A Marathon Leap

Whoops. It's been a bit TOO long.

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:26:00 +0000

Back when I was running a lot I had two kids napping, now I just have one. I decided to try to run today during the little guys nap ... Which is now "quiet time" for his big sister.

It was very difficult to explain to her that she had to leave me be for a whole 20 minutes. I put on one of her shows and sat her in front of the tv ... Then went to the treadmill.

It took me about 5 minutes (maybe more) to turn it on! I forgot it won't start without a key :(. By that time Brooke was already getting antsy, and I hadn't even started.

I decided to run 2 miles. First, because my legs still hurt from the other day. Second, because I knew she wasn't going to wait for a three mile run.

During those two miles she came in four times. She wanted to hand me the empty bowl from her snack. Then she wanted to get some hand weights to "exercise". Then she just wanted to chat. Then she had to announce she had to go potty.

I did the first mile at 10:30. I kept increasing the pace from that point, at every .25 miles. I knew my window was short.

Good thing: got in two runs this week
Bad thing: naptime running is going to be a challenge

Im Back

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 19:37:00 +0000

Bet you thought I stopped blogging, huh? Nope. Just stopped running.

Went for my first run today, last run was in November ... About 5 MONTHS AGO. I only went out for two because I didn't want to break myself, and you know what? I survived. In fact, I paced at a pretty good pace. Surprising because of the time off, but I'm pretty excited.

Life is a bit harried lately and I need to take it one day at a time, but I'm hoping to be on here more and more as the days go by :)

Chicago's Perfect 10 - A very late race recap

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:01:00 +0000

Its been a week and a half since I ran the inaugural "Chicago's Perfect 10". Its been a rough 10 days or so, with sick kids and every free minute working on my dissertation proposal. I actually have 10 whole free minutes right now. Not enough time to crack open the proposal, so I figured I'd get into the race report instead.

The race had the typical novice race type feel. Not a lot of participants. Sloppy communication. Poor crowd control. But, I ran a good race, had a good time, and would likely do it again.

First off, only a couple of days prior an email blast goes out that the race time had been changed from 8AM to 7AM. It threw a wrench in some plans, and also seemed like a pretty big last minute change. During the race we could tell not everyone got that email ... because people were just starting out as we were rolling back in. Honestly, I would be furious to show up and realize the race had started an hour earlier. In fact, furious enough I likely would not have even ran that race ... so I do give those people some props ;)

The race started and ended on Navy Pier, which was actually pretty cool. Most Chicago races start on some random city street, or on a path near a park. This one started next to the lake, surrounded with tall ships and a ferris wheel. It seemed pretty crowded as we all stood inside the building waiting for the start (it was pretty cold!) but as everyone went to line up at the start line the crowd seemed a lot smaller. In fact, there were 959 runners in the 10K and 1322 10 mile runners. Thats actually really small for a Chicago race. Despite that fact, the course was pretty messy in the beginning. We ran along a path, so the width of the course was not much. The course did a turn-around, meaning the 10K runners ran 5K out and literally turned around and came back (same with 10 milers). The fast 10K runners were on their way back as I was still on my way out, but the crowd would not move to the side. So, those people trying to run for the finish (and actually WIN) had to run against the crowd and weave in an out to get through. There wasnt a single race official there to tell people to "move to the right" and let the runners pass. Pretty poor control. Again, if I wanted to win that race, I would have been steaming mad. In fact, I bet you wouldnt see me run that race again. But, I wasnt going to win and I just felt sorry for the other runners. My race was still a-ok ;)

Here I am, thinking I am all fast, trying to kick it into the finish.

I am so fast, I leave my sister (meanjean) trailing behind me ... eating my dust.

Unfortunately, I couldnt have been going that fast cuz the guy next to me looks like he is out for casual stroll.

I felt pretty good the whole race and finished 1:03:22 with a 10:14 pace. Considering I havent run 6 miles in over a year, I did surprisingly well. With more training I think I could have done even better, but beggars cant be choosers I guess. I was a little sad to realize the last time I ran a 10K was in 2009 and that my finish time was 1:03:01. I honestly couldnt have put in any more at the finish, but if I had known how close I was to beating that time I would have found a few seconds here and there throughout the race. At least I am consistent!

I havent run since the race (Saturday 11/12) because I honestly have not had the time. Despite that, I just did a last minute sign-up for an 8K Turkey Trot on Thursday. Not sure if that was a good idea, but it was the only way to force myself to allocate time for decent run ;)

Student For Life Interrupted

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 21:45:00 +0000

I could write a 20 page post on this, but I'll try to keep it brief. It might be obvious that I havent been talking a whole lot (um, at all in fact) about school lately. There is a great reason for this. Here is the short version.

After blowing me off for about 1/2 a year, my dissertation advisor up and retired, "effective immediately", due to health concerns. Instead of helping me find someone new he suggested I do it myself, then disappeared. Nobody offered up the next two years of their life to work with me. The university basically tried to kick me out (but instead just nicely suggested that I quit now and find a good teaching job since finishing the program is really hard work). With two kids and a busy life, I originally agreed.

Then my peers began to tell me what an idiot I was for not putting up a fight. Explaining that my department had to support me and that I needed to seek action. So, I filed a complaint. A lot of stuff went down. Now someone in my department has been forced to be my chair, and several others have been forced to be my dissertation committee.

Thats the short, nice version.

Anyway. I'm back in school, working with some people who dont really want to work with me. Some of them (one in particular) I believe are trying to sabotage me. On top of that, I've got two nutty kids and I'm trying to fit running in somewhere. (Im not going to even start to get into the other stuff going on in my life right now, this stuff is just the tip of the iceberg!)

I havent been posting a lot because if I have a few extra minutes I'm trying to sneak in school work. Today the little guy woke up early from nap and screwed up my school work time, so I figured I'd post while he shoves his face with Goldfish crackers. I have been running. I also have been meeting with my trainer. I'm hoping life gets settled in a bit and I can add laundry and cooking to the "have" list. For now its dinner from a box and "find your clean socks somewhere in the laundry room". Its working ... but not well ;)

Rest Day ;)

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:14:00 +0000

I did three miles on the treadmill on Tuesday and met with my trainer yesterday morning. Again, she kicked my butt, but today I dont feel as sore. Last week I could barely walk and this week I dont feel that level of pain. That could be because she balanced the workout more and didnt attack my legs as much, or it could be because I've gotten back on the fitness wagon and have been running regularly. Since I like to feel good about myself, I'll assume I'm not sore because of my routine (not because the workout was different). Most of what we did yesterday was relatively easy, but I had two major challenges. First, as part of the active recovery segments she had me to jumping jacks. I figured it would be really easy, but I was way wrong. I had to do jumping jacks for a minute, a set of chest presses, and the jumping jacks for a minute again. Those were two of the longest minutes of my life. She also had me do "walking planks" (found here as a Walking Dolphin Plank). Those almost killed me.

Either way, I lived to see another day. I honestly would have run today, but an eye doctor apt made me miss the majority of the nap overlap. Both kids are still snoozing and I'm enjoying the sound of the rain until the first little one breaks the silence with the inevitable "MAMA!" cry :)

Today's Run Outlook: Not Good

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:09:00 +0000

Saturday night I didnt get a lot of sleep, I went to bed really late and got up early for the race on Sunday. No biggie, because my plan was to get to bed early last night and get a nice, long sleep. Of course, that didnt happen.

First, I didnt get to sleep until after 11PM. That was strike one.

Then, at 2:55 my daughter started screaming and yelling. I ran into her room and she told me her "blankets were messed up". Strike two.

Then, at 4:50, my son woke up. He looked around his crib for a paci and couldnt find one. Then, whimpered and whined as he tried to fall back asleep. I let that go on for about 20 minutes until I went into his room and gave him one. I tried to be swift, but he saw me anyway, and then had a hard time falling asleep because he likely thought it was actually time to wake up. He didnt fall asleep until after 5:30AM. Strike three.

My daughter got up at her usual 6:30, my son slept in until 7:45. So my day begins again, short on sleep. Topped with the really short Saturday night and the long marathon volunteer day, I'm worn out. Its 8:00 AM right now and I cant stop yawning. And, to top that all off, I'm going to spend the day walking around the zoo with the kids. Fun, but even more exhausting.

So, I can likely say that if I get both kids to sync on a nap (which sometimes doesnt happen anyway on days we do outings) that I likely will be laying down for a snooze, not hitting the treadmill. But, tomorrow is another day :)

Race Recap

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 04:26:00 +0000

The race was a lot of fun, although not without a few hiccups. Compared to when I volunteered in 2009, I found this year slightly less organized. Not the whole race, but just the water station itself. There wasnt enough of a "management" presence, as whenever we needed help or guidance nobody could be found. Instructions werent really given to people as to how to fill the cups, stack them, etc. So there was a lot of variation between tables. In addition, there was a shortage of supplies. This isnt unusual, but yet somebody should have been managing the sharing of supplies or directing how things should be dispersed and instead volunteers were grabbing stuff like a free-for-all. We didnt have a jug of Gatorade or a pitcher to pour it into cups for our table. Instead we needed to use the Gatorade from the tables to each side of us, and make a jug out of a cut out water bottle. Not a huge deal, but the guy next to us had a pitcher in each hand and was using them to fill multiple cups at once. Might have made a wee bit more sense if each table at least got a pitcher :)

The race itself was great. It was hot - and the runners looked pretty hot and worn by the time they got to our station, less than 1/2 way in. But, there was plenty of water and Gatorade, in addition to misters and wet sponges scattered throughout the race. At least according to organizers, things went great. I havent heard if runners actually thought the same thing, but plan to do some blog surfing in a bit to get a participants viewpoint. Here they are, chugging along at mile 10.5 ... looking good!

At the conclusion of the race there were tons of left over water jugs and Gatorade mix. Any box that had been opened (each box had 4 jugs of water and 4 Gatorade mixes), regardless of whether or not a water or Gatorade was missing or opened, had to be thrown out. It was something do the the inability to store these open supplies. There was so much waste. It seemed that they should have known this would happen and that an arrangement was made to store the stuff or donate it. Im pretty sure there are 1,000's of organizations in the city that would have taken the gallons of water at the very least. I wonder if all water stations did this, or if each station was done differently?

Overall it was (another) great experience at the Chicago Marathon. Volunteering still did not give me the urge to run it again, but I know my sister (who volunteered with me) has been pondering it. I wonder if she feels inspired or repelled by her volunteer experience? I guess we find out the answer to that question in October of 2012 :)

Elites Passed!

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 13:25:00 +0000

Here is the leading pack of elites at about mile 10.5 ... you might notice the eventual winner isnt even in the pack anywhere!

Here we go!

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 13:01:00 +0000

Race Started ... Wheelchair Due in 20 Min!

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 12:23:00 +0000

Free Gatorade. 1st Come, 1st Serve

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 12:01:00 +0000

45 Minute Pre Run "Warm Up"

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 21:13:00 +0000

This morning the baby woke up at 5:30AM, a full hour earlier than usual. I'm not really sure why, I guess he was just excited about it finally being Friday. Im glad he was so excited to start his day, because I certainly was less than enthused about the 5:30 wakeup call. The first thing I thought when I heard him up? "Guess I'll have to skip a run today and take nap during naptime today"

Throughout the day I wavered between a desire to run and a desire to nap. When naptime finally came I decided to run. My legs are so sore from Wednesdays training session, I figured a run might possibly help loosen them up. So, I eagerly put both kids into their room for nap and put my running clothes on. But, of course ...

My son has taken to crying when I leave a room. Its nice that he loves me so much and all, but its making naptime a little challenging. Today he took 45 minutes to fall asleep :( I went in there four times to calm him down, and each time he screamed bloody murder as I walked back out. It seems that maybe I shouldnt go in there, since leaving will simply upset him again ... but he continues to cry when I'm not in there and I cant let him be that miserable. Its a bit of a lose-lose situation I guess.

So during those 45 minutes I waited for him to fall asleep, I basically spent my time watching him on the monitor and running in and out of his room to soothe him. Also, because I spent most of the time in the kitchen (where we keep his monitor), I also polished off a bag of chips. Technically, this was a good thing. Really! Because during those 45 minutes I found a million reasons why I shouldnt/couldnt run once he finally fell asleep (if he was ever going to). But the bag of chips in my belly pushed me over the edge and guilt won in the end. Yay for guilt!

Distance: 3 mi
Time: 30:46

I Did Some Push Ups Yesterday

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:19:00 +0000

I met with the trainer, finally, after who-knows-how-many weeks. I was nervous. I was actually kind of hoping that something would happen to screw up the session so I wouldnt have to go. Yeah, its that bad.

But, turns out my fears were unnecessary!

Despite the fact that I have taken quite a vacation from any form of strength training, I did ok! I wasnt too tired, or too weak, and didn't really struggle with anything. This is likely partly due to the fact she did go a bit easy on me though ;) First thing she asked when I saw her is what I had been doing the past few weeks (in terms of workouts) and I honestly told her that I'd been doing nothing. A big, fat, nada.

So, she used our session as a general test to see where I was again, and luckily I did non fail. In fact, I think I did pretty well for myself. I think the break might have actually done me some good. Why? Because I was actually able to do two sets of 12 push ups. Yes, they were modified (aka girly) pushups. But, I generally really struggle with the push up. Its a combination of my body both physically and mentally rejecting the exercise, and I've had the issue for as long as I can remember.

She set up a mat and told me to do 12 push ups, and I could feel the butterflies in my stomach and constricting in my chest. I get panicky at the mere thought of a push up. In fact, in the past, I have made up excuses or injuries to get out of doing them. No more excuses. I got down and started doing them. And, I found them pretty easy! The first 12 were a breeze, the second 12 were a wee bit harder, but still nothing to get all panicky about.

The biggest consequence of my exercise vacation is likely the soreness I feel today from yesterday's workout. My legs are pretty tight and I'm shuffling more than walking. Other than that, I survived, and I'm feeling optimistic about next week!

Run Cut Short By Constant Interruption

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:47:00 +0000

Today has been a bit frazzled. I got nothing done at all. I was going to run during the kids naps, but really wanted to have a few minutes to myself without having to rush and panic. When I run during the naps it can come pretty close, between running, showering, and stuffing my face ... and I end up not getting any time to sit and just enjoy the silence. I had my sitter here today to help out while I got some appointments taken care of, and when I got home she did a craft project with my oldest while I gave the baby a bath. That simple bath turned into a bathroom scrub down when the little guy decided to poop in the tub.

After the tub was cleaned, and the craft project was complete, I decided to leave both kids with the sitter and go for a quick run. I figured I could then enjoy the entire naptime to catch up on some phone calls and other tasks on the eternal to-do list. I got about 1 minute into my run when I hear "Hi Mommy!". An there is Brooke, staring at me while I run. She asked me how long I'd be. I told her it wouldnt be long. She pronounced I would be "nine minutes" and then left.

I figured she'd get into a game or project with the sitter and all would be good. Wrong.

"Mommy, you almost done?" I told her it would be a little while. "Eight minutes?" she asked. Seeing as she cant tell time, I agreed. That should do it I thought.

Minutes later she was back again. Asking me random questions. I tried to blow her off and tell her she should go play. She finally got bored and left.

Back again. Now she wants to know where she got the necklace she was wearing. At this point I'd been running for a while, and I was trying to run fairly fast. I was sweating, out of breath, and tired. I couldnt hear her well over the sound of the treadmill, and I couldnt answer her well while panting. I looked at the treadmill and noticed I'd run about 2.3 miles. I told her I'd be done in just a minute, got to 2.5 and quit.

Its great that kids learn new things every day. And, at three, she really is becoming so grown up. Unfortunately, one of the things she has recently learned is to unlock the baby gate. She seems to be pretty stoked about the fact that she can go in and out of it, and simply comes back and forth to talk to me just because she can. She did the same thing last time I tried to run with the sitter here. I'm hoping the novelty of her newfound freedom wears off, but until then I think I'm gonna have to stick to naptime running.

Distance - 2.5 miles
Time - 25:05
Pace - 10:01

Back On The Wagon?

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:41:00 +0000

I finally ran today. I honestly didnt want to run at all. And, I'd like to say that once I got started I was enjoying it ... but thats not true. I wanted to get it over with. Bad. In fact, I kept picking up the pace just so I'd get to three miles and I could stop :) Anyway, I hope that the beginning of a new month is also the beginning of a new routine. Not only that, but I've got a 10K in about 6 weeks and figure I'd better start training if I dont want to break myself on race day.

Distance - 3 MI
Time - 29:52
Pace - 9:57

What A Mess (Literally)

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:37:00 +0000

I have an apt with my trainer next Wednesday am (finally). Since the weeks she has been gone I have taken quite the break. Not running. Eating poorly. The usual. Today I got all my errands run and things were looking pretty good. After dinner out the past two nights and a wedding to attend on Saturday, I thought I should probably make some sort of attempt at a calorie burning activity. So I planned on getting in a run during nap. Its naptime right now and I'm blogging instead of running. But, of course, I have quite the valid excuse.

I got home with bags and boxes of groceries and set them up on the counter. I open the fridge to begin putting stuff away. Up trots Brooke, who decides it would be a good idea to clang together to glass jugs of milk. Seconds later I have glass and milk everywhere and there is sheer pandemonium.

Thankfully the sitter was here, so she swiftly took both kids (and the dog) to another room so I could clean up. 1.5 hours later I finally finished cleaning the fridge, floor and counters. It was naptime, and I had yet to take a minute to sit down today, let alone eat lunch. Could my fridge, floors and counters have used a good cleaning. Well, of course. But was is on my agenda today? No way.

So now I have just sat down and finished my lunch. My back is killing from the grocery hauling, floor mopping and fridge cleaning. I'm already exhausted enough after an interrupted sleep last night and there is no way I'll be getting in a run today.

Funny how just a short while ago I bragged about how my everything was coming together, I was getting faster on my runs, and how the race I signed up for in November will be so easy to train for. Life sure does have a funny way of taking your own words and shoving them into your face, doesnt it?

The Pastry Gods Wrath

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:01:00 +0000

Despite my proclamation yesterday, I found myself ordering a pastry this morning. I just couldnt help it. The parking lot at Starbucks was rather crowded so I went across the street to Peets. This place has really yummy pastries, and thats one of the reasons I usually go to Starbucks. I have a hard time saying no to myself.

So, I found myself in a long line to order my coffee. And during that wait I stared at the pastry case. I got up there and I ordered one. It looked to delicious. I rushed to the last seat in the tiny shop, and as I had to navigate through the people, chairs and tables with a backpack, coffee and pastry in my hand ... the plate tipped and the pastry ended up on the floor.

I was ticked.

But, I took it as a sign. I'm now sitting here doing some work, sans pastry, fuming a bit over my loss but realizing that higher powers were likely in full force today. I guess I should say "thank you", but Im not quite done mourning yet.

It's The Thought That Counts?

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 21:27:00 +0000

Yesterday I put in a whopping 2.5 miles. At least I ran, but it was a pretty weak attempt. I didnt really want to and ran instead because of guilt. That seems to be a good motivator for me lately, but it wasnt working this time ;) I got about 2 miles in and started cramping. I kept running and the cramp didnt go away. I could have slowed down my speed or something, but instead I decided to hop off and take a nice shower. Today I feel a bit guilty about the whole episode, so you think I might feel the urge to run again. Nope. I met with a faculty member from school today, and although the meeting went well, I now have a lot of thoughts in my head and am trying to be productive during naptime. Of course, the baby is now stirring and I didnt get a whole lot done.

I also ate enough for a small army over the past few days. I'm guessing its stress related. So I probably just put back on all those lbs I so easily lost. That ought to teach me.

Tomorrow I promise to get back on the wagon. More running, less pastries. I can do it ;)

Monday Meanderings

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 20:10:00 +0000

A lot has been going on, just none of it really running/fitness related. I figured I'd give a few brief and rambling thoughts on this gloomy & dreary Monday ...

Havent talked about school in a long time (about a year, I'm guessing, if you look back at posts). Got caught up in some University bureaucracy. Seem to have gotten through the red tape, now panicking about how to fit school stuff into an already hectic life.
Both kids have been sick for about a week. The boogers, coughing and bad moods have taken up a lot of my time. Seem to be getting over the hump and waiting for the next thing to hit ;)
After a long battle we seem to be making some potty training advances (knock-on-wood). Add pee and poop to list from previous item.
The baby has turned into a terror on the floor ... army crawling himself into trouble every single second of the day. When I get a break from the school, cooties and potty, he's still going. Currently working to climb up and over every obstacle in his sight.

I do have a little bit of relevant stuff to pause on for a bit ...

I lost a few lbs quite easily through (primarily) cutting out the junk in my diet. The ease of the weight loss gave me additional excuses why I didnt have to run. Having a tough time getting my mind and body on the same plane.
My trainer came back, but then seems to have gotten her schedule (or mine, I guess) screwed up so that my old time was no longer available. Between the kids school and my school (in addition to other activities) I'm limited with what works. After two weeks of back and forth I'm still waiting to see if we can sync up. I may or may not be meeting with a trainer this week .. or next ... or the next.
Volunteering (again) at a water station for the upcoming Chicago Marathon. It seems to work well to motivate me back into the game. Hope it works this year too.

Small Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 03:22:00 +0000

My personal trainer went on a two week vacation, so I figured I should take a two week vacation from running. Well, that was part of the reason. I also had a paper due for a conference that took up all of my naptime running opportunities (in addition to keeping me up late) for the past two weeks. The paper was finally submitted last night, but I was up until 1AM and I'm just exhausted today.

The personal trainer was actually back last week and I intended on actually meeting up with her and getting in one workout, but due to a communication issue we both went to different locations. Guess working out just wasnt meant to be for me.

I do plan on getting back into action. Mainly because I no longer have any excuses. The paper is done, the kids have been napping great, and I have a 10K race in November I should probably start training for ;)

I Must Look Pretty Lousy Today :(

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:17:00 +0000

I'm sitting at my laptop in Starbucks, trying to squeeze 10 hours of work into 3. A woman approaches me, just me, although there are lots of people in this Starbucks. She lets me know she works at the salon next door and her "hair model" just cancelled. She needs someone right now, for about an hour.

She picked me as the person in this place who she could transform into a better after than before. So I must look like I could really use some sprucing up :(

Despite the fact that I might need a bit of beautifying, I had to decline in order to get some work done. Now I'm feeling self conscious for sporting my wake-up-n-go look today.

But, even Brad Pitt can have a bad hair day...

Promises Broken by 6AM ... or are they???

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:57:00 +0000

Last week I ran only one day during the week. I mentioned in a post that I've fallen into a bit of a trap: falling asleep late at night, not sleeping well, waking early, taking a nap because I'm tired ... and then not being able to fall asleep. Repeat cycle. I promised myself yesterday that today would be different. That I was going to run on Monday and that was gonna set me up for a great week.

So, I dont get into bed until after 11PM.
I don't fall asleep until after 12AM.
Brooke coughs all night and keeps me up. Literally, all night.
Ryan wakes at 5:45.

So, its now a bit before 7AM and all I can do is think about taking a nap later today. I'm gonna head out with the kids and get a coffee in a few minutes and hope I can make it all the way till 1:30/2:00PM (naptime) and have the energy and determination to select a run over a nap.

PM Update: I Chose To ...

Run! Yay!
Distance: 3 Miles
Time: 30:16
Pace: 10:05

Its Been A While

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 02:48:00 +0000

I havent run in a while, I'd say a little over a week. Since my running goes up and down in waves, a week in between runs can be both a short AND long time ;) Since I have been better about running and working harder to incorporate some sort of exercise into my chaotic life, lately a week is a bit of a long time. I'm trying, and I want to do better. Hopefully that is enough!

Life has thrown a little extra on me lately and I haven't been sleeping well. I keep thinking about one of Brooke's books, "If you give a mouse a cookie". If you arent familiar with the book, its the kids version of the movie "Groundhog Day". Essentially, here is my current version of the book.

I'm a little bit stressed.
I cant fall asleep and end up staying up pretty late.
I wake up early because I have two early birds peeping in my ears.
I'm tired all day due to a lack of sleep.
I'm too tired to run.
I have work to do and try to do it during naps.
My work (reading articles) is boring and makes me sleepy.
Since I'm tired, I decide to skip running OR working and take a nap.
Since I take a late nap, I have a hard time falling asleep.
(See first line and start over)

Last night I didnt get any sleep (see above) and didnt want to run. But, I also knew that if I continued what I have been doing I would end up not getting anything done and taking a nap ... which seems to impact my night sleep on top of everything else. I fought the desire to sleep today and hopped on the treadmill. I'm hoping I finally broke my mouse-cookie cycle ;)

Time: 32:05
Distance: 3 Miles
Pace: 10:41

A Quick Check In

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 21:31:00 +0000

Havent posted because I havent run. The past few days have been really busy, leaving me without any time to run.

Today I got in a quick 3, and by "quick" I mean under 11:00 miles ;) I actually AM getting faster and feeling better, and I honestly think its because I am eating healthier. Why do I think this? Well, I'm still not getting a lot of sleep. I still don't drink enough water. I still am not incorporating a lot of strength training (once a week is more than zero, but hardly can make an impact). The only change in my life has been my diet. Specifically, I'm really working to get more fruits and vegetables into my stomach ... and keep more pastries and candies out.

Today I felt great the whole time on the treadmill and was able to consistently pick up my pace throughout the run.

Time: 31:36
Distance: 3 Miles
Pace: 10:31

Now that I'm feeling more comfortable (and confident) with running, and am finding a decent amount of opportunity to sneak in a quick run here and there ... I need to find a way to find more time so that I can occasionally get in more than three. I'll just add that to my to-do list ;)

Nap Overlap Evanesco!

noreply@blogger.com (lifestudent) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:56:00 +0000

Both kids are sick with a pretty bad summer cold/virus. Fevers, nasty boogers, and horrible sounding coughs. While they seem to be up in spirits despite their situation, I am finding it harder to be so cherry. Their coughing and crying keeps me up all night and I spend all day chasing them with a box of Kleenex. Their nap schedules are also totally off due to the fact that sleep at night is pretty inconsistent.

Today the little guy took a FOUR HOUR nap. I know he is sick and had to just leave him be, but as he continued to sleep I watched my running window get smaller and smaller ... until it was completely gone. His nap was so long, he took only one today. That left me with no nap overlap and no time to run.

We've been trapped in the house for a couple of days and everyone is getting stir crazy. I'm hoping the kids get better soon for their own well-being, and, of course, my sanity.

Post title can only be read by a Harry Potter fan, but I think from the post body you can pretty much tell what it means ;)