Misguided Runner

Need some motivation

2007-05-23T12:57:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm still alive for those that have made some comments lately. I have to seriously get up some motivation to get back in running. I started working at the beginning of February but it was a late night shift. Working all night plus taking care of the family was really hard. I've ran a total of 4 miles since my last blog posting. I did finally quit my job 2 weeks ago because it was just physically too hard to work at night. I've really been wanting to get back into running but struggling to get myself out there. I have been sick for the last week (along with all the kiddos) and I'm just now feeling a tad better than death warmed over. I gained the 5lbs back while working that I had lost and I really want to get rid of it! If anyone has some extra motivation to help me get out there and pound the pavement, please send it my way.

Back in the game!

2007-01-29T22:10:00.000-08:00

Last week was a bust. I got no exercise in unless walking all over DisneyLand on Saturday counts. It was just not a good week but the girls' weekend in LA was an awesome time. I'm trying to think of last week as more of recovering from my shins than being a complete slacker!

I got out for a 3.1 mile this evening. I'm so glad I went out and ran because I've been feeling like such a slug lately. Plus, I had a rough afternoon dealing with some serious homework battles with the 11-year-old. It was nice to get out there and run. I think it took me about 37-38 min but I'm not sure since I screwed up my watch timing again. I was struggling out there some and slower than usual. I guess that's from taking the week off. I didn't have any shin pain though so maybe the week off was actually good for me.

Plan for this week is:

Tues: Some class at Y
Wed: 3 mile run
Thurs: Some class at Y
Fri: 3 mile run (This is also the 1st day of me officially going back to work after being home for a year. I have orientation all day so I don't know how running will work with that.)
Sat: Class all day long
Sun: 6 mile run

I did get my ShoeLid in the mail today and hope to get out on the track sometime this week to calibrate my Nike+ thingy. I can't wait to try that thing out.

It's been a rough week here....

2007-01-25T22:23:00.000-08:00

Exercise count for the week total = 0
Eating completely unhealthy = Yeah, pretty much everyday

This week has just been insane here. I knew it was going to be bad when the babies woke me up at 5am on Monday morning. Hubby was supposed to come home on Monday morning so I could run to an appt. He couldn't make it so I had to run around like a mad woman to get there, drag the kids in tow, and then their breakfast was late because of it. Day just went downhill from there.

Tuesday, I had another appointment to be at and hubby cancelled on me again. The neighbor bailed me out but I was a nervous wreck the whole time. The babies have never been at anyone else's house like that. They did do fine though which was a pleasant surprise. I had my background appointment for a potential job that day and it was so uncomfortable. Just to put your whole life out there including any not so great decisions was hard. I felt like every thing I may have ever done was being judged. I guess we'll see in a few months how that job prospect turns out.

Wednesday, the babies had their RSV shots and hubby was again stuck at work. I had to be there no later than 10am. I get to the hospital at 9 and drive around in circles looking for a parking spot for over an hour. I was a nervous wreck by the end of it. I finally parked in a carpool parking spot and decided that I had enough people in my car to qualify as carpooling. Then I got to endure shots for 3 babies all by myself. I just felt so bad for the babies because I couldn't comfort them afterwards since I had to hurry up and get the next kid done. I guess this will just help them to be tough.

This morning, Mason starts the day off with puking and finishes it with puking and explosive diapers. My poor little guy ate practically nothing all day because he puked it up. Luckily, the highchair tray caught almost all of the puke at dinner tonight. It was actually impressive that it didn't go everywhere. Seriously, you have no idea how many times 3 babies can poop in one day. I never thought I would spend so much time wiping butts in one day. I'm sure Kylie and Brody will be puking tomorrow. I also had a final exam tonight for my class that I was completely unprepared for due to my lack of studying. I had to skip 1 answer entirely because I didn't even know what they were talking about. I had to guess and pull way too many answers out of thin air for it. I don't even know if I passed the test. Kinda depressing but this week was just too much for studying.

Hubby's work has been CRAZY stressful for him this week. I've never seen him so beat down because of work. I feel awful for him and I'll admit the stress is effecting the whole house. He's been working a lot this week which means I've been going solo a lot. I'm trying to keep everything running smoothly and be upbeat for him but it's starting to wear on me.

I'm going to attempt to run tomorrow. I definitely need it. I feel like such a slacker right now. Maybe no one will be sick tomorrow and we can all run. It's been really nice out here the last 2 days and I haven't been out there yet to enjoy the sunshine.

Only 2 more days till mom's weekend in LA. I soooooooo need this break. I can't wait to see my friends and take a moment away from mommy mode.

Almost 5 miles

2007-01-21T22:30:00.000-08:00

The hubby kicked me out the door today for a run. Good thing he did because I was feeling like a lazy, slacker and had no motivation. I set off for a 5-mile run but didn't map out the course beforehand. I ended up only running 4.82 miles in 58:26. This is my longest run yet! I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get that 5 mile mark but I guess it's close enough to round up.

My shins were bothering me some when I was running. It took me like the first 3 miles to get warmed up and into the run. At one point, I did venture over to the bike lane. WOW, what a difference that felt. It started to get dark so I headed back to the sidewalk. I think from now on I'm going to run in the bike lane if it's light outside. My shins, legs, and feet felt so much better running on the asphalt. I didn't realize how wide the bike lane was either. I didn't feel like the cars were right up on me. Overall, I think it's relatively safe in the daylight and way easier on the body.

I took the hubby's IPOD since he's been stealing my arm band and it was already on his IPOD. Let's just say that his music SUCKS! I also bought these new earphones yesterday and they were very uncomfortable for me. Maybe the hubby will like them but they hurt my ears pretty bad. I think they were just too big for my smaller, girly ears. What kind of earphones do you other women wear? I need to find something else.

This week's summary is:

10.9 miles of running for 2:08:36
Beginner Pilates class
Cardio kickboxing class

Next week's goals are:
Mon - 3 miles (we'll see how the legs feel in the morning)
Tues - Hi-Lo class (I don't even know what this is but I'm doing it)
Wed - 4 miles
Thurs - Some kinda class
Fri - 3 miles
Sat & Sun - off

I'm meeting some girlfriends in LA next weekend for a mom's weekend. I'm soooo excited about it. We've got free passes into Disneyland and CA Adventures. And dinner reservations to eat somewhere. I really can't wait to get to. I'm so excited to meet up with my friends and get some all girl time. It's going to be awesome.

Oh, and did I mention that the last 2 months of running have really paid off? I've lost a whole size in clothing. Wooohoo! And I bought the new Nike+ system yesterday for me and the hubby. I ordered one of those Switcheasy holders for our shoes since we don't have the fancy Nike shoes. I can't wait to try it out once we get our holders.

Totally bummed....

2007-01-19T20:38:00.000-08:00

I was supposed to go on a 3-mile run today but didn't. My shins have been bothering me some and this just plain and simple sucks. I don't want shin problems!!! I've got new shoes that have like 50 miles or less on them. I don't know what is causing this but I want it to stop. My plan was to run 3 miles today and 5 miles on Sunday. Saturday was supposed to be my rest day but I took that day today. Plus, I did have a lot of stuff going on so that worked out better anyway. I've been doing the draw the alphabet with your toe thing but I don't know what else to try. I guess I'll reevaluate tomorrow to see if I should go run tomorrow night. I have school all day so I can't run earlier.

I did make it to the Y yesterday with the kiddos. I left them in the childcare and hit the cardio kick class. Which I've got to be the most uncoordinated person on the planet. I did work up a real good sweat but felt like a complete moron in there. And why do they have to have a big long mirror so I can see for myself how stupid I look? I don't know if I just need more practice doing it or what.

By the time I went back to pick up the babies, they had already loaded them up in the stroller and the boys were screaming with tears running down their faces. Guess the workers were ready for me to pick them up since they were already loaded up! They even told me to break the 2 parents sign out at a time rule to come and get them. I felt so bad for my babies. The workers said they did get down and play for a little bit. But then Brody started crying and the other 2 joined in. At least they stick together and are a team. I was hoping that they'd be playing when I went to pick them up. I really want to see how they interact with other kids around and if they stick together or split up and go their own way. They're always together and not around other kids so it'd be interesting to see what they decide to do. We're going to try again on Tuesday and hopefully they'll ease into it eventually.

Hole in the sky & spaceships

2007-01-17T22:42:00.000-08:00

Well, I chickened out today and didn't run till hubby got home. I just couldn't muster up enough energy to take the crew with me. Just getting enough energy to get out there myself was an accomplishment. The babies have been getting up BEFORE the crack of dawn lately. For some reason, Brody feels the need to throw his beloved blanket out of the crib and then scream about it and wake the other 2 and the rest of the house up. I don't know what to do about keeping that blanket in his crib. I really need to come up with a solution. I thought about cutting a hole in it and tie-tieing (spelling?) it to the bed. I have a feeling that won't really help matters though.

I did force myself to go out for a 3.05 mile run which took me a long 37:03. Exactly 4 minutes longer than 2 days ago when I did the same route. But here comes the exciting part of the run. It was dark already so the sky was completely black. I look up and see this perfect oval, lighted shape in the sky. First thing that comes to mind is, "Holy shit, there's a hole in the sky." Then I think that's ridiculous. Of course, there's not a hole in the sky. It must be a spaceship! I'm looking at a real live UFO. Reality hits me at this point and I realize I'm being completely irrational. Turns out it was just the Good Year blimp. Kinda odd that it was out tonight. We live right near the Charger stadium and see it for the games, but I've never seen it at nighttime like that. I don't even know why my brain immediately thought it was a hole in the sky or a spaceship. It's not like I believe Elvis is still alive or read tabloids. My husband is now calling me Chicken Little. I don't even know why I bother to tell him stuff!

Tomorrow is supposed to be cardio kickboxing at the Y. My shins were hurting on the run so I might opt for something with less impact. I really want to avoid shin splints.

New PR & Pilates

2007-01-16T22:07:00.000-08:00

I wanted to blog yesterday's run yesterday but just got too busy to get on here. I was sooooo excited because yesterday I ran 3.05 miles in 33:07. I know that's not fast compared to a lot of people but I was stoked! In early Dec, I ran a 5k in 36:14. I didn't mean to go out and run fast but I felt great out there so I just kept pushing myself. My 33mins even included 3 stops to cross intersections. And if I was still active duty, I would have almost passed my PFT. Old chicks like me (over 27) have 32 min to run 3 miles.

Now I do have to explain that in looking at my whole lifetime of running it's not a PR. When I was active duty I ran a lot faster than 33:07. BUT, I figure I'm going to scratch all my military times and just start off fresh with now. I figure after giving birth to 3 babies within 3 minutes of each other, I should deserve a clean slate!

I'm slowly trying to deprogram myself from all my military brainwashing. I've read over and over how running slower and longer makes you faster. I really didn't believe it though because it went against everything I learned in the military. It was always you need to run harder, faster, longer than you did before. If you're slow, you need to run more and just try harder. This whole concept that running slow and taking days of rest was really blowing my mind. But it's obviously working! I ran a 33:07 3-mile and it was a lot faster than when I first started back running a few months ago. I'm really proud of myself and glad to know that all my easy runs are making a difference. So now I have a new PR. I hope to break this new PR on Feb 11 when we run our next 5k.

Now on to today's Pilates class. I didn't realize it was a beginner's class before I went to the class. The class wasn't as challenging as I need. But I was really tight and sore from yesterday's "fast" run and the class really stretched me out. I felt great after I left. The instructor's voice was super calm and it was the most relaxing hour I've had in a long time. I think I need a more challenging class but it was so relaxing and the stretching felt so good I just might go back. Oh yeah, the hubby didn't have to go to work till late so I left the babies with him to take a nap. They desperately needed a nap since they all decided to start their day at 5:40am.

Tomorrow I hope to run 3 miles with the babies. They need to get out of the house anyway because they're terrible, cranky, teething kids right now. Thursday, I told my friend we'd do a cardio kick class at the Y. Now that I might really regret!

The week's summary is.........

2007-01-14T22:34:00.000-08:00

3 runs totalling 11.2 miles
2 workouts on the elliptical totalling 1 hour

I wanted to get 4 runs in but opted to not run today because of my shins hurting. I figured I should play it safe and just do the elliptical instead. I'm a little bummed that I didn't get 4 running days in this week. There's always next week though!

Goals for next week are:

4 running days of 3, 3, 3, and 5 miles. The longest run I've done so far is a little over 4 miles. I'm excited to do a 5 miler next weekend. I think I'm going to try and run Mon, Wed, Fri, and Sun this coming week.

Pilates on Tues & Thurs. It's been a long time since I've done a Pilates class. I know I'm going to be sore afterwards! The babies will be going to the Y's childcare on Tuesday. Keep your fingers crossed that they don't all turn into 3 screaming maniacs.

Today's 3.82 miles

2007-01-13T19:47:00.000-08:00

After sitting here dreading a run all day, I finally dragged myself out there at 4pm. I'm so glad I did because I felt so good out there and came home in a much better mood. It was a great run. No one talked to me, screamed at me, or cried the entire time I was running. Pretty sad that I have to go to the extremes of running to get some alone time, but I guess it's better than nothing.

I thought I was running a 4 mile route but when I mapped it out it was a little short. Oh well, there was a HUGE, LONG hill to go up that made up for it! I went a new way that I have been avoiding because of this big, long hill. Hubby made a bet with me that I couldn't run it, so I had to prove him wrong. There's been a lot of routes that I haven't gone yet because it's so dang hilly around here. Today I proved to myself that if I can run that hill, I can run all the other hills around here.

I don't know how long my run was though. I somehow screwed up the stopwatch thing on my IPOD. I swear I am so not mechanically inclined. I'm not stressing it though. I took it at an easy pace and just enjoyed myself today after that awful treadmill run on Thursday. Today's run is why I like running now. I'm going to have to avoid that treadmill at all costs if I can!

My shins were hurting me a little bit though. I've had shin splints before and do NOT want to get them again. I've got to do some research on how to prevent them. Any ideas out there?

Adventures on a treadmill

2007-01-12T09:20:00.000-08:00

I made it to the Y and got 4 miles on the treadmill. It was cold, windy, and rainy yesterday and I didn't want to take the kids out in that weather. My hubby alwasy says that I'm a soup sandwich, because I'm a klutz, uncoordinated, and just generally lost. So I'm not sure why I thought getting on a treadmill would be a good idea for me.

It's not like I haven't ran on treadmills before, because I have many times just not in the last few years. I put the kiddos down for a nap and leave the oldest daughter in charge. Mason doesn't sleep worth a crap, so I knew I had about an hour before he'd be up screaming. I was determined to get that 4 miles in even if it meant pushing it on the treadmill.

So I'm at the Y and luckily there's only like a few people there and almost all the treadmills are empty. I took my sweatshirt off and put it right at the front of the treamill before the belt. Can you see where this is going? I don't even know why I thought that was a good idea. I get my IPOD all set up and start the run. I've always gotten the speed thing mixed up on where to start it. It says you can pick from 0-12 on the hill workout. I was thinking that I'm about 11-12 min pace, so I'll put it at 11.1. WOW!!!!!!!! Bad, bad decision! That is SUPER fast. The thing takes off sprinting and I'm desperately hitting the speed button trying to get it to slow down. Finally get slowed down to my pace which is actually like 5.1 speed and I notice the sweatshirt is creeping closer and closer to the belt on the treamill. I manage to kick it back 2 times. Then I get this bright idea that I can probably just reach down there and grab it real quick while I'm still running. Just so you know, that was another not so good idea. I about fell off the treadmill trying to get the sweatshirt and it goes flying past my feet and stops when it hits the treadmills behind me. Thank god, there was only like 2 people back there. Even though I'm sure they got quite a kick out of me. I figure I should just leave the sweatshirt and finish this stupid run.

Running on a treadmill is not nearly as enjoyable as running outside. The whole time, I was just dying to get done and running faster than I should just to get it over with. I thought I should do the hill workout since it's not flat were I live and I have to run hills anyway. By 28 min into the hills, I figure I better stop that before I end up throwing up all over the treadmill. Last time I ran 4 miles, it took me right at 50 min. I start worrying that Mason will be up soon and pick up the pace. At 3.83 miles, I see my phone flashing with a call from the house. Determined to get that 4 miles in, I sprint the last .17 miles, jump off the treadmill, and rush outside to call the house and get on my way without any cooldown or stretching.

It took me exactly 46 min to run 4 miles. I've learned a few things from yesterday about running on the treadmill.

Bad points:
- I ran way too fast because I was worried about time and not enjoying myself. I was definitely not running at a conversational pace.
- I'm too much of a clutz to run on machinery.
- It's not nearly as much fun to run inside than outside.

Good points:
- I didn't have to stop for intersections and proved that I could run 46 min straight without stopping. Yeah for me!
- 2pm is a good time of the day to run on the treadmill because there's not too many people to laugh at me in case I need to attempt this again.
- I got my 2 weekday runs in. Now I just need to get Saturday and Sunday's run in.

Y-M-C-A

2007-01-10T21:54:00.000-08:00

Yep, that's right folks. We joined the local YMCA! Oh, I'm so excited about it. It's right near our house, super nice, and get ready for the best part...............free childcare while you workout for 2 hours!!! Wooohooo!!!!! 2 whole hours that I can workout minus children. It's going to be awesome.

I did go this evening after babies were in bed. I got 30 min on the elliptical doing the hill workout. I listened to some music on my new IPOD, which I'm loving by the way. It was a great workout and I felt awesome.

Big plan for tomorrow is to get some running in. My oldest daughter has a half day at school and gets our at noon. She volunteered to watch the babies while they're napping so I could go run minus children. Now was that sweet of her or what? Hubby says it's supposed to be rainy and nasty though. If it is, I might have to go checkout the treadmills and childcare at the Y.

I am a little nervous about how the babies will do in the childcare though. I've only left them with someone during the daytime while they're awake one time. My neighbor and her hubby watched them for like 30 min one day. My in-laws have watched them like twice during the day but they're family. Hopefully, the babies behave and don't freak out on me. Brody's the skittish one and doesn't like new places or people so I hope he does ok. And I hope they don't get too many germs and sicknesses from the other kids.

Keeping my fingers crossed that tomorrow works out for a much better run than Tuesday's some way or another.

The longest 3 miles of my life

2007-01-09T21:30:00.000-08:00

Today was just NOT a good day. The last two weeks have not been very good as far as me accomplishing my running goals. This week I wanted to run Tues, Thurs, Sat, and Sun. I was determined that I was sticking to this schedule no matter what.

When a baby woke me up at 5:15 am crying, I shoulda known this day was just going downhill from there. Kylie spent her ENTIRE day crying and flailing herself all over the place. I could do nothing to keep her happy. Maybe if I only had her to deal with it wouldn't have been so bad but I still had the other 2 babies, 11-year-old to take to school, and the 8-year-old who's still home on Christmas break. I was determined though that no matter what I was running.

After the babies' lunch, I loaded them in the stroller and my 8-year-old, Addie, got on her bike. By some miracle, Kylie, for the first time today, quit crying during the run. Oh what a relief, to not listen to her screaming. The babies actually fell asleep and were quiet the whole time.

Addie, on the other hand, was driving me crazy out there. It was hot, she was sweating, the hills were too hard, her legs hurt, her ears were sweating (is that possible?), etc. At one point, she told me that it was easier for me to push the stroller (remember this is at least 80lbs of stroller and babies) up the hills than for her to ride her bike up the hill. Of course, I needed to prove a point and challenged her on that one. These aren't big hills by the way. We just don't live in a flat area. At the bottom of a hill, we switch and I get on her little kid bike. I can only imagine what the people driving by thought of that one. We go like 10 feet and Addie gets too close to the edge of the sidewalk with the stroller. One wheel goes over the edge while I rush over there praying the whole stroller doesn't fall over. The challenge was over at that point. Addie gets upset and starts crying because she feels bad that the babies almost got turned over. I remind her of the time that I didn't put Mason's carsesat in correctly and it fell over onto the parking lot. Tell her everything is ok, no harm done, and lets keep going.

Addie wants to quit early and go home but I want to at least get 3 miles in. So I do a lot of the, "You're going to let your mom outrun you." and "You can't let your slow, old mom beat you." At the last, little hill before home, I have to challenge her to a race up the hill and almost give myself a heartattack out there.

End result is that we made it 3.39 miles in 46:34. I don't know what I was thinking. Only good part was that Kylie stopped screaming for a brief period of time. Even though all 3 of them joined in on it the rest of the afternoon until they went to bed. I'm not sure what my plan for Thursday's run is. I'm determined to get out there but I think I'm going to have to run on Wed or Fri evening when I don't have school instead.

For all you other runners out there, enjoy your runs minus children. Although, I love them all to death...........I just don't think they fit into my running routine.

Making time

2007-01-06T21:52:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess you can tell by my lack of posting the last few days that I didn't make my goals of running. I wanted to run Thursday, but it was cold, windy, and looked like rain was coming at any second. I had to take the babies with me and I just couldn't take them out there like that. Then I had school on Thursday night and this instructor refuses to let us leave 1 minute early. I spent ALL day Friday doing Saturday's homework. By the end of the day, my brain was fried and wore out. A run would have probably made me feel better but I didn't muster up enough energy to get out there. I've got to come up with a more set schedule to fit running in. It's definitely hard to set aside the time but I've got to make it more of a priority. I've thought about getting up at the crack of dawn to run before hubby goes to work but that seems like the most unappealing idea I've ever thought of.

But today I did go run!!!!!! I had school all day so I didn't get to run till 8:30pm but that's ok. Better late than never right? Ran 4.06 miles in 50 min with 5 stops to cross intersections. That is not an exact time considering that I now can't find my watch and had to carry my cell phone with me. I felt good out there even though it was super dark. I ran a new way and didn't realize there was no street lights for like 2 miles of it. Hubby did run at the same time as me (notice I didn't say with me) so that made me feel better. This is another reason why I need to fit running in at a different time of the day. Running at night makes me feel a little vulnerable out there!

There were 2 really cool parts of the run though. There's these 2 low spots at the bottom of a hill that have a drastic change of temperature. It's really sudden because you're running and just like that it's WAY colder. The air smells cleaner and fresher in the low spots, too. Hubby was complaining about it but I think it's just really cool. Interesting how the air and temperature can so fast like that.

I am going to make sure I run tomorrow but hopefully much earlier than the day. I'm aiming for a 3 mile run even if I have to take the kiddos with me. Wish me all luck. I'm determined to have at least run 3 times this past week even though I was hoping for 4 running days.

Today's Run

2007-01-03T14:45:00.001-08:00

Yeah, I got to run today! Yesterday was just too crazy with grocery shopping, errands, and school to get any running in. Today I set off with the babies in the stroller and my 8-year-old daughter on her bike. I was planning on running 3 miles, but Mason started crying. We cut it short and only ran 2.34 miles in 29:15. Not too shabby since I was pushing the babies.

These babies are heavy going up the hills! Man, they've definitely grown since I last pushed them. With the hubby being home a lot during the holidays, I haven't had to push the stroller in a month. I was figuring that the stroller weighs probably 30lbs and the babies combined weigh is 54.6lbs. That's a lot of weight to be pushing around but a good workout. That should count as extra right???

It was really nice that my 8-year-old went with me. I've ran with the hubby a few times but he usually takes off since he's so much faster. Today was the first time I've had someone with me during the whole run. I've read a bunch of times that you should be running at conversational pace. I never really knew what that was until today. With the kiddo beside me, I was able to keep talking to her. I guess 12:30 is my conversational pace. Even though the hills kicked my ass and I couldn't keep up the conversation then. Guess that's ok though.

My plan for the rest of the week is:

Thurs: 3-4 mile run
Fri: rest
Sat: 4 mile run
Sun: 4 mile run

Well, see how the babies cooperate tomorrow since I have to take them with me.

Last post of the year

2006-12-31T20:07:00.000-08:00

Well, I did get out there for a run today. Wooohooo! I was feeling like a total slacker and glad to I got finish my last day of 2006 with a 3.36 mile run. My ankle was still hurting a tad but not too bad to make me stop. Overall I felt good out there. However, I don't know how long I ran because I screwed up and pushed the wrong button on my watch. Oh, I was so mad about that. I really wanted to know if I was faster than my Monday run where I was huffing and puffing through. I guess it's not about speed though just that I was there.

I've been logging my runs on RunningAHEAD, which is a really cool website. I especially like how they count the weeks from Monday to Sunday. Using that method, I ran 6.7 miles this week. Still sucky but better than nothing.

Ok so when I'm out there running after dark (like tonight), I usually run on the sidewalk that is going with the traffic. On my way out, I saw a guy running on the other side of the road running in the bike lane with the flow of traffic. On my way back, I saw the same guy running on the same side of the road as before in the bike lane but going against the flow of traffic. And this guy was hauling ass! He was FAST! I tried to catch up to him on the way back home.......hahaha.....what a joke. But what I'm wondering is, is it safe to run in the bike lane on the asphalt? I'd love to get off the sidewalk but would perfer to not get ran over by a car. Shouldn't this guy have been running against traffic though? Especially because it was dark and he had on no reflective stuff. Maybe I should be running against traffic on the sidewalk?

So tomorrow starts off the new year. What do I want to accomplish in 2007? I'd love to run a half marathon at some point. But mostly, I just want to keep up with my running. Right now I'm good to get 3 days a week in but really want to move that up to 4 days. Maybe after the older kids and hubby get back to work and school soon I can get some more running in!

Ugghhh.....

2006-12-29T10:38:00.000-08:00

I haven't been able to run since Monday. Last Friday, I did a 4 mile run and felt great out there. But I guess I twisted my ankle as soon as I started running because it was bothering me during the run. After I got home, it was really hurting. I laid off running till Monday to give it time to heal. I ran 3 miles on Monday and it was terrible. My ankle was hurting the whole time and killing me by the time I got home. I decided I better be smart and lay off it till it's no longer hurting. Here it is Friday and I've only run once this week. I've got 1-year-checkup and shots today for the babies so no running today either. Plus, my ankle is a tad bit sore. I swear stepping all over these protective gates that keep the babies out of places they shouldn't be and carrying them up and down the stairs isn't helping my ankle! No matter what, I'm getting out there tomorrow. Oh, and we're going to join the YMCA again this weekend. I'm so excited because that means I can do something on my non-running days!

I am a runner!

2006-12-26T20:16:00.000-08:00

Or at least I'm trying to convince myself that I am! So I'm starting this blog as a way to keep track of my running and write down stuff as I go along.

If you had told me 2 years ago that I would be running just for the sake of running and not because it was raining, I was being chased, or because the military required it, I would have laughed in your face. I spent almost 10 years in the Marine Corps and hated every second of every run. I absolutely dreaded the semi-annual Physical Fitness Test (PFT) that required a 3 mile run. I hated every training run with my unit. I was always a slow runner and at the back of the pack. I would fall out of runs and just barely pass my PFT for the running portion. I swore after I got out of the Marine Corps that the only running I would do for the rest of my life would be from my house to the car if it was raining.

So a little over a year after I got out and a year after delivering triplets, what am I doing out there running? I have finally felt like I've reached a point with the babies that I'm no longer up all night and sleep deprieved. I feel like I'm almost human again. I've got a few extra pounds to lose from the pregnancy and afterwards. I took the San Diego Sheriff's Deputy exam (and passed) a few weeks ago and want to get myself back in shape in the off case that I make it through all the screening to the academy. I want something that I can feel good about.

Which is what lead me out there to be running again. However, now the experience is entirely different. I'm not dreading it anymore even though I'm much slower than I used to be (not that I was fast before by any means). But I have found that I have a lot of unbrainwashing to do. The more I read in other runner's blogs and different running sites, the more I find that everything I learned about running in the military is wrong. No wonder I sucked so much at it and hated it so much. I was doing so many things wrong and had so many misconceptions about running. I'm having to relearn so many things and try to have a whole new outlook on things. Not watching the clock and worrying about how fast I am is a totally new concept. I'm learning to just appreciate being out there and doing something good for myself and my body. Plus, it really does help my mental outlook and give me tons of energy that I didn't have before.

This is long enough for now but I look forward to going through this process of turning into a runner.