Jogging stroller!

Today was the first day back with the jogging stroller since.... maybe October?

Back in October I remember it being almost no effort at all to run the kids to school. Two of them. It was only 2.5 miles, so it's not really a major effort, but when I first started it felt like a freaking marathon.

Fast forward to today. Just getting back into running. It was really only a month or two off, but that's enough. Now that the weather is warming the jogging stroller calls.

When I started running with it before I recall pain, burning lungs, nauseating spit, and beet red skin. Today was not so bad. It was a freakin effort I'll say though. But the only pain was really the cardio effort. It was actually really good.

So here I go back to the great outdoors! Hoping for some decent weather to keep on running!

Spring into running!

The running swing is officially back! Yeah! I had two runs this week that were short, but included the all important "this feels kinda good" period.

And today I hit 4 miles, ran really well and parts of it kind of fast! I did 7.5 mph for over 5 minutes. It was a tempo run and I just kept going up and up!

The Newtons really do feel like miracle shoes. No foot pain at all, like zero. Super happy with the purchase. My only issue is that they run super duper small. I wear a 9.5, ordered a 10.5 and I think I should have gone with a size 11. They feel fine during the run, but afterwards the tips of my longer toes are a little chafed. Next pair I get will be bigger.

Spring has sprung here, which is usually when I get my workout "shit" together. Winters burn me out and I just want to snuggle up and knit or hang with my babies. Next year I'd like to try to keep up with the running, even if it's toned down. But either way, it only took 6 runs to get back to 4 miles. Pretty sure I can get back to my usual 5 milers by next week. Which is just fine for me.

Yeah!

Newtons

On the long and often interrupted journey back to some sort of fitness level.... I'm trying some new running shoes. Newtons.

These are listed as minimal shoes, which is kind of weird cause they are super duper cush. Anyways, the heel is lower and the ball area has more cushion. Which is hopefully going to work for me.

I have a fairly forward strike, which is supposed to be good for my knees, but is awful for my big toe and the ball of my foot. I got no natural padding. Skinny white women feet. Well at least the feet are skinny.

Anyways, they say to start slow to adjust. This is kind of timely as I'm starting slow to adjust back into movement in general.

First day run, alternating 5 minutes of easy pace running 5.5-6pmh with 5 minutes of walking. Felt a little weird and significantly less stable. Had to really think about using my feet. But otherwise pretty good.

Fast track, slow track

So I guess I'm taking the super slow route back to the gym and running thing. I went once last week and called it!

I did achieve ridiculous soreness that restricted my ability to sit on the toilet without holding onto the sink and towel rack, though. Which is totally great in my book. I tend to grade my workouts on how sore I am the next day.

So the goal is to run for 5 minutes and add 5 each week. So each day at the gym, hopefully 4 days, I would work up to the normal 30 or minutes I previously was running and then add in a long run once a week.

Today I ran 10 minutes, and could have done way more, but hey I'm lazy! I guess the whole lung bleeding sensation really was a chest cold I was experiencing last week.

Anyways.

I bought new running shoes, Newtons, lower heel. Will post details when i get them!

Happy New Something!

So my 2 months of slackerhood have sadly and happily come to an end. I slowed down on workouts and runs for a month and half and then completely stopped all physical movement for 3 weeks while my husband recooped from foot surgery.

Today was my first real weights day and yes I believe I have accomplished some serious noodlehood! Yeah!

I've done a little bit of running and am having some serious knee pain so will be taking that ramp up super slow. Just 5 minute increases each run. I want my strength training to catch up first.

AND!!! my man will be starting walking in the next month or so, which will be ramping up to light running over the springtime! So I'll have a running man to forward to this summer! Yeah!!!

It just wasn't working...

I tried, I really did. I thought maybe we were just in a "chill cycle". But the less and less we did the farther it went and was going no where.

So I did what works, what always works and when I thought about it, I really missed.
I rejoined the Y.

The home gym just wasn't cutting it. It's nice. It really is. But it doesn't get me working out like the Y does. Or at least the Y's 90 minutes of free child care, does.

Yeah I called up this morning, paid the bill, and took me and the baby in. It didn't take much to kick my weak-haven't seriously lifted in 3 months- ass.

Pretty happy about my decision. Even if it does cost $100, I don't have, a month.

Fair weather runner

Yeah I totally wimp out when it comes to cold weather. So the runs have been sporadic and uneventful. Pretty much I've settled into knitting, drinking coffee, eating too much and staying warm.

I live in the Pacific Northwest. We are happy to have 50 degree weather most days, including summer. But dipping into the 30's is where we draw the line.

I've been doing some treadmill action and am just starting to get back into the swing of weight lifting. I'm lifting in my garage so it's a little harder to get motivated than when I was in the warm, clean gym.

It's winter. I'm fine with that.