Why I Run

I recently read a little comic by the guy who runs TheOatmeal.com about why he runs long distances and it got me thinking on my run this morning. Why do I run....

 (Me post 5 mile run   ---please don't judge my for my fanny pack....I love my water!)

1. To Lose Weight- I am 13 pounds away from my pre-baby weight and I have found that running burns a ton of calories in the shortest amount of time. I run to lose that 13 pounds --and I will lose it.

2. To Exercise Without Kids- I love my kids, but because that I stay home with them I am around them ALL THE TIME running allows me to run away.  --Run far, far away from my responsibilities of being a mother/wife and have some good alone time.

3. To Create Memories With My Kids- I know, this totally contradicts the statement above, but I cannot always run without my kids. My husband works a strange schedule, so it is very rare when I get to run alone (without waking up at dawn while the family sleeps.) Luckily I purchased this awesome double jogging stroller that I can ACTUALLY run with!

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I love this stroller and use (and talk) about it all the time. I load the kids up and I do "running park tours". We run to the first park and I set my timer for 10 minutes for them to play. Then we run to the next par, etc. The little breaks allow me to recover and I can usually get a good 5 mile run in, they get to play, and we have lots of fun going to a ton of parks in a few hours. In the evenings we end our runs with a stop at the frozen yogurt shop in town and everyone enjoys that!

4. Vanity- I run for defined legs, smaller rear, and tighter abs. It is VERY rare that you see someone who is a regular runner and they don't look good. Running works so many muscles in your body that it's almost impossible not to see the side effects. And like I said above, I still have some baby weight to lose!

5. My husband- My husband is a runner and without him I would still be that girl that runs a 15 minute mile. (Really I would be that girl who walks a few blocks and feels winded.) He likes to run, I like to try to run with him, we like to run races together, and it's nice we have in running in common. We constantly ask each other how far we ran, where we ran, how fast we ran and it's a normal topic of conversation we both have. (Secretly I am trying to run faster and father with him, but he is a 15 mile type of guy so I have some ways to go!)

6. Nature- I run to enjoy the beauty of the outside. I live barely outside of city limits and my runs are always scenic. Most of my neighbors have horses, there are acres of forest, acres of fields, deer galore, and bunnies that hop out of my way when I run by. Every once in a while I have to stop and take a picture of something that reminds me how much I love this area we live in.

7. For Myself- The final reason I run is for "ME" time. I can say that 75% of the days I go running I don't want to do it. It's hard. I feel every muscle in my legs working, my chest is tight from breathing hard (or maybe my asthma?), my abs start hurting after a while, and I am usually pretty tired after my first mile. However, the feeling I get when I am finished is AWESOME and keeps me going. Not only do you experience the phenomenon known as runner's high, but you also have the chance to really think while running. It is sort of my therapy to mull over thoughts in my mind, hatch out problems, make plans, or even sometimes it's my time to just have nothing in my mind.


That's my reasons for why I run. I may not be a marathon runner, the fastest runner, or the best looking runner, but then again I am really just running for myself and that is really all that matters.

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Do you run? If so, I would love to hear the reasons why you run!

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Losing The Baby Weight With The Second Child

This has been the post I have been dreading the most about writing. I have not had any time over the last few months to really post as much as I would like, but this post has been weighing on my mind  ---literally. It's the dreaded "losing the baby weight" post.

If you follow our blog regularly, you know that I was SOOOO good about documenting this baby weight battle with my first child. (Read previous posts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8). At the time I wrote the final post of this series Aiden was 9 months old and I weighed 124 pounds. I had lost 46 pounds in 9 months!

Here's a nice before and after pic:

As of right now, my daughter Remy is 9 months old and can't be any cuter!

However, being that this is now my second child I wanted to confirm the rumors that are true....losing the weight with the second child is harder! At least it seems that way!

There are a number of reasons I think it seems harder...sleep deprivation, chasing around two kids, lack of time, lack of energy, and honestly I love my nightly glass of red wine with chocolate! Whatever excuses I want to give you, the honest truth is I just decided not to put the pressure on myself the way I did with my first child. My mother always told me that it takes you 10 months to put the weight on and it will take at least 10 months to take it off. I decided to take it easy this time around, spend more time with my kids instead of time with my treadmill, and try to eat healthy most days.

I started out this pregnancy weighing 8 pounds more than my ideal weight and ended the pregnancy at a whopping 181 pounds. With the help of myfitnesspal, endomondo, total insanity, p90x (parts of it), and a few other workout videos I can say I am getting there! I may not be as far as I was the first time around, but at least I am working at it and focusing on not putting too much pressure on myself. I currently weigh 133 pounds. And for those math majors out there, that's a lost of 48 pounds which is surprisingly more then I lost with my first at this time. (BTW, this was a surprise to me as I wrote this post!)  I still have a good 13 pounds to lose to be back at my pre-baby weight, but I am not sweating it (except when I workout!)

The moral of this story for all you second time moms out there is:

You will lose the weight.

Focus on eating healthy, take your kids for walks to parks (far away), and reward yourself periodically so you don't deprive yourself and binge. You will lose the weight!

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Lessons For New Runners

This is a follow-up blog related to my Adventures In Running post I did a few weeks back. In case you missed it, I started running this summer and I have somewhat become a big fan of running, which totally surpises me! When I hit the pavement, I feel completely motivated, empowered, and just plain proud of myself! Let's face it though, I am slow and probably look like a fool running...this pic below probably describes me the best:

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As I said in my last post, I am not a runner. I have always hated running. However, not having a local gym has forced me into running outside and I have become such a huge fan! I am convinced if I can run, you can run! I thought it would be nice to share some lessons I have learned about running outside. Some experienced runners might laugh at my list, but these are just some small things I have learned about my new outdoor activity.

1. Start Small- You can not go out on your first day running and expect to run 5 miles right away. Running is one of those activiites that you have to work your way up to long distances. We have a really long driveway. When I found out that one loop around it equals .20 of a mile, I started with my driveway. When my baby naps in the morning, I would set up the monitor outside and run the drive. I started with just one mile at a time. Each morning I would run just a little longer and soon I worked my way up to 3 miles. Just keep it up, even with a short distance, and you will eventually reach the distance you want to achieve.source

2. Eat Light-Small breakfasts about 30 minutes before my run are key. I usually will just have a greek yogurt, coffee, and water. I have eaten bowls of cereal before running and I realize quickly how lots of food jiggling around in your stomach for a period of time is not fun. So light breakfast, lots of protein is key.

3. Stay Steady- A steady pace is the key to being able to run long distances, even if it's slow.
I have found that if I keep a steady pace, I can go for longer distances and don't tire myself out as quickly.

4. Breathe- Try to keep your breaths steady. There has been numerous studies that show improper breathing while running results in greater stress on your body. I have the hardest time breathing steadily at the end of my run. I think I get a little too excited to finish and I end up breathing sporadically and it makes the end of my runs the most difficult.

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5. Survival Shuffle- source
This is a little tip from my husband, "Never stop, do the survival shuffle." When you get tired, you just move your legs like you are running even though you are going slower than a running pace. This slow pace allows you to rest, but not give up and start walking. This has been the key to running longer distances for me.

6. Gear- I like to bring water, hat, glasses, sunscreen, and my mp3 player. I have already wrote a blog about the importance of Sun Safety, but I also thing it is very important to stay hydrated while working out.

7. Music- It's not essential, but I LOVE running to music. source

Jog.fm is this really cool website that gives you a list of songs based off the pace you would like to run. It's awesome! I have always had this problem where Outcast's B.O.B (Bombs over Baghdad) will play on my MP3 player and all of a sudden I am sprinting and tire myself out. Jog.fm has allowed me to pick songs that help me keep a nice running pace.

8. Resist the Smells- This is probably one of those things that only bothers me, but smells really bother me. Sometimes I feel like being this guy: source

There is nothing that makes me sick more while running outside then the smells. Exhaust from a stinky car, really floral plants, cow manure, and so many others odors make me really sick. I remember having the same problem at a gym. I would be a machine and a really stinky guy would come up next to me and I just had to move! I avoid the smells by not running along congested roads or avoiding that house with the really floral lilacs (which I love, just not while running.) It's one of those things that I can't get over, but I try to avoid at all cost.

9. Track It- I LOVE my Run Keeper app on my phone. I love how it gives me reminders of my pace, how far I have gone, and tracks all my personal records. I think this has been a big motivator in my running. I love getting an email from them telling me that I have Acheived A New Personal Record. The program also allows me to track where I want to run and it will tell me the exact miles of my new path before I run it. Hands down, one of the best phone apps I have found.source

10. Try new routes- I have been running my driveway for months now and finally ventured outside of the yard a few weeks ago. I was amazed at how my time got better by almost a minute. I think it's because I have new things to look at and to keep my focus. It gets very boring to just run in a loop all the time. On days when my husband isn't working I try to run a different path each day.
We recently took a trip to San Franscisco and my husband wanted to run with me across the Golden Gate Bridge. We started at Ghirardelli Square and ran across the bridge and back (a total of 7.16 miles!)
By far, the longest I have ever ran! I mean sure, my time was slow, but I was so proud of myself! My husband took a ending pic of me and I like to look at it periodically to motivate myself to get out there and run!
As I said before, if I can run, you can run! All you have to do it get out there and give it a try!

Remember:

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~Beth

Adventures In Running

I have blogged before about how I am somewhat obsessed with exercising. In my post on My Love Of Food, I take you back to my super skinny high school days followed by my freshmen 40. Exercising was something I knew nothing about, until I wanted to lose weight for my wedding. Since that time, I fell completely in love with exercising! My 30 minutes to hour of exercise, I do almost daily, has become my sanctuary time for myself. I have always had a gym to work out in, so imagine my heartbreak when we purchased a house in the country and I found out that the nearest gym (that provides daycare) would be close to a 30 minute drive. NO THANK YOU! I decided to try something that I have always dreaded...running outside.

I am not a runner. I remember running the mile in junior high and seriously finishing in about 18 minutes. (BTW, I walk a 14.5 minute mile now so I must have stopped half way and took a nap or something.) This picture really sums up my view on running:
Don't get me wrong, I have used and abused many treadmills of my gym years, but I find when I have actually tried to run outside I am totally exhausted after a short distance. Maybe it's the fact that I find the treadmill a little threatening (I mean, if you quit running you'll fly off the back!). Or maybe it's the feeling that if I have others around me it will push me to keep running. Whatever it is, I have always dreaded running outside; it's no picnic! There are so many environmental factors that you don't find in a gym. You have hills, wind, heat, cold, uneven terrain, and the smells (more on that later.) I have always envied long distance outside runners. It's tough work to run long distances and I have never understood how some people can just run, for what seems to me, like forever! I have always envied girls like this:
When it actually comes down to running outside, I would actually eat the cookie while thinking about how hard it is to run that mile outside!I am surrounded by runners and each of them in their own way have motivated me to finally get out there and do it! (Oh and the fact I have don't have a gym anymore!)

My husband is a runner. He ran cross country in high school and runs about 20 miles a week and let me tell you, (I am just not saying this because I am his wife) but he has some of the best looking legs I have ever seen! My old roommate and good friend Greta, has always been a runner. I am not exactly sure how far she runs, but I do know that she has some killer six pack abs! It's obvious that running has been great for her. Also, I have an old coworker that I still stay in touch with on facebook, Lea, who's daily 6 mile runs, multiple races, and blog has all been quite inspirational.

And let's not forget the famous inspirational runners:

Lola

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Simon Pegg
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and of course Forest Gump.

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So I decided to become a runner about two months ago, and I have learned a few things about running (which I will go into detail later with my blog on Lessons For New Runners,) but the best thing I have learned is running gets results. I have lost 1 inch around my hips, 1/2 inch around my waist, and I have a little line of ab definition! I made it down to a 10 minute mile and now run about 4.5 miles at a time.

I have somewhat become a big fan of running, which totally surpises me. I love challenging myself each day I go out. I try to run just a little faster or a little farther. I would ideally like to just do a regular 5 mile run a few times a week. The one downside I have found from running is that my calves have gotten bigger :( Oh well, I guess you have tradeoffs with everything.

I hope this post motivates some of you out there to get out there and give running a try. I just want to remind you that if I can run 4.5 miles, you can!

~Beth