ahhhhhhhhh! where has the time gone? i have not blogged in forever and i am so mad at myself. things have been crazy around here though... Bradyn's been out of his preschool all summer and Elizabeth is not the teeny tiny baby that sleeps all day anymore. hence, i've not had much time to sit and write, some days i'm lucky to just get my runs done, much less blog about it.

overall, things have been going good. i ran (and LOVED) my first 5K on july 4th. My time was 25:44 (i think) and i averaged an 8:14 minute mile. not too bad. i just wanted to make it in under 30 minutes. competing was exhilerating! i wasn't competing to win, obviously, but once i got out there, i discovered i may be a little more competitive than i thought i was! it was tons of fun and i am already looking forward to my next 5K. i am going to do one in brownwood in september with my mom; it'll be her first one!

i'm in the midst of a 10K training plan, and it's not going so well. I do great on the runs, it's just every other day... i'm supposed to be doing at 2 days of cross training (for 40, 50, 60 minutes) and i never make it to the gym to do that. i do workouts on the tv here and there, but essentially, i am MAJORLY slacking. i'm hard-pressed to get to the gym with a husband that works over 40 hours a week, a baby that refuses to take a bottle, a 3 (almost 4) year old, all the household responsibilities, cooking dinner, etc. I don't go during the day because: Elizabeth is kinda finnicky (sp?) as to who is holding/watching her (she's a big time momma's girl) and i am scared to take her to the gym. it's hardly worth it if i'm going to get called out to come get her from the kids room 1/2 through my workout. she's too big to just sit in her carseat the whole time, but too little to sit completely unassisted. that means she'd be scooting on her belly on the floor (YUCK!), or the kid's room attendant would have to hold her the whole time. i don't want to have to worry about her choking on a toy that some kid has left on the floor. also, i'm hesitant to take bradyn anywhere for fear of him throwing a big time tantrum when it's time to leave. and alas, i'm still a swine flu freak. ;-) so, i my gym time has to be carefully orchestrated, otherwise, i don't get to go... which is most of the time.

in other news, i'm scheduled for a 5 mile run tomorrow. i hope it goes ok. we went on vacation last week and i, regrettably (sp), vacationed from my running also. i was sore getting back into it, but i'm going to be ok. i FINALLY got some songs on my ipod that my brother gave me for christmas, and i LOOOOOOOOOVE IT! there's no way i could do my longer runs without it! thank you zach!

Let's see.... my last 2 runs... Keith travelled last Tuesday thru Thursday, so Thursday after he returned home, I went to the gym to do my miles. Ah, the gym... a place I've only seen 2X in the last 6 months. :-p I was kinda sorta shooting for 3.5 miles, but gave in (due to extreme displeasure of being forced to run on the wretched treadmill), and did 3 miles in 30 minutes. Saturday morning I got up at 7am, fed the baby and went for my run outside at about 7:45. It was already scorching hot by the time I finished! I ran 35 minutes, not sure of the exact distance, as I didn't run around the "track" (2 undeveloped blocks in our neighborhood that is exactly 1/2 mile around). Assuming I was at my tried and true 10 min. mile pace, I know I ran at least 3.5 miles if not more. Tomorrow I begin my 10K training program and on July 4th, I will run my first 5K!

Hip hip hooray! I'm officially finished with the couch to 5K program and I am happy to announce that I can now run 3 miles, just 2 short months after I began running again! My last day of the program was this past Saturday. I have had a hard time keeping up with my blog lately. I've been trying to stay off the computer because I feel as if I've been unintentionally spending too much time online. I get on for a very specific reason (to look up a recipe or communicate with a specific friend or family member) and then I wind up getting side-tracked. Anyways, I'll try to pick up where I left off last. We went to West Texas the weekend of the 13th to visit family and I ran on the treadmill at the hotel we stayed at. It was not a good time; I was cramped in a hot, tiny workout room with a low ceiling and a light about 8 inches from my head. I did 2.75 miles and it seemed to take FOREVER! It made me realize how much I have been enjoying running outside. Despite all that, I was happy to have a place to run. More than that though, I was happy I actually got up and did it. It is so easy to "forget" about working out when you're on vacation or out of town. Each of my workouts is crucial though; I am learning to seize the moment and just get it done and over with, especially with 2 kids.... you never know what the day will hold! Keith and I ran together on Monday evening and Wednesday evening. It was nice to have a running partner, even though I don't especially like running at night. Monday was pretty special for me-- I hit my goal--3 miles! So was Wednesday, as was my last run, on Saturday morning. I did a Jillian Michael's workout + an extra ab workout on Friday and was SOOOOO sore on Saturday I wasn't sure if I would be able to make it. But, it was my last day of c25K and it was going to take more than Jillian to keep me from finishing! Also, one reason I did the Jillian workout is because I have GOT to start cross training and strength training. Running every other day is getting the job done I suppose, but I know I need more. My baby weight is off. I weighed 113 the other day, which was my pre-prego weight. This postpartum body is carrying 113 so differently than before I had Lizzie! I'm in some major need of some muscle and I still have alot of belly flab to get rid of so I can see my beautiful abs again. :) Anyhow, running lately has been ok. The ankle problem is completely resolved, thanks to my new shoes. I've not yet had a problem with my shins hurting, and I contribute that to my awesome Mizunos as well. I still get side stiches though; which, unfortunately my shoes cannot fix. I've only had one really debilitating side stitch; the others, which have occured on all my runs (except tonight-more on that later!), I've been able to keep at bay through a variety of different techniques, mostly mind over matter, lol, because they hurt! :(

Anyways, so tonight started my "down" week, which isn't really down time at all, it's just a week that I don't have a set workout schedule. I ran 3.5 AMAZING miles tonight in 32:44. For some strange reason, I did not get a side stitch! It made all the difference in the quality of my run. I really enjoyed it tonight and am thoroughly convinced I could've gone another couple of miles if time would've allowed. Yes, that's how GREAT I felt. Next week, I start Hal Higdon's 10K training program. It's 8 weeks long, which means I'll be done with that on August 23rd. On August 24th, I start my official 1/2 Marathon training. It is 12 weeks long, and the last day of training is actually the race!!!

Keith and I are going to do this on July 4th, and I would really like to do this in August after my training for the 10K is complete.

Well, I think that's about all for now. oh yeah... One thing I am not proud of tonight: I topped my wonderful, awesome run off with leftover chicken fried steak, a biscuit, and a small sliver of pecan pie and a scoop of ice cream. Why, oh WHY THE HELL do I do things like that? YUCK! I made chicken fried steak and the whole 9 yards for Father's Day yesterday. I've been doing decent lately. Honestly, I still pretty much eat what I want to, but I try to fill up on veggies, fruits, healthy carbs, yogurt, cottage cheese, lean meats, etc so I stay away from the junk. I love summertime--the produce section of the grocery store is so beautiful and bountiful. Soooooooooooo delicious!

hooray. was up at 5:52am this morning, nursed the baby, was out to run by 6:30. i had a decent run today. 2.75 miles in 28 minutes. had a slight side-stitch, but it wasn't horrible like the other day. that's all for today. :)

ugh, i've been slacking with my blog... i guess i'll try to pick up where i left off. so, i ran last weekend, and my training was supposed to be 2 1/4 miles or 25 minutes. my pace is almost a dead-set 10 min. mile, so technically, 2 1/2 miles for me would have been 22 1/2 minutes. i made a deal with myself... if i reached 2 1/2 miles before 25 minutes, and i wasn't just DYING, i would run till 25. phew. i did it! i wasn't exactly dying, but i was probably pretty close. i kept looking at the stopwatch and was really ready to stop at about 23 minutes, but i forced the last 2 minutes out somehow. it felt great.

keith had to be in tennessee last week, and week 7 of the couch to 5K was "run 2.5 miles, or 25 minutes" EVERYDAY. (or technically every other day which is how often i'm running). so, i knew in order for this to happen, i would need to be strong and get out there early. it's really heating up during the day. if i don't get out early, i have to wait until late in the evening. that's exactly what happened on monday (6/1); lizzie had her 4 mo. checkup appt. at 11 so i drank my coffee and we got ready for that instead of doing an early morning run. :) we went about 7:45 that evening and i did 2.5 miles in 25:30, stroller and all! i was pretty proud of myself. i felt good that day though.... no aches and pains, no side stitch, etc. i got into my pace pretty good that day and didn't feel that compulsive urge to check the stopwatch every minute. wednesday was a different story though... we went early in the morning, which was nice. it was really tough running with the stroller and the kids 2 times in a row for that distance. i did get a slight side-stitch that day, but was able to keep it together. i finished my 2.5 miles in 26 minutes. i ate a salad later that day from Target and wound up getting an upset stomach on Thursday. it wasn't full blown food poisoning, thank goodness, but it sure made me feel terrible. i skipped running on friday, because i could tell i was weak from not eating and/or drinking much on thursday when i was sick. i did my last run of the week yesterday and UUGGGGGGGGHHHHHH. IT WAS HARD. i didn't have to take the kids because keith was home, and i sort of in my head thought it was be a good time and day to speed run, trying to improve my overall pace. i finished my 2.5 miles in 23 minutes. decent time, but i sure paid for it! i got the worst side stitch i've had since starting running again. the kind you get and it's so deep and painful it stays that way AFTER the run is over. the kind where when you take a deep breath it feels like a knife slicing your side. it feels a little better today, but like it could come back tomorrow when i run. i'm going to try to get up early and go before keith leaves for work so i don't have to take the kids and stroller. i enjoy going with them, and i'm sure pushing that stroller is making me stronger, but it's alot of work! this last week of training has been the hardest week of the whole c25K program. only 2 more weeks to go. i need to find a good training schedule for when this is over. i'm not entirely sure what i'm going to do after this.

Well, I have to give myself kudos for getting off my butt, abandoning my cup of coffee, and getting my run done early this morning. I ran at 1pm the other day and almost DIED it was so hot! I kind of got discouraged because I really DON'T know when I'm going to run this summer. I've been going about noon or 1pm with the kids because the sun is high in the sky and the sun canopies cover the kids completely, but now that it's getting 90+ outside, I can't do it anymore! I'd LOOOOOOVE to wake up early every morning and go, but have been hesitant because of my boobs. Running with full nursing boobs in the morning when the baby hasn't eaten all night is painful. But, running in the evening isn't really an option either, especially when I get to running long runs... I can't just leave Keith with the kids for an hour and a half while I go off to do 10 miles. But then again, if I take them with me at night, I don't want mosquitos getting them either, and I don't want Lizzie falling asleep for that long that close to bedtime. Plus, there's dinner, bathtime, the whole night routine that we have... I don't know exactly what I'm going to do yet.

And actually, Lizzie did wake up last night to eat, so only 1 boob was really full, but not overly full and painful. I rolled out of bed this morning at 7:14, poured a cup of coffee, and sat down at the table. Keith was reading the paper and I asked him how hot it was supposed to be today... 90. ughhhhhhhh. I thought if I were smart, I'd get ready and go run before he went to work. So I did. It was nice. Nice to run without the stroller, without anyone talking to me, without the wind blowing, without it being 90 degrees out. It was nice to have 45 minutes of peace and quiet (yesterday was one HECK of a day with Bradyn--I went to bed crying and woke up crying because... just because...moms do that sometime, I suppose). I just needed to get out of the house. Without children. So, if my boobs can handle that in the mornings, today was refreshing enough to motivate me to do that more often. About the stroller-- don't get me wrong, I LOVE the stroller, but it doesn't have wind/air vents.. when the wind blows, as it has so many days the last few months, the sun canopies catch the wind and make it so hard to push! It's great resistance, but phew, geez! Oh, and also, Bradyn tries to talk to me the whole time. I can't hear him under the canopy, in the wind, when I'm running and trying to breathe, and when I DO hear him, and give him an answer, he can't hear me. He's like, "What'd you just say Mom?!" Grrrrr! "Nothing Bradyn. Nevermind." "What'd you just say Mom?" (Me, gasping for air...) "I. said. never....mind. Bradyn. I'm trying. to........ BREATHE!!!!" Today I ran 1 mile, walked 3 minutes, ran another mile. I felt kind of crotchedy when I began, but started and finished feeling good, besides a side-stitch. Poo.

Yes!!! I did it!

I RAN 2 MILES TODAY!!!! Yay! I am so proud of myself. I did go without the kids and the stroller today because I knew it was going to be tough, but actually, it wasn't. Ok, it wasn't exactly easy... on the last 1/2 mile I had to be mindful to keep my form from getting sloppy to keep my breathing rhythmic, not sporadic. I made 2 miles in 19:30 and then continued to run an extra 30 seconds to get the full 20 minutes in. I am pretty sore from my workout yesterday; I did a Slim-in-6 workout and my hamstrings are tender today. Running didn't hurt, but stretching and doing my foam roller afterwards did. I am so freakin' proud of myself! Gosh, this is what I love about running... the feeling after you're done is so much more rewarding and satisfying than, say, stepping off the stairmaster or another peice of gym equipment. So, 4 more weeks of couch to 5K and I'll have my "base" and be in good enough shape to do some REAL 1/2 marathon training!

Thank you Tyly for finding this recipe! yum yum yum yum! It's a great base recipe. Honey and peanut butter are glue enough to hold ANYTHING together, so the possibilities with this recipe are endless. I had everything but brown rice cereal, so I emprovised and used 1 1/2 cups Kix cereal instead and 1 cup oats. I used 1/2 cup peanut butter and 1/2 cup almond butter. I threw in some whole flax seeds and wheat germ. SOOOO delicious, healthy, and chocked full of vitamins, fiber, and healthy carbs. yum-o!

Love this thing!

Check this out! I bought a foam roller at Academy a few weeks ago because I overheard one of the trainers at my gym talking about it with a client. She said it is especially good for the IT band which tends to get really tight on runners. DING DING DING! I was sold... drove straight to Academy and picked one up for $20.00. It also came with an instructional DVD, which I admit, I hadn't watched until the other day. What a difference it made! :) I love the thing, esp. now that I know how to use it correctly! Highly recommended for runners!

Go Mizunos!!!

Well, I am happy to report that I ran pain free today! No ankle pain, no shin pain, didn't get a side stitch today. It was great. My workout today was 5 minute warm-up walk, run 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes), walk 5 minutes, run 3/4 mile (8 minutes). It felt soooooooooo good to just be able to goooooo and not worry about my ankles or feel pain with every step. I am so glad I made the investment in real running shoes and that I went to a store where someone knew what they were talking about when it comes to feet. so worth the money and the time. :) my run on sunday gets bumped up to 2 miles, or 20 minutes. I am excited. :) LOVE my new shoes!!!!

well, i was a complete lazy bum this past weekend. i ran last thursday and then proceeded to sit on my booty friday, saturday, and sunday. i should have run on sat. but with my ankles hurting and it raining, i passed. then, on sunday when i REALLY should have made some sort of effort to be active in some way, keith and i opted for grilling burgers out and drinking red wine instead. mmmm. so, 1000 calories and 3 glasses of merlot later, i was spent. yes, the baby got a bottle of pumped milk. :)

so, i got back on schedule on monday. i wore my old, worn out pair of shoes to run in and my ankles actually did better. i still noticed them, but i was able to concentrate on more than "when's my time up??" i can't give the shoes all the credit though, as there are many factors that could have contributed to the run being less painful: the fact that i gave myself a 3 day break over the wk end, maybe my body and my ankles are getting used to running and the pavement again, or perhaps it was the old "broken in" shoes. who knows. i do know that i cannot run many miles in them, as they are already over a year old. so, as originally planned, lizzie and i went to runtex yesterday to get fitted for some new shoes. i walked in and said, "hi. i need a new pair of shoes. for running.... um, obviously." i'm such a dork sometimes. of course i need them for running. why else would i be at RUNtex? anyways, the guy that helped me was really nice. i explained to him that my ankles have been hurting and that i have a tendency to get shin splints. he looked at my feet and had me walk around in the store a bit. i found out that i have high arches, a neutral gait, and my left foot has a tendency to pronate slightly. he brought out 3 pairs of shoes for me to try on and i wound up getting the Mizuno Wave Rider 12.
sounds fancy. and it is! they look awesome and they feel awesome. i went for a walk in them yesterday and as soon as i wrap this up and feed the bebe, i'm going out for my run. hopefully these new shoes will help! oh yeah! exciting news, my weight is down to 115.8 and i was able to put on my favorite pair of pre-prego jeans yesterday. now, ha ha ha, i'm not nearly as cut in them as i was last year, but these things take time... i still have my muffin top, but am looking forward to seeing it go with all this running.


so that was yesterday, here's last march, 2 months before i was pregnant. i'm proud of myself, but i still have alot of toning to do! kinda depressing.

countdown is on... & I've got a long way to go!

Ugh, I've really gotta get with it...... My ankles are still really hurting, to the point where I don't feel comfortable running on them for now. I'm not exactly in panic mode, but I officially have less than 6 months now to train for my 1/2. AHHH! I ran on Fri, May 8th and then took the weekend off so my ankles would have a 2 day break. Keith and I went to run on Monday and I suffered through it. I didn't run again until Thursday and that hurt too. I was technically supposed to run yesterday, but it rained all day. Darn. Even if it hadn't been raining, I don't think I could have done it. I don't know what's going on here, but it's pissing me off. I think I'm going to go to Runtex on Tuesday (Bradyn's last full school day before summer break!) and get fitted for some real running shoes. Ouch! on the investment, but I think it will be well worth it. I have a tendency to get shin splints and I would love to try to prevent this problem before it happens, as well as fix my ankles. If $100 running shoes don't help, I don't know what to do. Maybe chalk up my crochety old ankles to old age. :-P

Well, Keith and I ran tonight after he got off work. Today's workout wasn't bad endurance-wise, though I did get a side stitch and my ankles were still hurting. I'm thinking my ankle pain is a result of me banging on the pavement and not being used to it; hopefully it's not my age (I know I'm not OLD, but I'm not as young as I used to be when I was running 4 years ago) or my shoes I got at Kohl's. Keith said if I was serious about this I may need to go to Runtex here in Austin and get fitted for a "real" pair of running shoes. I LOOOOOOVE the idea. I would like to do that before I get shin splints, which I ALWAYS get after a few weeks and consistent training. Well, I am going to go. The whole house is asleep and I'm exhausted. This mama needs some rest.

Awesomeness

...is that a word? :) So, while running today, I decided I was awesome. For real. 30 pound double jogging stroller, 33 pound Bradyn, 13 1/2 pound Elizabeth. Me pushing. Pretty awesome. Today my workout consisted of a 5 minute warm-up, 90 second jog, 90 second walk, 3 minute jog, 3 minute walk, and repeat. Then I walked another 15 minutes. So, not like I ran 8 miles with them or anything, but I was still proud of myself. I'm LOVING the new stroller. It's sooooo smooth on the road, has a wonderful sun canopy that keeps the kids very well shaded, and is just beautiful. So beautiful I'm almost scared to use it because I don't want it to get dirty!

My ankles were hurting a little bit yesterday and today and I contemplated whether I should run today or not, but honestly, about 3 hours before I went out, they started feeling better. I think they were just kinda sore from the pounding and motion that they're not used to. I made the decision to go ahead and run, but not to overdo it. It's hard to overdo it when you're pushing 77 pounds anyway... the stroller and the kids slow me down quite a bit, but hey, it's GREAT resistance.





Keith and I were watching "The Biggest Loser" last night and the challenge for the final four was to complete a full marathon. They were all successful; both of the women ran the entire 26.2 miles! Mike walked because he hurt his hip while training (doctor's orders) and his father Ron walked as well, even with all odds stacked against him. It was amazing to see them all cross the finish line! These used to be extremely obese people and in 18 short weeks, they lost enough weight and gained enough strength and endurance to do a marathon. If they can do it, I can do it! Granted, I don't work out with Jillian or Bob 8 hours a day, but I know I'll eventually get there (1/2 marathon 1st please!). The BOB (the brand name of the jogging stroller, not the Biggest Loser trainer!) should whip me into shape in no time! Maybe I'll name my BOB stroller Jillian. Silly, I know, but people name their cars, right?! I can name my stroller if I want to! ;-p

I need to do some research on nutrition for runners. When I was big into losing fat and getting cut last year before we got pregnant, I was accustomed to eating alot of protein. Actually, I ate alot of protein while pregnant also; it is supposed to help avoid developing preeclampsia. I did not cut carbs at all (I love my carbs!), but I was mindful to not sit there and stuff my face with 25 tortillas. Now, from what I've read so far, I think I'm supposed to be on a diet that's 65-75% carbohydrates, some protein, and a little fat. I really am going to have to watch what I eat, not so much RIGHT now, but probably starting in July when my mileage increases. Running is an activity where your body will let you know, rather quickly into a workout, if you are fueling it correctly or not. What you put in is what you get out. High glycemic, white, starchy carbs are NO-NOs. mmmm, too bad they don't make wheat donuts. :)

my why...

This is a blog to record my progress, thoughts, ideas, inspiration, workouts, nutrition, and pretty much everything else that has to do with running. In case you were wondering, the name of this blog stands for "Postpartum to Half Marathon". Creative huh? lol. I got the idea from the training program I'm doing right now to get back in running shape: Couch to 5K, otherwise known as C25K. So, just to reiterate from Facebook, Myspace, and our Becker family blog, the goal that I am working towards is running in the San Antonio Rock N' Roll 1/2 Marathon on November 15, 2009. This is going to take alot of hard work and dedication in the midst of being a "new" mom again. I'm still trying to get used to life with 2 kids, and I haven't even began to catch up on the hours of sleep that I've lost in the last 3 months. So when I say dedication, I mean it. Not only dedication to my training program, but also to my nutrition (I am still breastfeeding and plan to continue), my sleep schedule (don't want to run my body or my mind in the ground), and my family (running is important to me, but family always comes first!).

So, here's how I came up with this crazy idea... Years ago, before I was a wifey and a mommy, I set a goal to one day run a marathon (on a whim). I was serious, but I could never get serious with my training because I was still in college party mode.... staying out late, drinking too much, hangovers, irregular meals, inconsistent workouts, etc. Despite having such a crazy life (and it was only crazy because I chose to make it that way.... idiot!), I still ran quite often and LOVED it. I had endurance, an awesome resting heart rate, lung capacity, muscular legs, ahhhhhhhh! I could run miles and most times it felt effortless. It was a time and a place to let my mind just go. I would get so deep into thought sometimes that I didn't even realize I was running. And yes, I've experienced runner's high.... So, I remember all the good stuff and I know why I want to do this. I know why I want to be a runner. There is a hard part to this though and I was reminded of it today. Bluntly put, today's run sucked. My knee had a kink in it, my calf muscle hurt, my ankle hurt, I'd had 4 homemade brownies in the last 12 hours and could feel it (felt guilty first of all, but I also felt sluggish), and I'm running (no pun intended!) on 5 broken hours of sleep from last night. This is the part of running that turns many people off. It's hard and uncomfortable at first. I've often compared running long distances to natural childbirth. If I REALLY think about it, birthing Elizabeth naturally was excrutiating. It was the hardest, most painful, intense thing I've ever done. But I knew I wanted to do it, for her, for me, and I never looked back once I made that decision. I won't lie... there was a time during the birth that I remember thinking, "Hmm, so this is why people get epidurals." Training for this marathon is going to be the same thing, "Hmm, so this is why people sit on the couch." I trust my body to be able to do this, just like I trusted it to birth my baby. My body can do this if my mind will let it.

That's all for today. I don't know if I really, clearly stated my "why". It's hard to explain, as it's several reasons wrapped up into one: BECAUSE I CAN.