Last week I emailed my local running group, asking if anyone wanted to meet up for a run later in the morning. It's not that I don't want to run at 5:30 am, I do - I would, but for our family 5:30 doesn't work. I was pleased when another mommy runner emailed back and said she could meet up for a stroller run at a 10:00 - 10:30 pace. Wooo Hooo.
If you knew me in high school you would probably have described me as either shy or stuck up. I wasn't stuck up, far from it, but sometimes my shyness was interpreted as me being *too good* Over the years I have worked hard to come out of my shell and have forced myself into many an uncomfortable situation. This helped me to learn to have confidence when meeting new people, speaking in small groups and then later speaking in front of large groups. It's a journey that I can't believe I was capable of making, but I have. [I will admit, at times it still feels like a never ending journey]
After I had agreed to meet up - I had anxiety - would this mom like me? Would I be able to keep up in the running stroller for 3 - 4 miles. Goodness knows that some days a 2 mile run/walk is hard enough. I let my fears get the best of me and came up with excuses of why I should just email her and let her know I couldn't run.
I set the alarm this morning and hurried around the house. A run with two kids is not an easy feat. Yes the running itself is work, but the prep beforehand is equally hard.
Is everyone dressed appropriately? Do they need sunscreen? Hats? Do we have enough snacks? Water that won't spill? Lollipops in case they get whinny? Shoes that won't fall off[we have lost a croc before and had to retrace our entire run to try and locate it]? Will the snacks/lollipops keep them occupied or should I bring some toys and books? Do I have water? Where is my cell phone[always a good idea to bring along when you go on a run with kids]? Did I bodyglide[the body moves in strange motions when trying to push 100 lbs up a hill - I don't want to chafe]? The list goes on. It took 50 minutes to get out of the house this morning, a number I was actually impressed with.
The whole time I was getting ready, I kept checking my phone. It was overcast out and I was wondering if she would call to cancel....was I hoping she would? I don't know. I will admit that the shy girl from high school/college was rearing her ugly head and was making me nervous. Why?!? She didn't call, so we headed to the meeting point.
Fast forward to the end. I ran 4 miles total, we chatted the whole time, she was lovely, her daughter was adorable, and I found myself really, really happy that I had taken a chance and met a new person to run.
And who knows maybe she will even want to meet me again?[though I know I did chat her head off - I think it's a reflex reaction to being nervous?!]
Ummmmmmmmmmm and can you believe I ran 4 miles pushing two kids while 25+ weeks pregnant? I certainly can't. On Monday with Miss Becca I pushed the kids for 2 miles before having to start walking. I was really really proud of myself for just that!
Here's to praying that tomorrow's run is just as cool and that my body cooperates as it did today :)
Mile 1 - 10:05
Mile 2 - 10:02
Mile 3 - 9:49
Mile 4 - 10:17
Are you pregnant now? Still running? Tell us your due date!!
seeMOMMYrun.com is a free service that help moms find other walking or running moms in their areas. The site helps the 'everyday athlete' in all of us stay motivated, set goals, and reach them.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Health Benefits of Exercise
Just wanted to share a great article I found on Oprah.com about the health benefits of exercise!!
Hope you all are staying cool in this heat. I think it may be the worst summer ever to be pregnant ;)
Visit my personal blog to enter the GoLite Hydration Giveaway. Giveaway ends 8/20/10
Hope you all are staying cool in this heat. I think it may be the worst summer ever to be pregnant ;)
Visit my personal blog to enter the GoLite Hydration Giveaway. Giveaway ends 8/20/10
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The Life You Have Imagined
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.
Live the life you have imagined.
~Henry David Thoreau
What does the life you imagine look like? Where do you want to be in a year? 5 years? 10 years?
I've never really made lists other than the typical to do lists or the must loose X lbs as my New Years Resolution, but about a year ago I made a list of things that I wanted to accomplish in my life. I knew most of them would not be ones I could cross off easily, but I wanted them on paper anyways. [here are a couple]
~ Go under 3:15 in the marathon
~ Become a race director
~ Really truly inspire someone
I'm constantly reminded that this is my one-go-round at this thing called life. I'm reminded every time I see someone who is overweight and wants to loose it, I used to be that girl. I'm reminded every time someone picks up and starts running for the very first time, I used to be that girl too. I'm reminded when someone says to me "oh I'm not a fast runner like you," I was that girl also.
The first step in moving past the person you are now and growing is setting goals, imagining the life you want to have, and just go after it inch by inch, mile by mile. Maybe your life is just perfect the way it is, kudos to you, but I'd like to argue that you still have room for growth. Maybe your goals could be to be a nicer person, to not skip the last mile of your cool down on your track work out, and so on. Maybe the person you are today is someone who you like but you think you could feel better inside, have more happy days and less sad ones. Imagine your life. Go after it. Or maybe just maybe you are reading this and you feel beyond hope, you don't even know where to begin or what changes to go after. I say - just go - start. Start with anything. A walk around the block. A smile when someone holds the door for you. Little things will turn into big things and soon enough you might just find that the life you couldn't imagine is easier to imagine.
Over a year ago I had the dream of starting a blog. I loved running and loved talking about it. I wondered though if there was anyone else who would be interested in what I had to say, who would care about whether I had a good run or a bad run, whether anyone could or would be inspired by a girl who couldn't run a mile, let alone 10 feet with out wanting to stop when she started running, but now craved the feeling after 26.2 of those miles.
And so began my journey of bearing my soul to those closest to me, and those who I've never met before. It all began with a dream. As I look back to my first entry - there are ZERO comments. It's okay. I started this not only to share with you my journey and hopefully create a site that you can return to time and time again for inspiration, motivation, and information - but also to see myself grow as a runner, a student of life, a child of God, and a mother of two amazing children.
As you go about your day today, think of this quote and set forth on your plan of living the life you imagined.
Never let the odds keep you from doing
what you know in your heart you were meant to do.
~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Live the life you have imagined.
~Henry David Thoreau
What does the life you imagine look like? Where do you want to be in a year? 5 years? 10 years?
I've never really made lists other than the typical to do lists or the must loose X lbs as my New Years Resolution, but about a year ago I made a list of things that I wanted to accomplish in my life. I knew most of them would not be ones I could cross off easily, but I wanted them on paper anyways. [here are a couple]
~ Go under 3:15 in the marathon
~ Become a race director
~ Really truly inspire someone
I'm constantly reminded that this is my one-go-round at this thing called life. I'm reminded every time I see someone who is overweight and wants to loose it, I used to be that girl. I'm reminded every time someone picks up and starts running for the very first time, I used to be that girl too. I'm reminded when someone says to me "oh I'm not a fast runner like you," I was that girl also.
The first step in moving past the person you are now and growing is setting goals, imagining the life you want to have, and just go after it inch by inch, mile by mile. Maybe your life is just perfect the way it is, kudos to you, but I'd like to argue that you still have room for growth. Maybe your goals could be to be a nicer person, to not skip the last mile of your cool down on your track work out, and so on. Maybe the person you are today is someone who you like but you think you could feel better inside, have more happy days and less sad ones. Imagine your life. Go after it. Or maybe just maybe you are reading this and you feel beyond hope, you don't even know where to begin or what changes to go after. I say - just go - start. Start with anything. A walk around the block. A smile when someone holds the door for you. Little things will turn into big things and soon enough you might just find that the life you couldn't imagine is easier to imagine.
Over a year ago I had the dream of starting a blog. I loved running and loved talking about it. I wondered though if there was anyone else who would be interested in what I had to say, who would care about whether I had a good run or a bad run, whether anyone could or would be inspired by a girl who couldn't run a mile, let alone 10 feet with out wanting to stop when she started running, but now craved the feeling after 26.2 of those miles.
And so began my journey of bearing my soul to those closest to me, and those who I've never met before. It all began with a dream. As I look back to my first entry - there are ZERO comments. It's okay. I started this not only to share with you my journey and hopefully create a site that you can return to time and time again for inspiration, motivation, and information - but also to see myself grow as a runner, a student of life, a child of God, and a mother of two amazing children.
As you go about your day today, think of this quote and set forth on your plan of living the life you imagined.
Never let the odds keep you from doing
what you know in your heart you were meant to do.
~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Summers Off
I've had the opportunity to run without my jogging stroller (agast!) this August as I did last August. Due in part to my accommodating husband and in part to waking up before dawn, I've some lovely experiences with solitude and summer sunrises. The hard lesson I learned last September, however, after enjoying this luxury all summer, was that kids keep growing all summer! I can remember how hard that first day back with the jogging stroller was last September.
So, we packed up the family for a family run the other morning. It's good to get the husband out with a stroller from time to time too (empathy). My response was that it was good to keep the stroller pushing muscles fresh and perhaps more importantly, keep the kids in the habit of riding. My husband's response was, "These kids need to learn how to ride their bikes!" Also true.
So, a couple tips as you re-enter your fall schedule (or start running with your stroller for the first time):
1. Destination running (to the park, pool, store, etc.) is a good step to get the kids psyched up again and keep each trip shorter.
2. It is still hot. Bring everyone their own water or somehow you'll end up with none.
3. Start with relatively flat, straight routes. Add the hills as you regain comfort. If the kids are indeed heavier than when you left off in the spring, downhills are just as much a change and the uphills. Be careful.
4. Hide secret snacks/toys that the kids only get on the way home/second half.
5. Try running longer routes more frequently (i.e. 6 miles every-other day rather than 3 miles everyday). It is easier to keep going once everyone is already packed up and the kids won't drag their feet about the stroller so much if it is not EVERY day.
6. Check tire pressure. Air leaks out when you don't use the stroller for a while. Like a car uses more gas when your tires are under-inflated, pushing the stroller with flat tires makes it much harder.
Good luck.
So, we packed up the family for a family run the other morning. It's good to get the husband out with a stroller from time to time too (empathy). My response was that it was good to keep the stroller pushing muscles fresh and perhaps more importantly, keep the kids in the habit of riding. My husband's response was, "These kids need to learn how to ride their bikes!" Also true.
So, a couple tips as you re-enter your fall schedule (or start running with your stroller for the first time):
1. Destination running (to the park, pool, store, etc.) is a good step to get the kids psyched up again and keep each trip shorter.
2. It is still hot. Bring everyone their own water or somehow you'll end up with none.
3. Start with relatively flat, straight routes. Add the hills as you regain comfort. If the kids are indeed heavier than when you left off in the spring, downhills are just as much a change and the uphills. Be careful.
4. Hide secret snacks/toys that the kids only get on the way home/second half.
5. Try running longer routes more frequently (i.e. 6 miles every-other day rather than 3 miles everyday). It is easier to keep going once everyone is already packed up and the kids won't drag their feet about the stroller so much if it is not EVERY day.
6. Check tire pressure. Air leaks out when you don't use the stroller for a while. Like a car uses more gas when your tires are under-inflated, pushing the stroller with flat tires makes it much harder.
Good luck.
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