WoW! What a Run.....

Thanks so very much to all sponsors, volunteers and participants of
KMXT's 4th Annual RUN THE ROCK!
Everyone together, along with our good friend, Mother Nature, helped make this year's RTR an amazing experience.

As for my performance? Well, I went ahead and let Jaymi Bethea win the Women's 5K race this year. I wanted to make sure she had her chance to establish a new women's record for the course!
Her Mom, Michelle B., is my track buddy and we enjoyed many miles together in preparation for the big event. It turned out that I was needed behind the scenes of Run the Rock and Michelle had to be somewhere else as well. Jaymi stepped in for her Mom and , well, made history.
(Look for us to vindicate ourselves in November's Turkey Trot!).

Congratulations to the winner's of each of the events. Check out all of the results online.

Even though it was a disappointment to not walk/run with my buddy, I still got the equivalent of a "Runner's High." The joy of the participants was completely infectious. It was thrilling to see so many, "happy, shiny people"enjoying a fun, healthy experience together~
If you didn't get a chance to participate this year, why not make a note to join us next October to run, walk, volunteer or cheer! If you did participate and you'd like to share a comment about the experience, please e-mail me at diana.gish@kmxt.org. Comments, positive and otherwise, will help KMXT continue to fine tune the operation for your enjoyment!

Thanks so much for following along with the Rookie~
I get so inspired when I see you RUN THE ROCK!

Cheers,
Diana

Inspiration for All!

WELL, no excuses for my absence.... when the fall schedule gets outta' control than you just havta' find a way whether its at 5 a.m. or midnight....
I miss my laps around the track with my buddy Michelle and my fun runs in Fort Abercrombie with the Wild Things...
My laps became lapse but hey, I'm not quitting and I think that's what this whole thing is about anyhow... I'm posting an inspirational link for all of us whoever think,"I just CAN'T..." Enjoy the inspiration and remember, there is still time to sign up for KMXT's RUN THE ROCK! Our marathon, half-marathon, 10K and 5K will take place October 9th. Sign-up on-line at www.kmxt.org at Orion's Mountain Sports, 58 Degrees North, The Kodiak Athletic Club or at KMXT 620 Egan Way in Kodiak!

Actual Running Occurs...

Ok, Something's happening here.
All day today I've had this nagging urge to run.
The last time I felt like that was....uh....was....
let's see....I actually can't recall the last time I felt like that.
I sometimes do get the occasional craving for exercise but that constant voice that says, "...wonder when I can get a run in?", now THAT voice I haven't heard in many years.

My two Run-The-Rock-track-buddies weren't available yesterday but the oldest Wild Thing was. He just finished his first season on the KHS JV X-Country team and I do believe he was jonesin' a bit for his after-school endorphins. I, on the other hand, wanted to sit in the car and wait for the 12-year-old Wild Thing's football practice to end. But with less than three weeks until KMXT's Run The Rock Race, "sitting one out" wasn't going to cut it.


With non-stop encouraging patter from Wild Thing #1
I managed to run two miles then walk 3/4 of a mile. After that, insanity kicked in:
I looked across the football field at Baranof to those flights of steep wooden steps leading from the playground up to Main Elementary and mistakenly asked, "Should we...?" The next thing I know I've run the steps three times, run behind the school to another flight of stairs, up, back down, thru some woods and back to the track. I'm not sure how far I ran altogether but I felt so very, very, very accomplished and ready to do it again.

Last night as I laid my head down on my pillow, I felt so happy. It was almost as if a big-ole-chunk of darkness had disappeared from my brain, making way for more light.

I can't wait to go again...

KMXT's Run the Rock Marathon, Half-Marathon, 10K and 5K race take place in Kodiak on October 9th! You can register on-line at www.kmxt.org or at the KMXT Studios at 620 Egan Way, at the Kodiak Athletic Club, 58 Degrees North or at Orion's.

Strength in Numbers! 20 Training Days Left!

WHOA!!!!
How in the world could we be down to 20 TRAINING DAYS LEFT until October 9th and KMXT's RUN THE ROCK?

For some of you running junkies that's no big deal, right?
For those of us just starting (or re-emerging) the time is getting a little too close, too soon.

But, no worries! I doubt that I can do worse than last year when I was the unofficial "Red Lantern Winner." For those not familiar with the Iditarod, the red lantern goes to the last musher and dog team to arrive in Nome. Speaking of the Iditarod, one of our participants this year will be running her dog with a snow-less "rig." April and her dog will be doing the 5K behind the lead runners. They'll make an interesting addition to our fun event.
And by the way, even though I tied for last place at last year's Run the Rock, I still had a great time! You can too, no matter what your race or your pace! Community running events are happy, feel-good experiences with excitement, camaraderie and yes, those feel-good endorphins. So maybe my pride took a little bruising last year but that feeling quickly faded when I realized that YES! I finished and so did all three of The Wild things! And boy-oh-boy I'll never again confuse a Kodiak mile with a Kansas mile~ they are two entirely different beasts. When my mind heard "5K" I translated that into 3.1 familiar miles...oops!

If you're new to jogging/running/walking, don't worry about your race time, just come to have fun.
For the advanced runners who will be "CONTENDUHS" you CAN worry about your time! We're offering 1st, 2nd and 3rd place medals for men and women in each of the Run the Rock events: Marathon, Half-Marathon, 10K and 5K~

The best part of getting ready for Run the Rock is gaining a training buddy or two! Michelle B. and I try our best to fit in trips around the track when we can. We may be joined this week by Melody Livingston , one of our newly-elected board members here at KMXT (the others include: re-elected Mike Friccero, Kathrynn Hollis-Buchanan and Jody Spivey).

Hey, I may not get a Run The Rock medal but I've made some new buddies and that makes me feel like a real winner!

23 Days 'til KMXT's Run the Rock!

A solid three weeks left to train for KMXT's Run the Rock on Saturday, Oct. 9th!

Ok, so my "training" hasn't exactly gone in a straight line so far. There are always challenges when trying to fit in exercise. It pretty much boils down to "how much do you want this?." After losing traction on my gym time for the last way-too-many weeks, I "wanted it" bad enough to shoot for a 5 a.m. workout this morning. I left the house at 5:20 a.m. and was immediately rewarded with THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SKY I've ever seen! As I walked up the path (in the dark!) I looked up and saw, as Carl Sagan might have said, "billions and billions" of stars sparkling over my head. I felt like dancing for joy as I marveled at the sight. It seemed to me like a good omen for my new workout plan so I shook off my desire to sit and drink coffee and got myself to the Kodiak Athletic Club. Another bonus this morning was getting to see a hero: Champion bodybuilder Valene Wilde!

BUT WAIT....there's SO MUCH MORE!

Whenever I take the 12-year-old Wild Thing to football practice I know there's a chance I'll see my track buddy Michelle B. When I see Michelle I know its time to shake off the excuses and start doing laps around the Baranof Track. This time, I had a little surprise for Michelle, I told her our workout might have to be put off since my tire just exploded. Yep, that's right, I was sitting in my totally non-descript-mini-van-Mom-Taxi outside the track (watching the 14-year-old Wild Thing at KHS Cross Country practise) when out of the blue
THARSHEBLOWS: BBBBBBBBBBBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMWWWWWHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF ffffffffffffftttttttttttttttt...!(How do you spell that horrible sound anyway?)
It sounded like the end of the world. I was hoping it was power lines sizzling overhead (sorry KEA!) but in my heart I knew the deal... especially with every member of the KHS Cross Country team staring in wonderment in my direction.
The tire was a goner and well, lets just say, that kinda thing is not my kinda thing.
But my buddy Michelle is a lady of action and she jumped back in the truck to run home and grab KMXT VOLUNTEER Willy B! who also happens to be her husband. Willy B jumped right in and under and all-around to get my spare from under the van and get to work. Michelle and I tried to offer him moral support but after awhile he started asking us when we were going to hit the track. After a few minutes of working thru our guilt we took to the track at last.
I still can't believe that inspite of the incident, we managed to jog 3/4's of a mile and walk a mile. Tonight we're doing two miles, hopefully without incident...
I'm so grateful for Michelle and Willy B and for sunshine and warm temps (rather than ice, sleet, sideways rain) and for being in a parking spot (rather than a main road) when my tire exploded!
Tonight Michelle and I plan to check out the lecture at the Alutiiq museum after our 2 miles. See you there?

Have you signed up? KMXT's Run the Rock Marathon, Half-Marathon, 10K or 5K

31 Days to KMXT's Run the Rock!

What a beautiful week in Kodiak!
The weather is fabulous this week and perfect for running, walking and hiking (and all those things Kodiakans do).

I've approached training for Run the Rock a little like a procrastinator approaches homework; finding lots of other important and productive things to do while avoiding THE thing that must be done. I loved the weight lifting and dancing I did this summer and I don't want those to stop but if I want to have a fun 5K on October 9 I've got to put in the laps (can I get a no, DUH!?).

Yesterday my track buddy Michelle and I zipped around the track for 45 minutes. I thought I'd start running yesterday but its been so many days since our last workout that we decided to walk for four days before we start in on the running/jogging/shuffling. With 4 weeks and 3 days to go until Run the Rock, I was very pleased to wake up this morning with the soreness that says, "Yes! I DID get a workout!"

A bonus to walking/running with my buddy Michelle is that she's always up to take in a lecture with me. Last night we learned all about the amazing seabird the Kittletz's Murrlett in a wonderful presentation at the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitor's Center. Mind &
Body fitness!

Here's a link I found for how to move from 1 mile up to a 5K~ I'm going to give the plan a try.

Runner's World: How to work up to a 5K

Sign up for KMXT's Run the Rock races on-line at www.kmxt.org or in person at KMXT. Registration forms available at Orion's, 58 Degrees North & The Kodiak Athletic Club!

Revvin' Up for Run the Rock!

32 days 'til KMXT's Run the Rock!

Now...NOW... I'm getting jazzed to train.
This all started for me on the 1st Day of July.
At that point there were 100 days of training to go.
I'm not sure how...but somehow we're here at 4 weeks and 4 days left to go.
Ordinarily I'd be panicked because of all the training I've done running has been the smallest part. For a bunch of the summer I've been lifting weights at the Kodiak Athletic Club and loving it and I spent two glorious weeks taking summer dance camp classes at Kodiak's Little School of Dance. I got stronger and more flexible but alas,
running is a different animal that requires that "cardiovascular thang."

So WHY am I geeked? 4 good reasons:

(1)Having someone to lap the track with!My buddy Michelle B. (see pic from Ft. Abercrombie 5K) and I have been meeting up at the track during the 12 year old Wild Thing's football practice. (2) Watching the 14 year old Wild Thing turn into a real runner under the amazing guidance of Coach Dunbar and his wonderful crew of KHS X-Country coaches and runners. Observing his transformation has been amazing to me. (3) The recent sunshine & the fresh air and energizing feeling of the coming FALL! and , yes, (4) the quickly approaching date of KMXT's RUN THE ROCK on October 9th!

Have you registered???? Its not too late to sign up and definitely not to late to train for that 5k!
I'm going to run every day and post every day from here on out!

Talk to you soon!

~Diana

60 Training Days Left Until KMXT's Run The Rock!

There's a solid two months left to train for KMXT's Run the Rock Marathon, 1/2 Marathon, 10K and 5K!

Its not too late to start!
We have room for every kind of participant in this fun event. Whether you're looking to break a course record or just break a sweat, circle October 9th on your calendar and come by KMXT at 620 Egan Way to register~

Things have been pretty quiet here at Run The Rock Rookie and that's because I've been cross-training instead of running. That is, until yesterday afternoon, when one of the Wild Things and I finally made it back to Fort Abercrombie for a run/walk/hike adventure. I just love the trails at Kodiak's State Historic Park. They are so well maintained and the beauty there is beyond measure. Playing in the forest feeds all of ones senses. The magic turned my "training" trip into a sci-fi adventure with my 11 year old son. Slender twin trees on the Gertrude Lake path became a portal to another dimension and launched an adventure that lasted for the rest of the day. It elavated a dreary Sunday into a golden, family memory and it took the sting out of the fact that I mis-placed my "communicator." My cel-phone is still missing and that's a major pain but I finally made it back to my "training." How easy it is to forget how to play and how joyful it is to recapture that spirit.

So why not let go of all the "shoulds" for an hour and let yourself play with a pal. The muscles moved and the calories burnt are great benefits but letting your spirit free may be the best part of all~

I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends!

Hooray to the wonderful people of Fort Abercrombie State Historical
Park for arranging a great 5K in celebration of the 40th anniversary of State Parks in Alaska!
Thanks to Lori (who took the pics!), Kim, Baby Finnigan, James
and my new training buddy MICHELLE who got me through a
challenging course. I came THIS close to not showing up because
of all the OTHER STUFF I needed to do.
Once I pulled into the parking lot and saw the happy vibes I knew
that I'd made the right choice. If Lori hadn't said, "Yes!" on the phone I might
not have gone. I love "The Power of friends and the power of YES!"~

THANKS SO MUCH to
KMXT Talk of the Rock guests:
Kodiak Cross-Country Coach
Marcus Dunbar,
Alaskan Legend Lindsay Knight and our newest Yoga teacher,
Pauline Hsieh!

Listen in to their conversation about training, fitness and that mind, body, spirit thing on http://www.kmxt.org/
(TOTR: Inspiration & Perspiration!)

5K Fun Run at Fort Abercrombie Sunday, July 18th at 1:oo p.m.
Run the beautiful trails and help celebrate 40 years of Alaska's State Parks~
Great events going on all weekend!

Sign up for the run at 12:30 at the main parking area.
$10 fee goes to support Friends of Ft. Abercrombie. 12 years and under are free!

I've been running the Gertrude Lake trail every day for 5 days now! I run up the hills and down the hills and shuffle along in between, balancing on the occasional fallen tree for fun.
A big thanks to the Wild Things for always saying, "Yes! Let's Go!" Starting to feel my inner runner emerge!
Tomorrow is "arms" day at the Kodiak Athletic Club!

HAVE YOU CIRCLED YOUR CALENDAR FOR KMXT'S RUN THE ROCK MARATHON, HALF-MARATHON OR 5K? Its October 9th and there are 86 training days left!

Don't Miss Tuesday's TALK of the ROCK w/ Training Experts!

There are 11 and a half weeks left to train for KMXT’s Run the Rock 5K, half-marathon and marathon!

Be sure to join us for

Talk of the Rock Tuesday at 12:30

for a

Panel discussion about

running, training, fitness

and that “mind-body-spirit thing.”

Diana's Guests include Kodiak X-Country Coach Marcus Dunbar

"Alaskan Legend" Lindsay Knight,

The Professor and MaryAnn...

On KMXT 100.1 FM Immediately following The KMXT Mid-Day Report

Where The Wild Things Are...

Ok, so even though I may be the LAST PERSON ON THE PLANET to know this..

....my kids are some of the best fitness buddies a gal could have. On Thursday O put me thru the paces with his playground obstacle course. On Saturday and Sunday O, M and I moved for a solid hour each day up and down the hills and around the winding paths of the magical forest of Fort Abercrombie State Historic Park. Their energy and enthusiasum helped move me along the path as I focused on their lightening-fast,wiggling frames up ahead of me. Honestly, I really needed them. I had taken a nose-dive on Sunday because I finally came to grips with just how far out of shape I had fallen over the past 24 years. I blinked my eyes and all that time had passed without me realizing how... well, whatever... kids are so happy that you want to play with them that they don't care about all of that stuff. When I'm following their lead there isn't time to think about the past. Next week they'll be at camp so I won't have them to inspire me (don't worry, I still have the torture crew waiting for me at the Kodiak Athletic Cub). Until next weekend I'll have to move myself around the trails without the Wild Things running up ahead of me. I've gotta do it... if I want to smoke O's obstacle course.

Are you and your wild things going to "RUN the ROCK?" on Saturday, Oct. 9 in Kodiak, Alaska? "Skipping, Strolling, Jumping, Leaping, Dancing THE ROCK" is ok too!

Online Registration Coming Soon!

Max and The Rookie~
By the way, we earned those fabulous shirts
at the 2009 Run the Rock~







Circle your calendar today for
KMXT's 4th Annual
RUN THE ROCK
marathon
half-marathon & 5K
on October 9, 2010!

Registration forms are available
at the KMXT studios 620 Egan Way
Also, on-line registration available soon at http://www.kmxt.org/

Pick a race & talk your pals
into training with you!

One of my heros from last year's race ran the half-marathon and then pushed a stroller for the 5K! (she still whooped me...)

Race fee includes: pre-race spaghetti dinner, fabulous t-shirt, after race chow, runner's high and that warm glow you get from supporting Kodiak's public radio station!

Save the Date! Call your buddies! Start your training! Sign-up soon!

92 Training Days Left 'til KMXT'S RUN THE ROCK!

O.T. is ready to start training for
KMXT's RUN THE ROCK, are you?

94 Training Days Left 'til KMXT'S RUN THE ROCK!

I'm really looking forward to posting an "after" picture~

Success at the gym is determined by "showing up."
Success with a walk/jog/run program involves tying your shoes and going out the door. I went out the door today and I'm glad.
After my run I attempted to conduct a post-mortem analysis of the experience with a certain 12 year old athlete who lives with me.

"How far did you go?"
"Up Sawmill Circle to the first house."
"You went that far?"
"Yes!"(I said proudly)

Then I started to launch into a monologue about everything I thought and experienced during the run including the fact that I hate for people to see me on the road.

"You don't know them."
(hmmm, true enough but still....)

I attempted to continue my monologue:

"For me, it's just as much mental as it is physical...."
"MENTAL?" , the 12 year old athlete asked incredulously,
"What's mental about it? You just run."

(My speechless blank expression goes here...)

Contemplating the Mysteries of Muscle Memory

Five days without running makes one weak. har dee har har...
Seriously, a "run" has to happen tonight and it will. Someday I'll take the quotation marks off "run." For now "run" is a euphemism for walk/shuffle.

One cool thing to report is that over the weekend I woke up with the urge to lift weights and to run.
I then laid back down until the urge passed. Actually, I did go to the Athletic club where I read the "closed on 4th of July" sign on the door. I was too lazy to walk up the billion stairs and so I mis-read the second half of the sign and thought the KAC was going to be closed Monday as well. Good thing today is a new day.

We'll say it was the holiday that confused me but I bolted up in bed this morning when I saw that I had missed both of my alarms, that it was 7 o'clock and that I was supposed to be training with Alaskan Body Building Legend Lindsay Knight. DOH!
So not cool to arrive a half-hour late. I was appropriately punished.
Note to self: Half-hour EARLY from now on, hit the treadmill until 7 a.m.appointment.

Ok, about those muscle memories...
I don't know the physiology of muscle memory but I know it's FO'REAL!
As my weight training creeps onward, my muscles seem to be remembering things they used to enjoy.Its been some decades since I was in a ballet class (and I only had the pleasure of taking ballet for short periods in my life) but on two occasions recently my legs decided (seemingly on their own) to do some ballet movements. The first time this happened, the movement was in response to music. The second occurrence was when I was outside between the cabin and the laundry house standing near a deck railing that reminded me of a ballet barre. I bellied up to the barre, as it were, and proceeded to do some ballet stretches. It almost seemed like the muscles were telling me what to do. It didn't exactly hurt and I didn't exactly strain...but the movements engaged muscles that I have lost contact with over the years. It was like re-meeting an old friend, one you are pleased to re-connect with because you'd forgotten what a delight they were to have around. I HEART muscle memory!!!!!

99 Training Days left until KMXT's RUN the ROCK!

Run number 1 is under the belt! H'ok~ so maybe it was more like a walk, shuffle, walk, walk, walk and I went for 25 minutes instead of thirty but I did it. Only 99 more training daze to go until KMXT'S RUN THE ROCK!

So, I've given some thought to the length of the race I'm going to take on and it's going to be the ....drumroll please.... 5K. I've pondered this since my last post. Its not dramatic, its not glorious, its not anything earth shattering but it seems like a good idea. From where I am now to a smooth 3.1 miles is going to feel pretty darn good. I am the type that likes to shoot for the moon so making this kind of sensible choice is a bit revolutionary for me. It may be only 5K but its going to be a good, solid, enjoyable 5K and this time I won't be the very last of the pack.
How 'bout u?
Which race are you signing up for? The marathon? half-marathon or the 5K? hmmmmmm?

100 Training Days till KMXT's Run the Rock!

That's right...
there are 100 training days till
KMXT's Run the Rock Race!
Time to circle your calendar for Saturday, October 9th~

What better day to start training than the first day of the month? Well, I can think of one...my very favorite day to start training...TOMORROW!

But no, I tried that LAST year and ended up dead last in the 5K. The good news is that I wasn't actually dead.

It turns out that a KODIAK 5K is quite a different animal than a Kansas 5K (can I get a "NO, DUH!") . Last year I thought I could eke out a slow shuffling 3.1 mile race/walk without that training I kept putting off. I was not factoring in things like, uhm, oh for example, MOUNTAINS.

I've already started weight training at the Kodiak Athletic Club. Tonight I'm going to put in my first walk/jog of the 100 days. I'll let you know tomorrow how it went. My goal is to "just move" down the road for 30 minutes after I finish my board shift tonight. Oh and I need to make a commitment to a race: The Marathon, Half Marathon or 5K. I'll let you know that too.

More good news: As long as I keep training and avoid injury, I'm going to shave a heckuva lot of time off of last year's race.

Are you in?