Category: Running (Page 2 of 2)

Get off the Couch with Shawn Tegtmeier

September 28, 2021 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

Episode 91 – Get off the Couch

In Episode 91, Jill and Chris talk with Shawn Tegtmeier, a former chain smoking couch potato, now a full time personal trainer with several certifications and a published author.

She lives in the “Chicagoland” area with her husband and two dogs. In her off time she enjoys running, reading, putzing around the yard and simply enjoying time with her two adult sons.

During the podcast we discussed:

How she started with her health changes
How she maintains her weight loss
How she managed to quit smoking
What motivate her to stay fit and healthy?
Her advice to her clients about working out and eating

Shawn told us that quitting smoking was the “hardest thing I ever did.” After she quite she gained a lot of weight. After seeing a photo of herself, she decided to join WeightWatchers. She lost the weight and keeps it of with walking, hiking, moving, working out . She likes to bike a bit and enjoys watching YouTube videos for cardio or strength. She enjoys working out and has become a personal trainer.

While Shawn has been a member at a gym for 13 years, the Covid pandemic threw off her schedule and now she prefers to work out at a friend’s or does Zoom workouts.

“I am motivated by feeling good, with a sense of accomplishment, it’s so much more enjoyable and I also like the social aspect of working oue/

In 2015, she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a bone marrow cancer and learned that she needed a cell transplant. In 2017, she was “getting it back together. And in 2018, I came back.”

One of her tricks for eating is that she tries to always mix a carb with a protein.
She premakes her morning breakfast and finds that it helps to prep meals ahead of time.
Fav breakfast meal: English muffin with a fried egg, cheese, Canadian bacon & avocado.

“For those of us who have the ability to move, we should feel grateful.”

When she is personal training, she likes to time everything, not count reps. She walks everyday, a little longer each time. She enjoys running with her dogs, and uses a timer for exercises.

She says that people have to like what they are doing. Find what you enjoy — lifting, dancing, biking, it’s important to find something you like.

Her advice for women over 50 – take a survey of yourself – a snapshot of yourself during day. How much water do you drink? What are you eating? What can you do to increase your water and your sleep? Small improvements will add up.

Links:
Website: https://shawntegtmeier.com/
Book: Running With Walt: How a Chain-smoking Couch Potato Got Off the Couch

Four on the Fourth Race Recap

July 22, 2021 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

This year I ran the Four on the Fourth race. It was held in Hudson, Ohio and was well attended.

I’ve run a few Fourth of July races over the years and they’re usually hot. I wrote a post a few years ago about some of the Independence Day races I’ve run and when you look at the photographs, it’s clear that most of those races were hot.

Last year there were no July 4 races due to the pandemic lockdown.

Four on the Fourth Race

This year’s Four on the Fourth race was a little different from the previous races. First of all, it was four miles, instead of the traditional 5K. Secondly, the morning started out cool. It was cool enough that I actually said, “well, at least it’s not as hot as some years.” I later regretted saying that because the temperature did climb and I ended up feeling pretty warm.

I decided to run this race even though I’m still working on my Couch to 5K plan so four miles was more than I have been doing. However, the race was held in my old neighborhood, where I used to do a lot of running. I felt very nostalgic and decided I had to run the course.

Much of the route was shaded which helped with the heat. It didn’t take long for the temperature to rise so I was glad that there were two water stations on the course. I carried water too but I like going through the aid stations.

Because I didn’t have it in me to run the whole way, I ended up doing a run/walk for this race . I ran more than I thought I would. Even though I was slower than my past races, I was still pleased with my results. I felt like I have hope that I can really resume running again. By the time I finished the run, I was tired but energized. I felt very happy to have completed the race.

Participants

There was a wide variety of people running. There were some very fast runners, there were walkers, and everyone in between. I saw families running together and people pushing strollers. There were a few spectators, most of whom had very cute dogs. I think everyone was happy to be able to go out and run a race again. The crowd seemed very happy. There was lots of great energy in the air.

Race Results

I was shocked because there were about 11 women in my age group. There are usually not so many women my age competing. I came in smack in the middle, which, again, was better than I expected.

My boyfriend, son, daughter-in-law, and granddog came to cheer me on. It was a lot of fun to have some people cheering for me.

It felt so good to be able to run a race and enjoy the experience.

Have you been able to resume some activity you used to enjoy? Let me know!

Canine Couch to 5K

July 1, 2021 / Jill McCauslin / 4 Comments

What’s this about canine Couch to 5K? One of the reasons I got Penny, my crazy little Irish doodle, is that she’s an athletic dog. My plan has always been to teach her to run with me. I decided the easiest way to accomplish that was to use the Couch to 5K app that I’ve used in the past. I don’t know if there’s actually a canine Couch to 5K app. I’m just using the one that I’ve used in the past.

I waited until Penny was a year old to start to run with her. I gather it’s important that her bones are fully grown or something like that before she runs for any distance. Since we’re doing the run/walk plan with the Couch to 5K, she hasn’t really done a lot of running yet so I think we’re fine.

It turns out that when I am running, Penny just has to walk more briskly. She’s rather confused by it. She keeps looking at me, as if to say, “what are we doing, Mom?” I think the important thing is for Penny to know that when we’re running, she can’t just stop to sniff something or dart off in a different direction. We’re working on learning to run beside me.

My daughter-in-law bought us a running leash, one of those things that go around my waist. We’re just starting to use it so I can’t really report on its efficiency. The leash lets me have my hands free while I’m running. I know that will be convenient as well as a more safe way to run with a dog.

We’re still working on this so I’ll keep you posted on how Penny is doing with her canine couch to 5K program. Any advice on how you trained your dog to run? Let me know in the comments below.