Follow the Plan

Perki had the pleasure of interviewing Barb Kennedy. Barb is a member of Perki’s People. She isn’t local so many of us do not have the pleasure of running or walking with her unless it’s at a race. Read on to learn about her quest to become a Half Fanatic in 2013 and to run a full marathon in 2014.

Perki: How, what and/or who started you on the road to training for distance?

Barb: I actually got started because of Dunkin’ Donuts! They had a free beginner 5K training plan on their website and I set out to follow and finish the plan with my first 5K-The Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis in Lancaster, PA - December 2009.

P:What is your motivation?

B:I thought if I could finish a 5K, I could work up to following a half marathon plan and run in Walt Disney World. I had been following friends on Facebook who were raising money for the Avon Foundation for Breast Cancer through running, who were all Disney fans like me. There were so many of them who inspired me with their accomplishments - I wanted to join them!

P:What has been your hardest lesson to date?

B:Stick to the plan! When you slack a little here and there it gets too comfortable to slack a little more, then all of a sudden it is race morning and you are not feeling as confident as you should. Last September, the hills and heat and humidity got the best of me at the Bird-in-Hand Half. It was my own fault because I wasn’t as prepared as I could have been. I wimped out on a bunch of hot summer runs that would have had me in better shape for that race.

P:Tell us about a EUREKA! moment.

B: The plan I am using right now is not the “finish in an upright position” plan from the RunDisney website that I’ve always turned to. It is still a Jeff Galloway plan, but for a time goal 1:59-2:29. It included things like 800m speed work at the track and hill repeats. I had no idea what they meant and had to look them up and figure out how to do them from what was in the book. I used the stopwatch function on my iPhone for each 800 and took a photo of what my time was for each one. The first time I had to do 3x800m, then two weeks later 5x 800m, then 7x 800m and so on. I stuck to my weekday runs and didn’t miss a mile of my alternating long runs on weekends. As I looked at my photos from one speed work session to the next, I could really see how much faster I was getting. It was amazing for me to realize that I had that kind of control over my performance!

Perki:  I want to congratulate you on your half marathon March 17^th (Cesar Rodney). You had a PR didn’t you?

B: Yes! It was by 16 minutes and change. I ran with my husband and Helen Dunn. She is so much fun to run with. All I wanted to do was get under 2:40. My previous race was 2:42. I started following the Galloway plan for a half marathon finish between 1:59 and 2:29. I figured I’d do the training but really all I wanted was under 2:40. Following the plan worked! (Perki’s note: Barb’s finish time was 2:25:51.)

P: So tell us about your plan to be a half marathon maniac.

B: The group is called Half Fanatics. You can earn different levels by running different combinations of races. I want to reach Saturn Level by running 4 half marathons in 4 different states in 51 days.

P: 51 days! That’s less than 2 months. Tell me about the races you will run.

B: I’ll reach Saturn Level on May 4^th at the Grand Island Half Marathon in Western New York. We’ve deferred that one twice before but this year we’ll do it. Cesar Rodney Half (Delaware March 17^th) was the first. In three weeks I’ll run the Garden Spot Half Marathon. Garden Spot will be my first half marathon alone. I usually run with Bob, my husband. He is running the full marathon at Garden Spot. We are trying to see if we can run part of it together.

P: Ok that’s three. What other race are you running?

B: Runpalooza Asbury Park (NJ) Half Marathon scheduled for April 20^th. There have been some issues there because of Hurricane Sandy. I’m sure they are going to run the race, but the course is still being determined.

P: So when did you run your first half marathon ever?

B: Disney in 2011. In 2009 I started running solely for the purpose of training for the Disney half. We are big Walt Disney World fans and wanted to run behind the scenes at Disney so I trained for the race.

P: Do you think you will ever run a full Marathon?

B: Yes! I’m going to run the Disney Marathon in 2014. It will be my first marathon and if it turns out to be my only marathon, I want it to be in Walt Disney World.

P: When did you decide that?

B: Last year after the 2012 half. We skipped Disney’s Marathon Weekend this year. I decided I’m going to train for half marathons for the first half of 2013 and then move into marathon training to get to Disney in 2014.

P: Do you have a plan in mind? Will you take some time off after your half in May before beginning marathon training?

B: I suppose I will, but I have other races scheduled in the early Fall, so we’ll see. I like the point that I have trained to right now and I think I will be afraid to let it slide at this point.

P: Is there something else you want to share about your half marathon goals?

B: The Half Fanatics website inspires me to do more. I work best with goals and it helps me to stay motivated. My husband and I enjoy traveling and we’ve talked about running in every state. I don’t know if they will all be half marathons or not but I like the idea of exploring new areas through running.

P: What is your favorite sound in training?

B:My GymBoss beep for a walk break just as I start to head up a hill!

P:What is your least favorite sound in training?
B:“Zombies – fifteen meters!” from my Zombies,Run! app on my iPhone.

P:What is your favorite workout?

BLong runs with my husband on the weekends.

P:What is your least favorite workout?

B:800 meter speed work at the track.

P:If you could spend a day with any athlete present or past, who would it be? and Why?

B:Endorphin Dude, Tony Nguyen, Marathon Maniac #2810 Half Fanatic #462

He is regular guy, self-described as a diabetic couch potato, who decided to change his life and get healthy through running. In 2012, he finished 52 marathons in 52 weeks and continues to inspire many new runners.

He has a great happy energy and fun spirit. I ‘d love to spend a day running a race with him!

P: When it comes to your training or racing what would you love to hear someone say to or about you?

B: I would love to hear that I inspired someone to get out and run today.