New Running Shoes

My sister helped me pick out these awesome new running shoes. Too bad it rained all day today :(

Goal: Accomplished

I finished my Couch-2-5K training yesterday 9 weeks and 1 day after I started. (Its a 9 week training.) You can do the training by time or by distance. It was easier for me to do it by time. By the end, I was running 30 minutes but not quite running 3 miles. J & I thought about running the 5K in downtown Greenville today but realized we could save the $50 and run our own 5K. Jonathan pushed the double stroller and paced me and we ran a 5K on an awesome trail we have in downtown Spartanburg. I ran 3 miles in 29min 26 sec and 3.1 miles in 30min 11sec. It was the first time I've actually run 3 miles. And it was hard. Incredibly hard. But since I wasn't crying or throwing up like they do on The Biggest Loser, I kept going. And I am incredibly proud of myself.

I did learn a few things these past 9 weeks.

1. My body can do more than I think it can. I'm learning how to push my body physically not to the point of injury, but def to the point of pain. I followed the prescribed training to a T and didn't experience any soreness or injuries but I saw def improvement.

2. My body can do more than my body thinks it can. There were times my body was yelling at me to quit punishing it. Until the very last C25K day when I tried to go 3 miles in 30 minutes while pushing 50 extra pounds, I never stopped jogging during the jogging intervals. Even when I got a side cramp my run Monday, I was able to let the hill carry me as I worked through it. And I ran 2.88 miles straight that day- a new record. Before I would have thought my body was telling me to stop. No my body was being a wuss and needed to suck it up and take it.

3. I am strong. I feel strong. I can start comparing myself to all kinds of people- runners- not runners- mothers- not mothers. It doesn't matter. I am strong. This is my running mantra. When I feel weak, I use these words to remind me of truth- I am strong. God created my body to run at maximum capacity. He made me strong; its time I start living strong.

4. Running is more fun in hot pink. The great part about starting a hobby right before Christmas is that you receive many Christmas gifts related to that hobby which in turn make you want to continue your hobby. I got a great cold weather running shirt which happens to be hot pink (thanks Mother-in-law and Father-in-law). I feel fun and spunky running in my bright hot pink shirt. So I've decided my running colors are going to be hot pink and black. My sister is helping me shop for running shoes on Tuesday (thanks Mom & Dad) and she promised we could find some hot pink and black ones.

I also lost about 6 pounds in 9 weeks. Not shabby at all esp since I had plataued for months at my previous weight and the holidays were in the midst of that. As of this morning, I am 1.4 pounds away from my prepregnancy weight. I'm back in my pants except my jeans. I just bought new jeans because I'm not sure these hips will ever fit in those jeans again.

What now? I'm planning to run 30 minutes 3 times a week. We'll see what comes up. One of my friends mentioned a sprint triathlon and that sounds interesting...

This afternoon I needed to flip the switch on our modem to reset the internet. I went into our room, laid down on the floor and reached under the dresser to flip the switch. And promptly fell asleep on the floor.

Hodge Podge

Tonight I went on a date with my husband! A much needed date as the past few days have been stressful in the Caskey Casa. I must have eaten something (maybe at the wedding???) because Sienna has been very high maintenance. She doesn't want to be put down. I drove to High Point on Saturday because sweet Katie got married and it was wonderful and worth it and I'll blog about it later when people(Merritt, Sarah, Erin) send me pictures. But I got home at 12:20am and Sienna was up a lot and I was exhausted. I took two naps on Sunday. Kiran has just been whiney and defient and all that. So we called in the reinforcements and got us a break.

So I went on a date....and I wore my regular khaki pants! Not maternity pants!! 5 months, 3 days. I won't mention how I was back in my prepregnancy jeans 17 days postpartum with Kiran. First pregnancies and second pregnancies are different. So is being pregnant in India and being pregnant in America (watch out Emily!). Anyhow...I'm proud to be back although I still have more weight I want to lose. The running has been working. I'm keeping a running log on the sidebar. I don't care if anyone notices it because its very motivating for me. I also put smiley face stickers on my calendar every day that I run. It motivates me too.

I've been working on putting our lights on the Christmas trees and I didn't even finish getting them all on when one of the strands burned out. Sad. Now I'm unmotivated to finish.

Running

I've decided to become a runner. I want to be fit and healthy and of course lose the rest of the baby weight. And the America weight- the 10 pounds I put on when we moved back to America that I did not lose before getting pregnant last fall. I really desire to be healthy and strong but not crazy exercise fanatic. I have looked at all my options and I've decided I am going to become a runner. It fits my life right now. Its efficient and free. I can do it while the kids are awake. They can come with me! They can sleep in the stroller if they want (esp my double jogging stroller I'm getting for Christmas- shhhh don't tell). A gym is too expensive and at home work outs are either too hard that I don't stick with it or too easy that I don't get any results. So I will run.

This isn't the first time I've wanted to become a runner. My sister was an awesome cross country runner. The summer before our senior year of high school, LT & I decided we would just run with the cross country team in the mornings for a good work out. I mean my little sister could do it. I think we went twice. We were pathetic. This time I'm following the Couch-to-5K plan that my friend Kristen blogged about. I think taking it slow is key for me.

I was hesitant to post this because I hate putting myself out there. What if I quit? What if I can't do it? Everyone will know I failed. My sister will think I'm a wuss because I only jog for 60 seconds at a time right now. But... I decided to anyway. Here I go. Wish me luck!