Lesson learned this week: Running with a stroller is HARD!
Obviously baby brain is still affecting me considering I thought pushing a 53.5lb stroller with an almost 15lb baby in it while running and keeping up my pace would be a walk in the park. NOPE!
We decided to go swimming on Thursday so I thought it would be good to get a run in and run to the pool. I tried putting Kendrick in just the stroller portion without the carseat, but he's still too small and the straps didn't keep him from moving. The time of day also meant the sun was right in his eyes, so I opted to keep him in the car seat so I could provide adequate shade and he'd be nicely tucked in. He's 5.5 months old now and can hold his head up very well so I wasn't concerned, plus the route I had in mind was mostly smooth gravel and wasn't too bumpy.
When I started to run I realized that it was a lot tougher that I expected! Any small incline seemed like a hill! I managed to keep my pace up however I took many walk breaks. It took a lot more out of me than I thought! I got a thumbs up from a senior on a bike, and a high five from some teenagers on the way. I arrived at the pool covered in sweat even though it wasn't that hot out. Kendrick I assume enjoyed himself because he slept through pretty much the whole thing. I'm impressed with the work out and after I finish the half marathon on Sunday I'm definitely going to be running with the stroller more often, especially now that it's getting cooler! I went for another run today when it was nice and cool outside and my little buddy was pretty pumped to wear his Snoopy toque!
My pace was slower today (also because of the race tomorrow I didn't want to push it) but I took less walk breaks so I was pretty satisfied! The weather was at about +11 when I left and for me it was perfect.
It's been hard to run four or five times a week as my Nike running plan suggests, but I still have been going 2-3 times a week. My pace for July averaged 7:28 and for August 7:31 and although I still feel a little slow it's not too bad. I just keep reminding myself that I had a baby five and a half months ago, so let's be realistic. The peak of my training happened on August 8th where I ran 19 KM. My recovery was fantastic and I actually wasn't that sore the next day, so I consider that a really big win. I'm also going to download Spotify Premium so that I can start looking for some fun playlists to run to. It also times out perfectly so that it will expire the day we get back from Australia, so I'll have unlimited music to listen to not only prepping for my next half, but also on all the long plane rides!
Last week I was really nervous for the Edmonton Half but now I'm starting to feel more confident. It still flip flops from time to time but I'm starting to visualize finishing and it's making me feel a bit better. Also knowing that I will have a few people cheering me on from the sidelines makes a world of difference! I packed my bag for tomorrow, picked my outfit, and really am as ready as I can be. I felt this shirt was best suited for tomorrow!
My goal is to finish before 2:58 (which was the time of my very first half in Vegas in which I trained way less). I have a tiny little bag of cherry blasters that I plan to eat as my reward when I finish!
xo
-Dianne
PS: I did go see the doctor about my sleep issues. Essentially he asked me a whole bunch of questions and doesn't think I have postpartum depression which is a good thing. He suggested taking some natural sleep aids on occasion, and also to move the baby monitor to the other side of the room (or out of the room completely) so that I wasn't compulsively checking it. Moving the monitor was tough, but it's now in a place where I can't reach it and that has helped a little bit. My sleep is still not the greatest but it's definitely better than it was. My brain just doesn't want to shut off!
PPS: I've got a pretty bruise on my leg from a wipe out two weeks ago. I was running through a crosswalk during rush hour traffic, tripped over an invisible line and wiped out. I landed mostly on my hands (of course I wasn't wearing pants with any pockets so my phone went down first and I cracked the screen) and on my left knee. My right ankle was slightly twisted as well, but I didn't feel that until the next day. When I fell I was so embarrassed that I jumped up and kept running for another 1/4 kilometre so I was alone again, then walked the rest of the way home. I was so mad and upset I didn't even post the run to Facebook like I usually do. Usually when I get outside I feel better even if I'm a little tired, but my body was just not feeling it and I pushed myself to get out there anyway. Lesson learned. :)
