The beginning

I can't help but feel very nervous starting this blog.  I plan on really putting this all out there because I think otherwise it will be too easy to quit, like so many other things that are left undone in my life.  I want followers!  I need help and encouragement!  It's not easy staying at home and feeling quite isolated from other adults when you used to work full time and talk everyone's ears off over lab experiments (Ph.D. in biology- hopefully someday I will get to use it!) and depended on their encouragement to keep you motivated.

My baby son just turned 6 months and is eating solids pretty well so I think it is fine to up the exercise.  Who am I kidding right?  I could have upped the exercise well before now but it's so easy to hide behind breastfeeding and supply issues when you really just want to catch a nap or go to bed early instead of hitting the treadmill or popping in a Jillian Michaels DVD.  So you should know that I plan on bfing my son until he is 1.  My plan is to start the training now and then run a marathon next summer/fall.  I don't think it would be a good idea to think I can run one this fall and breast feed when I have never ran one before.

I should also say that I would be happy with a half marathon if in my training it becomes very obvious that a full marathon is just not going to be in the cards.

The farthest I have ever run in one stint is 4 miles without stopping.  I actually "ran" and walked a 5 mile race last fathers day when I was pregnant and I was just fine.   For some reason when I am pregnant I have super duper energy in the second trimester.  The year before that I "ran" most of the 5 mile fathers day race pushing my oldest son in a jog stroller.

My husband and I like to run and stay fit but we're in a fitness funk right now.  Last May I lost my job.  We were living in Cleveland, OH, far from our family, and we just decided to move back to our family in NY.  I was 36 weeks pregnant at the time.  Fast forward to now.  We're pretty out of shape.  We haven't fully gotten back into our groove since my pregnancy and our new baby came.  (I get pretty relaxed on what we eat when I'm pregnant)  Also, our house hasn't sold and it is a huge stress and even though I try to pretend it doesn't bother me it feels like a huge elephant is sitting on me all the time.

I have also been battling a light case of postpartum anxiety and depression.  The thing that has helped has been telling anyone who will listen that I'm crazy and need time to myself.  My amazing Niece/Sista, Jacki, takes me to Zumba on Saturdays and I love it and it gives me something that is all mine.  I LOVE Zumba.  Who would have thought?  I plan on continuing Zumba as my cross train.

I'm really hoping to keep up with this.  Sometimes the blogs will probably be short!  I have two small children that demand my attention from the moment they wake, to the moment they fall exhausted into their beds!