Not long enough...

Time: 36:14 minutes

Distance:  2.5 miles

This morning the three of us woke up kind of on the later side, which meant that I didn't have as much time to exercise as I would have liked.  Initially, I started off with the goal of just getting in 30 minutes on the treadmill. And, like usual, the time increased with each ten minute segment.  (I turn up the speed and the incline every ten minutes.)  By the time I got to thirty minutes, I was just past the two mile mark.  For some reason I decided that I needed to finish the workout at 2.5 miles, the half mile makes SO much of a difference.  (Ha!)  

By the end of the workout, I managed to walk for twenty minutes and run for sixteen.  Not bad.  It certainly didn't feel effortless, but I made it through another day of exercising.  

In other running news, I'm shopping around for another marathon.  I don't plan on running another one until next October, at least.  However, the spring of 2010 isn't sounding so bad, either.  I tried to find information for the New York City Marathon, but couldn't figure out where the registration information could be located.  I did look at the hotel prices for this year, and pretty much ruled that marathon out as a result.  The cost of the NYC marathon for one weekend is almost the same as the cost of our beach vacation FOR A WEEK.  No way am I willing to dish out that much $$$ for a weekend of soreness and a mediocre hotel room.  So,  I'm still looking.  I guess there is always Marine Corps again OR Richmond, but I'd really like to try something new.  The Outer Banks marathon is also a great option, as well.  And, I've heard Philly is great....  Who knows?  I've got some time, I suppose... ;)

This afternoon Michael and I are going to walk around the trail at the park, so I'm hoping to get in another two miles of walking before the end of the day.  

shuffling along..

Tuesday's Walk:

Distance: 1.89 Miles

Time: TOO LONG!!!  : ) 

Friday's Walk/Run:

Time: 60 Minutes

Distance: 4.0 Miles

Saturday's Walk/Run:

Time: 51 Minutes

Distance: 3.4 Miles

Sunday's Walk/Run:

TBD!! 

I've gotten plenty of exercise over the past few days,  though I didn't meet my goal of "R-alking" five days this week! : )  Oh well.  Each week I slow down just a bit more, which is a little bit frustrating.  If I increase the speed of the treadmill too quickly, I tend to get cramped up and then I have to take things back a notch, or two.  This usually means that I spend more time on the treadmill than what I had originally intended.  Yesterday was a perfect example.  My plan was to get in 30 minutes, which quickly turned into forty, then forty-five, and then fifty minutes.  

The treadmill has been so incredibly helpful with maintaining my fitness throughout this pregnancy.  I love being able to catch a TV show or two, and being able to run/walk at any time of the day.  It has been worth every penny, in my mind.  This evening I'm really just going to shoot for twenty or thirty minutes, depending on how I'm feeling. 

This week the running girls are having a birthday run for one of our friends on Wednesday, so that means I will get to exercise a little with the group!  Hurray!  My doctor's appointment tomorrow is later in the day, so I will be able to squeeze in a run/walk beforehand.  Hurray, again!!!  I'm going to do my best to get in some exercise two more days this week, as well. 

My current goal is run/walk the day that the baby is born.  Since it looks like the baby will arrive on the 10th of October via c-section, my goal is to run that morning.  I think I'm still on track to meet that goal.  Unless, this baby surprises us all, which could happen.  Right?

Monday's Workout...

Time:  47 Minutes

Distance: 3.2 Miles.

Michael is with the sitter today, so I had some time to exercise this morning.  I managed to walk for about thirty minutes and run for seventeen.  About halfway through the walking phase of the workout, I started to get a side stitch and had to turn down the speed.  Slowing down the pace helped tremendously and my cramp went away relatively quickly.  I stayed at the same speed for another ten minutes before trying to run.  That turned out to be a good decision because I was able to keep the side stitches at bay for the remainder of the workout.  And, I finished the workout with a good run!

The goal for this week is to walk/run four days, so three more "workouts" to go for pregnancy week 38!  There's a chance that I might shoot for five workouts, if I have to reduce the amount of time for each workout.  Friday I noticed that I took forever to recover from exercising for 60 minutes, so I'm going to have to see how the rest of the week plays out.  And, maybe...maybe...I'll try to run/walk around the block a few times EARLY in the am this week. 

 ...Maybe!

Thump,Thump, Thump....

"THUMP, THUMP, THUMP..."  That would be me on the trusty treadmill this week.  How I love our treadmill!  (Seriously.  I love it.)

Time for Today:  60 Minutes

Distance for Today:  4.1 Miles

It turns out that this pregnant body needs LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of water after these treadmill workouts.  This morning I walked for about forty minutes on the treadmill and ran for twenty, which was fantastic!  However, shortly after the treadmill workout and after a warm shower, I began to notice this awful rib pain on my right side.  I realized soon after the pain began that I only had one cup of ice cold water after the workout, which is not enough considering how long I exercised.  Since then, I have drank probably five big glasses of water and the pain is gone for now.  (Hurray!)  It's easy to forget to drink, drink, drink when it's cool outside and when you are not thirsty. 

Thursday's Time:  45 Minutes

Thursday's Distance:  3.1 Miles

Yesterday while Michael napped, I hopped on the treadmill and exercised for 45 minutes.  I was able to run for about fifteen minutes, at a very slow speed, after I walked for twenty.  The last ten minutes, I alternated between walking and running, which felt great.  

The sharp, round ligament pains are completely gone, for right now.  I'm thinking that my ligaments are stretched to the MAX, which is why I'm no longer experiencing that discomfort.  It's very encouraging to know that I CAN do fifteen to twenty minutes of running at this point in the pregnancy because if I'm able to hang on to running at this point, I should be able to return to running without too much trouble after having the baby.  Obviously, if I have a cesarean the whole process will be slowed down quite a bit.  I can always fit in a walk on the treadmill, though.  

Tomorrow I have plans to meet the running group for a walk/run!  Can't wait!!

I'm walking the baby out...

...well, not really, if you ask my doctor.  I'm still trying to stay active throughout the next few weeks.  It's becoming more challenging each week, and really each day.  My legs feel so HEAVY, and so does my belly. Ugh....I know that even if the walking/running/ whatever doesn't help the baby to arrive "naturally", at least I will be in relatively good shape to deal with the recovery from the cesarean.  (At least that's what I  am telling myself.) 

This morning I was able to walk with one of my very favorite friends, Diane.  We talked about lots of things, including politics, which was so much fun.  Most days, I am talking to Michael about why cars drive with their lights on, why we have to pick up the dog from the groomer, and so on.  The adult conversation was quite refreshing.  I have a feeling that we at least walked a good three or four miles, which should help me to sleep well this evening.  

My goal for tomorrow is to run/walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes while Michael naps. We'll see if I can get it done or if I'll choose to nap instead.  I know which one of the two will make me feel better....

Believe it or not...

I'm still trying to run!

This morning after Michael and Josh left for the day, I hustled upstairs and changed into my running clothes so that I could fit in a treadmill workout before the doctor's appointment.  My initial goal was to get in about 30 minutes of walking.  Of course, once I got started and into the Desperate Housewives re-run on Lifetime, the walk became longer and I decided to give running a shot.  I ended up walking for twenty minutes and running for twenty.  By the time I was finished, I managed to get in a little over three miles. 

I haven't done much in the way of exercising for about a week because I "over did it" a little over a week ago.  After that workout, which included running and walking, I was miserable for the rest of the day and for two days afterwards, with contractions and a baby nestled high in my ribcage.  (Ouch!) Running may not have had anything to do with the rib discomfort, but I wasn't ready to put myself back in that awful situation for about a week.  It's very likely that I didn't drink enough water immediately after that workout, which probably caused the contractions to start.  

Today was a new day, though, and I've been feeling a bit like a beach whale lately.  So, the running and walking really helped me to change my attitude and my perspective on being 37 weeks pregnant.  And, after my doctor's appointment today, I have decided that I will be run/walking until the BITTER end of this pregnancy.  It looks like I will be having another cesarean, which means NO RUNNING for six weeks.  Bleh.  I can walk, but just can't run.  So, I'm going to continue to give it my all, no matter how slow I am right now.  

A THREE MILE RUN.

I actually RAN three miles today!  Wahoo!! No stopping, no walking during those three miles!!  Hurray!!  The entire time I felt fantastic, except for maybe the last four minutes (or so) because I cranked up the speed on the treadmill.   I started off the workout by walking at a slow speed, and then just gradually increased the speed to a running pace.  That seems to work best for me on the treadmill right now, easing into the running stride rather than starting off with a run.   The total numbers of miles for the day was 4.6, with running 3.0 and walking 1.6 miles.  

The running/walking has helped my sleep tremendously over the past two weeks.  While we were at the beach and before we left for the beach, I had nightmares pretty much every night.  That's not fun, especially with waking to pee every few hours and not being able to get comfortable.  So, I've been really thankful for the restful nights that I have had since we have returned from the beach.  I'm sure the restful nights are from the running and walking. 

The only downside of running right now is that my toenails now have blisters underneath the nail beds, again.  (Bleh.)  I know it has to do with the fact that my feet are swelling, which means that my toes are pounding into the front of the shoe.  Sore toenails are never fun, but it's a small sacrifice, I suppose.  I'm looking forward to getting a pedicure in the near future.

I'd like to try to get in another run tomorrow.  My goal for the week is to run tomorrow (maybe 3.5 miles), walk Thursday, and then take Friday off.  

Lots of Exercise Today!

It's been a great day for exercising so far.  This morning I walked (QUICKLY!) with the running girls.  Because my legs are so incredibly short, I usually feel like I'm jogging beside the group when we walk.  It was so much fun to catch up with my friends and to hear their back to school stories, since everyone has school age children.  I'm so excited that I have just a few more weeks to go (five), so that I can start to join them on a regular basis again.  They have been so supportive with the walking and slow runs, which has been such a blessing.  I don't think that I would feel half as strong and positive as I do at this point in the pregnancy, without their support and friendship.  

After walking about four miles with the girls, I did some shopping at Target.  I had a delightful time, even though my hamstrings were feeling a little tight from the hills and the fast paced walking.  When I got home, the three of us (and Duncan) played out side for a bit.  For some strange reason, I asked Michael if he wanted to go for a walk.  Of course he did, so the four of us headed out for a short walk around the block.  The quick walk turned into a longer one, and before we knew it we walked a little over a mile.  

I'd say I've reached the walking quota for the day.  Though, if I received an offer to walk later in the day, I doubt I would decline.  That's the thing about exercise- once you start and you get a taste of its goodness, your body just craves more and more!  Tomorrow I'm shooting for run/walking early in the morning around the neighborhood.  The mornings are delightfully cool right now, it's hard to pass them up.