Harborun 5k

Last Saturday, my friend Courtney and I ran the Harborun 5k. It's a nice run in Elk Rapids (about 45 minutes from my house). Flat course, mostly along the water. I had never done it before, so I was looking forward to something different. 

My goal at the beginning of the summer was to be able to run a 5k again without walking. I was hoping to get under 30 minutes, but was really wanting to just gain more endurance to run the entire 3.1 miles. While I haven't run it in under 30 minutes, I have completed several 5k runs this summer without walking (some races, some just running by myself or with a friend). I call that a success. And I'm pleased with my time as well. (31:40)

I'm super proud that, along with all of my 5k runs, I have also completed a few 4 milers. I haven't run that far since before I was pregnant with Alden. 

I'm hoping to do a 10k at some point in this lifetime, and while it would be awesome to do a half marathon, I'm not sure if I have it in me. Time and training will tell.

Back to Running

This summer, I have made it a goal to get back into running. I used to run quite a bit before I got pregnant. And after having Leland, I started back into it and even started training for a 10k. Then I got pregnant with Alden, and I haven't run since I was 20 weeks pregnant with him. I tried last summer, but with Alden not sleeping (like ever), I was exhausted and I just didn't have it in me.

But this summer. This summer, I am running. I started shortly after school got out, and my goal was to run a 5k without walking. I figured it would take me all summer to get to that point.

I did a 5k walk a few weeks ago with my friend Courtney, and we pushed the boys in the my double jogger the whole way. It was a very hilly course, so we walked the entire thing, except for about the last tenth of a mile.

But thanks to a great friend pushing and encouraging me, I can now run a 5k without walking.

On Saturday, I completed my first 5k in a LOOOONG time without walking. Well, I guess technically, it wasn't a full 5k because someone made a mistake and the course was a tad short. It was around 2.95 miles instead of 3.1 miles, but whatever. I did it with my friend, Michelle, and we ran our best time yet this summer (this is taking the shortened course into account).

We ran it in 30:44, so I think if it had been the full 3.1, our time would have been close to around 32 minutes. Our goal is to run one in under 30 minutes.

And after that, I think I will start training for a 10k again. Although, if it were up to me, I would be pregnant again by next May when the Bayshore 10k rolls around again (but maybe not too pregnant to run it?). We'll just have to see. In the meantime, I'm happy with my progress and just hope I can keep progressing to meet my time goal. 

Lots of Running Going On Today...

So, way back in December, I sign up to run a 10k. I convinced my sisters-in-law and brother-in-law to run it with me. Laura and Jabin had been running and working out at the gym, and Danielle is quite athletic, so I thought it would be fun for us to all run our first 10k together. Then in February I found out I was knocked up and probably wouldn't be able to run it at 17.5 weeks, so I promised them I would be there to watch and bring them doughnuts.

Well, today was the Bayshore 10k. I kept my promise. I went to Potter's {the best bakery in all the land} and got everyone's favorite doughnuts. I forgot to bring my nice camera, but I was able to get a picture of them all crossing the finish line with my phone. Not the best quality, but better than nothing.

Laura and Jabin finished together {he's in the yellow/green and Laura is next to him.}

They finished in 59 minutes! Holy cow!

Danielle came in a couple minutes later.

The funny thing is that I sold my registration to a friend of a friend. You're not allowed to transfer/change registration, so he {a 35-ish year old man} ran under my name {a 28 year old female}. He finished in 48 minutes! I find it funny that his results will be posted next to my name. Makes me feel bad though - he should be getting the credit for that!

So that was this morning. Then this afternoon, I headed back to the same place for the Girls on the Run final run. There were 1500 girls there to run the 5k. Some of them ran it with their parents or other family members, so there were LOTS of people on the course.

My view when I started. I think I was in the middle of the group.

Things started to spread out a tad after about a half mile. There were these melon-colored shirts as far as I could see in front of me and behind me. Crazy. And awesome.

I ran/walked it. The race is not timed, but it was supposed to start at 5:00, and I crossed the finish line at 5:35, so I think I finished in 35-40 minutes. I think it must have started a couple minutes early, because I stopped for a couple minutes to help a girl who had fallen, and I was only running about half the time. That's why I say 35-40. Not bad for being pregnant though.

Oh, and the best part was that Ice Ice Baby - probably my favorite song of all time, not even kidding - was playing as I crossed the finish line. Seriously, that is my jam. {90s kid, you know.}

So, it was a day full of running. And it was a perfect day for it weather-wise. The rest of the weekend shall be spent playing and relaxing with my baby and husband.

Pregnant and Running...

Back in December, when I was getting back into running and wanted to improve my speed and distance, I signed for a 10k. I had never run more than a 5k, so I knew this would be a challenge, but I was ready for it.

I signed up, starting training way ahead of time {the race is not until Memorial Weekend, so I had 5+ months to train}, and I even convinced two of my sisters-in-law to run it with me! None of us had ever done a 10k, but we all were ready to go. I quickly got myself up to 4.5 miles - which is 1.4 miles more than I had ever run before - and I was feeling good. I was actually pretty excited.

Then...I found out I was pregnant. I knew that by the time race day came, I would not be able to run 6.2 miles. There was just no way. When I was pregnant with Leland, running started to hurt very early in my pregnancy. I knew that I wouldn't be able to do that much at 19-ish weeks. It just wasn't going to work. So I sold my registration to someone else and decided that I would cheer on my sistas this year {and wait for them at the finish line with doughnuts} and run it myself next year instead. No big deal.

About a week before I found out I was pregnant, I agreed to help my friend, Courtney, coach Girls on the Run. I have helped her in the past, and have also coached Girls on Track. It's an awesome program for girls 3rd-5th grade {or 6th-8th for GOT} that is designed to help girls learn to be healthy and confident, and in the process, they train for a 5k. We meet twice a week for a little over an hour after school. We do a lesson about physical/emotional/mental health. For example, we have recently talked about gratitude, cooperation, ways to be physically healthy, and ways to express emotions in a healthy, productive way. After our lesson, we head outside to run.

I wasn't sure I could run much during this pregnancy, but I still wanted to help out because it is such a great program. So I told Courtney I would still help, but I may be walking a lot. She was fine with it.

Well, to my surprise, I'm 14 weeks along and still able to run a decent amount. We run around the school parking lot and each lap is 1/5 of a mile. My goal each day is to alternate running a lap, then walking a lap until our time is up. And if I'm too tired, maybe I'll walk more than run.Today, I had to walk a little more because I just wasn't feeling well - low blood pressure was kicking my butt. I'm not trying to push myself. I'm just trying to do my best and really listen to my body. Sometimes it says, "You're good. Keep going." And sometimes it says, "Hey, lady. Give it a rest!" And I definitely listen when it says that!

The final run is in less than a month {the same day as the 10k I was supposed to do}, so I may still be able to run at least a little bit through the rest of this GOTR season. I'm pretty excited about that. I know it is good for me and the little babers for me to be active, and I am glad I can be somewhat of a role model for the young girls involved in GOTR. Many of them probably don't see themselves as runners, but when they see a pregnant lady trying to run, they tend to see that they can run too.

10k Training...

I'm fairly certain I've mentioned before that I'm running a 10k (6.2 miles) in May. The most I have ever run is a 5k, and I'm a little nervous about doing a 10k, but I have paid the $35 so I guess I just have to suck it up and get to training!

I found a 10k training app on my phone that uses running/walking intervals to work your way up. The starting point (week 1 out of 13 weeks) is super easy - like run one minute, walk 5 minutes. I'm beyond that, so I decided to start on week 5. But even that was too easy with running 5 minutes and walking 3. I can run about 20-25 minutes straight without a problem. Then I get bored and try to speed up to get done with my miles and that's when I start to get too tired. During this workout, I was dancing during the walking intervals - yeah, dancing on the treadmill to my 90's Hip Hop. Ha ha...I'll let that visual sink in. ;)

I thought about moving on to week 8, where you run 15 minutes, walk 2, etc. and I may still do that. But I'm also going to look at other training apps. My friend, Courtney, who is a 7-time marathon runner, suggested a different method that has you run four days a week of different distances, so I'm going to check it out.

I have plenty of time, really. The race is at the end of May, but I want to be somewhat "good" at running a 10k by that point. I want to know that I can run the whole thing before the race starts.

But anyway, I did start running again this week. I was sort of using my treadmill as a scrapbook table for the last couple of weeks while I was working on a project for a friend. But now that the project is done, I have my treadmill back.

I got up at 4:45am yesterday and ran two miles. I could have run more, but Leland started waking up (unfortunately, the treadmill is right below his bedroom, so I think he heard the beeping of the machine). I didn't do it today though. I plan to run every other day, because it's important to give your body a rest. And it's really important for me to not get up that early every day. I was proud of myself for doing it though. Tomorrow, I will again and hopefully Leland sleeps through it.

Wish me luck getting up before the crack of dawn tomorrow!

Jingle Bell Run...

Last night was the annual Jingle Bell Run, which is a 5k run through downtown Traverse City where everyone wears jingle bells on their shoes.

I have never done this run before. The last two years, I was pregnant {Two years ago, I was newly pregnant and feeling too nauseous to run, and last year, I was about 33 weeks pregnant.}, so I was excited to participate this year.

It was a cold one, and icy in spots, but a lot of fun. I have several friends who run this every year, including my good friend and co-worker, Courtney {she's the one that runs the Detroit marathon every year}. And  this year, Dave's sister and her husband {Laura and Jabin} joined the fun as well with their two boys, Caleb and Isaac. I decided to leave Leland at home, since it was close to his bedtime, and he's just getting over a month-long ear infection.

We ran with our bells and then were treated to dinner at the Park Place Hotel afterward. I'm so glad that I was able to do it this year, and look forward to next year!

Our bells!

Courtney and I

Laura, Jabin, Caleb, and Isaac

Isaac with my hat on...he's so stinkin' cute.

The red hat ladies. A parent at my school made them for us so we can all match. :)

5k...

Today, I ran the 3rd Annual 5k at my church. I ran it the first year they had it, but was getting over being sick and ended up walking most of it. Then last year, I was pregnant and not running. I was excited to do it again and hopefully run the whole thing.

I started running again this summer when I got a jogging stroller and a treadmill. I was determined to get back into running and to improve my best 5k time. I ran every day or every other day for a few weeks and was proud of my progress.

Then school started and I had absolutely no time to run. At night, by the time Leland is asleep and everything is cleaned up and ready for the next day, it is 8:00pm and I am just too tired to run. Or I worry that if I run, it will wake me up too much to go to sleep at 9:00.

But I signed up for the run anyway and just figured that if I had to walk some, it wouldn't be the end of the world. Hey, at least I would be moving!

I was really nervous before the run today. My goal was to run the whole thing, but considering my lack of running lately and the fact that the run was through an orchard with lots of hills and sand, I wasn't sure I could  do it.

I did it though! I ran the whole thing. Now, I have to admit that my "run" is not very fast. In fact, in my last mile, as I was heading up a hill, I was passed by a speed-walker. No worries though, once I was on flat ground again, I passed him. And then I booked it to the finish line. I finished strong with a good sprint, but my time was definitely not my best. It was actually probably my worst 5k run. Obviously, it was faster than my walking time, but it was most likely my slowest ever running time. I heard a few people after the run say that their time was at least 3 minutes slower than their usual time, because of all the hills, so that made me feel a little better. And, hey, at least I ran the whole thing. I could have given up, but I didn't, and I am proud of myself for that.

Before the run. Me with friends Suzy and Emilee and Suzy's kids, Lily and Barrett.

Suzy took these pictures of my finishing with her cell phone. Because she finished SEVEN MINUTES ahead of me!

Crossing the finish line.

Another one of me crossing the finish line. This is from the church's facebook page.

Now that I've completed my first post-baby 5k, I need to stay on track and keep running. Hopefully soon, I'll figure out a good routine so I can run at night on the treadmill.

No More Excuses...

Remember a few weeks ago, when I was going to start running again? I was so proud of myself for running a whole two days in a row.

Ha ha. Yeah, I haven't run since then.

In my defense, it got really hot for, like, weeks after that, and I was just too tired to run at night when it cooled down. Then, I just flat-out got lazy.

Well, this weekend, my mom found a jogging stroller for me at a garage sale for $40.

The woman who sold it to my mom said her husband bought it for her and she never used it. I had to hose the dust off of it, but now it looks brand new!

So now I can run with my munchkin and not have to wait until he goes to bed at night. I went for my first run with him this morning and it was awesome. Our other stroller is great - very smooth for walking, easy to fold down and take wherever we need to go, and is pretty snazzy to look at, I think - but it just didn't work for jogging in our neighborhood {we don't have the smoothest of roads in our 'hood}. It would probably work fine on smoother surfaces though. I think the jogger that I have now has better shocks/suspension, so Leland has a smoother ride when I run.

That same day that I got the stroller, a friend told me she was getting rid of her treadmill. I went to look at it and decided I needed it. Dave and I picked it up this afternoon, and he set it up in the basement, so now I can run anytime. When it's raining or snowing, when Leland is napping, when it's too hot or too cold outside.

I have everything I need for running now. Although I wouldn't mind getting a new charger for my Zune {MP3 player...I'm somewhat anti-Apple}, and downloading more songs on it so I can actually listen to music when I run. But for now, I'm good.

I was hoping to train for the Bayshore Half Marathon, which is in May {they have a 10k, a half marathon, and a full marathon}, but after checking out a few training schedules, I decided that it was a bit too much for me for now. I've never run more than a 5k. A 5k is 3.1 miles, and a half marathon is 13.1 miles, so that is TEN MORE MILES than I have ever run.

I think I'll focus on running a 5k this fall for my church and then doing the Bayshore 10k in May. Then perhaps the Cherry Festival 15k in July, and then maybe I can work on a half marathon. I think having the treadmill will really help, because I'll be able to run in the winter. I think I can do it, if I just stay focused and keep training.

No more giving up. No more excuses.

Workin' on my fitness...

A few years ago, I randomly decided to start running. I had never in my life been able to run one mile without stopping, but at age 25, I was ready to try.

I signed up to run the Cherry Festival 5k that year, and trained using the "Couch to 5k" training {now pretty popular and is called C25K}. After just a few weeks, I was able to run a mile nonstop, and when the day of the 5k came, I was able to run all of it. I was proud of myself and officially hooked on running.

I have run a few more 5k races since then, improving my time with each race. I'm not a fast runner, by any means. I think my best time was around 31 minutes. My goal is to eventually get under 30 minutes. It's hard to keep my body used to running because I don't really run in the winter. I don't own a treadmill, and I ain't running in the snow and ice.

I haven't run since I was about 6 weeks pregnant with Leland. I wanted to start again as soon as the weather got nicer, but I needed new running shoes, as mine were completely shot. I also needed a new sports bra, as my boobs are even more gigantic than ever. So I've been putting it off. Sort of on purpose, because I knew it would be hard to get back to where I was.

This weekend, I finally quit making excuses and putting it off and finally ran again. I need to really work on losing the rest of this baby weight and fitting into my clothes again. Plus, I just feel good when I run on a regular basis.

I did one mile the first night, which was hard. I used to be able to run a mile pretty easily, and, while it wasn't as bad as starting over completely, it wasn't easy. Partly because my body isn't used to running, and partly because my new sports bras don't quite cut it. Holy cow did my boobs hurt! But I did it.

I attempted to do it again the next morning with Leland, but quickly realized that my stroller is NOT a jogging stroller. It may have been better on a smoother surface, but it was just not working in our neighborhood, so we opted for a walk instead. Then later, when Dave got up, I went out by myself and ran 1.6 miles.


I'm going to keep running {hopefully improving my speed and distance}, and I'll still keep my eye out for a jogging stroller. I'm hoping to run a few 5k races in the fall. Maybe I'll even talk Dave into getting me a treadmill so I can keep up with it this winter. I would like to run the Bayshore half-marathon in May or at least the Cherry Festival 15k next year. That could be tricky without a way to run in the winter, so we'll see how that works out.

My friend, Courtney, who is a six-time marathon runner {yeah, she's pretty much amazing} likes to say, "You either ran today, or you didn't." I'd like to be able to say I did at the end of most days, even if it's just a mile. Every mile I run is a few minutes that I didn't spend sitting on the couch, getting fatter.