Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Dear neglected running blog...

Dear running blog,


I wish I had time for you but the whole 3 kids thing is still kind of kicking my butt.  I love those precious little nuggets more than anything in this world but let me tell you, 3 feels like a lot more than 2!


 Cam turned 8 months old today and keeping that kid fed, diapered, and safe from small choking hazards takes a pretty monumental chunk of time out of my day. I know those don't sound like hard things but you should see the circus act I have to put on just to get a few bites food in this guy's mouth. It's intense.


Also Teya just started kindergarten and don't even get me started on the horrendous schedule of getting all 3 kids loaded into the car to drop her off, then getting the two little ones unloaded, then re-loading and unloading 2 and 1/2 hours later to go pick her up. What is the point of 2 1/2 hour kindergarten? Plus keeping track of all her papers and back to school night and PTO meetings and fundraisers and all that stuff is pretty much maxing out my brain capacity.

 So now you know, it's not you, it's me. I want to keep you updated with workout summaries and race reports and ww recipes and all the ups and downs on my road back fitness but unless I give up sleep entirely it just isn't going to happen. Someday maybe I'll figure out how to fit it all in but until then you'll just have to make do with my sporadic posts that happen every 2 weeks (if I'm lucky ; ) Here's the latest:

Applefest is less than 3 weeks away! 
Running has been going really well despite two major bumps in the road. 

Bump 1: Our treadmill broke 2 weeks ago and no one could come fix it until this coming Thursday. I didn't realize how much I rely on that thing until I couldn't use it anymore. It's been really tricky trying to squeeze my runs in before Taber goes to work or after he gets home because he's trying to run too! His marathon is in 5 weeks so he's at the peak of his training. Anyway, with some major juggling and also some good friends who have watched the kids I've managed to get at least 3 runs in a week. It's not optimal but better than nothing!

Bump 2: The day after our treadmill broke Cam got really sick and ended up having to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance. (If you want to know more details you can read about it here.) He was in the hospital for 2 1/2 days and it was a very stressful and scary time. I usually deal with stress through eating and I'm not gonna lie, a friend brought some cookies to the hospital and I might've eaten a straight dozen without even realizing it till they were gone. That being said, after two days of stress eating I finally pulled it back together and instead of spiraling downhill I forced myself out for an 11 mile run. It was very therapeutic and got me back in gear.

So despite those bumps I feel like I've done a pretty good job staying on track for the Applefest. In fact, Taber and I ran a warm up half marathon down in Plymouth, MA last Saturday and it was a huge success. It was the Run to the Rock half marathon and we wanted to do it because it's really hilly like the Applefast and we thought it would be good practice.

It was kind of nice doing a race with no pressure and I actually think the fact that I didn't care made me go faster! From the way my long runs have been going I figured I would come in around 2 hrs 10 min or 2:05 if I was really feeling good. When I got out there the temp was nice and cool, my legs felt fresh and my lungs were strong. I started pushing through the hills and made up my mind I would run every one of them without walking. I never thought about the full 13.1 miles, I just focused on one mile at a time, one hill at a time and focused on completing each mini segment. Before I knew it I was heading down the home stretch towards the finish line. I was shocked behind shocked when I crossed the finish line in 2:00:53. I was less than a minute away from breaking 2 hours which is my goal for Applefest! My legs were feeling it big time afterwards but man what a high! If the weather will cooperate 2 1/2 weeks from now I think I may just log me a sub two hour half marathon ; )

Me and Speedy boy Taber who finished in 1:46:30 (an 8:08 pace!) He rocks!

So that's the update. Hopefully you'll get another one before Applefest but if you don't, at least now you know why ; )

10 comments:

  1. Dear Running Blog,

    I don't know if you noticed, but my sister seriously rocks. I can't believe that after being super mom she still finds time to exercise! Not to mention the fact that she loves it and it relaxes her. Maybe you should be my friend, Running Blog, so I can look as hot as she does. Love,

    Muffin Top

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  2. Definitely better to have a 'neglected running blog' than 3 neglected kids! You are a great mom and it IS a lot of work keeping up with 3 munchkins.

    Reading this post helped me see how cool it is how we raise the bar for what is expected in our lives, as we grow and progress towards our goals. Maybe 5 years ago your running activity these past few weeks would have been amazing to you, but now you are not quite satisfied with the training you are getting in cuz you & Taber have done such a great job of raising your health/fitness bar in your lives. You expect yourself to perform at a higher level than you did 1, 3 or 5 years ago. Looking at how far you've come can help keep things in perspective when it is difficult to maintain the 'new and improved' schedule.

    Great job on the 1/2 and good luck with the upcoming races. Thanks for being Rachel's pumped up fitness coach and personal trainer! She's gone 3 days in a row now and this is just what she needs. We are excited to cheer her on in the Turkey Trot. It would be cool if she could get some of her siblings to join her for that event! (Sarah? Jake? Liz? Bueller? Anyone?)

    Ro

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  3. I'm with Ro. The cute kiddos are a far better investment of time then the old lonely blog. Besides, you're really doing awesome! Keep it up sis. I know you're gonna nail that 1:57:00 Half! :)

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  4. Nice job on the half marathon! That is impressive. The thought of running for 2 hours straight makes me tired. I love your recaps as usual :) And sheesh you are looking like a skinny mini.
    3 kids are no joke. I feel like my hands are full with one. My mom said 2 is manageable and 3 sends you over the edge. I think its great you make time to exercise while juggling mom stuff AND blog about it. In the words of JOe Biden, "Thats a big effing deal."

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  5. Wow, a near-2hr HM AND you have an 8 mo old? Awesome! My last is 10 mos and I still haven't run farther than 17km and I'm pretty sure that took me more than 2 hrs! Ha ha.

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  6. you are a super mom! i cannot even imagine two kids, much less three! what a cute pic of them, btw.

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  7. I'm totally sporadic on both of my blogs, but I'm glad the blogs are the ones getting neglected and not the kids, right? :)
    You did such an awesome job on that half. I want to beat 2 hours, too. I haven't done a half marathon since... 2008 I think? I did it in 2:00:06. I didn't really have a goal time, but I was super annoyed that if I had just gone 7 seconds faster, I would have been under 2 hours! My long runs have been pretty slow lately, but that Halloween Half in Provo is mostly downhill so I'm hoping that will help.
    Good luck with Applefest, I know you will do awesome!!

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  8. I just think that very first picture is about the cutest thing I've ever seen! Sure miss those munchkins!

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  9. IT's so hard to make the time! These kids are so cute!

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  10. Um, I meant to write you a LONG LONG email, and then life happened. But I read your other blog post about Cam and it sounded so awful and scary. You are going to kick serious BOOTY this coming weekend... hope you don't mind waiting around an extra 30 minutes for my slow tush to cross the finish line....

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