Thursday, March 31, 2016

An Inside Peek...

Unless I have had your job, I have no idea what you do. You might tell me some day to day activities or I may get a sneak peek but realistically, it's all a mystery to me. 

The same goes for my job. Most people have no idea what I do. I *think* that they think there is a good deal of fun and running involved. For the most part, I love my job. But my job is so much more than running and being at events.  

Given that we are coming up on our biggest event of the year and people keep asking if we are going on vacation next week or saying that they know we'll be so happy when Monday gets here, I thought I'd give you a little behind the scenes.

First things first. No, we are not going on vacation until the end of May. Honestly, I don't know when we will get our next day off. I am hoping that we can take some time next weekend for just our little family of four. And, Monday is another 15+ hour day. So is Tuesday. Jason will actually still work 50+ hours a week through the end of April. Then, he'll spend all of May distributing sponsor gifts, recognizing our Fittest Schools, recognizing our Fittest companies, securing a date for 2017, finalizing the budget vs actual for the 2016 event, and writing a budget for the next marathon year (his budget runs July to June).

A day in the life of KTC's Executive Director...

I work from home. Our home is the "KTC Office" and most days, you can find Altman and I at the kitchen table sitting across from one another going over a variety of logistics for CHKM and KTC as a whole. I can answer your question...yes, we are actually very, very productive working here. I was so much less productive working in an office environment. And, because we work together, we really work together. I am constantly asking Altman for opinions on a variety of items related to KTC business and he does the same with me and the CHKM. 

Mondays are operations days. I have a "No Meeting Monday" policy and use that day to truly work on all things administrative. This can be anything from paying invoices to invoicing vendors to answering emails to writing sponsor proposals or reviewing proposals to sponsor other community events. This week, I completed a solicitations permit application, the Combined Federal Campaign application, completed our Annual Report for the state, and wrote a report for our board meeting that took place Monday night. 

KTC is a business. It is a nonprofit business but still a business and my job is to oversee all administrative items and operations among many other tasks. In the coming weeks, I'll complete a budget vs actual for Q1 including individual race budgets for road races. 

In addition to those items, I oversee all staff, key volunteers, and programming. So, I could be approving marketing materials or upcoming program ideas. I write checklists for all road races and distribute those to our event manager and the specific race directors. I also create all of the registration pages for road races. Fortunately, our trail director sets those up for trail races!

I'm responsible for fundraising and sponsor relations. I'm responsible for all promotions and marketing.

My checklist is never less than a full page. I divide it into sections for general items, CHKM items (that's seasonal and will transition to Farragut 13.1 soon), programming/event items, and then personal/community service items.

I go to meetings. I happily volunteer for a variety of organizations. I do this as a representative for KTC. I think it is important for the organization to be present in the community and I've built some great partnerships for the organization this way. 

In addition to those meetings, there are sponsor meetings, staff meetings, committee meetings, and more. Some of those are during the day but KTC is powered by volunteers so all of our committee and board meetings are in the evening. 

Then of course there are race days. The great news is that if things are going well, then I get the chance to catch up with our members, participants, and volunteers. If things aren't going well then my job is to troubleshoot and make decisions on next steps. This might include safety issues, lost runners, unhappy runners, and more. I'm never surprised anymore at the things that can go wrong on a race day. 

As I've been writing this post, I realize that there is really no way to give you a full look inside. I can tell you it is wild. I work 40+ hours every week and there is always more work to be done. I do enjoy it. 

I'm going to enjoy this weekend and I hope to see you out there!

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Taking a Moment

It's marathon week. There's no reason to talk about what that means because you all know me and you know Altman so you know what this means. It's cool. We're ready. And even if we weren't, it doesn't matter because it is all going to happen whether we're ready or not.

This year is a bit different from those in the past. Last year was hard. It was really hard and really stressful. I had just been through the hiring process to become the Executive Director for KTC and there was no time to take a minute to breathe in March/April 2015...or for the rest of the year for that matter.

I knew I was the best choice for the job but having left and attempting to return made me question whether or not the board of directors would agree with me. That said, the board in 2015 was a much, much different board than the board that was in place when I turned in my resignation in 2012. The 2012 board wasn't bad but we'd all had a hard year and honestly, we just needed a break and time to reset.

I love, love, love this job but if you know anything about nonprofit work, you know that your board can make or break the experience and how long an ED stays with an organization. It's just a fact when working with nonprofits. I can happily say that right this minute, this is the absolute best board that I've seen in a decade of working with KTC. There are many good things to come.

So, this year is different. I am different. I've been working hard to implement some things to change my schedule and to be sure that I get my work done and take care of myself and my family.

At the start of the year, I implemented "NO Meeting Monday" and I stick to it. My schedule is blocked every Monday from 8 am to 5 pm indefinitely on my calendar. So far, I've been good not to make any exceptions. Monday is the day. I workout and then put my hair in a bun, throw on yoga pants, and get to work. I pay KTC invoices, I invoice other organizations, and I do all the operational things that I can do for the week on Mondays. It's the best decision that I have ever made. Need a meeting? Not on a Monday. You may not understand but honestly I don't care. Each week is filled with meeting after meeting and when the organization that you run has roughly 10 large programs plus operations, you need a full day each week to just work.

I also did something unprecedented for me. I left a board of directors position early. I have never done that before. It's an awesome organization that I love and that I know will do great things. But, they need someone who can be "all in" for the next several months and I can't commit to being that person. It's a working board and I love working boards but at this time, what they need from board members is not something that I can offer. And, they were at a key time when I felt it best for me to leave without disrupting their future plans and work.

And today, we took the day off. Yes, it is Easter but it is also Altman's birthday. We've worked late every night and this week is going to be chaotic and then next week is CHKM weekend. We didn't set an alarm this morning. Jason worked out then I worked out. We had brunch. Jackson and I baked a cake. We played outside all afternoon as a family. We had a steak dinner and then funfetti birthday cake. Currently, Altman is giving the boys a bath and then we'll get them settled and ready for a full week of school. In years past, I would have answered emails and I would have been anxious enough to be in tears.

Not this year. This year I am taking a moment to breathe. I am enjoying the boys and loving spring in our beautiful home today after working most of yesterday.

Tomorrow, I will wake up ready to roll. I cannot wait for how excited I will be tomorrow morning and for the rest of the week and weekend. I will tackle everything that has to be completed before the end of the month and I'll determine what can wait until April. If you get moved to April then please don't take it personally. I am just running out of time in March.

It's going to be an awesome week and I am so glad that I was able to take a moment and enjoy this year's marathon season.

See ya on the Clinch Avenue Bridge!


Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Post MRI

Just a little update on the journey and MRI results and next steps.

The MRI showed no stress fractures, no tears, no structural damage. That's good news. That means there is nothing happening in that hip that requires surgery.

It does show that I have bursitis. Doc initially diagnosed it as bursitis but because I was still having problems then we decided that ruling anything out via MRI was best bet.

The bad news is that bursitis is the inflammation of the bursa. Usually from overuse and a host of other reasons. And, there is no easy fix.

So what to do?

I had a cortisone injection yesterday. The cortisone will reduce the inflammation and bring the bursa back to normal size.

I had physical therapy today. Because they didn't want to be aggressive, our great friends at TN Sports Medicine Group did some initial work on it and I will go back Friday for soft tissue work.

I signed up for a membership at 4D Fitness (owed and operated by TN Sports Medicine Group) and plan to hire one of their personal trainers to help me get my strength back.

And, I'll take a hard look at my nutrition and make changes to reduce inflammatory foods.

Bursitis can flare up anytime. I can get up to three cortisone injections per year but I hope that we can get on the right track and prevent having to have that many injections.

I may never run another marathon. That would be too bad. But, I may. That might also be too bad. ;)
But, if I can get and stay healthy then I'd love to try the half distance and see how that goes. And who knows, maybe a marathon is in my future.

Whatever the future holds, I have some work to do but am happy to know that I don't need surgery and that I am totally blessed with awesome experts that can help me.

See you on the roads...but probably not until next week. ;)

Friday, March 4, 2016

Getting Well

It's no secret that 2015 was a rough year for the Altman adults physically. Altman injured his knee in May and rehabbed all summer only to find that there was in fact a tear in his meniscus and he needed surgery. He's up and running literally and just ran a 2:50:01 in LA.

I injured myself in January last year at a trail race and things just never got better. I did some rehab and kept plugging away. I had a cortisone shot in June and that should have set me up for a good summer of running.

Unfortunately, in an attempt to catch a falling toddler, I sprained my glute. And no, I didn't catch him. It was awful. That was probably the worst pain I've ever felt. I seriously thought I had torn something or broken something. I couldn't sit, I couldn't stand, I couldn't lie down and there was constant pain. I did rehab three days a week for several weeks. We were making great progress and I headed out on a Sunday for a short, easy run. About 1.5 miles in, my calf locked up. I stopped and stretched and kept going thinking it would loosen up. By the time I got to Jason and the kids, I couldn't walk.

For the first time in my life, Krusenklaus told me not to run. He said that my calf so was sprained that it may tear at any time. So, we rehabbed the calf.

In the midst of all of this, I pulled a muscle in my chest that caused my shoulder, clavicle and and pectoral muscles to stay in a constant state of pain and I had little range of motion. It was hard to run because I literally couldn't breath.

No, none of this is an exaggeration.

I have always been a proponent of taking care of oneself. That doesn't just mean cardio and strength training are enough. Taking care of ourselves is a whole approach to being healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally. Stress, exhaustion, and random eating schedules counteract any work done on the road or in the gym.

As a certified fitness person, you would think that I'd be the first to recognize some of the root causes of my physical misfortunes but alas....

Fast forward to March 2016, between a chiropractor and my massage therapist, I am happy to report that my shoulder/chest/neck are in great shape.

I am not happy to report that I have gained an incredible amount of weight and that I broke down an had an MRI this week on the hip.

I am possibly in the worst health of the last decade. Not possibly. My health is in a terrible place.

I've taken it easy this week and with that extra time, I have had some realizations:
1. I am tired. I don't sleep well. I can't blame the kids or Altman. I just don't sleep well these days. I need to make a habit of turning off the phone/electronics well before bed. I need to stop reading emails at 10 pm. I need to unwind before bedtime each and every day.
2. I need to say "no" more often to extra things. I have two kids and work full-time plus. I have a fulfilling schedule of volunteer activities and I love them all. I don't need more. This one will be hard. It's hard for me to say no but it is an absolute necessity.
3. I have to eat regularly and I need to be purposeful in what I eat. I can sometimes go a whole day and realize that I literally forgot to eat. Who does that? Apparently I do. I've been buying us lots of vegetables and good foods. I need to eat more protein and I am already working on it. I need to lay off the chocolate chips and almond butter. ;)

I have an arsenal of experts in my circle that will be very willing to help me lose the weight and get back my good health.

And I have an initial plan.

1. I am tracking all of my food every day.
2. I have also started a journal to track how I feel physically from aches/pains and sore muscles to sore throats and sinus issues. I'm not sure that my allergy shots are doing their job anymore so we may need to address that soon. When my allergies are bad then I am tired and feel sick. But, I am so busy that I can't keep track of how I felt and when. A good friend recommended keeping a journal and I think it is a great idea.
3. I am also tracking my workouts. I firmly believe that some of the strength exercises that I've tried lately are not good for my hip. Once I can identify those triggers, I can avoid them.

After tracking everything for a few weeks, I am going to make an appointment with a general practitioner. If I am still tired and exhausted and not making progress, we may need to run various tests. At that same time, I am going to call my friend Eddie and set up an appointment with him to refine my diet.

Hopefully I hear back from the MRI soon. Then, we can determine next steps on healing my hip.

It's not easy to admit to the world (at least those reading this) that you aren't at your best. But, if it helps anyone else out there think about their own health and habits then I've done a good thing.

I turn 40 this fall and I plan to be back in great health. Stay tuned...


A Weight Lifted

I started this blog when Jackson was a baby with the intent to write about everyday life with kiddos. There are tons of books out there on r...