Hot is an understatement

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am truly frightened by the weather we are expected to have this weekend. Normally I would do just one long run on Sunday but, I'm going to split my long run into two short runs, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. I plan to leave as early as possible and I'm bringing water with me.   I hope this is our one and only heat wave for the summer.  I'm keeping the kids indoors all weekend long. 

 



ETA: The picture above is a live link to Channel 8 new weather in Las Vegas. When I originally posted this link the temps were over 112 degrees for over a week, with the high temp peaking at 117 degrees over the weekend.

I can't believe how fast time is flying by.

So much has been happening lately, and before you know it a few weeks pass before I write a blog post.  My son had an ear infection and my daughter just had her four month vaccinations, so both kids are more cranky and fussy than usual. I've had to miss a few days of work and my sleep schedule has been a bit wacky. It's been nice to be home to spend extra time with the kiddos but, coming back to a ton of emails and missed calls in no fun.

They were watching Yo Gabba Gabba together and I was distracting them.

Last weekend I decided to run a timed 10k.  Our local track club was hosting a low key race in my neighborhood. My original goal was to break 50 minutes or around 8:01 pace.  I left the house at 6:45am and the temps were in the high 70's. My strategy for this race was to hold back and negative split for the second half of the race.  The course is a 3.1 mile out and back with an overpass to run over twice. 

start of the race

I used my Garmin to keep track of my pace during the run and it really helped me keep my pace in check. Here are my mile splits
Mile 1- 8:13 
Mile 2- 8:01
Mile 3- 8:18 (I'm happy because we had to run over a bridge twice)
Mile 4- 8:00
Mile 5- 8:03
Mile 6- 8:07
.24-       1:46  (7:18 pace)

Official Time: 50:31

I held back the first three miles and when I got to the turn around point I noticed that I was 4th woman overall. I turned on my Ipod and picked up the pace a little bit. Between miles 4 and 5 I got a side stitch and I had to ease off a bit.  I was frustrated because my legs felt like they wanted to go faster but, my upper body still has some room for improvement.  I was able to catch the 3rd woman during the last mile of the race.

crossing the finish line

I'm happy with my progress. Sometimes it feels like the weight loss is moving at a glacial pace. But, when I put things in perspective it is going by quickly. Speaking of weight... I'm down another two pounds.

Start weight 150
Current weight 137

Things are moving in the right direction.

4 months postpartum update, good bye 140's hello 130's.

Today I weighed in at 139lbs. So far I am down 11lbs! I am really happy about getting down below 140. About two weeks ago I hit a plateau and I didn't loose any weight that week. This motivated me to step up my workouts and to see where I could tweak my diet a little bit. The following week I lost two pounds. My first goal is to reach 130lbs and then 125lbs. My goal weight is 120lbs. I don't think I will be able to go below 120 until I am done breastfeeding. At times my progression feels slow but, I am noticing the changes too. I'm finally able to wear pants that don't have an elastic waistband. Also I am seeing more definition in my arms and legs.

My running is improving ever so slightly as well. I purchased a Garmin Forerunner 10 and it's pretty easy to use. But, I wasn't using it to it's full potential. I thought the watch only kept track of my time and distance.

But with the push of a button it keeps track of my pace! Imagine that!

In the past I was always pretty anti-Garmin.  I didn't understand all the hype and excitement over a watch that cost so much money. I can honestly say I am hooked.  It's a nice tool to keep me on pace when I feel like running a tempo run. I'm also more inclined to head outdoors for a run.




This has been a really busy work week for me. But, I still managed to workout each morning. I am really looking forward to tomorrow's  planned rest day. This week I ran outside twice, once on the treadmill, and two days of circuit training.  On Tuesday I went out for a 4 mile run in some wicked heat. At 7:30 in the morning it is already 82 degrees when I got back a little after 8am it was closer to 85 degrees. Today was even hotter! I only ran 3 miles this morning but, it was 90 degrees at 7:30 am. It was a really stupid idea.  I'm trying to eek out a few more outside runs before it gets too hot. We are in for some brutal weather in Las Vegas this weekend. The daytime high is expected to hit 111 degrees on Saturday! I'm hoping to run on Sunday, I'm going to have to get on the road before 6am if I want this to happen.

My little munchkin turns 4 months tomorrow.  I can't believe how fast the cuddly baby stage is going by.

I finally got her to smile for the camera.

Rebuilding My Fitness One Workout at a Time

When I first went back to work three weeks ago I decided to only workout twice a week in the morning before work, since then I have decided to increase the number of workouts to four days a week.  I enjoy working out and also there is a big difference between leaving the house at 7:00am and 7:20am.



She smiles a lot, just not when I pull the camera out.





On the days I plan to workout I am much more organized. I have all of my bags packed (work clothes, lunch bag, diaper bag, & breast pump). I am focused and in the zone. I get the children ready for their day and get them in the car on time.  

If I stay at home  for that extra twenty minutes  and get ready at home, I don't feel like I"m spending any extra quality time with my children in the morning.  Instead I feel like a chicken with my head cut off trying to figure out what to wear.  Also the traffic is much busier at the later time.  If I leave the house at 7:00am I can drop off the kids and get a 30 minute workout in and be at my desk by 8:00am.  If I leave the house at 7:20am  I'm barley getting to my desk by 8:00 am.

Since I only have 30 minutes to workout I am making it count. My four workouts consist of  two days of running and two days of strength training. I'm really lucky to have a gym at my workplace.  This morning was a strength training day.  Today I did circuit training with 8 exercises for three circuits.

The exercises in today's workout were:
squats on a bosu trainer
dumbbell shoulder raises
bicep curls
roman chair leg lifts
lat pull downs
sit ups 
dumbbell bench press
cable press downs

I like circuit training because it keeps my heart rate up and you can get a great workout in a short amount of time. 

Today was also a weigh in day for me. I started tracking my food points four weeks ago. My starting weight was 150lbs. Today I am down to 144lbs.  I'm an impatient person and I wish the weight was coming off faster. But, I am happy with my progress. My run times are starting to improve as well. Over the weekend our local track club was hosting a low key 4 mile timed run.  I was hoping to hit 8:15 per mile and that was pretty good estimate. My split times were 8:15, 8:17, 8:27, and 7:57.

Photo courtesy of LVTC

I can't believe that my little girl is three months old today. The days are long but, the weeks and months go by fast.

Back at work -10 weeks postpartum

 I went back to work last week and I'm still adjusting to my work schedule. In my last post I discussed that I was still in the honeymoon stage with my running. Some of that warm fuzzy feeling has worn off but, overall things are going well. I did my first long run last Friday afternoon. It was 6 miles and it was really hard. It wasn't so bad while I was running but the next day my legs were dead. I'm carrying extra baby weight, so hauling around an extra 25lbs isn't easy.

Speaking of weight... When I gave birth to my son two years ago I assumed that because I was breastfeeding  that the pregnancy weight would fall right off. I made plenty of excuses for eating poorly. When my son turned a year old we threw a birthday party to celebrate. When I saw the pictures from the party I was horrified by how I looked.  It motivated me to join Weight Watchers. I lost most but, not all of the baby weight. Then I became pregnant with my next child. I didn't gain as much pregnancy weight this time around but, I still gained about 35lbs.

36 weeks pregnant

Last weekend with the kids

 I'm done having children and I really want my old runner body back.

I didn't want to wait until my daughter turned a year old before I did something about it. However, I did decide to hold off on dieting until I was at least 8 weeks postpartum to make sure my milk supply was well established. I couldn't afford to join Weight Watchers this time around but, I found an app on my tablet that tracks food points. I also have a friend at work that will weigh me in once a week to keep me accountable. My starting weight was 150lbs!! (That's a lot when you are only 5 feet even). The first week I think I was a little too extreme with my calorie cutting. I lost three pounds right away. It felt great to lose that much, but my milk supply decreased. I've had to add in  some extra carbohydrates to keep up my milk supply. I also have to be happy with only losing a pound or two a week. At first I was embarrassed to admit how much I weigh on this blog. But, I want to be held accountable and seeing it written makes it real.

My running has been a great outlet for me,  even though it's harder than it used to be  I really look forward to the physical and emotional release that it gives me. I'm only able to run about 4 times a week.  I have a pretty rigid schedule between dropping my kids off at daycare, work, visiting my daughter on my lunch break, work, commute home, eat dinner, family time, sleep, rinse and repeat.  About twice a week I get both kids in the car 30 minutes early so I can get a quick run in before work. It's not ideal but, it's better than nothing. On Friday afternoons I get off of work early so I plan on making that a long run day. Sunday will be my other long run day.

Last but, not least I finally bought myself a Garmin!! I got the basic Forerunner 10 model. It doesn't have too many bells and whistles. It just keeps track of your distance and time. I like the fact that it is pretty easy to use.

Postpartum running a week six update.

It's great to finally be running again. I just started up again about two weeks ago and I feel as if I'm starting from scratch. The best part about it is that I'm in the honeymoon stage, every run is wonderful and I'm happy to be at it again.

Last month when I went to my two week postpartum check up with my OBGYN, I asked when would it be ok to start running.  The Dr. told me that it would be fine to start light exercise and whenever I felt up to running to "go for it".  At two weeks postpartum my body still felt like it had been through a meat grinder.  I was dealing with healing from a c-section and not getting much sleep.  Running was still a figment of my imagination.  But, as time went on I began to feel a little better each day.

Two weeks later I was ready to go for my first run. I ran two miles and I felt clumsy and awkward.  My glutes,  hamstrings, and calves were tingling.  I was barley cranking out a 10:30 mile. My lungs burned and I thought "wow this is hard work". But, the endorphin high that I had missed for many months was back and I was over the moon happy. The next day was a rest day, and the day after that I ran another two miles on the treadmill. That first week back I was following  a one day run, one day of rest schedule. I don't want to push myself too hard.

Two weeks later I am now up to four miles at a time. My pace is now in the high 9 minute range.  I'm trying not to ask to much out of my body right now. I just have to remember that it will be  a slow progression back to where I used to be.

I'm fitting in my workouts whenever I can. The baby is on a pretty good schedule. She's not sleeping through the night just yet. But, she's a pretty good sleeper. I can run first thing in the morning before my husband leaves for work, or when both kids are down for a nap. I go back to work in a little less than three weeks and I'm getting worried about where I will find time to run. I guess I will cross that bridge when I get there.

Here are some pictures of my little Rachel.

One week old

Six weeks old.

16 days to go and my plans for 2013.

36 weeks pregnant.

I am officially 16 days away from my due date. Unless the baby decides to get here early, I will be going in for a scheduled C-section on February 8th. To make a long story short I had a C-section with my first born and I had the option to try again for a traditional birth but, I decided against that.

They say that each pregnancy is different, and I would agree with that statement.  I had much worse "morning sickness" with this pregnancy and my cravings for fruit and sweets were much stronger this time around.   Other physical symptoms that are new this time around include congestion and nosebleeds. 

Sleeping at night is getting much more difficult because of fluid retention. My hands are falling asleep and it feels like carpal tunnel syndrome. I also am waking up at 2am for no reason and it is hard to get myself to go back to sleep.


I think I may have begun nesting, I am always buying extra at the grocery store to stock up. I have washed all of the baby laundry, and I have organized things by size.  At work I am trying to tie up loose ends before I go on maternity leave.

In other news my little boy just turned 2 years old.   I'm a little worried that he may become jealous of the new baby. I'm also worried that he might freak out while I am away at the hospital. This will be the first time I have been away from him overnight.   A part of me is a little sad that he isn't going to be my "baby" anymore and that the dynamic between us will change when his little sister arrives. So, I am just trying to give him as much attention and cuddles as I can right now.

I realize that my life is going to be super hectic with a new addition to the family and eventually going back to work.  But, I am getting so excited about running again!!! I will have to fit it in one way or another.  I have been missing it so badly.  I plan to start out slowly with walking and then when the Dr. gives me the "OK" I will start with running a few miles at a time.  I was pretty ambitious about running after I had my son. For my birthday that year I wanted to be able to run 10 miles to celebrate.  I ran 10 miles and it wasn't pretty but, I liked the fact that I had set a goal and I met it.  I was about 10 weeks postpartum when I did that long run.  I don't think I will be able to run 10 for my birthday this year (April 3rd) I will be only about 7 weeks postpartum and I don't want to push myself too hard too soon. 

I have two half marathons latter on this year that I am starting to day dream about.  The first one is the Saints and Sinners Half Marathon it's at the end of October and the course is really fast.  The next half will be in December and it will be hosted by our local track club.  I will not be participating in the Rock n Roll Las Vegas Marathon.  The race is way too expensive in my opinion and I do not like racing at night.

I hope to start posting again on a more regular basis.