The Exercise Thread - Page 4 « Back to Group Discussions

[kitteh]

Hooray! I knew you'd do it. Good work!

[kitteh]

I did my last long run before the half marathon on Jan 13th. I did 12.1 miles in about 2 hours and 25 minutes. It was chilly and overcast and drizzly at first but then the sun came out about 2 miles into the run and Hung out until right before I finished. It was gorgeous.

[kitteh]

Woah, my phone went nuts and froze while submitting that post, and i guess posted it a million times! Sorry ladies.
Edited by kitteh - 12/30/12 at 5:50pm

[kitteh]

Double post
Edited by kitteh - 12/30/12 at 5:49pm

[kitteh]

Double post
Edited by kitteh - 12/30/12 at 5:48pm

[spotty4]

Awesome, kitteh!  I can't wait to hear how your half-marathon goes.  Friends are amazed that I am running through pregnancy yet I am amazed you are running a half-marathon while pregnant.  Work it, lady.

[CrystalMarie]

Spotty4, amazing! I'm thrilled that you made your goal! Nice work. Do you have a running goal for 2013?

Excellent work Kitteh! Did you feel pretty good the whole way? I also am really looking forward to hearing how you do in your half.

I was able to get a slow 2.6 in yesterday and a bit faster 3.1 in today. It's starting to feel really good to watch my weekly miles go up!

[kitteh]

I felt really good the whole way, some hip soreness around half way but I attribute that to tight glutes from the workout dvd I did last night (which included a ton of lunges and squats.) I'm not sure what kind of time I'm actually going to make at the race, because I had my garmin set to auto-pause so it didn't count all of the times I stopped to take photos (a bunch, once the sun came out) or to pee (which was maybe 4 or 5 times!) But I was so psyched to be completing 12 miles that I actually kicked up the pace during my last mile and change, finishing the run at a 9:30 minute mile. I haven't seen 9:30 a mile since before I knew I was pregnant, and certainly didn't expect to see it at the end of a 12 miler! So yeah, it was a fantastic and euphoric run, thanks for asking.

[spotty4]

That sounds so fun, kitteh!  I find that running while pregnant has somehow, strangely, been more enjoyable!  I put less pressure on myself to obtain a certain pace goal or overall time for a prescribed distance/route.  Now I get out on a run for the sake of the exercise.  So w/ less pressure I find myself noticing more things - just like you're doing w/ your photo ops!  That's a nice mental therapy/exercise in and of itself.

I am not sure what my fitness/running goals will be now.  While I am satisfied I achieved 500 miles I feel kind of lost or empty now.  I would like to keep running while it is still comfortable to do so, but at the same time its winter and its cold!!  My office gym has a fitness center.  I hate the treadmill but they do have elliptical machines.  I plan to get on those once my belly is too big and bouncy to run comfortably.  However, I'm half attracted to getting on those machines now simply b/c it is cold outside.

So ... I'm not sure what kind of goal I should dream up ... got any good ideas?

[CrystalMarie]

I love those occasional fast final miles. 9:30, you're cruising for the end of a 12 miler, nice work! I'm not setting any goal time for the half marathon, so that if I'm hurting at any point during the race, I'll be happy with just finishing. Even if I have to walk bits of it. It's been months since I've ran anything over 6 miles and I'm a bit worried about belly support. I ran yesterday, my fastest mile was a 9:15 and I had weird belly (pains) not during but while sleeping last night. Not sure if it was gentle muscle cramping or what. Are either of you getting anything like that? I'm gonna ask my midwife about it at my next appointment (Friday) and I'm also looking into getting a belly support band, like this one on Amazon . Have either of you used something like this, or felt the need to? 

I've also found running while pregnant to be more enjoyable. I'm easier on myself and am really enjoying it. I've noticed that I've really needed to amp up the stretching recently, if I don't I'm very sore the next day.

I've considered setting the goal of 220 miles before little one shows up in June. Which is around 37 miles a month but that will be weighted heavily into the start of the year because of the half marathon in February something like 120 of the goal miles will be before February 16th, if I stick to my training plan. I was just curious if you guys were planning on setting a goal or just playing it by ear. Am I being to optimistic about running later in this pregnancy?

[kitteh]

I'm also wondering what a reasonable mileage goal for the year would be. I think I want to be a bit optimistic and ambitious about how far into the pregnancy I'll be able to run, because I kind of believe that what you put out there tends to manifest (not in The Secret sort of way, but similar I guess) and I want to put it into the Universe that I will be able to run or run/walk right up until 40 weeks. Of course, ultimately I'm listening to my body and if the body doesn't cooperate then I won't be stupid and push it. But I tend to be TOO lax with myself when I'm pregnant. I'm the supreme excuse user--for overindulging in food or for being lazy and taking it easy with exercise--so I feel like I need some solid goals to combat that.

As for the belly pains, I haven't really felt any this time, yet. I think it's because I am carrying higher than I was with my first. But it could just be the normal round ligament pains that you're feeling, unrelated to running. Do you ever get them on days when you don't run? I recall having really strong, painful RL stretching with Ela and I wasn't running through that pregnancy. Definitely ask your midwife, hopefully it's just the normal pains of an expanding belly.

I don't use any sort of brace when I run, yet. I was a waitress working on my feel with the last one and I had one of these:  http://www.amazon.com/Prenatal-Cradle-PC-P-Original-Petite/dp/B000VEMETK/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1356990953&sr=8-6&keywords=prenatal+cradle It looks kind of crazy, but it really helped support the weight of my huge belly. Although my belly is already popped, it's much higher this time so I haven't felt the lower round ligament pains or pelvic pressure like last time. Then again, I'm only 15w3d so we'll see how things go as this belly expands. Right now when I'm running I just try to be mindful of engaging my core and tucking my pelvis in, and that seems to do the trick for now.

I agree with you ladies that running now is such a different animal, and more pleasurable, than before when I was pushing myself to hit time goals (I was really hoping to get my pre-preg 10k down to 47:30 this year, but only got to 49:00 before I got pregnant.) I'm a competitive person (with myself) so I enjoyed that style of goal-oriented running. But this is much more inherently pleasurable. I find myself more in the moment. I take a lot of pictures on my runs, and interact with fellow runners/walkers more. It's great. I also think it will be more fun being near the back of the pack during the race, I have heard that the people nearer to the back tend to be more supportive of each other during the race, if that makes sense. As far as the HM finish time, I have no set time that I'm pushing for, but I am curious how it will go. I guess I don't have long to find out!

Oh, and another big difference for me is that I carry my hand-held 22 oz water bottle on EVERY run, and take Clif shots (chocolate is my favorite) and shot bloks (margarita with salt really helps me avoid post-race headaches) on any runs close to and over an hour long. On yesterday's 12 miler I refilled my water bottle 4 times and ate one shot gel and 9 of the shot bloks. I never used to do gels or chews before on pre-pregnancy runs. Even during my first half marathon I didn't eat anything along the way.

[kitteh]

I recently realized that I FINALLY consider myself to be a real runner, and I was surprised by the catalyst. I always thought that once I got my weekly mileage up to a consistent 40-50 mpw I'd feel like a real runner (still have only managed 35 mpw once or twice, pre pregnancy) or finally running a FAST 10k race would do the trick (what a nebulous concept, "fast" is kind of a moving target. I once thought sub 52 was fast, then it became sub 50, and then 47 minutes...) or once I won 1st in my age group I'd feel it (I've gotten that once! But it still didn't quite make me feel like a REAL runner)

But now that I'm slowing down little by little every week, and the chance of placing in my age group of setting any PRs is out the window, and even my best weeks see no more than 20-25 miles run, I finally feel like I'm a legitimate runner. And I guess I can understand when people say that rehabbing from an injury or something similar made them feel like a runner. It's easy to keep at it when the results and rewards are so readily apparent (and in the form of shiny placement medals) but the fact that I'm able to keep it up through this pregnancy (so far!) makes me realize that it really is an integral part of my life now. 

[spotty4]

Great thoughts, kitteh.  And I would like to think that once our bubs arrive and we are able to get back on the running wagon we will *really* feel like runners.  From what I've learned from other running mamas, you are often stronger and faster than you were pre-pregs.  You have to train now w/ some extra weight on your frame and extra weight while you're pushing.  By the time you are ready to run solo in your first post-pregs event you feel FAST!

In the end, the biggest message of your thoughts is that it is all relative.  I am not fast by *real* runner standards.  Pre-pregs my best 5K was 26 minutes and it won me 2nd in my age group (it was a small event).  But more reliably I ran in the mid-9s as my average mile pace.  But for me, that is fast and an uber achievement.  For other running ladies that is painfully slow. :-P

For now, getting out there at all is an achievement!  That's enough right there to make me feel like a real runner - running through pregnancy.  Awesome!

[kitteh]

Yeah, I think that last bit is what I have learned about my self and being a runner--the label doesn't only apply to the elites or the ultra distance runners or the people who run X number of miles a week. It has become a part of my life, a part of who I am really, and THAT makes me a runner.

[CrystalMarie]

Thanks for the band support suggestion. I'll be seeing my midwife tomorrow but I think you're right about the pain being normal round ligament pain. This being my first pregnancy and not doing much research I didn't even know what that was until your post. So thank you! I'm still gonna double check with my midwife.

I'm gonna try to get a 4 miler in today. I would have done it a few days ago but I got a mean case of either food poisoning or some odd strain of the flu and haven't moved from my bed for the last 3 days. Today is the first day I feel like moving at all so I'm gonna see how 4 miles feels. I would normally wait one more day but I promised my husband I wouldn't miss another planned running day before the half marathon. If I don't make my planned weekly mileage from now until Feb. 16th I have to pull out of the race. Eek! Under normal circumstances he wouldn't care if I didn't train enough and then ran but now that I'm growing a little person, he won't let me run unless he feels i'm prepared, which means, I need to get my mileage in! 

I'm not quite to the point of feeling like a runner yet. Someone who runs, yes, a runner, not quite yet. Consistency is my problem. I tend to run only when I feel good and that causes me to get really sporadic weekly and monthly mileage. I don't run well unless I have a training goal. I'm working on always having another goal in place so I don't allow myself to slip out of running again. There was a year gap between my full marathon and lacing up my running shoes again. I don't want to get to that point again.

I'm pretty excited about the idea of being a faster runner post-baby, if I get out there. It makes sense. Pushing a stroller and having a bit more weight would add some resistance. Did you find that to be true Kitteh? 

Are you feeling ready for your half Kitteh? It's coming up real soon right? A week or so? 

[kitteh]

I wasn't a runner before having Ela, I just got into running in order to lose the baby weight! So I've only been running for maybe 2 years, and my first race was in October 2011. I have also heard that female runners are faster post-baby and I'm hoping it's true. I definitely did find that running with DD in the jogger was a great workout and made running solo feel like a breeze, but I'm not sure if my increase in speed was due to that or just due to the natural rapid improvement of a beginning runner.

I'm really excited for my upcoming Half on January 13th, especially after Sunday's 12 miler. since then I rested on Monday,  did a slow 2 mile recovery run on Tuesday, and a relatively quicker 5 miler last night with my run club. Planning to do 3 today, probably with DD in tow. Right now I'm trying to decide how far to run this Sunday. I guess I should be in taper next week, so I'm not going to try to push the distance (though I'd love to have gotten in a 13 miler before the race.) I'm thinking of aiming for somewhere between 8 and 10.

Hope you feel better soon, CrystalMarie! That stomach bug/flu sounds like hell. Good luck on your 4 miler today. I definitely think you have plenty of time to make up for your recent lack of consistency--6 weeks is plenty of time, especially for someone like you. Six weeks ago I was only getting in 5-7 miles a WEEK. I think my total mileage for November was something like 25 miles. Six weeks ago I did my first long run of 9 miles, then skipped my long run the next week and started bumping it up a mile a week from there. So my long run/weekly mileage once I got more serious was like this:

9 long run/17for the week

0 miles/11 for the week

10 long run/18 for the week

10.26 long/ 19.7 for the week

12 long run/should get to 24 for this week
 

I guess that was only 5 weeks ago! And I've definitely done a poor job of keeping my long runs to 35% or less of my weekly mileage.

I think you'll do well CrystalMarie. And I can't even imagine how fast you would be if you were to train more consistently with 40-50+ miles a week, OMG!

[CrystalMarie]

Thanks for the encouragement Kitteh! I was needing it. I managed to get the 4 miler in, goodness did it feel good. I kept it moderately slow right around 10:20's, which has been feeling like a really good relaxed pace for me recently.

It's nice to hear that you weren't training drastically more than me 6 weeks ago. I'm trying to be very cautious of preventing an injury and I haven't quite figured out how much is too much to build by and I'm not even close to the recommended 10% per week mark. I'll be doubling and tripling that in the coming weeks. Part of me shrugs the increase off with a "I'm young, I'll manage" attitude but that's the part of me that needs the constant reminder that, I'm pregnant, I shouldn't push as hard. I think if I really take it easy on my easy days and don't go to hard on the tempo's and long runs that it will indeed be just fine. 

I'm aiming for this

Long Run / Weekly mileage

7 miles / 16 miles for the week

8 miles / 19 miles for the week

9 miles / 22 miles for the week

10 miles / 25 miles for the week

12 miles / 27 miles for the week

8 miles / 21 miles for the week

Race / 21 miles for the week

It's a huge encouragement to have you going through training at the same time! I can't wait to hear how you do!

[spotty4]

I got back on the wagon today after a week off . Gosh, 1 week off and another week pregnant definitely made an impact! I ran 2.8 miles and it was a bit hard!  Good to be back on the pavement after my 500 miles break. 

[kitteh]

Welcome back, spotty!

CrystalMarie, if you can stick to that plan--or even close to it--I'm sure you'll do really well!

AFM, after blowing off my last two planned runs (for legitimate reasons...sort of) I finally got back out there today for 8 miles @ average 11:11 pace. I'm hoping to keep it around that for the race next weekend, but we'll see. I've decided to consider the missed runs part of an extended taper and not feel guilty about it. Taking it mostly easy this week, with a few slow 2-3 milers between now and race day!

[Sweet Huck]

I ate a TON while on our holiday vacation in the Georgia mountains, but we did a pretty good job of staying active, even when the weather wouldn't cooperate! On the grossest of days we went to the Mall and walked and walked and walked (and window shopped). On the other days, we got out for beautiful hikes.

Here's the view from Brasstown Bald, the highest point in the state!

And here's an awesome tree we found in Raven Cliffs Wildlife Management Area!