Chet turned three months old on April 5th. Over the past month, we have said goodbye to the newborn phase of Chet’s life. He has grown into a fun, quirky, smiling little baby. Although Chet occasionally hangs on to newborn moments, gone are the consistent nights of nonstop crying. Gone is his need to sleep on top of his mom. Gone are the breastfeeding issues. In place of these challenges, we now have a lot of play time. The day is filled with a lot of baby chatter. He is giggling all the time. His armpits are oh so ticklish. He thinks the sound of a zipper is hysterical. He even thinks his mama is funny. Chet has also become very efficient with his hands. Give him a toy and it will end up in his mouth.
Yesterday Chet rolled from his back to his belly for the first time. He’s been trying hard to roll over for the past week. It finally worked yesterday (although I think it might have been luck!). I do think it’s time to move him out of his Mose’s basket though. He keeps trying to roll while in the basket. This transition scares me. Any advice or tips are greatly appreciated. Chet loves to rub his face on the side of the basket until he falls asleep. His bed won’t be nearly as cozy.
Check out his big blue eyes. I don’t think they are going away although I wish I knew how to use my camera better so I could capture their real color!
After the Easter baskets were found and all the eggs had been collected, I headed to First Landing State Park to run a few miles on the trails. After running just one mile on soft trails on Monday, I saw huge improvements with my running on Friday (who knows if one had to do with the other, but it can’t hurt to see). Instead of running one mile on trails, I decided to tackle my whole run in the park. I headed to 64th Street with dog in tow. The park was much busier than I expected. I thought most people would be a church. Instead of running the trail to the boat ramp, I decided to run a more isolated trail. (The only time I’ve been on this trail was when I was trying to walk Chet out of my belly).
The trail is one mile in off of the main trail. As soon as I turned off, I knew this run would be a whole lot harder than I was expecting. The elevation change is a lot more dramatic than the flat roads I run at home. I was running up and over sand dunes hills. The soft sandy surface definitely made it challenging for me. My legs haven’t been challenged like this in over a year. I quickly decided that I needed to just settle into my run and enjoy being outside. I ignored my watch. I didn’t think about pace. I just ran with my dog.
2.61 miles into my run I reached the turn around point (since I’m still not 100% confident where the trail leads me). Alex and I stopped for a few minutes to take in the beautiful day and to shed a layer of clothing at this park bench.
Check out the dog bowl! Every park bench should have one of these!Oh Mr. Thoreau, I do love you!
In Wilderness is the Preservation of the World ~ Henry David Thoreau
Inspiration on a park bench (with extra consideration for my dog). How can you not love that?
The park bench (and my tired legs) reconfirmed my plan to simply enjoy my run yesterday. Instead of turning around, I ran another half mile into the park. I stumbled upon a great little lookout with some amazing views. Again I allowed myself a few minutes to soak up the sun and the beautiful world that surrounds me.
Extra half mile trailWhat a View
At this point, Alex and I turned around and headed back to my car. The further we ran, the more exhausted my legs felt. My brain gets incredibly busy when my legs get tired. I started thinking about running again. I started thinking about previous runs. I looked down to check out my watch…guess what wasn’t tracking mileage again? Time was ticking on, but my mileage was still stuck at 2.61. Eventually my watch found a connection again and my mileage kept on going.
The more tired my legs became, the more I thought about other runs and other runners. I had just read Jen’s race report before I left for my run. I thought about Dorothy’s blog and finding her strong. I kept repeating to myself: Every step is making you stronger. Every step is making you stronger. Because my watch was acting funny, pace didn’t matter to me. I focused on running strong up each hill. I sludged through the sand. I kept going. Each step was making me stronger.
After 5.5 miles on the trails, my feet found pavement. I felt like a brand new runner. Each step did make me stronger. I decided to tackle another half mile and one more big (for Virginia Beach) hill.
6 miles of trails, hills, sand, and a strong finish in 1:10:46. The first half of my run nourished the part of me that loves our planet. The second half of my run challenged me more physically than I have been challenged since having Chet. This is my perfect type of Sunday.
When I got back to my car, I decided that Alex and I deserved a quick reward. We crossed the street, headed over another sand dune, and soaked in the sight, sound, and smell of the ocean.
Virginia really is beautifulHappy PuppyAhhhh
After a few minutes on the beach, I headed home to enjoy the rest of Easter with my family. I hope everyone had an equally as wonderful Easter.
(Q: Anyone else find that running trails makes you faster on the road? Anyone else have troubles with your Garmin in the park?)
What a wonderful Sunday. The weather was perfect. The Easter Bunny made a visit during the early morning hours. Cole woke up to find a stuffed Easter basket and a lot of eggs. I ran 6 miles on the trails with my new favorite running buddy, Alex. My homemade malted mouse cake turned out great. And we shared dinner and dessert with Christian’s parents. Now if only I could put off Monday…
First I have to say that everyone in the Virginia Beach community is incredibly lucky tonight (and I hope it stays that way). I’m so thankful that no one has been reported as deceased due to the plane crash today
About an hour before the plane crashed, I decided to try out my new method of sneaking in runs during the work week that won’t interfere with my family time: lunch break runs. I get 30 minutes (with some flexibility) for my lunch break. Since I travel around the city for my work, I can plan my day to be in a good running location near lunch time. Today I had nothing of importance on my afternoon work schedule, so I knew I wouldn’t mind being a little stinky/sweaty going into the last half of my work day.
30 minute lunch break = 2 mile run
I was right by my house today, so I stopped of at my house, changed clothes, grabbed the dog, and set off on a 2 mile loop. My game plan for today’s run was to start slow and finish strong. I wanted to focus on my running position. I have established the horrible habit of looking down while I’m running. I focus on the what is directly in front of me, and I don’t look ahead. Today I kept my head up and my eyes forward.
The first time I glanced down at my watch, I saw a 10! My first thought: So much for starting of slow. Revise Plan. Run one mile in the 10s, and run home at whatever pace I could maintain. When my watch beeped for the first mile, I had run a 10:30 mile. Oh my goodness! I was excited! Not only was I in the 10s, but I was a good minute faster than my run on Monday. Revise Plan Again. Hang onto 10 as long as you can. When I looked down at my watch again, I was still in the 10s. I was also running fast than my first mile. At this point, I knew I had another 10ish minute mile in me. I just had to keep running. My watch beeped again. 10:21. Oh my goodness! I was more than excited! I had just a short stretch until I got home, so I gave it all I had. Another .15 at a pace of 9:52. Not only did I run my entire run in the 10s, I had held onto my original plan. I finished stronger than I started.
Today’s Run:
Mile 1: 10:30
Mile 2: 10:21
Final .15: 9:52 pace
Total: 2.15 miles in 22:25 @ a pace of 10:25
And the best part of the run is that I finished knowing I could have pushed further and ran more if I had the time.Okay. Not Really. The best part of the run was feeling like I had my running legs back. I finally felt like I was running.
I’ve signed up for the Elizabeth River Run 10k at the end of May. I’m going to make myself a flexible training plan that includes lunch break runs and weekend long runs. Two miles during lunch is a heck of a lot better than no running at all. Sorry to all of you that I work with on a daily basis. My hair will be in a pony tail on some afternoons, and I might be a little smelly for a few hours. In return for the smell and sloppy look, I promise I will be extra upbeat.
Yes Sara. This is your shirt. I just found it in my drawer. Sorry!
Remember on Monday when I said that I just knew 10s where right around the corner? I had no idea I would see them on my next run. I took over a minute off my pace. Yes! I was smiling ear to ear when I finished today’s run!
This sweet baby turned 3 months old yesterday! Stay tuned for his 3 month photos! I promise to post them this weekend.
I ran the Shamrock 8k. I found my runners high, and then I went back to work. I lost my runners high. I’ve been in a bit of a running rut since returning to work. Sleeping has been winning out when it comes to the sleep an extra hour or get up and run battle. I even skipped a chance to run this weekend for a much-needed nap. My body and my brain are still adapting to our much more hectic schedule.
My biggest issues with running lately:
lack of time (although not a good enough excuse)
lack of sleep (perfectly acceptable excuse since Chet has taken a step backwards in sleeping. In my 8 hours of sleep each night, I’m waking up 3 times to feed him. Knock on wood, the past 2 nights I’ve only woke up twice)
I am way too familiar with our neighborhood. I can tell you exactly where I am at, what tenth of a mile I am at, and exactly how far I have to go at every block in our neighborhood. This can make a rough 3 mile run seem 10xs longer.
Today I was spoiled with an extra day off from work. My mom, our super-nanny, was partying it up this weekend in Vegas. No grandma means mom gets to stay home for a day. I took advantage of Christian being home this morning. I needed new scenery. I headed to my favorite place to run, First Landing State Park. With dog in tow, I set out to run 4 miles on a mixture of asphalt and trails.
Sweet Puppy. He's becoming a pretty good running partner.Quick Detour
I started my run just off Great Neck road and followed the path into the park. I ran down trail. I took a quick detour down the Bald Cypress trail to sneak in a little bit of elevation change. Running trails is always more challenging for me. I tend to run slower on the soft surface, but it will always be my favorite place to run. When I’m running outside and on trails, I forget about running. I quit battling my own brain. Instead I battle the terrain. Avoiding puddles, tree roots, and pine cones is so much more fun than battling my own desire to walk. I never once thought about walking on today’s run.
The puddles, tree roots, and pine cones weren’t my only obstacles today. My garmin was also out to challenge me. At one point, it quit tracking my run. I’m guessing it skipped close to a half mile. And then it did it again. This time for maybe a quarter-mile. Since I was determined to run 4 miles today, I couldn’t get in my car with 3.25ish on my watch. Instead I kept running. (This is a great way to sneak in some extra distance if you are looking to add mileage.)
Mile 1: 11:56
Mile 2: 11:33
Mile 3: 11:36
Mile 4: 11:24
Total: 4.02 in 46:43 @ a pace of 11:37
I did get back to my car with 4 miles on my watch, almost 5 miles on my shoes, and a huge smile on my face. Sometimes runs just feel good.
Hooray for a good run
(I just know 10s are going to start popping up on my watch soon.)
Kristy Maute 