Cool off run

Every runner has her peak time to run. I am a morning runner. My body feels better in the morning, I have have more energy. Night is the worst. If I have already eaten dinner, forget it! Last night, I went to my cousin's for dinner. My daughter has dance class and we visit him for dinner every Weds. I ate pizza and chocolate cake. Losing weight is not my main motivation for running, but it's a nice part of it. I have been wearing maternity jeans and sweat pants for 7 weeks. I would like to be able to fit into my old clothes sooner rather than later. So the unhealthy dinner should have motivated me. It didn't. But I did run last night. I ran really well; my best yet at 30:00 and 2.95 miles. It went quickly, and nothing on my body nagged at me. I was fired up and had to get out of the house, and that turns out to be my best motivation. Being a mom is great. Being a stay at home mom is a privellege. Cleaning the house, and constantly telling the kids the same thing over and over sucks. I am not a cleaner and I have turned into a nagger. I am over worked and under recognized. If it were a job, I would quit. I am also very sensitive to critism. The Christians say to "offer it up to God", Paul McCartney said "Let it be" somone said "this too shall pass". 100 times, I can take it, but on 101, I snap. My husband drinks a breakfast shake every morning and uses a shaker to mix it. And everyday he leaves the shaker, the glass, and some of the power on the counter. Life a dutiful house cleaner, I have been picking these things up. Yesterday my husband said "This shaker doesn't really get." And I snaped, "You can just clean it yourself!" He said, dryly, "Are you mad? Because I don't get why you're mad," I said "I don't get why I am expected to pick up after you. You'd never leave this mess at your mom's house!" and ran out of the run with him yelling after. He doesn't take critism well either. I felt much better after my run.

Big boy underpants

Ronan is proud to be the wearer of big boy underpants. He shows everyone, even stangers in the store. He is doing really well. The real problem is that is too independant. He goes without telling me (before or after). When it comes to #2 it is a real problem because he is not a good wiper. Sometimes a big chunck gets stuck on the OUTSIDE of his pants and he spreds it all over the place. I am not really sure how it happens, but his undies are clean and there's s#@t all over the floor. He may poop on the seat on not in bowl and then it falls to the floor. He tries to clean it himself, and that just makes it worse. but I know this is gross and I hope you aren't eating, but I want you to feel my pain. I was trying to go toxin free in the cleaning department, but when this happens, I am all about the Lysol and bleach and alcohol hand santatizer. It recals to mind when Coper pooped in Kelly's apartment and walked in and walked around her whole apartment.
I put a photo of Declan on here because I realize I just post pictures of Ronan. He's just 1/3 of my parenthood, but he takes up a big space in the stories department. D is great, and I love his crooked smile. He is a good baby, as long as someone is holding him. Ava is good too. She just got a bad report card. This is hard to do when it's all based on + and -. It's mostly because she needs "reminders". She lives in la-la land most of the time and needs to be told several times before she does something (put your book away, line up, get your coat on). It would make me want to homeschool, but she is like that at home, and it drives me crazy. Also, she is not getting along with the other kids. I know it's because she tried to argue everything the other kids say and tell them they are wrong. Even though Ava is usually right (the kids are wrong), she uses her "mean voice" (teacher's phrase) and says mean things. When the kids cry to the teacher about it, Ava says "I misspoke" The teacher thinks this is funny, but I don't because I had no friends in grade school and it was no fun. Sean says he doesn't care if she has no friends, but is mad she doens't follow the rules at school.
I am running again. I can run three miles and am excited about that. The only problem is I am so achy the day after. My bones hurt. I am like an old woman. Mary, I read "On Chisel Beach" and "interesting" is really the only word to describe it. I also saw a clip of Atonement and remembered I have read it, but it must have been a long time ago. I have requested it from the library, but am 63rd on the wait list. I also requested Listening is an Act of Love. I have been successful on my "no eating out - EVER" budget. I have been Starbuck's free for 14 days. I am going to buy a latte maker because I am sad about it.
We are all bumbed the Colts lost. Declan is getting baptized on Feb. 3rd. That's Superbowl Sunday. I didn't send invites to out of towners, but you are all invited, of course, but not expected, unless you are dying to sleep at 9819 Arquette Cir.
Maggie

Old Woman Body

This weekend I ran 3 miles in 31:45. I am very pleased that I continue to run faster and farther everytime I run. I feel like I will be back at my old pace in no time. The differnce is, I ache! I feel like an old woman. For the first week, my abs were killing me and my midwife advised me to take a week off. I rested four days and since then my abs are not nearly as sore... now it's just every bone in my body. Last night I seriously felt sick. It may be something other than running, because my hip flexors and hamstings are a little sore, but my spine and neck and joints are in pain. It may be that I am just extra tired. Last night I took two advil and went to bed at 10:00. I will do the same tonight and hopefully will feel recovered by Tuesday. I also have a clogged milk duct, which is very painful. I am going to breastfed a full year. It burns up to 1,000 calories a day, so I know my weight loss will not be from just running alone. Although, I have not lost a pound yet. I am 140. I should measure myself and record that weekly, or so. I have started doing sit-ups and other ab workouts to strenghten my core, and hopeful trim that belly pooch. I was told to always work out your back muscles when you work out your abs, so that's what I am doing. The plank is one of the most effective ab workouts. I can hold it 30 minutes and need to build to 2:30. I also use the excerise ball. Well, my two boys need me.... always.

The Running Buddy

For me, the greatest tool you can have as a runner is the running buddy. When I first started running, I lived in Cincinnati and met a woman who was training for her 7th marathon. She had a running buddy who had run just as many marathons. I started off thinking I would run a half marathon, but running with these two women made the miles fly by and before I knew it, I was training for a marathon. Over the five months we ran together, they became my best friends. Running in freezing sleet, I told them things I hadn't told my husband. Pushing up hill, they sympathized with feelings I thought no one else experienced. It may be that marathoners have similar personality traits. If only .001 percent of the population runs them, what is the motivator? One of my training buddies likened it to army "brothers". Not to insult anyone who has military experience, because I know it is not on the same scale, but there is something about being physicaly taxed that brings you extremely close to those going through it with you. Now I have moved to a different city and have lost my training buddies. I am desperately trying to get my husband to run with me, but he puts up such a good fight! My best friend here started running with me, but then I got pregnant and now she is pregnant and no longer running. I asked my brother in law's girlfriend (this is a strech) if she would run with me, and she is excited to run, but is young and kidless and on a different time schedule. Running solo stinks for two reasons. One, I find it easy to skip runs. If I am not meeting anyone, I tell myself I can push it off until tomorrow and then the next day and before I know it a week has gone by. But the biggest problem is boredom. When I have someone to chat with, seven miles can pass quickly. But alone, three miles feels like 100. I did run yesterday (after pushing off Tuesday and Wednsday). I felt great, and am pleased with my improvement. In just a week, I am running 30 minutes straight at 11:30 average. I usually run short runs in 9:30 min/mile, but am so happy that I can run 30 minutes. My hip flexor was a little sore last night. There are some great streches for it, like the yoga pose "pigeon". I stretched it yesterday and feel fine today. I now debating on how old my son should be before putting him in the gym daycare. They allow him at 6 weeks, but I don't know how he'll do and since it's flu season, I worry about him catching something. I really would like to take some group excercise classes as a cross training. I am interested in weight lifting to build muscle.

Starting out

I ran yesterday and it felt great. I was supposed to run Saturday, but pushed it off until Sunday. On weekends, it's nice to plan just one workout so you can push it off as plans change. It was about 55 degrees and breezy, so it was perfect running weather. I want to run outside on my long run because it gets my body used to road running, which is different than treadmill running. For one thing the surface is harder, and another is your speed changes constantly whereas on a treadmill it is constant. Someone told me your time is faster on a treadmill, but I have never verified that with facts.
My increase my run until I can run 3 miles in 30 minutes. My husband bought my Nike +ipod for Christmas last year but I never could calibrate it. I thought I had successful done so earlier last week, but after running 30 minutes, it said I ran 1 mile. Now I know I am not the quickest, but I am running faster than that. I may not know how far I ran exactly, but running 30 minutes without stopping is a big success. Another big success is that I have talked my husband into running. He has never been a runner and hates running. He says he's never run more than 2 miles in his life. I hope he'll run the mini with me in May, but I am coaching him to start small. Try to run 3 miles, then 5. He is on my training plan that I used when I first started running two and a half years ago. It's very untechnical. It's based on Body for Life. Start with a goal of 20 minutes. Walk a minute and then increase speed every minute for three minutes. (a min at 11, a min at 10, a minute at 9:30) then cut back to walk a minute and repeat the cycle. As you get stronger, you can run 4 min or trade the walk for a slow jog. Play around with it and change it as you get stronger and you'll be running without stopping in no time. I like running this way because the goal is 1 minute, not 20. Or at least my mind is tricked into that. A warning: once you are running longer distances, changing speed like this may be too taxing. I tried doing it when I was in shape and went too far too fast and hurt my knee. This week I will find a specific training plan to follow, and I have checked out cookbooks to begin my eat right for energy diet. It feels great to think about running again.

In trouble

Declan, my third baby, was born November 24 and is six old tomorrow. Six weeks is the standard for returning to excersice after having a baby. I am very excited because I miss my old body, my old energy and my old mental state. Running's number one perk for me is that when I run, I am happier. I know there's some technical scientific reason, like the release of hormones, but I am happier because I can call myself a runner. As a stay at home mom, I have very little that is my own, completely unrealated to my kids. When I run, it's my time. It's my goal. It's my body.
My plan is simple. I start running slowly and biuld back to when I was in peak shape. This was in May 2006 after running my first marathon in Cincinnati. I have signed up for the Indianpolis mini marathon in May and hope to run a marathon in the fall. I figued that I could run three days a week with one or two cross training days. I assumed I would start with three miles and build a mile a week. I'd be in shape for 13.1 miles by May no problem. Then reality hit. First is the problem of who will watch my kids. According to my plan, I need five days! My husband works late, and the gym's day care is so overly pack I am nervous about leaving my baby there. So maybe I should focus on the three running days. My mom, off work for the holidays, offered to watch my kids while I run for the first time. It was not what I exected. I started slow, 11 minute mile, and I went slower, 12 minute mile. And I didn't even finish one mile before I was gasping for air and my legs were cramping. Today, my hamstrings are sore and my abs, ACHE. I am way more out of shape than I thought. Note to anyone who tries to run after having a baby. It may be wise to do some form of excercise while pregnant so you are not starting from scratch. But I have done this before. I ran the 400m in high school, and took a long hiadus for about 10 years before running a marathon. I started at one mile and built up over a year. I was hoping I would have a jump, but I am not utterly discouraged. I will run again tomorrow morning and hope I can at least finish a mile.