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| (Someone doesn't like her Reindeer ears) |
I thought my last race of 2014 would end up being my
first cross country race of the season as a baby with a fever caused me to
cancel a later race and my husband’s work schedule did not work out for me to go to
Club Nationals but I managed to sneak in one more, very low key race in
December. I ran in Covington’s first (the race director hopes to become annual)
Reindeer Dash 4(k) Food. The race entry was a food or cash donation. The race
was not timed. But I still had a great time. I even ran it in Reindeer Antlers.
My older brother Josh came in first and I was the second finisher overall
behind him. It was a fitting ending to sum up my year of races, which I have
two words for, whim and fun. Going back through my training journal I noticed
most of my races I signed up for on a whim and my main goals were to enjoy the
training and racing and have fun. I would say I accomplished this most of the
time.
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| (Waving to Lilyana while racing) |
So
with another year drawing to a close now is a good time to reflect on my first
year back as a Mother runner.
My mileage in 2014
was almost as low as when I was running while pregnant. I never would have
guessed that. However, with all the running around I do all day caring for a
baby my energy levels felt like I was running 2-3 times that amount. My highest
mileage week was 50 that I hit once, almost twice. Besides that my mileage was consistently
in the 30s no matter how hard I tried. I would get done with one week and think
to myself the next week I will run more. But the next week would come and I
would find myself still in the 30s. I did notice my better training came when I
was running close to 40, and my faster times came at that level. I feel if I
was able to be more consistent there, in time I would bring my times down to
being more similar to what I have done before. I do not think mileage is always
the key.
One thing I
learned was to really listen to my body. If I was rundown and tired from being
up all night with the baby, I would often opt for a nap instead of a workout.
This may not be the best recipe for racing PR’s if you do this all the time,
but it is a great recipe for staying injury free and saner. For instance, today
I was going to go out for a run but I was feeling very wiped out. My plan was
to take Lilyana in the evening, just when it got dark, and run through the
neighborhood so she could see Christmas lights. The weather was cold and gloomy
but having the weather shield on the BOB makes for an enjoyable run for her. I
just try to toughen up. Levi was working and the gym doesn’t have childcare
after noon on Saturday. With great intentions to run, I laid Lilyana down in
her crib, hoping she would take a 2nd nap so I could lie down for
just a moment. I expected Lily to entertain herself for 15 minutes or so before
wanting out. The next thing I knew an hour had passed. We both had passed out
and I missed my window to run as it was dinner time when we awoke, then bath
and bed for her. The nap was much needed. My body needed it more than a run. You
have to be flexible with your training.
My mother-in-law is giving me her treadmill and my
brother-in-law is bringing it up soon for me. I think this will help me on
weekends when my husband is scheduled to work and I end up in situations like
today. Having a treadmill again will allow me to get more workouts in without
having to try and fit them in the gym’s childcare window.
The next thing I noticed was feeling a bit burned out
after my track season. I decided to take a break from workouts in August and
just run. It worked for a bit, but what I noticed is without my coach sending
me weekly workouts I started doing less and less. My mileage went down. My workouts
became nonexistent and I couldn’t break myself from this. It got really
comfortable to just go for runs as they take less time than workouts. I need to
make workouts a priority again. One interesting thing I noticed, after a few
months of just running I started feeling tired again. My mileage was lower and
the intensity was much lower. I think doing the same thing day in and day out is
not what is best for your body whether you are training to race and compete, or
just stay fit. After noticing this, I decided to change things up. One day I
did an easy run but followed it up with some quick pickups/strides the last
mile, then plyometrics, handstands, and cartwheels after. That’s a great thing
about having a baby; you can play for your workout without looking too crazy! I
ended my run at the local track and took Lilyana out of the stroller. We jumped,
rolled, and ran around laughing. I was quite sore the next day but the workout
was invigorating and made my body feel alive.
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| (Dad's got the rest and play thing down!) |
I could be writing my own workouts but I didn’t take
the time to do this. My recommendation is to write out a weekly plan. You have
to be willing to be flexible but having something written down will make you
more likely to plan your day accordingly to fit it in. Or hire a coach to help
guide you. For me, having my coach write me workouts again will get me back on
track. Having the treadmill will allow me more freedom to run at different hours,
and having my baby will allow me to train different muscles in a fun and new
way.
2014 was the year of the mother for me. I learned a
lot about my body and training and it was a good year for me to give myself
time to adapt and not force anything. There were days I broke down from being
overly tired and a simple nap or rest week did the trick. I am thankful for my
husband during my bouts of craziness and for helping me stay grounded during these
times. His best advice being, “Here, take a nap and wear these earplugs.” What great
advice for any Mother. It’s not always easy to fit in but I have found sleep to
be the key to just about everything. Feeling grumpy? Sleep. Feeling run down?
Sleep. Ready to cry at a moment’s notice? Sleep. Upset with your husband for no
reason? Sleep. You get the point. I still have goals in mind with my running career
but I am not in any hurry to force them to happen. There’s plenty of reward in
the journey and I am looking forward to this trip.
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| (Enjoying the journey with my family) |
