My longest run so far! (and some..ehem, butt...issues)

See, this is a public blog but the beauty of not having any followers is that I can pretty much say whatever I want! I had a FANTASTIC run yesterday! Not only was it my farthest EVER but I didn't feel like dying the whole time! Don't get me wrong it wasn't fun but I finished it with a smile on my face which is huge. 15 miles. FIFTEEN! And only two years ago I could barely do five. Well, ok, doing five still isn't easy but I would have never dreamed of doing 15 miles...at once...on purpose!

I did change something though...I have been reading that "cotton is rotten" and to not wear cotton underwear. So I had the bright idea to go commando with my running capris. BAD. IDEA. Let's just say I will not be doing that again. What I need to do is look for some running underwear that is moisture wicking. My poor backside cannot deal with that again!

I am SO sore today but a good sore. Reminds me of what I saw online the other day.

I mean, RIGHT? Sure I'm sore and tired today but I did something that I had never done before! And it's only going to get harder and longer (ehem, that's what she said...sorry...had to) from here.

Last workout: 15 miles 2:41 10:42 pace
Next workout: Short run tomorrow (at the new gym near work that I joined!)
Days til marathon: 97!

Back from another great trip

Another great trip in the books! The day before we left I did my 13 mile training run. Of course I did 13.1. That was only my second time ever doing that distance (the first being at the Princess Half in 2011) and it went well. I finished in 2:27 which was 5 minutes longer than my race time. I felt pretty good during the majority of the run. But after? I was beyond exhausted. As in, I could barely function for the rest of the day. I'm not sure what it was - not enough water? Food? I have no idea. But I will need to work on those long runs! I only did half the distance I'll have to do in January!

While in Disney I did two short runs. Well, medium runs I guess. My short runs are typically 4 miles. But being in Disney pumped me up and both runs were 10k. During the first one I felt great. Felt like I could go on and on. The second was much slower and more painful but that was probably because of the humidity. That and the fact that I'd been on my legs for the whole week by then.

The day after the trip I did a 3 mile workout (Jeff Galloway only has us doing 3 miles this week) and my 5k time was 30 min. I typically do a 5k in about 32 minutes. So, for me, I was flying. And still today my legs are an aching mess. I'm talking really sore. This is something I'm going to need work out if I have any hope of finishing that 26.2!

This afternoon a friend from high school and his wife came over for a quick visit. He is a triathlon coach. I mentioned that I was doing my first marathon in January. He said, "I have one bit of advice for you and that's it - SLOW DOWN" Ha! I told him that I can't get much slower during my long runs but he's right. Slow and steady finishes marathons!

Last workout: 10k at Disney 1:05
Next workout: short run on Tuesday
Days til marathon: 104

Back on the "train" gang...

Hello and welcome back...to me!

The blog had a big time slow down in the last few months after baby Matt was born. It's been a really great 9.5 months since he was born. Sure there have been ups and downs but I'm truly blessed with a wonderful and incredibly hard working husband, a funny and sometimes pain-in-the-ass-but-totally-loveable toddler, and a bubbly sweetie of a baby boy.

Here we are on our most recent vacation to Ocean City, NJ.

We've had some life changes too. I'm no longer a stay-at-home mom. John was laid off in March and while he builds up his business (Bulldog Marketing & Sales) which, by the way, is doing awesome, I'm working as a financial writer for an asset management firm that I worked at before I had kids. It's a great gig with a ton of flexibility so it still lets me teach the Mommy and Me class at our local Catholic School and work from home sometimes too. It's been a pretty easy transition though at times while I'm at work I find myself feeling down and missing the boys. It just makes the weekends and our vacations that much more precious!

Now to running. I'm doing it! And I'm signed up for the WDW Marathon! I'm four months away from doing something I never thought I'd be able to do. But after completing the Princess Half in 2011 I truly feel that I can do this. I don't care if it takes me 7 hours to do it but I will! I'm currently on week 11 of the 28 week Jeff Galloway training program. He even calls it a training program for people whose goals are to finish in the upright position. That's me!

Training so far has had its ups and downs - really, what doesn't these days?? Last weekend I ran in the Bronx 10 mile race and It. Was. Horrible. Terrible. No Good. But at least I got that medal and learned a little about what it's like to run and really feel sick. I redeemed myself this morning and ran an awesome 11 miles! It took me about 30 seconds less than 2 hours. I'll take it. 

I'm glad to be back to blogging. This again will be my journal of training with some sharing about my love of Disney. We head to Disney this Saturday for a week and we're all looking forward to it!!

And like a true mom, this entry will be cut short because I can smell a very stinky diaper that needs changing!

Workout today: 11 miles 1:59 min. 10:53mm pace

Next workout: 4 miles on Tuesday

Day til Marathon: 119

anyone still out there?

i hope everyone is having a fabulous summer! time is flying by. thomas just turned two and i just hit the 20 week point in this pregnancy! it's crazy! i have felt pretty fantastic this pregnancy which is SUCH a blessing compared to my pregnancy with thomas.

last week i had my big anatomy scan. yep, still a boy! baby #2 is growing perfectly and so far is in the 57th percentile. with thomas, there was an issue with the umbilical cord's placement into the placenta and because of this he was on the small side of growth. that meant i was in for growth scans about a million times throughout the second half of my pregnancy. and at 38 weeks i was induced because he just wasn't growing enough. this time, 57th percentile aka PERFECTLY NORMAL! what a relief! 

another great part about this pregnancy is that i've been working out pretty consistently. sure, i'm not running any marathons (heh) but i've been running and/or walking most days of the week. most of my runs are only 3 miles but i've steadily been doing a run/walk or a run for about an hour 4-5 times a week. my weight has been going up, up, up!!! ugh! well, at least i'm moving.

i've been doing some reading about the WDW Marathon and although i'm sidelined for the 2012 race, i will be there for the 2013 race and i'm so excited about it! 

i'm hoping to come back here every so often to report that i've still been active and once baby is born i'll be back on to report on my training!

have a great summer everyone!!

Still going :)

I'm having a nice time being back in running mode. My feet feel much better and I've been going out most days with Thomas in the jogger. Sure, I'm not doing the mileage that I'm used to but I'm staying active in this pregnancy which is more than I can say for my last pregnancy! I've been so lucky and blessed that this little one seems to be growing perfectly so far. And I've been feeling really good. A little tired but that might just because I'm trying to keep up with a 2 year old! :)

My runs have usually only been about 1-2 miles followed by a 2 mile walk. Today I felt really good and had a little extra bounce in my step. I decided to run a 5k on my own. And I did it! My time was 36:47 which isn't breaking any records considering my best time in a 5k race has been a little over 29 minutes. But, when I ran that race I wasn't pushing a jogger and I wasn't over 4 months pregnant!

And I have some news....we found out last week that we're having a BOY! I couldn't be more thrilled. And of course our first thought when they told us was how our Disney trips will be so much easier just having to do Pirate stuff and not any Princess stuff!

I'm 17 weeks tomorrow. It's going fast! I guess I just don't have much time to think about pregnancy with a little guy around!

an injury! and i'm not even training!

Here I am 15 1/2 weeks pregnant and doing pretty well the last couple of weeks as far as getting in some exercise, and in particular, some good runs. Sure, my runs are only 2 or 3 miles but considering it's hot, I'm pushing a 25 lb toddler in a jogger, and I'm knocked up, I'd say that's pretty good.

I ran a really nice 3 miles around SUNY Maritime. I got home and showered and put some flip flops on. OUCH! My right heel! PAIN! Like, hurts-to-put-weight-on-it pain. Crap. What is that? The dreaded plantar faciatis? Fatty pad injury? Off to Google I went and it looks like both issues require the same treatment - rest. Ah poo. I feel like this happens so often. I get in a good rhythm and then have to stop due to some stupid injury.

The next few days we are supposed to break records as far as heat and humidity are concerned so really it's forcing me not to run and overdo it anyway. As I've learned alot the last couple of months, everything happens for a reason!

All this being said, I'm happy to report that we maybe sorta might go to Disney one last time as a family of three in September! I'm hoping and praying that John will be able to take the time off from work (his new place is SO anal about it). I've made a reservation for us for a week in a one bedroom villa at Bay Lake Towers at Disney's Contemporary Resort! I've even gone so far as to make our dining reservations for the week too. Wishful thinking maybe but one can hope and dream, right??

Surprise!

Well, friends, I'm sure you've been wondering where the heck I've been. I mean, I signed up to run a marathon and then a disappeared, right?

Yeah, well, notsomuch. See, the day after I signed up for the WDW Marathon, I started feeling sick. Rundown, tired, pukey. Just didn't feel right at all. Lo and behold...

I'm pregnant. Yep, knocked up. WHAT A SURPRISE! I signed up for the marathon, FINALLY hit my goal weight and BAM! Pregnant.

Well, that doesn't have to stop me from running, right? Right! But about three days later I was hit with a terrible stomach issue. I was literally homebound for 5 weeks. It was horrible. Turns out I had c.Diff which is some notsogreat intestinal infection. After getting on the right antibiotics for it I FINALLY started to feel better. 

John, Thomas and I took a wonderful trip to Maui for two weeks after that. Thank goodness I was feeling good for it. But still no exercise.

I finally got out last week and walked. Then today I finally jogged. Felt great. I only did 3 miles and I have a feeling I'll be at that distance for a while.

So, I won't be doing the WDW Marathon in 2012 but I WILL be doing it in 2013! This time I'll just be a mother of two!!