Tuesday, August 31, 2010

More Long Run Woes!

As a mom of two young boys, I always have to be flexible.  It has take some time to adjust to this but I try not to let it bother me too much anymore.  This time I believe it will work in my favor.  I had originally planned my long run for this evening after L went to bed.  That is not going to work out now.  My lovely husband had a colonoscopy today and is just a little off.  I feel bad leaving him to deal with getting J to bed by himself so I will put my long run off until the weekend.  I did not want to take 2 plus hours out of our long weekend at the beach for that run but now I will.  It will be a glorious 12 miles along the Jersey shore on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.  I am hoping for Friday morning! 

So for the rest of my week...core workout tonight once I get L to bed.  Tomorrow calls for a 7 mile run and Thursday will be 5-6.  For once, the need to be flexible may just work in mama's favor!  Of course now I have a few more days to think about that 12 mile run!

Getting ready for 12!

Every long run from here on out seems very daunting since I have not run this far yet!  I am doing my long run tonight so I don't have to take the time away from the beach this weekend.  I had to take the day off to take my husband for a minor procedure but we have the boys until we leave.  I won't be able to run until this evening.  The timing is not the greatest because I will be thinking about all 12 miles all day long!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Sunday morning ramblings

This was not a great running week for me.  Luckily it was a rest week on my plan and it only called for 19-20 miles.  I came in short at a little more than 17 miles.  I skipped a run on Friday because my Achilles was acting up.  My plan calls for 28-30 miles this coming week.  I figured it was smarter to come up short on a rest week and give my Achilles a chance to heal so I can be right back at it for this week.  I do have to admit I am a little nervous about the upcoming week.  I think I have a 7 mile interval run, a 12 mile long run, and I am not sure about the other 2 runs.  I plan on doing the 7 on Monday and the 12 on Tuesday.  We will be heading back to the beach Wednesday evening so I will get the other 2 runs in down here.  It won't be a problem getting the runs in but I will have to deal with the heat and humidity. 

I am trying to get a few races in between now and the marathon in November.  I may do a 7 mile run next Sunday.  It really all depends on the weather.  I can register the morning of the race so it will be a last minute decision.  If it is crazy hot and humid, I will be skipping the race.  I am checking out a few sprint triathlons too but not sure what will fit into the family schedule.  I would really like to do another one this year on my new bike.  I was checking out the Philly Rock and Roll Half marathon next month but I can't justify spending over $100 right now for one race.  There is a low key 10 mile run in October I would like to do but again it depends on family.  The run usually starts at noon and I believe my niece's birthday party will be that day. 

We are having a nice lazy morning at the shore house right now.  I am not sure what time we are heading home but we normally do not stick around on Sundays.  I am ready to head home and get out on my new bike!

Saturday, August 28, 2010

My high maintenance kid!

L looks like a little angel as I type this.  We are at the shore and he always gives us a hard time when it comes to his nap.  I layed down with him on the bed and he is now sound asleep.  Looks are very deceiving!  I love him, I really do!  This kid has been a problem since June 30, 2008, the day he was born!  The money I have spent on this child is incredible.  Sure, all kids are expensive, but this kid takes the prize.  The money we have spent on doctor visists, medicine, and the formula is just absurd.  The money we spent on formula alone could have sent him to college for a year.  Ok...slight exaggeration but not by much.

As an infant, we dealt with severe reflux issues.  We played the formula guessing game until we found one that kind of worked.  We were able to wean him off his medicine around 18 months old but that is really just because he refused milk.  We are now taking the steps to find out of we are dealing with a milk allergy.  We eliminated anything where cow's milk is the main ingredient a few weeks ago.  He now gets almond or soy milk, coconut ice cream (YUM!!!) and we have had many temper tantrums when his big brother has yogurt.  I took him to a pediatric allergest yesterday where he was tested for a milk and soy allergy with a skin prick test.  Both, thankfully, came back negative but the doctor is not sold on it not being an allergy.  He told us to elminate all dairy from his diet and take him for a blood test.  Apparently a blood test is much more reliable than the skin prick test when it comes to food allergies.  Who knew! 

I never realized how much stuff dairy is in!  This is going to be extremely difficult.  We have definitely seen huge changes by eliminating what we have already.  We may just continue what we are doing until we do the blood test and get the results.  If it is an allergy, we would then move forward with eliminating more.  If it not an allergy, the allergist said it could be some kind of enzyme issue. 

It is so difficult looking at my little L sleeping so peacefully and also know that what he is eating could be tearing up his little belly!  I just want to protect him.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Three Things Thursday

1.  I am taking L to a pediatric allergist tomorrow morning regarding a possible milk allergy.  We have issues with him since he was 5 weeks old and I am looking forward to getting some answers.  I hate knowing that L is eating and drinking stuff that is making him sick.  I am anxious to know if we are dealing with an allergy or an intolerance.  Either way, we know it is making him sick. 

2.  Summer is winding down and it makes me happy and sad!  I am looking forward to cooler days, some nice long runs outside, and fall!  I am going to miss our weekends at the shore and runs on the boardwalk.  We will be down the beach this weekend and next weekend.  September is already booking up but I hope to get down one weekend!  The rides and stuff on the boardwalk close up October 3rd.  As of right now, I think we might get one weekend in between Labor Day and the last weekend of the season.  That makes me sad but we have had a great season down there this year!  Summer winding down also means J starts preschool.  I can't believe he is old enough to go to school.

3.  I am trying cut back on my daily coffee intake.  The coffee is not the problem.  My problem is the yummy flavored creamers!  I have such a headache right now.  I keep telling myself it will be worth it.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Time to focus on me

I have been writing this post in my head for a week and just can't come up with the right words.  I am trying to chose my words wisely. 

I am finally at peace with some issues in my personal life.  I had this quote on my facebook status a week ago "When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." (Victor Frankl).  It has taken me awhile to accept this and I think I finally have! 

I have spent most of the past year focusing on things that are beyond my control and stopped focusing on myself.  Sure, I have continued to run and take time for me but I have not been able to make changes that I have been trying to make. 

I really feel as though I have finally come to terms with the way things have become.  I hope this is the turning point for the changes I want to make in myself. 

She is so pretty!

Ten days ago I talked to the owner of my local bike shop about a new road bike.  It took me another week to get back over to the shop to test drive a bike.  Of course it was raining the day I was able to stop by the store without my boys.  They put the bike on the trainer for me and fitted it at least and it was a perfect fit!  I knew it would be another week until I could get back to the store unless I ran over at lunchtime.  I tested the bike today at lunch and she is in the back of my van as I type this!  I knew I was going to buy it but I did not think I would leave the store today with it!  I cannot wait to get some miles in and of course it is supposed to rain all evening.  I don't expect to be able to ride until Sunday but I am excited to get out on the road!

Now I have to check out the local triathlons between now and the end of the season!  I am dying to do another one on my road bike.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

DFL>DNF>DNS

I biked with my tri club for the first time this morning and I was DFL.  If you are not up on the terms, DFL means dead f___ last, DNF is did not finish and DNS is did not start.  I did the 15+ mile ride on my hybrid when the rest of the girls have road bikes.  There was one other newbie who was on a mountain bike so at least I was DFL with her!! I am still hoping to get to the bike shop this weekend to test out some bikes and get one ordered.  I don't think I will be riding with the girls again until I am on my roadie! 

I am mentally getting ready for my 11 mile run tomorrow.  The furthest I have done yet is 10.  I keep telling myself it is just one more mile.  I will do about 25 miles this week.  Next week is a rest week and I will be down to about 19.  After next week I will continue to increase my miles running more in a week than I have ever run.  I am excited and nervous about this.  Today is a day of many doubts!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Some thoughts on this rainy Wednesday

This week's question for the Distance Dreamers is "Do you run with other people - who, where, when and why (or why not)?"

I have not run with other people yet.  I am going to start biking Saturday mornings with my tri club after Labor Day.  I do not think I will ever run with anyone but I may change my mind.  I have incredibly flat feet.  I was fitted by a friend for orthotics back in January and he laughed when he looked at the mold.  He told me that I may just have the worst feet he has ever seen!  Because of my flat feet, I tend to have issues with my Achilles.  My fear of running with other people is that I would run faster or farther than planned and have another flare up with my Achilles.  I hope that someday that may change and I can run with some of the women in my tri club.

It is pretty miserable here this morning.  My alarm went off at 4:30 and I heard the rain pelting the windows and roof.  Even though John was already gone for work and my run was on the treadmill, it was a nice morning to sleep a little later.  No big deal!  Or so I thought!  My little Ironman and Superman (I may have to start referring to them like this now!) got on my last nerve this morning.  I strongly believe I had no patience for them because I did not run this morning.  I started to run 2 years ago because my trainer told me to.  I continued to run because it was the one thing that really helped my post partum depression (PPD).  Superman is now 2 years old so I guess I can't call it PPD anymore but I still issues now and then.  I also have a hard time taking a true rest day because I know it affects my mood.  Running and some kind of exercise makes me a much happier mama!

And I thought I would add a few pics of my boys to brighten my rainy day!





Tuesday, August 17, 2010

10 Things Tuesday

1.  I just made the most delicious No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars.  I found the recipe on a blog but have no idea which blog.  OMG!!  is all I can say!
2.  I am slightly blog addicted which is why I can't remember which blog I see things on these days.
3.  My sons, especially J (3 years old) is all about superheros these days.  I need to brush up on superheros.  I may have to take the Marvel Encyclopedia to bed the next few nights!
4.  Both boys are all about wearing their Superhero pjs.  J is Ironman tonight and L is Superman.  They have both been wearing long sleeved pjs for the past 5 nights and it has been in the 90s in NJ!
5.  I am taking L to the allergist next week for a possible milk allergy.  He has some kind of milk issue but we don't know the extent of it.  I am looking for all kinds of dairy free products and recipes!
6.  I am sick of the humidity and ready for fall.
7.  I may need to run an extra mile or two tomorrow thanks to these Chocolate peanut butter bars!  What was I thinking?!?!
8.  My aunt wants me to head to Florida next year for the Disney Princess Half Marathon.  It is at a bad time for me to take a long weekend away from work.  We are working 6 days a week during that time of the year.
9.  My dad/boss has told me I can do the run if I want to.
10.  Superman is standing in his crib screaming.  I guess my blogging is done for now!

No one said this would be easy...

But this is damn hard!  I had a tough run this morning and I just wanted to quit!  I am following Matt Fitzgerald's marathon plan and today's run was a lactate run.  My run consisted of...

1 mile in Pace Zone 3
8 x 1 minute sprints with 1 minute recovery after each
1 mile in Pace Zone 3 (I did about 1.4 to round my run to 4 miles)

I know I will never run a race like this but I was ready to quit after the 4th sprint!  I kept telling myself that it has to get easier but I know it will just get harder as I get closer to the marathon!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Weekend recap and a look at the week

This weekend ended up being a really good weekend! I was supposed to run Friday morning but I opted to stay in bed a little later than normal. I got up at 5:30 and knew I did not have time to run before L woke up. Instead I spent some time in the kitchen getting some meals prepped and in the freezer to make life easier for us! I figured out I have about 6-8 weeks of main courses in the freezer ready to pull out and toss in the oven.

Because I skipped the run, I thought I would run in the evening but I really did not feel like that at all. John and I took the boys to Kohls and did some clothes shopping for J for the fall and winter. I had a great coupon and did not want to pass on the savings. My Friday run was pushed to early Saturday morning before my ride with my tri club. I had a decent 5.5 mile run in and headed out at 6:30 to meet the girls at 7. I thought I knew where they met and I was mistaken so I headed home. I was bummed but will be more informed for next Saturday. I headed out with the boys, my mom, and my sister and did some more clothes shopping Saturday morning.

My aunt and uncle watched the boys Saturday evening so we could get out kid free. We had planned on dinner and then I read on Facebook (how else are people informed these days!) that John's buddies were playing poker so I gave him the ok to go. We went for an early dinner and then went our separate ways. He played poker and I went out for a few drinks with my lovely mother in law!! Had a blast and we need to do it more often.

Today involved shopping for some storage boxes to get the toy situation in our house under control. I just finished my 10 mile long run of the week and feel ok. My left achilles is hurting a little bit though. I guess an ice massage is in the plans for this evening!

The weekend was a great mixture of errands, family time, kid free time, and training. What more else can a busy mama ask for!!

My week ahead in training...

Monday...core work and strength training
Tuesday... 4.5ish mile Interval run
Wednesday...5.5 mile base run
Thursday...3.5ish mile lactate run
Thursday evening...swim at the Y
Friday...rest day!!
Saturday...bike with the tri club
Sunday...11 mile long run

The 11 mile long run will be the longest run I have done to date!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Less than 100 days!

I still keep asking myself what the heck am I doing!! I have less than 100 days to get ready for this crazy thing called a marathon! 99 days to be exact!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

My long run conspiracy

When I decided to train for a marathon, I made a promise to myself that I would do everything possible to get my training in when the kids were asleep. Most runs are super early before the boys wake up. Some are during naptime and some are in the evening after L goes to bed. I really don't enjoy the nighttime runs anymore and try to avoid them at all costs. I have been pretty good about running early in the morning but I am having a hard time figuring out my long run. My husband is gone most mornings before I even wake up to run. It means most of my runs are on the treadmill but what is a busy mama supposed to do!

The long run...I have a few options. 1. Pick a day and I run after L is in bed. 2. Do it on the weekends and let them have some daddy/kid time. 3. Run on the weekend, do what I can on the treadmill and then when L wakes up, toss him in the BOB and finish on the road.

Option 1 has not worked the past two weeks! I think it is a conspiracy and everyone knows I really don't want to run at night anymore! Last week I was going to run 8 miles Wednesday night but L gave us a hard time going to sleep and it was too late to run. Last night I was going to run 10 after he went to bed but instead I spent well over 2 hours looking for the jacket to J's karate uniform. Still can't find it and he needs to wear it tonight for his first ever belt test! They don't have to wear the jacket during the summer for class and he just started 2 months ago. I have to call Kyoshi today and hope I can borrow or buy him a new one today!! Mother of the year I tell you!!

I hate the idea of Option 2. I don't want to lose a few hours on the weekend with my family! I work full time and want to be with them on the weekends.

I may give Option 3 a try this weekend!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

10 Things Tuesday

1. I am super proud of my 3 year old son! He has been taking karate classes for the past two months and tomorrow is his first belt test. He will test to be a Yellow Belt in the Little Dragons class.
2. Just rocked and sang to my 2 year old son. I love bedtime routine! He is such a little lover and loves to snuggle when we rock.
3. I love running in the morning before the boys wake up! I will stick with one evening/nighttime run a week though and I am dreading it.
4. We had planned on heading to the shore this weekend but we decided at dinner this evening to stay home.
5. I am excited about #4 because I can now do a group ride Saturday morning with my triathlon club. This is the first group training I will make it to.
6. I really love the support of the tri club and plan on becoming much more involved with the fine ladies of http://www.mullicahilltriclub.com/!
7. I am also excited about #4 because we are hoping to get some kid free time this weekend!
8. I ordered a new pair of running sneaks last week and got them in the mail on Friday. I love them so much that I ordered a second pair already! I plan on rotating the two pairs so I am not running the marathon in brand new shoes or worn out shoes. I can't believe I am planning ahead like this. I got a great deal on the shoes though...$120 sneaks for $80 and free shipping!
9. I still can't stop thinking about a new bike!
10. I am almost at 500 miles for the year! This is huge for me since I have never considered myself a runner before!

Monday, August 9, 2010

Weekend training and the upcoming week

I set my alarm for 4:15 Friday morning with the thought of my 8 mile long run before my monsters woke for the day. I decided to reset the alarm for 6 and go back to bed! I knew if I ran right then, those 8 miles would be on the treadmill. Now I have to confess, I really don't mind the treadmill (more on that later). However, all I could think about was running on the boardwalk Saturday or Sunday. I knew if I went back to sleep I would have to get a 4 1/2 mile and an 8 mile run in between Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday morning...my run started later than I originally planned. John took L for a walk on the boardwalk with his dad and I did not want to leave my mother in law alone with J and his two cousins for too long. I headed up to the boardwalk around 9:45ish and it was hot! I was feeling pretty dehydrated and dizzy when I got back to our street. I needed to run the last few blocks of the boardwalk and back to our street for me to hit 4.5 miles but instead I headed back to the house. I ended the run at 4.25 miles and felt terrible. I think it was my worst run in a long time. I need to start carrying water with me when I run at the shore or bring some cash to grab a bottle of water.

Sunday...I had an 8 mile run to do on Sunday and it was even hotter than Saturday! I opted to skip the morning run on the boardwalk for breakfast with the family. I started my run on the treadmill during naptime once we got home but L did not stay asleep for the entire 8 miles. I tosses him in my beloved BOB and finished my run outside with him.

My week ahead...I have 4 runs planned this week. My training schedule is at home but I am pretty sure I have a 5.5 base run, a 5 mile interval run, a 3+ish mile Lactate run (first one in this plan!) and a 10 mile long run. I plan on strength training twice and hoping to get out for a bike ride once. I am still working out the week in my head!

15 weeks from yesterday is the marathon!

Friday, August 6, 2010

How I got here

I was never a runner. In fact, I hated running. I hated everything about it. And then I had 2 boys. My boys are 3 and 2 years old. After I had my youngest, aka Trouble, I started working out with a trainer. The day he told me to get on the treadmill and run I told him he was absolutely nuts. I had also told him the prior week that I would never tell him I would not or could not do something so on the treadmill I went! Who ever thought I would fall in love with running!

My youngest was not an easy baby and that helped my desire to run! I ran to get out of the house and away from the crying!

January of 2009 I signed up for my first 5k for March of that same year. The week prior to the race all I could think about was the 10 mile race instead of the 5k. With some encouragement I switched my registration and ran my first race! I went into the race with no expectations of time other than wanting to run the entire 10 miles and I did. Later that year, I was talked into doing a sprint triathlon and I was hooked!

Fast forward to 2010...I ran the 10 mile race again in March and beat my time by 13 minutes! I will admit that I am not a fast runner but 13 minutes is still 13 minutes. I ran a 5k in June for the sole purpose of getting over my fear of a 5k. Like I said, I am not a fast runner and the fear was holding me back from doing one. Last weekend I did SheRox sprint triathlon in Philadelphia. For those of you that live in the NJ/PA/DE area, yes I did swim in the Schuylkill and I loved it! I cannot wait to do it again.

The rest of 2010...It is only August so I have plenty of time left in the year. I hope to do one more sprint triathlon in the next 2 months. I am registered for the Philly Marathon on November 21st. In fact, I registered for it the morning of the first day I could because I was afraid I would chicken out.

So here I am...2 years ago I hated running and now I am 5 weeks into a 20 week marathon training plan.