Tag Archives: Running

The best of intentions- Day 80/365

No parent finds out that they are going to have a child and says to themselves, “I am going to do everything in my power to screw this kid up.” I truly believe, well at least hope, that all parents have the best of intentions. They may not be happy about the situation they are in at the time that parenthood comes along, but no doubt their intent is to provide what is best for the child. The biggest problem is that no parent can teach their child things that they don’t know. If kindness is not the parent’s strong suit, there is a pretty good chance that it won’t be the child’s either.

Well my situation is pretty much the same. I have the best of intentions in raising Cub. I want him to be strong, articulate, smart, athletic… you know, a lot like his mother. But I have a fast temper, I am impatient, and I like to get my way… and so does my son. He is only 8 months old, and he is an exact replica of me. Poor guy. He is so smart, super fast, sweet and fiery. He has a lot of unnecessary rage in his future. I know from experience.

We are almost 9 months out from Cub’s birth, and I am as close to normal as I can get. I am back to my pre-baby weight, my hair is finally growing back, and (fingers crossed) weening will commence very soon! But lately my baby joy has turned to baby sorrow. I went through a spell of depression over the past few weeks as I sort of realized what my life is now. I am a slave to another, and my lack of productiveness, my instant rage at moments, and the lack of get up and go that I am now strapped with is overwhelming some times. Chas has been gone alot lately, the perks of being a coach’s wife, and the survival mode that must be initiated when he is gone makes for an exhausting few days. Plus I always miss him like crazy. Now that wrestling season is over, I am hoping to start working on some of the goals I have for myself, namely in fitness. I want to schedule a race, but have been hesitant to do so because I have to make sure schedules align.

There is certainly no shortage of excitement in our lives right now, but the new normal is taking some getting use to.

Day 38/366- The Irony of Parenthood

668bc110c6fa8462fda88543f5e47eeaThere are basically 3 elements to my life nowadays. The first is Parenting. The second is work, and the third is attempting to get back into shape. I am taking the first day by day. I mean, how else to do you parenting. Very little planning can be done, and the messes are inevitable. I still have yet to sleep for more than 3 hours at a time in going on 8 months. However, my little boy is growing up to be a fierce, tough and determined young man, but then again what else should I have expected? He is half Ginn after all.

Work is as busy as ever with no end in sight. It is satisfying to help the company grow, be in charge of a lot of the daily going abouts, and watch kids blossom into wonderful journalists. As we continue to grow, I am hoping that my role will continue to expand, as I feel like I am a good advocate for the brand and have spend the last 4 years of my life dedicated to its well-being.

The final is really what this blog is all about, right? I mean, I started The Running Year to not only document my goals and achievements, but I also wanted to hold myself accountable by having those things written in a place that more than just I could read.

dailyburn-logo-colored_0As I have told you on my last post, I have started using a service call The Daily Burn. It basically gives you access to workout videos via an streaming device. I have found it very convenient because I don’t have to pack up Cub and got to a gym or class. As soon as he goes down for a nap, I can flip on the Roku and work up a sweat. I highly recommend it to moms looking to get their body back. It is only about $15 a month, and I definitely feel like I have gotten my moneys worth in just the 3 weeks I have been using it.

So anyway, I decided to try a little bit different of a workout the other day. Instead of the normal tabata workouts that I had been doing, I found a hip hop dance workout to do. I thought it would be fun to try, as well as amusing, as I am not a dancer. I am just not coordinated in that way. Well I definitely didn’t disappoint. Honestly, I don’t know how one person could possible be as impossible at dance moves as I am. The coach would show a move and with all the confidence in the world, I would swivel, shake or shimmy the way I felt was appropriate to make myself look just like her… NOT HAPPENING. I was TERRIBLE! Honestly, I finally just laughed at myself and made up something that was as close as I could to what they were doing. It was a comedy act. Needless to say I am not elegant or graceful on my feet in the dancing sense.

Now, back to the title of this post. The irony of parenthood and trying to get back into shape after baby… When you are trying to get into shape and lose weight, exercise, healthy eating and water consumption are so important. Yet, as a nursing mother, I am getting absolutely NO sleep (I was up at 3 am turning on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for my 7 month old last night, and OMG that hot dog dance). A tiny human is sucking you dry every 3 hours, so if you sweat, you have to drink 2 times the normal amount of water to even break even. I am also hungry ALL THE TIME, partly because I get my furnace running when I exercise, so I burn calories more easily throughout the rest of the day, and while nursing, you need extra just to sustain your milk supply. It feels like a constant uphill battle. Let’s face it. It IS an uphill battle.

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Here’s the good news. I only have 2 pounds to go before I am back at pre-baby weight. I am feeling strong and confident about my body again. I am eating healthy, which is the best thing I can do for Cub, because what I eat, he eats. And finally, I am setting a good example for my son. Making time to exercise whether it be doing a Daily Burn class, running, taking a walk, whatever shows Cub how important it is to move, and hopefully that is a lesson that he will take with him for the rest of his life.

Day 33 of 366- The work is getting done

This year is already flying by, and my little baby is 7 months old. He’s crawling, talking, standing up on everything and is turning out to be this stubborn, tenacious little person. He is such a great combination of both Chas and me. We went to the doctor the other day, and he is in the 19% in height and only the 5% in weight. We are a little worried about that, but the kid is an eater. We just have to work a little harder I guess. Another light weight in the family.

I have spent the last 5 weeks working really hard to make good decisions and lose weight. After speaking with a nutrition coach, we decided that I was getting too few calories as a nursing mom, and that was one of the reasons why my weight had plateaued. After increasing my calorie intake, I started dropping again, and am getting closer and closer to my pre-Cubby weight.

I am super proud of my workouts lately. I actually have been doing some running and walking, but I have been taking at least one workout class a day, and I am always exhausted and starving the rest of the day. I have subscribed to the Daily Burn, and I really love it. It gives me so many workout options, and I think it is really worth it. I like pushing myself to do the workouts, and even when I feel tired, knowing that I can push through it gives me a lot of pride.

I need a direction right now, as I am feeling sort of lost besides work, dieting and raising Cub. I feel like I am drifting at the moment, and I need to find a project or something. Any suggestions? I’m open!

Week 1/52- Progress Begins

We are officially one week into the new year, and I am happy to report I am making good progress on my resolutions. I have run all but 1 day this week, and for I sat that day out for good reason. I played 3 volleyball matches on Sunday night, and my knees were so sore from diving that I could barely walk, let alone run.

My starting weight last week was 143.5 lbs. That is 8.5 lbs. above my pre-baby weight. My goal is to lose about 20 lbs. I would like to be close to 125 by Cub’s first birthday. I think this is doable in 6 months, and I am already making good progress. At the end of week 1, I am down 1.5 lbs. I honestly think I could have dropped more, as I know I could have worked harder than I did. The problem is that as soon as I start something, I quite often get interrupted. I try to walk while Chas is having practice, and Cub will start screaming, so we have to stop and move on to something else. The same happens with the blog actually. I have started 3 different posts this week, none of which I have finished. I lose my train of thought in the interruption and just can’t get back to what I was doing.

I am so missing Marathon Weekend this year. I need to be there. I miss the friends, the magic, the competition and the running. Next year I will be back, and I absolutely cannot wait.

 

Looking Back, Moving Forward

It’s been the best of years. It’s been the worst of years. My baby was born and has made our life full and sent us in a new direction. I haven’t slept in 6 months. Life is so vastly different when you become a parent. “I” have taken a back seat, which means running, health and fitness have all fallen to the bottom of the priority list and shear survival remains at the top of it.

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Yesterday was Cub’s half birthday. He is doing so well, with 2 teeth, eating (what seems like) gallons of baby food a day, and can play by himself with not much help from mom for a few minutes at a time. I finally feel like I am in a good place where I can move up the list just a few notches. And what a perfect time of year. January 1st always gives you hope for a new start and a refresh.

I am ready for a refresh. Being a new mom is so full of joy, but at the same time, it can make you feel completely deflated. I find myself trying to make it from nap to nap (Cub’s naps, not mine), and have to adjust my thinking as to cherish all my moments with him, not just when he is happy and cooing, but when he is crying and crabby too.

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With that being said, I have been pondering my New Year Challenges, which I post every year. I started this blog a few years back to hold myself accountable for my running challenges. It has since turned into a Jen’s life blog, which is fine, but has strayed from its original purpose, sort of like my life.

With just a few pounds of baby weight left to lose, I have upped my weight loss challenge. People only know what they are taught. I, fortunately, had parents that made sports and fitness a priority in their lives, as well as ours. Cub deserves the same. He deserves fresh, healthy meals, opportunities to run, jump and play, and a mom and dad that do everything in their power to stay healthy so that they can live a long, happy life with him.

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So… Here it goes! My 2016 New Year’s Challenges:

  1. Lose 20 lbs.
  2. Eat a cleaner, more simple diet
  3. Keep better track of the good things that occur in my life
  4. Judge less, listen more
  5. Attempt to run at least 1 mile everyday in 2016
  6. Document my strength and struggles here for you all to read

I know there are some lofty goals in there, but I am going to attempt to be a better person than I was this year. I think that all these challenges will make me a better mom as well. Cub deserves the best me, and I am going to do everything in my power to give that to him.

So here’s to being better, stronger, healthier and smarter in the new year.

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New day, new challenge

Parenthood is fairly simple when you think about it. It is basically just a never-ending, continuous string of problems that you must solve. How do I get this kid to stop crying? Where is your binky? Are you hungry? What is in your hair? You get the picture. Since my last post, oh so long ago, we have done pretty well. Cub is just over 4 month old now, and in general he is a happy, loving kid who LOVES his mama and poops every single time you set him in his Bumbo seat. We are currently fighting teething, as well as the “lets see how many times I can wake my mom up in the middle of the night” battle. He is really good at that one- Cub is definitely winning that war.

I am struggling with a couple things at the moment. First of all, the season has come, and I am now a “Wrestling Widow” until the middle of March. NOT FUN! Not only do I miss my husband, but I miss getting to hand Cub off for a few minutes.

Secondly, I still have a few more pounds to lose, although I am not calling it Baby Weight. I think that is effectively gone. This is just, “I’m pregnant and want one more cookie, so I am going to have it” weight. I’m sort of doing an Advocare 24 day challenge right now, but there are parts that I just can’t do because I am still nursing.

Finally, we are attempting to get on a schedule of some sort. Cub needs more structure, and so do we. I think it will help all of us, so we are working on writing down a definitive timeline of our day. It’s really hard to make sure that I am balancing what is best for Cub and what is best for me, working over 40 hrs per week and being a full-time mom.

I have been running a little bit, 2-3 miles at a time, for 30-40 minutes at a time. I am hoping to run a big race in May-ish, but it may be hard to keep on my schedule with Chas gone so much over the next few months… again, my schedule is going to be key!

Pregnancy is a marathon

IMG_3592We made it to week 40! The big 4-0. It is a comforting feeling, because I know that the growth of Baby T is complete. On the other hand, I have been pregnant for forty week people. And not with just any baby: Chas Thompson’s baby. Those of you that know my husband know him as a noise maker, a wiggler, a wrestler (obviously), but a very sweet guy. Well I may not have met him yet, but I can tell you my son is just like his father, besides the fact that I am fairly certain he will wrestle at 197 or heavyweight based on his and my size at this point! At 34 weeks he was almost 7 lbs already… Yeah.

I am so in love with my husband, but he paces around the house when he is thinking hard or talking on the phone. He is constantly making noise like water dripping, or randomly singing out of nowhere and scaring the living daylights out of me (he has even made the baby jump before). Like his father, my unborn son does not stop moving. I have actually asked the nurse at my prenatal appointments if there is a point when you worry about your baby moving too much. I swear he will come out and be like Dash from The Incredibles, his little legs never slowing down. It’s like hyperactivity disorder in the womb! But in the end, I think he is just a happy boy that likes hanging out with him mom everyday.

When you first get pregnant, you know that week 40 is your goal. If you can cook that baby to week 40, you can relax a little bit, because growth should be done by that point. But for all women who have ever had a baby, you realize how much a marathon this process is. Let’s start from the beginning shall we?

At the beginning of the race, you are excited! You have you number on and are waiting in your corral, and if you are at Disney, you get to see fireworks as you cross the start line. Pregnancy… well I will just leave it at that.

The first few weeks, like the first few miles, you are getting your groove, getting used to the idea that you will be running for hours on end or carrying this baby for months. You feel fairly good as you get your stride, and are excited that you have something to look forward to: the finish line.

After about mile 4-5 (week 6-7 of pregnancy), you start wondering why you are doing this. You have so far to go. At Disney, you aren’t even to the Magic Kingdom yet! You need food and fuel, but you sort of feel like you might spew at any minute, but you force down that gel anyway. Really you just kinda wanna lay down. This is called the first trimester, and it lasts until about mile 8 or so.

From mile 8 to mile 18 (week 13-27), things start to go numb. Things hurt occasionally, but you are sort of in your groove, and the crowd of excited fans has finally thinned out a little bit. You realize that there is no turning back now, so you are basically just going through the motions attempting to make it to the next mile (or milestone). With every gel, your energy level increases for a bit, and you feel like you can actually accomplish something here.

Once you hit mile 20 (week 30ish), you know that you have only a few more to go before you get to see that finish line. You are once again excited and rejuvenated, but at the same time, your body hurts so bad that it is hard to concentrate on finishing. You know you will and can, but sometimes you just want to stop and cry, asking yourself why in God’s name did you sign up to do this in the first place!

The last month of pregnancy is pretty much identical to the last .2 miles of a marathon. It takes forever to get there, and you are sure that you were probably in such a daze you ran right past the finish, just continued to keep running and missed it, because there is no way in hell that .2 miles takes this long to run. Yep, that is pregnancy after week 36. You know what is coming. You are constantly in pain with a foot in your rib, nerve pain that cripples you at the drop of a hat, and peeing 14 times a night. You know this is what you have been working for these past nine months, but the ending is so unpredictable that you are still nervous. 

I know at some point I will make it to the finish line. We aren’t there quite yet. And like getting that nice shiny medal, my little baby will be the prize at the end of a long race. And oddly enough, I will probably be walking the same as if I had finished a marathon when he finally gets here. I am also fairly certain that when I see him, as when you finish a race, I will forget about how horrible the full experience really was and probably sign up for another. However, I am telling my husband that we are never doing this again…

The Long Arduous Journey

IMG_357438 weeks… That is how far along I will be tomorrow morning. Baby has decided to grow by leaps and bounds since my last post, and I am now measuring over 40 weeks, even though we have not reached that milestone week yet. Life has gotten significantly harder since week 30… ah those were the good ole days!

I can’t walk anymore, because I have so much nerve pain in my pelvic area and legs. Oh, and not to mention a nasty limp when I do walk. My hands and face are swollen. Not even my maternity clothes fit me anymore, and waistbands are out of the question. What does that leave for daily attire? Basically just muumuus. I pee about 3 times an hour, and go through a least 1 roll of toilet paper every 2 days. The baby is constantly moving, and burrowing his head into places that make my life a living hell.

But I still love the little guy, and I really can’t wait to meet him. Everything is pretty much ready for him to arrive. The nursery is done. We have an installed car seat. Hospital bags are packed. All attending parties are on call in case of something happening at any hour of the day. I am pretty much just counting down the days now.

My days seem very long as a person who works from home. Like I have said before on here, I am so lucky to be able to do that, but when you feel miserable often, the days tend to drag on a bit. So what did I do? I started a calendar of what I am going to do everyday until he is born. Here are a few great example:

June 14th- Clean out kitchen cabinets
June 18th- Vacuum and dust the baby’s room, Wash all the curtains in the house
June 23rd- Appointment with Dr. Fort, Clean the bathroom

Exciting, I know. Now, if I can actually get any of these accomplished, that is a totally different story, but I am sure as hell going to try!

The hardest part of all of this is that I have been having urges to run. Like CRAZY urges. Part of this running year, or most of this running year has been spent not running. That’s ok. I have to grow a little baby, and that is much more important right now. But wow, I can’t wait to get back out there. And best of all, I have a really great jogging stroller to try out too!

 

Why the events of 2014 are making my 2015 even better

I am usually a very sentimental person around this time of year. I like to reflect on the past year, but I love looking forward to what the next year will hold for me. This year has been a little bit different than normal. I haven’t really felt that way this year, for multiple reasons of which I thought I would share with you.

dsc_8518 (1)Reason #1: I got married!
That was of course a major life changing event, and something that I had been hoping for for a very long time. There is a level of satisfaction that comes with marking that milestone off you list of things to accomplish in the future. The fear of being alone is long gone, and I think that is the void that was filled more than the need to have a diamond ring and a fancy wedding dress. I couldn’t be happier about the path my love life has taken. Having a witness to all the good and bad that we have to wade through year after year is totally worth the heartbreak and pain you go through in your dating life.

Reason #2: I have a home!
This is hard to explain, but every place that I have lived (Cleveland, Parsons, San Jose) has never felt like where I was going to stay. Something inside of me always said that it was just a temporary stop on my way to my final location. Because I always had that in the back of my head, I also was extremely reluctant to completely unpack. I put stuff away, but I never made it my own. When I moved into Chas’ house back in May, there was a sense of relaxation in placing everything where it needed to go. I finally felt like the space was mine, and not just a stepping stone. I am sure this isn’t where we will live for the rest of our lives together, but for now, it is perfect for a newly married couple, 2 English bulldogs and a tuxedo cat.

Reason #3: I’m having a baby!
First comes love, then comes marriage. Well we have almost completed the final step of this school yard rhyme. So many people have said something to the affect of, “Man, you guys didn’t wait long!” We have been together for 7 years and were smart enough and responsible enough to wait until we were married to get pregnant, and now they are hassling us because we got pregnant three months after we got married! Suck it people! At least this baby will have two unbelievably committed parents in a loving relationship… I tell you. You just can’t win.

Reason #4: I don’t have to worry about my weight for the first 8 months of the year!
This has actually been a tough thing for me to comprehend. I am a fairly fit person, as can be deduced from the name of this blog, and telling yourself that it is ok to see extra pounds show up on the scale is not a easy mind switch. Of course I want to stay healthy and fit for my baby, but knowing that most of this year will be spent at a higher weight than I am used to is sort of a relief! My fitness goals are complete different from every other year of my life, and that is comforting, relaxing, and almost a bit satisfying.

Reason #5: I have new family members!
Friends that started the year as just my friends have quickly become family to both Chas and me. In January, I ran one of the toughest series races of my life, the Dopey Challenge (see previous posts for more information). My friends Darren, Bruce and Julie ran with me. Not only was that another life changing experience that happened in 2014, but it brought us extremely close together. They are now my family, and I have been lucky enough to get to spend quite a bit of time with Julie and her daughters in San Diego this year. I am so excited to be part of Darren and Bruce’s wedding in February, along with running the Glass Slipper Challenge with them and Julie at Walt Disney World that same weekend. As always, it will be epic!

My new extended family! Love them all!

Combine all 5 of these things into a person’s new year, and you have almost a perfect year on the horizon. I am sure there will be bumps in the road, but remembering all the good things about 2014 and the special things that are coming are sure to keep me focused on making 2015 the best year of my life… and my husband’s life… and my little lemon sized fetus’ life!

On to the next one! Cheers!

Started from the bottom

Well let me just start by saying that for a running blog, this is pretty pathetic. I can’t tell you the last time I posted about running… until today of course.

I have run one 5k, one 10k, one half marathon and two full marathons so far this year. To be honest, I am not happy with that, as I would like to have run many more. My last marathon was at the end of April. It was quickly followed by my biggest work event of the year, The Preppy Awards, a move half way across America, a wedding, 7 weeks of work away from my family back in California, and the death of my grandmother. That brings us to October 15th. Since that marathon on April 27th, I have run 12 times. TWELVE! I can’t even call myself a runner with those numbers! And honestly, I feel like a disgrace.

Here’s the problem. I am scared. I am scared to run. How dumb does that sound?!? What if it hurts or I have to walk? What if someone I know sees me and thinks I run like an idiot? (BTW that wasn’t something I had to worry about in California, because I had absolutely no friends and knew no one.) I’ve been using excuses like I can’t find my fuel belt, or I just took a shower and don’t want to take another one. I have lots of work to do is always one that won’t go away.

I’ve been getting up early to do it this week, and I still haven’t convinced myself to take the plunge. Pathetic. When my grandma was still alive the last few years, she wore a brace because her hip wouldn’t stay in the socket. I always said to myself that I was running because she couldn’t. Now that she is in heaven that doesn’t apply anymore. In California I used to see hummingbirds on my run, and I knew it was my grandpas making sure I got my run done safely. I realize this is probably all hubbub, but it always made me feel better to think about. I don’t think there are any hummingbirds in Hays, so who is going to keep me safe?

Chas and I lost a friend of ours last week. We met him and his wife at Disney World, and I was fortunate enough to get to spend some time with them on subsequent trips to the World. At 37 he was diagnosed with stomach cancer and it took him within 18 months. That is barely older than we are. Jonathan was a wonderful guy, and from what I can tell, I am sure he never met an enemy. What is my point in writing about Jonathan? I am scared to run, and his wife just lost her husband. SERIOUSLY?!? I am a complete pansy.

As I sit here writing this tonight, I had the privilege of watching the Royals sweep the Orioles to make it to the World Series. They are going to win the whole thing. What to know how I know? One of Chas’ best friends, who was also only about 37 to my knowledge, died almost a year ago of Leukemia. The connection? Travis was the biggest Royals fan you have ever met, so it is only fitting that he guide them directly to the World Series and get what he always wanted. After a 29 year drought, they made it to the big show. To come full circle, if after 29 years of not making it to the World Series the Royals can do it, I can run again after a few months break.

I know that I have been writing a lot about death lately, but in times of unrest I believe we learn the most about ourselves. I’m not really a pansy, and I know that. For pete’s sake! I ran 48.6 miles over the course of 4 days at the beginning of the year. I’m going to get back out there… tomorrow.