Spring, glorious spring...

Capitol Hill is beautiful in the springtime.  That's why after a week of no running (husband was out of town and I haven't quite figured out how to juggle two kids, my schedule and their schedules on my own...I'll be wonder woman next time), I was more than thrilled to be in DC running on this beautiful evening.

The air is warm, the trees are budding, the parks are full of people and dogs.  Perfect.  Though my legs felt heavy, my heart felt light and the 3.65 miles was very worth it.  I even made this an effort run and pushed a bit harder.

Here's to great running days, and the blooming of the cherry blossoms, ahead!  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  3.65
Time:  40:05 (average pace of 10:59 per mile)
Location:  Capitol Hill to Lincoln Park
Feeling:  happy

Geese and vultures...

Generally they have very little to do with running, except when that's what you see at nearly every turn along your running path.  Yup, and turkey vulture eyes completely creep me out.  Upside?  They make you run faster...at least momentarily. 

Today I wanted to stretch my legs a bit more and see what I could do.  It's been a while since I've run more than 4-5 miles.  In fact, my last 9-miler was back in November.  So I decided today I was going to take the loop that runs both sides of route 50 out near my house. 

Perhaps it was a bit much after 5.75 miles on Friday night and a barre class yesterday that totally kicked my butt (why do people pay to be tortured?), but when have I been known to shy away from something because it's a bit too much. 

 

 

I chose this route today so that I couldn't bail out when it started getting tough.  How do you get better?  You push beyond your limits until its no longer beyond your limits.  Once I cross the bridge over 50 (which by the way offers an awesome view to the Bay Bridge) there is no going back.  While it's not half way on the loop, it is sort of that mentally half way point.  Like "if I cross to the other side of 50 I'm closer if I keep going up to the next bridge."  It's not true, but it's a good mental trick. 

 

There were many points along the way that I just wanted to stop and walk (except for those darn vultures and their beady eyes I may have considered it for more than a second or two), but there were more reasons to keep pushing.  My mind, my goals, being able to tell my kids that you never give up no matter how hard - even when your legs are mush less than 1/2 mile from your home and you hit the pavement (yep, that happened) - all are reasons I pushed my body through the 7 miles.

 

No the moral to the story...7 miles may not be the smartest thing in the world after the tough arm workout I had at barre yesterday.  My right arm ended up stuck in the running position because it was too sore.  My husband had to bend it back out and then OUCH!  Let me tell you, that hurt like a you know what.  Next time?  Well I plan on being stronger next time, so that hard arm workout won't impact my run in the end.

 

That's my goal for the next year - be stronger next time.  Each next time will add up and then I'll look back on the effort at the end of the year and have something to be proud of...though vulture eyes will still be creepy.  Happy trails!!!

 

Stats -

Miles:  5.75 Friday, 7.02 Sunday

Time:  1:00:00 Friday (average pace of 10:26 minutes per mile), 1:21:35 (average pace of 11:37 per mile)

Location:  Greater Annapolis Y, Broadneck Peninsula

Feeling:  Friday all was good but by Sunday night just about every muscle in my body ached like a mother

 



Worth it...

Almost a year ago, while sitting in a seminar to become a certified running coach, the instructor asked this question: "How much time do you have to have in order for it to be worth the effort of running?" 

The answers around the class wouldn't surprise you.  Some said 30 minutes.  Some said 45 minutes or even an hour.  Some took a different tack - 3 miles, 5 miles.  You get the picture.  My response was a little different....10 minutes.

So many people find it hard to exercise because they feel that if they can't set aside that magic 45-60 minutes, then they may as well not bother.  I say bull honky.  That's the type of propoganda that causes people to shy away from making any effort at physical fitness.  Rather, we should encourage those around us to take whatever time they can find - even five or ten minutes - to invest in themselves.

Keeping that in mind, I was running short on time tonight and knew I wasn't going to get in the 3-5 miles I had originally planned for the day (we'll thank the husband for coming home late).  Part of my brain was telling me to just forget it the workout, but that part didn't win.  I snuck in a 2 mile run before heading to see a friend and felt much better for having many the effort - regardless of how modest.

I hope the lesson I can share with my kids is that it's always worth it.  Your physical well-being (or at least mine) is directly connected to emotional health.  No wonder taking a quick walk around the block can change your attitude.  I hope more people see it that way.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -

Miles:  2
Time:  20:06 (10:03 minutes per mile)
Location:  Greater Annapolis Y
Feeling:  the couple days off made a real difference for my back

Bookworms and setbacks...

The diva didn't have school on Friday.  If you have been around 5-year olds, you know that means you've got to deal with more energy than you have after overdosing on sugar and caffeine.  Since I also had Baby K, I needed to figure out an activity that would not bore the diva, help Baby K take a nap...and perhaps allow me to get in a little exercise.  Solution - power walk to the library!

When we knew we had a second kid on the way, we invested in a Joovy tandem stroller that wasn't massive and bulky.  Though its not as mobile as the bugaboo or even the Joovy jogging stroller, it gets the job done and allows me to move quickly without having to remind the diva every five steps to keep up.

Would you believe we made it all the way to the library..almost two miles...with only a couple "are we there yet?"s?  Yep.  I guess I walked fast enough, though there were a couple more questions on the way home.  The bonus to the whole trip was that the diva played with a couple girls in the kids section and scored her first library card.

Friday evening was a different story.  Though I worked up a nice sweat during the power walk, I still wanted to get in a run Friday night...especially after a day with two kids.  Let's just say, Thursday night's tweaking of the back while lifting reared its ugly head not .05 miles into the run.  Needless to say, given my injury a few years ago, I know when to call it a day.

After a night of rest, though, I got back at it in the gym.  Not with a run, of course, that can be jarring.  I started taking the barre class.  It's a combo ballet, pilates, weights.  Not a classic barre class, but it kicked my butt and I will definitely be feeling this one for a few
days.  Looking forward to it again next week.

So the end of the week didn't produce the miles or effort I wanted, but it still produced.  I'll be taking a few days off to rest the back, but it won't keep me down long.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles: 3.52
Time:  1:01:24 (average pace of 17:27 per mile...not bad walking with two kids)
Location:  Broadneck Peninsula and Greater Annapolis Y
Feeling:  ouch and ahhh

You're my friend...

"...because you worked hard and are sweaty and are going to be fast."  So says the diva at the dinner table tonight when I got home from the gym.  The logic of a five-year old astounds me. 

Where did this come from?  Well, honestly, from me I think.  When I come in from a run, the diva often says "eww, you're wet and sweaty."  I just keep telling her that being sweaty means I'm working hard.  At least something I said seems to be sticking now. What I hope she also is learning is that hard work pays off.

Fun anecdote aside...it was your average night in the gym.  Moderate run, followed by strength training.  I broke up the sets reading Divergent.  With the movie coming out, I feel like I need to read the book first (unrelated editorial...the Mortal Instruments series was really good, but th movie sucked HUGE). 

Tonight I tugged a muscle in my back a little awkwardly.  Luckily, this happened during my last exercise, so I cut it short by a rep in hopes that I wouldn't do more damage.  I'll just rest it a bit so that whatever happened back there will work itself out before my barre class on Saturday.  I'm really looking forward to the class and it would be a bummer if I had a tweaked back muscle keeping me from enjoying it and the benefits it will bring to my running.

Here's to hard work and running injury free.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  3.1
Time:  36:42 (average pace of 11:50...slower but added incline)
Location:  Greater Annapolis Y
Feeling:  tweaked back...don't want to get injured

Ode to a rainy day...

Not all days can be wind free.  Not all days can come with sunny, blue skies.  Somedays come with rain.

Yesterday Baby K enjoyed our walk so much that we decided to go for another one today.  Okay, in reality the walk lulled him to sleep, but grabbing an hour when the baby is asleep can be regenerative. 

It was a warm(ish) afternoon, enough to wrap up the baby for a long power walk.  Though the clouds hung heavy in the sky, we bet against mother nature that we could sneak in a few miles before those clouds opened up and drenched us.  Mother nature showed me not to bet against her.

The walk started out really well.  Rather than heading to the paved trail, we went up the road near my house that is flanked by fields.  No noise from route 50.  Just us and the fields covered by canadian geese...and the occasional car heading to the neighborhoods lining the edge of the bay.

As we turned into Chesapeake Preserve to walk the cloverleaf I sometimes run if I only have time for a couple miles, the blackberry started going off.  Luckily I can multitask, so set to work answering the mail at the office and keeping one foot moving in front of the other...oh and there was the phone call as well.  And through it all, Baby K slept. 

When we were about three-quarters of a mile from home mother nature let the sprinkles fly.  I don't mind running in sprinkles or even an outright downpour, but I've been told that maybe its not awesome to let a baby get drenched by the elements (or the blackberry and iPhone).  So I quickly learned how to attach the rain cover to the pram and turned back toward the house.  And through it all, Baby K slept.

Though our walk was only a couple miles, a good short power walk is better than none, and its a couple more miles toward my goals.  And while I had every intention of capping that off with a couple miles on the treadmill later in the evening, life happens when you have kids and sometimes the best intentions don't pan out.  I'll get it tomorrow.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  2.20
Time:   39:16 (average pace of 17:51 per mile)
Location: Broadneck Peninsula
Feeling:  slightly damp
 

A lot of good...

Good weather, good attitude, good partners, good distance.

Today I tried out a new exercise partner.  Enter Baby K.  Though he's too small for the jogging stroller as yet, meaning I can't really run with him in tow, we did get in a nice power walk this afternoon.  So, nestled in to his pram, we headed in the direction of the library. 

Sun, warm temps and a quick pace quickly equated sweat.  Add to that the trees and flowers beginning to bloom and you've got a great workout.  Baby K, however, didn't seem as interested in his surroundings.  He zonked out about 15 seconds after being placed into the pram (with a brief exception when we stopped for a red light...he doesn't like to stop moving) and didn't wake up until 4+ miles later. 

I'm looking forward to more of these walks...at least, that is, until he's ready for the jogging stroller.  Then there will be no stopping us.

This evening, I headed over to the gym for some rare solo time.  With dad responsible for all the kids, there was no pressure to get it done as quickly as possible.  I got in a short run before hitting the weight machines.  I got a great laugh as I started my last set on the row machine.  Was it just coincidence that, as I was thinking about my body transformation journey, "Sexy and I Know It" piped through my earbuds?  I think not...especially as the words "I work out" fit perfectly into the rhythm I was pounding out.  Add to that, I know the perfect animal print running pants I could add to the mix (seen at the Nike Women's Half in DC last April...a big PR day for me).

And now as I sit here relaxing and thinking about what I can squeeze in tomorrow before the rain makes it impossible for Baby K to be loaded into the pram, I'm happy with what I accomplished today.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  3.11 (run), 4.12 power walk
Time:   32:00 (average pace of 10:17), I accidentally forgot to stop the watch after my walk, so the time was off
Location:  Broadneck Peninsula and Greater Annapolis Y
Feeling:  awesome

The long haul...

I have a feeling the road to my previous running self is going to be very long and riddled with numerous obstacles, but I'm in it for the long haul. 

I'm going to make a confession...my body isn't what it was before I became pregnant...shocker, I know.  That body had a few years of hard, consistent endurance training in it.  It was strong.  It had great improvements in speed and consistency.  This body, well, doesn't.

This body is slow and less muscular.  It is cumbersome and out of breath sooner.  It can't go as far.  But it will.

As long as I'm confessing, let me also lay this one on the table...I'm carrying an extra 32 pounds on my frame.  32 pounds that I wasn't carrying last May and need to shed.

None of the obstacles will keep me from clawing my way back to my old running self.  Scratch that...my better running self.  The running self that will come back leaner, faster and stronger.

I'm under no delusions that this will be easy, or that it will happen soon.  It's going to take time, commitment and the support and understanding of my family.  And while I'm on the subject, thank the good Lord for a family who knows how important this is to my physical and emotional well-being.  My family is incredibly supportive of me doing what I need to be awesome.

Why not take this journey with me?  Hold me accountable to what I want to accomplish this year.

So, how have I used the first part of March to reach for my goals?  I've managed to put in four official workouts (though I really believe I should get credit for running up and down all those stairs during the day trying to keep an infant calm). 

The gym workouts and runs are just that - gym workouts and runs.  Nothing to write home about or brag worthy.  They get the job done.  Did I mention my gym provides free childcare while working out?  Priceless for the mom on the run who needs a babysitter to squeeze in that workout.  The gym also has something the road workouts can't bring to the table...weights for strength training.

Of those four official workouts, one was back on the roads of the Broadneck Peninsula.  Friday evening I got to lay down four well-earned miles while watching the colors change across the sky as dusk fell over Annapolis.  Pretty scenery (and an out and back course) keep me motivated to finish the run when my body just wants to walk.  I can't wait to up that mileage and get back on some of my other favorite routes across the area.

I've got a lot coming down the pike in the next several months - more endurance improvement, more races and new challenges (I signed up for a barre class at my gym) - and I'm looking forward to every sweaty moment (Diva now equates sweat with working hard).  I know I'm behind in mileage, but I don't believe in backing down from a challenge.  I still believe I can do this.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  3.1 (3/1/14), 3.12 (3/6/14), 4.04 (3/7/14), 3.0 (3/8/14)
Time:  35:03 (3/1/14), 31:45 (3/6/14), 45:40 (3/7/14), 32:00 (3/8/14)
Location:  Greater Annapolis Y and the Broadneck Peninsula
Feeling:  earning it