26.2 Miles. We Did It!

 Pre Race Jitters

Its early in the morning of Sunday April 26, 2015 when pre-race jitters once again have me up before the 4:00 am alarm and in my race day gear ready to go well before the 6:30 am start of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. As me and my running partner Jessie (Read Find Your Jessie) make our way to the starting line, via hotel shuttle bus, we find ourselves on the first shuttle of the day, weaving our way to downtown Oklahoma City with other first time participants. The mood is light yet reflective as runners nervously laugh with each other as a video plays on the bus reminding us to remember why we are running today. I sit back in my seat wondering if I’ve done everything I could to complete the task ahead. Can I finish?

An Emotional Start

We arrive downtown and begin making our way to the Survivor Tree where we have planned to take part in a sunrise worship service at the site of the bombing of the federal building some 20 years earlier. As we enter the memorial in darkness we can see two large walls illuminating the time of the bombing and the time first responders arrived. The air is cold as the wind moves through the memorial courtyard. We find our way to the tree that was so painstakingly cared for after the bombing and we find a place behind a retaining wall to break the bite of the cold wind. It was as we sat down I noticed the 168 monument chairs illuminated on this dark cold morning in remembrance of those who died that day. Some chairs were shorter than others, signifying those who were children. I realize that keeping my emotions in check was in jeopardy. 

Flash Back

As I sat with Jessie worshiping and reflecting, my mind raced back in time. It was one year ago to the day that Lucinda and I went to support Jessie in her first half-marathon. In watching her that day I was inspired and began considering how I should have been out there running with her. In just two short weeks we would begin our running journey together, when I told her, “I was thinking it would be great to run with you sometime?” Within an hour I was in new running shoes as we took our first run together, To the Stop Sign and Back. (Read the story here) I told myself that I would not be emotional this day, however, the back drop of illuminated memorial chairs and the memories of the past year running and sharing together stirred the wells of emotion within me. I would turn from her to hide the tears.

A Quiet Run

After the service was over we then made our way to the stating corral pushing our way through 25,500 other people who had gathered that cold April morning to remember the bombing victims, their families and perhaps their own stories with 168 seconds of silence, the national anthem, and then the starting gun sent us all off on our own 26.2-mile journey together. The electricity from the crowd, the rush of being with so many other runners, and the fan fare was so much to take in. We ran taking in every moment, giving high fives to children, thanking firefighters, volunteers, and policeman, taking time to visit with other runners from those who were running their first marathon, to completing a marathon in each sate for the third time, or in a wheelchair, all the while taking time to tap on home made signs held by children so we could have more power. I noticed something that was happening on this run that had not happened before; we were not talking this time. Believe me! We would have had no problem being in continual conversation for five plus hours and yet this time it was different. Not that we didn’t have things to say, but that we finally had this moment time to take in everything that we had been working for over the last year and enjoy it in each others company.

Carried to the Finish

When you have a running partner who you train and race with you run across those times, more often than not, when one of the partners carries the other to the finish. In this race it was Jessie’s turn to carry me! Even though you train, eat, sleep, and hydrate well it is still 26.2 miles and as I fought the mental war in my mind to quit I watched as she patiently waited up for me and took unplanned breaks along the way. She was the stronger runner that day and deserved to finish well ahead of me. Yet unselfishly in what started together in running to the Stop Sign and Back less than a year earlier we now had finished together hand in hand crossing the finish line of our first marathon.

Thanks my wide-eyed enthusiastic running partner this was truly a run to remember! We did it!!

Beat Stress

I have recently seen running shirts advertised in social media circles with the saying,
"I Run To Burn Off The Crazy" Nice shirt with a humorous saying that speaks to me about dealing with my stress through running. We can do a simple Internet search and find reliable sources who warn of the dangers of stress. Being a type 2 diabetic stress needs special attention. However, I believe we all need a plan to deal with it. Here is mine.

Sleep: Strive to get 8 hours of sleep every night.                                                                                                                                                                                         

Prayer and Bible Reading: Seek daily to pray and read Scripture.                                                                                                                                                         

Eat Healthy: Eat healthy foods as close to their original state as possible. Example fresh fruits and vegetables over processed foods.                                                                                                                                                                                        

Exercise: Currently I'm training for the Run To Remember Marathon in Oklahoma City April 26, 2015. My routine is running 3 times per week and at the YMCA working out 4 times per week.                                                                                                                                                                                   

Day Off: Take one day a week completely un-plugged from work.    

Massage: I used to think this was something to treat someone else to. No more! A least 60 minutes a month is a great stress relief and I have also added it to my marathon training. If you ever get to Joplin, MO visit The Brush and Blade and ask for Devin. Tell her Bill sent you.                                                                                                                                                                                 

Family:  Doing things with my wife and kids brings great joy however nothing brings greater joy than grand kids so I strive to Grand-kidnap a different grandchild for the day each month.                                                                                                                                                                             

Find Your Jessie

Whatever goal you are striving to achieve, whatever task you are working to accomplish, I firmly believe that you need that certain someone in your life who brings unexpected yet exceptional qualities through a special relationship that motivates you to succeed. Mine just happens to be Jessie. Yours may carry a different name, however, look with diligence as these people only come around once in awhile.

Really! You Can Love Others Just as Your Own 

On August 15, 2011, I received a Facebook message, “Just wondering if you knew anyone who might be willing to watch an adorable 9 week old.-Jessie.” My wife had struggled to find work so I referred her to meet with Jessie. In what was to be a month commitment lead to life changing discovery, you can love others as your own even if they have no biological connection to you. That’s exactly what happened to us and having an adorable 9 week old in your home everyday for two years lead to a once in a lifetime relationship.

Look For These Qualities in People

Cherish The Kids 10K

As you enter into life, my hope is that you too will find this once in a lifetime relationship. So look with diligence for these qualities in others: Encourages you by believing that you can do what you have set out to do, whose enthusiasm is contagious, is spontaneous, and holds you accountable. These traits are a huge reason my life has changed and I have met my goals of losing weight (90 pounds in 11 months), getting my diabetes under control, and entering a life of running from the stop sign and back to half marathon is just six months. Finding your Jessie is far more complex than putting a help wanted notice in the local paper and posting randomly to your Facebook account. Finding these special people is discovered through relationships. As you meet people in your every day coming and going, look for someone like this.

Get Fit Tryathon 5K

Thanks Be to God

This post is for you, my wide-eyed, enthusiastic running partner! I can only express my gratitude for who you are by saying, I love you for everything you are and for everything you have helped me become. I give God thanks for the privilege to include you in the family.

Race Day Do's and Don'ts

3 Baby Strollers at the
Bentley 5K in Springfield

1.  Do Look Before You Spit. Your fellow racers will appreciate this courtesy immensely.

2.  Do Look Out For Baby Strollers. With an increase in parents taking the kiddo's along with them, you want to avoid standing on the platform during the awards ceremony and receive an award for the only racer to run into a baby along the way.  

3.  Do Wipe the Snot! Avoid that embarrassing finish line photo that gets plastered all over the Internet by giving the ole nose a wipe before you get to the finish. 

4.  Do Make Up Songs. "Here we go down the street singing... do-wa-diddy diddy-dum-didddy do! We're running this race to beat diabetes! It feels good! It feels fine! Beating diabetes all the time!

5.  Don't Stand Still After the Gun. Standing still while adjusting the pace setting on your Garmin at the start of the race is not cool when there are runners behind you. 

6.  Do Respect the Flag. It is not appropriate at anytime to walk around during the national anthem. Respect the sacrifice of our sons and daughters. 

7. Do Cheer Everyone to the Finish. Everyone who made a decision to race that day is a winner. Celebrate it. 

8. Don't Judge Other Racers based on age or how they are dressed. You look the same.

Note the lady in the yellow skirt
in the background. She passed me in
mile 2!

Diet Plan

     Diet would be the biggest challenge for me because I love food and I love to eat it! My bucket list was full of eating conquests such as a 72oz steak dinners, deep dish Chicago style pizza, Chicago dogs, and the list goes on. What I realized was that my bucket list was going to make me "kick the bucket". Diet, just like exercise was going to be a mind over matter experience.

 At One Time I'd Eat It All

     Portion Control
     During the first thirty days weight loss was slow (expect this and don't get discouraged) it was shortly after this period that I was told, "Weight loss has more to do with what goes it than what goes out." (referring to exercises). In other words, eating a whole coconut cream pie and walking for 60 minutes that day is not going to cut it. I found an application for my phone, My Fitness Pal, that helped me control portions and track my caloric intake along with my exercise. The thing about this application that helped me most was that after logging my food and exercise for the day it would give an estimate of what my weight would be in five weeks if every day was like the day I just entered.This application also help with carb counts.

     Eat Original
     Choose foods that are as close to their original state as possible. This rule will help eliminate preservatives and other additives from your diet. An example would be to eat raw broccoli instead of frozen broccoli with cheese sauce in the freezer section.Or eat a raw apple instead of applesauce. The closer to the tree the better it will be.

     Super Foods
     Include these foods in your diet often: Salmon, Kale, Strawberry, Blueberry, Tomato, Cucumber, Steel Cut Oats, Beans, Avocado, Green Tea, Spinach, Almonds, Broccoli, and Eggs. There are more foods that are considered "Super" and an Internet search for a reliable source can give you more ideas. Here is what a sample breakfast would look like for me.

Breakfast

1/4 cup steel cut oats (uncooked)

teaspoon local honey

cinnamon

2 poached eggs

1/2 cup strawberries & blueberries

Morning Star Spicy Black Bean Burger

     You Will Mess Up

     You will mess up and its ok! I truly believe that the biggest factor to success in this area is to realize that you will not feel like being true to your diet sometimes. Matter of fact you should schedule some "reward" days to enjoy your favorites. If you find that you missed a few days just set your mind to starting over without any guilt. 

   

Exercise Plan

     Many times after hearing a motivational speech or reading an inspirational article I’m often left wanting something practical that I can use. In my blog, To The Stop Sign and Back, I shared about my first run from the end of my driveway to the stop sign back. Even tough I had Jessie, my enthusiastic wide-eyed running partner running beside me, I realized that the exercise plan that I had been doing was not going to be sufficient to complete a 10K (6.2) mile race. My running partner realized this too. What follows is the plan that we put together in April 2014 and how I adjusted it safely. Additionally, I want to offer others an opportunity to see how I started so that they can develop a practical plan for themselves.

November 2013 to April 2014 Exercise Plan

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Rest	60 min Elliptical	60 min Stationary Bike	60 min Treadmill	60 min Elliptical	60 min Stationary Bike	Rest

     I would try to spend sixty minutes five times a week doing some type of exercise. Combined with diet, this plan worked well for me in taking off the pounds. Thirty-five pounds lost in three months! In April when Jessie helped me to chart a course to running a 10K race in seventeen weeks, my first week workout looked like this while continuing to do the exercise plan above.

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Rest	Walk the Trail*	Rest	60 min Elliptical	Rest	Rest	Rest

 *The Thom Trail in Carl Junction. A three mile out and back trail consisting of crush gravel and asphalt.

     I was allowed to adjust my plan by taking into consideration how my body was reacting to the workout. Did I need to rest? Could I pick up the pace safely? Below is my complete adjusted first week workout.

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Rest	60 min Elliptical, 3.1 mile Trail Walk	60 min Stationary Bike, 3.1 mile walk	60 min Elliptical, 20 sit ups, 3.1 mile walk	60 min Stationary Bike, 1 mile walk	60 min Elliptical, 20 sit ups, 3.4 mile walk	6.2 mile walk

     I give all the glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In my fight against diabetes it is my hope that this starter exercise plan will inspire you to consider a plan that works for you. Where will you begin?

To The Stop Sign and Back Feel free to Like and Share on Facebook

Safety Note: Consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program. 

To The Stop Sign and Back

Home of the double cheesburger 

    It was a hot summer day in June 2013, when the Kenagy’s first rolled into Carl Junction, Missouri, as the newly appointed pastor of the Carl Junction United Methodist Church. I was on the look out for an easy lunch to feed our movers. As I drove down Pennell Street looking for my turn, I noticed “Randy’s Drive-In.” I could not help but notice the sign that read, “Double Cheeseburger Special $4.99.” “That will do!”, I said to myself. Actually, over the next four months every restaurant in the Joplin area served my growing appetite. It was so bad that  friend’s knew where I was from my daily Facebook posts listing my conquests of food, with pictures included. I love to eat and I still visit Randy’s. However, something was about to change.

    While checking the mail in October of 2013, I received a card from my health insurance company suggesting an annual check up. “Why not?,” I told myself. Actually I never was interested in going to the doctor and avoided it at all costs. But this time was different, I proceeded to search for a local doctor and found Dr. Sean Pfeffer with Joplin Primary Care in Joplin, MO. I chose him because reviews stated that he did not conduct unnecessary tests. I set up an appointment. Little did I know that one test that Dr. Pfeffer ordered would be very necessary.  A blood test revealed that I had Type II Diabetes. Anger and fear began to settle deep within my very being. I had seen what diabetes can do to people and I wanted no part of it. So I asked, “What can I do?” He said, “Let’s start with diet and exercise and see what happens.” I wanted to avoid medication and insulin at all costs and for as long as I could.

    

    My New Years resolution came early as I joined the Joplin YMCA,  worked out at the Carl Junction Community Center, attended diabetes education classes, and changed how I ate by avoiding high carbohydrate foods and monitored my portion size. This was going to be a tough thirty day stretch as Thanksgiving and Christmas were looming on the horizon. I set a goal to lose ten pounds per month and monitored my activity on My Fitness Pal, an application for my smart phone. The next set of blood test results would come in January 2014. I had dropped from 289 to 254 pounds. Thirty-five pounds in the first three months!  My A1C (average blood glucose over three to four months) went from 7.8 to 6.3. Keeping my eating in check and increasing my daily physical activity to sixty minutes a day, four to five days a week was working. Seeing the slow, yet steady progress, was sending my motivation level higher. However, what was about to happen next would speed my progress in the fight against diabetes.

    In April 2014,  a new chapter in my fight against diabetes began. It was a Saturday in April that Jessie, whom I consider one of my daughters, and Atticus, her son, who is considered one of my grandsons, were in town for a visit. Relaxing in the living room I said, “You know, I was thinking that when I got some weight off that I would start running.” I had thought of it, but not to great lengths. “Really?,” she said. I could see her eyes get larger than I have ever seen them.  I replied nonchalantly, “Sure. I was thinking it would be cool to run with you sometime.” “What shoes are you wearing?,” she asked. I hesitated in my answer and that was the opening she seemed to be looking for. “Get in the car we are going to buy you shoes!” In what seemed like ten seconds, she had me in the car and in downtown Joplin where I found myself walking into The Run Around being fitted for running shoes. She paid for my shoes and said, “Merry Christmas!,” fully knowing that I would never back out if she did that. I mean, who could let down a daughter who just bought you a pair of beautiful red Brooks running shoes? Her enthusiasm continued as we picked a race, because without a race day being set the likelihood that I might back out was greater. We picked August 16, 2014, to run the Cherish the Kids 10K in Springfield, Missouri. With the date picked she knew I would need a plan. She loves to plan, so she charted an action plan that would take me from walking to running a 10K (6.2 miles) in seventeen weeks. “Lets try those shoes!,” she said, still wide eyed and eager to help me succeed. I found myself out in the street with my red Brooks laced up and running beside her. “This is the pace we will go, watch your stride,” and other instructions flowed effortlessly from my enthusiastic partner. That first run was from the end of the driveway to the stop sign and back. The last time I was in any physical shape was as a sophomore in high school. I was thinking to myself, trying not to show that I was dying inside, “Is there any way out of this?” That question was answered the next evening as I texted my workout report to her. What I received back was a video of Atticus saying, “Way to go, Papa! We’re so proud of you!”  That video sealed the deal. I was all in. I had my Brooks, the date, a plan, and a motivational video that insured there was no way that I would back out of this race.

My red Brooks laced up and ready

    As of June, 2014, I am into my tenth week of my training plan for my first 10K. Beginning to run has lead to many additional benefits other than getting to run with Jessie. My blood glucose levels are under control (A1C of 5.7 as of June, 2014), stress levels have decreased, and my weight has dropped to 211 pounds for a total weight loss of 78 pounds so far. I have been able to adjust my training to include two 5K (3.1 mile) races. The first being July 11th, Get Fit 5K in Pittsburg, KS, and The Midsummer Night 5K, July 12th in Joplin, MO. On August 16th, in Springfield for the Cherish the Kids 10K (6.2 miles) and on October 4, 2014, I will celebrate my one year diagnosis with diabetes by running my first half marathon (13.1 miles), the Frog Hill Run in Waynesville, MO, all with my wide-eyed enthusiastic running partner.

    I run for four reasons; First, because of the health benefits of running, I can serve and glorify my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ longer on this earth. Second, to bash diabetes in the head. Third, to spend as much time as the good Lord allows me enjoying the company of all those whom I consider my children and grandchildren. Lastly, to encourage others to ask themselves the question, “Where will I begin?” No special shoes are needed to start. You just have to find your motivation, set your own goals, and map out your own plan. Will it be to the stop sign and back? The mailbox and back? Possibly to the front door and back? You must decide.

The stop sign that I ran from the driveway and back with Jessie

To The Stop Sign and Back on Facebook