Run momma run!

It was absolutely beautiful yesterday. After E's last nap we all set out for our run. Mr KT took the dogs and I pushed E. We don't run together really, more at the same time. Yesterday E and I just did 5 miles while Mr KT and the pups did the 10K loop. At about mile 3.5ish a college gal from UNO jumped on the trail in front of E and I. She was fit, tiny, muscular and moving! Apparently, I have a bit of a competitive streak so, we jumped in behind her and hung on. She knew we were there thanks to E man who was babbling happily away. And so she picked up the pace 7:30, then 7:15, then 7:00, then 6:30... and so did we. We followed her and her muscular I've-never-had-a-baby body for quite a while (10 minutes?) until she peeled off and we kept going straight. I totally hung with her! It's hard enough to pick it up and run intervals but add a stroller and a 17 lb, almost 7 month old and no arm swing and it ups the ante a bit. Oh and I had possibly the sorest glutes, hamstrings and adductors ever, thanks to lifting the day before. Ow. And so, I allowed myself to finally catch my breath at 8:45 miles (can't be huffing and puffing right behind her, didn't want her to know it was work!). We finished up our run and waited for daddy and the doggies to get home for dinner. All in a day's work.

Been running!

Woot! St Patrick's Day 5K with two friends who are new to running tomorrow. So excited to watch them finish their first 5K!

The weather is supposed to be gorgeous. I think I will run down to the race site at my own pace and then run the 5K with them. That should make for a nice moderate distance run.

I think I need some sweet green knee socks!

Time to get going

So last week, I swam with the Master's group on Monday morning before work. It felt great and I didn't drown. Guess I should probably go back.

Today, I am registering for a couple of half marathons, a couple of 5Ks, and a sprint triathlon. Time to start getting those long runs in again. Yay!

Oh, and maybe someday Omaha will unfreeze and I can get back on my bike. It's been a long time since I rode without being uncomfortable and pregnant!

Green socks!

There is nothing cooler than being eco-friendly. My brother-in-law makes fun of Mr KT and I for being "yuppies" and trying to save the planet single-handedly but I guess if you are going to have a super power it may as well be that?

Anyway, I was catching up on some blogs that I had fallen behind reading and I was at Swim Bike Run Live where Jamie had posted a contest for socks! Not just any socks but sweet eco friendly socks made out of 97% recycled plastic bottles! How awesome is that? The contest is a super great idea but either way I am ordering a pair of these. They even have one with dragonflies on them. Heart. Hopefully just by spreading the word, other companies will catch on and realize that many of us are passionate that the products we use and companies we buy from are taking care of the planet. :) Maybe I do sound a little over the top.

Shhh. Don't tell my brother-in-law.

December

Well, E will be 3 months in a week or so. He is growing and healthy and that is a huge blessing. I head back to work Monday which is both good and bad. I will miss E on the days I work but it will be really nice to get back part time.

I have been running and have even managed to work in a trail run or two. :) Sigh. How I missed getting dirty with my Kona-baby on the trails. I have a couple friends who are patiently (not really) trying to talk me into a trail marathon the first weekend in April. As much as I would LOVE to, I am not sure that I can commit the time to the training off road as much as I would like to. I wish, wish, wish but maybe in a few years when E is a little older.

Tree is up, homemade Runza's are made, and baby is napping (sort of). Time to rest for just a few minutes.

A few pics of E just chillin in his giant Timbuk2 "diaper" bag.

Cleared to Run

Happy November (now that it is almost half way over). I am officially 8 weeks status post C-section and birth of my little guy. I was cleared to run 2 weeks ago at my doctor's appointment. The doctor took one look at me and the circles under my eyes and said, "hopefully this will give you a little energy because there is nothing else I can do about the sleep deprivation." Um, thanks?

I have been attempting to ramp up the obligatory 10% but haven't been very good about it.

The last week of October I ran 1 hour and 35 minutes.
Last week I ran 2 hours and 20 minutes.
This week I will have done about 3 hours and 20 minutes.

I haven't had any major issues. (Thank goodness, because after months of not running I think I would have freaked out.) After my first 4 miler, my IT bands were pretty sore so I foam rolled and stretched for a couple days. My incision occasionally tweaks as apparently the dissolvable staples hadn't yet dissolved as of the end of October. My hips and pelvis that were the problem when I was pregnant have been just fine (YAY!). And I'll spare you all the details of the nursing/running issues.

The main thing has been my lack of endurance. It is so nice to be out running and not walking but man, oh man does it "hurt". Good thing that little baby is so cute because I am all sorts of slow right now. The good news is, I am well below my pre-pregnancy weight so at least I'm not fighting that, the bad news is that a lot of that weight was muscle and so I am in the process of building it all back up.

I spend a lot of my running time thinking about what races I'd like to do next year and down the road. (It keeps my mind off of the pain and about how tired I am.) I think this year I am going to consider Trek Up the Tower in February again. That is the 40+ story stair climb. I didn't do it last year as I was about 7 weeks pregnant at the time and the massive increase in heart rate seemed like a bad idea. That one will take some training. I am also going to do a couple of 5Ks to see if I can improve some times. I am going to run the St Patrick's Day 5K with a friend. She wanted to do a 5K in the spring and this one is pretty early so should be a nice motivator for her. The other race I'd like to plan on is the Lincoln Half Marathon on May 1st. That would be 7 1/2 months after E was born and I think that is do-able. I'd like to PR but that might be pushing it. :)

The update on Mr E is that he is making neural connections left and right, up and down, in and out. He is learning new skills every day and is so fun to watch.

He has been "flying" with his dad and granddad, strengthening his neck.


He has found his thumb and loves to have his thumb, fingers or fist in his mouth.


And he is kicking and batting at toys with utter determination.


So, while E is learning all these fun new things, I am getting back out on the road and hoping to hit the trails next week for some hills. Feels so good to be back, in a hurty kind of way.

Baby Steps

Well, apparently after a C-section, you are supposed to wait 6 weeks minimum before working out. As my friend Eric, pointed out, "they practically cut you in half" as I was whining about how long it takes to heal from this. At two weeks post op I was cleared for "brisk walking". Period. That was all. I hope my doctor doesn't blog. Or read triathlon blogs. Or know anyone who might tell on me.

CONFESSION:

I ran 2 minutes on Saturday.

I ran 3 minutes on Sunday.

I am not 6 weeks post op until 10/27/10.

I mean, it's not even really running compared to what I was doing before, right? In the scheme of a 45 minute "brisk walk" it just increased my overall pace minutely, right? I just wondered how it would feel.

I needed it. My brain starts to fall apart if I can't work out. I thought I did pretty well waiting four and a half weeks. The last two of those have not been great what with the hormones, the sleep deprivation and the lack of exercise. I might add that Mr KT has been a saint. He has single-handedly managed the entire household since the middle of September. He is running the dogs, helping with the babe at all hours, trying to keep his nut-job wife from falling apart, and he is going to work.

I haven't run since week 20 of my pregnancy. That was in May, people. MAY! While pregnant, I managed to find other ways to work out, mainly because I hurt so bad that I would end up having to crawl to the bathroom the nights after I ran. For sanity sake, I needed to know that was now over.

During my 5 minutes of running this weekend my incision felt great, just a tad sore on the internal incision and my pelvis felt pretty darn good. The biggest problem, um, let's just say I am going to need the best sports bra I can find. I mean, the mother of all sports bras. Otherwise, I am going to end up with two black eyes and a soaking wet t-shirt less than a mile into each run. (My husband did mention that he would pay to see that.) Lucky for him, around here it will be free unless I can find a solution. OUCH!

I go back to the doctor a week from tomorrow to be cleared to workout. I'm ready to run, lift, ride, swim, anything would be good. I love this little boy but sometimes a mommy just needs to get away for a bit.

Here is E at 4 1/2 weeks after his first few minutes of "running". Check out his sweet ride!