aack!

so much for the "running all weekend!" mantra.  been a little lazy....

maybe this week will be better?  i sure hope so!!

i'm considering a silly little race on saturday.  it sounds like fun, we'll have to see about the weather, though.  it's kind of like a triathlon, except it's so NOT a triathlon.

speaking of which, i want to do one this summer!  stay tuned on THAT goal...

Long weekends...

mean LOTS and LOTS of running!  I love, love, love long weekends!

This morning I ran about 10.5 miles at a leisurely pace with a dear friend.  After our sweltering run, I headed over to the gym for weights and ab work.  I was actually SORE for once on Thursday/Friday from lifting weights.  It was a great feeling because I felt like I actually did something kind of strenuous.  I rarely feel sore from running anymore, unless I've run over twenty miles or have run in a race.

This morning's run was just beautiful and was so relaxing.  Tomorrow is going to be just as fun. It'll be a shorter one, maybe an easy six or seven with the Saturday morning crew.  I don't have a plan set for Monday, there are lots of options and no time limit.  (The no time limit piece of my favorite part of running on the weekends.)

I've just gotta find a race for June to get myself motivated to pick up the pace...

A running first!

Saturday morning was CRAZY.  Nicholas got up around 5am and refused to go back to sleep.  Duncan was barking his head off in the crate. (SO, so, so annoying.)  And, of course, Michael got up somewhere around 5:50.  He was completely dressed and ready for breakfast by 6am.  Don't weekends mean anything to these kids???

I was supposed to meet a couple running friends at six for a longish run.  I had to explain all of the activity going on in my house because it seemed incredibly unfair to leave Josh with the boys who were clearly ready to play at six am.  (Josh was somehow sound asleep during all of this!)  

You know what the running girls said?  They told me to get Michael his breakfast and to load up Nicholas in the jogging stroller.  They were willing to run with a nineteen month old.  I was taken aback by their understanding, thoughtfulness, and kindness.  In fact, I really feel like I hardly pushed Nicholas.  (They even took turns pushing the little rascal.)  

Nicholas handled the run beautifully.  He didn't make a peep throughout the whole run, and we ran EIGHT miles with that kiddo!  It was such a beautiful morning.  I'm so blessed to have such dear friends.   

The one thing that interferes with my running:

SLEEP!  (Or, my lack of it, which then leads to various reasons why I miss morning runs.)  I was supposed to get in a long run with my girlfriends this morning, but I fell asleep on the couch before the plans were finalized.  Talk about annoying!  I probably should have picked up the phone instead of waiting for emails to go back and forth.  Oh well.  Sleeping until 7am and going down for the night by 9pm was so luxurious and so necessary, apparently.  

The exercise routine went well this week.  I did not swim, as I had planned, but I did use the eliptical machine for 30 minutes in addition to running in the morning.  So, I finally made it back to the gym this week.  I'm trying so hard to get over there, so that I justify the monthly fee to my husband (and, more importantly, myself!).  Three times in one week and two days of running is very good, considering that I haven't been to the gym since MARCH.  

This week is full of after school meetings, I have three.  (That's A LOT!)  So, I will be lucky to get to the gym twice.  I still have my eye on the classes, but it's not going to happen this week.  And, since I missed the long run this morning, I'm shooting for tomorrow.  This morning light is just splendid, and I can't wait to get out on the streets on a quiet, sleepy Sunday morning.  If I get in an hour and a half, I'll be incredibly happy.  It's been a wonderful week of running and exercising, I just need a goal to work towards now...  

A Sore Belly!

Yowsers!  My belly's sore!  I've done virtually NO abdominal exercises all winter long. I should have, but at the end of the day I have no desire to lay down and do sit ups.  So, this week I've really made an effort to get back into the routine of sit ups/ ab roller/ bicycle kicks every night.  I have a silly little routine that I do, but I think it will eventually pay off.  (I hope so, anyway...)  If you don't have an ab roller, you should look into purchasing one!  I've had mine since college (senior year) and I absolutely LOVE that thing!  It works your arms and your abs.  I can tell a difference after using that thing for a week.  (Seriously!)

 I didn't make it to the exercise class this morning.  We haven't slept through the night in over a week now, and I just really have a hard time waking at two with Nicholas and then knowing that I have to be up by four.  (It's all a mind game.)  However, I did go to the gym twice this week in the afternoon and managed to get in an elliptical workout and weights. The elliptical is a HARD workout for me and it's definitely not as much fun as running outside!  It's good to work different muscles, though, right?  (I hope...)

So, tomorrow's plan includes a run and swimming in the afternoon.  Swimming is going to be tough, too.  I haven't been in the pool since MARCH.  It feels good to be back in the swing of things, and getting back to a normal workout routine.  I can't wait for a long run this weekend, too!

One Goal Down

FINALLY made it back to the gym this afternoon!  It sure didn't feel like much, but I know I'm going to be hurting tomorrow.  My legs/butt are already burning, which is  a good thing.  I am excited about trying out this new exercise class on Thursday.  I could use a little toning!  So, tomorrow's running and more ab work.  Thursday is exercise class day and then Friday is (hopefully) a swim/run day!  I'm determined to get back into swimming suit shape by June 15!

Food really helps.

Over the past two weeks, since tax season is over, I have realized that food (?) really helps my running.  From about the beginning of March until the middle of April, I eat like a bird.  The kids eat kid food at 5pm and Josh usually scrounges something up in the office, which means I hardly eat in the evenings.  (A spoonful of mac and cheese here and there, and a bag of popcorn with my nightly show, that's my dinner during tax season.)

Now that taxes are in, sort of, I am back to cooking dinner for our family. And, I've noticed that because I am eating dinner, I have so much more energy on my runs. Thank goodness!  I felt like I was running in quick sand in the weeks following that terrible stomach virus.  So, I am back on track now and am running as much as I can.  (Yay!)  This week my goal is to get back to the gym, in some capacity.  I really want to try this toning class on Thursday morning with some of the running girls.  That's one goal for this week, and the other goal is yoga on Wednesday.  I'm going to do what I can, hopefully meetings at school don't magically appear and hopefully Josh's work load will slow a little by Wednesday so he can help me with the boys.

I'm also looking for a race or two to run in the next few months!  It's been so long, the marathon really doesn't count...   I'm ready to push myself so that I can see where I'm at, it's hard to tell when it's so early in the morning.  I'm still wiping the sleep out of my eyes, without any concern for speed.