Title? No.

So, last time I wrote here it was four months ago, the beginning of a new semester, and I was full of fresh hopes and dreams for my fitness. Then fall semester hit and it was massively horrible and hard and busy and I barely had time for hygiene, let alone exercise.

This semester, however, promises to be at least a bit more flexible and relaxed, and I hope to get back on the wagon again, for real this time.

My plan:
1. Eat better foods, and a bit less of the foods I do eat. Eating better foods encompasses eating less sugar, less processed stuff, and more fruits and vegetables.
2. Start running again, probably C25k again, and perhaps run the same 5k in April that I did last year. I plan on starting this up in a week or two.
3. Do the 30-Day Shred DVD two or three times a week. I've started this already, and OUCH.

My goal is to fit back into some of my pre-baby clothes, and to have more endurance and energy.

Resolution Update

How are my resolutions going? In a word: poorly.

1. Not exercising. I have managed a couple of walks, but that's about it. I did finish a big paper this past week, something that had been sucking up most of my free time, so perhaps now I'll be able to get it in gear. The thing is, I need to fit this in to my schedule, to plan on doing it every time on the same days, and so far...it just doesn't seem like I have the time in my schedule. I'll have to revisit this one.

2. Bedtimes have been later than 10 almost every night. In part that's because I had that paper I was working on. In order to get that work done plus all my teaching prep and homework, I simply had to work past 10 p.m. Often I was up until midnight and still had to wake up early in order to be ready for teaching. Again, now that this paper is done I hope I'll have more normal evening time to devote to my prep and homework.

3. Snacking has been prolific. I snack when I work, and I've been working a lot. I just paused my typing to eat a bite of pound cake. Sigh.

Ugh. Maybe I should have picked easier resolutions, like "worry more about things" and "wear more neutral colors."

Back from Hiatus

That was a looooong break, wasn't it? That's a rhetorical question, by the way.

I have a list of excuses, but you don't want to hear them, do you? They're boring. Summer heat and apathy top the list.

Now it's days away from back-to-school time for me, and I think it'd be a good idea to turn over a new leaf. I always thought that people in academia should celebrate the new academic year more than the actual New Year, so consider this my list of New (Academic) Year's Resolutions:

1. Start exercising again, at least three days a week. Four would be even better. I'd like to run on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the morning, and do a video two other days out of the week.

2. Get to bed by 10 p.m. every single school night. I'm teaching at 8 a.m. MWF this semester, and I'm gonna be in the hurt box if I don't get into this habit.

3. Stop the evening snacking. This has been my downfall this summer. The kids go to bed and the feasting begins. Mindless eating in front of the computer is a great way to ensure that baby weight never leaves.

Classes start Thursday, and so will my new, improved routine. Watch for updates. I promise it won't be another three months.

Reunited...

...and it feels...okay. Not too bad, anyway.

Yes, that's right. My old friend/nemesis Running and I are back together again. I meant to start up on Monday, but I've been battling the Insane Death Plague (okay, just a bad cold) since about the moment my semester ended. Why does that always happen? Does my stress hold an impending illness at bay until the moment my obligations lift? Or does the mounting stress of end-of-semester duties actually create illness? Either way, it stinks. Every single time over the last four years at the moment I hand in that final paper or file my grades, I get sick.

So, anyway. I was sick on Monday and chose a morning nap over a morning run, thinking I'd get it in after the kids went to bed, but then I had forgotten about Jeff's Monday night softball game...so that didn't happen. I started today instead.

I'm not really back into training per se. Today I ran for five minutes, walked for three, ran five, walked three, ran five. I'll probably do that until it feels easy-ish, and then increase the running times or add another running interval. The next 5k I'd like to run is mid-June, which is coming up fast. However, I learned from the last one that I can manage to pull out a pretty surprising performance on the day, so I'm not freaking out about getting up to 5k distance by the date of the run.

In other (but related) news, it sure doesn't take long to gain back weight and lose muscle tone. I took about a month off from running, and was eating junk the last two weeks, and I look just terrible. Why is it so easy to put it back on, but so dang hard to lose it?

Back at it

This is just to say: I'm going to start running again, after a month-long hiatus due to school. Watch for a post on Monday, when I start up again.

My First 5k

I had trouble sleeping last night. I lay awake, listening to the sounds of the rain and thunder, wondering whether I would be running in the rain in just a few hours. When I did sleep, I had running anxiety dreams. In one, I was running laps in my old grade school gym. I was my adult self, running with all my former fifth grade classmates, who were without exception faster than me, and laughing at me. Horrible!

But when my alarm went off at 5:45 a.m., the sounds of the rain had stopped. I got up, quickly dressed, packed up my backpack, and jumped on my bike. Yep, I biked to my 5k! Because we only have one car, and because I really wanted Jeff, Charlotte and Sam to be able to meet me at the finish line, I needed to find another way to get to the race. So, biking it was. And it was a rather pleasant bike ride. It was still dark, but the roads were quiet and the trip went smoothly.

When I got to South Park, I felt limber and warm, which was good, as I had about an hour to burn before my race started, and it was cold outside. I pinned my number on, strapped my timer to my shoe, and walked around the park and up and down Mass St. until it was time for the half-marathon to begin.

After the national anthem was sung (a surprisingly emotional moment), the runners took their marks and at the sound of the starting gun took off while the spectators and 5k/10kers on the sidelines cheered. I felt very lumpy and unprofessional next to the half-marathoners. They were all sleekly outfitted and spindly, like real distance runners. One woman was wearing what looked like a runner's bikini. That's dedication.

Ten minutes later, I was milling about with the mass of fellow 5k and 10k runners waiting for my race to begin. I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw my friend Alicia, another PhD student here at KU, who was also running. I was really glad she picked me out of the crowd. I knew having a person I knew to run with would help me perform better. We got caught up talking with each other and were both caught off guard when the starting gun suddenly went off. "Oh!" we exclaimed, laughing. And so the run began.

I'm lucky Alicia keeps a similar pace to me (a.k.a. slow...she's a beginner, too). She was running with another friend of hers and a couple of times I walked while they kept running, but each time I caught up again. I started toward the back of the pack and stayed there, although toward the end I passed a few people. I felt like I really performed slow and steady, keeping some energy in reserves for the last mile, when I really needed it.

The route was nice. Some hills, but Lawrence has bigger ones that would have been more painful. This wasn't too bad. We ran through some nice neighborhoods, and some people stood at the end of their driveways cheering us on, which was lovely. The run through campus was especially fun.

I think I knew, and my body felt, when I hit the point that was farther than I had run before. I felt a different kind of tired, but my feet just kept moving. I had no idea at that point how long I'd been running, but I was just glad I was still going and that I didn't feel as terrible as I thought I would.

The best part was crossing the bridge over Iowa St. I could see the Lied Center in the distance, and knew the finishing line was close. The sidewalk wrapping down through the parking lot up to the finish line seemed cruely long, but I quickly became distracted as I looked around for Jeff and the kids. As I approached the finish line, I spotted them off to my left. I started waving and grinning like a loon. Jeff pulled out the camera and snapped this:

One of the ugliest pictures of me ever, but I'm proud of it. Seconds later, I crossed the finish line. They called out my name (butchering the last name, naturally) and congratulating me. I somehow missed my actual time, but I know it was 38 minutes and some change. And I was done! edited to add: I found the official results online, here. Looks like my time was 38.24.4; 14th place in my age/gender bracket, 211th overall. Sweet!

We walked around a little bit, enjoying some of the free food and drinks for the atheletes and their families, before deciding it was just too cold for the kids.

All day I've been glowing. I can't believe I really did this! I'm so, so proud of myself for sticking with it despite the past few weeks, and for making it through today. And I'm really glad I did this all when Sam was still so young. I hope it's set a precedent for me and exercising...I want to make this a way of life.

So, what does that mean? It means I'm looking for another 5k to sign up for!

I MADE IT!

I don't know my official time (I think it was 38 minutes something) but I do know that I ran almost the entire way, and I felt pretty good, and I DID IT! WOO!