5K Prep ( + my WHY)-Go The Distance for Cincinnati Children's Hospital!
- Lexie Ruscheinski
- Jul 22, 2019
- 5 min read
Time to break out the good ole' target running shoes and the trusty Couch to 5K app because YOUR GIRL IS RUNNING HER FIRST 5K!!!!!!
This is something I've wanted to do for the longest time and I am so excited I get to run it for one of the top ranked Children's Hospitals in the country, The Cincinnati Children's Hospital & Medical Center. I will get to the nitty gritty of all the prep details for the 5K like my schedule, meal prep, mental prep, etc., BUT FIRST... I want to talk about my WHY behind running this 5K and why it means so much to me.
My WHY:
If you have known me, you know that part of what made my college experience so enjoyable and memorable, was Dance marathon. Dance Marathon is an organization and event that takes place nationwide at Colleges and High School's where individuals come together to raise money for their local Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. When I went to Iowa State University and participated in their Dance Marathon first as a dancer, then as a committee member for the next three years, we supported the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City, IA. Over the years, we have found that the money we raise goes to different aspects within the hospital including funding stays for families at the Ronald McDonald House to funding cutting edge medical research programs including the Hemodynamics Program (I'll have a link to the site all about the research and plan for this program at the end of the article!). Dance Marathon, as well as children and families in general, have always held a special place in my heart and this organization inspired me to one day work in a Children's Hospital. Since moving to Ohio, I have discovered the Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Medical Center is one of the TOP THREE leading Children's Medical Centers in the country. That blew my mind too gals and pals! I have also discovered that their Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics and their Kelly O'Leary Center for Autism is one of the top programs IN THE COUNTRY. DOUBLE blow my mind because that is the kind of work I want to get into eventually!
Signing Up:
When I found out that the hospital was putting on the Go the Distance 5K this upcoming September I knew I had to sign up! AND I always wanted to a 5k and figured this was the perfect starter run for myself. I had the biggest and cheesiest grin on my face when I signed up and had an EVEN BIGGER grin on my face when I got to choose what department within the hospital to raise my money for. I immediately chose to fundraise money for the Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics which supplies specific services towards child development including Autism Spectrum Disorders, Down Syndrome, Spina Bifida, and other general developmental and learning difficulties. I have tears in my eyes even just typing this and I am so excited to see what they do with my money. It takes the stress off of running the actual 5k when you get down to your WHY and why your so passionate about this cause.
How I'm prepping for the 5K itself:
Alright, now to the meat and bones of it all. As I've talked about, it has always been on my bucket list to do a 5K and eventually a marathon (I'm looking at you Disney Princess Half Marathon!). I've divided my prep into three separate areas: Physical Prep, Mental Prep, and Meal Prep.
Physical Prep:
-App Usage:
When beginning prep for the 5k I downloaded an app that I love with my whole stinking heart called Couch to 5K. I've used it in past years just for fun and to maintain a healthy workout regimen, but now I'm using it for its actual use of 5K training. Would highly recommend this app for anyone running a 5K or using it solely for workout purposes especially if you're a beginner. It starts you off by building your stamina with intervals of walking and jogging for a few weeks and it preps you to be able to full run/jog for the 30 minutes it takes to do a 5K.
-Mapping out my route:
Okay so I live on a hill in an apartment complex area and it has been interesting for me to navigate a routine route and prepare myself. I will test out different pathways and determine which one will suit me best to help better prepare me.
-Sticking to the routine:
I have been laying out the days I will be prepping in accordance to match up with when the race is (Saturday, September 14th to be exact!). The app will keep track of how many runs I do and what week/day I am on.
Mental Prep:
- Excuses:
Although I am leaps and bounds from where I was, at times I fall victim to imposter syndrome and become impatient with where I am in my own process with virtually anything, so I come up with excuses that inevitably never do me any good. To motivate myself, I have started remembering my WHY behind everything (Dance Marathon taught me this,too!). WHY I am doing this and WHY these 30 minutes will be beneficial for me and my preparation for this race. I made a commitment to something I'm passionate about and I was raised to honor my commitments.
-Personal Development:
I have come to ADORE podcasts and books highlighting personal development in order to become the best versions of our own unique individual SELVES. Growth doesn't look the same on everyone and that is so freeing and relieving to me! I love podcasts such as Her Best F***ing life, Shepodcast, Goal Digger, Positive Soul Podcast and so may more! I am also in the midst of reading Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis and Own Your Everyday by Jordan Lee Dooley, which both are INCREDIBLE and I already highly recommend them!
For 5K prep in particular and in the spirt of being #ForTheKids, I started listening to Untold Miracles, which is a podcast put on by Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and they speak with celebrities and other influential leaders on what a miracle means to them, what they've witnessed and how they've benefited from their own personal miracles!
Meal Prep:
- Healthy and Diverse Meal Choices:
Okay real talk, I have always somewhat struggled with snacking and meal choices. Since joining Beachbody I have learned how to better discipline myself and fuel my body with what it needs and not overdo it or under-do it (if that's a word lol). I'm keeping my food intake 80% healthy and 20% treating myself and having my three meals a day!
-Meal Prepping and STICKING TO IT:
I loved whenever I got the chance to meal prep in college and I am going to do my best to continue those habits because Meal Prepping is a savior! It saves you time in terms of cooking and prepping throughout the week. The meal prepping for the week itself takes a significant amount of time, but so worth it in terms of the time you save during the rest of the week! I will chart my meal prepping and food choices through the 21 Day Fix tracking sheets which highlight all the food categories: Grains, Proteins, Fruits, and Vegetables.
So there you have it friends! I couldn't be more excited to run this 5K in September benefitting the population I will help nurture and grow as a professional! I cannot wait to document more of this journey and see the end result!
LINKS:
Personal Fundraising Page for the Go The Distance 5K!:
http://give.cincinnatichildrens.org/site/TR/CincinnatiWalksforKids/GoTheDistance?px=1356920&pg=personal&fr_id=1150
About the Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at CCHMC!:
All about Dance Marathon and Children's Miracle Network Hospitals!:
All about the Hemodynamics Program at UI Stead Family Children's Hospital!:
All about Couch to 5K!:
Untold Miracles Podcast!
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