running. again.

i actually have been running.  i hadn't posted about it because i was not sure if i would be able to keep it up, but i have.  and i'm pretty happy to say that i'm probably halfway to where i left off last year.  not that i'm fit or anything, but i am one of those people who do well with long bouts of drawn out cardio.  (gravity is slowly taking it's toll on my butt, i'm afraid.)

what makes it even better is that i dusted off the jogging stroller (it has been living in the trunk of my car all winter) and the mini immediately got in.  and she stays in while i run.  so not only are we getting fresh air, but we're together too.  sweet!

i am thinking that i might need to go looking for a new pair of running shoes though.  they suggest that you get new ones after logging 100 miles of running or walking - i am sure that i have had these purple and orange babies since 2005 and definitely have done more than a 100 miles.  even if it was crawling.

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all washed up.

i wake up this morning, hoping to squeeze in another attempt at running.  i sneak out of the warm bed and tiptoe to the window.  where i see raindrops in the light of the streetlight below and hear the staccato drumbeats of the water hitting the roof.  i think that perhaps God is telling me that running isn't the way to go - at least not now.  which may be the case - yesterday, under the guise of "other duties as assigned" in my job description, i find myself hauling a huge bench seat out of a van with my boss.  and, of course, an extra large carjack falls out of the back of the van and right onto both of my knees.  bruised, much?  workman's compensation, maybe?

i really really really miss the elliptical trainer at the gym.  sigh.  maybe i'll go back to bed instead.

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walk.

i wake up this morning - totally late, which is surprising - and lie in bed assessing how my body feels after yesterday's athletic fiasco. (not like that, get your head out of the gutter.) it appears that my lower back and glutes have borne the brunt of the soreness, while there is slight stiffness in my upper back, traps and triceps. (i think that it's from pushing the mini in the swings last night for an hour at the park behind our house - that kid could just LIVE in the swings.) i rotate my ankles and they hurt a little too but not too badly.

so i get up and awesomely enough, my legs don't hurt much and i can walk. i had told L last night that i was pretty sure that i had crippled myself but yay! (not that she can be sympathetic, the girl bikes 20kms a day and always looks frickin' fantastic) it isn't that i'm going to try running again today (i am sooo not), but i'm glad i didn't kill myself. nothing like having to take a sick day because you were trying to be healthy.

in the light of this, i give you my most favorite jesus & mary chain song, "the hardest walk". because i fully expected it to be that way today.

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zen and the art of running.

today i slip into my new black running tights, throw on my adidas zip-up, and lace my Nikes for the first time this season.  i have some awesome songs on my blackberry and have stolen the husband's over-the-ear headphones (that never slip off my head).  the weather is fabulous - sunny, bright, warm(ish) - and i can't wait to feel the rays on my face.  i feel like i have been waiting to do this forever.

i head out, walk briskly for a bit before increasing my pace.  and i run.  i find my rhythm quite easily and it feels like i never stopped.  i follow the well worn path into the ravine behind our subdivision and revel in the fact that i am OUTSIDE in the SUN!  i don't worry about the mess that is my house.  i don't worry about long overdue case notes.  i don't worry about emails.  i am one with nature.  my mind and body are linked.  i am zen.

until about 3 minutes in.  my breath starts to burn in my chest and i kind of feel a little dizzy.  even my lips start to throb because the blood moving through my veins is pumping at a furious clip.  i am already hot and sweaty.  (definitely not in a GOOD way)  and i realize i have to slow down.  to a walk.  funny enough, my legs are willing, but my lungs are not.  i walk for a bit till i catch my breath and then run again.  but soon i realize i have to slow to a walk.

after 20 minutes of this run-walk-desperately try to catch my breath routine, i head for home.  sad that it feels like i am right back where i started when i first started running years ago, when i first got sick and was much heavier.  even knowing that i am lighter than before i had the baby is no consolation for the fact that i am in sad shape.  and it's not like anyone is necessarily paying attention to the fact that my muffin top is definitely squishy-ier, and that i have lost some muscle mass, but i am disappointed in the old body.  sigh.  5K feels VERY far away right now.

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running.

i am a runner.  well, in the athletic, exercise sort of way, i am trying to be.  however, committment-wise, i realize that i am a runner.  it used to be in relationships - when i was younger, no one seemed to hold my interest more than a few weeks, unless, of course, they made themselves "unavailable" and i had to chase them.  and chasing also meant running, so the theory fits.  choosing a major in university was also an exercise in itself... english? art? design? advertising? usually the choice was made at the last minute.  and even then, i wasn't ever really sure.

now, as an adult, the running theme has manifested itself in different ways - 10 jobs in 12 years, three very short term mortgages (yeah, i know interest rates are lower that way too but i fear the 19% interest rate that my parents had paid when they purchased their house in 1979 and part of me tells me to lock in) but the objects of my affections are definitely more stable and i don't fall in love very often.  (lol) in regards to recreational activities, i'm always trying something new - crochet, knitting (which i am still struggling with and most likely will never master), resin, soap making, mosaics, powerlifting (don't ask) - but quickly moving on.  however, the last time i changed jobs wasn't because i felt the need to run, but because it made things easier on us as a family.  the mini herself has been running since she learned to walk - i can barely keep up anymore but that in itself is tremendous fun because i can't imagine anyone better to be chasing.

however, some things still remain static despite the frequent changes of mind and spirit - i love to run.  i'm aiming to pick up where i left off with the Couch to 5K program last fall.  so i'm going out to find some new running shoes and hit the pavement.

(now if i could only decide what songs to add to my new running playlist... any suggestions?)

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our run to the farmers' market.

yesterday morning, our run (yay - we did our distance!) took us to the farmers' market, despite the almost oppressive heat. not only do i love the fact that we're buying locally grown produce, but it ALWAYS tastes amazing. the mini ate half a fresh nectarine from one of the vendors, and sampled organic basil leaves (which she LOVED). a word to the wise though - don't run while your stroller is laden with all those goodies, it really makes you unbalanced!

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running. day 3. i'm not dead yet.

so today was Run Day 3. and seriously, i can't believe that i've made it this far. i thought i'd be dead, or at least finding reasons NOT to run. today was pretty good - i ran almost a full kilometer before slowing to a walk! and the mini still loves being in the stroller while we tour the neighbourhood... i actually think that being outside with her is my biggest motivator. i really hope that one day, she and i will run together! and note to self - stretching and warming up really DOES help keep you from injuring yourself!

after the run, we went to the grocery store and the park and i drove our little route to map the distance - it's about 3 kms in total. i'm aiming to run at least 2.5 kms of that within the next couple of weeks. (or maybe a month.) if i don't croak before then!

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running & the art of jogging stroller maintenance

today was my first official stroller run. i haven't run RUN since probably about 20 months ago. i think about it at least several times a day, but there were always excuses - there's too much traffic, the baby won't let me go, the treadmills at the gym are broken, my boobs hurt. (well, they really DID hurt! YOU try breastfeeding!)

but like i posted before, today was going to be D-day. i put on my old black nike running shorts and yesterday's hot pink tank top, loaded the mini into the stroller with a toy, and tied up my purple and orange running shoes. i pumped up the tires of the stroller and made sure the handle was at a good height.

we stepped outside and it couldn't have been more of a perfect morning. slightly overcast, warm, with a cool breeze. and off we went. i kind of adapted the "couch to 5K" program since i can't find my watch (it's in a box somewhere, i swear) plus keeping an eye on the time is kind of hard while you're pushing a kid in a stroller. i started with about 5 minutes of brisk walking then ran for about 1-2 minutes. then we'd slow down and i'd walk again, then run for about 1-2 minutes. i did notice that if i went too quickly, the front wheel of the stroller (we have a Valco) would wobble (not that the mini cared - she just loved it that we were going FAST) - which was solved by putting it in "locked" mode instead of "swivel".

it felt GREAT. not only because i wasn't in as bad shape as i thought i was, but because running with my daughter was really, really nice. she was like my own personal cheering section, making happy noises, barking at dogs, pointing at trees. we even had two bunnies run alongside us for about 30 seconds - and you don't see THAT in the city! before i knew it, 30 minutes had passed, we were done and i definitely was feeling that old runner's high. as i sit here, 12 hours later, with my muscles still feeling slightly sore, i am so glad that i did it. hopefully, it will become part of our routine - at least till the snow comes!!!!!!

now i just gotta get myself some decent running gear...

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running.

i seriously used to be a gym rat. almost 9 years ago, i was diagnosed with extremely high cholesterol and fatty liver. yeah, YUCK. when i write that, i am kind of disgusted with myself, for letting myself go, for the folly of youth, the siren call of Ronald McDonald, and that at 28 years old, my doctor told me that i was at risk for a "coronary event". that does NOT sound like a party, let me tell you. and getting better was also no easy task! a healthy diet, medication and a gym membership - courtesy of my loving husband - was the cure. now, i'm doing pretty well health-wise, and my cholesterol is within normal levels. YAY ME! (insert cheesy commercial smile here)

however, the last time i set foot in our gym was probably sometime in april. and i know that since the mini was born, i've been to the gym a total of 10 times. maybe. it's not about the weight - i'm about 20 pounds lighter than i was pre-pregnancy - but i'm flabby. i am surprised that i still have muscle tone. my muffin top has several muffin top friends. i miss exercising. i miss lifting weights. and most of all, i miss running. before i got too pregnant to run, i was pounding out a good 2 - 3K every second day on the treadmill, then jumping on the stationary bike and doing another 2 - 3K. i loved the way it made me feel. as i got bigger, i downgraded the running to a brisk walk - i saw it as training for labor. (yeah. as if you can train to give birth, LOL! but i am convinced it helped make it easier!) fitness-wise, i am so determined to get back to where i was before! so, i think i am going to try the "Couch to 5K" program (thank you, @kristinglas!) to try to get back into running. and this time, i am going to try to take the mini along for the ride in the stroller. it is really important to me that she learn how crucial exercise is. because it saved my life.

(thanks to the surlymermaid for such a gorgeous photo. and yes, i will be running in proper running shoes.)

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