After my last blog post, I decided that I was really going to amp up my training and seriously get prepared for the "big race". Stupid idea! Let me set the stage for ya. It was Monday, MLK day, and Mike was home from work. He took the kids to school, went to workout for himself, came home to watch Matthew, and I was able to go for a mid day run. This troubled me a little since I was an early morning runner. Running in south Florida in the winter is just as bad as running in the summer, hot and humid. But I went anyway. It was planned to be an 8 mile run and I wasn't going to quit before that. So here's the breakdown: miles 1 & 2 were not so bad, 3 & 4 I was already tired so I ate some Gu cubes (which did nothing-and did I mention I forgot my water!), mile 6-7 wasn't bad, but then I hit a wall. I had no business running that last mile but come hell or high water, this was training right? Dumb idea. I made it to 8 miles and walked home a half a mile. I was tired but felt ok.
The next morning, holy mother! I thought my left foot was broken. I limped around all day, put ice on it, elevated it. But it only got worse. By day 3, I was ready to cry. I even gave up on the Race For The Cure run. I couldn't risk injuring myself further and not be able to complete the Princess Half, which is much bigger to me. All of this stress gave me a wicked headache so I took a Motrin and about 30 minutes later, there was no foot pain. It was a miracle! So Motrin is the trick. I was able to run a mile that evening with no pain and no increased damaged was done. 2 days later I was able to run 6 miles on the treadmill and still no pain. Again today I hit the treadmill and did 3 miles with no pain. I try not to take the Motrin but the pain still lingers once in a while. I have been researching this to no end and the major advice is to not take the Motrin and run since you can't feel the pain until way after you finish running and you could do more damage. Rest, ice, compression, elevation. I have been following this regimen and I'm back in the game. I'm feeling much better and more confident.
Oh, and Matthew now sleeps the night and takes a bottle. That stress has decreased a ton.
Now I just need to slowly get some serious miles in so I will be prepared for February 24th...the big day. I am slowly going to make my way, not get injured, and run an awesome race!
Happy running :)
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Run momma run!
I know it's only the middle of January, but I have kept my New Years resolution! I dove head first and hardcore into running. Mike and I are participating in the Armageddon Ambush race this weekend and I have signed up for the Susan G. Komen Race For the Cure on January 26th. So I'm on my way to my twelve races in twelve months. I'm also getting excited for the Princess Half in one month! It's coming quick and I'm hoping I'm ready. I keep changing my mind on my goal time. Faster, slower, faster, slower. I don't know what I'm doing. I've got to get my head together. I'm just trying not to get injured or stressed before the big day so I can run, run, run. But here's where my head is at.
As you all know, we have a wee little one at home and he is quite the handful. Just when I think life is getting back to easy, baby Matthew throws his little baby monkey wrench in the mix. For the past two weeks he has not slept or stuck to a schedule/routine. Sleepless nights have been frequent since he has decided that sleep is optional. I am also a human pacifier. He is only comforted by me and the boob and if I walk more than 5 feet away from him, he crawls after me crying. So I carry him ALL day long. That makes for a very long day and you can't go for a run with a baby in your arms. I also keep thinking about how Mike is going to have all three kids alone for two days while I am in Orlando running. He can't feed Matthew the way I can so we have to get him on the bottle and the sleepless night are going to be awful. Because of this huge stress looming over my head, I have sought out the help of my loving mommy friends and they have steered us in the direction of a few good books and we have read through them all. We combined all of the advice in the books and came up with our own way to get Matthew back to his happy little self. It's taking us a little longer than the books say, but hey at least we are making progress. Tonight he took a bottle and went to sleep easily. I'm chalking that up to a win.
But I'm not going to let any of this get me down. I have been trying to get in two short runs during the week and one long run on the weekend. I usually prepare Mike the night before for morning baby duty so I can go out and run. He just knows to be prepared for me to whine and complain about Saturday morning runs and I'll eventually go Sunday morning (he has been really good and tries not to complain about my procrastination). Ethan and Amanda have also been good motivators too. Before every run they tell me to run fast and they love me. And when their favorite songs come on during my run, I run faster and with a big smile.
I have been trying to look on the bright side every day and not beat myself up for those days that I'm dragging from being up all night with Matthew. A positive attitude and a go with the flow attitude keeps me trukin and have really made all the difference in my training.
Keep your chin up ladies.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
It's a new year! Let's reset
2012 is a thing of the past. It was a good year for my family. We welcomed my beautiful and amazing little boy Matthew into the world as well as my niece Kaitlyn. Everyone was in good health, except for the last 2 weeks of the year. That nasty stomach virus swept through my house as well as everyone's house in NY during our Christmas visit. At least Christmas wasn't ruined.
December is always a crazy month. Between birthdays, holidays, traveling, and illnesses, it's a wash. Unfortunately, that means so is my training. For 18 days, I could not find the time or energy to run or do any form of exercise. There was just so much holiday prep to take care of and then my children decided that sleep was optional. I started beating myself up for every cookie I ate and every day that went by that I didn't exercise. By the time Christmas was over and our disastrous NY trip was over (I'll spare you the gory details but the stomach bug hit everyone!), I was already thinking of how to reset and to fix my rut.
I decided that starting the new year off right with a run was the way to go. Since my children are still young and go to bed early, we stayed in for the new year. No hangover (oh how times have changed). I was up bright and early, had my morning cup o' joe, and off I went. I set up my Nike+ app on my iPhone and walked a tenth of a mile, then I just ran. And ran, and ran! The whole time thinking to myself "this is a reset", "I'm starting over", "keep those legs moving", "another few minutes". After 3.5 miles, I was amazed. Talking myself through it the whole time, I was able to run with minimal fatigue. After being off for almost 3 weeks, I thought this was great! I'm feeling like I'm back in the game. Now I need to keep that up and run 3-5 miles 3 days a week and one big run on the weekends leading up to the Princess Half Marathon (so exciting). That gives me 7 weekends. I can do this! I got this! (Gotta be positive!)
Now on to the New Years resolution. Since I started running and breast feeding, I have become thinner than normal and lost a lot of muscle. My resolution this year is to be more conscious of my body. Adding more yoga and weight lifting, and eating better. Not to bulk up but to keep my body healthy.
On top of that resolution, I wanted to see if anyone wanted to join me in a group resolution. It's a long term one (12 months to be exact). How about 12 races in 12 months!? It can be any race (5k, 10k, half marathon, triathlon, duathlon, mud run, etc) and it can be more than 1 race a month but at the end of the year you need to have complete 12 races. If you are up for it, let me know. I'm willing to do it together as a team. Then we can pick a reward for ourselves when we finish :)
Running is all a mind game. If you can just push past your fears and discomfort, you can run further than you think.
Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!!!
PS: The workout clothing company I am always talking about (Pvbody) is having fun new promotion this month! They are offering every pv.body babe that signs up this month access to their 30 Day Challenge to kick start resolutions! It's also available to all current members! The pv.body 30 day challenge provides you with your own personal dietitian and trainer to help you meet your fitness and health goals. Everyday, our pv.body babes will be given a new challenge that they can share with friends! Challenges include workouts, recipes, meal plans, group activities and more!
December is always a crazy month. Between birthdays, holidays, traveling, and illnesses, it's a wash. Unfortunately, that means so is my training. For 18 days, I could not find the time or energy to run or do any form of exercise. There was just so much holiday prep to take care of and then my children decided that sleep was optional. I started beating myself up for every cookie I ate and every day that went by that I didn't exercise. By the time Christmas was over and our disastrous NY trip was over (I'll spare you the gory details but the stomach bug hit everyone!), I was already thinking of how to reset and to fix my rut.
I decided that starting the new year off right with a run was the way to go. Since my children are still young and go to bed early, we stayed in for the new year. No hangover (oh how times have changed). I was up bright and early, had my morning cup o' joe, and off I went. I set up my Nike+ app on my iPhone and walked a tenth of a mile, then I just ran. And ran, and ran! The whole time thinking to myself "this is a reset", "I'm starting over", "keep those legs moving", "another few minutes". After 3.5 miles, I was amazed. Talking myself through it the whole time, I was able to run with minimal fatigue. After being off for almost 3 weeks, I thought this was great! I'm feeling like I'm back in the game. Now I need to keep that up and run 3-5 miles 3 days a week and one big run on the weekends leading up to the Princess Half Marathon (so exciting). That gives me 7 weekends. I can do this! I got this! (Gotta be positive!)
Now on to the New Years resolution. Since I started running and breast feeding, I have become thinner than normal and lost a lot of muscle. My resolution this year is to be more conscious of my body. Adding more yoga and weight lifting, and eating better. Not to bulk up but to keep my body healthy.
On top of that resolution, I wanted to see if anyone wanted to join me in a group resolution. It's a long term one (12 months to be exact). How about 12 races in 12 months!? It can be any race (5k, 10k, half marathon, triathlon, duathlon, mud run, etc) and it can be more than 1 race a month but at the end of the year you need to have complete 12 races. If you are up for it, let me know. I'm willing to do it together as a team. Then we can pick a reward for ourselves when we finish :)
Running is all a mind game. If you can just push past your fears and discomfort, you can run further than you think.
Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!!!
PS: The workout clothing company I am always talking about (Pvbody) is having fun new promotion this month! They are offering every pv.body babe that signs up this month access to their 30 Day Challenge to kick start resolutions! It's also available to all current members! The pv.body 30 day challenge provides you with your own personal dietitian and trainer to help you meet your fitness and health goals. Everyday, our pv.body babes will be given a new challenge that they can share with friends! Challenges include workouts, recipes, meal plans, group activities and more!
1. Sign up here through my link and receive 20% off: http://pvbody.com/try/alisonstone
2. Take the pv.body 30 Day Challenge here to kick start your New Year resolutions and receive tons of fun prizes: http://pvbody.com/challenge
(IMPORTANT: Please note that you will not receive the discount though this link; you have to sign up through my link above to receive the 20% off.)
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