Monthly Feature for March 2017

It has been more than a year since I first featured Karen Midden for her progress and dedication. She has not slowed a bit.

Karen has begun agility and coordination training. Not only is she reducing risks of injuries, she has found that she's pretty skilled at this type of training, despite lacking a background in athletics. Karen also regularly deadlifts 45 pounds for 4 sets of 6 repetitions. While Karen is not attempting to be a powerlifter, this exercise makes picking grandchildren up off the floor much easier.

Karen has also recently realized two goals she had set for herself. The first was accomplished back in 2016 and was simply to hold a plank for a minute. She trained hard and managed the feat on her first attempt, then repeated it later in the same training session.

Her next goal was to complete a running race. Karen had never run a race, or competed on a team. I encouraged her to join my team for the Shamrock Shuffle 3k earlier this month. Again she trained hard and exceeded her own and my expectations. She completed the race faster than expected with the support of her son Mark. To top it off, our team Bangers and Mash won the over-all championship for the first time in three attempts.

With a windchill of 21 degrees Fahrenheit, it would have been very easy to stay in bed instead of running her first race. Of course that is not the kind of person Karen is, and that is why I love training her. She does not let excuses hold her back. She has not backed a way from trying new things when most of her peers would have. I'm sure she has the same fears and anxieties as most others, but she conquers them, and for that I'm very proud of her.