Category Archives: Running

When the big day comes… I’m Ready

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One good luck kiss and then it’s go time! (Photo courtesy of Bumps to Babies Photography)

In a few days I’m doing something big.  Something that’s not about me at all yet is simultaneously wholly about me.  I’ve planned for it, worked for it, and compulsively prepared for it.  I’ve read books and blogs about how to best prepare myself for my big day.  I’ve changed the way I eat and adjusted my fitness routine.  I’ve commiserated with other women in my position on rough days, and I’ve consulted my virtual support network in the dead of night when I have a weird unexplained pain or craving.  I have family coming in town to help with N so she is well cared for during the excitement.  And I’ve talked obsessively about this moment and the experience I’ve had leading up to it with every poor person who has sat still long enough for me to burden them with my unbridled, nervous excitement.

We’re all moms or moms-to-be here, so you totally get where I’m going with this, right?

In two days I’m leaving to tackle the San Francisco Nike Women’s Marathon.

Wait… what?

Sounded eerily familiar, didn’t it?

As first time moms or moms-to-be, we embarked on a journey that was life altering and life strengthening.  We made ourselves better as we endeavored to make the world a better place for our budding little ones.  We learned about sacrifice, we learned about life, and we learned about facilitating growth and change.  And we have the power to continue forward all of our days with the same strength and fervor born in us the moment we felt the stirring of connection to the tiny being we prepared to greet with unbridled, nervous excitement.

Photo courtesy of Bumps to Babies Photography

We have learned a lesson in motherhood that more than half of the population will never have the benefit of learning from experience, but it doesn’t stop there.  We now have the power of applying those same lessons and the same inexpressible joy over to any number of goals we want to achieve.  We have the secret benefit of being unstoppable as soon as we allow ourselves to find our stride and settle into our correct pace.

Addidas runing shoes

We only get so many miles in life- it’s what we do with them that counts

In my own personal life, running has given that to me.  It’s helped me recapture all of the good intentions that I incubated for 40 weeks as I awaited my transition to motherhood.  It’s helped me get out of my head on early morning training runs after late sleepless nights and arrive home ready to care for my family invigorated.  It’s helped me to set goals that are solely mine yet far greater than me alone.  And it’s helped me give birth to the happier, healthier, more purpose-driven mama that was inside of me.

We all have it in us.  There is something we are passionate about outside of our mama personas.  We just have to allow ourselves to grasp ahold of it amidst the happy chaos of our daily lives and not lose sight of it once we have it.  And we have to give ourselves permission to pursue and achieve our goals.

Kerry Gray Photography

Photo courtesy of Kerry Gray Photography

Remember, we’ve given birth to beautiful babies- introduced a new life into this world.  In all other things we can unquestionably continue to be victorious.

Gold Medal Motherhood: Busy Mamas on the Run…

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Ahhh… the Olympics!  Besides the joy you get from seeing your own child reach developmental milestones, there is very little that compares to the inspiration and human interest generated by these games.  I feel inexplicable pride watching our country’s greatest athletes compete for our honor… especially when I consider the fact that some of them are mamas just like us! Take Kara Goucher for example: she has a son slightly older than Baby N which means she faces the same challenges that I do on a daily basis- a little one with sleepless nights, separation anxiety, stubborn molars, and titanic tantrums- and still manages to put up impressive times as an Olympic marathoner.  She is super-human… TWICE over!

In speaking with my mommy friends, I’ve realized that I’m not the only one feeling momspiration from fabulous women at the summer games but I have noticed a trend in my conversations- we all want to be more physically fit, but we have limited time and we can’t always pinpoint the best way to optimize it with our little ones in tow.  Luckily, BCB has a bevy of fitness gurus ready to weigh in to help us out!

Our experts have helped us put together five days worth of mom-friendly workouts- all of which are baby friendly, take less than 45 minutes, and can be achieved without any specialized equipment (expect a jog stroller of course- but by now you probably think of your jog stroller as a family member!).

To kick things off- and in honor of Goucher, my personal momspiration- Leah Soro Skinner, running coach from Enlightened Performance here in Austin, has created 3 running workouts for both beginning and intermediate fitness levels (Hey- if you consider yourself advanced, you probably already have your own successful routine).  Leah started running in third grade with a summer youth program and after discovering a love for distance running in high school went on to earn All SEC and All Region honors in cross country while running for the University of Tennessee.

She credits he father, also a life long runner, with giving her the confidence, motivation, and love for the sport.  As an adult, she has found a more laid back relationship with the sport and now enjoys sharing her love of running with others to help them accomplish their fitness goals.  She certainly walks the walk…. errr, runs the run (?).  As Leah puts it, “The way being fit makes me feel inspires me to stay active. I have always enjoyed seeing what my body was capable of and how far I could push myself. After I work out, I feel like I can accomplish anything.”

I’m a brave, brave woman for letting my husband snap some photos of me on his iPhone while I was doing one of Leah’s track workouts in the late afternoon Texas sun (My yucky, sweaty day is now broadcast to all the world… so no excuses from the rest of you)! But seriously… How stinkin’ cute is Baby N when we’re really moving in that jog stroller!?!                                                  Want my take on my jog stroller?  Check out my note below.

With an understanding for the time constraints moms face, Leah sees running as an ideal fitness option. “Running is the most efficient way to get fit when you are a mom because you can run with the stroller and get a great workout in in less than 45 minutes” says Leah.  “You do not have to drive anywhere or buy any fancy equipment other than good shoes and a jog stroller. There are no gym fees and you do not have to pay a baby sitter. Plus running with your kids inspires them when they get older to stay active and healthy. It really is a win all around. It keeps you happy and healthy so you can be a super mom!”

What are Leah’s top three tips for someone who is interested in starting a running routine? “Be patient – running can be grueling!  The first 3 weeks are usually fine, but that 4-6 weeks gets really rough. Stick to it and it will pay off big time. Start slow – this goes with the first tip. Don’t try to become Kara Goucher in the first month. You will burn yourself out and end up hurt. Be consistent – If you run on a regular schedule, staying committed to a sustainable long term running schedule is easy. It is the best investment in your health you can make (other than yoga!) so make it a consistent habit!”

Okay, so maybe we all can’t be Kara Goucher… but thankfully there are women out there like her and Leah to keep us inspired!  And maybe, just maybe, someday Kara will run across our blog and find inspiration in ME- because if there was an Olympic medal for healthy, sustainable meal planning or waxing poetically about life in the mommyhood I would totally win it!

Want to download a PDF copy to take with you on your workout?  Snag it here: BCB Busy Mama Running Workouts

Stay tuned next week for cross training with Meagan Listruth from Baby Boot Camp!

Gear note: It’s no secret that I’m a stroller junkie and, just like with every other type of stroller, I have a couple joggers in my stable.  For track workouts, I really love my Joovy Zoom360.  It’s nice and light weight for a jogger which is great when I’m moving at a faster pace than I would be on the bumpy Town Lake trails.  I love the swivel wheel because I don’t have to slow down to turn the stroller or bother with picking up the front wheel.  It comes with a tire pump strapped in the basket and the organizer attached… and anyone who has ever paid for a premium price for a stroller and then shelled out $50 for a cup holder can tell you why that’s awesome.  Plus, it just looks flashy! I may not be the fastest person on the track, but at least I look the part.  (PS… Texas Company Y’all!)

BCB and Leah remind you to always consult a physician before beginning a workout routine and,  most importantly, listen to your body!

 

Motherhood is My Pacer: Settling Back into My Happy Pace

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There is some runner-centric excitement in my house right now: I’m a week away from my first trip away from Baby N to run the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon and I got a spot for the Nike Women’s Marathon in October!  The flurry of conversations, updates, and activity that these events have caused have prompted the same question from many of my mama friends; namely, “Wow, how do you have time to train for all these runs!?”

I want to be able to energetically reply that I’m Supermom and I’ve figured out how to freeze time, and avoid tough days, and stay eternally inspired.  But I’m not.  And I don’t want you to think that I am because then you might unrealistically feel like you should be too.  So it’s confession time…

As some of you may remember, I kicked off the year by announcing my major goal- running the Nike Women’s Marathon 2012 in San Francisco.  At first, I approached that goal with gusto- in January I ran the Nike Women’s Half Marathon, in February I ran the LIVESTRONG Austin Half Marathon despite some pesky knee pain… in March I decided to sit the Zuma Half Marathon out… and then the sitting out got a little too comfortable.

“Recovery days” gave way to “busy days” gave way to “teething days” gave way to “moving days” gave way to “the contractors still haven’t finished the kitchen days” gave way to “you’ve got to be kidding me days” until my “days” built up into one giant excuse… and one morning I sleepily glanced at my email inbox to read the subject line 15 Days Until the BMO Marathon.

And. I. Panicked.

I immediately defaulted to all of the excuses I’d been giving myself since my original time off for recovery.  Surely, I could just pick one from the mix and make it stick.  Who would challenge it?  No one would think less of me if I said “Well, I was going to run Vancouver, but being a new mom just caught up with me…”  because other moms would understand.  And it would be true.  The thing that bothered me about that statement was not the reality of it, but the fact that using motherhood as an excuse for not meeting my own needs is a slippery slope- that same statement could be inserted for any number of things that I need to do for my health, my soul, and my sanity.

Nope.  No more.

15 days pre-half marathon became the day I once again committed to lacing up my running shoes every morning, even if life will only allow for a few miles.  Back to the “How” question: for our family, it means that my husband runs a bit earlier so that he can feed and watch Baby N and telecommute for an hour while I get a run in.  Once I shower, he heads off to work- a great luxury, I’m aware.  Before it started heating up, training runs used to mean time on the trails with Baby N in the jogger.  If I timed it during her naps, I could log some fabulous miles.  I also have the benefit of a having a running coach, Leah.  She is an awesome resource and understanding enough to endlessly replan my training for me when I inevitably fall off of the runners’ wagon on a regular basis (plus, I think she might love jogging strollers just as much as I do). There is no right or wrong way to do it.  The key is simply to DO IT!   Some days are awesome and some days are rough… but regardless of how far (or short) I run, I’ve never looked back at a workout and thought “Gee, I wish I hadn’t spent time doing that for myself!”

Right now I’m staring down Vancouver in seven days.  I know I wont run it fast.  I know I wont PR.  I know I’ll be just another face in my pacing group in a city where I’m a stranger.  But I also know that I’ll be proud to push myself when the thought of a glorious morning of sleeping in with no baby sounds so appealing.  And I know that I’ll be stronger, healthier, and more self assured for my efforts.  And I know that, regardless of whether I kick it up in the last few miles and finish with a flourish or drag behind my group, I’m on my way back to finding my happy pace.