Running and Insanity (the workout, not the mental condition)

I had a pretty good 8 mile run on Saturday. It started out rough. I wanted to quit. I was coughing like a crazy person. I started out with a run 5/walk 1 plan, then at about 30 minutes changed it to run 4/walk 1. It's AMAZING the difference 60 seconds made. The last 30 minutes or so were run 5/ walk 1.

I learned during this run:
1. Always carry a tissue. I blew my nose a LOT.
2. Carry more water. I ran out about halfway through.
3. In a pinch, Nutrigrain bars work for nutrition during a long run.
4. Eminem's "Lose Yourself" is the absolute perfect pace for me to run during a long run. I think I'm going to loop it.

I finished in 1:29:48, and my goal was to finish in less than 90 minutes... so that was a victory...

And the day went downhill from there...

During the last 30 minutes of the run, I had fantasized about how, when I got home, I would ice, stretch, play with the foam roller, drink a ton of water, take a hot shower... apparently, while I was running, I forgot that I have 2 children.

My husband was swamped with work, and when I got home, I could tell the 90 minutes (well, plus warm up time) may have been a little too much to force both children upon him while he was trying to work.

I didn't even get to go to the bathroom.

My daughter saw me, and when I walked past her, she started screaming. So I picked her up. She was teething and needed her mommy.

I had promised my son a "special treat" if he was good for Daddy while I was running. Well, guess who has a REALLY good memory and NO patience?

Eventually, I got my stretch. I got my shower. I even got my chocolate baked oatmeal and rehydrated. But, everything on my to-do list that wasn't "Parent" or "Run 8 miles" pretty much did not get done this weekend.

Fast forward to Monday. Ooohhhh weeee I got it in my head that I miss Shaun T.'s Insanity workouts, so I'm throwing one or two in a week just to shake things up (along with some strength training.... watch for a blog post on this)

Oh, hello Shaun T.'s abs....


I decided to start my Youtube career with this video, completed at the end of Cardio Power and Resistance:



(Warning. I say "poop" a lot in this video.)

This was followed by a Monday afternoon Lunchtime Run... which went quite well, actually. I don't care if the people bundled up in coats laughed at me in a tank top and gloves...

(Come on over to Facebook! We have cookies! Well, not really...)

When do the parents get back?

This weekend, I had a chance to take a nap with my baby daughter. It's one of my favorite things to do. We snuggle up in the bed together and fall asleep.

My husband took our son out to do fun things. They went to the park, to the hardware store, to the grocery store- they were gone a while.

But, here's what's funny...

In my sleepy state, I woke up and I was thinking they were coming home soon... but I wasn't thinking "My husband and son will be home soon". Instead, I was thinking, "My husband is bringing the real grown ups home..."

I'm not sure how to explain this feeling, but it was so real: I would half wake up and think "He's going to bring the parents home to take care of us."

Now, I'm sure there are all kinds of interpretations for this strange half-dream I was having. I guess in my mind, I'm wishing someone else was in charge. Sometimes it does seem to be a little too much.

I'm 37 years old, and I still wonder when I'll feel like a "grown up".

You mean, someone else isn't going to clean this wall?

Once I finally woke up *for real*, it took a few groggy minutes to re-orient and realize that help was *not* coming. We are IT. We are the parents.

Holy moly.

Dear Mom and Dad: Yes, you ARE in charge here!

P.S. HappyRunnerReviews is hosting a giveaway for some CEP Compression socks. You can find out more here!

Friday Fun and Facebook Follows...

I used to look forward to the weekends. Then, for a while, before I had kids, the weekends became work time (I was a church musician), so they didn't mean as much.  Then I had kids, and the days just blended together. But, I'm getting to where I look forward to them again. Here are some of the positives of an upcoming weekend:

1. Kids don't have to do baths and rush to get in bed as early Friday night. I don't have to wake up at 3:45, so there's even a chance I may outlast both kids and have some "me" time.
2. Saturday is "long" run day.
3. I make a huge to-do list for the house, and do as much of it as I can over the weekend. I look forward to this.
4. The possibility of a nap both Saturday and Sunday (if I can convince the kids).
5. Church (I love our church).

So, just writing this is getting me all excited.

I also love "Facebook Follow Friday". I've made all kinds of new friends doing this. So, I hope you'll stop by my page, Sarah Fitness, and "like" me. I try to keep it interesting over there...




I wanted to take a moment and talk about my morning, as well. This is one of those, "Best laid plans..." moments...

I set my alarm for 3:45, then laughed at it when it went off, and snoozed until 4:30. This means no peppermint mocha for me (the rule is if I get up at 3:45 I get a peppermint mocha).

By the time I was awake and ready to get out of bed, my 5 month old daughter was also ready. So, off we went.

Upon our arrival to the kitchen, we noticed the cat had knocked over our homemade salad dressing. It was all over the floor, and a strange oil/vinegar smell was everywhere.

So, I cleaned that up, and fed the baby a bottle, and by the time I could work out, it was 5:30. All I had time to do was 30 minutes, so I did Turbofire Fire 30. (Something is always better than nothing!)

I guess my point is this: I may not always be able to do what I planned, but I do always try to do SOMETHING.

I hope you have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend!

Sarah

My Amazing, Wonderful, Miraculous Trip to the Grocery Store with a 3 Year Old..

Seriously.

No, really.

Today, I made the big grocery list for the week. I asked my husband to watch the baby and took my son with me to the store.

I made a big deal about how just my son and I were going to the store together. "Mommy and R Day!"

We got one of those carts where the kids can sit in and pretend to drive a car. He made race car sounds and I sped up and slowed down and pretended he was driving a race car.

I admit that I had to bribe him. I asked him what kind of treat he would like before we went. He said chocolate. I told him throughout the experience that he was being really good, and if he kept being good he would get a treat!

There were a couple of moments when he got a little crazy. I just pulled over, bent down to his level, and reminded him that he wanted to be a good boy to get his treat. And then it was fine...

Why was this trip so much better than most of the others? I think the planning helped, and of course the bribery, but I think overall it was my mindset.

I went into this thinking, "We are going to have so much fun!" And we did.

So many times when I go to the store with my son, I expect it to go badly. I expect to be stressed out. And, that's usually what happens.

But this time, we both had a great time. And, he got some m and m's....

I think there's a lesson there (for me at least).

Those of you with kids, do you have any experiences that are similar?

Have a great weekend,
Sarah

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Parenting: A Love Letter to My Children

Today I want to talk a little about being a parent.

Before I had kids, I dreamed of having them for many years. I certified in prenatal yoga and fitness, so I felt totally ready to be pregnant. Whenever I saw a baby, my uterus hurt. I wondered for a few years if I had missed my chance, since I had waited until my 30s.

I had absolutely no idea what it would be like to be a parent.

In January 2007 I found out I was pregnant. I was surprised in a way, because I’d almost given up. In April, I found out I was having a boy, and suddenly it became real. And scary. I had no idea how to be a mom of a boy.

But then, I fell in love with him. And, as he grew, and went through the stages, and really did turn into a crazy boy (he’s 3 now), I loved him more every day, even when he drove me insane. I look at this child sometimes and feel my heart breaking because I love him so much (and I realize that may sound strange).

I had the urge to have more kids, and I wondered if it would happen Again, I thought I may have waited too long. But, at age 35, I found out baby number 2 was on the way. Oh, and this one had all that “Advanced Maternal Age” stigma attached to it. I worried and worried, but had another problem free pregnancy… I found out a girl was on her way, and felt like my dreams had come true.

So here I am, the mother of 2 children, and I feel incredibly blessed, but also incredibly responsible. Some days, I think, “What on earth am I doing with 2 kids? Who decided I deserved that kind of responsibility?”

But (and here’s where I come back to fitness), I am determined to teach them. As a child, I was terrified of exercise. Both my parents smoked, and as a musician, my “sport” was practicing piano. I remember the issues I had as a young girl… self-esteem, eating disorders, body image… and I am determined to do what I have to to keep my children from feeling that way. Well, I know I can’t protect them from everything, but I can give them the tools and the confidence to deal with it.

One of my favorite days so far was when I took my son with me to the Borodash on Thanksgiving 2010. Our family friend was there to watch him while I did the race, and he was at the finish line saying, “Go Mommy!” He still talks about “Mommy, you took me to a race!”. I want both of them to watch Mommy set goals, and achieve them, and know that they are truly capable of anything.

So, I admit that I do these things selfishly. I love races. I love working out. I love losing weight and looking good. But, really, in my heart of hearts, I hope that what I’m doing is teaching my children to strive for more.

So, I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing.

Kids, Mommy loves you!

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(Originally published 1/20/2011)