Couch to 5K, and the belly

I wrote this post about two months ago, but I was waiting to take a picture of the awesome sunset to put with it and never did.  So I thought I would post it now, with a little update. 

After that lovely workout experience a couple of weeks ago, I was just aching for a real work out. I miss my workout buddies so much. Emily, Ali, Stacey, any of you want to move to Cali? Anyway, I wanted to be sweaty and sore and all that comes with it. We can't afford a gym pass, and I live on the second floor, so workout videos I can't really do. I walk to the library and parks multiple times a week, about a mile each way, and chasing little kids can be a workout, but it just doesn't cut it. 

I finally found some inspiration. A long time ago I read about a program called Couch to 5k on this blog. It was months ago, but I never forgot about it. The idea of starting the program has been in the back of my mind since then. But I had a big hurdle to overcome. I have always hated running. I preferred dancing, aerobics, biking, the elliptical, pretty much anything over running. In my mind it was boring, it made my hip hurt, and was just plain hard, and every time I have tried to start running I pushed myself so much at first I was sick or sore and hated it so much I couldn't stick with it. The one time I did run consistently was with my drill team in college. And even when I got in shape, I still hated it. 

Well, I finally buckled down and decided to give it a try. I am just starting my third week of running. And you know what, I have stuck with it. The program starts slow enough that it is not overwhelming, but pushes enough to get a good work out. And I feel good. I never had an iPod to run with before, and music makes all the difference in the world. I never listen to the music I own anymore, and I tell you what, it is fun! I go running three times a week, usually at night after we put the kiddos to sleep. I drive over to a near by high school and I have 30 minutes all to myself. Plugged out from the world. I can't hear anything or anyone and it is glorious. The sun is usually setting and it is beautiful to take in the sunset alone like that. I love to enjoy nature, and often don't notice the beautiful things around me enough. But the evening sky truly is magnificent. The California air is glorious and never too hot. There are usually a few people on the track, but I don't pay any attention to them. It is my release and during the run, it is just me and my music. And you know what, I think I am a better mom because of it. It feels so good to have a little me time that is not in front of the computer or TV. I love my children with all my heart. I love that I stay home with them. I love reading, playing, and hanging out with them. But it can be tedious and repetitive. Every mom needs a break away. When I step out of the house, away from dishes, laundry, and little voices, it does wonders to rejuvenate me and help me be more focused on my kids the next day. 

Now, as for the actual running part, still not loving that. My hip does ache, I need some new shoes, and I need to find the perfect running songs. The dancer in me has to run to the beat, and most songs are too slow or to fast. But either way I still love my music. My iPod battery died 2 minutes after arriving at the track yesterday and it ruined the whole experience. I could hear myself breath, and I had nothing to concentrate on except the actual running. I was much more aware of the skinny, in shape, high schoolers killing me around the track. Ugg. And oh boy did the time just drag! I had to really push myself to make it to the end of the workout. So for me and running, music is the key. My iPod will always be charged from now on! Maybe my iPod and I will actually make it to run a 5k one of these days. I just added it to my bucket list.

Well just reading that made me a little sad. I was loving my new routine. And then I got pregnant. And I was sick, and oh so tired. I could barely make it through the kids bedtime routine, let alone think of putting on my running shoes (or blogging.) I did go once after the sickness kicked in, but it made me so tired I could never get myself motivated to try again. I am now 15 weeks along and the sickness has passed but the exhaustion is still there. I hope I will get some energy back in the coming weeks. But if you aren't pregnant and sick, and want to start running, I highly recommend the couch to 5k program. I am thinking next spring I will give it another try! 

But a baby is totally worth it. I just got to meet my brand new baby niece, and I tell you what, if you want to feel close to heaven, just hold a newborn. I can't wait to have that feeling in my arms again, and I am excited it will be mine!  

So I tried to take a self portrait of my baby belly. Ha ha ha. It is hard to get a good picture of yourself. This was the first try and it made my arm look ginormous. So I decided to head to a mirror.

But I struggled to get the aim right.
 

 

And this was the best I got. I guess I need a little more practice in the self portrait photo shoots. But you can see I am showing!