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.
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