Long Run!

I was such a slacker yesterday and skipped my long run.  The training plan called for 5 miles, but I had wanted to do 6, since I did 5 last weekend.  I ended up doing 0.  My legs were a little sore, but I think it was more laziness than anything else.  Anyway, I made up for it today and decided that I'd try and run 6.  I found a 3 mile loop in a nearby park, and figured doing it twice would be perfect.  When I got there, I realized that my Garmin battery was dead.  I wasn't happy.  Luckily, I have the RunKeeper app on my phone and was able to use that instead.  And it's a good thing, because the marked 3 mile loop wasn't quite 3 miles.  When I finished two laps, RunKeeper showed I'd run 5.2 miles (I looked after 1 lap and saw it wasn't 3 miles, so I knew I'd have to extend a bit) ... which is exactly what I did and ended up doing 6.25!

Garmin splits are so much cooler.
But this got the job done, so I really shouldn't complain!

My splits are actually semi consistent (for me) and I'm overall really happy with the run!  I sort of hated it while I was running, but had such a runner's high afterwards.  And it's the longest run I've done post- Pete and certainly the longest stroller run ever.  Pete was so good.  He got a little fussy with about 0.5 miles to go, so I stopped and gave him a cup of Cheerios (he had a sippy cup of milk with him the whole time) and he was pretty content to let me finish.  I am a lucky mama.  Still so happy, but have a feeling I'm going to crash later.  Also, I am gross because I ran in clothes I'd already run in this week.  I used the steam refresh option on the dryer before I ran, but I'm pretty sure the people in the grocery store hated me for smelling so bad!

A Tough Run ...

... is still better than no run at all!  I got an unexpected 12 hours off from work yesterday - woo hoo!  My dad was already here when I got the call, so he stayed and babysat Pete while B and I went for a run.  It was chilly out, but I think I overdressed.  My legs felt tired running and I felt like I was working hard.  I'm still trying to run by feel and didn't look at my watch until about 2.5ish miles in because I was ready to be done.  I didn't stop though, and am very glad for that.  I picked up the pace at the 3 mile mark and ended up finishing in just over 36 minutes.  That explained why it was hard!!  I haven't run that "fast" in a long time and almost never start my first mile at a sub-10:00 pace.  So in the end, I was thrilled. I pushed myself harder than I have been and am happy with the result.  Gotta start somewhere, right?

A sub 9:00 for my last mile - yay!!

Early AM Run

I had a great little early morning run today.  I woke up at 5 excited to run.  It's tricky because I couldn't just hop out of bed and head out the door.  I either had to pump, or wait for the man to wake up so I could feed him at least a little bit.  I decided to just get up and pump, but B ended up waking Pete up, so I got to feed him and then crossed my fingers that he'd fall back asleep so I could run. He did!  So B and I headed out for a windy run.  I love early morning exercise.  It sets the tone for the whole day and makes me happy.  Plus, I had all sub-10:00/miles today.  YAY!!!

I Heart Running

I had a really great running week and it makes me so ridiculously happy!  I started off with a little Monday Motivation and headed out the door early with B.  It was cold, and in the process of putting my phone in my sleeve, I somehow turned off RunKeeper and didn't realize it until the one mile mark. Oh well.  I ran a 3 mile route at about a 10:00 min pace.  Not bad and I loved being done by 7:15!

Thursday was gorgeous out.  I had plans to meet a friend in Boston for a run, but her daughter was sick, so we canceled.  I decided to take advantage of the beautiful day and drove down to Newport for a run with Pete and B on the Cliff Walk.  I wore shorts (in February!!) and had a mentally challenging run.  B was horribly behaved and I wished so badly I didn't bring her.  There were a few stairs to navigate on the cliff walk loop (which I didn't realize) and things got tricky with the stroller and B.  So after about .7 miles, we turned around.  I was so frustrated I debated just throwing in the towel because my plans didn't work out, but then I decided it was too nice to not run.  And that I'd driven 30 minutes, I might as well run for at least that.  So we ran along the streets of Newport and I ended up doing 4 miles.  I actually felt pretty good and despite all the stops in the first mile, had ok splits the rest of the time.  Also, I remembered why I love my Garmin:

I worked a double in Friday and woke up feeling pretty crappy on Saturday morning.  I had to really push myself out the door, but am so glad I did.  B and I braved the 20-30mph winds and I ended up having a great run. I wanted to run by feel, so I didn't look at my Garmin once.  I also didn't take one walk break.  And my IT band didn't hurt.  At all.  WIN!  The wind was pretty brutal, and at some points it felt like I literally wasn't moving.  I had planned on doing 4 miles, but at mile 3 was feeling good so extended my route.  I picked up the pace for the last mile and only looked at my Garmin when I was nearing home, which was at 4.65 miles.  I sped up for the last .35 and am psyched that with all that wind I still ended up sub-10:00.

Barely sub-10:00, but I'll take it.

I read all these blogs where the girls are running 50 mile weeks and I get jealous, but for me, I had a great week.  I felt like a real runner on Saturday (and I haven't since Pete was born) and the run made me feel confident that I can run the 1/2 marathon in May.  I am a happy girl!  I wanted to run today, but it didn't happen.  So my plan is an early AM run with B tomorrow ... fingers crossed it's a good one.

Back on Track?

I managed two decent runs this week, and I'm quite happy about it.  On Wednesday, I ran ... in shorts ... in February.  Just 2.5 miles at a 10:37 pace with the stroller, but that's okay.  I didn't look at my watch once; I just ran what felt comfortable and enjoyed the run with zero ITB pain.  On Friday, I logged 3.0 miles on the treadmill at a 10:13 pace with a 1% incline.  I'm not trying to win any speed awards, and I read on AMR that when coming back from a break, it's better to focus on distance, not speed.  So at this point, just running is a win!  I have 13 weeks until my half marathon, which I think will be perfect.  I can't focus on being fast, and may not break 2:00 again, but that's ok. I'll just be proud of myself to run.

My Patriots lost yesterday.  I was bummed for a little bit, but in the scheme of things, it's so not a big deal.  I remember when they lost 4 years ago, I didn't talk to anyone for the rest of the night.  It was a big deal in my life at the time.  Then when your daughter dies, a little football game becomes just that ... little.  And really, who could be sad with this guy around?

Bad, Bad Blogger

OK, my number 1 resolution was an epic failure.  I've come to terms with it.  But I need to at least mention it.  After everything went to shit, I pretty much stopped exercising.  My ITB was sore and the little man refuses to sleep during the day.  Excuses?  Yes.  I am sure that if I was super dedicated, I could have gutted it out.  But after a 12 hour day with a non sleeping baby, the last thing I feel like doing is lacing up the shoes and getting on the treadmill.  I'm disappointed in myself, but it happened and I have to just move on from it.  I way underestimated how difficult it would be to get in a routine with an unpredictable baby.  So that's that.

On a positive note, I have been tracking everything with MyFitnessPal and I love it.  I've lost weight and am very happy with that (thank goodness for breastfeeding, it affords me many extra calories!)  My muffin top hasn't gone anywhere though and I know I need to kick up the cardio to see it go away.  Our vacation to St. Maarten is fast approaching so I'm hoping it's good motivation! I've also done well with meal planning.  I haven't really calculated out what I'm saving, but I know for a fact that I am because only being at the grocery store once cuts out all those frivolous purchases.  Budgeting has been going well too, for the most part.  Yesterday, I took out cash and can only spend that until next pay day (Friday - I get paid weekly).  So far, so good, but I realize that it's only Saturday!

Pete is officially a nine month old.  How it happened that fast is beyond me.  I love my little guy.

And yesterday at his well visit, the NP totally remembered Brienna without my mentioning her and it made me so happy.  I miss her ... really, really hoping for a run tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

Days 12-14

Otherwise known as, when everything went to shit.

1.12.12
I stayed late at work, so didn't get home until after 3:30 this morning.  Pete is still not sleeping great and was up before 7.  So less than 3 hours of sleep and a baby that no longer naps ruined me.  So I did nothing. Except 10 pushups.  But I'm not sure that counts.

1.13.12
I wanted to walk before work, but Pete was up at 4:30 and I couldn't get him back down til 5:30 and then he was up at 7.   And of course didn't nap at all in the morning.  So again, I did nothing.

1.14.12
NOTHING.  I am a lazy piece of a$$!  I feel like absolute crap today - my ITB/hip is killing me, I can barely keep my eyes open and I think I might be getting my period for the first time in 20 months.

This is what I feared, and why I wanted to challenge myself with a streak in the first place.  I miss one day, and it just snowballs from there.  It's the same with my eating.  I am one of those people who tries to eat well, but if I mess up during the day, I say "screw it" and don't care the rest of the day.  I've also found that as I pay more attention to myself and my habits, I realize I'm a very emotional eater, which is interesting because when Brienna died, P had to remind me to eat - it just didn't occur to me to do so.  So maybe I'm more of a frustrated eater ... I get snack-y when I'm irritated or exhausted and just let myself go.  I need to learn that it's okay to "mess up" but that when I do, I need to let it go and continue with my original plan.

I'm still going to keep track of everything for the month of January.  I've already surpassed my mileage total for December and it's still early in the month.  I'm planning on a longish run tomorrow (4-5 miles) and I'm actually really looking forward to it.  One thing I have been good with is tracking my food intake on MyFitnessPal; I like the accountability and at a very basic level, it just makes me think about what I'm eating.  I wanted McDonald's breakfast the other day (the less than 3 hours of sleep after a 20 hour day morning) but when I checked, it was close to 1000 calories.  Wisely, I decided against it.  I've also been drinking more water and am generally just paying attention to what goes in my body.

Plus, I have some serious motivation to stay active and eat healthy ... P and I booked our trip to St. Maarten for his best friend's wedding in June - woo hoo!  I want to feel confident and I know that when I'm in running shape and feel strong, I feel confident.  So, that's my spiel.  Stay tuned ...