Thursday! CONTINUED!

3.5+ done!! Check! On the treadmill, as going away from home was not an option. But I gotter done!

Now I gotta go feed myself anf chase the heathen down and into bed. Tomorrow Day of rest before the long run Saturday morning.

Feels so good to be in these running shoes again, to be able to bend at the waist, tie my shoes, and all those others things I can do now!!

I am determined NOT to weigh myself till Baby is 3 mths old! THem I'll measure and weigh and begin recording improvements.

Sweat on, ya'll!!

Thursday-

1 hr workout this morning- strength training w/ Deni!! Then later today I have a 3.5 mile run to do.

The workout was great - didn' both this morning because it was a very late night for everyone and I just couldn't drag myself out of bed TWO hours early.

So onto breakfast and school! Thank you Deni Preston for a terrific way to wake up!!!

Wednesday-

2 mile run this morning before the children woke up, except the oldest who was outside doing chores.

Nice run, easy peasy pace on the treadmill. A little sleep deprived as the baby is still nursing in the middle of the night and will for a long while yet. But I'm glad I got up anyway :)

Tomorrow is another workout day... Sweat on!

Baron Baptiste -

Okay I got his book (for $2.50 through www.paperbackswap.com) and have begun to read it. I first read about him on Deni Preston's site. And looked up his book a long time later... and now I have it. I thought it would be one of those - become thinner be one with one's self dealios.

Well, happily it's NOT! I started reading and while, honestly I really wasn't impressed with his opening "life story" - as he just sounded like a spoiled rich kid with no focus to me - the meat of the book has begun to speak to me.

The first thing (only thing so far as I haven't read much of the book yet) that I truly believe I need to learn is how to live in the moment. And YEs, as Baptiste points out yoga helps with this. You start by concentrating on the breathing... it requires focus to breathe properly during yoga, folks! ANd that begins to bring you or me into existing in THAT moment. So I bring I will be observing and perhaps improving this aspect of my life... as I continue reading this book.

I will keep you apprised of more as I get through this very interesting book.

Tuesday!

Strength training and Stretching Day! Strength Training with Deni Preston! YAY! Whoo Hooo! Okay once that was done I d the strengthing on the dvd with her, then added on whatever I felt like adding. I did Warrior to stretch the groin muscles which get pretty tight I run a lot.

So feel good Body tingly all over. Wooooonderful!

Monday-

20 minute Yoga workout in the am before everything got going and anyone else was up.

Then 4 mile run before dinner. On the treadmill. Leaving the house wasn't an option. So treadmill it was. However it was an nice paced easy run. Gave me some confidence back after last THursday's run.

Anyway, The yoga was a great way to start my day. Warmed me up- got me ready (mentally) for kids and homeschooling. Usually (post partum)I'm a little stressed (understatement) during school days trying to shove as much as possible into them. Lately not so much- if I'm sleep deprived then I get a short tempered, but other than that everything's been pretty cool. It's been FUN! And post partum, usually, not a whole lot is FUN. So I'm pretty thrilled about it all.

Placenta pills - I'll never go without after another pregnancy again! Hormone saver, let me tell ya!

So sweat on, my friends. Woot Woot!

Thursday--

I know I'm late posting... been a little busy. ANyway the 4 mile run was so HARD! I felt so tired... Then come Friday thru Sunday I rested. Maybe I shouldn't have but I was tired and still had so much to do house and family-wise...

Wednesday!!

And the training continues with an easy 2 mile run. On the treadmill... I know I need to run those darn hill but it was a busy night with Scouts and stuff. So I chatted with the children while we all watched a little bit of Gene Kelly in The Three Musketeers. They loved it so much they watched it for movie night.

The run was nice, but it felt like I should do more... but I had to go.

Tuesday-

I'm a little behind, sorry.

Tuesday was a great strength day. I did Yoga - Flow with our Goddess of all things Yoga, Deni Preston!!! It was sooooo hard!!! So I'll just keep doing it till it becomes easy!!

I almost fell asleep in rest pose afterwards! hee hee .. zzzzz.

Monday!

It was amazing how busy our weekend was!! But I ran 3 miles on the treadmill and decided since I could sing through all of it, I needed to throw in an extra - OUTSIDE! ON A HILL! Needless to say that one I could not sing through! HaHa!

So 4 M-I-L-E-S!!! SOmebody *KISS* me !!!!

Now on the side, or rather the end, yup that old hippo was hanging onto my booty for the ride, and it bounced much more than I am comfortable with. However, even though I have not been running very long (just beginning my second week) I am seeing loads of improvement! Like being able to sing while running. Or talk, or whatever. When I found my treadmill couldn't go fast enough (remember it is OLD) I started clapping to the music, singing, doing dance steps, etc ANything to make my body work harder. Felt great! Even that last mile felt great - because it was number 4!!

So this week is starting out well... other than the fact that DH hit a deer, the truck now needs a radiator, the baby is nursing every 2 hours!, and so on and so forth. *smile* Concerning my exercise the week is starting out great!! And that. my friends, will encourage a happy attitude on my part!

So, keep sweating, my beauties!! Walk, stairs, jog, bells, yoga, repell, whatever your pleasure... Sweat on!!

Saturday!

Ended my week with a total of 11 miles. It sounds like a lot when you add it all up like that doesn't it? I was thinking while running today... "this is hard!" And it IS!! It's agony. Fighting my body. Making it do something it doesn't want to do!!! uphill, downhill. But, I keep up the fight because in another week my body will be more willing to run. Every hill, every half mile, every mile is a victory. So I celebrate it. And yes, sometimes I even dance to the music.

SPeaking of music I wiped out today - ha ha. skinned my knee. Shoe landed in some slippery gravel the wrong way and Whhhooops there I went. But oddly enough when I bounced back I thought- hey I could add another mile if I had the time.

Please note: I am not weighing myself yet- our baby is only a month old!! It is TOO early to worry about weight! Also I do not fit into ANY of my pre-prego clothes. I fit into what I call my not prego clothes, AKA not-skinny clothes - Because I REFUSE to call them Fat-clothes. And yes, I still look a few months prego... a girl said congratulations to me the other day on the next one... I laughed and did not explain. Just smiled and chuckled and went on me way. So I am obviously not worried about appearance or fitting back into my size 5s. Although I DO remind myself, don't worry you'll get back into your fav jeans soon enough :)

Every step is reason to celebrate. So wherever you are in your fitness level try to remember as you get yourself geared up for the next workout, whether it be a walk around the block or some serious kickboxing, every step is a success.

Thursday-

First outdoor run- which means all those HILLS!! Whew! They kicked my hiney! Everytime I made it to the top of a hill or to another half mile marker I patted my bootay and told myself what a good girl I am!!

It was a HARD run, but a good one. Glad I did it. It was tough, but worth the self satisfaction!!

Tomorrow is a rest day cuz I got another outdoor run on Saturday. I may sneak in a little Sun Salutation Yoga to stretch out these ole muscles. But we'll have to see what I can fit in with all the errands I hafta run with the kiddies. Looking forward to a great day! This high from the 3 mile accomplsihment is gonna last for a bit! YAY Me!!!

Oh and here's a pic of our new addition a friend took who is a photgrapher. Sweet isn't she? She is the reason I gotta get back into shape!! Cuz she's the reason I got out of shape :) Motherhood is full of sacrifices, none of which I'd give up for a second. I mean after all... which one would you have me give back, huh? Kids... aren't they great? To quote Toby Keith, who knows nothing about it as he has no children, but still it's a great quote, "Doesn't matter what you call 'em. Ya gotta have a whole house full of 'em!".

Wednesday!!

2 Mile Run- Check!! Again didn't get to run till late. 7:30 pm, due to youth night, ballet, etc. But I got it done. Not so hard as the 3 mile yesterday, but I'm feeling pretty darn sore afterwards. I gotta hit the shower and then EAT! I'm HUNGRY!

I'm doing better with getting in enough calories. I think I've got it down now. But It would be so much easier if I could run a lot earlier in the day. Humph.

Tuesday!

3 Miles run- CHECK! Didn't get to run till 7 pm... not a good run. Out Of GAS!! Whew! But done!

Monday!!

1st Day of training. Yesterday I spent some time changing around my training schedule to suit MY schedule. Today is strength training and stretching. WHooo- hoo. Both favs of mine! Obviously since I am training for a run I will be doing a LOT of it. But along with the running is strengthening, stretching, and a few other things sprinkled in.

Also because of schedule change I will be working out during Quiet Time, after lunch. So I ate lunch a little early to give it time to digest before I begin. I am looking forward to it. If I have time between that and my chiropractor appointment I'll post about it. Gotta get that adjustment in. I can't tell you how uncomfy it is to try running when your hips are out of alignment. SO while this relaxin is still hanging round I gotta keep getting adjusted. Hopefully only 2-3 more times. She's a miracle worker. I know I know. It's a science. but it FEELS like a miracle!!!

Monday Continued...

Well, the workout I picked kicked my butt!! But felt so good. As I guzzle more water I type this. Push ups are not fun while these lingering prego hormones are still giving me carpel tunnel - everytime I do ANything with my hands they start to go numb or get shocks, etc. Very annoying and unconfortable. But I suffered through. Yay me. And ya gotta LOVE those squat/leg lift combos! Whooo. Was the sweat pooring off me! Better out than in though, right?

So I've done my strength training workout. Feeling pretty good bout myself. And tomorrow I go for a 3 mile run. Don't ask me to time it - I don't have a watch for running. And the one I wear for daily stuff is a cheapo from Walmart that would dig into my wrist if I wore it while running. So time is obviously not going to be a concern - maybe someday when I can afford one. But I had to replace that MP3 player, so it got set back a bit. ha ha.

With the late night nursing and the sun not rising early enough running in the am is OUT. SO Hubby will be extra supportive and let me run after he gets home - he said so. Amazingly he thinks I can do this half marathon thing in 12 weeks, and I guess he's being this supportive to show that confidence. Man, I hope he's right.

Great beginning to my week! Sweat on, my sistas! Sweat on!!

New Goals...

Okay, guess what? Tomorrow I begin training for a half marathon. Yes, my utlimate goal is to do a full marathon, but let's build up to this. I mean I AM only 3 1/2 weeks postpartum here. I can't just jump up and train 12 weeks to run 26 miles.

But, the short term goal is that in 12 weeks I will run a little over 13 miles. No I have never run 13 miles before. 8 is as far as I have gone so far.

I was going to run Saturday, but then I wasted tones of time looking for my MP3 player. I took VERY good care of it!! And I found the arm strap... and the headphones, which were exactly where I left the entire package. You see it's been a while since I used it. BUT no MP3 player. Let's just say I was TICKED at the idea that I lost it. So DH and I tore through the house looking for it. Searched high and low. No luck. I think someone walked off with it, as it was by the door on a shelf, where I leave it when I come in from a run, as the strap and the headphones were there... but again no music playing thingy.

GRRRRR! Alright, so now I have to get the right equipement- AGAIN.

Aside from the MP3 player, my training begins on Monday. Starts out slow. The first run is 3 miles. So I'm not nervous - YET. We'll see how it goes and how I feel in 5 weeks when I'm running 6 miles. Let's see I'll be 8 weeks postpartum... oooh let's not think about it. The more I worry the more bad stuff tends to happen.

I'm excited, certainly. The run is nearby to help Raise awareness of Human Trafficking. And if during training I find that 13 miles is too much, they have a 10K and a 5K I can sign up for instead.

So, wish me luck! June 4th is the BIG Race Day!!

Sunday!

Restorative Yoga!! With our favorite exercise leader, Deni Preston! Now, to be honest I SHOULD have done this yesterday, cuz I was feeling the stress! But I couldn't seem to find the time... what with the stressing and all. Ha Ha.

So today Restored my balance. YAY! Restful, balancing, tension relieving Restorative yoga! Ahhhh.

Friday-

Big FAT errand day... so today's gonna be my rest day this week. Baby's still sick, improving, but with nursing and her cold I'm still up most of the nigh... so I may even try to sneak in a nap. mwuuhaa haa haa. zzzzzzzzzz.

Thursday-

Okay, friends, too many night with hardly any sleep with ill baby - so today is a rest day. IF I feel energetic suddenly at quiet time, I may hop on the treadmill for a bit. But for right now I'm happy to skip it for today.

Sink sprung a leak, got homeschooling junk to get in order, etc. So it's not like I sit on my duff all day :)

Okay- Thursday Continued... I put on my running shoes! It felt so good to tie these babies!

Yupper- I jumped up on the treadmill and stayed on for an hour, baby! Listening to Three Dog Night, Aerosmith, Eagles, Resevior Dogs soundtrack tunes, Jamie Cullum, Tori Amos, and various other fab groups and songs. I have eclectic tastes, but I need upbeat tunes to run to. And yeah- dud, I ran. No walking for this lady.

The really awesome parts are: I was NEVER out of breath! Nothing hurt, no shinsplints, or knee pain, etc. And best of all- It just felt GOOD! It felt good to move, to sweat, to sing along to the music as I put one fot in front of the other. It was GRRRRREAT!

So people CLAP! And Clap some more. Cuz I did good! I am sooo awesome. So cool. I ROCK! - umm thanks for reading... I'm really not this conceited. But I'm pretty impressed with myself right now ;)

Wednesday!

Migraine and time crunch... made it through 40 minutes of Yoga with balancing emphasis with Deni Preston, my hero!

Whoo hooo. Go me! Go Me!!

Tuesday!

Okay Ariana, new baby, will be 3 weeks old tomorrow, AND this is her 3rd day with a cold, and my second day on next to NO SLEEP! BUT I got on that horse and did strength training. Yeah yeah, I took a nap later (aweful headache), but I did it!

Deni Preston I am BACK! WHOOO HOOOO!!! I skipped the little bit of shoulder work in the episode this morning, because of the work I did yesterday. So much felt great! I am looking forward to running again!! Also, I am binding my abs because they split again this pregnancy. Binding them helps them go back together AND while working out prevents me from injuring them or making the situation worse. No, I am NOT doing any workouts that focus on abs till they are healed properly. But let's face it you use your abs for EVERYTHING!

Also I counted my caloric intake today... I am NOT eating enough! So I gotta get that figured out. And I am back to being hypoglycemic as well. Ho hum. But I'm not fainting, YAY! So I'm not too bad off. I've been keeping an eye out for this stuff since the baby was born, and I'm doing pretty well. The "Happy Pills" (AKA. Placenta pills) are doing loads of good for me!

Note to those who may be concerned: I am not starting this regimine too early. I promise. If I was I would start bleeding again, or feel exhausted. Niether of which has happened. I am NOT pushing myself beyond what I can do. AND I've started in the beginner/itermediate rate. I feel great!! Better than I have with any of the other births. Oddly enough after each birth I feel better than after the one before, and recover more quickly. Everyone recovers at their own pace, and this is mine. So cheer me on!

I also doubt I'm drinking enough, so I'm gonna get a handle on that as well. I am taking a fantastic mutiVitamin, my happy pills, and the 5-W herbal pills (to help with adrenal functions). I think my thryoid's wigged out again, so I'll look into that soon. But for the first 6 or so months my body doesn't really know which way is up, so that's why I take this stuff. It helps my hormones level out, while my body is trying to remember how to produce them. And it keeps me happy, I kid you not. Homornal function has sooo much to do with mood. And usually I experience quite a bit of postpartum depression. Now, I may go downhill around month 3 (which is usually when it gets bad for me). But right now I am PPD FREE! And hoping to avoid the entire issue altogether!

So, I've talked about my recovery, how old the baby is, and what I did today? DId I leave anything out??? OH YES!!! Yes I did. Remember a long long time ago when I said I wanted to run a marathon. Well, that's my goal again. I am working out inside until the weather improves and the sun rises before 6 am, getting back my strength and working on my aerobic ability. I got the treadmil out, but don't want to get on it just yet.

So this is the beginning of me training for my 26 mile run. When? I'm thinking about a date, but don't have one yet. When I do, I'll post it!

Monday!

Imagine Aerosmith screaming "I'm BACK! in the saddle again!". Okay, since the birth of Ariana, I've done a little yoga here and there. But nothing on a regular basis and I only did 15-20 minutes here and there. Today - I did an entire session on yoga, focusing on shoulder opening. I figured with all the baby carrying, nursing, etc I'm doing it would be a great thing to stretch out those stiff shoulders. And let me just say, "OUCH!". Because after I was done, I let that shower just beat away at my shoulders!

But Later they felt soooo much better! Ahhh!

So, successful Day 1 postpartum exercise. YAY!