2012 NYC ING Marathon Count Down The End: Carry On

I am not disappointed the marathon is cancelled. As a New Yorker who has family and friends in the dark, who have had damages to or lost their homes, I am relieved. I was going to run because my mother has Parkinson's disease and I wanted to dedicate my first marathon to her by running with Team Fox, a team that engages in a variety of activities to to support the efforts of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research! GO TEAM FOX!

As Arnold would say, "I will be back!" NYC ING 2013

I was inspired to run by Mom and the members of the Brooklyn Parkinson Group. How could I not be! Look at what all they do!


Brooklyn Parkinson Group: Dance for PD from Soo Hyung Kim on Vimeo.


They put a great deal of effort into those movements!

There are people suffering day in and day out with numerous diseases, some life threatening, we runners we do what we can to support the causes in our way, by fundraising and raising awareness while we run. Many of us run for more than one charity and help raise thousands of dollars. And I am talking about us average Jane and Joe runners. Surely the elite runners have their own foundations and give even more. In addition, you have many runners who themselves run afflicted by or recovering from a disease, are disabled, etc.

My 2-cents or dollars worth of opinion that I did not want to share pre-marathon because there were enough people out there dishing out divisive and corrosive criticisms is that it would have been better to postpone it until relief efforts where well on their way and NYC's transportation was running closer to normal or make the cancellation announcement earlier, Tuesday or Wednesday instead of late Friday and mail runners their bibs and jerseys who could not make it to the expo to pick them up. I have enough goodies from past races. All those hand lotions, bottles of water or what ever could be donated.

I will always heart my NYC!

Did I want to run through a neighborhood that has no lights? Would I have felt real good that friends of mine who have no lights would come out to cheer me in the dark (I am not a fast runner, I would be in the back somewhere)? NO, and NO. This was not the memory I wanted for my first marathon. Even if I was going to wear a fox costume, run with a "I Heart My New York," sign and try to make my run a festive display for those who would come out and cheer because we do need some cheer in the city. On that note Mayor Bloomberg was 100% right! Our city is divided beyond all reason. I am sick and tired of all the backlash that runners are getting. I am sick and tired of hearing people say why don't you bus all those 47,000 runners to volunteer as if runners do not do anything! Sorry but that is the wrong attitude to have.

And so it this...

A fight starts at a gas pump.

Crowds watching gas pump fights and arguing with owners.

Lines going around a block and then some.

NYPD Resources being wasted on monitoring gas pump mobs instead of in relief efforts! Seriously!

All these people waiting on lines for hours for gas. What kills me is that I saw several people walking several blocks with their orange containers to get gas in a neighborhood that has 3 bus lines that can take you to a train, and a LIRR. I saw people fighting with others and with the owners of the gas stations. I saw our bravest, NYPD wasting time to monitor riots at gas pump brawls instead of on relief efforts. So to all of you complaining about the marathon taking away city resources like the NYPD. Thanks! Thanks for diverting these vital resources because your gas is more important and worth fist fighting for than going to volunteer and help those in the devastated areas.

I will be taking a train to the city in a few minutes to run and support charities that are providing Hurricane Sandy relief efforts in some way. Today many runners will also be volunteering and teams are holding many events to help the city on their own initiative! That is what good runners do! And, most of us give a shit about our fellow New Yorkers and are not whining for hours like this.

I will not run a marathon today! But I will run my marathon on my own time. My point to runners who may be on the complaining side is, we should not need a road race to hit a running milestone we should remember why we run and just do it.

Can You Feel It?! 20.52M Charity Miles for the Micheal J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research

This saying says exactly how I felt yesterday SORE but not SORRY!! 

On Sunday I trekked 20.5M. It was the longest distance in my training for the marathon. The first 6 miles went nice and easy. Walk-Jog. Jog-Walk. The second 6 mile stretch got harder. Though my knee brace lent support, I was starting to get sore. So we did a little more walking than jogging. And, the final loop was just a wonderful long 8.5M walk. Knowing I could go this far was the mental boost I needed to feel more confident that "I CAN, YES, I CAN!" cross the NYC ING Marathon finish! It's just 6 more miles. I still have time for lots of strength training and cardio- I am feeling it!

I started my trek in a Central Park teaming with picnicking, cycling, running, walking park goers, and more. The sun ablaze. And, ended with the twinkle, twinkle of little stars making their way into the evening sky.

I kept up with my Charity Miles treks for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research with a 2 mile walk in the rain, last night. All the while thinking, "slow and steady." The walk had the effect of a short recovery run the day after a long run and I am feeling like the bionic woman today getting, stronger, faster, better!!

Stepping UP! The Charity Miles 26 Day Challenge

About a month ago while waiting with a J.K.O. Running teammate for others to arrive for our weekly evening run, a gentleman asked if we were doing "Charity Miles." There are many groups of charities that meet to run in Central Park regularly, most notably Team in Training and Achilles International. I thought to myself "Charity Miles" must be another one. "No we are not doing Charity Miles," I replied, "What is it?" Gene, the founder of Charity Miles who was in the park to run with others that day, proceeded to tell us about this app he created for Android and I-Phones which allows people to raise money for a charity while they walk, run or bike.

Can you imagine that? Raising money for a charity while you are just enjoying a walk in the park with your dogs? Earn 25-cents/mile if you walk or run or 10-cents/mile if you bike.

The Charity Miles app took moments to install and I have been using it ever since. I love that it keeps a history of my workouts. By tapping on the bar graph icon on the bottom left of the start menu, you can view details of the last 20 you completed; distance, time, whether you selected to walk, run or cycle, the charity and impact.

 

The impact for each charity will be different. For example, for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research or Autism Speaks, the impact will be funding for minutes of research, for Habitat for Humanity a number of pieces of lumber and for the ASPCA a number of puppy and kitten vaccinations.

If you turn your phone horizontally you will see a bar graph showing the miles you trekked during the last 7 days. You can scroll the history to your first Charity Miles workout by tapping on the right arrow.

The app tracks the distance via the GPS on your cell. You will get an email confirmation with details of your Charity Miles impact along with an attachment of a map showing where you trekked. An added bonus if you do not already have a tool to map your runs.

To use the Charity Miles app you do need to have a Facebook account and to have your workout sponsored to support the charity you selected share a post on your feed. For those who do not have or want to have a Facebook account this is the only drawback of the app. There is an option to tweet as well, but it is not necessary to have your workout sponsored.

The Charity Miles Challenge- Just 1 Mile a day for 26 Days during the month of October - Welcome Fall!

I have been using the Charity Miles app since I installed if for my runs. With the NYC ING Marathon a few weeks away I have been thinking of ways to step up my workouts. Charity Miles sent an email to subscribers on Monday regarding its marathon challenge for the month of October. Trek a minimum of one mile a day for 26 days during the month of October and win a Charity Miles tee shirt.

Since my mother has Parkinson's Disease I decided that I would step up the challenge by logging in Charity Miles every day until, I cross the ING Marathon finish for the Micheal J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. I decided that on the days I do not log in a run, I will log in a walk. For those of you looking for a way to stay fit but cannot find time, consider this, depending on the speed of your walk, whether you are carrying anything etc. you can cover one mile in 25 minutes or less. If you don't have time in the morning, do it later in the day. Set a side some time during a lunch break. Walk to run errands if you can instead of going in your car whenever you can. Get families, friends, co-workers, into the action. The app is FREE and remember #EveryMileMatters.

Singing in the rain or shine, tired or not, I am enjoying skipping the bus and walking home from the train. For Mom :)

 

 

Once Upon a Time Hurdles: Colgate Women's Games

We all like to save and collect things. Sometimes it can seem like too much, especially from an outsiders perspective, (that would be anyone but to the saver collector-you). "What do you have in those boxes?" "What do you have in the attic?" "What do you have in the basement?" "What do you have in the closet?" And, a part of you has to wonder, "Do you, even remember?" Besides skeletons in the closet, from last year's Halloween decor, do you, remember what you have?

As a parent I am guilty, like many of having a box of assorted memorabilia from my daughter's early years. First notebook from her preschool days at a Mommy & Me Program I helped lead at a local church. First Kindergarten notebook, and finger painting. I remember those days she would come home all excited to show me what she did in school. "Look what I made Mommy." And, busy with homework. Her first science fair project on how the knee works. Its gold medal sticker a little torn because a jealous boy peeled it up. I was so proud of her. How many children in first grade carry a copy of Gray's Anatomy in their back pack to school.

I  kept her first Halloween costume from when she was 3. She wanted to be a mermaid. What little girl did not love or want to be Ariel? So, I made her her a long green shirt that was shaped like a fin. I also kept the first costume she helped make herself from Kindergarten. She wanted to be the butterfly from Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar for the Costume Parade at school. The wings did not fit in the box but they folded nicely into a portfolio with my drawings and illustrations.

I have the first 2 teeth she pulled herself. I never had to worry about pulling any teeth, except in the teen years to get a conversation going, she was more than happy with the D.I.Y tooth pulling approach. Love that independent spirit. Baby shoes, a couple of baby outfits, a collectible Barbie watch and doll, and a few papers she wrote that got A's, and other mementos are in that box in the closet too. One day, I may forget what is in it. One day she may help me go through it and other assorted papers and things I may have as I helped my mom yesterday. And, maybe she will be pleasantly surprised to find find something that triggers a fond memory of her past. As this certificate my mother kept did for me.

I was in Junior High School when I was first interested in doing some running competitively thanks to one of my best friends from elementary school. Up to that point I enjoyed sprinting when there was a chance during gym classes or racing my brothers down the block. I was good with short spurts of winded energy. I had always enjoyed watching the Olympic track and field events and loved to watch the marathon. How in the world someone could run so long so fast I had no idea. But, for a few weeks I got to enjoy competing in 55-meter hurdles, 55 and 200-meter runs at the Colgate Women's Games and dreaming of one day doing more.

My friend and I did not belong to a track club. Participation in track clubs cost money that was not in the family budget at the time. So we trained together after school. She would run to my home to meet me. I would run back to hers and back home. She was fast. I did what I could to keep up with her. I really just wanted to do hurdles. That was going to be my specialty. I practiced for hurdles by jumping chain linked fences. I was doing that on dares with other kids for some time anyway. All I had to do was imagine myself jumping higher. I had no idea what to expect when we got to the games. But the girls on teams and others were more than helpful in sharing tips and I flew by my first round on the 55 meter hurdles. The rest is a blur. I just remember coming home tired.

I don't know if the Colgate Women's Game certificate of participation came in the mail or if it was given to me at the end of the games. But, I am happy that my Mom kept it among other things, after all these years. With 2 months to go to the NYC ING Marathon, I am excited and a little nervous. I never thought in a million years that the day would come that I would be able to say, I am going to do a marathon. Like the NYC Half, I will be running my first marathon with a Team Fox jersey on. I am looking forward to making it across the finish line and putting any certificate I get in a frame next to this after showing it to my Mom.

P.S. My fundraising effort is still going on please click here for more info and to donate. Many thanks.

Gimpy Mo's First Half: Go Team Fox

No matter what you, do in life you will make it to a medal finish if you have all the tools in place, you are physically and mentally prepared and you have a game plan.

Before the NYC Half Marathon start I went through my check list. Soft ankle brace check. Hinged brace check. Advil check. Inhaler check. Cell phone, check. Running playlist ready to rock at the touch of a button, check. Hugs and kisses from my daughter at the start check and check. And, I am off.

I decide the night before to tackle the NYC Half in three parts and plan for several exit points along the way in case I have to drop out of the race. Exits and how to handle exits are key in good strategies. My daughter will wait at the first exit. The park exit at 7th Ave. If I feel I can continue she will head to the finish. If in the worse case scenario I have to stop after, I have my Metro Card to catch a bus or train and she will come to meet me.

Part I: A full loop around Central Park starting with a down hill. A rush of able bodied runners behind me dart pass my right. Like a driver cruising with the emergency spare tire on, I stay on the outer lane of runner traffic in the event that I have to come to a full stop. 

I really want to run past Times Square. I hear there is nothing like it. 

Part I: Central Park Loop

After a light jog around the lower loop I walk up the infamous "Cat Hill," just ahead of East Park Drive and 72nd Street. This is the first major hill on the course and second in difficulty to the Harlem Hills at the Northern end of the park between mile 3 and 4. Once on top of the hill I jog down slowly, stop and walk and continue to jog. Walking up all the hills, jogging lightly all the downs and walking as needed I pass mile 6, exit the park and keep on going.

Part II: I pause my music and start to walk. I want to save my energy for a short run down past Times Square. Most of the heavy runner traffic has past. It is quiet. Just a few bystanders and police officers are on the street along with tourist, both puzzled and amazed by this running spectacle. The street appears wider than it does in the day when it is teaming with traffic. I have a Wow! moment and start to think of some of my favorite songs about NYC that always pump me up, Frank Sinatra's New York, New York and George Benson's Neon Lights of Broadway. There is definitely a magic in the air and I feel charged.
  

I put one ear bud in for my power song. Every runner needs a power song. For this race I picked Princess of China (Coldplay & Rihanna, from Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto Album).

The jog into Times Square is electrifying. I gimp a short sprint down the main stretch passing mile 7 and look forward to seeing the Team Fox squad at the end. They are awesome. Go Team Fox!!! Woohoo!! I got this far. I am running for a wonderful cause. My mom is home. It would have been nice for her to come out but it would have also been too much with her PD. She is with me in heart. Donning her photo and that of other members of the Brooklyn Parkinson Group on my black chapeau, I look at my second race exit point, the Subway entrance at Times Square and 7th Avenue- I think to myself, "There is no way I am not going to finish this race now!"

Passing by the Team Fox Squad. Photo by Team Fox

Part II. Middle 4 mile Stretch

The hardest part of the race physically is over. There are no more rolling park hills. Now the mental challenge begins. The stretch is long and quiet. There are few spectators. The silence is broken intermittently by cheers of pep squads and music. As a relative newbie to running and first time half marathoner, I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz trekking down the Yellow Brick Road, to Emerald City. At moments unsure if I would ever get to the end. The road ahead seemed endless. Most of the time I was filled with hope and anticipation of making it across the finish. What would it be like?

I did not have a Tin Man, Scare Crow or Lion to lock step with me on my course. Other runners along the way became a part of my crew by default. That is the beauty of participating in races. There is always at least one or two people who will run along or near you, most of the way if not across the finish.

Part III- Approach to and the Finish

Part III: You cannot help but pause for a moment passing through the rebuild of the World Trade Center. Good time for a walk break and to let my daughter know I was just around the bend. "Can you believe it?" "I can't believe it!" "I am almost there!" "You are finishing earlier than I expected."

I forget about my power song. The cheers of spectators and other runners who were done with the race, having a reason bigger than me to finish this race (to raise funds and awareness for Parkinson's Disease and the efforts of the Micheal J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research) powers me across the finish.

Together we can do!

This was a race event that I will always treasure. A first of many half marathons.On the road to the NYC ING Marathon in November. But, my dear family and friends I still have a way to go to reach my fund raising goal. So, please lend as much support as you can. Click here to visit my page.

Luvya,




P.S. Why "Gimpy Mo"? A good friend who has shuttled me to many races at the crack of dawn (Thanks Mr. D! Don't forget I may need you in November!) and has seen me on the mend on many occasions endearingly called me Gimpy Mo the morning of. That is what friends are for. To rib you. To remind you, to look a the lighter side of life and.... keep smiling!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Running in the 2012 NYC Half Marathon for Team Fox- "Yay!" And, " Yeah, Baby!"

With Daughter Krystal after, "R Baby" Mother's Day Run, 2010

It's official, official. I got my e-mail notification from Team Fox Thursday that I can run with the team in the 2012 NYC Half Marathon. "Team Fox is the grassroots fundraising arm of The Michael J.Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF)."

The race marks many personal milestones. It will be my first half marathon. It is was four years ago that I made a commitment to myself to live a healthier life, incorporating running into it and using it has a vehicle to raise funds and awareness for various causes.

Win-win for all!

2012, the year of the Dragon, the Earth will have made 50 full revolutions around the sun since my essence was brought it this corporal plane we all share.

In the Spring of 2007 my mother had DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) devices implanted. The decision to have the surgery done was not an easy one. She had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease several years earlier, after experiencing stiffness when walking, weakening muscular strength, coordination and tremors on her left side, etc. She went to the doctor thinking that perhaps she had experienced a stroke only to find that Parkinson's Disease was the culprit and it may have been living with her for some time.

The progression of the disease varies from individual to individual as do the causes (genetics, brain trauma, toxins in the environment, etc.).

In less than 10 years from her initial diagnosis she was told she had Advanced Parkinson's disease. The medications were not sufficient for her to have some semblance of a normal life with sufficient mobility to do the things most people take for granted, getting dressed, going to the bathroom, eating with ease. Her life was dictated by schedules of medications and their up and down cycles, when once upon a time she was in control. She had always lived a very active life, worked hard, was a member of professional engineering associations, enjoyed tangoing around NYC, family, friend time and more.

As with all medical procedures you have to weigh the risks as well as any potential benefits. There is never a 100% guarantee. Are you okay with 70%? 50%? 10%? One? And, there may be potential side effects; personality changes, mood swings, depression, sensory or other motor control problems. She could not imagine a life where she would be bed ridden a good part of the time and depending on another person twenty-four seven & three-sixty-five for her every need. She was well informed of the risks and decided the rewards outweighed them.

A year later, she still needed to take medications to control her Parkinson's, but less. Her tremors were controlled. She still had down cycles but they did not last as long. She would not have the same life she had before Parkinson's but a better one than she was having.

JP Morgan Chase hosts annual 5K Corporate Challenges around the world, uniting employees of a company, from runners to walkers as they focus on getting in shape for the event; improved eating habits, exercise and training. When our company sent an invitation to employees to participate in the challenge I thought of my mother, the members of the Parkinson's Group she goes to Brooklyn Parkinson's Group (BPG), and others who had restricted mobility due to to health conditions, diseases, aging. And, here I was with 2 perfectly healthy legs, not doing much at all.

Like many New Yorkers I spent my days rushing around the city, to and from work, tending to family members, outings and events with friends, making numerous bus and train connections, up and down several flights of subway stairs, dodging other pedestrians in the street like a quarter backer running for the last Super Bowl touchdown. I was too tired. Stressed. I didn't have time for working out. I was barely making it home in time to roll into bed, sleep, and roll out in time to deal with the activities of the following day. I would say that New York City was my gym and my rushing about was a workout in itself. But was it really? Or, was it just another stressor? Was I doing all I could do, or anything at all to be healthy and fit or just finding excuses? I was 45 years old . What kind of life was I setting myself up for having during the "Golden Years?" How would I feel if one day a Doctor told me I had Parkinson's or another disease that would prevent me from getting around or worse a shorter life sentence? My life was full of activities but was I living it to the fullest?

I decided to participate in the JP Morgan Chase Challenge and run 3.5 miles. I had close to 3 months to train. In the past I could not find time to exercise. Now I was making time for it. I got up an hour and a half earlier than usual with the goal of just running a mile to mile and a half before work every other day. If I missed a morning run I would make it up when I got home. No dinner until I finished. Our company didn't make it to the challenge.

I have been running off and on since then. I saw the hurdles of "life happens" in my way, a fractured ankle, runner's knee, tendonitis, fallen arches, exercised induced asthma and a host of others (family, etc.) as events to ride out and jump over when ready. Not walls of Kryptonite to the healthier lifestyle I wanted to continue to build on for the rest of my life.

I am not a world class, speedy, super athletic, elite runner- more power to them. I am an average, nine-to-fiver-Jaunita. When I run in NYRR races I am in the purple pack and run with a red flair- passion and thankfulness that I am able bodied to run and cross every finish. On March 18th, when I run through Central Park, past the neon lights of Broadway I will be thinking of blue- sky's the limit for advancements in Parkinson's disease research.

Please support me in my fundraising efforts by donating any amount that you are able to by visiting my Team Fox fundraising page http://www2.michaeljfox.org/goto/mosgoldenmarathon

To the gold of each day!



A note on DBS- DBS alleviated symptoms for my Mom, it did not cure her or get rid of all of them.The recovery after surgery was not easy. She has had to have her pace maker devices adjusted several times. She still needs to take medication and her ability to travel beyond her home area is limited unless she has someone with her. The disease is continuing its progression. There is no definitive one size-fits all treatment to the disease and by mentioning her undertaking I am not indicating or implying in anyway that it is the path for all with Parkinson's Disease to take.

Fortunately, we live in a time were we have unlimited access to information, especially via the web. There are many fine publications, discussion boards, and sites choc full of information at our fingertips. As the expression goes when you don't know, are curious or want to verify something these days, "just google it."

Below are some links for additional information on Parkinson's Disease, treatments, research and more.

As with all diseases not only is the person with the disease affected but family members as well. So friends, family, caregivers of Parkinson's patients, be sure you have a team to support you and stay informed of developments. Don't be shy or afraid to ask doctors questions. When in doubt, speak out!

For additional Info. go to:

Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF)
National Parkinson's Foundation 
Parkinsons.org
Parkinson's Research Foundation

New York Times- Health Guide (Parkinson's Disease)