Father's Day Camping and Triathlons!?!?!?

Happy Father's Day (late)!

Our little tribe of 5 spent the weekend at another of our favorite camping spots Cole's Creek State Park.  I think it has the best beach sand.  :)  The campground is only 30 minutes from our house making it a great destination for "last minute" camping.  Even though we only decided that we would camp at the beginning of the week, we got a beautiful spot right on the water!

I took a quick bike ride (small exercise win!) pulling Andrea in her bike trailer.  Other than that Tom and I spent most of the time helping the kids on the playground/swing set and trying not to freeze playing in the water with them.  It is official: our kids are polar bears!  Also, I was exhausted from pushing the kids on the swing! Ugh!


I'm really trying to get my goals in order as I finish up my convalescence from my broken ankle.

This is what I'm realizing: 

When I could move over the past two years, I didn't exercise very often or consistently...

When I broke my ankle all I wanted to do was get up and do all the things I had taken for granted...

I'm reading some great books and looking up articles and asking for advice from some of my other active friends.  I'm also trying to find time to write in my blog again (HAHA it looks like short posts are the way to go)!

So here are a few things I have been reading:

Also...

So far I have read about half of "Triathlon for the every woman" by Meredith Atwood (and I LOVE it and can totally relate to it) and half of "Racing Weight" by Matt Fitzgerald.  I have not started "Slow Fat Triathlete" by Jayne Williams.  The other "Swim Bike Mom" is a print out of a sprint triathlon training program.

From this you can deduce that I am interested in triathlons and either being fat or how not to be fat... 

You may have noticed the interest in running weight.  This is something I have never really discussed in my previous posts and I'm not trying to make a big thing out of them, but I know that I want to do some serious running in my future and the "racing weight" book is to help me really understand feeding an endurance athlete properly and the "fat triathlete" book is about just getting out there now, not when you lose ___ number of pounds, which is great, because I'm a bit puffy about the middle and the back side hehehe.  

That's it for now!  Trying to wrap these up quickly so that the kids and husband don't get too tiffy about me being on the computer. :P

Thanks for reading!  :)

#Running #swimbikemom #racing #goals #getfit #triathlon

Holy Cow, where did almost two years go!!!???

I don't even know where to begin...

The past two years went by in the blink of an eye.  I fell almost completely out of the athletic life that I had built for myself.  I have dabbled here and there with sporadic exercise, but I've been completely without direction and no focus at all.  I'm almost embarrassed to keep using the blog after not using it for so long.  But being embarrassed about stuff instead of moving forward isn't really my thing, so I'm back!!!

What I HAVE been doing: (with pictures) 

1) I have been building up my professional career again.  I mentioned in my previous post in August of 2016... almost TWO YEARS ago that I was getting a job and moving to a new house.  The job has been going very well!!!  Unfortunately, during the semester I have completely submitted myself to the job and forgotten about myself.  I'm in love with my job.  I hope I can keep my job for a long time.  I get to work with some amazingly friendly co-workers and my students are great :)  I do, however, need to work on pacing myself and not forgetting that I need exercise!

That's me in my office looking all Dr. Potter and professional!

I love getting to "dress up" and share my passion for biology with my students.

And I'm really enjoying helping our kids explore STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)  Here we are with the projects they have done over the last two years at their school.

May 2018

May 2017

2) We moved into our dream house!  We have a 4 acre mowed lawn, and a 14 acre hay field behind our house that our farming neighbor bales and generally takes care of.  We can't really see our neighbors, but we aren't stranded and too secluded.  We also have some absolutely beautiful trees and ornamental gardens.  I love to garden, so I'm in heaven.  The view out of every window is superb!

 Bird feeders, clothes on the line, kids playing kick the ball into a hockey net :P

 Our first pumpkin patch! 

The front entry is so pretty :) 

Especially in the winter! 

Ample places for playing for the kids and parents! 

Pass-thru to our neighbor's sheep farm.  A peek up to our house.   

Even our 13 year old cat enjoys all of the deer, turkey, bird, squirrel, and chipmunk watching! 

Even a cute little frog pond.  Ahhhhhhh :)

3) Camping.  This is the third summer that we have had our 20 foot trailer camper.  As a family we LOVE camping in our camper.  We try to get out camping at least two weekends a month when it is nice.  Last summer we upgraded our family to a full-sized-cab truck as our family vehicle. 

With the better towing power we have been able to travel farther to camp and go into the #Adirondacks.  We absolutely love #FishCreekPond just north of Tupper Lake, NY. 

 I love Fish Creek because almost every single camping site is right on the water with your own access point (I hope we get a canoe or kayak soon!)

Tom and I are also huge fans of Eaton Lake in Long Lake, NY because we camped there many times before having kids.  Both of these parks are State Parks in New York State.  We are so happy that our children love to camp as much as we do!

4) I broke my first bone (other than toes)!  This February I twisted my ankle very badly in our snow and ice packed driveway and it turned out that I had broken the bottom of my fibula (the small outer bone of your lower leg). 

It was a spiral fracture, meaning I pretty much twisted the bottom of my fibula right off when I fell.  Take it from me it was surprisingly, excruciatingly painful!  Breaking a bone in your lower extremity is also EXHAUSTING.  I was put into a walking boot.  It was a hard plastic shell that went up to my knee and all the way to my toes.  I was thankful for this over a plaster cast because I was able to remove it to bathe and wiggle my toes and then strap it back on to a comfortable snug level.  I used crutches for two straight weeks.  I cannot believe how weak arms are compared to legs.  I was so relieved when I started putting pressure on the leg and decided I didn't need the crutches anymore.  Also, with 3 young children (7, 5, and 2) this was a difficult time for our family.  Tom really stepped up and did a lot of the chores that I take care of 100%.  I'm so blessed!

I went into an ankle brace after 4 weeks of the walking boot.  It was surprising to see just how quickly my lower leg and foot had lost their muscle tone.  It was mostly difficult to walk because I had no strength in my calf, ankle and foot.  I was still in a pretty good amount of pain, but was ready to start getting back to "regular" life.  At 8 weeks I was supposed to be released to physical therapy, but it didn't feel right.  An x-ray and CT scan showed bad news: while the two pieces of bone had connected, the space had been filled with scar tissue (which is soft) and not with bone tissue (which fills up with calcium and turns into very hard bone).  The technical term is "delayed union".  So now we're out to 12 weeks after the fracture (by the time I had the CT scan scheduled, met back up with my doc. etc...).  The next step is to try electrical bone stimulation with a special machine attached to my ankle for THREE MONTHS (only 30 minutes/day).  Yikes.  I really want this to be over.

It took another 4 weeks to get my insurance company to approve the bone simulator (more x-rays and paperwork later). So finally at 15 weeks from the date of the fracture I received my bone stimulator!

It's 6/13 today and I have used my machine 14 times and I feel 95% better!!!!!  I must add that it felt like my bone was actually starting to heal beginning about a month ago (I noticed that I didn't need to walk with a limp), but in just the last two weeks I have seen some amazing changes in my pain level.  I would say that the bone itself is not painful at all anymore!!! I still have pain in the "squishy" parts of my ankle, but that might last quite a long time.  The sale representative for the stimulator told me that they can work very quickly, and I was afraid to dream (it was possible that it wouldn't work and I would still need surgery at the end of 90 days), but it really did!  I still will be using the stimulator for the entire 90 days to ensure full  healing (and avoid surgery 7 months after the initial break!).

So that's what's up for me in general.  In my next few posts I'm going to tell you about my new athletic goals (because obviously I need some!!!)

Thanks for reading! :)

"I get knocked down, but I get up again.  You are never going to keep me down!"
-Chumbawamba, "Tubthumping"

OK, here is a sneak peak of what I would really like to try... or tri... :P

I'm back at it!

I had baby Andrea in a super uncomplicated fast birth last August.  A week from today she will be 1!!! I took a lot of time off from regular running.  I'm one of those moms that gives up too much of herself when I have a baby to care for.  I'm also a staunch breastfeeding mom and it's hard to get away.  I did do Zumba fairly regularly and I extremely happy to report that I only briefly felt like I had depression!  I still am struggling with anxiety but it doesn't control my life so I think I'm winning!

Quickly here is a screen shot of my past month!  I'm trying to do an informal 10K for my 35th birthday on the 25th of August.  

Woo!  40 miles!

I just killed a 3 mile run at almost 10min/mile! :)

Lots of changes coming up around the corner and I'm hoping to keep sticking to this running. We're moving into a new house we are buying, then I'm starting a new job teaching Biology labs at a local college, and the boys will be going to a new school.  I'm excited! 

Thanks for reading!  

My Favorite New Snack!

#Runners love snacks and so do pregnant women so I thought I would share with you a very healthy snack that I discovered yesterday while looking for healthy pancake recipes on Pinterest yesterday (still looking for pancake ideas btw).

It's a breakfast cookie bar that is "clean" and MAN is it simple to make and tasty too!  I just had one with my coffee for my after exercise treat.  YUM!  And it's good for me too!

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

Two Days Into 10K Training (seriously this feels like marathon training)

Can I just reiterate that I LOVE having a goal and setting up a plan to get there.

I've been trying to stay active because it makes me feel really great, but without a goal and a plan I was just sort of puttering through occasional runs and Zumba classes.  

I know it's only been a couple days since I decided to train for a 10K in May, but I feel so much more focused and happy to have a goal and be on my way.

Tuesdays plan was to do my Zumba class and I did.  It was so nice to be back at class after my instructor was out for medical reasons all last week.  I am not doing the moves as deeply and I'm paying attention to my breathing.  I also have to stop for potty breaks and take drinks of water after almost every song, but I'm there having fun!  So far so good with the Zumba.

Today (Weds.) the plan was a 2.5 mile run.  The weather was mild this morning with sun, no wind, and 32 (It's supposed to be warmer later, but also rain) so I strapped Darren into the single stroller all snug as a bug while Jeremy was at morning Pre-K and out we went.  Man, I find it hard to push a stroller and run!  I was super slow and I had some round ligament pain that made me walk quite a bit.  I would get going and when I took a walk break I would get some pain and have to walk that out before I tried running again.  BUT, I put in the 2.5 miles and at least we got some fresh air and I was nice and sweaty.  Ahhhh.  Now if it would just be mild every day.

So, I'm off and going on the training!  Thanks for reading!

I have #Running Fever!

It must be a combination of really bright sun and frustrating cold that has heated me into a running fever this morning.  I was thinking about the people I know that are training for marathons and it occurred to me that there are relays available at some marathons.  I'm pretty sure I could run 6.2 miles (10K).  I just did 4 miles the other day and felt pretty awesome.  I won't be racing, but I can still enjoy the mileage at my pace right?

So I dug up the Running in the USA website and, while I don't think I'll be doing a relay, I started looking for some 10K races that aren't too far away. If you have never used the Running in the USA website it's a great way to scan through races based on state, month, and distance.  Super easy.  

So back to my search.  I found a race that is only about an hour away and it's stroller friendly!  It's the Run to the Sun 5K, 10K, and half marathon.  Also it's only $25 to enter.  Not bad.  It's in 45 days.  I can already do 4 miles, so I should be able to just jump into the Hal Higdon Novice 10K training program in week 2 and be just fine.  The long run this Sunday should be 3.5 miles.  Check.

So now to make up a program for the coming week based on the training program:

Week 2 March 24-29 (modified for me)
Tues. Zumba
Weds.  2.5 mile run
Thurs. 2 mile run + Prenatal DVD of choice (strength focus)
Fri. Prenatal DVD of choice (cross train focus)
Sat. (we're traveling for a family vacation) so I will choose to REST here
Sun. (on vacation) 3.5 mile run -hopefully I find a treadmill somewhere.

Week 3 March 30- April 5th (modified for me)
Mon. (on vacation) strength and stretch -I'll get creative -do you think a massage qualifies?
Tues. (on vacation) 2.5 mile run -treadmill or outside
Weds. Zumba
Thurs. 2 mile + Prenatal DVD of choice (strength focus)
Fri. Zumba
Sat. REST
Sun. (Easter!) 4 mile run

Well, that's the plan.  Let's see if I can stick to it! 

Being a novice pregnant runner

I'm not exactly "green" when it comes to running now.  I've participated in many races all the way up to a marathon.  It definitely doesn't make me an expert on the subject but I think I'm somewhere in the 'advance beginner' or 'competent' stage of the Dreyfus Model of skill acquisition.  What I'm not so sure of is being a pregnant runner.

I have stayed active and included running in all three of my pregnancies.  With my past two pregnancies I was at the more beginner stages of running and really pregnancy doesn't last that long and it is always changing so it is hard to get into a running rhythm.  That has been the case this time even though I'm a more seasoned runner.  It is really hard to anticipate how your first trimester will go.  I was absolutely miserable and I took it very easy on myself.  I wasn't eating regularly and I was absolutely exhausted.  This stage of my pregnancy also occurred during the deep, dark, and cold parts of winter -so that also made it more difficult to be active.  

When I was very newly pregnant I kept running like I had been and I told myself that I would use the treadmill when I couldn't run outside.  In my past pregnancies I have always avoided the treadmill because I was worried I might fall off.  I was convinced that I would not feel that way this time.  I've logged lots of miles on our treadmill, why not do it while pregnant?  But you  know what?  Just like all the past times I got this deep seated fear that I would fall off.  So, no treadmill runs.  Pregnancy is weird that way.  You can't really control it like you think you will be able to (or at least I can't).  

Now I'm in my second trimester and back on my game energy-wise.  I'm still not getting out there like I should.  My clothes don't really fit right and I feel like Goldilocks about the weather.  It has to be juuuuust right.  Also, going to Zumba has been so much fun that I've just been doing that.  This week our Zumba instructor is "ill" and I figured I had better drag out some of my workout DVDs... Bleh.  

Yesterday I put the Summer Sanders' Prenatal Workout in while Jeremy was at Pre-K.  It's a nice DVD, but the conversations between the trainers are a bit annoying.  I remember all of it from my past two pregnancies.  Maybe I should just turn the volume off. HA!

Then I ran two miles last night!  Yippee!  

This morning I put in my 10 Minute Solution Prenatal Pilates DVD.  You can do all 5, 10 minute groupings or pick any of the sections that you want in the order that you select.  I picked "standing pilates" -which I really liked, "core pilates" -which was fine but not very challenging, and "pilates for flexibility" -which was the most difficult section for me.  I guess I need to work on my flexibility -mostly the hamstrings, which made all the poses a bit tight and awkward.  I did not pick the "pilates for buns and thighs" or "total body pilates" sections.  To be honest my bum is a bit sore from yesterday so the buns and thighs sounded painful and unnecessary.

So that's about it from now from your novice pregnant runner!  Have a great weekend!