Monday Motivation

I have been sitting pretty in this postpartum nest...nice and cozy with very low expectations.  I have been doing kettlebells and walking/running a bit but with no goal other than to lose this dang baby weight.  This weekend...with a visit from my BRF Jill...I am putting my money where my mouth is and I'm registering for my first race post baby #3!  My favorite...Newport 10 Miler! It is my goal race and while it is not until June I know that I need to start pushing more.  Time to kick this bird out of the nest!  I am so nervous that I am just going to be awful...like I'll never be able to run double digits again...but then again what if I am better than before!  So that is my goal....better my best!!!  Taking risks is scary...but what if we fly?!!!

Let's Talk Training....Prego Style

Big news around these parts especially if you are following me on social media....and if you're not then get right on that!!  Our big announcement is that we are adding to our "fancy" family in May with the addition of a baby boy!!!

My husband loves his girls dearly but I'm sure he is excited to be getting some more testosterone back into the house!

I wanted to touch base here about how my training has been these last few months (I'm 14 weeks) and how it has compared to training with my last two pregnancies.

I will say that the first trimester of this pregnancy was a lot harder than my last two pregnancies.  I'm not sure if I should chalk this up to age or that I have two others to chase around, but this time around I felt very different.  I basically have felt like I have a horrible hangover for the past three months...just no fun party/funny memories to go with it!  This impacted my training a lot, obviously, and I honestly have felt very discouraged.  With my first pregnancy, I ran but I was just coming off of being burnt out from training for Boston and not really doing a great job balancing running and life.  This meant that I lifted and did spin every day up until about 39 weeks (the gym was across the street from the hospital so I figured I had a short trip if anything happened!).  When I got pregnant with our second child, I was probably in the best shape of my adult life.  I was running TONS and hitting PRs left and right! 

I actually ran a 20 miler a week after I found out I was pregnant.  With that pregnancy I ran (and kept my speed and distance up) until about 38 weeks (I also ran a half marathon at 21 weeks).

Enter this pregnancy...I was continuing training as normal (two days of speed work, an easy run, and a long run) until one day I hit a wall.  I battled with headaches, nausea, and a body that was just plain tired.  I cried about not being able to run long(seriously it was rough) and then went about figuring out what I COULD do.  My speed has dwindled quickly but I am still putting in the miles (hello RW RunStreak!) but they are much slower.  I still do two days of speed but they are not nearly as fast as they were before....and there are walk breaks.  However now that I am into my second trimester, I have been feeling human again (THANK YOU LORD!) and have had a few really awesome runs....like the ones that make me feel like me again!!

I have also incorporated spin back into the mix.  I have been loving mixing together spin and lifting alternating intervals.  It is a great workout! 

I have also been making sure I am working in exercising with the girls.  We have been loving hiking and exploring trails!

I've been really making sure that I get weight training in every day...core work, leg day, upper day and pilates.  In the past with pregnancy, I have struggled afterward with back/core issues.  I am hoping that being consistent with my weight training that this will help! 

I really think the difference this time around has been that I am feeling like I need to be kinder to my body.  Call it age...call it exhaustion...whatever it is I need to remind myself to be kind to myself.  I feel so much better physically and mentally when I get in my workout every morning but if the body is just not feeling it then I wait until later.  This is the last time I will be going through this process...I need to treasure the time!  This is the plan....keep my body moving for 40 weeks!  Here we go!

Yes...I'm a MOTHER Runner

Almost 8 years ago (yup I get choked up just typing that) I was given a title that I wear with pride each and every day.....Mom.

Becoming Em's mom was something I had prayed about for years and years...dreamed about the day when I could hold her in my arms and hear her cry for the first time!  While we had not a clue what it was like to actually be parents, we didn't lack in love and excitement over our new bundle of joy!

I am not going to say that first year was all doves and roses.  We were new parents...both of us worked full-time...I was going to school part-time to get an advanced degree...

and after 6 months into being a mom, I decided to add back the title of runner....this time adding "mother" runner to it!

The journey as a mother runner has certainly had it's twist and turns...bumps along the way in learning what works best for our family but with a supportive husband we made it work.  Then we added another chickie to our group!

She has added so much life to our life and has kept me running after her!  People joke that she is always running and on the move because I ran through my pregnancy, but what I see in her is a spark...that I pray never dulls.  She is going to move mountains so just get out of her way!

I can wear the badge with pride...I am a MOTHER RUNNER!

I have run pushing and carrying my chickies as a MOTHER RUNNER!

I have run side by side with our oldest as a MOTHER RUNNER!

I have had countless adventures with my BRF Jill faithfully by my side (I could do just a post on you Jill....oh wait I have!!) as a MOTHER RUNNER!

I have met (and become friends with) the most amazing people...a lot of which are also mother runners... as a MOTHER RUNNER!

I have joined running groups and Ragnar teams as a MOTHER RUNNER!

I have run 35 half marathons as a MOTHER RUNNER!!

Why all this mother runner talk....well because there was a time when I thought I couldn't do it...that my dreams and goals needed to be put on hold until the girls were older...that I needed to be put on hold.  Yes life is crazy as a mother runner....isn't it crazy for everyone...but I am so thankful for the support of my husband to help me realize that I can be a mother runner....that I can be an example for our girls!

I am proud to be a MOTHER RUNNER!!!

Love Where You Runch

Last year during our horrific winter (Let's go ahead and NOT have a repeat of that OK Mother Nature?!), I did a challenge with a local running store that had you run outside every day for the month of January.  Well our January not only was snow-filled but we also saw temps below zero...like in the middle of the day!  Considering that the middle of the day I thought was the warmest part of the day to be outside, I started running during my lunch...Runch if you will!  Yes a teacher's lunch is only 25 minutes long...yes I have to return and continue teaching for the rest of the day...no I don't have access to a shower (Just ShowerPill!)...yes all my coworkers thought I was nuts (they already did but this really solidified it) that I was headed out during below zero temps.  I noticed something though...I would return (ever so frozen) and have TONS of energy for the rest of the day!!  Thus began the RUNCH!  

Fast-forward to this time of year.  School has started back up and so has runch.  My coworker/friend joins me most times but others I go it alone.  The Fall always seems to just fly by for our family since we are super busy all of a sudden.  I LOVE running in the Fall so having it fly by is always a sad thing.  However this year I have noticed that my runch helps me to take it all in.  A short 25 minute run is all I need a few days a week to love the leaves and beautifulness around me!  We have been hitting the rail trail lately and I have to say I am loving it! 

Runch has been an awesome addition to my work week but it helps that I am loving where I runch! Wouldn't you?

Where do you run?  I always love to see the different scenes that people run in!!!

A Date with Deena

To be perfectly honest I had a completely different post ready for today.  I was going to recap my trail running adventures of this past weekend with Altra.  However, as the week passed and I read more and more things on social media, this post was weighing heavier and heavier on my heart. This morning in the shower, why is it I do my best thinking in the shower, I knew I was going to change things up.

This weekend was filled with moments which Dani coined, "Stars like us" from those US Weekly pages...

Our lunch with Deena Kastor was no different.  She eats bananas before a run just like us.  She drinks while she's training and celebrates with all the salty things after a race just like us.  She has moments of doubt during her races just like us.  She looks over her shoulder at her competetor and says, "Oh shit" just like....ok well I've never won a race so probably that is where it ends!

We had a great conversation with Deena about her races and running adventures.  She spoke candidly about not really knowing her records (Her husband is the number guy) and about eating a banana before races because that's "what runners are supposed to do"!  I had a question burning though in my mind and heart that I asked Deena.  "How have you change as a runner now that you are a mom?"

I knew from reading articles and from watching Deena with her daughter over the weekend that this little girl was her world!  I also knew that Deena has done amazing things since becoming a mom so I wanted to know how things changed for her if they did at all.  She shared about her daughter being a hard baby and how she would walk and rock her for long periods of time to get her to sleep (A trick I know all too well since I logged many a miles on my treadmill with our babies in the Bjorn).  She shared about how she takes days off when her daughter is sick and like everyone worries about her training but knows her place is with her daughter.

But honestly and truly the part of our lunch with Deena that stuck out to me and still holds a place in my heart was when she shared a story about not doing well in a race not long after Piper was born.
She sat down and started to cry because in her heart she had failed....She felt she had failed as a mom and failed as a runner.  I don't think there was a mom in the room that didn't know exactly the feeling she was talking about.  Here is this woman who holds the record for the only American woman to run a sub 2:20 marathon and not many days earlier had broken the master's record for the marathon felt like a failure....just like me.

There are a lot of balls I keep in the air constantly on a daily basis...wife, mom, teacher, sister, daughter, friend, professor, runner but I will admit that there are days when I drop a few....and there are days even weeks when I feel like I've dropped them all.  Lately I have felt like the moment I get a few going, they all tumble to the ground.  Hearing Deena Kastor say this...saying she has felt this way...seeing her cry about loving more than one thing so much and then feeling like you've failed them both...made me feel normal.  For the first time I didn't feel like I had to give the illusion like I had this all wrapped up in a nice neat bow all the time.

Whether you are a mom that works out of the house...or has her own business...or is a say-at-home mom...you are not alone.  We ALL feel like a failure from time to time.  We ALL have moments when we slip away to the bathroom and cry.  We ALL have those moments and you are NOT alone! Those words from Deena Kastor were exactly what I needed to hear and while I'm still processing them, I know that it will be alright!  I may not be headed for Olympic medal greatness but I'm a mother runner just like Deena and things will be ok!

National Running Day 2015

Well well!  Happy National Running Day all!!  You have to know that this mother runner is spending the day running...and talking about running!!  I'm linking up today with fellow mother runner Kristen over at Jonesin' for a run with this fabulous survey!

Enjoy!


1. Why do you run? I have been running almost 20 years now...wow that makes me feel old!  The reasons I have laced up my Sauconys has changed over the years from trying to continue to feed my competitive spirit to trying to escape the dark hole of post-pardum depression.  Running is part of who I am and I can't imagine a time not running!  Here are some reasons from the last few years that I still agree to today!

2. How do you plan to celebrate National Running Day? Ummm by RUNNING!!  I started this morning with an easy run.  I'm planning on hitting up a nice lunch run on my usual route and then capping off the day with my mini running buddy!!

3. How many miles have you run so far this year?  I had a short month in February with the flu that ransacked our house but I am proud to say that I've run 581.5 miles so far this year!

4. What big events do you have on the race calendar so far this year?  My biggest event for this year for me is going to be ZOOMA Women's Half Marathon in September (Don't forget to join me and use the code NANCY15 for your discount!).  That is my race of the year really for me!  I am also really looking forward to the Newport 10 Miler this weekend (one of my favs) and running my daughter's first 5k with her later this month.

5. Before I leave for a run you must have: my phone...I got into the habit of running with my phone when I was pregnant with my daughter and I honestly don't leave for a run without it.  I don't always listen to music but I like having it for safety reasons...and for the occasional times I get lost!...in my own neighborhood!

6. Do you have one favorite app to track your runs?  Lately I have loved using the RunGo app to track my runs.  It has a feature that will tell you how far you have gone as well as your pace which keeps me from staring at my Garmin a million and one times!  Also you can search other people's routes if you want to change things up!

7. Who is your favorite running partner?  While I love sharing my runs pushing the double wide with these ladies in tow...

My favorite running partner has to be Jill!!!  She has pulled me across more finish lines than I can count including my first post baby....I wouldn't be half the runner I am today if it wasn't for her!!

8. What races have you ran so far this year?  This year has been the year that I have cut way back on my racing.  I set my sights on a few races and have focused more on quality rather than quantity.  That being said, the only race I have run so far this year was Ragnar Cape Cod in May.

9. If you had to give someone one piece of advice about running what would it be?  Only one piece?  How about...If you don't feel like you're going to puke at the finish then you didn't run hard enough....Lol!  That's Jill's!  I would say believe in your own greatness.  We all have the ability to do something great within us...put in the training and you can reach your dreams!

10.  Describe your relationship with running in one word:  Ok so I have never been able to do anything in one word!!!  I would say I would describe my relationship as.....transformative.  Throughout the years running and my relationship has transformed me and my life.

How will you celebrate National Running Day 2015?