TR 1: Confessions of an Avoider

I have not been avoiding blogging because I haven't been exercising, although that is my normal MO.  If I don't do it, I don't write about it, think about it or talk about it.  I just don't do it and avoid it.  But honestly, I haven't missed a workout since I can remember or had a day off since I can remember.  That means on the exercise front, I am doing great.  I have ran, biked, rollerbladed or hit the elliptical for the last 3 weeks daily.

Those three weeks are important, because that is the time I have had off from work.  I have had time to exercise, but no real time for me.  I am home with the guys everyday, minus one day a week, and it is hard.  How a SAHM does it, I don't know.  They are busy, don't want to take naps, and are at the same time the loves of my life.  But the change from working mom to home mom has been hard.  During those three weeks, I have been eating and drinking as though I am burning about 1000 calories a day, when realistically, it's more like 300-500.  When Brian gets home I usually have a glass of wine and because I don't have to go to work the next day, will continue to do that.  So I am basically drinking or eating more calories than I am burning and I am steadily gaining weight.

WHEW...there went the confession.  I am getting heavier instead of lighter, despite all this exercise...and it pisses me off.  Thus, the avoidance.  Welcome, diet overhaul week.  I am doing a modified SB diet with more healthy carbs on running days.  Cutting alcohol for a week or two and keeping up with the butt load of exercise I am doing.  Especially since the endorphin rush reduces stress, which plenty abounds when I am home with rambuncious boys!  It is my only free moment of the day.

So wish me luck...and expect to hear from me now!

First 5k: Hearty Hustle

So, today, in backward fashion, I ran my first ever "official" 5k.  I ran a virtual one while in GA over the Easter weekend, but today was the first one I have ever ran with real other runners.  I was stoked.  It was slightly uneventful as I was running by myself.  I did find a friendly face that I chatted with before the race, she was wearing a "Running for Max" shirt, which hit me in a whole different place.  Max is the sweet 2 year old son of a good friend from high school.  He passed in a car accident last February.  He was near the same age as my oldest and it hit me like a ton of bricks to see that.  But we turned the mood to happy as we talked of her newest bundle of joy who is about 3 months old now.

I am not sure if it was that experience, hormones, or what that made me all emotional, but I found myself tearing up a little during the race; seeing hefty firefighters clapping us on, kids holding signs saying "go mom" (not even mine) and I just got a little misty.

I have no experience with running with people, passing people or knowing how to set my pace with other people around.  I didn't use my gps, which would have kept me aware of where I was, but I just really enjoyed the experience.  I tried to explain this to my husband, as I have never ran during our almost 10 year marriage.  I just rediscovered it last summer and fell in love with running.  At mile 1.5 I just escape.  That first one is always rough....but then I hit my groove.  This was true of today, that first mile felt like forever.

But, it is done.  I finished with an "official" time of 31:00 and had a 9:59 pace, which confirms my thought that it really did say 30:59 when I crossed the line.  Anyway you look at it, it was my first, which makes it a PR and especially if you count my virtual 5k, in which my time was 31:43.  I was middle of my age group, so not the fastest, but plenty of room to improve.

Jelly Bean...Virtual 5k

Isn't it funny how the romanticized ideal running experience gets turned into a "mom, when can I get it in" one?  Yes.  We traveled down south for the weekend, the highlight for me was to run in warm temperate weather.  Walking...yes, LOTS.  Running, not so much.  We had to pack light, which doesn't include a jog stroller.  So my running became hotel treadmill running.

However, it may suck, but it will get it done.  I ran a virtual 5k over the weekend.  My first ever.  As it was virtual, it didn't matter where you ran it, so the treadmill was ok.  I ran mostly at a pace of 5.7 - 6.0 mph. I really hoped to be at about 30 minutes, but my "official" time was 31:43.

It was my first, so I guess it is a baseline or PR for now.  Now onto the Hearty Hustle, a run to benefit the boys' schools, which I will be doing with a jog stroller, so no potential PR...but let's see what running with people can do! :)

PPW Run 1

So I ran for the first time since the half marathon today.  It felt good.  I ran a timed 3.1 on the tread mill, since I am thinking I want to do a lot of charity 5k's this summer.  They are cheap and the go to a good cause.  I get my adrenaline fix and a charity gets some funding.

So I ran most of it at 5.5 to 6.0 mph...then for the final .4 miles I kicked up to 6.5 (thanks to the skinny chick next to me who ran the entire thing at that rate....

So I did my first timed 5k in just over 30 minutes (our half pace was about 44 minutes)

20 pounds in 20 weeks

Rhonda and I are up to it again.  She said she wanted to loose 20 lbs before our next half marathon, which is on September 24, 2011.  That gives us roughly 20 weeks at a pound a week.  She thinks that it will help with speed.  I am sure she is right, if you weigh less it will take less to move it, right?  Makes sense.

So we are doing the pound per week challenge.  Tuesday (?) was weigh in day and now we move forward.  I am excited, because if I can use her to motivate me to do a half marathon, this challenge will be cake.

We are now linked on myfitnesspal.com and app, so we will be checking in on each other's progress...let the fun begin!

I like Rhonda am not a huge fan of publicly announcing weight, but I will post about my losses and hopefully not gains.

The Big Dance...

I cannot really beleive I am saying this, but I can now say, I have ran a half-marathon!  Holy cow. From Couch to 5K to half marathon finisher.  A little progress in less than 9 months I would say.  So in 9 months Couch to 13.1 miles.  Yikes.

We began training in January and completed the half marathon yesterday.  It was an all around amazing experience.  Our goal:  FINISH.  Goal accomplished. 

The weeks out I began stalking the weather.  I was so concerned about it.  When it came down to it, it was going to be warm and windy, but no rain.  First thought:  Woo Hoo, no rain...70's, love it!  Second thought:  I have not trained on HILLS, in HEAT (yes every outdoor MI run involved a ski cap) or that long in the wind.  Oh, boy.

Did we finish?  YES!  Was it rough going at times...you know it.  I am not sure either of us could have finished alone, but together, failure was not an option.  Was I stellar standout in my age class, nope.  Did I make an amazing friend, yep.  I wouldn't do it any other way than being there every step with Rhonda.

13.1 miles, 1 medal, 1 blister and some general soreness later, I am a half marathon finisher.

I am a success story!

My PT is writing a book about running through injury.  He asked me to tell my story since I a "success story"  I had fun writing it and because I like to overshare..her it is:

After running distance in High School, I took a hiatus from running.  I would do it to break through a fitness plateau, but didn’t do it regularly.  I fell into this pattern again during the summer of 2010.  But with two kids in tow, running became an endorphin escape.  In short, I got addicted; the endorphin rush made me more patient, tolerant and a better mom.  Work got hectic, I missed some runs and took some time off.

When a friend of mine began training for a fundraising half marathon, I got motivated.  We shared the passion of the March of Dimes, as we both had babies born too soon.  So the run for dimes fundraising effort put running back in my life.  So in essence, after taking years off from running, running half of a summer and then taking a few months off again, I was ready to become a virtual training partner for a half marathon.

Things were going great until about 2 weeks into actual training my right leg went numb and stayed numb.  This was disturbing to me as I was mentally committed. I saw a doc, an avid runner himself, who made my day with the advice "don't stop running."  He prescribed physical therapy and a gait evaluation at Agility Physical Therapy and Sports Performance.  When it came to getting runners back in the game that was where I wanted to be. He told me everyone there is great, but initially you need to see Scott. He can do an assessment and gait evaluation.  Best advice I ever got.

I had been told that I had "good form" which meant I don't run like a girl. However, the gait evaluation showed differently.  I had some issues that could be helped with good shoes and some with technique.  Scott gave me some tips that would really help with actual good form and got me into some good shoes. I continued to run intermittently, doing most of my training on the elliptical.  When I ran, I concentrated on my form. 

I felt like I had been physically sidelined and it was beginning to affect my mental state.  I began to doubt if I could actually do this.  Between the positive mentoring I was getting from my training partner and the PTA’s at Agility and a book, Run Like a Mother, which is written by mothers who run (and contribute to Runner’s World), I began to get out of that self-doubt slump and get back on track.

I also was given exercises to strengthen my core, glutes and hamstrings.  Ironically, the reason I was running (to raise money to fight prematurity) was the reason I was having issues.  The weeks I spent on bedrest and then being too busy to strength train had atrophied my muscles so much that I was overcompensating and causing the numbing issues.  As my strength increased my symptoms decreased and I was running more and more.  I started cautiously, but added more distance and times per week with the progress ok’d by Scott.  I spent about a month alternating running and elliptical use, religiously doing my prescribed exercises.  The techniques Scott gave me also helped to not exasperate the condition. 

Eventually, I felt comfortable with running according to the training program.  Scott re-evaluated my gait which confirmed how I felt:  I completely changed my running form and my core, glute, and hamstring strength made me feel like a different person.  In short, the doc was right.  Everyone at Agility is great.  I fully credit them for getting me back on the road.