Yippee!! I made it to the gym twice this week!

Yippee! I made it to the gym twice this week. I went on both Monday and Wednesday. I had MOPS on Friday and a doctor appointment on Thursday so I didn't go then. I still have a goal of going 3 times per week. My little Knight was sick the second week of school so we could not go that week at all.

Number of workouts since the school year began: 3.

Week #3!

Not exactly a run, but....

I worked out today!

Now that Princess and Prince are officially back in school, the Knight and I plan to visit the gym several times a week. It was not a run, but I walked for 35 minutes. I am not supposed to get my heart rate up too high. It felt really good to get moving again. It helps so much to get in a Monday workout. Now I only need to get 2 more in this week - and maybe even more! The Knight went to the playroom with absolutely NO fuss at all! He did great and told me he had a great time.

So, I am 5 months pregnant and I have not gained a pound yet. I hope the walking will help this continue!

New school year workouts total: 1!

Hey! It's a start!

Missing In Action!

I have been missing in action for a while, but I have a good excuse! I found out in May that I am expecting baby #4! They will not let me run while pregnant so I will have to pick up where I left off after the baby comes.

If you are interested in reading about what I am up to, go to www.momofonetwothree.blogspot.com.

If you are interested in reading about our newest addition, you can go to www.momofonetwothreefour.blogspot.com.

See you next year for some more running fun! I have a goal to run the same race I ran in April this year. Good incentive for getting in shape after baby!

Monday Workout!

On Monday the boys and I hit the gym. I ran for 45 minutes and the boys played happily in the playroom. I was not able to go on Wednesday. The boys were invited over to a friend's house to play. It was a rainy day and the boys were having so much fun that I didn't have the heart to make them leave in time for me to get to the gym. We will go again on Friday. Yippee! I am back on Track!

I am so looking forward to this summer. Last summer we didn't have the gym or the pool but this summer we do. I am planning to spend 4-5 days a week at the gym. I may take a Bible study on Wednesdays so that would make 4 days a week more realistic. It is so important to create challenging but obtainable goals.

Happy Running!!

New Goal!

I have a brand new goal!

Our fair city has something called a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. Because it is usually just our little family for Thanksgiving, I can make this race a goal of mine. It is a 5 mile race, a little more than a 5K and a little less than a 10K. I am still looking for another 5K between now and Thanksgiving.

I have been running in an effort to increase my speed. Every week I am going to bump my 5K speed .2 mph. I want to get to 6mph.

Happy Running!

Catch up!

Whew! The last two weeks have been a scurry of doctor appointments, shopping, and other stuff I put off to make time to go to the gym! I am going to be back at it with full force next week with a new plan to boot!

Happy Exercising!

Race Day Pictures!

I tell you, it is hard to start something and complete it on the same day anymore! Here are the pictures from my big race day!

<==Here I am running hard at the end of the race. I really wanted to get to that finish line!







<==Here is MomOf2Boys with me, Princess, and Prince. DadOf3 took the picture while holding my little Knight.





<==My sister and my parents sent me flowers for the big race!








<==My pretty flowers with a picture of those who sent them!

First 5K - Done!

Wow! Race day was all I expected and more!

There were thousands of people wearing numbers and ready to run the race. It was invigorating!! A lot of the racers looked like college kids who have been in shape all their young lives. I was a little intimidated, but I talked myself into feeling like I belonged there too.

I went with my friend, MomOf2Boys, and it was fun to be able to accomplish a goal together. She has been a runner for a long time, and one mistake I made was to keep pace with her at the beginning of the race. It was too fast for me, so I waved her on ahead.

I only walked two times: once after waving MomOf2Boys on and once in the middle of a gigantic hill. I still feel like I have accomplished a giant feat, reached my goal, and feel happy with how the day went!

It was a very early morning; we had to leave the house at 7:15. The race started at 8:00, and it was just a gorgeous day. I think it was in the low 60s which was perfect for running. I started off too fast but after I got into my groove I was OK until the gigantic hill. I tried to just slow my running speed but I ended up stopping to get water about half way up.

I am happy with how this went and I am excited to keep going.

Lessons I learned:

• If the race is outside, train outside. If the race has hills, run hills.
  
• If you are running with a friend who you know is faster than you, let her/him go first.
• Run at your own speed.
• Don't be nervous. It is an amazing experience!
• Having a race on the calendar is a great motivator! I am going to start looking for my next one!

Goals for the Future:

• Run another 5K in the fall.
• Run a 10K next year.
• Work on running faster on the treadmill.
• Run outside at least one day on the weekends.
• Check out the 10K information and make a game plan.
  

This has been an amazing experience. While I am disappointed that I had to walk, I was so proud of myself when I crossed that finish line and found my family waiting for me. My time was 41:05. My original goal was to run it in under 45 minutes. That is the time to beat for the next race. I am not competing with anyone but myself. This was faster than I ran it at the gym.

I will post pictures in a bit. My laptop is dying and I don't trust it with pictures anymore.

Last Workout Before My 1st 5K!

Friday morning the boys and I headed to the gym for my last workout before the big 5K! It was a nice, easy run. I really am still floored that I can do this.

I picked up my runner's packet and the shirts are pretty neat. They are long sleeved, but that is OK. I won't be able to wear it much this year, but next winter, it will be among my favorite wardrobe choices!

I am a little nervous about tomorrow. There are butterflies in my stomach. And I think that is good. We are picking up a friend of mine for the race tomorrow. We don't think we will be able to run together because they start people of different ages at different times. We will still go together and come back together.

DadOf3 and the three kiddos will come too. I saw that they had some jumping things for the kids to play on, so they should have some fun too.

This has been fun, and I am so grateful for Supermom and her suggestion to check out the Couch to 5K program. I had never heard of it before she told me. I was in Iowa when I read it and had posted my New Year's Resolution to run a 5K this year.

Yippee! I am almost there!

Now, hopefully I will be able to sleep tonight! :)

Wednesday Workout!

The boys and I went to the gym on Wednesday. I wish I could have had another run outside but that was not to be. Let's just say that the boys do not sit well together in my jogging stroller! But I ran the whole thing again, and I kept bumping up the speed just to see what I could do. I am about a half mile per hour faster than the first time I ran the 5K without stopping. It was fun! I still cannot believe that I am able to run over 3 miles without stopping. I could not have done that in January.

I will head to the gym this morning with the boys too. It is my last run before my 5K on Sunday morning. We are taking the whole family - so that means DadOf3 is going to have to wrangle a 6 1/2 year old, a 4 1/2 year old, and a 3 year old while I run. I better run fast so I can help him!

I also want to say thank you to everyone who has commented on this blog! It has helped me so much!

Any words of wisdom for my first real race?

Outside Sunday Run - better than Saturday!

I ran outside again yesterday.

Considering it was my second day in a row running and it was outside again, I feel pretty good about it. The whole family went to my 6 1/2 year old daughter's school. DadOf3 watched the kids while I ran around the 1/3 mile track 10 times. I stopped a couple of times, once for mommy duty when my 4 1/2 year old got a skinned knee. I felt much better about it and came to the realization that we live in a very hilly neighborhood. I think that was part of the reason Saturday was so hard - the hills.

6 days until my 5K!

Running On The Street

I am officially in awe of all street runners! I ran my first run outside this afternoon and it officially kicked my butt. I went the distance but I had to walk some.

Things I didn't think about before running that I will think of next week while running outside:

1. I should have taken a decongestant because my cold from last week is still lingering.
2. The amount of allergens in the air is staggering. I came home wheezing and coughing like mad.
3. People smoke outside and that sent me into a coughing fit. This was my first switch to walking. Once I stopped once, it was like I had permission to walk some of it. Mental challenge.
4. I need a watch with me to give myself running challenges.
   

Oh well! I got a weekend run in. I will work out running outside all next week.

Wedneday Workout - Postponed.

I did not go to the gym this morning. I have yet another ear infection. Blah! My ear drum broke and drained all night. Yuck! I am heading to the doctor tomorrow and I will hopefully be OK to run tomorrow and Saturday outside. At least it didn't happen next week right before the big race!

Monday workout!

The boys and I made it to the gym again on Monday morning. I ran the entire 5K again and even bumped my speed up 0.1mph. I am still pretty slow but I finished the whole 5K in 41:37. That includes walking for 5 minutes at the beginning too. I am getting faster!

I am now working on creating a playlist for my ipod for race day! Fun!

Fitness On Friday: It was not a fluke! I ran the whole 5K again!

Woo hoo! Wednesday was not a fluke! I ran the entire 5K again this morning. I felt good the whole way through.

I want to thank people for their words of caution, but I really do not think I am moving too fast with this. All along, I have been working out for 45 minutes plus a 5 minute cool down.

I feel like I am looking down the barrel of a shot gun with my first 5K only 2 weeks away. I am going to run outside next week Thursday. If it is a lot harder than the treadmill, all of the rest of my runs will be outside until the race.

16 days until my first 5K!!

I Ran the WHOLE 5K!

Yippee! Yahoo!!

I went to the gym this morning fully expecting to have a difficult time running 25 minutes.

• I walked for 5 minutes,
  
• ran for 20 minutes and thought "Yippee! Only 5 minutes left!",
  
• asked myself why I wanted to stop,
  
• decided that I felt good enough to run 28 minutes,
  
• thought to myself, "I am not hurting so I will just see how far I can go" and
  
• ended up running for 40 minutes (when the treadmill automatically slowed down for the cool down),
  
• and walked for the 5 minute cool down!

I ran for 40 minutes and it did not kill me!!! I went for almost 4 miles. Woo hoo!

I CAN do this thing!

Week 6 - 5K Training - Day 2!

After having skipped Good Friday's workout, I was ready to run again yesterday. Unfortunately, I was asked to babysit Monday morning. I did end up working out at home though. Again, it was tough and I don't think it should have been.

I walked for (5 minutes and ran for 10 minutes) for 45 minutes.

It might have been more difficult because I ran right after supper. Also, my treadmill at home has a built in 1.5% incline.

Any which way, I did it and it is done!

Meme Fun!

Happy Blogger Chick has tagged me for a meme!

The meme asks me to write my six word memoir.

After thinking all day, this is what I have come up with:

She is her own person after-all.

I was born a people pleaser. And in my heart of hearts I am still a people pleaser. I used to think that doing things to make others happy was my calling. However, that does not always lead to my own happiness. Yes, I still take care of my family and friends. But I am starting to take care of myself too.

This whole running thing is a prime example. I have always known that I have it in me to be a runner. Listening to other people has made me stop in the past. But I feel SO good that I have accomplished what I have accomplished so far, as modest as my accomplishments may be.

I am having fun! And I am planning to do more things like this!

I am tagging the following people:

Danielle from Run Dani Run, Natalie from Bye Bye Fat Mom, and Aaron from Aaron Runs Again.

:) DLNY

Week 6 - 5K Training - Day 1!

My sister and I headed to the gym again with the boys this morning. They played nicely in the play room while my sister and I worked out.

Today I walked for 5 minutes (ran for 5 minutes, walked for 3 minutes, ran for 8 minutes, walked for 3 minutes) for 45 minutes!

It actually seemed more difficult that running for 20 minutes straight. But I did it! I feel pretty good about today. We also got a pass to bring everyone back on Friday for some swimming fun. I really do like this gym!

Week 5 - 5K Training Day 3!

I did it!

I actually ran for 20 minutes straight! Woo hoo!!! Best of all, my sister was there with me to witness it. She is in town from Iowa with my nephew so we hauled all three boys to the gym (Princess went back to school today after Spring Break).

I walked for 5 minutes, ran for 20 minutes!!!, walked for 5 minutes, ran for 10 minutes, and walked for 10 minutes for a total of 50 minutes.

I almost skipped straight to week 6 and I am so glad that I didn't. We will go on Wednesday and Friday too. I am going to run 25 minutes on Friday and either Day 1 or Day 2 of Week 6 on Wednesday.

I am seriously just tickled that

A) we went at all because this is vacation for my sister, and
B) I RAN FOR 20 MINUTES WITHOUT STOPPING!!!!!

5K Date: April 13th!

I think it was a mental thing.

People kept asking me when my 5K was and I could not remember. I didn't even dig though my many, many emails to find my registration receipt.

I think I needed to believe that I could do this before I told people.

April 13th is the day! Yikes! That is only 29 days from now!!!!

Panic, panic, panic. My sister and her family are coming into town this week. I have plans to run while they are here though and my sister will support this. She just completed a Boot Camp exercise program. I just need to stick with it!

(Please, everyone stay healthy so Mommy can run!)

Sidebar update!

I have updated my sidebar to include information about how to train for a 10K!

Believe it or not, as I approach the completion of the Couch to 5K program, I am feeling a little sad.

I know, I am only half way through, but still!

So I did a little googling this afternoon and found a couple of sites!

:)

Just Keep Swimming

I could not resist adding this to my blog! I know this will run through my mind on my upcoming 20 minute run!

Week 5 - 5K Training Day 2! (Just keep Swimming!)

Skipping ahead does not to appear to have hurt me! Yippee!!

Today I (walked for 5 minutes/ran for 8 minutes) for 50 minutes!! I ran for 8 minutes without stopping 3 times!

I was really surprised that I was able to do this. I have come a long way from week one when I was out of breath running for even a minute. There were times that I wanted to stop during the 8 minute runs but I did a little self evaluation and asked myself "Why?" Was I hurting somewhere? Nope! Was I breathing too hard? Nope? So I just kept running. (Like in Finding Nemo: Just keep swimming swimming swimming!)

My 6 1/2 year old is a runner. She LOVES to run. One of the best things about her school in my opinion is that they have a 1/3 mile track that goes around the playground. Before the kids get to play at recess, they have to run the track once, twice, or three times depending on their grade level (and behavior!). It has to help the teachers for the kids to burn some energy, and I know it is good for the kids!

Anyway, Princess was with the boys and me at the gym again because of Spring Break, and I really wanted to tell her that I was able to run for my 8 minutes without stopping. When I told her she ran to me and gave me a big hug.

Maybe someday I will be as good a runner as she is!

Week 5 - 5K Training Day 1!

In an attempt to catch up after missing two workouts last week, I skipped ahead a bit.

Today I did Week 5 Day 1

I walked for 5 minutes (ran for 5 minutes, walked for 3 minutes) for 45 minutes with a 5 minute cool down AND IT DIDN'T KILL ME! I will attempt Week 5 Day 2 on Friday. This one includes 8 minute runs. It seems daunting....

It was good to get to the gym. I took all three of my kiddos again and we went swimming afterwards. It feels really good to get into the cool pool after running! The kids were great!

Week 4 - 5K Training - Day 2 - take 2!

Well last week was a bit of a bust for me as far as running goes. But what can you do?

This is a new week and I am back on track!

This is Spring Break week for us, so I took all three kids to the gym this morning and they were really, really good! We got there around 10:00. I got my run in: walk 5 minutes, (run 3 minutes/walk 1.5 minutes; run 5 minutes/walk 2.5 minutes) twice. Who hoo! It seemed even easier than last Monday when I did this the first time. I am going to do this work out one more time on Wednesday and then on Friday, I am going to go to the next week's workout.

After running, I took the kids to the indoor pool at the gym and they had so much fun. I probably let us stay there a bit too long because we didn't get to eat lunch until 1:30. They are now all napping. Swimming wears them out - so we all got exercise today!

Happy Running!

Week 4 - 5K Training - Day 2!

I have been sidelined by sickness. Not mine, my kids'. I was supposed to run yesterday but I could not get to the gym because my boys were not feeling well. Due to a busy schedule, I could not work out last night. Tonight does not look good either because the kids have their basketball award ceremony tonight. I want them to go if everyone is healthy enough. My poor little 4 1/2 year old (the Prince) had a temperature of 102.7 yesterday. His temperature is better today (100.7) but it is still a temperature so I am not sending him to pre-school. I cannot work out at lunch when DadOf3 is home because I have to run to the church to make copies of the newsletter I write once a month for MOPS.

I re-read this and it all sounds like excuses. Truth be told I am really bummed. I am hoping to get to run on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Maybe I will try running outside after hearing from Pam that running outside is very invigorating and more challenging than on the treadmill.

I really do not want to have to repeat this week. I am going to set a new goal:

Run Friday night at home and run outside (or treadmill) Saturday afternoon.

Week 4 - 5K Training - Day 1! (Plan B - Done!)

Man! This was a tough workout for me. I did it though:

Walk for 5 minutes to warm up.

(Run for 3 minutes/Walk for 1.5 minutes, Run for 5 minutes/Walk for 2.5 minutes) repeat for 45 minutes.

There are too many variables to know exactly why this one was so hard.

1. It was a tough workout. I had to run 5 minutes several times without stopping. It was hard but I did it!
   
2. I worked out on my treadmill at home instead of at the gym.
3. I worked out at night instead of in the morning.
4. I worked out right after supper.
5. I was in a small room with no airflow.
   

Suffice it to say, I like running at the gym better than at home right now. This may change later. I need to practice running outside sometime too. I have heard that it is definitely different than running on the treadmill. Runners: do you think it is harder to run outside?

I am so glad that I got this workout in! DadOf3 helped me so much! He took the Princess, the Prince, and the Knight on an errand. They are looking for a moon bolt to put up the bunk beds we bought at Princess's school's Silent Auction on Saturday. That seems to be the only missing piece. They should be home by now. DadOf3 is a good shopper though. He likes to look and look before he buys. :)

Week 4 - 5K Training - Day 1! (Plan B)

I knew it would happen again, and it did.

Sickness has sidelined my ability to go to the gym.

My 4 1/2 year old and 3 year old boys are both sick. My 3 year old was up all night on Friday coughing, and my 4 1/2 year old got it yesterday. I don't want to spread the germs to the other kids in the gym (although I am quite sure that is where my boys picked this up!) so we are not going to go. Plus, I want a nice, easy day for them to get better.

I do however have a Plan B. It requires DadOf3 to help me though. I have a treadmill upstairs. It is a good one that I bought many years ago (8) when we were still living in Iowa. I have never run on it but I used to walk on it all the time. A few could of weeks ago, I spent several hours cleaning that room and freeing the treadmill. That is paying off today!

So, I will either run when DadOf3 is home for lunch or tonight after supper.

This is a big week. When I get to run, this is what I will be doing:

Walk for 5 minutes to warm up.

(Run for 3 minutes/Walk for 1.5 minutes, Run for 5 minutes/Walk for 2.5 minutes) repeat for 45 minutes.

Week 3 - 5K Training - Day 3!

The boys and I hit the gym again this morning. I love weeks when I can work out on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

GOAL: Next week go Monday, Wednesday, Thursday (I cannot go Friday because I have my MOPS meeting), and run at home on Saturday. :)

Today's workout was the same as Monday and Wednesday:

Walk for 5 minutes
(Run for 1.5 minutes/Walk for 1.5 Minutes and Run for 3 minutes/Walk for 3 Minutes) repeat for 45 minutes. Then I hit the weights and used 5 machines. I will add more as I watch people and learn how to use them. I usually do 3 sets of 15 reps each.

I really wanted to go today. I am actually looking forward to next week and stepping it up a notch.

Check back on Monday to see how I feel then. Ha!

Week 3 - 5K Training - Day 2!

The boys and I hit the gym again this morning after we headed to the park from about 9:00 until 10:00. By the time the boys were settled in the playroom (childcare), it was 10:30.

I walked for 5 minutes,
(Ran for 1.5 minutes/Walked for 1.5 minutes, Ran for 3 minutes/Walked for 3 minutes) repeat for 45 minutes. Then I lifted weights. I worked out from 10:30 until 11:45. Woo hoo!

The best days are when the boys can go into the childcare area together. My 3 year old does not appreciate being left there by himself. Hopefully he will get over that when my 4 1/2 year old starts school.

It was a good workout. It seemed easier today than on Monday. I went to bed at a reasonable time last night and ate breakfast before we left for the park. That helps!

I actually looked forward to running today. I am not quite sure yet if I am looking forward to the "alone time" or the actual workout. Time will tell!

Week 3 - 5K Training - Day 1!

Whew! I made it out alive! I looked at Week 3 Day 1 and was a bit scared, but I was able to pull though.

I walked for 5 minutes, (ran for 1.5 minutes/walked for 1.5 minutes, ran for 3 minutes/walked for 3 minutes) for 45 minutes. I also had time for weights!

Afterwards I picked up all three kids (Princess does not have school today) and we headed to the swimming pool. They had a blast even thought the slides were not running. We swam for about an hour and a half and then headed to the locker rooms for showers. When we got home we made blueberry pancakes for lunch. They are all in their rooms hopefully sleeping. They have to be tired. They had a (successful!) 3 kid sleepover last night in the boys room. They were up until after 10:00 though. Oh well, it is a day off.

I had conferences at Princess's school this morning. For more of this go to my other blog.

Happy running! :)

Week 2 - 5K Training - Day 3!

After dropping off my little Prince at pre-school, the Knight and I went to the gym. The last time my little Knight stayed in the childcare area of the gym by himself, they called me back after about 10 minutes. He lasted 45 minutes today! I actually made it through the walk/run and had just started the cool down when they paged me. I didn't get to weights but I am glad to get what I got! They told me that he wasn't crying but he was really, really sad. He would play for a while and then remember that I was not there and get really sad. I am glad they called me. I made a big deal out of the fact that he stayed there for so long and gave him a sucker, his favorite. Next week should be better because I can go Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The Prince will be with him all three days. I may try to go on Thursday too. That would be 3 workouts in a row. Hmmm. Maybe I'd better check and see what next week holds for me!

Workout: I walked for 5 minutes. I (ran for 1.5 minutes and walked for 2 minutes) repeat for 40 minutes. Today was not as easy as yesterday. I am wondering if it is because I worked out 2 days in a row. Also, I didn't eat breakfast because we were running late. That is a major duh!

Week 2 - 5K Training - Day 2!

The boys and I headed to the gym today. They both went into the childcare area without incident - yippee! That is sometimes the biggest battle.

Today I walked for 5 minutes. Then I (ran for 1.5 minutes and walked for 2 minutes) **repeat** for 45 minutes. I was only supposed to go for 20 minutes, but with missing 2 whole weeks, I have some ground to make up.

This week has not been horrible at all so far. One step at a time.....

Week 2 - 5K Training - Day 2!

The boys and I are off to the gym again this morning. Since the Prince and the Knight will be together I think I will be able to get through my workout. My little Knight does not like to go into the childcare area alone.

First Post

This blog is going to be my official place to record my running achievements, modest though they be!

I am on week #2 in my Couch to 5K training. I have signed up to run a 5K with a friend in mid-April.

On the road to better health and a better body!