Tag Archives: postpartum running

8 Weeks! Hills!

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Wells is 8 weeks old today!

Love that little smirk!

We are headed back to Rochester for the weekend and I’m excited to do a few runs on flat paths and trails! I’m also looking forward to a long run with Laura and spectating Jeff’s cross country race with Victoria. The rest of my time will be spent hanging out with non-running friends. :)

I did my longest postpartum run, 9 miles, last Sunday. I did the whole run on hilly trails and I was pretty sore the next day. I also did a mini-workout of 6 x strides (working up to 95% effort) on Tuesday. The strides didn’t feel bad at all during the workout or later that night, but my hamstrings were crazy sore the next day. I think it’s because I did all the strides on hilly streets, going both uphill and downhill. My body is still adjusting to this hilly neighborhood! (I realize I overuse the word hill, but I grew up in pancake flat land, and have almost always trained in flat places so this is really new and difficult for me!)

The final item to note about my comeback is that I’m starting more strength exercises. I’m doing something strength related every day. This may be as simple as a set of planks. Or a few sets of pushups. Or it might include 6 different hip/butt/leg exercises. (Not up to the Dirty Dozen yet!) All of my strength work so far is either body weight or baby weight (holding Wells who is somewhere around 13lbs).

I have to be honest, I’m VERY weak right now. I’m usually a pushup queen and I had to start with 2 sets of 10. (Ok, I actually started with 20 wall pushups, then the next time moved on to the regular kind.) When I asked Currie how many pushups she thought I could do, she said “3!” Glad I beat her estimate! My balance and stabilizing muscles are really off as well. I tried standing on one foot and reaching for an object on the ground and I was wobbling all over the place. Also, I could only hold side plank (lifted, not on elbows) for 5 seconds per side without toppling over the first time. As I said in my last post, it will all come back, step by step.

So with that, here are the 8 week postpartum pics!

8 weeks!

Questions for you:

Do you run more on hills or flat? Do you prefer one over the other?

Are you racing this weekend? Spectating? Relaxing?

7 Weeks and Step by Step

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Wells is 7 weeks old today!

My little ones snuggling in bed this morning!

I did 2 mini-workouts since my last post. Both were small steps in the right direction toward my goals. Oh, and look what I got on Monday!

My Oiselle Pro Kit! (Front of top, back of briefs).

I have 2 things to say about it. First – talk about motivation to get strong and speedy again (thanks Oiselle!) Second – I still have to remember getting in shape is a process and I need to take it day by day (or really step by step)!

When I was pregnant with my first child, I had big dreams about what I might do with my running, but because I was going to be a first time mom, I had NO CLUE what to expect out of running after giving birth. Would I ever race again? Even though I ran throughout the whole pregnancy, I wondered what childbirth would do to me. I wondered if I could be fast. Could I even be faster than ever? (It turns out I could be and birthing a child didn’t have negative effects on my running.) The process took awhile though. I didn’t do my first workout until 4 months after Currie was born.

When I was pregnant with Wells, I believe it was Laura, the mastermind behind Salty Running, who told me I’d bounce back quicker with the second. She was right. I feel like my body and running are bouncing back quicker (the running is mostly coming back quicker because I realize it can and I’m not scared to do some workouts this time around). But, let me be clear, I have a LONG way to go.

Workouts HURT. They are hard. This is always true, but especially after the trauma of childbirth. My times are nothing like usual. I thoroughly enjoy, and yet am humbled on every run. My mile time trial last week was exactly what I dreamed it would be and of course I was over the moon happy. BUT… there are moments when I allow myself to really think about it and I realize it was slower than every mile I run when I race a half marathon. Of course I don’t expect to be there right now, but I get a good reality check – I still have a long, long way to go.

I did a light progression run/tempo on Sunday. It was mixed in with my longest run yet, 7.5 miles. The goal was just to pick up the pace, faster than my every day runs, each mile a bit faster. I was hoping a few of those miles would be in the low 7:xx range. (I live and do all my running in Squirrel Hill, and if you don’t know the area, let me just say it’s super hilly. With no hills, I honestly probably would have wished for some high 6:xx in there.) Turns out, no mile was faster than 7:37. I complained a bit to my husband. He made some remark like “yeah, you’ve been running a whole 3 weeks after having a child, you should really be faster”. Obviously sarcastic, thanks for the reminder, Jeff!

I did some speed yesterday (Thursday) as well. It was the same workout I used as my first workout after having my first child. (6 x min hard/min easy) It was challenging. I have no idea what my pace was, as I wasn’t wearing a GPS watch, I just know it was enjoyable in a difficult-run-type-of-way.

Before every workout, I’m reminding myself to take my running step by step. After every workout, I think of things day by day. Sure, I have long-term plans and goals and I think about them, but my running is living in the moment. I push out every little old-self comparison thought. I will take things slowly, step by step, because that’s the smart way, and the only way I will get to where I want to be.

So, here are the 7 weeks pics! I will switch over to pics of my pro kit when I get the courage to show you all my bare belly! I’m not as brave as Lauren Fleshman… yet!

7 weeks! My pics are never “high quality”, but today they were taken by an especially wild 3 year old so they are both fuzzy and lopsided. :)

Question for you:

Do you get caught up in comparing your out of shape self to your in shape self? 

 

A Race Planned!

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I’ve made a list of races I want to run in 2014. I’m so pumped to start racing again! Right now, there are far too many on the list and I’m going to have to make some cuts – lots of cuts! For now, I can tell you I decided on my first race post-Wells: Columbus Turkey Trot (a 5-Mile race)!

Columbus Turkey Trot

Pic from last year at the Columbus Turkey Trot. I was first female, 20th overall in 28:19 (5:40 pace). Construction background! I’m not the best at setting the scene for my pictures.

I’m terrified to run it – which is exactly why I’m doing it. It’s going to be 5 miles of STRUGGLE BUS. I will probably get at least four different 5+ mile training runs done before the big day, and will probably have a few 25-35 mile weeks under my belt by then. Wells will be 2 months+1 day old on the day of the race. I probably won’t be racing in buns. Or maybe I will… details, details…

I decided to race because:

  • I miss racing
  • It will be a good starting point and introduction into racing again
  • I’m looking for a good burn and that will definitely happen
  • I’m scared to death to race already (having no idea what kind of shape I’m in, knowing the pain of first race in awhile, knowing I’ll be a lot slower than last time I raced, this list could go on and on…)
  • I should run into a lot of people I know – motivation!
  • I took a twitter poll and every single person said some variation of “YES DO THE TROT!”
That’s the plan for now! I’m going to be starting up mini-workouts and am excited and a little nervous about it. :) Here we go!
Questions for you:
-Are you running a Turkey Trot?
-How do you know when you are ready to race?
-After a period of rest do you prefer to throw yourself back into racing or do you like to wait until you are in better shape?

 

Five Weeks & Getting Passed on Runs

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Wells is 5 weeks old! Check out the Halloween adorableness from last night!

Wells' first Halloween!

And here is a picture from this morning!

5 weeks old today!

Running is going well! I’m feeling good. The initial soreness from starting back up running is gone. I’m doing 2.5-4.5 miles per day (I think I will have about 25 miles this week). One day off a week. Actually, this isn’t even my second full week of running yet, but that’s the plan. I’ve been doing all of my runs on hilly trails near my house. There is nothing flat in my neighborhood. I figure my legs are going to be killer strong and sexy after a few months of this training!

Fall weather, trails, cute & cozy run layers… what more could I ask for?!

On Wednesday night, I mentioned on Twitter that I got passed on a run for the first time since moving to Pittsburgh. I was running uphill and a guy, who seemed to be running his normal pace, passed by me and went along on his way. Then a few minutes later, another guy, who was panting harder than I breathe when doing track work, passed me. After dude #2 passed, he slowed down and I could have passed him back but I didn’t. I was only a block from my house at that point and he obviously wanted to be ahead of me. In the last block, he looked over his shoulder at least 5 times.

I’m not passing judgement on people who can’t stand to be running BEHIND someone, even guys who can’t stand to be behind a girl. I used to, but now I’m realizing that I don’t “love” being passed by anyone, male or female, and I definitely pick up the pace when I feel someone behind me. It’s just a little competitive nature at work. If someone has a faster or better run because they were able to pass me, more power to them!

Here are the 5 weeks post baby pics! They look similar to the past few weeks. Currie took the pics again this week since Jeff had to leave for work early.

5 weeks!

Questions for you!

How was your Halloween?

Do you try to compete with people who pass you on a run?

Do you try to pass others on your daily easy runs?