I had a [big] baby and should probably start running again

Hello!

I've been quiet for a year. That year went really fast and I didn't intend to be quiet that long, but life got busy and the blog fell off my radar.

The last race I ran was the TC 10k last fall. Loved it. In late December, I got pregnant with our second baby! A girl. I was determined to continue running and exercising throughout the pregnancy. My plan was to gain less weight than I did with my son (50 lbs...gasp) and the goal was 35 pounds. Well, I ran a couple times at the gym and then called it quits. Chasing around my son and giving him horseback or piggyback rides everyday after work was enough of a workout for me. My body felt pregnant faster this time. I had more aches and pains than I did during round 1, and they were mostly in my lower back. It was the hottest summer EVER and I was so uncomfortable. The baby dropped early and people kept telling me they were sure I'd deliver early. I started believing them. Bad idea. Horrible idea to believe them. I was hopeful the baby would come early, or even on time, but all along I knew she'd arrive in perfect time. I delivered a beautiful baby girl 4 days late. She was a whopping 9 pounds, 3 ounces and 21.5 inches long. Caroline was born with a head full of dark hair and she already has well-defined eyebrows. She's a lovely baby and we are so blessed.

So, did I stick to the 35 pound goal? Ha! No way. I didn't quite hit 50 this time, but I got nice and close at 45 pounds. I wasn't thrilled, but I also realize that the body is going to do what it wants to do. Yes, I ate a fair amount of ice cream, but remember it was the hottest summer EVER. After Caroline was born, I gave myself a few weeks to recover from birthing a big baby. Well, recover as in doing life as usual with the exception of working out. After all, I was busy nursing, changing diapers, cleaning spit up off of everything... I am so over spit up... and helping my son use the potty chair. (Having a newborn the second time around is a lot different than the first time since I have to share my time between two kids. Meeting their needs is a full time job. How will I keep all of this up plus go back to work in January? I suppose that is an entire post in itself that we'll get to later.) My husband kept the house clean and always had food on the table the first couple weeks. I couldn't have done it without him. Two weeks after Caroline was born, he went back to work and I begged him to work from home. He said his boss wouldn't approve, but I think he was ready to get back into a routine. Can't say I blame him.

Around my fifth week post partum, we had a beautiful, sunny afternoon and all I could think about was getting out for a run. Technically, I was supposed to wait until the sixth week, but I was feeling good and since I had no complications during delivery, I figured I would be okay. We were driving home from church when I told my husband I was thinking about going for a run. He encouraged me to give it a go. One nursing session, a pair of beat up running shoes, my favorite hat and two sports bras later, I was outside ready to hit the road after nearly 10 months off.

I started the run slowly because I didn't want to injure myself or put too much strain on my joints. I ran 3 minutes and my lungs felt tired. My legs felt very heavy. My stomach felt... well, jelly-like. Normally, I would've been disappointed, but I knew the first few times out would be this way. I picked back up and started running again a minute or two later. The sun was shining on my back and I know anyone who saw me running... er... slooowly jogging... would've seen a huge grin on my face. It felt so good to be out of my house alone. I wasn't loading PBS Kids on the iPad for my son, I wasn't nursing the baby, I wasn't tripping over Legos in my living room. It was just me. It was a chance to think, to reflect on the previous 5 weeks and to make some goals for my road back to pre-pregnancy weight. It was a hard run, but so incredibly peaceful. When I came home, I told my husband it was the first day since Caroline was born that I felt like my normal self. What a great feeling.




Run number 1 post baby.

Since that run, I've joined a new gym and I'm really excited about it! I've been twice already. Once to run on the treadmill and last night, I attended a yoga class. The treadmill run was good. I ran 2 miles with a couple stops. I ended the run with some sprints to fry a few extra calories (I bought way too much Halloween candy and somebody has to eat it) and test my legs. They held up amazingly well. I loved the yoga class, too. I felt weak and strong all at the same time. The 60 minute class gave me a chance to stop and do something for myself during the day. I know I have a lot of work to do over the next couple months to get back to where I want to be physically. But not only that, this time I spend alone will be good for me emotionally because I always feel rejuventated and happy when I get back home to my little family. I'm looking forward to posting my workouts here so others might be encouraged and so I can look back and see my progress. Above all else, I want to be happy and healthy for my kids.

Baby's crying! Time for another feeding!