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.