A Challenge to Myself

Y’all know I LOVE running.  It’s one of my passions.  I’m not fast, but I have found that I have great endurance if I work up to it.

The peak of my running life was a couple years ago when I ran the RAGNAR and my first (and only, so far) half marathon.

That was my best summer I have ever had!  Oh, the glory days… sigh… Then last summer I was in my last months of pregnancy.  I continued to run, but I was lucky to get 2-3 miles in at a time.  I finished my pregnancy with the last run of 2.5 miles that actually ruptured my water just over 38 weeks.  That was the best labor and delivery! (I mean it wasn’t fun, per se, I mean we are talking pushing 8 pound babies out of small holes, after all — but it was by far the “best” of my four).

Then I had to wait the 6 weeks after to start running again… and I did.  But man was my body fighting me!  There was all the pregnancy weight I had put on, the weeks without running (it really takes a toll when you go so long), and the whole my-body-is-still-recovering-from-a-BIG-event.  It didn’t help that I was nursing and my chest hurt when I ran… like a lot.  When baby was about 5 months he weened himself, and I was gearing up to start training for a 1/2 marathon I wanted to run in October.

Yeah, that lasted a couple weeks…. because then I found out I was pregnant and a couple days later the extreme exhaustion and nausea hit.  Trust me, when you can’t keep your eyes open, you have 3 boys running around and another one that needs your constant care, running is the LAST thing on your mind!

Then I got put on “pelvic rest” because of the bleeding.  So no extra curricular activities with the husband and no running.

This week I finally got the big “okay” to start running and enjoying other things.  So my first challenge to myself is to get back to running.  But I don’t want to to over do it, and hurt myself and the baby.  That would be stupid.  So I am going to start slow with the Couch to 5K program (C25K).  I think it’s excellent for someone in my spot…  Start off slow and repeat weeks if I have to.  I really have no reason to run more than 3 miles while pregnant anyway.  I’m not trying to prove anything, I am just trying to keep myself and the baby healthy, the weight under control, and hope for a smooth labor and delivery like last time.

My goal is to run a 5K the last week of this 2nd trimester. I know it’s a lofty goal and a little crazy… especially for a pregnant woman who hasn’t gotten her running grove back yet.  But I think I can do it.  I really do.  I did Day One Week One this morning and it was actually pretty easy… so I am pretty sure I got this.  I guess we will see, huh?

Any beginners, preggers, or out-of-shapers want to join me??  Train and run a 5K by the end of Sept?

-Cat