Thursday, January 17, 2013

Big Deal

Tonight was a Big Deal in my world...

I ran 2 miles!!!

For the first time since September of 2011!!

The friend from work I usually run with on Thursdays was out of town, but I decided to go on my own. I was the only one in the dome until some boys came in to play soccer. My pace felt great and I even sprinted some of the straightaways. I'm pretty sure the garmin was off.....but I'm going to claim the distance anyway.

Yay me!

I even smiled the whole time.

Husband took BabyBoy to the wrestling meet tonight and I'm now enjoying some quiet time at home. Ignoring the chores that need to be done and watching an episode of The Chew (guilty pleasure picked up while on maternity leave).

Happy running!

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Running in Circles

Was able to do another great run/walk with my friend from work tonight. Luckily there was basketball practice in the dome instead of softball practice. I would rather dodge basketballs any day over softballs.

I feel like we get a lot more done when it's just her and me. Other moms sometimes join us, but they really just want to talk and walk. I'm looking for a workout! I want to run! But I feel like I need to walk and talk with them. They walk fast, and I'm super short, so I do get my heart rate up trying to keep up with them. But I'm not going to walk a half-marathon. I want to RUN!

I want to RUN!!!

Tonight my friend and I tentatively decided to run a 5K the first weekend in April. It will be my first race in over a year. The Arnie Johnson 5K was also my first race ever. So it's kind of special. I'm looking forward to running this with a friend and expanding my racing shirt collection!

I'm heading to Minneapolis this weekend to try on bridesmaid dresses with my sister. I was thinking of bringing my shoes and outdoor gear. Then I checked the forecast.......high of 7. It has yet to be that cold here. I don't think it's been that cold here in over a year! Ah! I'll be leaving my shoes at home, thank you very much!

Happy Running!


Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Dodging Softballs

Tonight I met my friend from work to walk/run. Sadly softball season has started and we were dodging softballs while we walked. We could barely make 3/4 of a lap because of pitching practice on one of the curves. But, we walked quickly and talked a lot. We didn't run because of the flying balls. Hopefully the dome will be empty on Thursday.

We managed 3.08 miles in just under an hour. Move over snails!

Yearning for speed and a run that's not in a circle. Damn winter cramping my style. Oh well. It will warm up soon enough.


Friday, January 4, 2013

First "run" of 2013

In keeping with my New Year's Promise, I ran today. My friend from work heads to the high school every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday to take her son to wrestling practice. While there she walks laps around the indoor track with the other moms to pass the time. I decided to join her tonight. Because we're still on break, and there was a basketball game, the indoor track was closed. Luckily, knowing the athletic director pays off and we were able to "run" the halls instead. I have no idea what we did for distance, but I know we ran/walked for an hour.

She is still a beginning runner and doesn't think she can run a half marathon all the way through. I'm pretty sure she can if she trains and puts her mind to it. I really enjoy walking/running with her because we talk a lot and pass the time. I know that talking while running will help improve endurance (or maybe that's just a myth I heard somewhere).

 I have no halves in mind yet, but I'm hoping to pick one soon. Hopefully local and not expensive. My dream would be a Disney race, but there's no time/money for that. I would love to do Green Bay again, but I need to decide by tomorrow or the rates go up. I do not think I'd do another RockNRoll race in Chicago because it's way too crowded and way to expensive. I might do the Rockford half in May, but a friend who ran/walked it last year said they ran out of beer/medals/shirts/etc by the time she and her partner crossed the finish line. But who knows. Grand plans may all turn to dust if BabyBoy has his way with it.

Tomorrow is full of birthday parties and socializing before we head back to school, so no running here. But maybe Mr Bentley and I will take a stroll around the neighborhood on Sunday.



I did manage to purchase new running shoes on Wednesday. The local running store was able to fit me with Brooks Ghost 5. I always run into the problem of them only having around 5 pairs for me to choose from in my size. Seems people with small feet don't shop there. But this time Anthony helped me find a perfect fit. Looking forward to logging lots of miles on these guys!

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Things I Used to Be...

Once upon a time I used to be...

- An organized person
- A motivated person
- A healthy person
- A clean person
- A runner


Now......I'm a mother.


This kid is the love of my life. I wouldn't change a single thing. But that doesn't keep the nasty "If-Only" monster from creeping into my thoughts...

- If-Only he'd sleep through the night
- If-Only he'd be content for an hour so I can do just 1 P90X workout
- If-Only he'd stop crying....
- If-Only he'd give me 30 more minutes of sleep
- If-Only I could take a shower
- If-Only I had the motivation to go for.....

But, I can't let the If-Only monster bring me down. It's 2013 now. I have gone more than a year without blogging. This blog was created as a running blog and since I got pregnant, I haven't been doing much running. BabyBoy is now almost 9 months old and it's high time I stopped lugging the remnants of pregnancy around with me....emotionally and physically.

For my own reasons I need to address all the "people" I used to be and lay out a plan for becoming each and every one of them again.

I Used To Be....

An Organized Person:
BabyBoy takes up so much energy that everything we play with or use during the day gets left exactly where we set it when we move on to the next activity. This means clothing, toys, books, remotes, tissues, bottles, etc. are lying all over the house. After he's in bed I try to pick some of this mess up, but I'm just to damn tired to care. I want him to learn to pick up after himself (when he's old enough, obviously) and need to start setting examples.
In 2013 I pledge to...Pick up each night before bed. If possible, I want BabyBoy to watch/help me pick up before he goes to bed. I want to make a "game" out of putting toys back in the toy box when we're done. Husband has been amazing and keeping the kitchen somewhat picked up over the past few weeks and I know that we can keep this up.

A Motivated Person...
I started this blog on Nov 9, 2009 with the intentions of writing down thoughts and gaining motivation form other bloggers. Now all I want to do is sleep. I've written many blog posts in my head about life since BabyBoy was born but couldn't bring myself to actually write them down. All wanted to do was sleep.
In 2013 I pledge to....Start blogging again. I can shoot for one post a week. Motherhood is not the blissful fairytale that it looks like. I get so caught up in the "I can't" of it all that I forget what "I can". This blog is going to keep me accountable to myself again and give me an outlet for the stress. (Realizing that whiny mommy posts will not gain followers.....but I don't care. That's not what this blog is for.)

A Healthy Person....
I am now about the same weight that I was when I started this blog in 2009. In May of 2011 I looked the best I ever have and weight the least that I have since college. Now I'm lugging around BabyBoy and left-over baby weight. I'm sleeping whenever possible and eating snack after snack. Chips, popcorn, cookies, chocolate.....yum. Seems the word "No" has gone out of my vocabulary.
In 2013 I pledge to....Keep a meal calendar again. This was so successful for Husband and I before baby. It helped with grocery shopping and really helped with the I'm-to-damn-tired-to-cook-after-work attitude. BabyBoy makes me to damn tired to do anything right now, so this calendar will really come in handy. And the "snacks" need to be replaced with veggies.

A Clean Person....
I cannot tell you the last time I showered. Gross. I know. But with BabyBoy entering into a phase where all he wants to do is be held (he's been sick and teething since before Christmas) I can't put him down in the bathroom anymore to take a quick shower. I'm also sleeping in more in the mornings because I'm just so damn tired. This does not give me much time for a shower before work on those days.
In 2013 I pledge to....Insist on a daily shower. Husband will not get to do what he wants until I have showered. I realize that I am no one's priority here, so I have to make myself my priority.

A Runner....
Coming home from work. Changing clothes. Putting on those running shoes and going for 4-5 miles. Those were the days. Now I pick up BabyBoy from daycare. Get in a good snuggle. Get him fed. Amuse him until bed time. And then crash.
In 2013 I pledge to....Run. A friend from work wants to walk/run with me a few nights a week while her son is at wrestling practice. The high school has an indoor track open to the public after school and we walk/run there for an hour or so. I found the Prevea training plan I used before and want to start training for a race in May. (No idea which race yet, but we'll tackle that later.) Indoor track means can take BabyBoy after dinner when Husband is busy. I. Will. Run.


Being a mother is not a fairy tale for me. I didn't expect it to be, but I thought it would be easier than this. I was wrong. I love my BabyBoy. His smiles make my world go around and my heart melt. I want to set every example in the world for how a healthy person lives and I need to start now. Mothers can be (and are) all the things I used to be and the only thing stopping me from being those things is a nasty attitude.

The jogging stroller awaits. Will you help me with my journey?