1st 3 Miles in Months

    This morning was a humid 78 degrees but I am so excited to say I got 3 miles in for the first time in so many months. It felt great, though the sudden bowel movement was unexpected and thank god the town hall downtown was open during some weird event. I probably lost 2-3 lbs right then and there, ugh and to think a year ago I would not have wrote that down or mentioned it to anyone. Because I jumped ahead of what the training recommended, this morning was supposed to be 2.75 miles, Tuesday 2.5 miles and Thursday I think the same, I am going to definitely rest this weekend and ice my legs.
     I am happy to have gotten this run in, but I am not going to get my hopes up about the coming week/s. I have got to remind myself to be flexible and get a run in whenever I can, though this heat really makes it a heck of a lot tougher to do that.
     Oh, 3 miles how I have missed you <3 <3 <3 

Contemplating

    My sanity is definitely suffering from the lost run yesterday, I am hoping to get a run in tomorrow morning. This 100+ weather is killing me, it's not so bad that I barely get 5-6 hours of sleep if I am able to run in the evenings BUT not when it is still around 95-100 degrees!!! I hate this weather and I want to cry, because there is nothing I can do about it and it really irritates me. The forecast for the next 10 days is saying 95 and above, I am losing hope on the Half but honestly I began thinking a lot yesterday. Maybe I am moving to quickly? Maybe my body needs a bit more time and I need to slow down some, the training schedule has me stressing out if I miss a run and the heat is pretty much killing what fun this was for me. I don't know if it's the heat, me or just feeling a little stressed but I think I am going to start running/training by myself rather than the group. I can't make it to the 6 p.m runs with the temperature being around 100 degrees, my body just can't handle that right now, I can't always make it to the Saturday morning runs to meet them, and feeling like this is a do or die training schedule is killing me. I want to do the Half, I really, really, REALLY do but I think it will be better if I train on my own and at my pace, a pace that my still recovering body can handle rather than trying to keep up with the 9:50-10 minute a mile people that I was running with last year no problem. It would probably be a different story if the weather wasn't like this, who knows, but for the most part I know what is best for me, and I need to start listening to it.
    I wish I had a treadmill, I wish we lived near Ivy Tech again so I could go in there and run on the treadmill but we don't. Gym memberships are so dang expensive around here, especially when I would only be using very little, the cheaper ones don't open until 9 a.m and that doesn't help me at all. I need a 24 hour gym, and those run $60 a month. It is definitely irritating, and most depressing but I've just got to keep going and start making this fun again, instead of planning a run, just go when the time feels right.


    Ugh.................STUPID WEATHER!!!!!

This Morning's Lonely Run

  It wasn't quite that lonely, not as lonely as my late night runs are. I did not get out until 6:30 a.m, I wanted to get up at 5 and out the door by 6 a.m BUT  we didn't go to bed until after midnight and I barely drug myself out of bed at 5:15. Dorian didn't fall back to sleep after his feeding until 6:30 a.m, then I was out the door. There were quite a few people out there this morning, thankfully no punks, but there was your usual 3 women walking 3 abreast taking up the whole pathway but I didn't let that bother me. It was a beautiful 63 degrees and a good breeze, it felt amazing and I loved it. I was definitely a bit slower during the first mile, 12:03/mile, then the 2nd mile was 10:36/mile, and the last .5 miles was 10:10/mile BUT a lot of that involved downhill and a tiny fartlek to the "finish". Luckily Cameron drove his truck home last night so Ethan left at 7:30 and Cameron was still there until 8 a.m so I wasn't worried about inconveniencing anyone this time. It might become an issue when the distance gets longer and the weather doesn't cool down, I'll either have to run in the evening with the group, or force myself up at 4 a.m to get my runs in. Cameron likes to leave and head to the shop by 8 a.m, so I need to be finished and at home before then. I will say, that hour of sleep after the run was the most amazing, wonderful sleep and I hated to get up. Great run overall, a slower pace but I felt comfortable enough to keep going (at least a little bit) but still felt like the run was an actual work out.

Late Evening Long Run

   Last night's run was close to 9 p.m, and I don't think I will be doing that too often. There are too many punks and trash out there (where I've got to go run) and it is too tempting to use my pepper spray lol, I honestly wish parents would raise their kids to respect others. Thankfully the ones I've confronted have bluffed, and when I call their bluff they back off, so far at least.
   Anyways, the 2.75 miles was tough.....ish; the first mile my pace was between 11:30 and 12 minutes a mile which is a slight disappointment for me but strangely the last mile was under 11 minutes, and the last .3 miles was a very steep hill and my pace had hit 10:04 which was weird since I was tired. I think it was mainly due to the fact that my bowels decided there was no time to wait, so I think that sped me up. Then the bathrooms up near the parking lot, the lights were off and it was too dark and I just did not feel safe going in there in pitch black so I went behind a tree. Ugh, I will have to do my best to empty my bowels before my runs because that is just uncomfortable. The run wasn't bad, I am glad I got it over with and even though my pace was slower than usual, I felt comfortable enough to keep going and that is all that matters.

Priorities

 It seems that having a child does tend to change priorities, like sleep and running. This morning was to be our 2.75 mile run, but I am too tired to go. I need sleep, really bad and it is beginning to take it's toll on me. This morning would be 68 degrees and would feel so amazing during a run but I just don't have the energy to go this morning, so even though tonight won't be cooler it will be around 80 degrees which isn't awful especially once the sun starts to go down. I can't say I am happy with this, but I've got to get sleep, 4-5 hours of sleep every night, getting up 5-6 a.m every morning to feed Dorian and pump is wearing on me and quick. The only day I get to sleep in until 8ish is Sunday and that is if Dorian goes back to sleep after eating, our normal bedtime being midnight.
  Did I mention this annoys me? Lol, this heat is beginning to wear on my patience, which is already wearing thin for a number of reasons. I prefer my runs in the morning or throughout the day for strength training work outs. I really, really, really, REALLY this heat.

A Tiny Bit Better this Time

  I drank 6 16 oz bottles of water today stretched throughout the morning but not close to the run. I have been putting my Iron Man Muscle Rub on my lower legs throughout the day, sadly I could not do anything about the heat. My sister is staying with me during the training runs, I warned that I was going to take it very slow but she was alright with it. We kept it around 11 minutes a mile, a bit slower than usual BUT it was almost 100 degrees and sunny and I did not walk so that is a plus. The run was supposed to be 2 miles but my Garmin 405 said 2 miles when we had like .4 miles left, so I came to a walk and then I couldn't take it anymore..........
   I took my shirt off, yep even though my stomach isn't toned (yet) or trim (yet), I was done giving a $hit. It was hot, sweaty and just plain miserable to be honest. I am glad I got out there and ran, glad I took it slow, I am glad that even though my knees were sore and my calves were tight I still sucked it up and ran. Saturday morning is going to be 68 degrees, and I really, REALLY hope things go a bit better than today, it will be 2.75 miles.
   Tonight I am going to relax and stretch, possibly take a bath.

Milestone for Me

This morning after I pumped, I decided to do the plank position and get myself to 2 minutes before quitting, for the last 3 days or so I have been able to do 2 minutes. Well, when I hit 2 minutes I decided to push more and try longer. I made it to 2 minutes and 32 seconds this morning!!!!!!!! I am so excited, and hoping this is a milestone that will gradually keep climbing, I know I might not make it to 2 minutes everyday because my arms have to bear the weight as well and sometimes they are just tired, I also still feel it in my left knee which is why I am hoping that the Plank Position doesn't effect tonight's run. They say in order to reach 2 minutes, your core must be in fit condition... or maybe it is all of the abdominal muscles? I can't remember, but since I have been reaching 2 minutes for a couple days straight now, all I am really needing at this point is to burn the fat away so that my muscles will start showing through. The only way that is really going to happen is with running, so I am going to try and be patient, more patient than usual which is EXTREMELY difficult for me. I think I have too much time for my mind to go around with all this, probably why I could never finish any of my books, I always start off great and know where I am going to go with it but then by the 3 chapter I've already finished it in my head......... ugh and I had some really good stories that could have been published.
    Tonight's run is 2 miles, I told Shauna already that I am going to take it slow and easy, at least for the first mile and then see where I am at after that mile. Last Tuesday, I only had maybe 2 or 3 16 oz bottles of water, that could have also been a issue too. We will have to see how tonight goes, see what works tonight and what might not have worked Tuesday night.
    Dorian is getting so big, he is already 11 lbs at almost 10 weeks old and talking so much (baby talk, not forming words yet) and smiling. He is so adorable, I honestly don't think I could fall anymore in love with him than I already am. Even at this age he is already showing so much personality it is unbelievable, I can't wait to see him at 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 4 years and so on but I am going to miss these first months.

2.5 miles last night and it Sucked........

   Last night's run was discouraging, I am not going to lie at all. So many things went wrong, I am now wondering if this is good idea... already training for the October Half. So many things are against me right now, and they are not excuses but explanations:

1. I am carrying 15 extra lbs and I am beginning to feel it in my knees, shins and ankle.
2. The 90 degree weather has hit without giving me a chance adapt, the extra lbs make it harder.
3. November 2011 to May 2012, I did not keep up on my RUNNING mileage, this issue could be a too much too soon.
4. I am still recovering from pregnancy and delivery, but my legs.... or mind want to run at my average pace (before pregnancy weight gain), 10:00-10:30 min/mile but my body just doesn't seem ready as the mileage keeps increasing.
5. I want to keep up with Shauna.
6. I stretched before I ran, last year I learned that doesn't really work for me. 

   When we started this May, I was really excited and expecting Shauna and I to improve together, and stay together during training runs and the races. Last night I realized that just isn't going to happen, and I've been kidding myself. Even though Shauna hadn't really been running for a few years, since she became pregnant with Skyler back in.....2005, she was athlete in middle school and high school and her legs and lungs remember. Last night, I was fighting to keep up with her during the first mile, realizing we were hitting around 9:30 min/mile pace and she just kept going. I could tell she was getting competitive with others, and she was finally finding her groove again. Back in high school she easily ran 2.5 miles in 18-19 minutes (not awesome to those elite runners but it is a feat in my eyes. At 1.35 miles my left shin and ankle had finally hit their limit and I had to slow down to a walk, from there the outer part of my left knee began to hurt and I just watched her keep going. My left side began to hurt with a stitch, thankfully I have grown some brain cells during the pregnancy and have learned to listen to my body, otherwise I would probably have tried to keep going and really regretted it. I walked for maybe .2 miles and slowly started up again, ran for about .3 or .4 miles until I had to slow down to a walk again and it was very disappointing , Shauna had turned around and joined me, and we picked up the pace and I took it easy and slow.
   It hurts, it sucks and it is very disheartening. A big part of me is glad I ran, but still discouraged by it. I am a little worried, maybe I should have not started jump start, maybe I should have slowly began by myself and built my base mileage again..... maybe yesterday was just one of those crappy days, from now on I will not stretch before the runs, I will stretch after and throughout the days. I can only hope tomorrow's 2 mile run will not involve so much pain, and I will be icing my knee/s and ankle/s after every run from now on. 

   On a better note, this morning I finally hit 600 Bicycle crunches in once session rather than cutting them in half these last 2 weeks (300 in the morning, 300 at night). Six sets of 100, in between 6 sets of 25 Love Handle Crunches, 6 sets of 12 Oblique Crunches. Today I am going to try for a 2 minute Plank Position, maybe another 2 minute Plank Position at night.

Trying to Get Back to it

  For ten long months....... okay maybe just 7 of those 10 months; I did not try to lose weight but kept up on workouts that were safe for me during pregnancy. I gained around 32 lbs, started gaining that weight after the Half Marathon in October, and it was not easy watching that scale go up. It has been 2 months and 5 days since Dorian was born, and my weight will not go below 149, but bounces back up to 155 sporadically. I had weighed around 164 when I gave birth to Dorian, and though it feels great to finally have him out of me and in my arms, I still feel like a fight ass. During pregnancy, I forced myself to remain confident that I would get back to my before pregnancy body, but over the last couple of weeks I have begun to lose hope. Jumpstart training began May 22, it is now June 19 and we are up to 2.5 miles today and I see no progress with my body. I was hoping that as the mileage increased, the lbs would decrease but it doesn't seem like that is the case. 90% of that body I had, which really was just average if I am going to be honest with myself, came from a year of working out in the gym, weight training, not cardio, not running. Now I just don't have the chance or time to go to the gym at Ivy Tech, and I am not able to get a membership at a gym like Bob's Gym where I could go anytime...........though now that I think about it I could sneak out around 5 a.m every other day and go...... Dorian doesn't wake up to eat until 6:30-7:00 a.m so I could get out and get an hour of weight lifting in before he would notice... I need it, I really do; I mean I can do all the ab exercises at home but my legs and back and arms need machines and the little workouts I have for home just aren't going to cut it at all. I am trying to get up to 2 minute plank position 2x a day every day, some days are good days and some I have to divide those 4 minutes into 1 minute planks 4x.
   I am going to think more about Bob's Gym, Newburgh has one but I don't know how early they open and I am not sure if Cameron would be okay with it, heck I am barely getting 6 hours of sleep as it is, going to bed between 12-1 a.m on most nights and very few nights being as early as 11 p.m. I miss the gym so much.........

This Morning's Run

  This morning's run wasn't too bad, strangely enough we ran a faster pace this morning then Thursday's shorter run. The right side of my neck and my right shoulder keeps getting tight during runs, maybe it has something to do with my upper back always being sore lately. We ran 2.25 miles, at what seems to have been a 10:00 min/mile pace, but I was running late to the run, forgot to set my Garmin so we were about .2 miles into the run when it finally loaded and started up. I felt a bit crappy still, I can feel the lack of sleep wearing on me now, especially with increasing my workouts. Granted, I am averaging around 5-6 hours of sleep right now; which is better than a lot of other parents with newborns so I should really consider myself lucky. I don't know if it is going to get harder as the long runs get longer, heck I might have to run some at night if that is the case

Last Night's Run with Sister

   I will admit, last night was a bit crappy but I am glad we did it. I made the mistake of choosing a route with some inclines, and my left shin was sore for some reason. I figure maybe it was due to doing the Plank Position twice yesterday, 2 minutes both times which I am extremely proud of but I might not attempt it that many times on the days I run. We kept it pretty slow, which was sad since it was 1.86 miles but I figure it is usually easier when there are more people around you or maybe it just was one of those runs I guess. I am glad we did it of course, but hopefully Saturday morning's run won't be so.... ick. I will admit that I won't be upset if I don't make it to the group Saturday morning, and end up running by myself in the evening and maybe with Shauna. I don't know, my mind is off right now which is usual when I suddenly become obsessed with something, and and since I got back to using my camera that is all I can really think about. But I am going to stick to the running, even if these next few runs might end up being by myself or just me and Shauna, as the mileage gets over 3.5  I will definitely have to try and stick with the group because it might be difficult for me to stick to it by myself. We will see how things go.

Last Night's Run

  I went ahead and did my run last night, 2.1 miles for my long run. I don't know if I will run with Shauna tonight if she asks me, the cautious part of me is hesitant to as I fear an injury with adding more than what my training asks. But the other part feels that I ran last year with no injuries, and in 2010 was only dealt with an IT band injury. BUT, I didn't run a lot for almost 7 months and my body went through a very extreme experience just 2 months ago. I just don't want to risk injuring myself and causing me not to run this Half Marathon, I really don't think my sanity could take it dang it. Since I have Dorian with me all day I might roller blade with him in his stroller while she runs, at least that way it isn't too demanding.....sometimes.
  So far, I am still at 150 lbs but I am hoping and PRAYING that as the mileage increases, the lbs will begin to decrease. I am doing my best not to worry about it BUT it just sucks, I feel as if I only had that fought-so-hard for body for a week when I found out I was pregnant, I was so close to a 6 pack that it is hard to get over. What really sucks is that I can't even remember what my stomach felt like then, but I know that Dorian is worth it all..... I am just going to ground him when he begins to try going place haha.

Weekend Difficulties

  I didn't run this morning, I got up at 5 or at least I forced myself up at 5 in the morning to get ready. When I grabbed my phone, I saw Shauna had text messaged me, stating she wouldn't be able to make it because Chris got wasted last night and wasn't able to make it off the couch and Shauna didn't feel right asking Mom to watch her kids after she watched them last night for 6 hours. So I thought to myself.... I really needed sleep, I went to sleep around midnight but did not fall asleep until around 2 a.m, and felt like crap. I asked Cameron what I should do, run now or run later. He said to run later, and I agreed so I went back to sleep. Shauna doesn't think she'll be able to run at all today, but maybe tomorrow and I don't want to take any chances of missing my weekend long run so I am thinking about running after Cameron and I get back from the movies and get my 2 miles in then. Now I just have to decide where I am going to do it, probably Newburgh Locks and Dam, it is closer to the house, though there is the bike trail in the county that just opened and I am thinking seriously of checking that out.

Damn Side Stitch!!!!!

  I swear I had the same side stitch last year on the very same run!!! I am so glad Shauna and I decided not to mess with any fartleks this run, maybe next week we can but I am not sure about it. I am a little disappointed, we were doing pretty good but I knew something was going to happen because I could feel something waiting to. We ran 1.6 miles tonight, and thanks to the side stitch our pace averaged 10:47 pace which sucked. Hopefully Saturday's run will feel better, and I pray for no more side stitches.

Today we Hit 2 Miles

  Today's training run will hit 2 miles, I really hope my sinus issue will be gone enough for me to survive comfortably. I thought it was just allergies or something, but now Dorian is coughing, and having nasal congestion so I am worried for him. He is going in this morning at 10, the nurse just wants to make sure that it is nothing serious. Unfortunately Dr. Myres isn't in to see him so he will have to see a nurse, I really hope it is nothing serious and just a cold.
  (Continued) - The 2 miles was doing great, we were averaging a 9:39 pace and then got hit by a 3 minute stoplight that had more traffic than usual cause the main road was closed. By the time we got finished with 2.34 miles our pace was 10:24 a mile :( which really pissed me off, Shauna and I both agreed next time we would go a ways down the street until the road is clear. But that is the crappy thing about running with a group, you can't just race across a street , others might follow you and even though you might make it across that other person might not. I can't wait until Team 13 begins and we are mainly out at Wesselman's on Tuesdays which has no stoplights but we will still be downtown on Thursday runs. Saturday is really no big deal, because there is not a whole lot of traffic out there so we will make up today's 2 miles on that day (Hopefully).
   That stoplight really broke me, I was doing such a good pace, I had a great thing going with my lungs, breathing and steps and just couldn't get it back after the light. I was struggling a bit, still dealing with a bit of a cough and it held me back some. I just hope and pray my sinuses will be fixed buy Saturday.

Yesterday's Long Run

  Allergies seriously suck major a$$, and it doesn't help that Dorian is going through something too, or at least I think so as he has been sleeping all day and up all night for the last couple of days which doesn't help me at all. I feel so drained of energy, but I ran yesterday. Shauna hasn't been feeling too great either, I think we averaged around 10 minute pace for 1.8 miles so it wasn't too bad. It did feel good at 53 degrees too, which is why I was determined to do the run because who knows if we'll get that temperature again during training.
   For a week now, Dorian has been pretty much sleeping in his bassinet but he has been sleeping on his tummy which is the only way he will sleep. Last night though, he kept me up until 3:30 a.m this morning which really sucked. I really hope this nasal congestion and cough goes away before Tuesday's run, otherwise it is going to be extremely miserable.