Turkey Trot, Reindeer Run and Life

Well, even though it's been a while, I want to give an update on what we've been up to the past few months. In November 2012, Thanksgiving day, Jason and I ran the Turkey Trot 8k (approximately 5 miles). I was thrilled to finish in the time that I had set for myself. I wanted to finish in less than 55 minutes. That was my wishful thinking/hope-I-can-make-it goal. I did it! I finished in 54 minutes and some odd seconds! I was thrilled!

The next week, I pushed Jianna in the stroller during a 5k race, the Reindeer Run. I hoped to make it in under an hour with her as well. It was a tough course, but I made it. Jason ran ahead and once he finished his race, he came back and helped me finish. I don't have the official time on that race, because it is a smaller race and I couldn't find my finishing time.

After those two races, we got several really cold blasts of winter air and I didn't want to take Jianna out in them, so I've fallen off the running bandwagon for a while. But this spring and summer I want to get back to it. In the mean time, I've been doing some exercise videos through sparkpeople.com. They have short videos that are easily played one after another to create my own unique workout every day. Jianna's favorite is a jump-rope interval workout. It is ten minutes long, but she enjoys marching and jumping with me. :)

For Christmas I decided to make the women in my family a scarf each. I decided to do that before I knew exactly how many people I'd be making gifts for. I also only thought of it Thanksgiving day. I was determined and crazy! But I pushed myself and without too much stress was done on time! I had fun figuring out what would be the best color for each person and who would like what style. Most of the scarves I made were my own creation. Not a single one was exactly the same as anyone else's scarf. It was fun to get creative with their gifts.

Since the beginning of the year, I haven't done much crocheting, but I needed the break. I've started back a few things here and there and am enjoying it tremendously! My goal this year is to make the gifts before Thanksgiving, so that I don't have as much last minute stress.:) We'll see how it works out.

Jianna is growing like a weed. This is my kitchen helper and enjoys helping me make dinner most nights and breakfast many mornings. She loves to dress herself and comes up with some interesting, but cute, looking outfits. :) She has started to ask me to fix her hair and help her put lotion on her hands. She hates to see anyone cry. It makes her sad when other kids or babies cry. She thinks her mommy and daddy can fix anything and tells us that a baby is crying and we need to go help. I keep explaining that the baby's mommy or daddy are taking car of it and that we can't go over and help. :) She has a very tender heart. She enjoys playing with play dough, coloring, drawing, playing with puzzles,  reading, building with blocks and legos, and so many other things. She keeps me busy.

Well I hope each of you are doing well. See ya later.

Running in September and Blessings

I've been following a 10k running plan to get ready for the Turkey Trot in November, and am excited to share that I am running faster, longer than I was before! I've been averaging a 12 min/mile and regularly running for a time in the 10 min/mile range, hills and all! This past week (I know it was the beginning of October), I had my first day that I just didn't feel like I could do the run that was scheduled. So I didn't, we went for a walk, instead. We didn't plan it that way, I just never got up the gumption to start running. Every time I tried, it was a like a mental/physical wall went up and my legs and mind said, "nope, not going to happen." So I didn't.

I've been regularly running 3 or 4 miles, 3 times a week, with a 5 or 6 miler on Saturday. I've found that I have to eat EVERY 4 hours to have the stamina when I run. Normally, I will eat a snack of trail mix or cheese or fruit or something like that. If I don't drink at least 1 liter of water a day (plus juice, and other things like milk and I take part of a powerade when I run), I can't run as fast, long or as hard as I normally do.

We've been getting some forced change of scenery on our runs, but it has been nice. We ran up near the dam this week, and enjoyed our time tremendously. They have some nice inclines and declines and it's not too terribly crowded, at the time of day that we went. The sound of the water and the scenery went from city park to country, and open. It was nice.

Jianna has been more and more talkative the past few weeks. This morning, her allergies were acting up and she sneezed. On me. :) After she realized what had happened and we laughed a second about she said, "Mommy, I blessed you!" I thought, yes, baby, you did! In more than the ways you're thinking about! It was a precious time.

To Run With Music or To Run Without?

I had purchased an mp3-player at one time to run with. But I haven't used it more than 3 times and I was thinking about why last week as I was running. If you know me, I always have some music going at home. I drive with the radio tuned to music. I like to listen to music most of the time. But I've realized that, for me, running is my unplug, disconnect time. It is a time that I put aside my devices to hear and listen and think. It is a time to hear the rhythm of nature (all those wonderful bugs, frogs and birds). To listen to the whir of the wheels on the pavement. To study the changing scene of the trees, grass and foliage during the year. To hear my feet, sometimes slapping the pavement, sometimes lightly being placed on the pavement, sometimes stumbling. It is a time to point out all these things to Jianna. It is a time to just think and ponder life and maybe where I am and where I want to be. It is a time to pray. I spend this time enjoying life and working hard spiritually, mentally and physically to slough off the stress of the day, of the week, of the month. For me, running wipes the slate of my mind clean so that I can face a new day fresh and without the past hanging over me. It is something I enjoy. And I like it to be peaceful, without the input of the radio or mp3-player.

What about you? Which do you prefer? To run with music or without? Have you ever thought about why? Have you ever thought about trying a different way? Did it work for you? Or did it not? Why did/n't it?

Running Goals for September

Well I have a new toy that Jason bought me. It's more of a tool than a toy, but it puts science behind my goals and experiences as a runner. I have a new running watch with a heart rate monitor. Included with this watch is access to a website to help set goals, train and keep track of how I'm doing as a runner. I have found that running with the stroller, when I first started running with the watch, put me into the 16 min/mi pace. And I was huffing and puffing to keep up with that pace! Not good. I have been using the 10k training plan to prepare for the Turkey Trot (even though it is only an 8k). They have had me doing interval training. During interval training, you run for a harder pace for a shorter distance (say for 2 minutes at race pace - 10 min/mi), then rest for 1-2 minutes (slow walk), then repeat 4 or 6  or 8 times, depending on the workout. I have been able to drop my pace to 13-14 min/mi pace for over 4 miles. I was pushing the stroller, as well. I was thrilled! I can see immediate results telling me if I am progressing or if I may need to slow down and rest or whatever the case may be.

So my running goals for September are to continue interval training once or twice a week. I want to include a long run once a week and maybe slip in hill repeats to train for running hills two or three times a month. Maybe I could lose 1-2 lbs this month. We'll see.

Running is on hold...

Well, running is on hold for about 3-4 weeks or so. Last Thursday (7/18) I was running down hill on a sidewalk and centered a stone (placed my foot directly on top of it when I took my step). I twisted my ankle pretty bad and probably sprained my ankle. For the past week, I've been nursing it, trying to help it get better. And it is, slowly but surely. I am hopeful that I will be able to have it heal up enough that I can run soon. Meanwhile I am itching to run, but taking my time getting back to it. I really don't want to re-injure it and have it take longer to get back to running.

As of right now, our plans for the Turkey Trot and Reindeer Run are still on. I'll update my progress here as I heal.

Mid July

Well, July has brought some new things for us. Hot, humid runs and a toddler who is trying to grow up. The runs have been hard, but not impossible. I am learning how to slow down so that I can run farther, longer. It doesn't seem to make much sense to my mind, but when I slow my pace down, my overall time is faster. The last couple Saturdays I've tried to run the same course, just to give myself something to gauge how I'm doing by. Last Saturday, I slowed my pace down, but I ran more than I had previously run. I knocked a couple minutes off of my finishing time! I was so thrilled! I did have to walk a couple times, but I kept them short and just until my breathing slowed to the point of no longer gasping. :-) It was an enlightening experience. Before, I would try to run as fast as I could for as long as I could. That doesn't work for me. I need to slow down and try to run as far as I can.

This month, Jianna's vocabulary has sky-rocketed. She has started putting words together into sentences, and wants to communicate almost from the time she wakes up until she lays down. She asks "why?" and "what's that?" a lot, too. It is fun to see her changing and growing.

Well, that's what's new with us so far. Not much exciting going on. Hope you all enjoy the rest of your summer!

New Month... July 2013

Well, it is a new month! I wonder what it will hold for us. Jason and I are planning on running an 8k together on Thanksgiving day this year. We decided to use this time as training for that race. It will be in colder conditions and I can almost run the distance already, but I want to be able to run it non-stop and at a 10:00-11:30 min per mile pace. It will be a challenge! I don't know if strollers are encouraged or allowed on the course, so my goal pace is without the stroller. We'll see how it works.

So far, my training schedule includes 3 days of running a week, with 2-3 days of cross-training usually. I have a long run day that I try to go out for the distance and simply finish it within a certain time. I try not to stop, but usually I am only able to run 2/3-3/4 of the total distance. Right now my long run days are 4.5 miles long. On my shorter run days I run two+ miles and I try to walk only 2-3 minutes of the total distance. Sometimes it works, other times, I learn something from the run. :-) I would like to include some hill repeats and some interval training, but haven't figured out how to incorporate those yet. I'm going to try to work on that this week.

What's new with you this month? Do you have any plans for the fall? What do you enjoy doing for fun? Are there any exercises that you simply enjoy doing?

Running Part II... a continuation of the story

After the first 3 or so months of running, Jason and I began to interact with a local running group that ran on Saturday mornings. We would join up with them and run whatever distance we wanted to at a pace we were comfortable with. It really encouraged me to keep on running, run farther, run longer and even learn how to pace myself.

Then we went back to Romania. We went to a new city and I didn't know the safe routes. So I stayed home and used cardio exercise videos. Several months later I found out I was pregnant, so I tried to keep up the exercising after my doctor okayed it. Once winter set in, we got a gym membership at a small local gym and I would walk and lift light weights. I tried running a few times, but as I grew, it became uncomfortable, so I power walked.

We decided to return to the States and I continued power walking several days a week, with the approval of my doctor. Towards the end of my seventh month of pregnancy, I walked a local 5k (3.1 miles) race. It was the first race Jianna did, even though she won't remember it. :-) It was also a week before she would decide to make her surprise appearance.

After Jianna was born, finding time to run became more difficult. For the first 3 or 4 weeks, I didn't exercise at all. Then, we were able to time our schedule to fit a walk in. She loved the stroller, so we went again the next week... and the next... and the next. Working around her schedule became easier over time. As her feedings became more spaced out, it became even easier.

Once I was able to walk a slightly longer distance (2 miles) and my doctor cleared me, I started running short distances again. I remember getting so excited that I was able to get a full 2 miles in before she started fussing! Then, the distances I was able to accomplish began to get longer and longer. I was able to get 4 miles in running and walking before winter set in. Even with mild winters, we decided not to get Jianna out too much in it. We did bundle her up a couple times when it was 40-45 degrees and ran anyway. It was so refreshing!! Once spring came, we were set and ran through the summer as much as we could. Last winter was hard, since it was again cold. But now, we are running again 3 times a week and enjoying every minute of it.

What is your story? How did having children change your schedule? Are there other things in life that have had an impact on your schedule?

Running. Running? Running!!

Running is one of those things I never thought I would do. I was an awkward teen with legs too long and a wierd gate when I ran... Me?? Run?!? Not on your life! Then came that year... The one that I was 40 pounds over my target weight and I was walking to beat the band, but it just wasn't raising my heart-rate enough. Now what do I do? (*Note* I know that 40 pounds may not be a lot for some people, or it may be a huge amount for other people. This is just where I was.)

So I figured, well, I'll run from where I am to that sign. I did it! That felt great! Let's try from the next sign to that stand of trees. And that felt even better! I finished exercising that day in the same way and thought, "Well, now what? I guess you're a runner, after all." I thought I knew what I could do, but I didn't realize that I could do more than I dreamed.

I have continued to try to run. As I have worked on it, I have gotten to where I'm able to run a 10-12 minute per mile with a stroller instead of a 16 minute per mile walk/run without a stroller. It is my favorite form of exercise. I am able to get out and not think about what my house looks like, what I need to do for the rest of the day or anything else that might bother me. Running is my reset button... my "pause, pray, think, try again" button.

Is there something that you never thought you would be able to do that you were able to accomplish? Is there something you would like to try to accomplish that in the past you thought you couldn't do? What is your reset button for life?