:)

Yay, I got my workout done before 9:00!! I know, I know, I wanted to get my workouts done earlier this week, but anytime before 9:00 PM is early in my book.

Today was a great day in many ways, but running wise it's been great for 3 reasons.
1. I signed up for my first postpartum 5k....The St. Patrick's Day 5k!! I have 3 weeks until it happens and I can't wait! I just love to race.

2. I also signed up for my 2nd race of the year... The Salt Lake City Marathon 5k! This one will be fun because I get to see my friend Sue there.

3. Because today I ran on the treadmill at the fitness center and I did 20 minutes without stopping or holding onto the handrails.

I'm sure that 3rd one's not that big of a deal to most, but let me tell you... I wanted to hold onto that handrail SOOO many times. I wanted to stop and walk, but I didn't! I pushed through and did it. I kept telling myself,  "Only 5 more minutes, only 5 more minutes...you can do 5 minutes." Then when that 5 minutes passed I'd tell myself it again and again and again until I did 20 minutes. It's so much harder to do 20 minutes running without stopping on the treadmill. Your pace never changes unless you make it change, but when you're running outside (or around your living room) you can change your pace without thinking about it. So, in some ways running on the treadmill is a good thing. I think I may have to go to the fitness center more often.

I'd been having some aches in my left foot when I was walking/running, but today I decided to tighten my laces to see if that would help and sure enough, it did. No aches other then the ones you get from not working out for a while.

Anyway, I'm proud of my accomplishment today. I think it's a good building block in my rebuilding with running.


35.15 (2.37)

Last minute

Nothing like waiting until the last minute of the day to get your run in. I was busy all day with family things and working on a quilt that I didn't get my run done until 10:00 tonight. I know, I know...they say it's not good to workout right before bed, but I can't help it! I can't miss a day on my first week officially back. It's just not right. I'm hoping to do better next week about getting my workouts done earlier in the day.

I did 20 minutes running and 25 minutes walking though. I feel good, but this whole walking/jogging in small circles thing isn't cutting it. I really felt MUCH better when I was out on the street running.

Oh well, I've got tired eyes...I think I'll be sleeping good tonight!



(45.07)

My thighs!

My sore thighs!! Yesterday I did my workout, walked fast for 15 minutes and the did squats, lunges, wall sits, etc.... Oooh, I ache! It's a good ache though. It's hard at the time I'm doing it, but afterwords when I feel the ache I know it's working and will be totally worth it in the end. I'm sure I didn't have perfect form, but that will come in time. The more I do it the better I'll be. Today's a rest day which is good cause it's snowing outside. Tomorrow is 20 run/25 walk. Exciting!

I'm feelin' it...

Oooh boy, I'm feeling the achy muscles from a good workout. Today I walked for 5 minutes, jogged for 20 (without stopping!), and walked another 10. I felt good. The route was a little hilly in some spots, but nothing major. My left arch was starting to bug me a little bit, but I think that's because I was landing wrong or something. But, let me tell ya, my legs, back, and abs are feeling the love.

I got it done earlier today too. Go me! No waiting until the last minute.

I can't wait to be able to go at a faster pace. This whole 13.30 pace is getting a little old, but I guess if that's what my legs are willing do right now, that's what I have to do. I'll build back up. I'm not worried. I can do this!!!


(35.53)

Internal Cheerleader

I know I'm weird and I may be the only one, but does anyone else out there cheer in their heads for random runners that they see running down the road? I noticed the other day that I do that. Whenever I see a runner I always cheer them on in my head. Sometimes I'll say it out loud (not loud enough for them to hear...I'm not that brave yet.), but mostly it's in my head. "Run, run, run! Go, go, go!" "Way to go!" "Great job!" I don't know why I do it...maybe it's because I know how they feel or because I secretly wish there's others out there doing the same thing when I am trotting along, but what I do know is for that split second that I am cheering them on I am caring for another person and it makes me happy.

There was no run scheduled today, but there was a 15 min walk and some core building exercises. So, again, I put it off until tonight and walked for a mile and then did my exercises. I felt great! I love feeling like I'm building up to something great. Sure, it's hard and it takes effort, but in the end I know it works and it's all worth it.

I can't wait until I get to the point where I was last year where I could run 13 miles with ease.

Here we go...

I woke up this morning at 7 to feed Rose and the mental war began... "Should I go right now or wait? I want to go now, but sleep sounds so good. Why do I have to feel so tired? I had a decent nights sleep last night, I only had to get up once. I should just go. What if Rose starts crying? Will Jason be able to take care of all these kids? Of course he can, quit making excuses! Ok, I'll get dressed in my running clothes and then I'll have to go. Yeah...that's what I'll do." So, I fed Rose and got dressed.... Then the other kids got up so I got them breakfast, then I was hungry so, I made myself breakfast, then the kids needed help getting dressed, then Rose was hungry again, then someone was picking on someone, then we had to run errands and eventually I got caught up putting together an entertainment center and it was dinner time. What happened to the day? Seriously?! It was 8:00 and I texted my bro, "I'm about to go run." I know that if I text him he'll kick me in the butt and tell me to get out and I just have to. So, I fed Rose, the other kids were in bed already, I got Fraulein all harnessed up (we got her one of those harnesses because I feel bad that she chokes herself to death every time we walk and just hook the leash to her collar. She runs on her hind legs, for Heaven's sake, when we don't walk fast enough for her.) and we got going.

Ok, so I have this irrational fear that every time I go walking at night or in the mornings that some weirdo is watching me and is going to kidnap me or something. I don't know why it started, maybe too much CSI or something, but I get all nervous. I wanted to get some pepper spray to run with or something, but I never got around to getting any. I even tried running with a pocket knife once (yes, I'm crazy.), but today I thought I'd run with the dog. People are scared of dogs especially when they bark a ton, right? Anyway, I took her and the harness worked like a charm. She did awesome. Not bad for her first time.

Anyway, I got my workout done. I walked 20 and ran 15. I'm not only training my legs to run again, but I'm training my mind. It take a lot to get over the mental hurdles of running. Though, today was pretty good mentally. My legs were a little tired since I did it so late, but I pushed on and ran the full 15 minutes.

Now, I'm ready for bed. Good thing Rose is out for the night, I'll be able to get a good block of sleep before she gets up.




35.19 (2.19 mi)

Let's do this thing!

I love my brother Adam. I sent him a text the other night asking for one of his awesome training plans and he sent me an email starting like this....

"So, here's the deal. I have set this up so you can succeed. BUT YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE TIME TO MAKE IT HAPPEN! So that means no excuses...."

He knows me so well... :) You can always tell when I'm slacking because I fail to blog.

So, I'm officially starting training. There's a 5k I want to do in March and I don't want to end up walking most of it, so I need to start getting strong and I need to start building up. I'm thinking I'll go in the mornings with our dog. (She could use the exercise too.) I just feel so much better when I go in the mornings.


Here's what I gotta do:
Monday: 35 Minutes (15 R/20 W)
Tuesday: 20 Minutes R1
Wednesday: 35 min (20 R/15 W)
Thursday: 20 min R2
Friday: OFF
Saturday: 45 min (20 R/25 W)
Sunday: OFF

I'm excited! There's so many great races I'm excited to run. Not to mention the weight I want to lose. I feel so much better when I'm lighter. I've hit a plateau and I need to start losing! Here's to an awesome week! I hope everyone has a great week. :)

Really...

Today, I missed my workout. I was tired, so I took advantage of a great husband and ended up taking a 2 hour nap while he watched the kids.

I don't think I've been drinking enough water. I've been feeling a little light headed today. Not enough sleep + not enough water= a tired headached momma.

Holy wind, Batman!

The wind today has been CRAAAZY! I went out to do my walk/run while Brianna was at school. I didn't plan out my walk/run very well since I went with the wind for the first 5 minutes and against the wind for the last 25 minutes. I felt like I was being lifted and pushed to the side when I was jogging. It was nuts. I'm just glad I did it. Funny thing though, I went faster this time running against the wind then I did the other day running with it. lol! I'm glad I got out and did it. It always feels good to get my exercise in. Even though last night was a rough night (Rosalie isn't a fan of Pioneer Woman's Favorite Burgers....I think the blue cheese was too much for her little tummy.) I'm glad I went out rather than take a nap. I'm a better mommy for it. :) I walked 5, jogged 15, and walked 10. I feels good to get more running in. 

I have such a hard time calling it running...really is that what I'm doing? I feel like I'm trotting along, like I could be walking. I'm sure someone walking could walk faster than I "run" right now. Oh well, I'll get faster. I may not get super fast and I may not even get to the point where I run an 8 min mile like it's nothing, but you know what? I can endure...I can go long distances....I am proud to say, "I am an endurance 'runner'!" :)

Nope...

No walk today. There was so much going on today that it just didn't happen.


Uuugghh.... I have to.... I can't do this. I may not run/jog/trot, but I will walk right now. Around the living room I go. :) Be right back....


Ok, so...I did it... and I even jogged for 10 minutes. :) How can you NOT exercise when The Biggest Loser is on? Seriously, I feel so guilty. They're working hard, why can't I? Why can't I make exercise a priority? Sure I have kids and life that gets in the way sometimes, but I can do this!

IKEA

I like IKEA, you know why? Because they watch your kids for free while you go shop. You know why else I like IKEA? Because I can walk and the kids can play and we're both happy. :) Sure, I'm not walking around IKEA sprinting or anything, it's more of a stroll, but something is better than nothing. We walked for about 45 minutes not counting the stopping and looking around we did. 

I wanted to walk "for real" but life happens when you have 4 kids. Maybe tomorrow I'll get out and get it in.  

Oh, yeah...

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!

This weeks exercises

Let's see how I did with last weeks exercises:

Monday: 30 min walk- Walked 30 min
Tuesday: 35 min walk- Jogged 10 walked 25 min
Wednesday: 30 min walk- Walked 30 min
Thursday: 35 min walk- OFF
Friday: OFF- Walked 20 Jogged 16 min
Saturday: 40 min walk- Walked 25 min
Sunday: OFF- Walked 10 min

Not bad! My goal was to go 170 minutes and I went 166. I feel good about this week!! It's going to take a little time to get used to running again, but I can do this!

This week's exercises are going to be about the same, but I'm going to up my jogging time. 

Monday: 30 min walk
Tuesday: 25 min walk/10 jog
Wednesday: 15 min walk/15 jog
Thursday: 15 min walk/20 jog
Friday: OFF
Saturday: 20 min walk/25 jog
Sunday: OFF 

Let's hope I do well! :) 

I'm in looooove!

For my walk today I bundled up our little Rose in my Moby wrap and went to the park with the family. Jason and I did laps while the kids played. I was hoping to go for 40 min, but  the kids were done after 25 minutes. It was the perfect time of day to go. The weather was perfect, the wind wasn't blowing much, it was nice and clear outside. I wish we could have done the whole thing outside, but I'll just have to finish the last few minutes in the house.

The weird thing, is yesterday I didn't ache from my run and all day today I didn't ache from my run, but after walking today I had some muscle ache in my legs. Crazy....

I was given these awesome Pearl Izumi Streak II's to try out and HOLY FREAKING CRAP......I AM IN LOOOOVE WITH THESE SHOES!!!! They're so light and comfortable. I can't wait to race in them! Pearl Izumi is such an awesome brand. I love their stuff.

A little getting used to...

I had 35 minutes scheduled to run yesterday, but I held off and did it today instead. I figured it would be better to wait and go out to walk then do it right then and do it inside. 

Soooo....Today I got out and walked. Oooh, it was SO nice! The weather was perfect and I felt good. I walked Brianna to school and then kept walking. I walked the first 10 minutes, jogged for 16, and then walked for the last 10. I felt good, no aches from healing, so that's good. I did have a little ache in my left arch, but I think that's because I have to learn how to land my feet right again. My lungs didn't ache which is awesome. I was expecting some ache, but nope...they felt great.

Tomorrow is 40 minutes. There is a Valentine's 5k tomorrow here in S. Jordan... I have to admit, I'm a little tempted.

CSN winner!

The winner of the CSN giveaway is kimert over at Another Running Mom! Congrats! 

I've sent you an email. :)

Thanks to all of you who entered!!

quick

That went by quick. I just got my 30 minutes done. It'll be nice when I can get out and run. I wish I had a treadmill so I didn't have to walk back and forth in the livingroom, but you do what you have to.

Tomorrow I'm going to try jogging again. I'm hoping to get it done early and outside, but we'll see what happens.

Oh! Last night for the CSN giveaway.... Enter HERE. The winner will be posted in the morning. :)

Yeah, I had to try...

I was sitting watching the beginning of the Biggest Loser and trying to figure out something to make for dinner. I hate when nothing sounds good, but you know you need to eat cause it's been a while. (I still haven't figured out what to eat...) So, rather than wait any longer to do my walking, I got up and started going. 

I jogged for 10 minutes and it felt GREAT!!! I didn't ache, I had no cramps, and I felt awesome. :) I'm coming back! I walked the other 25 minutes and had a little side cramp, but that's typical when I'm getting back into the whole run/jog/trot thing. I need to learn to breathe again.

Ahhh! I can't wait to REALLY get back into running. I am really going to love those long runs when they come up this summer. I love the feeling after a nice run. It's such an awesome feeling.

Tomorrow will be another great day and another great walk. Now, I gotta figure out what I'm going to eat cause it's getting late....

So much to do....

I've been running around all day taking care of the family. We went to the airport, took care of the baby, took baths, got homework done, went to school, made lunch, took care of the baby, did the dishes....I could go on and on and on. I've had only a few minutes to sit down by myself to type this and honestly, while I'm typing this the baby is fussing for me to hold her and feed her.

Earlier today while I was taking 2 minutes to attempt to use the bathroom in peace (if that ever happens for a mother of 4) my little Annabelle comes in with my running shoes, throws them at my feet, and yells, "ON!" I'm sure she just wanted to go to the park, but I took it as a kick in the butt to get my walk in. So, I put my shoes on, walked to the window and saw this......

It had just started snowing and it was coming down pretty fast. It was the nice slushy stuff too. Needless to say, we didn't go to the park. I ended up putting on a movie for them while I made an early dinner. 

After dinner was done I got the kids all set for bed and sat down to eat something for myself. That's when Rosalie reminded me that I ate something she didn't like and wasn't too happy about it. She refused to be put down. Each time I'd get her to sleep and lay her down she'd wake up and want to be held again. 

It was 8:30 when I realized I still hadn't gotten my walk in. I thought I'd just skip it today and move my schedule around to do it later in the week, but I don't want to start doing that. I had an idea!! We'll, what's the best way to get a fussy baby to sleep? You WALK. So, I got my Moby Wrap, wrapped her up, and started walking back and forth, back and forth, back and forth... 30 minutes and she was out. I was able to lay her down for about 30 minutes and now she's up again wanting to eat. 

The joys of being a mom. :) I'm just glad I got my walk in. I feel much better about it now that it's done.

This weeks exercises

This week I'm thinking I'll do another 3-5 days of walking. I really want to do more and I may do it everyday, except Sunday...we'll see. That or I may up the time from just 30 minutes. I don't know.

What I'm aiming for:
Monday: 30 min walk
Tuesday: 35 min walk
Wednesday: 30 min walk
Thursday: 35 min walk
Friday: rest
Saturday: 40 min walk
Sunday: OFF

I do know that after today's Superbowl party I need to watch my food. It's crazy how I am with food, I'm not an emotional eater or anything, I tend to eat when I'm bored or I don't eat when I'm busy with things. I need to get back on track with eating healthy foods often so, I can have all the good food my body needs. The worst thing for me right now are the cinnamon hearts from Sweets Candy Co. Mmmm....I could eat a whole bag of those suckers in one sitting. I love anything cinnamon flavored.

Here's to a new week! The kids are back in school and I'm excited to get back into the routine of things. :)

Little by little...

I've missed the view of my Garmin sitting on the windowsill before a run. 

I know, it's silly, but it was a big part of my routine a year ago and now that I am getting back into the swing of things it was nice to see my old friend sitting in the window waiting for me. 

This morning I was busy doing the dishes and cleaning the bedrooms before Jason got back from his trip. There was a lot of running around going on, from doing the dishes, helping the baby, folding laundry, getting the kids drinks, helping them get dressed, etc. There was a lot to do, I'm just glad that I have the energy and strength to do it all with little effort.

After quiet time I got the three older kids bundled up and took them to the playground. It's been pretty chilly here (between 15-25° outside) so the kids have been stuck inside. It was a warmer at 44° today so they were excited to get out and play. I on the other hand was excited to get outside and walk. 

I ended up walking for 36 minutes while they played. I felt good other than the fact that my clothes were super tight. Seriously, I remember when they were super baggy on me and I could barely keep the pants on. It's a little depressing, but I just keep telling myself I gained the weight for a great cause and it's only been 2 weeks. It's going to take some time to recover weight wise from this. Little by little....

On the way to the playground I kept arguing with myself. On one hand I really wanted to attempt some jogging and on the other hand I didn't want to undo any recovery. I felt like I could just run and be ok, but I kept telling myself, "You have to walk before you can run." I miss running. I reminded myself that it's only been 2 weeks and for 9 months I didn't do much running at all. I have to build back up to where I was, I can't just pick up where I left off and run 13 miles without any problems. 

Well, next week is a new week. A new week of walking, building up to when I can run again. 

I just have to stay positive. One day at a time....

How'd that happen?

It's 9:00 and I haven't done my 30 minute walk yet... I can't start like this. I have to make it a way of life again. 

----------------------30 minutes later------------------------

Ok, I did it. I walked for 30 minutes in my living room. It gets a little redundant walking in circles in your living room, but if that's what I have to do, that's what I'll do. The dog, Fraulein, thought I was nuts. She was following me around for the first 5 minutes or so wondering where I was going and then she realized I wasn't really going anywhere and laid back down. Haha!! 

I felt fine again. No aches other than my left foot cause I wasn't wearing shoes and cause I was walking in a small circle for 30 minutes, but that's what I get for putting it off and doing it inside.  My poor carpet has track marks from walking in circles, lol! Aww, I just have to vacuum again and it'll make them go away.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to get outside and walk for 30 min. It'll be nice to get 30 minutes to myself. 

I did a lot today with cleaning the house and taking care of 4 kids on my own while Jason worked. I'm pretty proud of myself. I feel like I have this whole 4 kids thing down. :) I can't wait until the kids are back on track next week. I can't wait to have that routine back.

And so it begins... (giveaway closed)

To start things off let's do a CSN giveaway for a $35 gift certificate! They have all sorts of great stuff. There's over 200 online stores where you can get all sorts of things even swingsets! Who knew!

To enter all you need to do is let me know if you follow my blog and leave a separate comment telling me what your favorite dessert is (I know, random...but sweets sound SOOO good right now!).

Giveaway ends next Wednesday (2/9) night and winner will be posted Thursday (2/10) morning. 

I had a full self shot, but maybe I'll post one on a day I look better. lol!

This week's goal (Thursday-Sunday) is to walk 30 minutes for 3-4 days.

One day down! I was going to get up this morning when Rosie woke up to eat around 6 and go walk around the neighborhood, but I decided to sleep instead. Then I was going to go after feeding her at 8:30, but she took her time and there wasn't enough time between her feeding and her 2 week check up. Sooo, I held off and put it off and off and off until about 3:15 when Rosie fell asleep and the other kids were playing. I was going to walk outside, but decided to do it inside since it was 20°F outside and my winter clothes don't fit all the way yet.

For 30 minutes I walked in circles around my living room and kitchen while listening to Psych on the TV. You do what you have to do, right? I felt GREAT. No cramps, no aches, no pains. I feel 100% recovered from delivery. I'm telling ya, this time was like magic! I've recovered SOOO fast, it's amazing.

My start weight when I got home after having Rosie was 226, my goal is to get back down to the 160s and run another marathon (not pregnant this time!) and a few half marathons. I'd LOOOOVE to do it this year, but we'll see how I feel and how well I do. I just have to take it one day at a time and be patient. I've been weighing in every Saturday with my man and my first weigh in was 213.8 (good-bye water weight!!) Let's hope it goes down steadily. I tried to follow the WW plan, but I think it's too early for it cause my milk supply just dropped, so I started eating more, but still being mindful and my milk went back up. The other key I found LOTS and LOTS of water. Gotta get those fluids.

Tomorrow's goal is another 30 minutes, hopefully in the morning this time. I'm so much happier and I have much more patience for the kids when I get it in early.

I'm excited! I'm back to bloggin' and running/walking! :)