Sunday, August 30, 2009

4 miles and 60 pounds of kids

I pushed almost 60 pounds of kids and 30 pounds of stroller up and down the Monticello Trail this morning. I was feeling pretty badass about it until a guy pushing THREE kids in a triple stroller smoked past me.

But, both kids were angels during the ride. Max happily rode all the way up, keeping watch for any bears that might be on our path. Ever since I told him the story about the time I saw a bear while running, he's been pretty keen to see a bear. Especially since I've informed him that the bears around here are nice bears and mostly just want to eat blackberries and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We had neither, so the bears stayed a safe distance away.

We did stop at the snack bar at the top of the hill. Monticello has entirely redone their visitor center, and there's now a proper cafe at the top of the trail, instead of just the hot dog stand. It was a nice break, having a snack and some chocolate milk in the courtyard by the fountain. When we started back down, Max decided to walk for a while. And then he decided to run. And I ran after him, and he ran past me, and we had a blast running and laughing and leapfrogging. Fartlek/speed play, indeed! He got back in the buggy after a quarter mile or so, and I ran the rest of the way down to the car.

For my cool down, I changed Sami's diaper in the back of the wagon, wrestled the double buggy back into the car, and helped Max climb a tree.

I'm finally getting in to the groove of including the kids in whatever fitness undertaking I'm pursuing. I simply can't do it any other way. The time available to me to run or do anything without at least one kid in tow is practically nil. But between last week's awesome family hike and this week's run up the hill, that's not a bad thing.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Life and other interruptions

So, where was I? The hip is basically healed - almost exactly 9 months to the day since I gave birth. Funny how that works. I'm nearly 10 pounds lighter than before I got pregnant, but I was shocked, shocked! at how flabby I look in pictures. Running 3 miles/week and never going to the gym will do that to a girl. Strangely enough, I'm okay with it. Not okay with flabby as a permanent state, but okay with knowing there's a journey ahead. I don't have delusions of ever regaining my pre-baby body, but I do want to get to a level of fitness that is comfortable for me. Somewhere between "harried, nursing, WOTH* mother of two" and "marathon-ready."

So where is that happy medium for me? It's clear that my life, in which I am The Supportive Wife to The Supportive Husband, can't really sustain year after year of intense summer training programs. The Supportive Husband works late on Saturdays, so out of respect to him, I'd like to not have those really early Saturday wakeups during his busy season (May thru Oct). And honestly, have you ever been to Virginia in the summer? As they say, it's not the heat, it's the humidity. Or maybe it is the heat.

So I'm planning on the Charlottesville Half Marathon in April. That gives me plenty of time to get Sami weaned before I ramp up for a winter of training. I'm kicking off the season with the Real Girls Run 6K in October. 6K is a weird distance, but it's an automatic PR for me since I've never raced it, so score one on that front!

I also want to explore more trail running. The whole family went for a hike on Sunday, and it all came flooding back, how much I love being out on the trail. Oh, how I have missed it, these early years of parenthood. And it was a pretty good workout to hike with Max leading the way and the baby on my back. But I'd also love to have some solitude on the trail, even if that solitude comes in the form of running ahead of the rest of my crew, and running back to meet them.

I know good things are around the corner - my gym is opening a branch just over a mile from my house, which makes me giddy. I can finally dash out for a workout after the kids are in bed, or before they get up! I can put the baby, who does not mind gym day care, in the jogger and take her with me.

Summer hours at work will soon be over, meaning I have to work regular hours on Fridays, but in exchange I get my lunch hours back. So my lunchtime workouts can resume.

And Sami will be weaned in a few short months, so yet another layer of logistics drops away from my being able to run or work out. And I won't have to deal with the girls!! I can go back to my cheapo sports bras instead of the industrial strength.

But, all that is in the future. For now, patience, Grasshopper.


*WOTH=Work outside the home