk. Dustin was sweet enough to still want to run with me, especially since he seems to frequently be either recovering or tapering from his Marathon Maniac quest.

This week I hit 35 weeks. As I went out to the track on Monday I realized my body felt tired. I just wasn’t in to it anymore.  I had to go up a notch on my baby belt so it felt a little loose. Finals were over and I was no longer in need of my trusty de-stressor. I thought, “Why am I doing this?” So, I decided to stop.

Since January I have been going with Dustin to the pool to swim laps with him on off days.  I enjoy swimming because it doesn’t seem like pregnancy has too much affect on it.  I just make sure to stop to rest and get a drink after every 12 lengths or so, since I have a difficult time being able to tell if I am tired or not. Now that I am not running I will alternate between swimming, walking, and resting. :)

I feel so blessed that I have been able to run for this long. I hope that other pregnant women realize this isn’t the norm and that other dads-to-be don’t expect their wives to continue running, even in the first trimester. Pregnancy is different for each woman and so is how much they can exercise. But if you CAN do it, I would highly suggest it! For me it helped ward off the typical pregnancy “symptoms” and I’ve been told it leads to an easier delivery (and a smarter, healthier baby)- which I would love to happen!

I’m sad to see my running end for now, but it will be nice to take some time off. If I would have had to quit during the school year, I think it would have been really tough. But, now it’s time to sit back, relax, and get ready for Basil’s arrival.  Less than 5 weeks til due date! Things are about to really change in our running world :) And, I think it involves a jogging stoller!