Sunday, March 22, 2009
6 miles
And what a six miles it was. Like a big dope slap upside the head. Not pleasant, but I really needed it. Some runs are better left out on the road or trail. Today was one of those runs.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Race Report MJH8K
It did not rain as forecast, hooray!
Just a brief race report as I am soooooo tired from the baby waking up at weird hours this week. Of course, she sleeps in for Daddy the morning that I have to get up at 5:30 for the race. And I was up wicked late last night because Max went to Monster Truck Jam and didn't get home till 10:30 pm and was amped up on cotton candy and had a huuuuuge meltdown that lasted until goodness knows when.
So anyway, like I was saying, I woke up at 5:30. Which was really too early for an 8am gun time. But this was my first time this kid for the pre-run pumping thing, so wanted to make sure I had enough time to do that, do my other regular get ready stuff, and make it to pre-race packet pickup. I know, I should have picked up my packet last night, but I think nursing mothers are exempt from that. So I rolled into packet pickup at 6:45 sharp, and was about the only person there. Chatted with Brad from The Corner for a bit, then headed to my parents' place two blocks from the start to watch the morning news, stretch, and hydrate.
Once I headed to the start, I bumped into Louise, who was having a cranky IT band. Between my still coughing stuff up (yes, FIVE weeks later, oy vey) and having lingering pelvic ligament issues, I was planning a strict run-walk strategy to get through the race. Louise and her IT band decided to go slow with me. Nothing much out of the ordinary to report - we ran and chatted; when I took walk breaks, Louise would stop to stretch, and then run to catch up with me. All the normal giant hills kicked my ass, as they do every year. We finished a little shy of my goal time (1 hour) in about 1:02 (maybe 1:03 gun time, I haven't checked the official results yet).
I'm just glad I got out there - it was a good confidence builder for 10 miler training. It's just a few weeks away, and this illness and injury combo has really derailed my training. I am planning to do some 6-8 milers on the Monticello Trail with its lovely, forgiving, perfect, ultra-crushed gravel, and hope for the best on race day.
Just a brief race report as I am soooooo tired from the baby waking up at weird hours this week. Of course, she sleeps in for Daddy the morning that I have to get up at 5:30 for the race. And I was up wicked late last night because Max went to Monster Truck Jam and didn't get home till 10:30 pm and was amped up on cotton candy and had a huuuuuge meltdown that lasted until goodness knows when.
So anyway, like I was saying, I woke up at 5:30. Which was really too early for an 8am gun time. But this was my first time this kid for the pre-run pumping thing, so wanted to make sure I had enough time to do that, do my other regular get ready stuff, and make it to pre-race packet pickup. I know, I should have picked up my packet last night, but I think nursing mothers are exempt from that. So I rolled into packet pickup at 6:45 sharp, and was about the only person there. Chatted with Brad from The Corner for a bit, then headed to my parents' place two blocks from the start to watch the morning news, stretch, and hydrate.
Once I headed to the start, I bumped into Louise, who was having a cranky IT band. Between my still coughing stuff up (yes, FIVE weeks later, oy vey) and having lingering pelvic ligament issues, I was planning a strict run-walk strategy to get through the race. Louise and her IT band decided to go slow with me. Nothing much out of the ordinary to report - we ran and chatted; when I took walk breaks, Louise would stop to stretch, and then run to catch up with me. All the normal giant hills kicked my ass, as they do every year. We finished a little shy of my goal time (1 hour) in about 1:02 (maybe 1:03 gun time, I haven't checked the official results yet).
I'm just glad I got out there - it was a good confidence builder for 10 miler training. It's just a few weeks away, and this illness and injury combo has really derailed my training. I am planning to do some 6-8 milers on the Monticello Trail with its lovely, forgiving, perfect, ultra-crushed gravel, and hope for the best on race day.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Doughman 2010
IronMo clued me in about The Doughman, in Durham, in which running, biking, and paddling across a pool in a kiddie inner tube are combined with competitive eating. I am seriously doing this next year. Since I was nursing when I started running seriously, I had to eat constantly, including before runs. While I made a concerted effort to reduce the size of my pre-run meal as my distances increased, I never went running on an empty stomach. And while I think the Doughman will be a real challenge for me, I think I'll have no trouble with my leg of the race.
Case in point, my day after 4:30pm.
4:30 - leave work, head to daycare to pick up kids
5:15 - arrive home. Nurse baby on porch while 3 y.o. plays in the yard
5:30 - leave 3 y.o. in yard w/Supportive Husband, head inside to make dinner.
6:00 - in the home stretch w/dinner, begin bathing baby in kitchen sink
6:15 - dinner on the table, baby clean and ready for jammies. Head upstairs with baby while husband and 3 y.o. start eating dinner.
6:30 - baby asleep. Eat dinner of breakfast burrito, turkey bacon, and blueberries.
6:45 - head out for quick run.
7:15 - blog as cooldown
That's right, I ate my own dinner before going out for a run. Daylight was fading and I was famished. And you know what? I actually felt pretty good.
Doughman, here I come!!!
Case in point, my day after 4:30pm.
4:30 - leave work, head to daycare to pick up kids
5:15 - arrive home. Nurse baby on porch while 3 y.o. plays in the yard
5:30 - leave 3 y.o. in yard w/Supportive Husband, head inside to make dinner.
6:00 - in the home stretch w/dinner, begin bathing baby in kitchen sink
6:15 - dinner on the table, baby clean and ready for jammies. Head upstairs with baby while husband and 3 y.o. start eating dinner.
6:30 - baby asleep. Eat dinner of breakfast burrito, turkey bacon, and blueberries.
6:45 - head out for quick run.
7:15 - blog as cooldown
That's right, I ate my own dinner before going out for a run. Daylight was fading and I was famished. And you know what? I actually felt pretty good.
Doughman, here I come!!!
Sunday, March 08, 2009
and a little brag
I am now two pounds lighter than I was when I got pregnant with Sami.
Of course, I'm still about 5 pounds over my ideal weight, but hey, I am making progress! I just remember stepping on the scale the week after she was born and being shocked, shocked! at the number that appeared. Now I can just be shocked at my squishy, stretchmarky belly.
Of course, I'm still about 5 pounds over my ideal weight, but hey, I am making progress! I just remember stepping on the scale the week after she was born and being shocked, shocked! at the number that appeared. Now I can just be shocked at my squishy, stretchmarky belly.
Spring (take 1)
Snow day on Monday, and today it topped 80. I am sitting here at 9pm debating whether I should turn on the air conditioning in the house. How crazy is that! I am sure we're due for another cold snap or two before spring sets in, but the taste of it this weekend was delicious.
So naturally, I decided that it was fine day to take my wheezy, possibly-had-walking-pneumonia lungs out for a spin. Who needs religion on a Sunday morning when you've got running? Thinking that it would be nice to give the Supportive Husband a bit of quiet time, I loaded both kids into the double jogger. Sami started wailing immediately. Max kept up a running commentary, seemingly oblivious to Sami's discomfort. I guess he got used to the noise during her colicky newborn days.
About 10 minutes into it, he wanted to go home. Sami was still wailing. So go home we did. I think I did a grand total of 1.5 miles. But I must say that between pushing the double (OMG, it's massive) containing at least 50lbs of kids, the mental anguish of listening to Sami crying as if being boiled in oil, and the physical work involved in getting the double out of the garage, unfolded, and loaded with kids, I feel like I did a heck of a lot more. Then we went for a hike this afternoon with Sami strapped on me in the Beco, so I think I'm good on mileage for today, even if my per mile pace is nothing to write home about.
My lungs are finally starting to feel clear again, after four weeks of coughing and misery. I still have some pelvic ligament issues, but it seems like the more walking I do, the better it feels, so now that I can up my activity level again, I'm hoping it will start to resolve on its own. The big challenge is finding the time to put in the miles.
I forgot how having a nursling changes everything about my exercise routine. Early morning runs require pumping to accomplish, b/c the girls simply CANNOT run first thing in the morning without being emptied. So rather than getting up 30 min early to squeeze in an early morning run, I have to get up 50 min early to pump beforehand. And then I'm stuck deciding whether I should feed her the pumped milk, or straight from the tap when I return. She hates taking a bottle from me, and I would much rather nurse her. But what if I don't have enough milk onboard for her breakfast after having pumped? Her biggest meal of the day is breakfast.
Running at lunch is a possibility. But I am using most of my lunch hour in the form of pumping breaks. I do sneak off to the gym a time or two each week, but usually only to lift weights, since I don't want to get sweaty enough to require taking the time to shower before I race back to the office.
And then an evening run - even with DST now in effect, it's still dark by the time she's down for the night. I suppose I could load everyone up into the jogging stroller for a pre-bedtime run, but that's not so much "running" as "pushing the loaded double buggy." I could run by myself if the Supportive Husband is home for the evening, but I can never count on him being home, and those precious minutes between the end of work and bedtime are my time to spend with the kids and I am loath to give them up.
So, I squeeze a little activity in here and there, and try to make up for it on the weekends. It's not perfect, I am definitely not living up to my athletic potential, but it's what I can manage right now without compromising my parenting.
So naturally, I decided that it was fine day to take my wheezy, possibly-had-walking-pneumonia lungs out for a spin. Who needs religion on a Sunday morning when you've got running? Thinking that it would be nice to give the Supportive Husband a bit of quiet time, I loaded both kids into the double jogger. Sami started wailing immediately. Max kept up a running commentary, seemingly oblivious to Sami's discomfort. I guess he got used to the noise during her colicky newborn days.
About 10 minutes into it, he wanted to go home. Sami was still wailing. So go home we did. I think I did a grand total of 1.5 miles. But I must say that between pushing the double (OMG, it's massive) containing at least 50lbs of kids, the mental anguish of listening to Sami crying as if being boiled in oil, and the physical work involved in getting the double out of the garage, unfolded, and loaded with kids, I feel like I did a heck of a lot more. Then we went for a hike this afternoon with Sami strapped on me in the Beco, so I think I'm good on mileage for today, even if my per mile pace is nothing to write home about.
My lungs are finally starting to feel clear again, after four weeks of coughing and misery. I still have some pelvic ligament issues, but it seems like the more walking I do, the better it feels, so now that I can up my activity level again, I'm hoping it will start to resolve on its own. The big challenge is finding the time to put in the miles.
I forgot how having a nursling changes everything about my exercise routine. Early morning runs require pumping to accomplish, b/c the girls simply CANNOT run first thing in the morning without being emptied. So rather than getting up 30 min early to squeeze in an early morning run, I have to get up 50 min early to pump beforehand. And then I'm stuck deciding whether I should feed her the pumped milk, or straight from the tap when I return. She hates taking a bottle from me, and I would much rather nurse her. But what if I don't have enough milk onboard for her breakfast after having pumped? Her biggest meal of the day is breakfast.
Running at lunch is a possibility. But I am using most of my lunch hour in the form of pumping breaks. I do sneak off to the gym a time or two each week, but usually only to lift weights, since I don't want to get sweaty enough to require taking the time to shower before I race back to the office.
And then an evening run - even with DST now in effect, it's still dark by the time she's down for the night. I suppose I could load everyone up into the jogging stroller for a pre-bedtime run, but that's not so much "running" as "pushing the loaded double buggy." I could run by myself if the Supportive Husband is home for the evening, but I can never count on him being home, and those precious minutes between the end of work and bedtime are my time to spend with the kids and I am loath to give them up.
So, I squeeze a little activity in here and there, and try to make up for it on the weekends. It's not perfect, I am definitely not living up to my athletic potential, but it's what I can manage right now without compromising my parenting.
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