Color Run - Colorado Springs

Two weeks ago, I drove out to Colorado Springs to do "The Happiest 5k" The Color Run.

It's about a 7 hour drive from here to Colorado Springs, so it took some coordinating to get to this race. I decided to leave the kids home with Daddy, along with some help from Grandma. This would be my first time to be away from my baby for more than 2 hours in her 3 months of life.

Most of my family lives in Colorado, so that is how doing this race in Colorado Springs came about. A bunch of us cousins decided it was something we wanted to do as a group and I'm so glad we did. It was the perfect event for all age and fitness levels.


Before the colorful mess!

After!
(We tried to make "Roy G. Biv" with our shorts but didn't quite succeed.)

Our team name: "Dyed on the Run"!

Cousins!



Workouts and Maternity Leave

Workout
(Wednesday)
3 mile walk - 1 hour

(Thursday)
3.59 mile run - 42 minutes

(Friday)
1.75 mile walk - 34 minutes

On Wednesday, I had planned on taking the kids to the park again to push Ella in the stroller while Ethan played. The night was full of thunder, driving Ethan into our bed for the first time in years, and in the morning the weather was still threatening.

I decided to pack up the kids and drive to our local Community Building which is open for walkers during the morning. It was very hot and stuffy in there, but it provided us shelter from the storm clouds.

I pushed Ella around the court in her Bob Revolution jogging stroller. We walked in circles for an hour...hot and very boring. (The stroller was a big splurge for us, but I LOVE it! Worth every penny.)

While Ella and I walked, Ethan entertained himself playing basketball with his soccer ball - eh, whatever works.

Thursday early morning, I had a great run. I ran 3.5 miles without stopping. The first two miles, my legs felt heavy. The last 1.5 miles, I felt great. I only wish that I had more time to go further but I needed to get home so that Jim could get to work.

During my run, I ran into a huge swarm of bugs. I got them in my eyes and mouth and they left me spitting out bugs. So gross! I guess I got some extra protein in my diet?? The worst was that when I got into the bathroom to take a shower, I looked in the mirror and saw that I had bugs stuck all over my sweaty skin. I felt like I had bugs stuck on me all day. Ew!

We took to the park again on Friday. Ethan rode his bike around the sidewalks while Ella and I did loops around the perimeter totaling up to 1 mile. I listed to an audio book while pushing the stroller. I'm listening to Divergent right now. The book was recommended to me but I'm not loving it. It's entertaining enough but I'm not really invested in the storyline or characters. I'm not anxious to find out what happens next or looking forward to the next time I can listen.

Tara-iffic Randomness

I'm nearing the end of my Maternity Leave. We did our first trial run on Thursday with trying to figure out timing for getting everyone ready and out the door for when I return to work on August 15th.

We've hired my mother as our "nanny" and had her come over in the morning. I ran at 5:30 AM, got ready for "work", Ella up and fed, and Ethan ready for "school" since he'll be starting Kindergarten this year.

I figure I need to be ready for work by 6:50 AM and then I can breastfeed Ella until 7:20 AM when I need to leave for my commute to work.

Jim will then take over until my mom arrives around 7:30 AM. He'll take Ethan to school on his way to work at about 7:45 AM and my mom will stay with Ella at our house during the day.

It made for a hectic morning but it was good to trial out the schedule and timing. I can't believe how quickly July went and that we're now in August and the end of my Maternity Leave is so quickly approaching.

It's going to be hard to go back to work full time and get back into the swing of things. Good thing I really enjoy my job!!

xo Tara

Stroller Stroll and Oversleeping

Workout
(Monday)
2.26 miles walk pushing stroller - 42 minutes

(Tuesday)
1.98 mile run - 22 minutes

On Monday, I took the kids to the park right after breakfast to try and squeeze some outdoor time in before the heat of the day. I pushed my baby girl, Ella, in her stroller and we did laps around the perimeter while Ethan, my 5 year old son, rode his bike on the sidewalks and played on the playground equipment within the fenced area.

Our park adventure made for a fun workout and activity for all of us.

Tuesday, I had a 5 mile jog on the schedule. I planned on my usual early wake up time of 5:00 am. At 6:00 am, I woke up and realized that I had overslept! crap! I either forgot to set my alarm clock or had turned it off in my sleep.

I couldn't just put on my running clothes and rush out the door, I had to relieve my engorged boobs first and do a pumping session. There was no way that I could run with my rock hard chest throbbing before I even started.

I hooked myself up to the breast pump and debated what I should do about my run. My time was quickly slipping away and I couldn't decide if I should get in a quick, shorter run or wait until evening and knock it out on the treadmill.

The treadmill wasn't sounding very appealing, so I impatiently waited to finish pumping and then rushed out the door. Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to get my mind into gear that this was a shorter run and should be done at a faster pace. My pace was dragging!

I didn't get back from my run until about 7:15 am. I was sure Ella would have woken up her Daddy and he would be feeding her the freshly pumped milk I'd left. However, when I walked in the door, everyone was still sound asleep. Of course she sleeps in when Daddy is in charge! Don't try and tell me she isn't a Daddy's girl. ;)

I finished my workout with some sit ups and stretching. I love stretching now that my big, pregnant belly is no longer in the way.

xo Tara

Weekend Miles

Workout
(Saturday)
Early Morning Run
2.49 miles - 25:10 minutes

(Sunday)
Treadmill Stroll
2.6 miles - 45 minutes

Saturday morning I woke up at 5:00 am with an unusual amount of energy. I put the extra energy to good use and decided to do intervals during my run. I warmed up for 1/2 mile and then did 1.5 miles of intervals before a 1/2 mile cool down jog.

My shirt says "Eugene 2012" for the Track & Field Olympic Trials. I got it on super sale and decided it would be a good memento to remember the 100 m tie in the women's finals that my brother was so actively involved in. (He's the head photo finish judge.) I had a lot of fun following that tale unfold since my brother was in the middle of it.

Sunday I did a 45 minute walk on the treadmill while reading magazines in our basement.

My super shiny face wanted to say hello!

Baby is crying...gotta run!

xo Tara