My 31 Days of Running

I have committed myself to running everyday the month of March. I look forward to it, but hope I do not get burned out. I'm curious to know how it will be, will I run more because I am running everyday? Or will I do lots of 1-2 miles to combat soreness?  It is going to be an interesting 31 days.

March 1st:  Today it was so cold.  I never got warm during this 3.5 mile loop.  I should've worn pants (I thought the entire time).

March 2nd: Momo went with and we ran my late evening Greenway/Freedom loop.  (Freedom to Judges and back via Greenway, plus Freedom park 1.5 loops - turned around at 3/4 mile and ran back to the other side.  Nice run with my dear dog. Mileage: 3.4 


March 3rd: Treadmill- Speedwork/Fartlek- Enough Said; Mileage: 3.1

March 4th: 1 mile, park at night (creepy) - would've done more... but the creep was hanging out on his truck tonight and only two other guys were at the park training

March 5th: 3.1  miles Tempo run (5mph/5 minutes; 5.2mph/4min; 5.4mph/4min; 5.6mph/4min; 5.8/4 min; 6mph/2min;6.2/2min;6.5/2min;5mph/5min.)

March 6th: 2 slow miles at the track... SO COLD

March 7th: 4 miles/Trail/ bump into Coach Murray from my Cross Country days. It feels like 1995 again!

March 8th: 4 miles/Trail/hardest run in a long time - work-route (clockwise)  but mega-hard due to aches

March 9th: 1.4 Park loop with three kids in the stroller - ALL 3

March 10th: 4.5 miles with Easton - it was 68 degrees! Terrence's friend from school days, Dwight, was running and passed me 3 different times...was he pushing Easton? No.


March 11th: 2 mile - short work loop

March 12th: 4 miles (campus with friends; then park with 2 kids)

March 13th: 1.1 Dreadmill/rest day

March 14th: 3 miles... Bethel with Easton; I saw my friend, Jaime, who said she is trying the C25K program (couch to 5K); she is going to do it, with grace, I'm sure of it!

March 15th: Be aware of the Ides of March - just 1... REST (park)

March 16th: 4, campus loop.... backward/hills, in my short shorts - JUST DO IT! I finally got the courage to wear my Nike uebershort dry-fit fitted shorts, and of course saw my boss in the parking lot driving a van full of his entire family... haha

March 17th: 2.1 with Elle, Greenway: original loop

March 18th: 1.1 - started a tempo run, got the warm-up done, and had to quit... Elle was screaming and ready to be put down.  It was okay though - I was fairly nauseous most of the day and didn't want to run anyhow. Then I got five minutes in and could've easily done a 45 minute tempo run. Oh well, funny how that works! Tempo tomorrow? 

March 19th: 3 miles at the track - could have easily done 5, but alas I have a dog - that darn dog... he could only hang for 3. We ran a 32 though - not bad for a run with a dog that pees on every pole and sniffs every tree!

March 20th: 4 miles, campus lunch hour

March 21st: 2 miles with Momo, at the track... brrr!  I have noticed a sharp hip pain, it better stop. It feels like overuse, nothing major like sciatica or IT band syndrome, but still painful. But, I can work through it the next 10 days.

March 22nd: 2 mile - short work loop

March 23rd: Just 1 mile... I ran the first 3 quarters while Elle screamed at me... so the last quarter I grabbed her and walked pretty fast. Mommy/daughter bonding.


March 24th: 1 mile... it was cold, snowy/rainy, and awful. I got bored and loaded the girls up and took them to NCSD's standard 400 meter track.  I hope to get in a long run tomorrow, but I have to work late. So lunch break LSD? (that's long slow distance, for those who are unfamiliar to run lingo)

March 25th: 3.2 Tempo (after working a 10 hour day) 5 minute warm up, 20 minute tempo, 4 minute interval, 6 minute cool down... Tempos are the reason I have increased my stamina and speed.  I have been able to run distance my entire life, but being able to run consistent 9 minute miles after twins is due to tempo workouts. I swear by the tempo... and by eating well and hill-work. I also love the tempo run.

March 26th: 1.2 miles, around the track, on the phone, with the dog... not one of more suave runs. Call it a rest day...

March 27th: 3.2 miles/Yasso-800s: 800 meter (half-mile) warm up; 4x800 meter each sub 5 minutes; tenth of a mile rest-jog between each set; 800 meter-ish cool-down. According to trainer, Burt Yasso,  "You can predict your marathon time based on how long it takes you to run 800 meters." Hence, Yasso 800s.  Theoretically, I could run a marathon sub 5 hours... um... maybe, my last half was 2:40 and I run a 90 second faster mile these days.  Oh and by the way, Yasso-800s suck. I would do 70 tempo runs with a smile on my face before even pretending to like Yasso-800s. Bleh.  

March 28th: 1 measly mile, maybe, total in the three times I ran... and my dog got kicked by some random dude. I got so depressed.  I question if I should even own dogs, I have three kids, do I still qualify as a good Mommy to Momo and Yoshi? I love them and want them to be happy dogs, not kicked at the park because I cannot control them. What a bummer, downer, and all out horrible evening! :(

March 29th: 4 miles on the trail, mix-it-up day... finished with the monkey bars. The pond at Piedmont is taking over the trail, I tried to figure out if the bank had eroded or the pond had taken over. Luckily, that only comprises 30 seconds of the entire run, so all was well and I quit worrying my pretty little head and focused on the other 41 minutes.

March 30th: Just 1 (treadmill)... Between three kids, a birthday party, a shopping trip, a visit from out-of-town family, cooking dinner, and cleaning the house, I struggled to find the time today. If  I didn't have to clean the house, it could have been an easy 5 miles!

March 31st: 2 miles with the dog... before the Easter party began! Was going to get in at least two more, but didn't.

Well, I did it. I ran everyday. For a grand total of 80 miles. I usually get about 60. It was wonderful and I love running more than I did before I started, which is hard to imagine.  It was also hard and I ran 4.5 miles for my longest run.  Days without rest mean a tired body that cannot do distance. Tomorrow begins April and I have plans... It will be easier, but I still have another goal. Stay tuned!

Do You Get It?

There is something special about being a parent of twins.  Not that being a parent isn't an amazing thing, whether you have one child, seven, or two at once.  I have been fortunate to have one baby followed three years later, by the birth of two, at once. 

I will say, twins are hard. One baby is hard.  Two is hard. Very hard. Imagine feeding two at once, changing two at once, bathing two at once, and be awoken by one - to get it back asleep -  to be awoken by the other 45 minutes later.  H-A-R-D.  I am literally exhausted most of the time.  

But, life goes on... and we go to the store, go run, and do our thing. Not a moment goes by that people don't stop to marvel or stare... some look bewildered, shocked, or even horrified. Others ooh and goo at the sight of two babies and Ava.  Others stop to comment on how their neighbor had twins, their cousin, or preacher... and what a blessing/hardship/life changer that was for the family they are talking about. 

Yesterday we ran into a friend of my parents... a father of twins, Jody.  We briefly spoke with Jody, made some jokes about twins, and quietly stood and smiled at the children.  Jody knows about how the first six months are a haze. How you never sleep, how you barely get time with your spouse, and how going out and about is a chore... he knows. I told Jody that for the first time, on this day, (remember the twins are now 10 months old) we went out as a family and ate. All five of us.  He looked amazed.  Jody knows how hard it really is but he also knows how wonderful it is.  So we stayed in the aisle of the grocery store marveling at the twins, laughing about his, and remarking on all of our futures. The encounter lasted five minutes... I think we all stopped and sighed for those moments and took some deep breaths. (I think we share that constant panic... fight or flight behavior...)

I can relate to parents of twins as they can to me, and our unique situation.  We don't have an official club and yet we do have an unwritten club.  A club that stops at the grocery store, encourages each other, and takes a few minutes to breathe... silently... because we know it will be a long time before someone else truly gets it!

Normal March Day

My friend Summer wrote a "day in the life" post about her Wednesday.  I have done these before, and like she said "it has been a long time" (since I/we have posted one of these) so here's my post about a a normal March day...

At 6:20 the alarm goes off.  I feel like I am in some kind of stupor and head for an immediate "wake-up" shower. I remember in the shower that I had some allergic reaction (minor) the night before and took a Benadryl - the stupor makes sense.  I put on pajamas and head for the coffee. The dogs go outside and Elle starts crying.  I get her, change her, let the dogs in, get some coffee, nurse Elle, and then put on makeup.  Elle and I watch about thirty minutes of television before I go fix my hair.  Elle does not want to be put down so I wear my hair wavy today - that means no hair dryer, no flat iron, heck I don't even brush it - just mousse, scrunch and go.  I make Easton a bottle and we head upstairs - that would be Elle, Momo, Yoshi, and I.  Easton is not awake. We wake up Ava.  Ava plays with Elle and a little Leap Frog computer while I put on clothes.  I hear Easton.  Mid dressing I run in, change him, put him in Ava's bean bag, give him a bottle, and go back to dressing.  I get ready and the twins are on the move.  They are crawling and scooting all over the upstairs.  Ava is trying to get dressed.  I could go on (4 trips to the car, Ava running around, Elle screaming) but to make this less stressful for us all... I get everyone to Grammy's safely and I go to work.

At work I realize I forgot to eat breakfast.  I have 7 things to do and have to leave to go see a family with my friend Lucy, our Social Worker, at 8:45.  My protein shake is waiting on me.  I do the 7 things I needed to do and Lucy and I head out the door.  I still haven't had my protein shake, but I am on my 4th cup of coffee.  On our 40 minute drive, I choke back the protein shake, that has now congealed... disgusting.  So this means, almond milk and Spirutein turn to cement in an hour? Any way, back to work.  Lucy and I are stoked to see a family we know well.  Of course I cannot share their names on here but imagine a family with endearing nicknames like opossum, compass, and birdie all raised by their darling grandparents. Seriously, I love this family. Lucy and I make it to their home to unfortunately find out that the child we are going to evaluate is sick.  We stick around and talk to the grandmother for 15 minutes or so - the woman clearly needs to talk. We then head back to the office.  Lucy needs to talk with the boss man. The boss man needs to talk to Lucy and me about a different matter - luckily it has to do with our offices at our new office building.  We can't all coordinate a time so I go to my office and check my email.  My friend Jaime, an OT, has called about a matter that has to do with CDSA policies.  We chat about that, among other things, and I see my boss look into my office and make a joke about how valley girl I sound.  Lucy and I talk to the boss man and immediately go to lunch to meet our friend Becky.  Abele's knows me by now, I've been going with Lucy and Becky to lunch for over two years (at least once a week).  I'm sure Lucy has been going there for three decades.  We don't even have to tell them we want three unsweet teas and salad-bar.  By this point I am spinning like a top.  I eat, very little, and surprisingly I am still full from my cement shake. Ha!

Lucy and I head back to the office. I don't even go in - it's Thursday. Easton has PT.  I go pick up Easton and remember I forgot his shoes.  I live 700 miles from the interstate, but Easton needs his shoes. So we head home. I change into running clothes, just in case I can squeeze in a run after PT.  We make it to Hickory in record time.  Kathy, the PT, is impressed by Easton's Tims (Timberlands) - to be honest I really believe she is just happy his foot is supported. Easton is a total rock star during his session, at least for the first 30 minutes.  Then he starts whining.  I hear a soft voice say "Mama."  I ignore it.  Two minutes later I hear "Mama" again and Kathy says "Did he say Mama?"  Then it happened again.  I cried.  My boy said his second word, "Mama," during PT. 

We start home.  I decide not to run because he is so tired.  When I get back in town, Terrence tells me to go on and run.  I drop off Easton, pick up Momo, and head to the trail.  I run 4 miles so does Momo.  It is cold and again, I am wearing my running skirt.  It is always too cold for that skirt when I wear it.  I happen to run into my cross county coach from high school at the end of my run and we jog up a hill together (well me behind him a good deal).  We briefly catch up.  I am again inspired to run for 18 more years.



I get home, quickly change, and tell Terrence - let's go eat.  Thursdays are our Easton days.  The girls stay at Grammy's and Terrence and I dote on Easton.  We love it and so does he.  So we go to dinner.  Easton eats like a pig - he worked out, he deserved it.  I eat like a pig - I ran, I deserve it.  Terrence eats well too - I'm sure he deserves it.  Then we come home.... OFFICIALLY. I bathe Easton and then take a bath myself.  Terrence puts Easton down and that's where we are at present.  I am blogging, Easton is sleeping, Terrence is playing a video game, Yoshi is sleeping, and Momo is curled up between my lap and the arm of the chair.  I know the girls are cozy and safe. Life is good.  Especially when you have a great job, have wonderful friends, and you are the " Mama," on a normal March day.