Friday, November 21, 2008

Running Progress

So I wasn't going to be concerned about my running so much for the next few months... the plan was (and still is) to just try to put some miles in over the next few months and get my legs used to the pounding on the road again. To that end, I've been running between 2 and 4.5 miles several times per week and feeling a bit better each day.

On Tuesday I did my first post-partum 4.5 mile run. It's a route I used to do all the time as a brick after my Saturday rides. Very hilly. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to run all the hills on Tuesday, but set out on a mellow pace and was plesantly surprised at my ability to run the whole thing. Even the steepest hills. And technically, it was running, although just barely getting my feet off the ground at times.

I would have been happy with this run (since I ran the whole thing!), except that I started my watch at the beginning and stopped it at the end. Proof of how slow I am. Ugh. I couldn't remember exactly how fast I used to do this route, but I was thinking it was like 5 minutes slow. Ugh. That's over a minute per mile. Ugh.

Then I made the second mistake of, just for giggles, checking my log book from last February. I saw that I wasn't 5 minutes slow. I was 8 minutes slow. On a 4.5 mile run. And the run I was looking at from February was after a really hard 62 mile bike.

My logbok was also proof that I am not 5 lbs away from my pre-preggo weight, I am 8 lbs away. I guess I was thinner than I remember when I got knocked up.

So I've got further to go than I thought I did.

Today I went on that same 4.5 mile run again. Frustrated by my look at my logbook, I picked out a more upbeat playlist on my iPod, put on my Ironman Finisher's Hat, and stopped treating myself like a china doll. I finished that run today 3 minutes faster than I did on Tuesday. So now I'm only 5 minutes off. I'll cut myself some slack since I'm carrying 8 extra pounds and not even a month post childbirth...

4 comments:

N.D. said...

You are doing great!!!! Don't compare things now - my goodness, you just gave birth!!! It is great that you are getting out there, and you look fabulous. The weight is going to melt away.

David said...

Yes, cut yourself some slack. I think we forget because we blog and hang out with other active and athletic women just how amazing it is that you are back in shape as quickly as you are after giving birth.

And I just now started letting myself wear a watch. It was too painful to see the times at first.

Clare said...

for what it's worth, i'd KILL to be able to run 4.5 miles right now!! i keep logs too, supposedly for motivation but maybe it's not good to look at them so soon. still, motivation!!

Alicia Parr said...

Oh Good Lord! Stay away from that training log, crazy girl. I ran an old route today and got to the turnaround point in over 25 minutes where last year this time would have been 21-23 minutes depending on how the legs were rolling (if I recall correctly). And you KNOW I've got more weight to lose than you do and I'm TWO AND A HALF MONTHS post partum. And I had some fellow all impressed that I'm out there running at all. What you are doing is AMAZING.