Plodding Hippo

Although I felt great after the race was over, I din't run a smart race.  I ran the first three miles about forty-five seconds per mile faster than I should have (the temptation to run too fast downhill was too great).  I paid dearly during the last mile and 1/2.  I am planning to on running a much smarter race next year.  This is the first 10k I've participated in since my daughter was born.  It is great to see where I am at and start building from there.  Overall, great course and awesome crowd support during the last couple of miles.  I am definitely running this race again.          

Last night, I told myself that I was going to the Jordan River Parkway at 5:00am and running 15 miles. Wrong! Instead, I woke up at 8:00am. After getting the kids up and feeding them, it was already 8:30am. I didn't make it to JRP until 9:00am, when it was already blistering hot. I only had seven really, really slow miles in me today.  What kept me going was the thought that with gas costing what it does these days, I needed to put in at least five miles to justify the 20 mile drive to JRP. 

So-so run. When will I learn that it is not a good idea to have a Crown Burger for dinner the night before a run . . . Ahh, but they are so tasty.

I ran four miles on the treadmill.  Last week was a really bad week.  Everyday, I created an excuse not to run (too hot, too tired, too full, too hungry).  I am realizing that I am a morning runner.  If I don't get my run out of the way before 7:00am, it's not happening. 

Ran on the treadmill.

I ran on the treadmill during the day. I am trying really hard to be consistent. This year, my goal is to run to help me lose the weight I gained after having my second child. Not having a specific race as a goal makes it difficult to find the motivation to run. What is also frustrating is that I was hoping that by August, I would be down to my pre-pregnancy weight (not even close). I'm at that point in my running where I am not fit enought to enjoy running. Right now, running hurts---it's not fun. All I can do is try to remember why I loved running and how good it felt to be fit. The great thing is that Fall is around the corner and I LOVE running during the Fall.

I ran four slooooow miles on the treadmill.  I was surprised at how much fitness I lost.  I fell of the running wagon during the last few weeks, but I am trying to get back on.  After losing a few pounds, I started telling myself that it was okay to miss a run.  Before I knew it, I cut my runs from five to six a week to one or two a week.  I also started telling myself that, since I lost a few pounds, it was okay to start eating fast food again.  Here I am now---slower and plumper than I was one month ago.  I had a heart-to-heart with myself today and have renewed my commitment to get fit and faster.  If I don't, I will have to change my blog name from Plodding Hippo to Waddling Walrus.       

Three miles with the kids.

I’m back from a long vacation from running.  After the DN 10K, I stopped running.  I am not sure why, but I did.  I started missing runs and before I knew it, even running a couple of miles became a struggle.  I am amazed at how quickly I lost all of my fitness.  Now, I am at a point where I can’t run without constantly taking walking breaks.    

My plan is to build my base back up again this Fall/Winter.  Hopefully, next Spring, I will be in a position (fitness wise) to start training for St. George 2009 or some other Fall marathon.

During the last week, I started reading Sasha’s wife’s blog and it really inspired me.  I started thinking to myself, “wow, this woman is nine months pregnant, has a large family, yet she still manages to find the time and energy to run.”         

I met my friend Elizabeth early morning at SH Park for a run.  I was surprised at how great I felt during the run.  After we both took a long break from running, we decided to start meeting on Sunday mornings for a long run.  We are hoping to build our base this winter so that we are ready for next year’s running season.   

Both of our husbands run on Saturday morning, so meeting Sunday morning will work out great.  After his Saturday long run, the last thing my husband wants to do is to watch two toddlers.  Last summer, I tried running after my husband finished his long run.  By the time he would get home, it was already blazing hot outside.  Needless to say, that set up did not last long.  I usually take my kids on Saturday mornings and push them in the jogger, but with winter around the corner, I don’t want to expose them to cold weather.  It is also not fun to push the jogger for more than four or five miles.   

It was great to run with my friend.  She is also a mom with a million things on her plate.  It is so nice to run with another mom and talk about the chaos that comes when you are raising toddlers.  Not only did I feel great physically after the run, but I also felt great emotionally after venting about how hard it is to raise kids.  I hope that we can keep this up.    

I ran with my friend Elizabeth earlier today.  We ran in the SH area.  The weather was perfect for running today.  It was about 53 degrees when we started. 

This week, I need to work on getting my weekday runs in.  I took my gym bag to work each day last week--that's a good start.  Maybe next week, I'll work on actually taking my running shoes and clothes out of the bag.  Who knows, maybe someday, I may acutally run.

Pushed the kids in the running jogger for three miles.  I've decided that I am not going to wear the Garmin anymore.  I want to run just for the pure enjoyment of running.  I don't want to worry about pace right now.  It seems that whenever I wear the Garmin, I run while staring at the darn gadget the entire time. 

Overall, a good run.