Day 88

First week of intervals DOWN! Wahoo!!! And now I'm nervous about week two...

I am so happy that this 45 year old guy from California (Robert Ullrey) decided to make and publish these podcasts. I couldn't do this without him an his bizarre house music.

Today is my rest/X-train day. I think I'm just going to rest though. For reals. We have this nasty cold bug going around the house (Casey brought it home with him from college. Damn dorm rooms with their uber-illness bugs.) And we've had a few warm (20 whole degrees!) days so a lot of snow has melted and now re-frozen, creating fun ice slicks on which to fall an bust yo' ass. And since I need my ass to run this 5k, I think I'll stay in.

See? I can be reasonable.

Day 85

Second day of intervals!
I'm nervous. No idea why.
Feel like I want to stay home, curl up with a book. Where did the excitement go?
I was so jazzed yesterday. Went to the mall with a friend, went to the Nike store. So. Many. Cute. Things. That are super tiny. Like toothpick limbs tiny. Teeny. Ummm...I'm pretty sure there is supposed to be a difference between this:


And this:


Just trying to help, Nike, just trying to help.

Why is there so much math involved with running? I just want to go. I don't want to do equations and ratios. This is my 'brain-off' time. Are there any other runners out there like me? I go for distance. I want to run as long as I can, and then even longer. Time doesn't matter so much. Like, if it takes me 6 hours to go ten miles, I'm cool with that. Because I went the ten miles I said I would.

Off to the gym!

I don't even know what day this is...

75 days until 5k!!!!
I am completley shattered. Knackered. Exhuasted. Tired. Today I managed to do my mile on the elliptical. I'm starting to think that the elliptical is just harder than actual running. Actually I did it while listening to some stand up that I hadn't heard in a while, and it resulted in me almost falling off the damn thing while in hysterics. lol oh Dane Cook. You're funny for about a week. :)

Day 82

Wow. The holidays with kids is INSANE! Fun insane, don't get me wrong, but insane none the less. So insane that I couldn't run on Christmas day, we'll get to that in a minute.

Let's see...oh! I started my temporary YMCA membership (thankyou Santa!) and I LOVE IT! It's so hard to not go off topic here and tell everyone all about taking the kids swimming and Logan and I going down the HUGE waterslide! *Breathe* Running, running, this blog is about running. Ok. Running.

Christmas Eve I downloaded Robert Ullreys podcast that gives a voice to Cool Runnings 'Couch to 5k in 9 weeks' program. It's basically him talking you through the workout, when to start running, when to stop, words of encouragement. It's awesome. I did my first set of interval training today, it was challenging but not hard. Although my feet and legs felt awkward underneath me, that was not so much fun, but I figure the more I run the better that will get.

The more I do this the more I feel like anything (running wise) is possible. I'm pretty sure that with the right training I could accomplish any distance. And I'm going to. Starting with...duh duh duh!

The 'Irish for a day 5k' on St. Pattys day! It's held in St.Paul every year, and I think it will be a blast! I'm thinking race in the morning, some corned beef sammiches and pints of Guinness to celebrate my completion, and maybe some green fun for the kids later on in the day. I'm already getting excited! I CAN NOT WAIT for Sean to get paid so that I can register! CAN NOT WAIT.

http://www.mtcmarathon.org/IrishForADay/index.cfm

Day 75

So much has happened since my last post!
Most importantly: I GOT NEW SHOES!!!




No they aren't Pumas...BUT they do what I need them to do.
During my 'Foot Consultation' at the Running Room I learned that I don't over-pronate and the problems I was having were from my shoe being from a million years ago and it had a) totally died and b) my feet are now a lot different than they were in high school, so it goes with out saying that the same shoe wont do what I need it to do.
I know the Mizunos aren't lookers, but they do have one thing going for them...GLITTER! All the black parts on the shoe are covered in glitter! What makes this even more awesome is that this is a MENS SHOE! I think there are some fabulous man-runners out there and we need to be buddies.

I have also done another cold run, and have discovered that I like them.
Turns out: being properly prepared makes almost anything enjoyable (i.e. running in 8 degree weather) Mother in law found me some proper mittens (Thinsulate baby!) and a 'neck gaiter' in the mitten box. At first I was weary about the 'gaiter' (Wouldn't you be? It has the same name as a person eating swamp beast!) but I needed to be warm.


A neck gaiter. Fantastic fashion statement.


But I put it on anyway, along with this gem:

I was one sexy chick running around town. You betcha'. Again, warm is a NEED when running in the cold. Thank God it was dark.

All of that, plus two shirts kept me pretty toasty on top. What about the bottom you ask? I'll let you know when my butt cheeks thaw.

All in all I was very happy with my run and even happier when I found out I had eyelash icicles (I'm a runner! A REAL ONE! Yay!)

I wonder if anyone makes cute cold weather running gear? Hmmm...

Day 70!

Did my first cold weather run earlier. It was 8 degrees! I feel like a champ! Scratch that, I am a champ!

It was fantabulous. Here’s the run down, ha ha.

I warmed up by doing half a mile on the elliptical, and for some reason that was really hard. It took a lot of energy…maybe it's because all I had to fuel my body was mint M&Ms….teehee

Then I let Lou out of his cage, got him all psyched to go, and went to get ready myself.

I made sure to read about cold weather running safety (Did you know you are more likely to pull a muscle when its cold? I didn’t.). Anyway the gist was to dress in layers, stay visible, do finger, face and toe checks, wear sunglasses, and don’t push yourself.

While going through my closet I remembered reading somewhere that running in tights keeps you warmer, and I thought 'OH HEY! I have some support tights from when I was pregnant! How different can they be?' (I'm sure all of you seasoned athletes are guffawing at me right now, but fancy running tights don’t come in 1x, so there.) Anyway, I put on the thickest underwear I could find, the pregnancy tights, flannel jammie pants, blue stripey pants, taped my feet, put socks on, put on two bras, a long sleeve shirt, my fleece jacket, stole some mittens and a hat from my father in law, and out Lou and I went. Then we came back in because I forgot to Chapstick my lips, cheeks, and nose. Then we really set out.

It. Was. Fan. Tastic. Amazing. The fourth best experience of my life.

Lou was jumping around like a kid in a candy store, it was adorable.

The snow seemed to give me more traction. The air was crisp and clean, the sun was out ( I can see why sunglasses were recommended) the streets were pretty much abandoned, so we were free to go as we pleased. We did the first two blocks pretty fast. It was so great to be running again.

We walked a little, and did my favorite block nice and s-l-o-w. Slow enough to savor it. Like when someone eats something they love and their eyes roll in their heads and their tastebuds jump for joy and their muscles relax because they are just so happy?

Yeah like that.

Except I was a fat chick running down my favorite stretch of concrete in the middle of winter :) It was amazing. I felt like a gazelle. My steps were springy, I was having fun jumping over snow banks, and Lou was having a blast peeing every 30 feet.

So happy. It was over all too soon. And I’m positive were going out tomorrow.

Toe is doing well, still swollen and aches a bit, but no pain. (Until the Squee steps on it)

Day 69

Holy. Fuckballs.
This is what I did today:



Ok, not really.
I actually did this:


But today I put it on the hill setting. Oy.
Remember my first blog about my first mile? This was worse. It was difficult, and kind of agonizing. And sweaty, not the cute 'I'm-kind-of-overheated' glistening sweat either. I couldn't wait for it to be over. And stupid Sandra Lee was on TV. Ugh. At least Alton makes time go by faster. :)
Then, I somehow got my legs to work enough to carry me downstairs. I was too exhausted to go to the fridge and hold the little button for water so I grabbed an orange and peeled it with shaky hands (which is actually pretty difficult) and ate the bitterest most delicious orange of my life.

All in all: a physically painful but rewarding day :)

Day 63

I really need to sign up for a 5k. Or at least pick one to be my debut.

I don't think I have ever wanted something as badly as I want a y membership. I'm daydreaming about duffel bags and water bottles and ponytail holders that actually work :)

It's been a while since I ran, maybe I'll go out tonight? I am so tired of cross training that I don't care that it's 19 degrees out. I should wait until I get my shoes....

Here are some candidates:


or


How can you not win in gold running shoes?!


Man, puma is where it's at.

I'm feeling pretty gangster today sooo...




Wish me luck on not freezing to death! :)

Day 59

Mommy needs to run. Have had a day full of this:

And this:


(Couldn't find a pic of the Squee screaming, so this kid from Google is being a placeholder.)

And this:

And no this:


No. Not John Lennon. Well, actually it is John Lennon, who is a dead ringer for Hubby.

Although I need to give myself credit. Instead of completely losing my shit and freaking out at Logan when he didn't listen for the 10,000th time and was running around with a Santoku (no I have NO IDEA HOW HE GOT IT!) I calmly put him in time out, told him it was not ok to play with knives, and then calmly made myself a cup of tea, and filled the dishwasher. I have no clue as to how I didn't pop with rage and frustration. No. Clue.
I have this image in my head of the Elliptical sitting upstairs, emanating a golden glow, having choirs of angels singing around it. Ahhhh...I can't wait. :)

Day 58

Tom is important to the post today, you'll see why later :)


Going to try the elliptical today, toe is still pretty gnarly looking but feels better. In reality its probably a little better, not a lot better like my brain keeps trying to convince me. “You know that icy cold air you breathed in on the porch while putting your ten thousandth bowl of mousse out there to chill? Wouldn’t it feel great to hyperventilate that while trying not to fall down on ice? C’mon. You know you want to run. Hear the pat-pat-pat of your feet on the cement. And think of Lou. How much his little doggie soul would give to go out there and eat snow!”

And this is me: ‘No! NO! No? I think I’m just faking, yeah that’s right, I’m a big fat faker. I lied about my hurt toe? I have steel toes! Haha! I can run! Yes I can! No one can stop me!’

Hubby: ‘Why are you crying?’

Me: wipes tears “I am not crying. My eyes started to leak when I went to put on my shoe…’

Hubby: “Ashley! Your toe is still bright purple and scabby! You can’t even put on shoes, and you’re trying to go out for a run?!’

Me: “……………….sniff………yes?’

Hubby: ‘Gah!!’

Me: ‘Ok fine! I’ll just do the dumb elliptical!’

Hubby doesn’t say anything (bc hes smart) but he has the ‘you-are-completeley-ridiculous’ look on his face.

Run recap!

:D I wish I could make a smiley face even bigger! Oh wait, I can!

Annnnnd now I know what an ‘Mp3 emergency’ is, and why you shouldn’t depend on your device to drown out the sound of you huffing and puffing.

Speaking of huffing and puffing, I can not get Tom Jone's 'Sex Bomb' out of my head!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knyCUp3JofU

He is so hot! :)

Day 50 (toe update)

I'm tempted to do a Google image search on broken toes, but am horrified as to what I might find.

Hobbled down 2.5 flights of stairs to take a shower this morning and discovered one of the downsides of living in a beautiful turn of the century home (besides not being able to keep the living room warm) broken steps! On the stair case! Since they have been used for so long and they are very vintage (i like vintage better than 'old') a few of them have split down the center horizontally, and normally, it just adds to the mystique of the house, NOT TODAY! While trying to navigate the stairs (sans railings, which apparently weren't needed in 1903) hobbling as quickly as I could without bashing my poor piggy on the steps so that I could shower in peace and hubby didn't have to deal with the colic queen alone, I landed bizarrely on the broken step and almost went careening ass over teakettle into the living room. Luckily I caught myself, but my nerves sustained most of the damage. lol, I'm a little high strung lateley, can you tell?

I looked up what 'real runners' do when they have broken toes...and guess what? THEY RUN! Ok. I am all about being dedicated to the sport, fitness, sanity, whatever, but running with broken piggys? RUNNING? Bashing them over and over and over again into the concrete sidewalk just so you can tell your other faux-green 'social vegan' 'friends' that you are just that ballsy seems ridiculous, dangerous, and a little (or a lot) derranged.

Off topic: I have a love affair with bizarre forms of vegetarianism. Sraight up vegetarianism, veganism, raw foodism, I understand, love and support their followers. I was a vegetarian for a long while in my teens. So its not like I don't understand the social, emotional, physical, and economical struggles and rewards of vegetarianism.

But 'Social Veganism' is my new favorite red-headed step child. Social vegans are people who do not eat meat, eggs, dairy, or other animal products while at social gatherings. Any other time they are omnivores. Ummm....I dont even know where to begin, so I will let y'all take it from here.

Happy and healthy piggys! (Toesies or actual piggys, you decide.)

Day 49

I can not believe this has happened. I broke my toe. My middle toe on my right foot is broken. Or as I like to put it 'ouchy' and 'all f-ed up'. I wanted to run today so badly. I had my clothes laid out and as soon as I was done with the housework I was going to get the dog all psyched to go. Bummer. Major major bummer.
What happened was I was vacuming the rug in the dining room. I put my hand on the table to balance myself while I tried to vacum around the fringe of the carpet, and instead of putting my hand directly on the table, I knocked off one of these:

This being a Le Cruset grill pan! A beautiful, top of the line, enameled cast iron, 7 pound french pan! ON MY TOE!

I am so upset. And depressed. But mostly angry that I can't run. Hell I can't even put on shoes.

Day 48

Oy! It's been a long time!

I haven't done my mile in two whole days. I have just been too busy. I feel like such a cop-out. Like it shouldn't be possible for life to get in the way of exercise. But, it has. I guess I can just chalk these two days up to being very very busy, and do my best to fit in a run tomorrow.
Honestly I don't feel so in love with running anymore. Maybe it's like every other relationship, you have your ups and downs, but in the end if you're meant to work, you do. (And running and I are meant to work, I have decided.)
I need to pick and sign up for a 5k. It'll help keep the motivation going. Not because of the sportsmanship of it, but because I am just too damn competitive and bloodthirsty for victory, or in this case finishing :)

Keep those toesises warm! :)

Update!

Hey y'all! Sorry for my absence, I've been very busy. Too busy. I keep having to remind myself to be honest on this blog. Not to leave things out. To tell the whole truth. And the whole truth is that this past week or so has totally and completely sucked. It started with my birthday. Never a fun event for me. As a child I was always put under INTENSE scrutiny about how much cake I had or how much frosting was on my piece. The anxiety of knowing that was coming kind of ruined the whole experience. And, spoiled as this sounds, knowing that the prettily wrapped gifts were more for the people giving them than for me (ie the infomercial exercise machine I got for my 15th birthday...umm...thanks...). So I've always been a bit antsy and anxious on my birthday. This year was no different. Then the next day I ran out of my meds (for anxiety) so I had a day full of panic attacks and bouts of depression and anger until I could get to the pharmacy. Not fun. For anyone.
I've been keeping up with my runs, well ellipticals is more like it. It's very icy out here and I am terrified of slipping and hurting myself. Hubbys parents have been very thoughtfull and kind and are getting me a new pair of running shoes! I am very very excited to get them. I also recieved a very generous (too generous) gift from my Grandmother JoAnn, which we will be using tomorrow to visit my 'new' sister Josie. ('New' meaning that I didn't know she existed until about a year ago, and I am overjoyed to have her and my 'old' little sister Adrianna in my life!)

On a different note, I found a book called 'The splendid table' in the inlaws cookbook cupboard. It's a James Beard award winner (BIG DEAL in the food world) I've started reading it and its really interesting, it's like a blend between history and food (two of my three favorite things, the third being running) I wonder if there are more history/food books...I'd like to read them. Maybe one day when I'm a grown up (haha) I'll have a food book library with a fainting couch... :)
Until tomorrow lovelies...

Day 41

Have zero desire to run today. Want to cuddle with hubby and eat sweets and watch Nigella. But I'll go cross train instead.

I am so full. I think Im going to take today off too. With massive feelings of guilt of course. But if I get on the EM I'll get sick, and my shoes are way way way too worn down for me to run comfortably in.

Did some research and two days off is actually GOOD for you. Huh. Think I'm going to beat down the guilt, snuggle up next to Esme, get a good nights sleep, and hit it hard tomorrow.

Day 40

The kitchen smells like this right now:

(This being sage.)

Aww man! I'm not going to run today and here is why: I am WAY FULL on delicious food. It is bitterly cold out, and I can't do the EM bc the inlaws will need their room before I'm done. So I am kinda bummed.

On the other hand, it was a great way to celebrate my making it to 40 days (with another 400,000 to go! Woo hoo!) by getting out of the house, having an amazing dinner with good friends, playing with babies and kittens (really!), and going on a late night forage of the garden for yummy vegetables for tomorrow.

I got to experience so many new things today! From picking vegetables, to seeing how produce is dehydrated and stored in adorable little glass jars, watching Logan traipse (and subsequently trip) through a vegetable patch, our friend Ginny's A-MAZING soup, and the coolest bathroom I have ever ever seen (seriously there was a copy of the 'great American bathroom book'! IT'S A REAL BOOK!).
Then when we got home, Mother in law was making her A-MAZING pancakes, so of course my greedy little tummy needed some, and I happily obliged.

Off to look up how to dry the lovely herbs we got today! I'm thinking a post designated to just recipes is in order...would y'all like that?

Day 39

Don't feel like struggling with the dog or dealing with the boob crisis. So on to the eliptical I go!

Later:
While I was reminiscing over the 'American Girl' catalog that came today, Lou kept jumping on me and running to the door. He the followed me upstairs, whimpered when I flopped on my bed and gave me the eyes when I tried weasling my way out of the run by saying it was too cold. Yes. I got bullied into submission by a dog, and yes I am that much of a sucker. lol

Run was great, went slower but it wasn't as difficult. I didn't have to think continuously about putting one foot in front of the other.

The thing Im most proud of with all this is that I'm doing exactly what I tell myself im going to do. So far I have kept my word, usually it's 'just to that lamppost...ok just past the tree with the lights...' and it may not sound like much to other people, but it makes me very proud. lol, on todays run I had to yell at myself to stop running. I was so out of breath and my feet were so tired, but I bet I could have (and would have) willed myself to the next block or mailbox or streetsign until I fell over. The only reason I didnt was bc I'm pretty sure I will injure myself if I fall over and that will mean no running until Im healed which would suck. I guess there is somthing to be said for blind determination. :)

Day 38

Day 38-
Oof. Went out for a run, Louie decided to pick today to clothesline trees and my knees. Not fun. AND I swear every single smoker on the route was on their porch puffing away. I started waving at them. It made untangling the dog from the surrounding foliage while I huffed like a hippopotamus on a unicycle less embarrassing. Didn't manage to run all my stress away like I had hoped because for quite possibly the first time EVER the bras I was wearing (yes, plural) were too big! Yay! And also Boo! Yay bc there is really no reason that these F cups should exist, and Boo! because now I really can't go for another run until I strap these babies down. Maybe a cycle through a really hot dryer will shrink my bras and I'll get some more use out of them...lol, this is so ghetto. I'm taping my feet because we can't afford new shoes for me, and now I'll more than likely be taping/binding my breasts because we can't afford a new bra. Obviously it isn't that big of a sacrifice because it means that my babies have full tummies, warm clothes, and a roof over their heads. Which is hands down the most important thing. Off to find some ace bandages! lol.

Day 37

Things that have made me happy today:
Logan spending all afternoon asking for hugs and kisses
The deer that ate apples off the tree in the back yard
Louie and Logan telling the 'horse' (the deer) to stay outside
The pasta carbonara I made for lunch
Logan slurping his noodles
Cuddles with Esme during naptime
The potato chowder I made for dinner (Using leftovers! HUZZAH!)
The crusty crunch on the outside and the dense chew of the inside of the ginger snaps along with their mysterious disappearance (into my tummy...)
Giving the Squee a warm bath on this cold night
Breaking out the espresso machine (Yay frothy milk!)

Things that have not
It being too icy out to run...boo!

Perhaps tomorrow...

Day 36

First snowfall of the year here. Spent the day making ginger snaps, rocky road, and a roast chicken. Very warm and domestic feeling :) Its too slippery out to do my mile outside, it looks like another night on the EM!

Day 35

Day 35
Whew! Did 1.25 miles on the EM, felt very very very good. Watched stand up while doing it. Fantastic.

Update!

Some of you may know about my deep dislike of the color orange....I sense that a back story may be a good idea...
Ok. In chef school we had to take a class called 'Dining Room Management' and in that class we learned all about the way colors affect the way people perceive food. For instance, would you really want to eat in a restaurant that has 'babypoop green' tablecloths? Or would you spend the entire meal thinking about how awful of a color the tablecloths are?
A combination of that class and something called 'color therapy' have guided my view of the color orange.
Color therapy is a 'new age' form of guided meditation, and every time I get to the orange part of the rainbow I tweak out. Orange makes me edgy and irritated and ruffles my feathers. No idea why. It just does.
As a result I have avoided orange for a long time. So why is my blog orange now? Well this particular shade reminds me of the color of saffron, and reminds me of warmth, curry, fireside cocoa, all that jazz. And I like it. I guess I'm branching out.
The background picture is a picture of a star paper lantern-

These are Star paper lanterns!

I received one as a gift a long time ago and it ripped in half the first time I tried to put it up :(
I think they are beautiful and whimsical feeling, which is why it is my background picture!

Off to find something to make for dinner and decide about my mile!

Day 33 & 34

Day 33
Miss Lady has been having serious bouts of colic, please forgive (that means you Anna, ha ha) my short posts. And I have been in a TERRIBLE mood the past few days. Sadly diet and exercise aren't helping. I have no idea what to do other than to be grumpy and irritable. This sucks. For me and everyone around me. Hope it will blow over with the PMS.
Run Recap!
Stole away and left the colicky baby with Daddy to do a mile on the Eliptical. Was super pissed off at first, had a dead zune, hubby had nothing good on his iPod, and there was nothing on TV, but working up a sweat on the EM was nice. Nursing a screaming baby and having my backsweat drip down the wall afterward was...not.

Day 34
Feeling under the weather today. Maybe I have allergies or I'm getting a cold. Don't know. Colic is still dominating the house. Mommy still has the grumpys. Ugh. This is emotionally draining, and try as I might to just 'be in a good mood', that isn't working.
Run Recap!
Did run outside, continued faster pace. Didn't tape my arches tight enough and I had the bright idea to cut off the thumb of one of my gloves so that I could control Pasquale. NOT A BRIGHT IDEA. My thumb almost froze off. Not really. But it was very awkward to run while trying to hold my thumb inside the rest of my hand. Another interesting thing is that the past few times I've been running outside I've noticed that I haven't been able to inhale fully. No idea why. Not very comfortable though.

Day 32

Ahhh. A whole month down. :)
On my way out to run errands tonight I couldnt help but notice how beautiful it was outside. A great night for a run.
Run recap!
My fingers are still sweaty, so excuse any typos please. :)
While taping my feet, Logan decided he wanted to tape his, and put his sockies and shoesies on too. It was adorable.
Our run was awesome! We ran and I mean RAN the first four blocks, at a way faster pace than normal. By the end of the fourth block I was feeling like I couldn't take a whole breath so we walked the rest of the way. When we were a few blocks from home Pasquale (my Zune) started playing Michael Jacksons 'the way you make me feel'. It took a lot of self control to not dance all the way home.
That run was so needed and so perfect. The breeze was cool and light, the stars were out and Lou only tried to yank my arm off a few times.
Homework assignment: SUBSCRIBE! And be on the look out for some pretty athletic tape. There has to be pink or glittery athletic tape somewhere.

Day 31

Lots of familial type stress happening here in Squeeland. Lots of anxiety for me. Not about anything specific, just sort of free floating anxiety. Which stresses me out even more.
Anxious about going outside to run alone in the dark (anxiety anyone?) so I'm not going to do it, and mother-in-law is in bed so can't do the elliptical. And I feel like I really need to do my run. But isn't it a little hasty and not very bright to go against my better judgment and run somewhere were I am not comfortable? Or isn't that the whole spirit of the sport? To push beyond ones limitations. Hmmm...I don't think better judgment is considered a limitation, but I can't decide if this is just my anxiety flaring up or if it's actually my gut telling me (correctly) to stay inside tonight.
I think I'm going to make a cake (Vanilla sponge filled with a lemon pastry cream...nom nom nom) and think about it, and maybe get myself out of bed in the morning and go for a run then. Oooof. Really don't want to see all the people driving by and looking at me. ARRRRRGHHH! I HATE being anxious. (See all above text? Mini-anxiety attack. Blows.)

Day 28 & 29 & 30

Day 28
Ugh. Been having some tantrum issues here in Squeeland (Mommy and Daddy included)
Five blocks!!! Had t force myself to stop, otherwise yes I would have hurt myself.

Day 29
Lots of things to do, managed to do mile on the E horse, boring. Watched iron chef and now I want lettuce wraps. Made potroast avec champignons et risotto avec petit pois et champignons aussi. mmmm

Day 30
Oy. Did four blocks, very warm out, too warm for mittens. Turned brain off around block three, it was nice to space out for a while.

Day 27

Yeah, no post for Day 26, nothing really happened except me being depressed on the elliptical.

TODAY on the other hand (Day 27) Woot woot! Big day here! Let me start at the beginning...
Let's see... Hubby and I (with children in tow) went to Dicks sporting goods to look for insoles for me to patch me through until (hopefully) I get some new running shoes for my birthday. When we walked in I was in a sea of purple (yippie!) Nike womens running gear (oh it was soooo pretty) and then I was a little sad because I knew that we couldn't afford anything (not a big deal, do I REALLY need name brands to run around the block in the dark while holding up my pants? No. lol)
But then I was uber sad and a little pissed off that the sizes only went up to a large. A 'Womens sport gear' large...which is like the medium at Abercrombie. WHAT THE HELL? Oh, so big girls, or women with *gasp* BOOBS don't want pretty work out clothes? Just because we enjoy butter on our steaks and bread pudding and don't have a freakishly fast metabolism or the skinny gene (Sorry JoAnn I didn't get that gene, my sister Anna did though) or GOD FORBID we've had two kids back to back doesn't mean that we don't deserve to have beautiful clothes to get sweaty and grimy and feel good about ourselves in. You know what Nike? Screw you. I have lost forty two pounds in less than four months and I am going to go to Target (where I guess I BELONG) and buy my Champion sports bras and mens track pants and bedazzle the hell out of them and they will be way better than your stuff made out of the weird slippery feeling material. Who need forty dollar running gloves anyway? (FORTY DOLLAR EXERCISE GLOVES! That is 4 packages of diapers!)
I was so worked up that hubby had to stop at McDonald's so I could get a mocha to chill the hell out.
When we got home I coulsn't take in anymore, I HAD to run. Inspiration struck and I decided to tape my feet to give my arches some support (they had to do SOMETHING before insoles were invented) and whatd'ya know there is a youtube video on how to help correct overpronation by taping your feet.
Gave it a shot, taped the feet, remembered to put some anti-chap stuff on my face, took Louie out and we ran for two blocks! One of which is my favorite block to run down. :) The left foot felt awesome, the right one I think I did a little too tight, and for some reason the top of my foot kept cramping, hurt like a mo' fo'. But I got a little bit of a run in! YAY!!!

Here are some pics:

Things I can not run without: Louie, taped feet (I wonder if this schnazzy Ace tape comes in schnazzy colors? Hot pink anyone?) Face lube (aka 'Baby kisses' by the Bourdeaux butt paste people, pretty awesome) My Zune (His name is Pasquale) and my awful headphones (I think they came with my phone...can't remember, all I know is they make my ears hurt)


Bandit laying on my beat up running shoes, I think he was kind of miffed that I took Louie and not him...


And I'm off to do the elliptical!

Day 25

Ahhh. Nice day here in Squeeland. Miss Lady wasn't too colicky, The Squee had a blast helping Mommy 'Ceen up!!' (Clean up!) Managed to get most of the housework, including laundry done today. And guess what? I made Miss Ladys first solid food tonight! After clearing up the kitchen, I found a beautiful red apple on the porch staying crisp and cool in the fall air, and thought 'hmmmm...I have a little girl who is jealously eying her Daddy every time we sit down to a meal, and is chewing like a mad woman on everything that comes near her mouth...'

What better first solid food to have than a sweet, slightly sour, perfectly yellow fleshed, shiny red skinned Minnesota grown apple!

So I lovingly peeled, cored, and chopped it. Got out a baby saucier pan, the itty bitty wooden spatula I use to frost cupcakes, a tiny mesh strainer, and the mini food processor I found in a dusty corner of the kitchen just waiting to be used.

I cooked the little apple pieces in a few tea spoons of filter water (Should I have used distilled JoAnn? I can never remember...) until they became fragrant and soft, strained them, reserved the liquid, and put the solids into the processor. Blitzed them until they were smooth, tasted and they were still a little gritty so I added a few drops of the apple water that I reserved, blitzed again, the result was a perfect creamy apple puree. I am so excited for her to try them tomorrow!

JoAnn- You were right (as always). That green Beba baby cooker thing would have been incredibly useful. As much fun as it was using all of this miniature cooking equipment, cleaning it up afterward was kind of a pain.

Run recap!
Did my mile this morning on the E Horse. (My new nickname for the Elliptical, you like?)
Wow was it boring. There was some bottle blonde lady on the food network cooking something (I was too busy listening to Micheal Jackson and trying to dance/use the E Horse without falling off, and imagining the little peroxide blonde food network babies her and Guy Fieri ((the peroxide blonde man who has had several food network shows)) would have, to pay attention to what she was making.)
I can't wait to run again, and what sucks even more is that I have to tell Lou every night that there aren't going to be any walkies...
Oh and I puled my running gloves (my fancy name for the rayon little mittens that you get for kids that are like 99 cents) out of the dryer and I could just see the little face on them saying "Use meee! I smell like fabric softener, I want to be out in the cold wrapped around your rapidly thinning fingers to help keep your wedding ring on so you don't have to worry about it falling off your sweaty finger and clinking down the sewer drain like you imagine every time you run past one!" I serenly told them "No...not today...I don't want to make my knees and feet worse....' and then THREW them in the sock bucket (Sorting and matching? I think not!) in my closet, slammed the door and ran away from temptation! (Not really 'ran away'...okay maybe a little...)

Day 24

Having friends over for dinner. I miss running. Driving past that one block I love to run down makes me sad and wistful everytime...

Run recap
Mile on the EM felt GREAT sweated like crazy, was a little harder to do than I remember, but my feet and knees feel awesome.

Day 23 (HALLOWEEN!!!)

Had SO MUCH FUN today! We went to the Zoo and trick-or-treated with the animals (Deedles was a froggy, Miss Lady was a bear cub, and I was a kitty!) Must have gotten my mile with all the walking! Will post pics later!

Day 22

Spent the day at home with the kids. Pretty boring. Can not wait to get on the EM when Hubby gets home. Have 9,000 things to do. Laundry, dishes, cleaning, folding, put-away-ing, cooking, grocery shopping, doling out baths, ugh.
Run recap
Couldnt fit a mile in...grrrr...

Day 21

So I broke the stem of the pumpkin off...and a knife blade in half...and a pumpkin poker thing...oops




The finnished product! Right to left: Mine! Daddy and Squeedle-Deedle's, Brother-in-laws (he says the cleft lip was intentional, mmm-hmmm) Not pictured: Sister-in-laws kitty pumpkin, awww it was cute!

Delegating work to us peons.

Pumpkins! We're doing pumpkins today! Huzzah!
Today while I was making breakfast my knees were uber sore, I had to lace my french toast with ibuprofen.
I'm really tired of talking about how ouchy my knees are. Moving on!
Run Recap!
Ok so it wasn't a run. Louie and I walked slowly around the route. And it sucked. Because my knees hurt. According to my Physical Therapist-in-training Sister-in-law I walk on the insides of my feet which make me an 'over pronator' which in turn means that my knees will not get better until I get some insoles/new shoesies.

Day 20

Day 20

Wow-e! Have I had my hands full the last few days! I'm sorry I haven’t been updating everyday -Thanks for the guilt trip sis :)-

I wasn’t able to cross train yesterday. AND IT SUCKED I’m like an addict. I am itching to get back on the running horse. My right knee has been bending backwards at the most inopportune times. And I need to start doing the prescribed knee exercises.
I'm surprised that I haven’t found a way to make it happen. See? When you don’t make things a priority they don’t happen.

I'm worried that on my run tonight I will suddenly find that I have fallen out of love with running. The idea of that freaks me out. I'm also worried that I will lose all the progress I have made. And that if I have I wont want to start over. Oof. Who knew such a simple thing would be s mentally heavy. My physical therapist-in-training sister-in-law is going to look at my feet tomorrow and see if my gait has anything to do with my knees. I think being 273 pounds has everything to do with my knees.

Run recap:

Holy fuckballs. I'll get to that in a minute. So, Louie couldn’t wait to go out. It was very very cute. We did a very slow, I'm talking glacial pace run. But we did it for 4 blocks. And now I am in excruciating pain. Am starting knee strengthening tomorrow.For sure. I must have looked really pathetic because my father-in-law brought me ibuprofen and ice packs while I whimpered on the couch. Am doing EM tomorrow. Hopefully it doesn't make me cry.

Day 19

I'm cold. I'm hungry. I feel like the wind and rain is going to permeate the house.

Post-dinner recap!

Made a fantastic dinner. Then promptly got sick. Gross. Must have a flu bug. Talk about adding insult to injury. Am going to rest and try to get some sleep (that is if Miss Lady lets me) Will decide if doing a mile tomorrow is a good idea or not. Thanks for all the advice and guesses on what is up with my knees! I appreciate all of it! Maybe I could get Deedles to do some leg exercises with me tomorrow? How cute would that be?!


(Sorry about the short post, promise I will make up for it ten-fold tomorrow!)

Day 18

Got all ready to go only to discover a dead zune. Damn, must wait 'till it charges. In the meantime I can try to stretch my IT bands. I Googled how to do this, and when I do the stretches that 'Runners World' and other places recommend, I feel a nice deep stretch, just not where my IT band is. Hope that is ok. I kinda feel like my kneecaps are going to fall off.

Lou is home from his Wisconsin excursion. Very excited to take him out on a run. Its raining, so this will be a first. Kind of excited, wish I had a water repellent jacket. But my sweat shirt will have to do :) I’m a big girl, I wont melt. I think I am bound and determined to go into the running room. It’s only a store. A store full of very cute and very tiny running paraphernalia. Am making Tuscan white bean chili tomorrow for dinner. I hate chili, but all the protein will do me good. And it will be warm and spicy. Good rainy day fodder.

Run recap!

This fucking sucks. Ow ow ow. I wanna cry. It finally happened. I hurt myself. Classic overuse injury. I was out the door and admiring the night. It was warm and the air smelled fresh after the rain. Not like worms though. I hate that smell.

So I started running. And then I noticed I wasn’t going any faster. My brain couldn’t get my legs to move as fast as I wanted them to, because my knees and lower back were saying ‘ oh hell no’

*Ok, ill just walk a few blocks, warm up, then it'll be fine*. We got to my favorite block to run down, so I started running, my brain thought I was running. My body seemed to be doing this hobble/limp thing. Again my knees and back were saying 'Nope. Not today.' *That’s weird. Huh. I'll try again in a few blocks*

Tried again, only this time it felt like someone was sticking a red hot poker into my right knee.

I think I feel worse mentally than I do physically. I feel…frustrated…robbed even. I feel frustrated because this is a situation where I can not strong-arm my way through it. I can’t force myself to heal faster. I'm frustrated that I couldn’t get my body to do what I wanted it to do. And honestly it pisses me off. I feel robbed of the perfect feeling I feel when I run. The happy, free, flowers and sunshine feeling. I know it will come back soon, but I want it NOW. I don’t want to go a single day without it. I’m sad and I will miss it.

I’m off to self medicate with ice, potato chips, hard cider, and old SNL re runs.

Note: It never occurred to me to stop being active completely. While in the thick of the pain I thought: *Just cross train for a few days* I think it’s funny. And also exactly what I am going to do. (Maybe that makes me a real runner now?)

Day 17

Thought I would post some pictures of two of the people I talk about the most!
Miss Lady




Deedles

We had a fantastic day here in Squeeland! No tantrums, lots of baby babble, and an AWESOME dinner. Our friend Randy came down and we had a beautifully charred sirloin, and I made a FANTASTIC dipping sauce for it. All smooth and velvety and full of tarragon. Mmmm.
Run-Recap!
While getting ready for my mile, I discovered a tragedy. The red water bottle I have been loving didn't have the fortitude to withstand its trip through the dishwasher. (Why make something out of plastic that can not go in the dishwasher?! WHY?!)
Since the knees still suck (and the in-laws took Lou with them to WI) I got on the EM and did 1.1 miles. Nothing poignant happened. I just turned my brain off and moved the pedals. Pretty sweet actually.
Excited to have Lou home tomorrow and to see if we can do our 5 blocks again! *fingers crossed*

Day 16

Rough day for Mama today. Really want to sit and watch TV.
Walked past the ‘running room’ while out for a stroll with my sister in law and Miss Lady. I felt like I couldn’t even go into the shop, that’s how foolish I feel about doing this exercise thing-quest-crusade-whatever. In the car on the way home I had a wicked cigarette craving. I wanted the smell, the taste, the rush of calm I used to feel after having a smoke. Ooooo it was good. Don't worry, I did not break down and have any. I've been (grudgingly) tobacco free for a very long time now. I swear if they make a non-cancer, not-bad-for-you cigarette I would give up air in a heartbeat.
Back to the issue at hand. How dumb is it to feel so out of shape and slovenly that I felt like I couldn’t even go into a store? This is ME we're talking about! ME! Balls-to-the-walls, grab-the-bull-by-the-horns, get-in-the-canoe-and-paddle ME!

Run recap:

Holy crap! I feel so much better! I got on the EM a while ago not knowing how I would feel, so I said ‘ok just do half a mile, then see how you feel’. I did just that, half a mile came and went, then one mile, then I stopped counting. I decided to finish my playlist. I feel great! I feel clear headed, my muscles feel warm and good. My knees still are kind of achy, but that is probably from propelling this 278 pound body forward and keeping it mobile all day. Not an easy job. If I could give my knees a treat, I would. They deserve it.

Day 15

Deedles had a rough day. Took Deedles to park. Am way sore in the thighs. No idea why. Having a big dinner and a good sleep to get ready for 'Boo on Grand' tomorrow!

Day 14

Ow! My knees are stiff and achy, my face is chapped, and I made the huge mistake of running on a full stomach.
I had to drag myself out of my warm soft bed, put on scratchy pants that emphasize my mom pooch, and go out in the freezing wind while my neighbors happily smoked menthol's on their (heated) porch. Bastards. Oh and I wore my flats from last winter to the grocery store with Deedles today, and they gave me the beginnings of blisters on my baby toes.
Only ran 4 blocks...more like stomping than running.
Not a good run day.

Day 13

Whilist browsing the running blogs earlier today I came across this quote:
"Those who say that I will lose and am finished will have to run over my body to beat me." --Said Aouita, 5000 meter Olympic gold medallist
Hubby is working late tonight so I have no idea how I am going to fit my run it, but rest assured it will happen.

Random thought: I wonder if people with phDs sit around and talk about how smart they are? Or if they really put Dr. and so and so or Dr. and Dr. on their mailboxes? And what is with the wicked nice frames the diplomas go in? Is there a wicked nice frame store? Do they come in the frames? I want cheese fries.<<< Trains of thought my poor husband puts up with on a continual basis. He deserves a medal.
Mapped my running route and it is .67 miles OR 1.08 km. Can't wait until I can run the whole thing.

Run recap!
Sorry to say that I have suffered my first running injury.

I hurt my thumb on Louies leash.

Actually he is the one that went barreling off after some furry woodland creature leaving me to try to stop him with a teeny plastic button. Which snapped. I still cant feel the tip of my thumb. It's funny because it's ridiculous.
On a brighter note Lou and I ran for....FIVE WHOLE BLOCKS IN A ROW!!! YESSS!!! When we finally make it to six blocks that will officially be .5 miles. And that means that if it takes me 2 weeks to make it to .5 miles, and if I keep progressing at this rate in 102 weeks I'll be able to run 26 miles! That is just under two years from now! Huzzah!
Must go ice my thumb.
Love!
Oh, here is Louie 'Running buddy/Shoulder dislocator/Thumb hurter/Neighborhood Bunny Patrol'

Day 12

Spent the day making lots of noms! Too tired to get into all that now though.
Run Recap:
Sped through making dinner so Louie and I could go for a run. And guess what we did? We ran for four blocks...IN A ROW! IT WAS AWESOME!!! IT TOTALLY ROCKED! (I'm pretty stoked, can you tell?) Many thanks go out to Linds for having the great idea of pining my shirt to my pants so my pants stay up. It worked, sort of. Well more than not having the pins.
And now I'm off to bed, soooo tired.

Day 11

Man does it feel cold today! All I’ve wanted to do today is cuddle with my babies and eat anything smeared with Nutella. But alas I have made a commitment to y’all, the dog, and myself. Ooof. I wish running was easier. On the upside I’m not sore at all today, this makes me wonder how springy my first block of running will be?
Run recap!
Holy cow was it cold! Hubby brought me home some cheapie gloves and they made all the difference. The run was great...all 1/2 block of it. See, I'm loosing a lot of weight...and that means that my pants don't really fit...and that they like to fall down a lot...and I couldn't hold them up, my hoodie down, and the leash all at the same time. I think I might have to get some running tights, no it will not be pretty. But they will be functional. And that is all that matters :)
Really looking forward to tomorrows run, must remember to put some anti-chap stuff on my face before it freezes off. :) Also must figure out a temporary pants-stay-up solution...hmmm...

Day 10

As much as I hate to admit this, one of the best things I can do for myself and my running is to take a day off. And not run. And it sucks. I really really really need to let my joints and muscles heal, if I don't I'll probably get an overuse injury and then I'll be out for a few weeks and that will suck even more. Maybe running is like children and spouses. Sometimes you need time away to miss them. The time away makes you appreciate them more.
Just because I have grudgingly decided to take today off doesn't mean that I cant think about running though. :) I think I have come up with a long term goal. The Athens marathon. Obviously this wont be happening for a few years to come. But I think it's be awesome because it's the ORIGINAL marathon! For all you non history geeks reading, the story goes that the Persians attacked a little city named Marathon in Greece, there was a battle, the Greeks won and the higher-ups sent a guy named Pheidippides to RUN all the way to Athens (about 25 miles) to tell the cityfolk that the Greeks were victorious, he did that, and then he fell over dead. Quite the feat for a guy wearing leather sandals. The running I mean, not the dying.

Now, I hope I don't die, and I hope that there isn't any military action, but just think of all the things you would see running that path! The Mediterranean, all the pretty Grecian olive trees, the marble buildings, the sides of the road they used to crucify people on, the little Roman-era walls that were built all over the empire, maybe an aqueduct or two! (I'm a dweeb, I know.)
To get there though I need to focus on being able to run for more than two consecutive blocks...all in due time...all in due time...

Day 9

Went out for a run this afternoon sans Louie. According to Mother in Law, Squee followed me out the door (I had my earbuds in so I couldn’t hear his little feet crunching the pebbles) and was PISSED when she brought him back inside. Awww. He does love me :)

Running during the day, without the dog sucked. It was kind of hot. Passerby gawked at me. A kid on a trike passed me (not kidding). There wasn’t anyone to get excited over the bunnies. :( So when I came back I promised Louie that I would take him for a walk later.

Had a million things to do to get Squee packed and ready to go to a Gopher hockey game with his Grandpa, then went for a walk at a BEAUTIFUL park in Red Wing with the Mother in Law, after that we went out for salads. The restaurant was out of guacamole for my Santa Fe salad. Bummer. Then when I finally got home and was entertaining the idea of curling up with Miss Lady, hot chocolate, and failblog I remembered my promise to Louie. And because my conscious is THAT guilty I HAD to take him out because I PROMISED. Actually I asked Mother in Law if she wanted to come with and that way we could take both the dogs. We did, and it was cold. And we could hear Miss Lady crying from a block away.

I’m sleepy. Tomorrow holds lots of cookie frosting and bunny chasing. xoxoxox

Day 8

All day today my legs have felt heavy. Like someone snuck in during the night and filled them with wet sand. Weird.

Had a very busy day today, couldn't wait to get dinner together (gumbo!) so I could go for my run. Funny thing: I was sitting on the stairs trying to put on my shoes and Louie (I need to post a picture of him soon, and the scary hedges he drags me through every night) kept doing this happy yipping noise and jumping on my legs. I think it was the dog equivalent of "Hurry up! Hurry up! I wanna chase bunnies! BUNNIES!" It was very cute and motivating.

Finally dug through storage and found my shoes, it felt SO MUCH BETTER to run in them. :)

Earlier I was feeling a little disappointed in myself. I don't know why I feel as though I should be running miles upon miles a day already, but I do. (It's crazy, I know) Maybe this is what all the experts are talking about when they say to not push it too hard in the beginning. I need to remind myself that I have a lifetime of running ahead of me, and to take a few months to ease into it is the safe and smart thing to do. Can you tell that I'm the person who jumps into the freezing lake instead of slowly inching my way into it? :)

Run recap!
Ran for FIVE blocks today (not in a row), Louie only wrapped the leash around a few trees (progress!), and my nose almost froze off. Too bad no one makes nose warmers...

Think I'll sneak away to morrow for a daytime run alone, maybe see what the neighborhood looks like in daylight :)

Day 7

Wow! It's been a whole week!

2 pm
Today I'm feeling less energetic, less excited, more like ‘gee it be great to sleep all day’.
Didn’t get the key to the storage unit to get my shoes ugh.
Going to do my mile on the EM, then see how feel.

Run recap!

Mile done in 28:50,bummer. Had a slower selection of music though. Decided to keep going until the end of the song that was playing, ended up doing 1.1 miles. Still feeling kind of down. Need to rekindle insane energy and excitement…how? My toes went numb again, what's with that?

MIL is going to be peeved if I do the Xmas 5k, it conflicts with the schedule of things, and come to think of it I don’t want to tear the Squee away from his presents and happy cake that morning to go stand in the cold. Hmmm have to find a new 5k….

Instead of sitting here all sweaty and depressed, I'm going to bake a cake.

Post-cake-baking

Holy hell, that turned into a complete disaster. I never knew that homemade buttercream frosting was ONLY butter and sugar. Trying to frost this beast felt like trying to spread cold butter onto a pile of sand. Well I guess I'll chalk it up to an experience. :)

10:00 pm
Okay, so I TRIED to stay in, tried to just leave my exercise at doing my mile on the EM, not do any more....give my muscles time to heal...tried not to look at the dog and see his big brown eyes begging to go chase bunnies...I couldn’t do it, I had to go for a run. And it rocked. Except all the clotheslining trees. Everything except that was awesome.

Day 6

My body is telling me to slow down, I have grudgingly admitted this. It sucks. I’m a little peeved about it actually. My shins are sore, and so are my muscles (I thought that was a GOOD thing) According to the internet this is from pushing it too hard to fast (Really?! A mile? A mile is too hard too fast?) I’m debating if I want to do my mile tonight on the EM or if I want to take Louie out again and do some sprint/walking, maybe I can run two blocks this time? I don’t want to hurt myself, but I also don’t want to slow down…I did do triple my workout yesterday…maybe that was a little much.

Its brisk out. Brisk is a MN term for slightly uncomfortable cold, to the rest of the nation it is freezing. But if I’m going to do the Christmas 5k I need to get used to it.

Took the kids out for a stroll around the neighborhood in our 'new-to-us' double stroller. Dammit, that means that if I do my mile, which I will, I’ve already doubled my workout, so much for taking it easy. It was a pain, or maybe the pain was me wearing flip-flops. The flops don’t get retired until snow starts sticking to the ground, another MN thing.

The one (two) thing(s) I don’t want to hurt are my breasts (yay nursing moms!), as we can’t yet afford the right bra for me, I doubt it would fit me at this size anyway. I’ll keep trying the double up method with different bras until I find a suitable solution in the meantime.

Run Recap!

Took Louie for a jaunt around the neighborhood, ran 4.5 blocks, two of which were in a ROW! It was great having Louie along. He would occasionally pull me along a little bit when I would start to lag. I'm sure he just wanted to get to the squirrels faster, but it felt encouraging to me :) Running isn't getting easier, but it is getting less hard, make sense?

I'd really like to do a morning run and see how that goes, but it will have to wait until Miss Lady gets her feedings on a schedule. Nursing on demand is a little hard to schedule runs around, but so far so good.

I've been running in cheap cross trainers from Target so far, because I haven't been able to find my running shoes in our storage unit, but tomorrow, the hunt begins.

Love and good runs to all! Xoxoxox

Day 5

All I can think about is running, and shopping for running, and when I get to run next, how long I will be able to run, what it will be like outside when I run, how I will keep my pants from sliding down when I run, thinking about when will I really be ready for a 5k, after all it is only 3.1 miles, it can’t be that hard can it? I can't remember ever being this excited and consumed by something. I hope that I don't go too overboard with this obsession :)

While doing some research and investigation this morning I came across something called the 'Irish for a day 5k' happens in the twin cities every march! How awesome is that?! And it rhymes! I sooo have to do it, and it's way cooler than those 'kiss me I'm Irish' buttons.

Run Recap!
Today I did my mile on the EM while rockin' out to some jamz. As a result I finished my mile in......27:30!!! And I wasn't totally dead (close but not totally) at the end of it! So I took Bandit on a stroll around the neighborhood (the same route I did yesterday) and when we got home I felt so bad thinking about poor Louie, the other, younger, Irish Setter all alone in his cage. So I took Louie on a stroll too, except that we had some fun chasing after rabbits and sprinting down sidewalks, it was pretty great.

*I'll just run to the end of the block, ok maybe around the corner, to that hedge, just past that fence…*

*Internal Monologue

As a result my left knee and hip are a little sore, nothing some stretching can't fix.

Can't wait for tomorrow!

Day 4

Phew! Just got back from my first run OUTSIDE!!! Ok, so it was more like sprint/walking, but that counts in my book.

This afternoon whilst wrangling my colicky daughter and impressive two year old I was struck with some unease and, to be honest, fear about this whole endeavor. What happens when I do get healthy? I wont be the same, so will my people still love me? I am doing something so different from where I have been. My mother was overweight, smoked, didn't clean house, for sure didn't do the laundry, hell she rarely brushed her teeth. Here I am doing all the opposite things and I am scared to pieces, I have no idea what to expect. What if I can't keep it up? What if I sink so low into my depression that I end up just as scared and heartbroken and alone as she was in the end? What if I'm lying to myself with all this oral hygiene and sneaking organic vegetables into my sons breakfast? I guess all this will be answered in time.

On to the run recap!

Red Wing is a very picturesque quaint little town, with the cute uneven sidewalks, hedges that have overtaken the walkway, and random streetlight positioning included. The sprinting happened when there were streetlights/I could see for more than 15 feet in front of me, the walking happened in the pitch dark. I also really enjoyed being able to see every star in the sky while out for my run. Another positive thing about doing this in the dark was that there was no one to see me pulling up my pants that kept sliding down my bum or holding my lactating mammaries because the TWO bras I was wearing were not cutting it, all while holding a leash and poo bags. I'm sure we would have been a sight to see :)
I took Bandit with me. He is my in-laws elderly Irish Setter. A very sweet dog with about the same athletic prowess as me right now. He was a very good boy and did not chase after the stray cat or yappy Pomeranian we saw. I should sneak him a bit of roast from the fridge.
On the home stretch I told Bandit that we were going to run the last leg of the block, up the driveway and to the front step. I caught my toe on the lip of the step and SLAMMED into the door, which echoed around the quiet neighborhood, and caused the dog to jump a few feet in the air from the shock. A good ending :)

The outpouring of love and encouragement from y'all is so, well, encouraging and makes me feel so loved.

Things I have noticed: I am more energetic, patient, levelheaded, great having something to look forward to that is all my own, great to turn off brain and just go...

And now Miss Lady wants to nurse. Until tomorrow...xoxo

Day 3

V. tired today, somebody decided to stay up all night nursing. And of course, instead of being cranky like I want to be, Miss Lady (my little girl) is all smiles today, and it warms my heart :)
V. thirsty today too...huh...wonder what that is about...

How cool are these?!


Trail running...huh...sounds fun...

Did my mile, about halfway through is when I wanted to quit, but then when the sweat started to really pour and that wonderful little red light ticker thing kept going up with my distance, I just couldn't stop.

On the downside, I am running out of socks and all of my pants are now dirty, and the washing machine is in use...damn, I hate waiting my turn...

Day 2

Day 2
Hopped on the E. M. (Elliptical Machine) around 9 pm tonight. First five minutes was great. *This is super easy! What was I bitching about yesterday?! Whats on the food network? Huh, Chopped...not my daily dose of Alton, but oh well....Vegetable yeast? What on earth is vegetable yeast? Do vegetables have yeast?.....oh...there it is...now I'm winded....ugh...this is hard...oh well...I'm alone and its quiet (except for the TV) and I am LOVING IT....Lets milk it for all its worth shall we?.....*
*Internal monologue

Woo hoo! Mile done in 30 minutes! My feet are hurting though, I should dig my old running shoes out of storage (they were bought during a short lived phase in high school where I thought it was a fabulous idea to sign up for the lacrosse team...ha.)
And maybe if I keep it up...I could buy some really cute exercise clothes!

We shall see what day three has in store pour moi tomorrow...

Fun fact: The EM totally kicks menstrual cramps in the butt!

Day 1

Day 1 was yesterday, around 6:30 pm. I decided to hop on the old elliptical machine upstairs. I thought I was going to DIE. DIE I TELL YOU! 'Was this always this hard? Why do my butt muscles hurt? My toes are numb, that's not good. Oh, I should probably inhale. Man, I'm thirsty. I wanna' get off this thing......no! You had two babies dammit! You can go for one freakin' mile on an elliptical machine. I don't care that it has taken 20 minutes to go half a mile! Keep on truckin' Miss Lady. Oooooo Good Eats is on.....mmm....tamales.....Oh my goodness! I've gone a whole mile! in just under 40 minutes! Woo hoo!!!! I should blog about this....'*
*Was my internal monologue.

And then I fell into an endorphin filled euphoria- also known as a long shower to all of you non-parents :)

A little something about me...

Hey y'all, here is a little info about me. My childhood ingrained a lot of insecurities and fears about body image and fitness in me, like a lot of people. (I am sure we will get into all of that in future posts.) Here are some basics, I am 5 foot 9, the heaviest I have ever been was 312 pounds, that was my last recorded weigh in while I was pregnant with my second child. I have battled depression since childhood, and believe me, it got WAAAAAY worse after my first child was born. I was never very active, I vividly remember being chastised as a little girl 'Ladies do not run!' As a teenager and pre-child adult I relied on caffeine and nicotine to keep me thin, sadly it worked. As a result, after my son was born (August 2008) I went back to my old habits, except this time...the weight stayed, and the hacking, coughing, smelly hair, late night fast food trips, and a few extra pounds came to the party too.
Now here I sit, twelve weeks after the birth of my perfect little girl, a breastfeeding, non-smoking, co sleeping, organic oatmeal bar making, and as of a few days ago...pro-exercising Mama. Because, yes, I would like to see my children graduate.