Make a New Plan, Stan!

Well, my deadline is here. My husband has left for a 30-day business trip, and in order not to get completely derailed taking care of the baby and the dogs by myself, I am going to launch my new plan.

What is that plan? In the running department, I am going to follow Hal Higdon's 5-K training program for novices. It should be easy to adapt: 3 days of running a week, starting off with 1.5 miles per run, which I already exceed. More on this another day.

I'm afraid that the time has also come for some attention to my nutrition. After two months of working out 3 to 6 times a week, that number on the scale has budged nary half a pound. And so, the Gutsy Mom sucks in her gut and sucks it up and re-enrolls in Weight Watchers online. I'm headed to the store in the morning to stock up on points-friendly foods. This makes me terribly sad, as I love food so. But I know it is the only way I can get ME back. Tis time. My daughter is 8 months old. In 4 months, I will have to refer to my excess as simply fat, not baby fat. I don't want to have to do that.

So here we go. Here I go. I'm going.

My 30th Run

Well, it wasn't my best or my prettiest, but I did it. Thirty runs in 60 days. This morning's run was completely anti-climactic and practically comical. For starters, I was running at 7:30 in the morning so I could take advantage of the fact that my hubby was going in late to work so I could run solo. I don't think I was awake until about 5 strides before the end. Next, I took my meds before the run, but didn't have anything to eat or drink, so about ten minutes into the run I had an overwhelming urge to vomit. I spent the rest of the run fighting this urge. I was having all sorts of first trimester flashbacks. Lastly, my legs were ridiculously stiff, since I ran for two days in a row (basically a no-no for me).

Nevertheless, I have completed my first training goal: 30 runs in 60 days, from January 8th to March 7th (actually only 59 days). My total annual mileage is now 65.7 miles (or roughly 2.19 miles per run). Only 3 runs ended up being shorter than 2 miles, with most of the runs being 2.2 or 2.4 miles a piece.

Slowest pace: 17:10 (January 24, in the snow)
Fastest pace: 12:24 (March 6)

As running segments increase, my pace automatically improves. And yes, those 10 minutes of walking at the beginning are included in my pace calculations. Eventually, I'll kick them out of the figures, and they won't even count towards total workout minutes, but that's not for a while yet.

Reward: New running shoes. I can't wait!!! Thanks to a friend who is going back to the States to visit his wife who works at Fleet Feet, I should have some new kicks hand-delivered to my door in a few weeks. YEE HAW!

Run on, Gutsy Mom!

Rewards

Oh, how I believe in rewards. Because I recently hit my 50 mile mark, I have ordered the ultimate nursing mother's running reward: The Bra of Last Resort. I cannot wait to try it out. My weight gain and nursing-ness have resulted in boobs the size of Montana. My husband doesn't seem to mind, but let me tell you I do when I am running. I can actually feel the breast tissue stretching downward with every stride. Well, after mucho research, I discovered the Last Resort Bra at Title 9 Sports. It ain't pretty, but it should keep my girls in.