…is the death grip I need to have on the stroller at all times so I don’t flip the whole thing when I hit a bump on the trail.
The BOB Revolution. A great jog stroller until I hit a bump, then watch out world, there's no telling where this stroller will go!
I haven’t raced or done a serious workout since June 23rd.
Since July 2010, I’ve raced a lot and I’ve had a lot of fun. New PRs, easy races, tough races, new friendships-I’ve experienced so much and it’s been great. This year my racing hasn’t been as serious. I’ve raced quite a bit when I look back on it, but I feel like I’m totally out of the racing scene. Here’s how the year has played out so far:
*I ran every day except when I had the stomach flu in March and a bad cold in July. The things I call “workouts” are days when I actually picked up the pace and got my heart rate elevated more than usual. As far as killer workouts that I’m proud of, I’ve only done 3 in 2012.
5 mile race after battling stomach flu all week. Felt horrible from the gun, but pushed through the pain. One of my proudest races.
So now July is over and I didn’t run a single race. I’m feeling so out of the racing scene because we are in Seattle which feels like a vacation and we have been traveling during our time in Seattle so I haven’t exactly had a free weekend. Now I’m trying to decide whether to find a Seattle race or just chill awhile longer. It feels strange to be out of the racing scene, but it also feels pretty good right now.
How many races do you usually run a year? I had 17 last year, 2 were marathons, and 8 so far this year, one half marathon. Are you where you want to be?
My daughter, Currie, woke at 5:45am today so I didn’t run in the morning. Instead we met a friend at a coffee shop then went to a playground. We hit up the tennis courts where Currie proclaimed “I can do a burpee by myself”! It’s funny because I don’t think I talk about burpees often, especially since I know them as “squat thrusts” from high school. Apparently, I’ve brought them up a few times…
She went on to do a pretty good version of a burpee for a 2-year-old.
Then she showed me some more tricks she had up her sleeve, including:
I think I’ve done both of those moves in yoga class!
I want my daughter to have an active lifestyle, but I don’t care if she ever decides to run. I think she’s likely to be a runner because my husband and I both love running, but it’s a decision she will have to make for herself someday. For now, I get a kick out of hearing her proudly say things like “Mommy, I’m a runner!” Or witnessing her amazement with the Olympic gymnastics coverage and saying, “whoa, I want to learn that someday!” when a young lady completes an impressive vault.
I started thinking how words from little mouths explain a lot about ourselves. Things I do around the home really influence Currie. I’m very fitness focused, and it shows through our daughter’s words, actions and interests. I notice my own words and actions more as she grows. I never really counted a plank here or some dips on the park bench as actual exercise until I saw her imitating and realized it really all adds up. I’m not a perfect parent, but I’m glad I can see some positives in my life rubbing off on Currie.
With that said, I finally got my run in the afternoon. We desperately needed groceries and we don’t have a rental car now so I stroller ran the long way to the Trader Joes and packed the bottom of the stroller full of breads and produce then ran the shorter way home. I’m hoping to catch some Olympics coverage tonight!
Do you sneak exercises into your daily life? Any cute stories of toddlers imitating? I love a cute toddler story!
I started this blog at the end of May 2012 for a few reasons. One, because I’ve significantly improved my racing times in virtually every distance and people are always asking me how I did it and what’s my secret.
Lots of power behind that stride.
I figured if I give folks a glimpse into my everyday running life and thoughts, it could help them improve as well. I truly believe that the mental/emotional side of running is the key to racing success, much more than any “scientifically proven workouts” or “special training plan”.
I also started blogging to make sure I took a few minutes to myself EVERY SINGLE DAY and write down what I’m currently thinking about in terms of running. I haven’t succeeded with a post per day, but I’ve done a pretty good job of jotting down a little something most days of the week. I suppose it’s like my journal, but mostly relates to my running life and not much of the rest of my life.
I just got to thinking maybe I should make a post called ME Monday where I write about some other part of my life. It will relate to running because a lot of my life relates and sometimes revolves around the run, but it will be a little glimpse into other parts of my life. It might also help readers understand my training, where I draw my strength from, and how I juggle the stay-at-home-mom job which sometimes feels like single-parenthood. Or maybe it will help me in the ways that only a journal can…
Today, let’s talk about sleep. My husband and I need a good 8-9 hours to feel alive. Our daughter can survive and thrive on much less. It wasn’t always this way. My first question to our pediatrician when my daughter was very tiny was, “are you sure everything is ok with her? She sleeps so much!”
What a blessing. A beautiful 4-month-old who sleeps through the night and naps much of the day!
The first few months with my little darling were a breeze, partially because our family made the long drive to stay with us and partially because we had the most wonderful sleeper in the world. She would sleep 7 hours straight through the night just weeks after birth and slept so much of the day. It was magical! At that time I thought I wanted to have about 10 kids. Ok, maybe 4 or so.
Then she learned to crawl. Then she learned to walk. Then she learned to talk. I don’t remember when it all changed, but somewhere between the ages of 1 and 2, my daughter stopped sleeping.
You might think we feed the kid babyccinos, but she is definitely caffeine-free!
Can you imagine trying to train for the fastest marathon of your life when your child is sleeping less than 8 hours at night (and sometimes napping, sometimes not)? Can you imagine functioning as a normal person with just a few minutes alone every day? Thank goodness for awesome parents and in-laws who make the drive more than most would to help us out. We have no family in the area so a 7-hour-drive is what it takes to see any relation.
My husband’s work is flexible in terms of where he has to be and when he has to be there, but he’s very busy all the time. He’s in the beginning of a great career and loves what he does so finding the time for me to run and recover (sleep) has been hard. (My husband is also a runner and spends an hour per day running and commutes to work by cycling one way and running the other.)
Hubs holding our daughter after a race. He won, daughter was 2nd (I was pushing her in the stroller) and I was third.
My secret has always been to “sleep when the baby sleeps” and that’s what I did at least for 30 minutes a day during her nap and it helped me through my first 2 postpartum marathon cycles. Now that my daughter doesn’t sleep much, I go to bed the instant she does and anything else I had in mind to accomplish that day has to wait. My house isn’t as clean as I would like and my “reading for pleasure” has gone out the window, but I’m maintaining enough sleep to get in mini-workouts here and there and keep the injuries at bay.
A normal day for me goes a little like this:
Just one of the Oiselle Tees that I live in. This one has an updated version now with a v-neck and more runrunrunrun added. It's currently in the sale section too!
There’s the first ME Monday! My daughter is actually napping today so I’m headed to bed too!
Do you get enough sleep? Have you heard of babyccinos? No, my daughter will never get one – sorry honey.
Last weekend I was sick and therefore didn’t do a long run. I’m getting healthier by the day, but still sound a little hoarse and my energy levels aren’t totally back to normal. Still, I feel good enough to get back into the swing of things with running and wanted to get in a long run today, meaning something more than 10 miles.
I needed something bright to get me going. Our rental car is the brightest blue. In fact, the picture below doesn’t do it justice. It’s so blue I feel a little looney driving it. I drove the looney blue car to meet up with a few ladies here in Seattle and I wore the brightest running outfit I had clean.
My running future is bright.
We got 12.5 miles covered. It felt great, but now I need a nap. Must beat this bug!
I’m rolling out a new post tomorrow, recurring every Monday, that will give you a glimpse into another part of my life. Stay tuned…
A month or so ago, I posted about how running starts off hard for everyone but eventually becomes an addiction or necessity for many. I run every day (aside from sickness, important family stuff, injury) and love it. I’m happy with a 4 mile run and I’m happy with a 15 mile run. I just love getting in my daily run.
Today was hot and muggy when I started out at 11:15am (earliest I could go due to family stuff) so I planned on going just 3-4 miles easy. I went longer and added drills and strides at the end as I thought of all the friends I’ve made through running – it made me feel strong. Some of my best friends are my running friends (husband, siblings, and parents included).
When I got home from my run, I checked the mail and saw the September issue of Runner’s World. On page 31, I found the following quote:
“At first an ordeal and then an accomplishment, the daily run becomes a staple, like bread, or wine… or air. It is also a free pass to friendship.” -Benjamin Cheever, Author and Runner’s World contributor, in his memoir Strides.
Had to take a pic of the page from RW!
And just like that, a few of my mind’s ramblings fell into place by a single quote.
Other cool things from that RW issue: The Oiselle NYC Marathon Tote was featured on page 24!
The Tote in Runner's World!
The pic in the magazine is of Oiselle’s own lovely Sarah Mac but I had the honor to wear the bag in the fashion show at the Olympic Trials. Remember that?
NYC Marathon Tote during the Oiselle Fashion Show!
I also enjoyed reading about all of the Olympians, past and present that were featured, and especially liked seeing Frank Shorter since we met him recently. I’d say if you don’t subscribe to Runner’s World, this would be a good one to buy at your local store.
What do you think of the Oiselle NYC Marathon Tote? Do you read Runner’s World? (I actually don’t have a subscription, but my dad has subscribed since the early days and I view his sometimes.) Any weekend racing plans? I’m traveling back to Seattle and won’t be racing.
How true is the common saying, “You never regret a run, but you do regret skipping one”?
I’ve used that mantra many times to get me out the door on less than motivated days, but there are actually quite a few days where I HAVE regretted running. The most recent was this week when I came down with a horrible cold. I had problems with everything from my chest up – chest congestion, sore throat, sinus headache, stuffy nose, runny nose, ear aches – you name it, I had it. The first day, I could barely pull myself out of bed – no run. The second day, I was able to put on a happy face and move around, but wasn’t feeling much better. I was exhausted so I thought “what do I always do to give myself energy and feel better? RUN! Yes, I’m going to run!”
I got dressed and headed out the door. I felt a pounding headache the first step I took. When I wasn’t feeling any better a little over a mile in, I shut it down and went home. The rest of the night I felt horrible. The next day I felt sick again. I think a rest day would have been better than attempting that run.
Pic of me laying down a speedy 5k last summer, where it was ok to be filled with pain. Also shows how I looked on my entire "sick run" a few days ago.
Or what about the countless times where I’ve run through an injury and had to take weeks and months off when a few days off at the beginning might have cured the problem before it became huge?
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a run-every-day-no-matter-what (almost) type of girl, but I really feel there are some days where you just need to stay home and be okay with it. Train smart, friends!
What do you think? Have you ever regretted a run? Run through a bad cold/flu/injury?
I’m on a mini-vacation this week. My husband has a conference at Suncadia so my daughter and I came along for the ride. This place is AMAZING. It’s a nature-lover’s paradise. There are trails, mountains, pools, a lake, a river, playgrounds, lots of climbing structures, things to rent like bikes with or without kid trailers, jog strollers, canoes, kayaks, paddle boats, you get the idea. We are having a wonderful time.
Intense art session
As far as running goes, I’m not doing much. I’m not wearing the Garmin, but I know I’m not doing more than a few (2-3 miles) a day. I am staying very active with swimming floating a toddler around in the water, walking to different activities, climbing up hilly trails, paddle boating and pushing the stroller around. My 10k-a-day has gone out the window and it’s feeling pretty good this week!
Currie asked me "Mommy what is nature?" I decided to show her.
Sometimes I think one of the best things I do for my daughter is show her how much I love running and being active in general. She is becoming quite the outdoors-woman!
Do you maintain your regular running schedule on vacation or do you mix it up with other activities?
Today is my 31st birthday! It’s been a good day. I was only able to run 5 miles (with the stroller) because I chose to sleep in (6:45am, woohoo!) and sit down and enjoy breakfast at Starbucks with my family before my husband had to leave for work. I took it easy on the 5 mile run and just enjoyed the scenery. Then I spent some time at the park with my little lady, did some packing, and headed to the resort where we are staying for the rest of the week (husband work conference).
This might be a bit delusional, but I feel like I have another 10 years of elite running and PRs left in me. Some people get a little depressed when they turn 30 and every year feels a little bit worse, but I honestly feel stronger, faster, and YOUNGER than I did when I was 18! Sure, this could change any day, but right now, I have high hopes for my running future.
Took this picture a few minutes ago. I'm either supposed to be waving or saying "stop-if you come any closer I will flash an even bigger smile!"
How do you like to spend your birthday? Isn’t it great that running makes us feel younger (for the most part)?
It’s Friday the 13th so I couldn’t let the day pass without posting about superstitions! I mostly have 3 racing superstitions:
Do you have any racing superstitions? Running superstitions? I would love to hear them!