Thoughts of Shane Kenny

Now that I have a running coach, Dale, the first thing he needed to get was a baseline of my fitness so that he knew how to construct a training plan.  To do this he used VO2 max testing.  VO2 max is the point where your body cannot consume or transport any more oxygen to your muscles.

To do this test I got on the treadmill and was hooked up to a VO2 testing machine with both a face mask and heart rate monitor.  It was a little awkward because not only do you look funny, but you don’t normally run with wires and hoses connected to you.  (Well, at least I don’t normally do that!)

In the end we found that my resting heart rate was 54 BPM and my max heart rate was 187 BPM.  From the data collected Dale was able to create 4 heart rate zones that he will use for my training.  They are:

• Zone 1: 115 to 123 BPM
• Zone 2: 123 to 134 BPM
• Zone 3: 134 to 144 BPM
• Zone 4: 144 to 157 BPM

This was an interesting experience to say the least.  The “good” news is that Dale says that we will do the testing again in a few weeks to see how things have improved on his training plan.

My NYC marathon training started with a trip to the physical therapist.  About 2 weeks after the Georgia half marathon I felt something “odd” in my left hamstring near the end of a 5 mile run.  After a few weeks of very light running, and mostly resting, the hamstring was still bothering me.  On a recommendation from someone I play soccer with I went to see Emily Yakes at PT Solutions.

Emily instantly went to work on the hamstring.  The first day she did this deep tissue massage that had she not been pregnant I might have slapped her.  Then she did acupuncture (or dry needling as she called it).  I was not a fan of either procedure but the combination of the massages and some strengthening exercises had me back up and running in no time.  After about 4 weeks I was able to stop going to see Emily.  I am not sure who was more relieved… me or her!!  (Honestly this is best physical therapist experience I have ever had so if you need physical therapy and there is a PT Solutions near you I would recommend trying it out.)

On my last day I asked Emily if she knew any good running coaches.  Turns out that her husband Dale is a USAT Level 1 triathlon certified coach.  I am not sure what all that means but since running is part of the triathlon I figured he could help.

Now I have a physical therapist and a coach so I guess I am ready to tackle the marathon on my bucket list.  The coaching process has been interesting, but I will write more about that later.

My friend David and I decided a couple of months ago to sign up for an event called The Warrior Dash just to see what it was.  It seemed interesting, it was more than just a 5k… it was more like an obstacle course.  The only downside was the 2+ hour drive to the event, but since I was not driving it alone it didn’t sound so bad.

The event was tough, but a nice change from the standard road race.  The course was only 2.4 miles long but with all the obstacles it was still very exhausting.  I finished in 24:54 and David finished in 23:46.  I was right behind him, ready to make a race of it, going into the mud pit but got stuck up to my armpits in the mud.

The festival afterward was great as well; with drinks, turkey legs, and live bands.  There was even an axe throwing class in case you are ever in the need of self defense and all that is handy is an axe.   Overall this was an awesome event and I am planning to do it again next year and take a bunch of friends with me.

Two suggestions for the organizers for next time:

1. Make the area just after the start wider.  I was near the front at the start and still had a lot of bottlenecks to content with during the first half mile, or so, run.
2. The hoses that were promised to clean up at the finish line never materialized.  If a part of the lake was at least open to rinse off in it would have made clean up a lot easier.  Plus, the buses were not letting people who were wet or muddy get back on to go back to the parking areas.

Even with these minor problems the organizers did a fantastic job and I can’t wait to do it again.

Back a few weeks ago I learned something while running a 5K that I now realize also applies to life in general.  This particular 5K was the day before I was going to run the ING Georgia Half Marathon.  I decided to take it easy and try and run the 5K in around a 10 minute per mile pace instead of my usual 9 minute pace.  I glanced at my watch at the end of the first mile to see 9:27… 30 seconds too fast and I felt like I was walking.  I slowed down even more and was surprised to see a 9:17 at the end of mile two.  A little frustrated, I tried to slow down even more and ran the third mile in 9:15.  I learned that I am a faster runner when I take the pressure off of myself, relax, and enjoy what I am doing.

Over the last few weeks I have applied this same concept to work.  I have found that when I don’t let the pressure get to me, I relax and just do one thing at a time, and I try to enjoy myself; that I perform so much better.  I feel like I have accomplished more by slowing down than I would have by trying to maintain a faster, more hectic pace.  It is weird to think that you can speed up by intentionally trying to slow down!

This is total rip-off from my pastor’s blog, but it was worth repeating and I don’t think he will really care.

We started a new initiative several weeks ago.  Here is an email I received in response ::

Dear Pastor J.R.

We were the recipients of a lovely act that was extended to our family.  My name is ____.  My son ____ was at Wendy’s last week.

We needed a treat and sent him with a few bucks to buy our family of five a frosty.  We are going through a terrible time – I am battling cancer and my husband is out-of-work and very ill.  We don’t have a lot of money due to this situation and really watch our pennies.

Sometimes, I try to cheer up the kids with a small treat & yesterday was that time.  To my son’s amazement, when it came time to pay someone had already paid for our Frostie’s.  The cashier simply said that the generous person was from Freedom Church.

I imagine that they thought they were doing just a small thing, but it meant the world to us!  Cancer is tough, I’ve lost friends through it, I’ve lost hope…briefly….I have been so weak that I couldn’t lift my head from my pillow…but I fought and fought hard…with God at my side and holding my hand, and I wasn’t afraid.  God gave me strength and we’ll get thru the rest of this too.  God will heal my husband, and he will see and receive the hope that he needs.  I thank you for the hope that this Frosty provided.  Yes a frosty can give you hope. :)   The gesture offered comfort, knowing that people care – people we didn’t even know.  You never know how you can touch someone’s life one small gesture at a time!

Keep up the great work!  I hope the person that did this can read this message as well!

Keep it up Freedom Church!  Little things can make all the difference.