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.