So about this week

I ran tonight...does that count?

Sigh...

It's been a sort of ineffectve week with Porter's birthday and my general chilling out. So Chris and I ran on Sunday, with Uncle Bill doing a quick rucksack run with Porter. And then really nothing other than walking until tonight. Chris leaves tomorrow to teach a clinic this weekend, which means exercise opportunities will tend towards the dog walking/stroller pushing and less running. Maybe I'll be able to squeeze some yoga or pilates in. Perhaps...

Thursday seems to be my night. Finally ran a full mile, and Chris took his Garmin GPS out. The cool news is that it proved that my guess on the distance of our trail lap was right on - 0.35 miles one way. So neener neener. The bad news is that I'm really in that bad a shape. Given I haven't gotten in much working out so far, that's to be expected. But I am super happy to crack that mile barrier. So for now I'll take it.

Sunday: Total 1.3 miles, Run 0.7 miles

Thursday: Total 1.3 miles, Run 1.05 miles

Hair of the Dog

Tonight I decided I had to suck it up. The frog jumps and butt and gut festivities from Tuesday left me in a lot of pain, with multiple knots in my muscles between knees and waist. But I didn't want to be completely out of commission for a week because of one class, so I went. In happy news, while I was running, the knots came out, and I felt really good. So good that I actually extended my trail run to .9 miles, which is the first increase in a while. The bad news is about 30 seconds after I stopped, the knots were back. No worse, but no better either. Hubby called it "hair of the dog" and I think that's probably as accurate as you can get.

Total: 1.2 miles, Run 0.9 miles.

er...um...yeah....

Last week...yeah that kinda sucked. Timing was off. More bad news. Not enough exercise. So we're going to pretend it NEVER.REALLY.HAPPENED.

This week we ran on Sunday, so about .7 mile, and then baby wrangling. Nothing on Monday, and then Tues...the dreaded "Butts and Gut". It was like the spawn of satan mated with aerobics. We started with a few stretches, then squats and lunges, and a round of lunging through the conference center, followed by frog leaps and pencil jumps. I walked out and turned to my friend Anastasia and said "Have I ever told you that I used to race bikes? And I played football? But today, today I realized how long ago that had all been..." All of that lunging, squatting and frog leaping, is killing me today. I've fallen twice trying to sit on the floor and play with Porter. It's been crazy. I've walked, but nothing much, not enough to count.

Oh yeah...

Forgot to post yesterday's run with Chris and clan. Not too much to say, a little warm, but not horrible.

Total: 1.4 miles, Run: 0.7 miles

Little wins

Yesterday was a combination of minor wins on the fit/fat front. The scale showed 4lbs down. That would be a major victory, but I'm not yet convinced that it's "real" weight loss. We'll see what turns up on the scale next week.

Anyway, I went into work yesterday mumbling about how much in pain I was. And dreading Pilates. But oddly enough after Pilates, I actually felt a lot better. I guess I just needed to stretch out a bit. Next week is an off week in the classes at work, and then the following week will be the frighteningly named "Butts and Guts".

Last night we went out for a run without Porter or the dogs. As I told Chris, it feels a lot different running without dragging a dog away from the rest of the pack. It was also cooler last night. And correspondingly, I actually was able to push a TEENSY bit further. It's not time to sign up for any marathon's yet, but it's the first time that I felt the urge to push even another second. So yeah for positive days.

Mileage: Total: 0.8 miles, Run: 0.8 miles.

A little behind

Ah yes, running a bit behind on posting.

So to recap:
-Friday, Pdawg running a gnarly fever all day, ended up taking the day off of work. Ya gotta love having 5 weeks of vacation. If my company wants to give me a few more days of vacation next year in lieu of a raise, I'm not sure that I would be too disappointed. (It's not on the table, just a random thought.) I've been taking 1/2 days on Friday for July & August, and I love it. But alas, I didn't do any exercise beyond the leisurely stroll with the dogs. Friday afternoon we got bad news on two fronts. Not our best day, and I didn't get any workouts in.

-Saturday, early run. I woke up at 7:30 AM, and dragged Fred and Ginger for a run. They were NOT stoked. Ginger is fine, but Fred is not understanding this running thing. Especially in the summer when it's above 60 degrees (which seems to be the magic number for an older, furry guy.) This will be the last street run with Freddy until the temp is sub 60. Then we'll see if it gets any better.
Total: 1.1 miles, run 0.5 miles until I got tired of dragging Fred.

-Sunday, afternoon run with my husband. Well by "with" I mean that one of us wrangled Porter and a dog while the other runs on the little trail with the other dog. Fred REALLY hates this. Not only are we running when it's fairly warm (80 ish), but now we're splitting up the pack, which is completely antithetical to being a German Shepherd. But at least I did the full lap without walking. And at the end of the lap, Porter ran out to meet me, which is just awesome, albeit a little limiting.
Total: 0.7 miles Running: 0.7 miles

-Monday, good news! The cast that Chris was expecting to wear for 2-3 months, should be coming off by the beginning of September. That's a much needed morale boost. Alas, that didn't include any exercise, just a happy heart.

-Tuesday, circuit training. Also known as the curse of the devil. It is a series of stations for upper body, lower body, core, and cardio. Lots of leaping, including a leap like a frog station. My son would have been so proud. And I walked out and thought "this is really going to suck." By the time I got home, and Pdawg had finished throwing the queen mother of fits because I offered him markers (oh will my cruelty never end?), I was cooked. The little man was still feeling under the weather and his mood was only marginally improved after the tantrum, so we just went together and cheered Chris on as he ran. And there were construction vehicles at the trail head. And gravel! So we muddled along not so badly. Chris extended his run, with a break to curse at the dogs as they dragged their little paws, and to re-work the leash system. But a good solid workout for him, and a chance to feel endorphins again for the first time in a couple of weeks.

-Wednesday, nada so far. Oh sure, I said that I was going to run this AM since I passed on running last night. But I got up this morning and every muscle in my body screamed for mercy. I even put on my running duds, and was somewhat convinced that I was going to run. Right up until my usual starting point, when I woke up enough to greet reality. The dogs were also lagging, so we ambulated a longer block, but at a very slow, stately pace. Stately is such a good word, don't you think? Sounds much more respectable than saying I crawled around the block whimpering pathetically. So maybe there will be a later update promoting the awesome run, but I wouldn't bet on that.

Tomorrow will be pilates, and then another run with Chris (although we'll have a babysitter, so no dog dragging or toddler wrangling). So I'm looking forward to that. Sort of. In a masochistic kind of way.

-This morning

The family that plays together...

Since Chris is off the bike for a little while, but still needs to get some exercise to keep the circulation in good shape. So tonight we went for the family outing to a short trail near our house. I'm estimating that it's about a third of a mile. The game plan was for me to run down and back, then Chris to run down and back. Chris had Ginger, I had Fred. I had a crummy run, I should have taken on some calories (again with nutrition issues!), and just ran out of steam. Blech.

When Chris came back, Porter decided it was his turn So he took off for the end of the trail. I let him walk all the way at the end. And then he ran out of steam. So I carried him back to the stroller at the trail head and we all headed home.

Mileage: 1.5 miles total, 0.5 miles run

Oh yeah, totals...

Since KSP mentioned about totals in her blog and in a comment on mine, I realized that I haven't done any weekly totalling. Which means that it's hard to see progress. For now, I've added a "List" to my sidebar, where I can keep the totals. I'm sure I'll need a more elegant way once we're 6 months or a year down the line. But it'll do for now.

Best Laid Plans

Ah, well about the plan.

Originally I thought, Friday relax, Saturday Bike Ride, Sunday run. And then Friday night Chris broke his wrist in a biking accident. I was a little unsure as to how incapacitated he would be, and reluctant to go out for a few hours leaving him to manage Porter, and the dogs. Add to that our area was roughly the same temperature as the sun, only with humidity, and I completely blew off bike ride.

Last night my first week of working out, stress, and a few bad nights of sleep earlier in the week caught up with me. I was passed out by 9:30. I didn't hear Chris come into the room, and if Porter fussed at all last night, well we had some Ferber time. I woke up at 7AM much more human.

So I did get out this AM for the dog walk and run before everyone woke. This morning was at least only 72, albeit rather humid. I walked the dogs around the short block (0.3 miles), dropped Fred off, and went for a run with Ginger. I felt like hell. I decided to incorporate the first few feet of a hill I will need to do ultimately if I continue on this running circuit. But really in general I just wasn't feeling that great. So I pulled the plug at roughly 0.5 mile. Not an awesome day, but it's something.

Still no progress for me on the nutrition front. Today's learning experience: It doesn't take long for toenails to be a problem. After I got home, I trimmed mine because they were causing me some pain. Sheesh. Who knew pedicures were part of the running routine? I could get into that!

Mileage: 1.5 miles total, 0.5 miles running

Reality is such an ugly thing

The bad news: I stepped onto the scale, and found out that I've GAINED weight in the last 3 months. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I would have sworn there was weight loss. But alas...

Anyway, went to core/flex which was taught by the same woman who did Pilates, and this was much better in the instruction, much worse in the whining from someone who isn't over Pilates.

Then ran 5 min with my husband this evening.

I'm sore and I'm not seeing weight loss. This is officially not my finest hour. I am taking tomorrow off anyway - just need a breather - although we're taking P-Dawg to the Pool tomorrow, so it's not precisely a laze around kind of day.

And Saturday we'll rise and fight again...

Go, me!

So yesterday's overly ambitious plan to get up at Oh-five-thirty ("What does the "O" stand for? "oh my God, it's early"), and run, then go to work for a day full of meetings, and do lunchtime pilates, oddly enough fell on it's face. But that's ok. I crammed enough stuff in that even though I didn't hit it all, I still did 40 minutes of pilates at lunch. And then I got up this AM and took the dogs for their normal walk, dropped Fred off, and Ginger and I went for a run.

Today was more measured than Sunday's rather pathetic "blow the pipes out" kind of run. Blow the pipes out physically doesn't make any sense if you aren't already in a good spot for endurance. Mine looked like a race for a block, with insane slowing for the balance of the run, ending in a pathetic shamble while Ginger pulled her rather stupid owner along. But mentally, I love to RUN. I don't particularly love to jog. Sunday was all about "I need to run, even if it really is just a block." Hopefully in the longer term, that RUN will be for more than that.

But back to today. With my more measured stride, and Ginger pacing along besides me, I added probably another quarter mile-ish to my run. Downhill. Does that count? Definitely a better, saner run, and I actually didn't feel quite as horrible off the start. Instead of getting 2 steps into my run and the brain telling me how ridiculous this is, why am I doing this, your lungs are about to explode, blah, blah blah, well it must have been sound asleep today. Because I wasn't thinking anything except that Ginger is turning out to be a heck of a running partner. She's a completely different dog, more focused, running next to me, less interested in other distractions, when we run. I need my brain to be more like Ginger. And good heavens, that has never been said before. Except for the running next to me part. I don't want the brain to run next to me.

Thoughts on Pilates. They offer these classes at work at lunch time for free Which is sweet. The bad news is they're all done by one fitness person, and I think we have a "jack of all trades, master of none" scenario happening. I have no doubt she's good in the weight room, but she seems oddly lacking in an understanding of the theory behind some of the stuff she's teaching. I was floored when I attended her nutrition class, and she said she didn't know how vegetarians got protein. Wa-hhuuh?! So she flounders sometimes in weird ways. Pilates is taught off of a list of moves, and I don't think she's really teaching form that well. The end result is that this gets to be a "good enough" class instead of a good class. For free, I can't complain. And I can hang with my friend Anastasia, and I feel more of an impetus to go. Thursday's class is core/flex, and we'll see how that works. But I think if I want to do Pilates with any regularity, it may behoove me to pay for classes at the local studio now and again, so that I do learn form.

Mileage: 1.5 miles total, 0.75 miles running.

Switcheroo

Today the original plan was to run with Chris for his 5 minute run. Or hand Porter off. Or something. Regardless, when we started doing the math, it became apparent that the schedule just wasn't going to work. Chris needed to fit in work and yoga, and quite honestly skipping either for 5 minutes of running was ludicrous. That probably isn't the worst news in the world for me. I've been cranky and tired for last few days, so I'll take today as a day to watch other people exercise (Vive le Tour!), try to make the living room floor look like something we could conceivably walk across, and then go to bed. And tomorrow morning I'll set my alarm for "just 5 more minutes, Mom!", and scrunch in a run. Also planning on doing Pilates at lunch since it's offered at work. So if the running thing doesn't work out, I'll still do SOMETHING. And that something won't be sleep. So it should all work out.

Done counting

After a pretty stellar start to my exercise week last week, things sort of disintegrated. Job pressures cut into my normal lunch exercise time. Sleep pressures (aka lack of sleep) made getting up early really unattractive. None of which are excuses - I need to make exercise a priority - but they are the factors that led to my decisions to not run.

But this morning, I got a run in. My husband, knowing that eating before early morning exercise is a pain point for me, made me a bottle of HEED. I felt really bad admitting it, but...blech. So what to take on prior to an early morning run continues to be an issue. It's not a big deal right now when my runs are really short, but hopefully there will be improvement, and a need for fuel.

This morning actually wasn't much different from last week, except I took Ginger with me on the run, then picked up Fred for a cool down. My longer term expectations for fall-winter-spring is that both dogs will come with me. But right now the heat is really bothering Fred, even with his cool haircut. So Ging and I walked up to the main drag, ran 1/2 mile, and finished our walk home, then picked up the Fred monster and walked the "short block". Because I hate jogging, I ran, which is way too fast for a beginner. But I love running, I just am not in shape for it. Today, I ran, while Ging napped at my side the whole way. She misses mountain biking with Chris. I know that to get real about this, I'll need to jog instead of running. But running is more fun! Jogging has never felt natural to me. So it's going to be a mental thing for me (like most running is.)

Tomorrow husband of the year has running on his schedule. I think I have just the place where we can take Porter and the dogs, and literally run rings around them. Should be fun!

Mileage: 1.5 miles total, 0.5 miles running

Day 3 - Do I only count the day if I exercise?

So after two whole days in a row of working out, today was pretty quiet. I got out for a walk at lunch with my friend Anastasia, but I gave in to exhaustion this AM and didn't climb out of bed early for a run. And this evening was a later than usual night at work, so my poor husband was stressed and depressed. No workouts here. Tonight will just have to be a fairly early night, and an early morning run tomorrow. I hope.

Day 2 - A new keyboard!

We have a portable keypad now, and voila, backspace key and numbers. Oh, the luxury!

Yesterday afternoon being a gorgeous and warm day, we loaded up the family truckster and took Porter to the pool. We hung out for about an hour, playing fun pool games like "Throw the toddler" and drag the toddler around in the water. Which is not to be construed as Porter not having fun. If ever there was a child born to water, he's it. He starts giggling the minute he sees the pool, and a good time is had until he has completely run out of steam. At which point, Mommy is a necessary ride across the full parking lot to the car which was parked roughly 2 light years away. So add a 35 pound rucksack hike up the hill to my workout yesterday.

Not that I'm complaining. Much. Except, well, wow, I was achy today at work.

Annnnnd just to keep things going, I "won" a free pPilates class, and today was my class. As wonderfully gentle as the instructor was on me, well it was still Pilates. I've never had a class before. It hurts my already hurt body.

I think I'm going to skip tomorrow's jog. Owee.

Day One - July Eleven Two Thousand Ten

I bought new shoes, with a few quality minutes at Fleet Feet last night. Buying shoes for me is a pretty quick dealy hooper. When you have enormous clonkin' feet like I do, there are no women's shoes. Add to that that I supinate instead of pronate like the rest of the world, and suddenly I had two men's shoes options. One fairly padded, one not so much. So the trauma and decision making issues are greatly reduced. I can have anything I want as long as it's one of these two shoes.

So last night, knowing Chris needed to leave for his ride at seven thirty, I laid out some of my clothes. I say "Some" because I had no running shorts upstairs. "No prob" I thought, I'll just snag some out of the laundry, and a pair of socks, and it'll be good."

This morning at six thirty, Chris's alarm went off, followed shortly by the cry of the toddler who really isn't ready to wake up. %^%. I went in to find him uncomfortably wedged between bed and wall, with the all important froggies scattered hither and yon. So I rearranged him on his bed, with his froggies, and laid down with him for a few minutes until he fell back asleep. My, the bed was comfortable.

Oh, yeah, focus. Focus.

So pulling on the upper clothing, I went in search of socks and shorts. And searched, and searched... I have appropriate running attire, for the life of me I couldn't find it. So with my mismatched sock, dressed in cotton yoga pants, I leashed up the dogs, and we went for a run. The key was, I had to be back by seven thirty, and hopefully before Porter woke up. So it was decision time, and I went, clad in an outfit that will surely get me kicked out of the neighborhood.

Ah the dogs. The logistics of running with the dogs require a potty break first. The logistics of my neighborhood is that all walks/runs, require an uphill. So I wussed out on my first day, and walked straight up the hill, allowing the dogs to potty. And then we started to run.

And I remembered the reason I hate running so much. Blah. Nothing feels so good. I'm pretty sure I need a jog bra as it appears being a mommy, in addition to growing my feet to epic proportions, has caused me to outgrow my sports bras. Not by a lot, but the girls were not staying put the way they should. Also, having rushed out of the house without eating means that I had that queasy, semi lightheaded feeling that comes with a lack of sugar. Somehow I need to figure out how to get food into my belly without having to wake up at AM to do it.
About three steps into my run I realized "This is why I'm a cyclist".

It's day one, eh, I'll just go to Mineos.

I got to Mineos and felt better, so I thought "just to the fountain." I looked down at the dogs, and Fred looked like I felt - tongue out the side of the mouth, huffing and puffing. I looked at Ginger, and she looked like she was about to suggest that we throw in some speed work for interest. Her mouth wasn't even open, just pacing along next to me. Just a warning, Ging, too many days like that, and Fred and I will have to kill you in your sleep. Assuming we have the energy.

But having survived my way to the fountain, well I might as well go to Aldo. And hey, having gotten to Aldo, well I can make my way to the parking garage.

Insert screeching breaks sound here.

Fred decided we're stopping at Aldo's dog water bowl. This nonsense had to stop. And even though I could have tugged to keep him running, the break in momentum was enough to end my run.

Day One Realities:

1. I have to get organized the night before
2. I need new sports bras
3. I'm probably never going to be a natural runner
4. Ginger will be running my partner, except on rest days when I'll take the old man. She'll push me.
   
5. My new shoes are awesome. Like running on pillows.
6. I run like a steam engine.
7. Not having numbers one through five, and the back space key, sucks. Porter got it with some Gatorade.

Mileage: (cough, erm) 0.5 miles