It's a love / hate thing

I ran the Super Sunday 5k in Boston last Sunday. I've been meaning to blog all week, but Little H has been sick, wasn't sleeping well at night... and now he's passed his cold on to me. This is his 4th cold this season, and my 3rd. (I blame the babysitting at the gym. Not sure that's where he catches the colds, but it seems the most logical place.)

Anyways, back to the race. I finished in 29:43, so I reached my goal of finishing in under 30 min! I ran my first 5k on New Year's Day this year and finished in 31:25, so this was an improvement. I'm not a competitive person, but I was glad to see that my running schedule is paying off!

Let me explain my running/working out schedule. I like schedules and following plans. I like the structure, and when I plan out my weekly workouts it gives me something to cross of my to-do list (I love that feeling). Plus, Little H is on a schedule for naps and feedings (well, somewhat...as you may know, babies usually do what they want when they want). So a schedule works out well for everyone all around.

I started running just recently, in November. Let's make something very clear... I have never really enjoyed running. I've always been jealous of the people that do (or at least claim they do). For me, I've always had a love / hate thing with running. I usually hate it while I'm doing it, but love it when I'm done. I doubt I'm the only one. I was always an elliptical, bike, yoga and pilates sort of girl. But I wanted to work towards a goal and thought signing up for a 5k would be a challenge, and a nice change of pace from my typical gym routine. I started The Couch-to-5k Running Plan in November, a 9-week training plan for beginners (it starts out with intervals of 60 seconds of running and 90 seconds of walking... so just about anyone can do it). I knew I wanted to start out slow so I wouldn't get discouraged...this was perfect for me. The key is to sign up for a 5k (or any race) and then work backwards from the date of the race and start training accordingly. After 9 weeks of training (including a few frigid outdoor runs; one that resulted with icicles on my eyelashes... not fun), I ran that first 5k on January 1st! It was worth it. And although I don't yet love running, I've grown to like it more and more.

I only recently learned that a 5k is 3.1 miles (yeah, that's how clueless I was about running). Now, some people might be able to run 3 miles without so much as a thought.... not me. I won't even try to use the "I just had a baby" excuse. The truth is, I don't think I could have run 3 miles before I got pregnant and was exercising regularly. I knew I had to follow a training schedule if I wanted to cross the finish line.

So here's how I did it. I tried to follow the schedule to a "t", but some days I had to switch workouts or rest days because Little H or I was sick or taking a mom/baby class that day. In general, we go to the gym in the a.m. after his nap and a feeding. He's usually only awake for 2 hours at a time before going down for his next nap, so as soon as he eats I get him ready and we're out the door. By the time I get to the gym (luckily it's only a 5 min. walk ~ one of the perks of living in a city), I have about an hour before he gets fussy and tired. They have a babysitter there and the price is very reasonable. I either do a treadmill run or cross training, and then stretching or ab work. When we get home, he goes directly down for a nap and I have some quiet time to shower and get something to eat.

On strength and stretching days, I use free weights and resistance bands, and yoga and pilates videos I have at home. I try to do it before Little H wakes up for the day (7 a.m.) or during his morning nap.

That's it in a nutshell. It doesn't usually go as smoothly as I'm making it sound. Everyday presents new challenges. That's what this blog is about ~ learning how to overcome those challenges so you can still fit in those workouts. Although it may not seem like it when you're trying to get out the door, you'll have more energy for both yourself and your little one... and you'll need it!