Annie is always talking about coming over to my house to run because she's tired of the route by her house (but I'm equally tired of the route by my house...LOL!), and it got me thinking about where I've been. I've run off and on since college (you know...when I thought jogging around the park in a sports bra and barely there shorts constituted exercising), but I've only been what I consider a "serious runner" since about January 2010 when I started training for my first 5K. But in that short time, I've gotten to run some pretty cool places, so I thought I'd look back on that for fun...
* The bridge by my house...This may not seem like a "cool place" to run, but when I was fighting through my issues and couldn't exercise, I'd always see people running across the bridge and wish I could be them at that moment. Plus the bridge is about 2 miles from my house (3 if you get all the way over it), so that was "a long way to run" to me back then...LOL! I've now been over it more times than I can count.
* My hometown...I pretty much ran the length of my hometown, got chased by a dog, ran into a family friend, and had to take a few laps around the high school track to get to the distance I needed...LOL! I'm pretty sure most of the people who actually ran track in high school there probably couldn't keep up with me now...score one for the NERDS!
Those were more sentimental places, but I actually got to GO some awesome places, too.
I RAN...
* Around the CDC in Atlanta (I didn't see Dustin Hoffman or Rene Russo or any monkeys).
* Inner Harbor in Baltimore
* Along the James River in Richmond
* Along the Galveston Seawall
* On a gorgeous trail in Seattle (and it was raining so I really got the full Seattle treatment)
* Along Lake Michigan in Chicago
* Along Lake Ontario in Toronto
* Through Silicon Valley in San Jose
* All over San Antonio during my half
* Over the Harbor Bridge in Corpus (a bridge we drove over hundreds maybe thousands of times growing up)
Dear friends who live in cool places...find me a race near you and maybe we'll have an extra excuse to come visit ; )
Mother, wife, PhD scientist, runner, autism advocate...just trying to balance it all one day at a time.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Weight a Minute...
A little history...
I totally realize that there are people with WAY more serious weight issues than I have ever had. I've been pretty lucky. I was a little chubby as a pre-teen, but luckily (and partly stupidly...why did pickles sound like an acceptable lunch idea?) I slimmed down and spent the majority of my high school and college years as one of the "skinny ones" (although no matter how skinny I get, my butt never totally disappears...LOL!).
But like everyone else, my weight fluctuates...
* I was in pretty good shape prior to trying to have kids, but the fertility drugs (and the consolation wine when things failed) left me with about 5-10 extra pounds depending on the stage we were at.
* I gained 33 pounds with Larkin, and I was very lucky to have it all off by the time I realized I was pregnant with Kellen!
* I gained 35 pounds with Kk, and again, I found myself very lucky to take it all off plus another 5-7lbs! I was close to what I consider my ideal goal weight at that point, so I focused on training and not dieting.
When I started training for the marathon last summer, I was probably in the best shape of my life. I had been skinnier in my life, but never as strong and fit, but I knew I could work harder. So I did work harder and train harder...but that extra work made me hungry...really, really hungry. This led to me GAINING about 5-7 lbs by the time I got done with the marathon...what a dummy!
So at the beginning of this week I find myself RIGHT at my pre-kids weight, which mind you is still a good thing, but sort of my "upper limit" of comfort. Needless to say, I have not actually tried to get rid of these extra pounds yet, but this week I decided it was time. I'm actually shooting for 10 lbs total, and I actually feel like that would do wonders for my knees when I start training again in the summer! I'm still feeling really fit right now, but I'm having to take the running slow since I've gotten rid of my knee braces.
It also helps that Patrick is very serious about getting in shape right now (he's just started P90X), so both of us working out and watching our food choices makes it much easier. Realistically, he and I are both about 3 months away from our goals...it will be exciting to see how it all turns out!
I totally realize that there are people with WAY more serious weight issues than I have ever had. I've been pretty lucky. I was a little chubby as a pre-teen, but luckily (and partly stupidly...why did pickles sound like an acceptable lunch idea?) I slimmed down and spent the majority of my high school and college years as one of the "skinny ones" (although no matter how skinny I get, my butt never totally disappears...LOL!).
But like everyone else, my weight fluctuates...
* I was in pretty good shape prior to trying to have kids, but the fertility drugs (and the consolation wine when things failed) left me with about 5-10 extra pounds depending on the stage we were at.
* I gained 33 pounds with Larkin, and I was very lucky to have it all off by the time I realized I was pregnant with Kellen!
* I gained 35 pounds with Kk, and again, I found myself very lucky to take it all off plus another 5-7lbs! I was close to what I consider my ideal goal weight at that point, so I focused on training and not dieting.
When I started training for the marathon last summer, I was probably in the best shape of my life. I had been skinnier in my life, but never as strong and fit, but I knew I could work harder. So I did work harder and train harder...but that extra work made me hungry...really, really hungry. This led to me GAINING about 5-7 lbs by the time I got done with the marathon...what a dummy!
So at the beginning of this week I find myself RIGHT at my pre-kids weight, which mind you is still a good thing, but sort of my "upper limit" of comfort. Needless to say, I have not actually tried to get rid of these extra pounds yet, but this week I decided it was time. I'm actually shooting for 10 lbs total, and I actually feel like that would do wonders for my knees when I start training again in the summer! I'm still feeling really fit right now, but I'm having to take the running slow since I've gotten rid of my knee braces.
It also helps that Patrick is very serious about getting in shape right now (he's just started P90X), so both of us working out and watching our food choices makes it much easier. Realistically, he and I are both about 3 months away from our goals...it will be exciting to see how it all turns out!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
"3"
Disclaimer: Birthday + New Camera + 2 People Taking Pictures + Camera-happy Preschooler = no way to choose which pics to post!
She's three. How did that happen? It feels like yesterday that I was sitting in the NICU beside her isolette just longing to hold her. I had waited so long to hold my own child, and it was such a cruel joke that I got to take her home only to have her back in the NICU the next morning.
Three years ago today, I was sitting there diligently watching this...
And that miracle has now grown into this...
She really had an amazing birthday. She went to school and celebrated with her friends. The next morning she opened more presents and then we went to our first kids' birthday party we've ever thrown. She totally owned that place. We quickly learned that our daughter is a ringleader (and that Kellen is a rebel, but really that's not much of a surprise). To hear and see her interact with the girls in her preschool class was so unbelievably cute.
Presents...a new aquarium (which ended up being two aquariums and a rotating crew of fish...don't ask!)
A Mercedes...hmmm, Papa and Nina don't forget my b-day is in June...
A new bike...hopefully she'll have better skills than me and not run into any parked cars...
Party...I highly recommend a place like this. Kids run wild, parents watch, the mess stays there!
Most of the kids lined up...guess who's running around like crazy in front of them...LOL!
Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles...
We may be cute, but we're still tough.
Papa this doesn't look very safe!
Could this cake be more Larkin?
I may have been up past midnight making all those hairbows...
But all the work we put into this first party was completely worth it to see my chicken having the time of her life!
She's three. How did that happen? It feels like yesterday that I was sitting in the NICU beside her isolette just longing to hold her. I had waited so long to hold my own child, and it was such a cruel joke that I got to take her home only to have her back in the NICU the next morning.
Three years ago today, I was sitting there diligently watching this...
And that miracle has now grown into this...
She really had an amazing birthday. She went to school and celebrated with her friends. The next morning she opened more presents and then we went to our first kids' birthday party we've ever thrown. She totally owned that place. We quickly learned that our daughter is a ringleader (and that Kellen is a rebel, but really that's not much of a surprise). To hear and see her interact with the girls in her preschool class was so unbelievably cute.
Presents...a new aquarium (which ended up being two aquariums and a rotating crew of fish...don't ask!)
A Mercedes...hmmm, Papa and Nina don't forget my b-day is in June...
A new bike...hopefully she'll have better skills than me and not run into any parked cars...
Party...I highly recommend a place like this. Kids run wild, parents watch, the mess stays there!
Most of the kids lined up...guess who's running around like crazy in front of them...LOL!
Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles...
We may be cute, but we're still tough.
Papa this doesn't look very safe!
Could this cake be more Larkin?
I may have been up past midnight making all those hairbows...
But all the work we put into this first party was completely worth it to see my chicken having the time of her life!
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