Up Hill Both Ways

At least that's how it felt last night when I logged my first five mile run. It was a beautiful night and I started out pretty well, but after the first mile I think the next two miles were at a small % uphill grade, which in small amounts you probably wouldn't notice, but over longer distances I could really start to feel in my butt. So when I hit the turn to head back home and knew I would be getting some small declines I was stoked. That's when the wind hit. Apparently I had the wind at my back the whole time. So even though I was headed down hill, the wind in my face was pushing back against me.

All in all though, I did 5.05 miles in 50 minutes. I'm very pleased with that. Now that I know I can do the 5 mile distance, I can focus on picking up the pace a little. Just a little over a month til the quarter marathon!

Spring Break

In my opinion the best perk of being a teacher. Just when you feel like you need to shake the winter grossness out of your closet, house and car...you get a week off to get it all done. I've never been a trip-to-Florida type of spring breaker. I prefer lazing around, getting things done that I've procrastinated, and resting my brain in preparation for the last quarter of the school year. Here's what I have accomplished so far and what I have planned for the rest of my spring break.

Monday: Took Harper to Daycare so I could run errands. I had to take my engagement ring to Jared's so they could fix a bent prong, return some clothes to Sears, buy Harper some new clothes because she is growing like a weed, and shop for a few things for Harper's birthday party. Then I had a HVAC guy come to our house and deliver the fabulous news that we need a new furnace. As far as cleaning, I got all my doors washed, cobwebs vacuumed, curtains washed and Harper's room cleaned

Tuesday: Took Harper to Recreations Outlet to enjoy their indoor playground. We love this place. I am truly amazed at how well she does with taking turns and waiting in line for her turn on the trampoline. Today I swept the floors, wiped down all kitchen surfaces and appliances, washed out bedding and cleaned our room. I also washed a couple loads of laundry.

Wednesday: Harper and I will be hanging around the house while they install a new furnace. The weather should be warmer so we can get out and pull weeds and practice riding her bike a little more. Since I got all my cleaning done already, I'll kick back and catch up on some DVR shows while Harper naps.

Thursday: Harper will spend part of the day at daycare so I can pack for our trip to Washington D.C. Plus, Miss Joanie comes and sings songs on Thursdays and that is her favorite, so I know she'll enjoy going in.

Friday: We take off for a weekend in D.C. We are celebrating Joe's birthday and going to see the cherry blossoms. I'm really excited to get away and show Harper all the cool museums.

That's my week off. I good mix of chores and relaxing. The best part is all the time I get to spend with my little girl.

Weekend Update

What a great weekend. The weather was fantastic. Saturday morning Harper and I went to a puppet show at the library and played outside. The weather has made the curls in her hair super crazy.

Saturday night I went out with some friends from work for St. Patrick's Day. Had a blast.

This morning Joe took Harper to the Train Expo. Apparently they had a blast. The peak of the morning was when she got to ride this awesome train ride.

Joe had to help her, but she had a blast.

And just for kicks, here's a shot of her in one of her new Spring outfits.

More Pictures

Harper loves to look at pictures. Today I showed her how she can see pictures of herself being taken by flipping the camera view on my iPhone. This led to a 30 minute photo session with lots of "cheese" giggles and "More picture"

My training schedule

Here's what my week looks like in terms of running/working out.

Monday: Cardio sculpt class - 1 hour

Tuesday - short run...20-30 minutes

Wednesday - 5 k run

Thursday - Interval class - 1 hour

Friday - Rest

Saturday - long run

Sunday Rest

My long runs are at about 4 miles right now. I plan to slowly add half miles increments to build up to the 6 mile length. I also need to build in some hills and speed work on my Tuesday and Wednesday runs...but I'm not sure how to do that. Any tips?

Runners Journey

My most hated activity in middle/high school was running the mile. I was so inadequate. No one ever taught me how to run, pace myself, and the mental battle running wages in your mind. So once the minimal requirements of PE were met, I never thought about running again.

Flash forward to senior year of college. I had reached a number on the scale that was completely unacceptable. I knew that the only way to slim back down was to hit the pavement. When I started I could not run longer than 4 minutes without walking. I was pathetic. But I knew I had to push through if I wanted to see any results. I began running a few days a week. Nothing to brag about, but it helped me drop a little weight and I felt better.

Then I got engaged and I wanted to look stellar in my wedding dress. I joined a gym and began a weight lifting/running regimen that got me to my lowest weight since high school. I looked fab in Hawaii.

The working out began to slack off. I did it occasionally, but mostly during the spring in prep for summer clothing. Then in the winter I would slack off again. This put we in a 10 pound weight fluctuation that I really had no problem with. Then I got pregnant. The weight I gained during this time was ridiculous. Afterwards, it took me a while to get back on the running train. I couldn't figure out why I wasn't motivated to get out there and run. Could it be the new baby, going back to work, and figuring out how to balance a crazy new life. Most likely. But then I realized I didn't have a goal. Sure weight loss is always a goal, but now that I've dropped that leftover 12 pounds I was carrying around, I need something to keep me going.

Enter the Cap City half marathon. At this point, I have no aspiration of running a half marathon, but this particular race offers the option to run a quarter marathon. Sounds like something within my reach.

So here I go. I'm embarking on my journey to run the quarter marathon on May 5th. I'm making up a training schedule based on a bunch I found online. My goal is a 1 hour finish time...nothing too crazy. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

What are you afraid of?

Before I had kids I always thought toddlers were these crazy people that ran around with no fear. There are definitely some of those out there, but Harper is not one. Sometimes she is so cautious I worry if she'll ever take risks. So I try to encourage her whenever she does something that is a little scary for her. Today provided just the opportunity.

This morning we went to the Franklin Park Conservatory to see all the butterflies that they had recently released. Harper loves the conservatory because there are lots of places to run around, and plenty of stairs to climb which is a skill she's mastering. We entered the room with the butterflies, and here Harper was met with a new fear. She was completely freaked out by the butterflies flying all around her. It was almost as if she felt they were dive bombing her. She definitely had to dig deep to be brave. At one point a butterfly landed on my shirt and look on her face was like "OH NO! That thing got my mommy!" With a little positive encouragement though, she didn't freak out. She didn't cry or scream or run away. She simply stood as close to me as possible while watching butterflies fly all around. Very brave Pumpkin head. We will keep checking out butterflies so you can see that they are pretty cool.