This Run Takes The Cake

I've never used the same post before for both of my blogs, but what I wrote on my running blog today was worth sharing-or at least I think so. Here it is:

So today will go down in history as my closest call yet while running. It's a beautiful, clear day and after all of our rain it was great to go out. I had Laura in the jogging stroller and Moxie on my right, going against traffic as usual. I was still doing my warm up walk and was walking up a small hill near our house when I heard a loud noise behind me. I looked back to see two cars flying up behind me, driving next to each other! I guess they were racing each other or something. The one coming up behind me was an SUV and the driver slammed on his brakes and was able to stop in time (obviously).

I had a few choice words for him, although being the sweet innocent thing I am, I don't think any of them were curse words. He just sat there laughing at me which was just infuriating! I did my run and wouldn't you know it, ran past the house he was parked at. I memorized his license plate and when I got home called the non-emergency sheriff's number to report it. The bad part is that the operator transferred me to 911 (huh?) and I had to give a full report including all of my info. I requested that my information not be revealed should this person be found, but the operator didn't inspire much confidence that that will happen.

So now, in payment for reporting the fact that I almost got squished today, I get the unsettling feeling of wondering if crazy people are about to find out that I narced on them and get my address. What a great run!

Inspiration Through Visual Torture

Back in September I decided to face facts. My child had been out of the womb for close to 4 years, and I still looked like I had just given birth. I had not been taking care of myself, and wasn’t setting a good example for Laura. Inspired by my friend Angela, I started running on September 29th, 2008. I followed the Couch to 5K running plan. It’s so simple, and starts out so slowly (60 seconds of jogging followed by 90 seconds of walking) that even I could handle it. In 9 weeks you are supposed to be able to run your first 5K. I did my first one on December 5th. But even with all the running, I wasn’t really losing any weight, and I didn’t feel much healthier. So at the end of December, I stopped buying Pepsi for the house.

Now if you know me, you know I love to drink pop (soda for all of you who are confused and don’t call it by the right name). I especially love Pepsi and was usually drinking a can with lunch, and sometimes another can for a snack. So once I finished that last can in December, that was it. I haven’t bought it for the house since. Of course I always have some if I go out to eat, because I think complete deprivation is both cruel and unrealistic. It was so hard at first. Every day at lunch I missed it terribly. But about 5-6 weeks later, I realized I had stopped thinking about it so much. These days I couldn’t even imagine having it at lunch.

On top of that, I stopped eating out so much, and stopped buying candy for the house all the time (horrors!). And guess what? Six long months later, I finally notice a difference. I’ve shed a few pounds. One of my pairs of jeans is too loose to wear and still look respectable. And the absolute best thing is that the Army Man stated he thinks I definitely look skinner.

I’ll be honest-when I bend over, there’s still plenty of skin bending over the top of my pants with me. I imagine, thanks in part to having been pregnant and in part to my own laziness, that will always be there. I haven’t dropped any sizes in clothing. There is no six-pack, four-pack, or even ½ pack appearing on my stomach. My thighs still slap together when I run (my father-in-law’s wisdom is that the noise one hears while running is people clapping for you, which I wholeheartedly agree with).

But I will let the Internet be my judge. I am about to share two pictures with you, both of which are horrifying and embarrassing. They are my “before and after” pictures, in a sense. I hope that in a few more months I’ll be able to share another “after” picture with you, when that six-pack finally makes its appearance. For now though, you’ll just have to settle for me in all my glory.

The first picture is from May 2007. I debated for a while about whether to share it, because it’s usually preferable not to embarrass one’s self in view of the entire world, and even worse, in view of one’s parents and in-laws. But I hope that everyone (including myself) understands why I’m sharing it. I’m sharing it to show how far I’ve come, to remind other mothers that most normal people don’t lose the baby weight in 6 weeks, and that sometimes, once you’re a mom, you never get back to how you used to be.

So anyway, this picture. Laura is about 2 ½ and me? I look horrible. Yes I know I’m sitting in this picture, and I’m slouching too (sorry Dad!) but you can’t deny that I don’t look all that healthy. This is actually pretty much my most hated picture of myself, and when I first saw it back in 2007 I almost deleted it off of the computer. I’m not sure why I kept it, but I guess I’m glad I did. I only share it with you know because it’s late and my good sense has gone out the window. Please turn away if you are faint of heart.Now, to erase that memory from your mind, my newer self. I also look pretty silly here-odd smile, pale white stomach, weird hair-basically your typical Claire picture. But a definite improvement, right?Is there anyone else out there who needed a little push in the right direction? Did my pictures help? Or are you now throwing up in the bathroom? If you survived this post, check out the Couch to 5K link; it’s really easy to follow and can turn anyone into a runner. Just remember, it took me almost 6 months to really notice a difference. I made a few food related changes as well, but nothing too serious. My overall goal was to have made a noticeable difference in my life in one year, and I think I’m on the right track. If I can do it, you can too! Seriously.

Run Claire Run!

Yesterday on my run I was approaching the final stretch before my house when a weird saying popped into my head. I can’t for the life of me figure out if this is from a movie or TV show or what. I’m curious if anyone will know what I’m talking about-maybe the Army Man will? Anyway, the phrase was, “You’re writing checks your body can’t cash!” It occurred to me yesterday just how accurate this phrase is when applied to my running.

Running is such an odd activity to me. It’s deeply personal, yet very competitive (at least to me). It drives me crazy that all of the runners in my life can outrun me. Yet at the same time, when I have a great run, I have only myself to congratulate. It wasn’t a team effort, it was all me. In addition, this is the first time a sport has taken over my life the way that running has. I played a fair number of sports as a child, and even played soccer for two years in high school. I was never very good at any of those sports, and sometimes even found myself dreading them. Not so with running. I make every effort to work a run into my day. I discuss and analyze my runs. I read about running. And I’m the first to admit that I’ve lain awake in bed more than once imagining my next run.

I think this fantasizing about running is where I run (ha ha) into trouble. In my mind, I’m flying down the street, covering ground quickly and comfortably. The weather is crisp and clear. I run for a good amount of time and always feel great when I’m done. In these imagined runs, there’s no flab jiggling as I run, and to quote my Mom, I look good while doing it. Then I get up in the morning, go out to run, and reality smacks me in the face. In effect, I’m writing checks at night that my body can’t cash when I run. I gasp and plod, barely manage to finish, never run as far or as long as I wanted to, and don’t really look all that good while running. But for all my moaning and complaining about what a terrible runner I am, I keep doing it. If you're a runner, I know you understand. And if you're not a runner, you should join me in this horrible way of torturing yourself. It's really quite fun.

Reindeer Run

I don't know if I will ever officially feel like a runner, but completing my second 5K in one month sure is helping! Today the Army Man and I, along with Laura, participated in our first race together. The weather was very mild for this time of year, and everyone was looking very festive with their reindeer antlers on. The Army Man pushed Laura in the jogging stroller, and I'm sure glad he did, because I don't think I would have made it if I had been pushing.

The route was very pretty, and took us through the historic downtown area. I alternated between gasping for breath and drooling over all the beautiful homes. The bad part was that the course was very hilly, at least to this novice. What is it with races going straight uphill at the beginning?

I went a bit slower this time, with an official time of 37:50. That was the Army Man's time too, since he stayed with me the whole time. We all know that he could have gone a lot faster if he had wanted to! My friend Angela ran the race too, and I have to brag on her behalf for a moment-she finished in 27 minutes!!! I'm sure she will give her take on the race soon, so check out her blog sometime today for all the details. Her husband was taking pictures, so there may be some good ones later. I saw him taking pictures when I finished so we may get treated to me looking ill.

All in all, it was a lot of fun! Laura is looking cute wearing the reindeer antlers, and I just ran 3.1 miles on a Saturday morning. And I may have convinced the Army Man to treat me to a cheeseburger as my reward!

I Came, I Saw, I Ran

My big news today is that I successfully completed my first 5K!! I know I ran a few when I was younger, but those don't count-I was young enough that running 3 miles was no big deal. Today was a huge deal for me, the culmination of all the work I've done since I started running on September 29th. A few set-backs tried to stop me: a hurt ankle about 2 months ago, really cold weather starting about a month ago, and then of course that pesky asthma that sent me to the ER two weeks ago. I've only run twice in the past two weeks, and I'm still not feeling completely better, but I was determined to go to this race!

Angela and I arrived with plenty of time, which we spent freezing and mentally preparing. The start of the race was delayed, and while we were originally told the 5K would start 15 minutes after the 10K, it turns out that was not the case. This being a military race, a howitzer was used as the starting gun. So they shot off the howitzer, off the 10K runners went, and we stood around, wondering what the heck was going on, and letting the clock tick away. Eventually we figured out that we should be running too, and took off, passing quite a few people which was very gratifying. Angela and I ran together for a little over a mile, and then she went on ahead.

I'm very pleased to report that I finished in 34:47. My official time was 36:19, but that was because we stood there like the newbies we were, not knowing to start! Angela finished a few minutes ahead of me, close to 30 minutes if I remember correctly. I was #34 to finish in the 5K. Angela's husband was our official race photographer, and I'll try to get a few pictures from him to share. Luckily I don't think he got any of me finishing, I'm sure I looked like I was about to die!

Girls Who Run-Kind Of...

On the same day I started my own blog, I was invited to contribute to another blog! So now you can read about my family life here, and read about my running life on my friend Angela's blog. I'm proud to be a part of:

Girls Who Run-Kind Of....

Angela is a great friend, a fellow running Mommy, and an all around fun girl. Check her (and me) out at:

http://angelaconnor.blogspot.com/