Bruised and Jigglely

Workout

Pre-Dawn Run

2.38 Miles - 25:17 minutes



Woke up early to try and fit a run in before my baby woke up. I had a cup of coffee and a piece of toast while pumping. I was excited to wear my new workout tank that I got at a Nike Outlet store.



Hard to get a picture in the pitch dark.

I was out the door before 5:30 am. My goal for this run was to go without walking for at least 20 minutes and to keep the pace below 11 minutes per mile. I succeed with both goals and ended with an average pace of 10:40 per mile.

I was a sweaty mess by the time I finished and the sun was starting to light the sky. It was already in the mid-80s outside when I started my run and the pavement was radiating heat - yuck! 

I have a large bruise on my upper thigh thanks to slip I took on Saturday in the bathroom from a wet floor. I could feel it throbbing a little when my thighs jiggled during the run.

Lovely, isn't it? Nothing like a bruised and jigglely thigh to bruise an ego! ;-) Maybe the bruise will at least distract the eye from the neighboring cellulite.

Tara-iffic Randomness

Now, the baby has been up since 6:30 am and refuses to take a nap. Someone needs to explain to her that a 9 week old needs to sleep sometimes. She is not an easy napper. I'm off to jump in the shower and bring her Rock-N-Play in with me. I'm hoping the running water and exhaust fan will soothe her a little. Fingers crossed!

xo Tara



Pre-Dawn Run

Workout
(Saturday)
Outside 5:30 am
2.16 miles - 24 minutes

I woke up at 5:00 am and prepped for my run by first pumping my boobs. Running with milk engorged breasts would not be comfortable. I only pumped for 10 minutes, just enough to make everything more comfortable and to have some milk available for Jim to feed Ella in case she woke up while I was out running.

While I was pumping I drank a cup of coffee and ate a piece of toast with sugar free jelly.

I headed outside for my run while it was still dark outside.

I want to start running early in the mornings for two reasons: To get it done before it's over 100+ degrees outside and to complete my run before Ella wakes up.

It was a little difficult to get my legs woken up, but, as they say, the hardest part of a run is often putting on your running shoes and the first steps out the door.

The beginning of my run was super slow, averaging around 11:20 per mile. The last 1/2 mile, I cranked it up and ran under 9:00 minute per mile pace. I need to get my legs use to a quicker turn over.

I finished my run super sweaty but feeling great!

Tara-iffic Randomness

We headed out to Kearney, NE on Saturday morning. We live in a very small town, so we head out of town about once a month to do our large grocery shopping trip. It takes us over an hour to reach a Wal-Mart.

I didn't think we needed that many groceries, but we ended up spending over $400 on groceries and Ethan's school supply list for Kindergarten. How did that happen? We usually hit around $250 during our Wal-Mart monthly hauls and this time we went well beyond that. I can't even blame it on diapers or any new baby expenses. (We supplement with weekly grocery shopping at our local store for fresh produce, weekly ad specials and essentials that we run out of.)

I think part of the problem was that Ella started crying almost immediately. I was stressed from her crying and not doing my best at comparing prices and thinking through purchases. I was throwing things into the cart left and right and just trying to hurry. (even with hurrying, we were still there for almost 2 hours...ugh!)

Looks like I need to work a lot harder at planning, budgeting, and sticking to my grocery list. At least the freezer and cupboards are full.

xo Tara

Protein Powders

Workout

Treadmill

2.25 miles - 26.27 minutes

1 mile walk - 17 minutes

I had originally planned on getting up at 5:00 am to get outside to run but Ella had other plans for me. After being up from 2:30 - 4:00 am tending to the baby, I turned my 5:00 am alarm clock off. (I also want to get use to waking up early to exercise so it comes easier when it's time for me to return to work following my maternity leave next month.)

When my husband, Jim, got home from work, the temperature was 107 degrees. Running outside was not a healthy option, so I had to make the mental switch and hit the hamster wheel for my workout yesterday. I knocked out Day 2, Week 5 Couch to 5k workout and then walked a mile while reading an issue of Runner's World.

Tara-iffic Randomness

The UPS man made a delivery to our house this afternoon. Two new protein powders for me to test out. I had a $18 credit at drugstore.com, so I decided to put it towards some protein supplements.

I don't need them now, with my short and slow runs, but as I ramp up my mileage to prepare for the Tinker Bell Half Marathon, I want to have something to add to my recovery Green Monster smoothies.

I've never used protein powder before, so this is a new experiment for me. I looked for good taste reviews and lower calorie counts while deciding which products to try.

Click Espresso Protein Drink was my first choice. I heard about it on another blog many months ago. It scored high in taste reviews and I like the idea of getting some caffeine in my recovery smoothies following an early morning run.

 

My husband uses traditional Muscle Milk, so I turned to this brand for my second choice. I don't need the extra calories that he does, so I opted for the Muscle Milk Light version. There were seven flavors available and Cake Batter had the highest taste reviews of the bunch. Cake Batter sounds pretty yummy to me, so I added it to my order.

I'll report back on how they work out!

Tinker Bell Half Marathon

Tinker Bell Half Marathon

Four weeks after having a baby, I registered for my first ever half marathon. The hormones are making me do crazy things!

I was reading an issue of Runner's World and saw the advertisement for this race. I was immediately intrigued. Something just grabbed me about this race - it looks fun, un-intimidating, memorable, and something for everyone in our family.

We had been talking about taking our son, Ethan, to Disney for the past couple of years. We had decided that 6 was the perfect age and he'll be turning 6 this October. Combining our trip to Disney with a half marathon seems like a perfect combo to me!

I haven't ran in almost a year, due to fertility treatments and pregnancy, but I'm itching to get back into the routine. Committing to this long distance race, and paying the steep registration, will hopefully motivate me to get back into running and stick with a training program.

Am I completely crazy for signing up for my first half marathon and training while exhausted with a newborn? Probably!

The race is the week of my 30th birthday. I am in love with the idea of completely this daunting goal right after entering my thirties!

I "Tink" I Can!!