In The Family

Look who ran a 5k this weekend!!!  Dave ran cross country/track in middle and high school, but hasn't really run a step for enjoyment since then.  I have always encouraged him to run because he is good at it.  His dad held some high school mile record in his area, so the genetics are there.  But, he didn't enjoy it and only wanted to play soccer.

Somewhere in the past year, I stopped running, and he rediscovered how nice it could be to just get out of the house for 2-3 miles easy.  I guess when you hit mid-30s, some things change.  He is realizing he can't play really good soccer forever as his body just won't hold up. He is going to have to find some new outlets for sport. 

So, I casually mentioned the Bardog 5k with beer at the end, and voila!  A registration was complete! 

I can't say that he had a lot of fun out there....ha ha!  (who does at a 5k?  They are HARD!).  He certainly hadn't done any speed work, so going into a 5k cold hurt!  But, that beer at the end (and his cheering wife and daughter) were all worth it, I think.  He didn't immediately sign up for another one.  But let's see if he bumps up his running and adds in some speed :)

I got to enjoy seeing some of my friends that I have not seen in months.  Little Spreaglet made an appearance but stayed asleep, rolled up in a little ball in the sling.  I was worried we would melt down, but we seemed to time it all just right, and she slept through the chaos.

It is too soon to tell, but maybe I acquired 2 new running partners during my pregnancy?

Running On- the 5 Miler

After an attempt to write several posts over the past 2 weeks, I am starting to think that posting will be a little irregular for a little while.  Trying to type with one hand with nursing/sleeping baby is not as productive as I would like as evidenced below.

Today's 5 miler was both better...yet just as insane as the 5k.  I upped my sleep last night from 2 hours to 3.  I still didn't have time to brush my teeth, but I did get deodorant on this time.  It was a little more hectic trying to feed, pump, and get out of the door by 6:15, but I did it.  (by 6:23 and skipping a few things :)  The benefit to not racing is no warm-up required, so you just have to get there before the gun goes off at 7am.

The main difference, though, was my purchase this week of a new running outfit...that fits!  I refused to wear men's clothes today, so my sweet friend and mommy runner, Meghan at Breakaway, helped me find some post-preggers clothes.  I got longer shorts and a baggy tank for today...very different from my normal wear!  But, I felt much better with a fun outfit, and I am going to send my post preggers running clothes to any new mom that needs them when I am done (size medium for both).  Just send me a message!  Having some "in-between" clothes is important!

My training plan was....run only two full miles since the last 5k.  Yikes!  But seriously I cannot get out of the house.  It was way too hot to go running with an infant this week.  So, another 2 weeks of hardly any exercise.  But, I just view it as two more weeks to recover from surgery.

But still, that didn't help my confidence as I lined up at the start.  From 0 to 3.1 to 0 to 5?  What kind of plan is that?  But I reminded myself that all problems in racing and life can usually be solved by slowing down.  So, if it got too hard, I could just slow down!

Since I am not warming up, my first 2 miles are my warm-up.  I started in the back, made sure to talk to friends, and worked on trying to incorporate good running form, even though I was shuffling.  After the 2nd mile I just tried to find a pace I could hold that didn't stress anything beyond its limits.  I noticed this race I was moving up through the field more so than I did the last race, so even though I have not done anything to gain fitness the past two weeks, I think my body is healing and improving on its own.

Mile 1- 10:57, mile 2-10:22, mile 3-9:40, mile 4-9:42, mile 5- 9:48 Total time=51:06...garmin has 10:05 min/mile pace

Like the 5k, this 5 miler was super hard for me.  I am 15-20 pounds overweight, and it is hard to run with the extra weight and loss of muscle.  I calculated in my head that with no extra fitness, I would probably be almost 1 minute per mile faster if I did not have the extra weight.  And I had this huge realization... it is a blessing that I have extra weight on me.  If I was actually faster right now, I think I would try to race.  I know I would.  I would push my body beyond what it needs to do right now.  The extra weight is life's way of slowing me down so I build slowly...as well as helping me take care of my baby!  Nature knows what it is doing.

 Enjoying the rest of my day with little Spreaglet

I was super duper tired after the race.  I am most cautious about the abdominal area, as it just doesn't feel fully healed yet and is still just a little sore after these endeavors.  So, another few weeks of taking it easy...and definitely no increase in distance at the "race" until I can't feel a thing.  In the meantime, it is TAs and planks for some core strengthening! 

The middle of this upcoming week will mark 6 weeks with Isla.  I can't believe I have to return to work soon.  (pout and cry).  I think I am going to really see time fly these next years. 

New Mama Runs

After a 5ish month hiatus from running, I hit the roads this morning for the Road Race Series 5k.  I not only ran my first mile in months, I also took one more step in my transformation to mommy athlete.

My morning was a blur.  I had only 2 hours of sleep, which is the average for me the past 3 weeks so I am getting used to it.  Forget the days where I planned my morning nutrition, my morning was all about breastfeeding Isla so that she will have a good start to her day.  I was trying to find time to brush my hair/teeth, wash my face, put on deodorant (which I forgot), but it was a struggle.  I doubled up on my sports bras (I wear a large, now, where I used to wear an xs or s).  As I put on my "running clothes,"  I realized that nothing fit me anymore.  I looked horrible and was slightly very embarrassed.  Dave, super husband that he is, helped me find something to fit me (even offered from his own closet) and gently reminded me that I just had a baby.  As we drove to the race, I realized I had only shaved one leg.  Yes, things are very different with an infant in the house. 

After Dave and Isla dropped me off, I lined up in the very back of the race and fought back tears.  I thought, "maybe I am here too soon.  I just want to be at home with my baby.  Why am I walking a 5k again?  Who am I?"  On top of that, several friends and acquaintances did not recognize me as I made my way to the start- as my post-pregnancy body renders me unrecognizable, I guess.  As I stood in the back, I had to fight the urge to leave the race. 

As the race started, I tightened my core as best as I could and started off in a small jog, with all of the other walk/joggers near me.  I figured I would try to jog a little and then walk a little.  I saw a friend who is also a jogger/walker, and we congratulated ourselves on just being out there and trying to improve.  Another runner overheard us talking, and asked if I was "Damie" (the benefit to having an unusual name), and introduced herself as we had mutual friends.  She was also a brand new mom.  The "race" was starting to get a little better.

(I am the one in the men's shirt and red visor...trying to hide from the camera by running to the outside of it.  And yes, I did see the camera and tried to hide :)

Before I knew it, I had just run my first mile, not only 3.5 weeks post c-section, but also my only mile in the past 5 months.  I hadn't planned on jogging a whole mile, but I wasn't hurting and didn't want to stop once I started.  My first mile was in 10:41.  I was still okay, so I kept plodding along.  The next mile came in 10:22, and the final mile in 10:30 for an overall time of 32:58.  Since I had not planned on running even 1 mile, being able to finish 3 was an accomplishment.  It also felt much harder than any ironman I have ever done.

I finished my first 5k as a new mom.  Many, many moms have gone before me in this journey, and I honored that as I jogged beside so many women this morning.  There may be some women that are fast even after delivery, but as I ran this morning, I realized there are many, many more women like me.  I also realized that my body is pretty awesome.  It can nurture a baby.  It can run even when it hasn't run in many months.  It can recover quickly from surgery.  It is amazing.  

After the "race" I chatted with several friends (again, some of whom did not recognize me) as I waited for Dave and Isla.  It was wonderful to be reunited with my family when Dave picked me up, and as I sit here and listen to Isla make little noises as she sleeps, I think that there is no place that I would rather be.   

It is challenging to be a new mama runner.  It is not just the pure logistical challenges of leaving a breastfeeding baby when you only have 1 hour of free time before it is time to feed again, it is also the identity challenges that come with a changed body and heart.  I realize that I love running and I love my family.  It is okay that no one recognizes me, because I don't recognize myself.  I am now a mama runner, and I am different.  And it is awesome.