Well ladies this is it, my first blog. I officially became a contributor a few months ago but embarrassingly have not run since I finished the Baltimore half marathon a month and a half ago. Pathetic I know! My excuses? I have many but in a nutshell I'm just plain pooped! I have an active 2-year-old and a 5-month-old sporadic nighttime sleeper. Every day I know I SHOULD run but I seem to find my tired state a good enough excuse to put running off just one more day. With my next race quickly approaching (The Washington D.C. Firefly Marathon--March 29, 2008) I know it's time to hit the road again but the thought of running outside in the frigid winter air makes me want to cry. How are you ladies able to train during the winter months? In addition, how do you get your runs in with your children? I have the Cougar Chariot double and love it however, my children expire after about 30-minutes. This works for short runs but what about the long runs? Do I just need to buck up, get up early before my husband leaves for work and run in the cold dark morning hours? Please ladies, help me take courage!!!!
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Welcome, Annie! It is always great to have a new perspective. First of all, congrats on your half marathon! Your baby must have been pretty tiny when you ran that race. I know how difficult it can be to train with a newborn. What works for me is having a group to meet with in the mornings. If you know you aren't alone, it makes it easier to get your butt out of your warm bed. :-) Or is there a gym where you can do a treadmill run every once in a while? Your marathon is a few weeks before the Salt Lake one that we are training for. I can't wait to hear more about your training! What is your running history? Was this your first half marathon? Tell me more, tell me more...
I'm seriously such a nerd...after writing my first blog I stayed at the computer for an hour just so I could check and see if someone commented already. Thank you! I think I can go to bed now! :)
I knew I could count on you wonderful ladies to give me motivation and encouragement.
My running history?
I ran track in high school. I was a mid distance runner and so it wasn't until my college years that I decided to give long distance running a try.
My first marathon was the St. George Marathon in 2001.
I ran the Moab 20K the next year.
My next marathon was the Country Music Marathon in Nashville. My husband ran that one with me.
And that brings us to my last race, the Baltimore 1/2 marathon. I have committed to run at least one marathon between each pregnancy and of course the ultimate goal is to qualify for Boston. That 3:40 finish time seems pretty clippy and almost unreachable at this point so I really need all the encouragement and motivation I can get. Thank you for letting me be a part of your great group. I'll do an official intro in a blog post later this week.
Hi Annie! You'll find you are in good company here as far as running and the little ones. I also have a 2.5 year old and a 7 month old and have also had some difficulty getting into a regular running routine. I applaud those who can like M&M and Suzie because it isn't easy. We recently purchased a treadmill in hopes that it would make running easier for me, but it really hasn't yet.
Can you find a friend or a nanny to watch the kids while you run? Maybe another mama with young children so you can swap opportunities to run??
Welcome Annie! It's great to hear from someone else who is in a rut. It does help to have someone to run with. I don't think I would have run my first marathon without the friendship of some of these other mommies.
Hey Annie! Glad you're here! I think a lot of us are having a hard time facing the winter and training! My baby is 2 and I still have a hard time getting motivated! You are not alone! I think the idea of having a running group or partner is a must for getting up early. I have yet to get up early and run, but I think I could do it if someone was counting on me! You aren't in the Seattle area are you????
I just realized that your next race is in Washington DC, so you're probably not near Seattle. :)
I second (third) the idea of a partner or running group. Even if it's a group that's not your level, but gets you out for a mile or two, then maybe you could finish on your own? That's not an option for me (I am temporarily living in the rural boonies where dogs run free) but I do have a treadmill, so that's how I am doing it. I also think that having a race to train for is a key, though I'm missing out on that one too.
On a sidenote, it is comforting to know there are other mommies in a running rut. I guess the difficulty of it what makes it such an accomplishment.
Hello Annie!
I am struggling with running w/my baby who is 3. It is soooo cold here and I have a good friend who still is game to train outside. I feel terrible taking my little girl out when it is 20 degrees and LOTS of wind. Yesterday we were about a mile from home and she was crying because her feet were so cold. Bad mom....
I think the treadmill is my only option during the blahs of winter. Do you have one or a gym nearby? I wish I had a better suggestion. It's nice to know there is a group of us trying to stay motivated.
There are some AMAZING women here with tiny ones getting out there to run. They inspire me to put my shoes on each day.
Glad you are here!
Okay, this has nothing to do with running, but for all you mom's with little girls into princesses or Polly Pockets, I totally scored Christmas presents for free last night.
Mattel has coupons that you can print of their website for $5.00 off any Polly Pocket purchase. I just happened to use them last night and I had 6 Polly's that I was purchasing all at wal-mart for $4.98 each. The cashier let me use 6 coupons at the same time and I ended up getting all the Polly's for free...I only had to pay taxes. What a Deal!!! So I only paid $1.78 in Taxes for $30.00 worth of Disney Polly Pockets. Wow...I am pretty cool...Ya Think?
This is Annie's husband chimming in. You can use the facilities at the hospital if you come at 4:00 when I get off.
I always have a hard time running outside during the winter. Last year was the first time I was consistent for the entire winter. I have a four year old and a one year old so I can relate to your questions. I found that if I could do several weekday runs on my treadmill (I have one at home)while my one year old took a nap at 10:00 am, and the rest outside it was a good balance. I could sleep in a little later for those weekday runs and feel rested. The other days I would meet a freind in the morning before our husbands went to work. And then of course Saturday long runs were done in the morning but not so early that it was still dark. This seemed to work well. I hope it helps. Oh, and also my philosophy is that if I get up early in the morning then I can better justify taking a little rest in the afternoon. This seems to help when that alarm buzzes so early in the morning.
Hi Annie! I'm so glad you've posted. You are definitely not alone. I think we all need a little (a lot?) extra motivation to get out and run when the temperature starts to drop. My best advice is to find someone to run with. It is the only thing that works for me!
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