Post-Baby Walks & Runs

Several walks with baby.

Some runs:
11/2 Outside 12:19 1.25
11/5 23: 43 315 cals 2.25
11/8 1.25

Flip Flop Walk

It was 80 degrees out and I sat on the front porch reading some of the newspaper. That lasted for about 10 minutes before I overheated. I decided I wanted to shower and right before taking my shower I decided instead to walk. I had wanted to walk but knew it was too hot out seeing that I couldn't even sit outside. But the great thing is I have the treadmill. I knew socks and shoes would make me feel too hot, so instead I just wore my flip flops.

I started off at 3.3mph and tried to bump it up to 3.4mph and immediately learned that was too fast. I walked 1 lap at 3.3mph. I felt good, and perhaps warmed up, so I mentally pumped myself up to walk a touch faster and 3.4mph felt fine. I walked the rest mostly at 3.4, only scaling it back to 3.3 for a little bit.

I listened to Marketplace Money and carried the 2lb weights in my hands. The walk felt good. I was hoping it would kick start labor a little bit, but alas it did not. It was good to get a workout in before showering and relaxing for the rest of the day.

Total Workout: 1.0 miles in 17:54 107cals.

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1553.0
Weight: 166.0

Old Fashioned Walk

I spent the day doing dishes and laundry - specifically baby laundry - getting everything in ship shape for the little one's arrival. The little pumpkin should be here really soon and we are doing our best to get ready. I complimented the chores with a PBS documentary and ice cream followed up by a lengthy nap. I didn't think I was that tired but I couldn't get myself to unsleep and get off the couch. Eventually I did and Ryan and I went out on a walk in the semi-muggy, overcast evening. The walk felt good, though walking uphill was a burning challenge - both in my lungs and legs. We walked for 20 minutes and made it back just in time for the start of our favorite radio program. We also made it back just in time as it had started drizzling, thundering in the distance, and soon rained solidly. It was great to get moving and I felt good for having gotten out. The walk itself felt fine too. Total Workout: 1.0

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1552.0
Weight: 166.0

Biting Off More Than I Can Shoe

There is a large Rubber Ducky on the river, so of course I have to go see it. I deemed myself to be feeling pretty good and so I went for it and walked there. I knew that it would require I walk 1.0 miles and I worried that I would be biting off more than I could shoe.

I took my water bottle, wallet, and phone and off I went. It was only 71 degrees but it felt very very hot. There were a lot of other people interested in this 40 foot inflated duck, and rightfully so. I got someone to take my picture so I could be in a picture with an equally rotund and waddly fellow.

Once I was over there I took my time - taking pictures, wandering around looking for other angles for photos.Then I waddled back to the office. The puns associated with this Rubber Ducky visit have been amazing and now that I got to see the duck and have my own photos I finally got to partake.

Here are some of my puns:

• If he is too big to fit under the bridges maybe he should duck.
• Irish ducks ask: Where's the quack?
• What the duck?
• The eye witness confirmed: He's the one. 
• It's not all it's quacked up to be. 
• The sight of it quacks me up. 

After the walk I was very hot sitting in the office for a little while. But I soon recovered and cooled down. I blame being overly hot on the fact I was wearing socks and shoes -- if I could have taken those off and put on flip-flops I would have felt so much better. I kept thinking of a modified Indiana Jones quote: "I shoes poorly."

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1551.0
Weight: 165.0

Bad Decision Made Worse

I went to work because all afternoon I was going to be able to take it easy and sit at a ballpark and watch baseball. This ended up being a bad decision.

I had to walk to the ballpark. Which was unpleasant due to the hot sun. I felt very warm. Then our seats were in the sun. I already could barely breathe due to the cold and being in the hot, sunny sun put me over the top. Well, probably eating a hot cheeseburger added those few extra degrees. I lasted in the sun about 10 minutes before Matt told me I didn't look good and needed to get in the shade. I did get a sunburn on my chest and face and arms from those few minutes - that's how much I've avoided being in the sun this summer. 

I then sat in the shade with him for awhile, then moved to a place in the shade where we could actually see the game. Fortunately Ryan was at this same game with his work and so he came over and hung out with me. Eventually we went to his section, which was in the shade. He went back to his seat and I just wandered around, stood around, sat around trying to stay cool. It was in the low 70s but I was struggling. I found a little spot to watch the game and half-lean/stand on a railing. I did that for a few innings and before the game ended Ryan and I left.

The nice thing was Ryan had driven in so I had a ride home. The downside was we had to walk quite aways across a parking lot to get to the car. I was dragging by the time we reached the car, very overheated, very uncomfortable, and ready for a nap.

All-in-all I walked more than 1.5 miles.

New Miles: 1.5
Total Miles: 1550.0

Walk of Misery

I walked .75 miles trying to catch a bus. I missed it. I walked to a different stop, which was closer to where I had started. Grabbed Subway. An hour later got the next bus and went home and worked and tried to rest. I did not successfully avoid Ryan's cold and have it pretty bad. Walking was the last thing I wanted to do.

New Miles: 0.75
Total Miles: 1548.5
Weight: ~162.0

Aw Cold Snap!

Well Fall seems to be upon us as it was supposedly 57 degrees and it felt very chilled. My nose was cold all day - which is usually the preceding sign to my forming a cold. Ryan has had a cold all week that I diligently worked to avoid, but my efforts may not worked. He sounded and felt pretty awful so I really, really hope I don't develop it. But I can feel my body starting to come down with something. I keep trying to send mental messages to stop and be healthy. Hopefully that works.

Also with this coldness my previously broken right ankle now hurts. My foot gets stiff then hurts when I go to move. So this is not welcomed. I like pumpkins, the colorful trees, and food of fall - but the coldness can stay away.

After another day of not really walking this week I was feeling down about not having walked. I realized I could change that and so I decided to walk on the treadmill. First I needed Ryan's help putting on my socks -- as it is difficult to reach my toes. I was able to fanagle my shoes on and tie them myself. But that is definitely a sign I am very pregnant. And it is hard to believe I am due in less than 5 weeks now!

When I stepped on the treadmill I hit 4.0mph and pressed down to 3.8mph. It crossed my mind that I used to go the other way and bump it up. But slower is my speed now, and to be safe I need it to be. What surprised me though was that just shy of a lap I was struggling - my side started to stitch and I knew I needed to back off to not overdo it. So down went the numbers another 0.2 -- to 3.6mph. That felt much better and I enjoyed the good walk. I read The Atlantic and walked along - so a doubly productive walk.

Next on my night's agenda is to drink some tea and think healthy thoughts.

Total Miles: 1.0 miles 16:31 at 3.6mph

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1547.75

Weight: 160.0

Lost & Found Walk Across Town

Ryan had to come downtown to collect his lost then found wallet. The nice thing was it got me a ride home with him and a walk in since I had to walk across town to meet up with him.  Ironically the way we took out of town took me right past my work building and so I really could have not walked at all. But it was nice to get out into the muggy, post-rain evening and get exercise. Total Workout: 0.5 miles

New Miles: 0.5
Total Miles: 1546.75
Weight: 160.0

Frustrated by Inactivity

There is so much I want to do and so much I can't that I feel frustrated. And not only am I frustrated I am taking my frustration out by also being frustrated at Ryan. I realized this today so I could finally explain why I keep getting annoying at the projects he is not working on - both the ones he is in the middle of and the ones he says he will do. I realized I am not frustrated at him but at my inability to do anything.

I can't lift things to move furniture that needs to be moved in preparation for the new carpet we are getting. I can't clean the side of the house with the overgrowing plants because that would be too taxing -- and also because there is poison ivy there -- which I have been fighting off on my ankles.

I can't run. When I walk I quickly tire and quickly need to pee. I am finally feeling my pregnancy weight in full effect. I can't stop eating sweets (or making them (so many cookies!!)). My heartburn is much better but sometimes pops up. My poison ivy itchiness is driving me bonkers and swelling up my right ankle and foot to gross proportions -though I am relieved that the doctor confirmed it is poison ivy. (Good news: The doctor confirmed it is poison ivy. Bad news: I have poison ivy.)

After some time feeling listless and trying to figure out something productive to do I decided to go on a walk despite the mid-afternoon heat. I also decided that I was going to walk farther than usual and just take my time and try to tire myself out - to drain off some excess energy that keeps just taking shape as frustration.

I filled up my water bottle and headed off. I went out and around the school, near the track, and back. But on the way back I stopped at the dollar store and bought a bunch of pink cups, plates, napkins, and plasticware for the coming weekend's baby shower. They also have pink table covers and I may go back for those, but I settled on those necessary items for now. I got three bags of stuff - semi-heavy but not unmanageable, and I headed back home. The walk back felt tougher - obviously due to the extra weight. But I went nice and slow and just chugged along. Listening to the Dinner Party Download helped - and my walk and shopping ended up taking the length of an episode.

I got back and felt toasty - as it was quite toasty in the sun. But once in the shade it was very pleasant. I sat on the porch a little as Ryan did the yard work I had guilted him into doing. I then ate some cereal and realized one area I could be productive in was with cooking dinner - so I got out the recipe book and found a chicken recipe that seemed to work nicely with the ingredients I had around. And so I experimented and for dinner we are having a modified version of Chicken Tagine with Couscous. As I finish writing this post Ryan doesn't yet know I cooked something so I look forward to him discovering this, and I hope it makes up for some of my unfair frustration venting I have been taking out on him.

New Miles: 1.5
Total Miles: 1546.25
Weight: 161.4 ... after a big brunch with several donuts... felt super gross when I got on the scale and seeing the scale number didn't help... especially since I know that all recent weight is from junk food.

Too Hot to Trot

On Friday I meant to get out and walk, but it got late and Ryan said he had planned on leaving at 7 -- and as I was debating whether or not I was going to join him I figured it wasn't safe to leave. I should have asked how he was doing time-wise or realized he notoriously runs late -- and I could have gotten my walk in with ample time to spare. But instead I sat on a chair thinking about walking and thinking about what I wanted to do with my night.

In the end I decided to go with him to the Irish Festival and listen to him play. I wandered away a little to buy raffle tickets and some food and a song they play came over the speakers and I thought "Oh the band plays this song. I'm sure I'll hear this again soon." then "Wait a second that's Ryan!" -- and I realized they were pumping the sound from the stage into the tent area I was in. So I hurried back so I could catch as much of it as possible.

During the performance Ryan's dad gave Ryan a shout-out for his pending Fatherhood, and me a shout out too - so I stood up and waved to everyone. Then a member of the band gave Ryan's dad a shout out for his pending Grandparenthood. It was very sweet.

On Saturday I was determined to get a walk in. In the afternoon I headed out and didn't even make it to the top of the hill before I deemed it too hot. I turned around and went back home. I knew it wasn't going to go well if I tried walking outside, so instead I went inside and got the long forgotten treadmill cued up and I walked on it.

I carried the 2lb weights as I walked since I need to get some sort of muscle strength in preparation for holding this baby. I know 2lbs is measly but it at least is something! I walked at 3.8mph and that felt fast but not like I was pushing it - so nicely in the upper bounds of the sweet spot. Total Workout: 1.0 in 15:49

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1544.75
Weight: 159.0

Chilly Night

The day was nice, but by 7pm it had already cooled significantly and I needed a longsleeved shirt. I am not ready for it to be chilly! I like being warm and comfortable. Being chilly reminds me that a cool Fall is right around the corner and a very cold Winter is immediately behind that. I want it to be warm and comfortable all the time!

Ryan and I walked the neighborhood as per the usual route and did 1.0.

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1543.75
Weight: ~160.0

Evening Walk

Ryan and I went on a walk in the evening. It was nice and warm and I was comfortable wearing shorts and a tank top. Ryan complained that it was too hot.

My feet have been swelling up and my right one has a bad case of poison ivy so it is even extra swollen and gross. I have taken to calling my feet Lord Swellington - just because. Wearing socks makes my right ankle itchy so that has been fun. But at least walking is distracting to an extent.

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1542.75
Weight: 158.8... so probably more like 160.0

Simple Walk

Ryan worked on clearing plants and brush from the driveway as we are going to have it resealed soon; he was very busy and working up a sweat.

I ended up simply going on my new normal walk around the neighborhood and doing 1.0. When I returned I helped Ryan a little bit by moving an empty wheelbarrow to him and sweeping up some brush for him to shovel up.

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1541.75
Weight: 158.0

Burning Heart

Prenatal check up today got me weighed in on an official, calibrated scale and a prescription to treat my ridiculous heartburn. It also got me to walk 1.0 miles so that I could go get my prescription from the store.

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1540.75
Weight: 158.0

Tired but Restless

Hard to explain my energy level, but I was very physically tired but restless. I was very sore from cleaning the basement a little and standing at a wedding reception for a while and from staying up til 1am. My body felt like I had run a half marathon. But despite my soreness I wanted to do things -- but since I can't do too much I couldn't be very productive. Ryan however had a busy day with some yard work and ripping up hallway carpet.

After a long day of wanting to do things and not doing much I was restless so I got myself up and went on a walk. I reached my turn around point and noticed a lot of smoke in the air near a house. After a few seconds of contemplating whether or not to check it out I decided to check it out and make sure it was just a grill rather than a house fire. The air didn't smell one way or the other which also required the visual inspection. I walked down and fortunately it was just a very smokey grill.

On my walk back I passed a house that had a lawnmower and weed whacker in the front yard. It looked like it was for anyone to take, but it wasn't clear. On my walk out I thought about asking the homeowner about them if the person happened to be out. And on the walk back the homeowner was out. I walked a few steps past but went back and asked. Not only were they for the taking and free but the two work perfectly fine! The guy, Jake, bought new ones because he had had a stroke and needed more self-propelled versions. The man is only in his mid-to-late 30s so that was rather shocking. I called Ryan to come pick them up, since I didn't want to overexert myself pushing them up the hill. I felt a tad guilty taking them - as we don't need them. However, the plan is to find someone who needs them or to give them to our friend Jef who "collects" yard tools and I'm sure could find them a home(s) where they are needed.

Total Workout: 1.1+

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1539.75
Weight: 155.4

Feels Greater than it is

On Monday I walked to the park, sat on a bench, rested my eyes for a handful of minutes, then stood up and did some stretching. If I've learned anything from that difficult stretching the other day it's that I should stretch more! I almost didn't care if it looked weird. I figured people would be like "That's strange. Oh she's pregnant. Nevermind."Since the walk there and back is 0.3+ I figure I will count 0.25 towards my Journey total since it was a walk, especially since it felt harder to do than a measly 0.25 miles. As I neared the building a lady whose name I cannot remember and a guy I've never talked to before were outside smoking. The guy said "You having a girl?" I said that I was. He said, "I'm correct 90-95% of the time."; proud of his correct guess. We chatted for a bit. They told me I looked healthy and good, so that was nice to hear. And then I did a "cool down" by sitting in the air conditioning. Total Workout: 0.25

Today I was inner-monologue-lamenting the fact I haven't walked in a number of days. And lo and behold I was surprised into having to walk. How is this possible? It happens when you forget you are going out to lunch for a co-worker's last day and the restaurant is <0.5 miles away. I walked there, ate some yummy food, walked back to work = 0.75 miles (I could've sworn it was farther than that!). Then after work was a happy hour for the same guy and I had to walk there and then over to my bus - adding on 0.3+. Total Walk: 0.75 + 0.25 = 1.0

New Miles: 0.25 + 1.0 = 1.25
Total Miles: 1538.75
Weight: 153.6ish

Stretching from My Comfort Zone

Incredibly tired all day due to two odd nights' sleep and the fact I am growing a human. I laid around for a while, feeling in a funk. Then I rolled myself off the couch and made myself stretch.

I put the yoga mat on the living room floor and did a handful of yoga poses and stretches my pregnancy book recommended. It was incredibly difficult! My legs felt like rubber and weird. My body didn't want to move. Simply changing posture from my normal sitting and standing was a work out! But I forced myself to do 5 sets of 10 second deep squats, with some pause/recovery in between. I wasn't huffing and puffing but I was grunting.

I did warrior pose, and some other pose I can't remember the name of. I did your basic static stretches. I did several calf stretches whilst extending my opposite arm over my head - I like that the best, not only because I kept good balance but also because it felt good but the most effortless of all the stretches.

After all that stretching I told Ryan how hard stretching felt. He said "I know. It didn't look good." -- as in all that struggling I was doing to move my body was very obvious. All the grunting was also a likely give away that each movement was in itself a workout.

But then after that we went outside and got a 1.0 mile walk in and that felt good and not like a big struggle. So at least I can do something! During the walk we discovered that 4 big trees that lined a section of our walk along the sidewalk have been cut down. It looks very different. And the summer night air was filled with the smell of freshly cut wood/sawdust.

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1537.5
Weight: 153.6 ...because I actually took the time to weigh myself.

Two-in-One

During lunch time Matt and I went out on a 1.0 walk. In the evening Ryan and I went walking. It was a good active day and evening. And helped me cover some ground which I have been a bit lax on covering.

New Miles: 1.0 + 1.0
Total Miles: 1536.5
Weight: 153.0ish+

Come on on a walk with me

The first part of my evening included 1.5 hours at the library printing historical documents for the upcoming Family Reunion. The second part of my evening included a nice walk around the block with Ryan.

I have really been enjoying our walks and the fact he is willing to come along. I especially like when he sings my "Come on on a walk with me" song as we venture out.

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1534.5
Weight: 153.0ish+

Delightful Evening Walk

After a nice weekend relaxing at the lake with friends, and a relaxing day at home, Ryan and I went out on a walk in the evening. Rain clouds had moved in but it was still hot, and not raining. We went around the neighborhood.

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1533.5
Weight: 153.0

A Baseball Park Walk

I walked to a restaurant downtown to meet Ryan for dinner, but it was too busy - so we changed locations by walking more, across a very big parking lot - to a bar. We sat around waiting for the baseball game to start - which was delayed due to a torrential downpour. Ryan's parents arrived and we walked into the game, a long way around the ballpark to our seats. Then after a very exciting game we walked back to the car. All that walking added up - I ended up doing 1.75 miles on the day.

New Miles: 1.75
Total Miles: 1532.5
Weight: 150.0+

Quality Walk

I got home from work and queued up the laptop to edit the baby shower invite and review the baby registry. I wanted to do a few quick things and not settle in, as I wanted to get out and walk. I told Ryan this and asked if he wanted to go.

And he actually gave an enthusiastic "OK!" I was shocked and very pleasantly surprised. After about 10 more minutes we got ready and headed out into the night. We walked up past the library, around the school near the track, and then Ryan remembered he had previously seen an asphalt paving/sealing company sign along the main road so we turned around and heading away from home. We walked a little bit, but never saw the sign (and we had opened up our eyes yet we didn't see the sign). So we turned around and went home.

During our walk we talked about our baby, fishing, his latest findings on reddit, and just many random, nice things. It was a pleasant way to spend quality time together in the 80ish-though-coolish degree evening. We did 1.75 miles in 35:48.

New Miles: 1.75
Total Miles: 1530.75
Weight: ~150.0 (I've been fluctuating up-and-down within 1+pound of 150.0)

Run-Walk

I was itching to get outside. Ryan happened to mention he was driving over to the high school field to do sprint work. Perfect opportunity!! I also wanted to run, but new I wouldn't be able to run-run. But I wanted to try moving faster than a walk.

We got to the field and punted a soccer ball back and forth some, warming up. Then I started trotting along, out and around the football end post, across the field to the other end and around that end post, then back to my starting point - making a large triangle. I grabbed some water. Then I did it again. After a quick swig of water I decided to modify the running I was doing as it felt rather taxing. Instead I decided to ping-pong from the water bottle on the sideline to around the field goal post - running 2 lengths then walking 1. Adding in the walking was key - it kept me feeling comfortable and not too taxed.

After 5 out-and-backs I grabbed a sip of water then I kept going and did 6 more. I then cooled down by walking around the entire field - where I paused for a minute and watched a yellow finch eat some tall grass seed. I wrapped it up at the end with a few walking lunges.

It was definitely demanding, but I didn't feel like I overexerted myself. I could see just how hard it is going to be to get back into shape, let alone training for another half marathon. But I'll worry about that later, all I can do is focus on now and keeping myself properly healthy.

New Miles: 1.25
Total Miles: 1529.0
Weight: ~150.0

Stroll Around the Block

Felt like I was wasting my night away and wanted to get outside on the cool evening and so I started to get ready for a walk. I asked Ryan if he wanted to go, not actually expecting him to say ok - but he did! We headed out on a nice stroll, which slowed down toward the end due to Ryan rather than due to me. So I felt a bit of a victory over that. I continued to plug away at pace, with my water in hand.

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1527.75
Weight: ~150.0

Evening Walk

Went on another 1.5 mile walk around the neighborhood. On the way home bought a pulled pork Subway sandwich which I then split with Ryan when he returned from his run.

On my way back a neighbor was out and I said "Hi" and went and talked to him -- as he and his wife are also expecting. We talked for ~10 minutes about baby-prep. Then I finished up my walk, a few minutes before Ryan returned from his run.

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1526.75
Weight: ~150.0

Plastic Legs

So much sitting. Legs felt so tight and weird and like plastic. Had to get a solid walk in to try to work out the kinks and get my legs back to feeling like legs.

New Miles: 1.5
Total Miles: 1525.25
Weight ~150.0

Lunch and Tailgate

Lunch Walk 1.0
Tailgate Walk 1.0+

New Miles: 1.0 + 1.0 = 2.0
Total Miles: 1523.75
Weight: ~150.0

Zoo Walk

1.6+ miles. Walked around zoo with bridgette, took pics, ate lunch, ate dippin' dots.

New Miles: 1.5
Total Miles: 1521.75
Weight: ~150.0 (though in the morning I weighed in at 146.6)

Afternoon Walk

1.5 mile walk in 29:22

New Miles: 1.5
Total Miles: 1520.25
Weight: ~150.0

Family Walk

1.35 family walk + other walking. twilight walk with fam on trail.

New Miles: 1.5
Total Miles: 1518.75
Weight: ~150.0

Lunch Walk

Went out to lunch with a few co-workers. Walked there in a rain-cloud overcast. Walked back in the rain. Luckily Matt knew the best route to take thru buildings to keep us out of the rain as much as possible, so that worked pretty well.

In the evening I didn't walk or run. But I did run around with Ryan like a crazy person when a fierce downpour started filling up our basement steps and spilling into our basement. It apparently does this and we are trying to make it stop. The good thing was we could see it in person. But it was also sad to see just how bad it was. Should be an interesting experience to solve this Home Ownership Funness.

New Miles: 0.5
Total Miles: 1517.25
Weight: 146.0

Tracking the Morning

I woke and finally a day was not a humid upper 70 quickly into the 80s day and so around 930am I went to the track and walked. It was a cool, comfortable day, in the low 70s with rain clouds overhead. I walked my 1.0 in 19:14. I felt good until I stopped. The moment I stopped my stomach got crampy and I got home as fast as possible. I was fine right away but man was that unpleasantness a surprise!

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1516.75
Weight: 145.2 somehow.

Immediate Regrets

Temperatures were going up to the low-90s but with a Feels Like of 100 degrees. By lunch time it was only 80-something so I decided to go on a walk. I really wanted to get out and move, I didn't really want to be outside in the heat. But given that the only option I had to get moving outside was to be in the heat I rolled up my pant legs, donned my hat and went leisurely walking to the state park. At my turn around point I sat in the mist of the fountain for a few minutes. I then headed back.

I took my water bottle with me and every minute I drank some. It was much needed. I felt fine while I was walking but as soon as I was back and resting up I felt as though perhaps I shouldn't have gone out. The good thing was I was then able to sit still for the next 4 hours and recover.

I know better. I know I should stay in the air conditioning. And yes, I love being in the air conditioning. But I also want to make sure I stay moving and fit. So I made my choice, and it wasn't horrible. Until I got a minute to reflect on it after it was all said and done. And that is when I realized I should probably have chosen to be a lump. I don't think the walk did anything bad, it was just taxing and I hadn't realized that it was until it was over. I learned I need to tell myself no sometimes even though that's hard to do.

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1515.75
Weight: ~146.0

Taking My Temperature

The temps were in the 90s. At 6:30pm I got the lawn mower out to see if being outside and working out felt okay by leisurely cutting the backyard grass for 45 minutes. It felt fine, so once I finished I went on a 1.0 walk around the neighborhood for 20 minutes.

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1514.75
Weight: ~146.0

Not much of anything

There were bad thunderstorms all day. In the evening it cleared up a bit and I decided to go walk. I got up the hill and heard thunder. I turned back around and walked home. No need to be caught out in a thunderstorm. I did between .25-.5 so to err on the side of calculation caution I'll say it was .25

New Miles: 0.25
Total Miles: 1513.75
Weight: ~148.0

Mow Yard. Mow Yard.

I got to work from home today and that left me with a little extra time in my night. I knew Ryan had planned on cutting the grass, but I also knew he was doing it because he had to. I also knew he wasn't home yet.

So to be helpful I decided I would cut the backyard. I also wanted to do some sort of physical activity and so figured that was the most productive thing I could do. When I finished the back I did the easy sideyard since that is flat. Since Ryan wasn't yet home I then started on the front yard to do some of it - so that he had less to do.

Eventually I looked up and I had done most of the yard. Since it would have been silly to leave a little piece for him to cut I decided to cut the rest so he didn't have to change and get sweaty all over one small section of the yard. As I was finishing up that last section Ryan pulled into the driveway. Figures. Not that I am complaining, because I clearly freely and happily chose to cut the grass. But his timing is usually pretty impeccable for these types of things -- I'll just be wrapping up something, sit down, and within one minute he is home and it looks like I've done nothing. At least this time I was still actively mowing.

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1513.5
Weight: ~148.0

Vacation Walks

Saturday, June 29 - Ryan and I drove to the Philadelphia suburbs and saw my best friend Sarah and her husband Brian and talked with her for 2 hours. Then we drove a few miles to my aunt's house where my two cousins, their one friend, and some of my family were for dinner and a good night's sleep. We feasted. Then some of us somehow went on a walk. Ryan and I first went up the hill ourselves to see the sunset for a few minutes, then back - doing ~0.5 miles. As we were coming back Bridgette and Dan were heading out then my cousin Sean and friend Tony decided they would walk too and so Sean led us in the opposite direction out of the neighborhood and onto a path that led into the woods. When the place he wanted to show us was described it didn't sound like that far of a walk. When we actually walked it it was far and I wanted to go home. But I didn't. Instead I walked with them, got bit by some mosquitos in the woods, then walked back. At least the path was paved and the company was good. Walked 1.0+. Total Workout: ~0.5 + 1.-+ = 1.5 miles.

Sunday, June 30 - Drove 3 hours, due to bad driving conditions, to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware for our Beach Vacation 2013! Got in, got changed, walked 1.0 to the beach. Nice, hot sun. Got feet wet in the ocean. Relaxed on the beach. Hung out there for ~2 hours then walked back 1.0. In the evening we drove to the beach area and got some ice cream. And then we swung by the Dogfish Head Brew Pub where I had sniffs of delicious-smelling beers. Total Workout: 2.0 miles

Sunday, July 1 - Rainy day then cloudy. Drove to the beach and stayed there for hours, played a Skee Ball Tournament where I learned I was bad at Skee Ball. At night we walked 0.5 miles to the Dogfish Head Brew Pub, and several delicious beers later (as consumed and stated by everyone else), walked 0.5 miles back. Total Workout: 1.0.

Wednesday, July 3 - We got to the beach around 10am. Ryan and I stayed until 4:30pm. The rest of my fam stayed until about 6pm. At 4:30pm Ryan and I decided to walk back to the hotel. It was very hot and sunny, and by the end I had wished there was an ocean I could have jumped into. Total Workout: 1.0 miles

Friday, July 5 - Back in the suburbs of Philly for my brother-in-law's wedding and wedding festivities. As Ryan was out golfing with his dad and two relatives I was at the hotel reading my book. For 2.0 miles worth of my book I was on a treadmill walking. I walked those 2.0 miles in about 38 minutes.

New Miles: 1.5 + 2.0 + 1.0  + 1.0 + 2.0 = 7.5
Total Miles: 1512.5
Weight: 142.4-146.4 (Yikes! But that's vacation for you! Nothing like encouraging a baby bump to bump out than feeding the baby overloads of food and goodies and lemonade!)

Hodge Podge Mile

Walk during lunch with the main goal of finding a shady spot to rest and rest my eyes for a few minutes. Ended up almost walking a full mile between the out and back. But it was just shy. Luckily in the evening was a Banshees practice and I remembered it was happening and I went. I ran a warm-up lap around the field, which is just under 0.25 miles - thus giving me a full mile on the day.

I also helped set up some drills, then ref'ed the scrimmage - my reffing consisted of keeping track of the time and wandering around the field watching the play and telling people good job. I "blew the whistle" twice, and one time they listened. It was nice to be out and see some old faces again along with some new ones.

The one problem is the field where they are practicing is undergoing track renovations so they have closed and locked the gates. However, there is one gate that has a large space off the ground which you can lay on the ground and climb up hill to get thru. I did that. But I don't think I'll be able to do that for much longer. Getting in isn't so bad. But getting back out is challenging. Once I am more fully-tummied I am not going to be able to contort myself so well.

New Miles: 0.85 + 0.25 = 1.0
Total Miles: 1505.0
Weight: 140.8

Lunch Walk

Walk during lunch with Matt, his suggestion. We ran into a former co-worker of ours and chatted for a few minutes. It was nice to be social and active.

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1504.0
Weight: 141.0

I Repeat Myself

Having accomplished my goal I feel so free. Not that my journey was a burden, so it's more like the freedom of feeling like I am truly walking for me. I have been walking and running for myself, but without it going towards a goal it is like giving a humdrum mile a special status. I value and cherish this mile for what it is. It has no baggage added to it. It is a distance set before me that I do because I do it.

Lunch was sunny and around 90 degrees and so I went out and I walked 1.0 in the sun. I took a full water bottle with me. Also, just over half a mile in I found a perfect bench in the shade and took a semi-nap for 10 minutes. The walk and nap were both needed to wake me us for the afternoon.

In the evening I thought about going out shopping for sunblock. Instead I went to the track. I donned my maternity belt. I walked half a mile for warm up, stretched, drank a few sips of water, and then for 1.25 miles I did 100m on/100m off repeats of walking/running. After .5 miles of it I gave myself a water break. Then .5 later I felt a slight pain in my lower side. I ignored it for one more lap and then for another 100m, because I wanted to keep running. As I ran I hoped I was fine, as I don't want to push myself too much. Then I walked a lap, stretched, drank the rest of my water and went home. Total Workout: 2.0 miles in 2X:XX.

3.0 miles for myself today! I feel so good with my changing body and very rapidly growing baby bump. I want to stay fit and moving and healthy, especially as my body changes so I stay strong and ready for the physical challenges that lie ahead.

New Miles: 1.0 + 2.0 = 3.0
Total Miles: 1503.0
Weight: 141.4

My 1500th Mile - A Journey Complete!

With temps in the upper 80s Saturday was no day to walk. Today was barely better, but only because it was still bright and early when we all gathered round and ate breakfast and discussed walking. A number of people were on board from the first mention (Bridgette, Dan, Charlie, Rory, Devin, Alanna, Kyle), with a few hesitant participants (Emily) who were convinced to join. And one tricked participate (Sean) who has just awoken as we were heading out and was told our uncle has seen something interesting just up the road for us to check out.

Initially I had talked about doing just 1.0 miles, and got everyone on board with that. Because I know I did at least 0.5 miles walking around all weekend. But then I figured if I was going to count that I could really count a lot more and would probably have less than one mile left. So in a decision to make it even and a true, well-measured final 1.5 miles I decided we'd just walk 1.5 miles and all, except for Bridgette who agreed to my plan, would be none-the-wiser.

The day was already toasty in the sun, but luckily much of the walk was up a gravel road in the shade. How we ended up walking was in three groups, with individual and cross discussions happening. The pace was a light walk, which was well and good because the purpose was not to do it for time but for the time together. We saw a deer cross the road, a run down trailer we said was Alanna's, a half dead frog that I made fully dead (by accident, I was told I tramped on it after the fact and that Em had seen a leg twitching), and a yard with a small railroad track in it.

We reached a driveway which was 0.75 miles out from the house, and so the turn around point, and we all got a fit of the giggles and just couldn't stop laughing. It all started as we thought about what Sean must be thinking, since we never came across the interesting thing he thought he was going to see. We kept laughing for a solid minute, or even more. I never did hear what Sean's reaction was other than I believe he said, "What is happening?" as we turned around.

Dan asked what my favorite mile was, and it is a provocative question. I said, "Each one was special in its own way." in a voice not unlike a mother who has been asked to pick her favorite kid. And despite providing the quick-and-easy response for humor, there is a truth to it. I could not reach 1500 miles without each individual mile that has made up this journey. Some I loved doing for myself, some I loved to do with others, and some I did because I had to do them (for myself). Some made me think, some made me appreciate life and my abilities to walk and run, and some were a struggle. But each one contributed to my progress in getting back to me being me. I am fit. I am healthy. My life is back on track. My life has exciting opportunities ahead of me.

As Rory so insightfully pointed out - this is not my final mile, as when I finish it it's not that I would instantly be paralyzed and never able to walk again. And gratefully so! It is just the completion of a goal, set for myself and gratefully achieved. I will keep running, walking, and journeying. It's just on to the next mile.

Within a few dozen yards of the driveway, and the end point of my 1500.0 miles, the group started a slow clap. It was such a loving gesture and filled my heart with happiness and I felt the love. The clapping got faster and faster and then it died out when I still had about 6 feet to go. I said I wasn't finished yet and to keep clapping, and laughed. Rory said, "Hey. It feels like we've slowed down." And I am sure we did slow down, because when someone is slow-clapping for you see if you hurry up and complete the thing that has made them clap really loudly for you. Do you want that clapping to end any sooner than it has to? They all started clapping again and laughed -- the laughter and clapping carrying me through those last few feet.

Not everyone gets a walking ovation when they hit a milestone. Many accomplishments go unnoticed, unrecognized. And knowing that you have achieved the thing you set out to achieve is indeed rewarding in and of itself. However, if you have the chance to be with those that love and support you, it is also very nice to have your accomplishment recognized with clapping, laughter, and hugs.

On to the next mile!...

Everyone who walked my final mile with me! :) Such love!

New Miles: 1.5
Total Miles: 1500.0!
Miles Remaining: 0.0!
Weight: 142.8 (after a long, delicious weekend)

Lunch Walk & Sit

I got outside to enjoy the sunny day with temps in the upper 70s. I brought my book, determined to sit and just relax outside. I walked over to the park, sat down and read for 15 minutes. Then I got up and walked around a little bit - because as I sat I realized that I sit all day and this was my one good chance to get my blood flowing. So I got in a little bit of both - relaxing and walking.

I did just 0.5 miles but it moves me that much closer to my end point. And it has worked out that I will after all be with my family for the final mile -- so I do have the opportunity to complete my journey physically beside those who love me and support my journey.

New Miles: 0.5
Total Miles: 1498.5
Miles Remaining: 1.5
Weight: 138.2(?)

Lunch Walk

Temps in the low 70s and sunny. I got out and walked just over 1.0 miles during lunch. While I walked I thought "Why not take a minute and just sit and enjoy the outdoors?" But my feet never got the message and I just kept barreling along. Eventually I did pass the message to my feet, found a good spot to just stop and look at and enjoyed the world, sat there for 5 minutes. Then kept walking along. 

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1498.0
Miles Remaining: 2.0
Weight: 137.8

Searching for Perfection. Finding Myself.

The day was overcast, with forecasted afternoon showers. The temp was in the low 70s. I went on a walk that was just over 1.0 miles.

I decided to walk because I decided it is silly to wait until some perfect moment to finish up my journey. I am stopping myself from being active just for the hope of a perfect final mile. Whenever I do it and however I do it it will be perfect. Why? Because it is my journey. I am doing it. Even if I am physically with people who love and support me I will still be the one going that mile. Even if I am alone I have the knowledge that there are people who love and support me. So I decided I need to stop holding onto these final miles and waiting for perfection. I should do what I do as I do.

Once I hit 1500 miles I won't be stopping, so what does it matter if my family is with me with the 1500th mile or the 1501st mile? It doesn't. It matters that I am out there doing.

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1497.0
Miles Remaining: 3.0
Weight: 137.8

Nesting Phase

My Nesting instincts are in high gear, and have been all week. It means I haven't taken the time to finish up some miles (though I also was still searching for the best way to do my final mile, and I hadn't figured that out yet). I spent Thursday night moving bins and general stuff from a bedroom closet which I've used as general storage. Those are getting an overhaul - throwing away things I've kept but should part with and new clear storage bins. Clear ones because those kind make me happiest, or at least that is how I currently feel -- and yes, I hadn't had an opinion on this until just now when I decided to buy a bunch of new storage bins.

On Friday Ryan left me for the weekend to attend his brother's bachelor party. Which meant as soon as I came home Friday (after work and after buying said clear storage bins) I got crackin' on my weekend plans. I spent about 4 hours in the basement - moving the give away pile into Ryan's garage (he's not going to be a fan of that, but that location made me happiest), creating a garbage pile area, and adding to the cardboard recycling zone. I swept the floor. I moved all lawn equipment. I organized all yard tools. The garage looks amazing now. The general pile of stuff is gone and everything has a home. The swept floor just adds to that. After finishing up I felt so proud of what I accomplished and couldn't wait for Ryan to see it. It's kind of silly. But it did make me so happy. So no official miles were clocked, but I did 4 hours of pretty hard (but careful so as not to strain) labor.

On Saturday I awoke at 7am and tackled that bedroom where I had moved all the bins into the middle of. I went bin by bin and sorted things into garbage bags or storage bins. For me, a pack rat with OCD, this is usually an impossible task. I'll look at something and decide I cannot part with it. Right now though my sentimental side is giving way to a practical side - and so into garbage bag after garbage bag things went. All that was left by 11am was a pile of Ryan's stuff - which I am leaving for him to organize. I made one bin of family papers and photos for him and left one bin empty beside his pile. His stuff is to fit into one of those two bins. I then moved a large number of those bins to the basement, into a designated area under the steps - and they fit all nice and snug there and that made me happy.

I then headed back down to the basement and into the back part - which I had not tackled on Friday - where all my stuff I had saved (or my parents saved for me) was stored. I went thru grade school papers, high school papers, college papers, random stuff from life, and somehow I paired down about 4 bins into 1. I even am going to part with my trophies - and just keep the metal plaque portions. The thought of this is crazy if you know me! This Nesting is pretty incredible, and I feel good about my decisions. I am pretty sure I won't regret my decisions, especially since I took the time to weed thru it all and keep the important things and part with the unimportant. By 4pm I was done. At this point my back was pretty achy and I was ready to get off my feet and relax. Cue my cousin's high school graduation party - where for 4 hours I just sat on a back porch eating and talking with my family. Ahhh-mazing!

On Sunday I spent a nice morning with my family, looking at old drawings and letters we wrote -- a pile of which I had discovered during my purge. So much laughter at what we have made, and so happy that these things were kept. For Father's Day most of the family was going out to walk a lap around a lake. But since that was 25 minutes in the wrong direction for Ryan and me, we just went home. I quickly went to the basement and wrapped up a few things and then as if on cue Ryan came down to check out what I was up to. He was so happy that everything was so cleaned and that there was a large pile of garbage. He wasn't so thrilled about the looks of his garage. But the plus side is this will hopefully motivate us to actually give away the things in the give away pile rather than just letting them sit in the basement forever. I then went on a disappointing, waste-of-time shopping trip for maternity clothes.

A bit later in the evening, after a bit of a nap, we went to the track - me to walk, Ryan to run. It was padlocked for the graduation ceremony, however, the graduation took place on Friday. There were people walking and I asked how they had gotten in - they said they squeezed thru the fence. Ryan said he wasn't doing that and so he went home to run on the treadmill. I squeezed thru - which fortunately wasn't a squeeze for me -- I just barely grazed thru - which was good because I wasn't going to make myself squeeze. I put on my headphones and listened to The Moth radio hour and walked 1.25. The sun peaked thru the rain clouds, casting a golden glow on half of the track. The breeze had a nice coolness to it. And it was a delightful time walking outside in the refreshing air.

This weekend was taxing to some extent but so rejuvenating!

New Miles: 1.25
Total Miles: 1496.0
Miles Remaining: 4.0
Weight: 137.8 (previous days at 137.2 and 137.4)

Milk Mile

Yesterday I mowed the yard since I was home and Ryan wasn't yet and I wanted to get outside and do something productive. It was easy given the self-propulsion of the mower. However, later at night I laid on the couch and my back was sore. Ryan pointed out that I had run a 5K the day before. So I am guessing the two activities added up, and being that I am pregnant, my body decided to give me an achy back. At some point I guess I'll have to take it easier, so I need to keep track of the things that leave me sore. If it is just going to be life in general I might as well keep doing what I do, unless of course that gets to be too much discomfort. In that case I'll probably defer certain things to Ryan.

We needed milk and so I opted to walk to the store. I by-passed it by one store so I could buy some dollar candy. Then I backtracked and picked up my gallon of milk, and walked the half mile home. It was 78-ish degrees and so nice. The chill of the milk on my hands was nice, much better than when I did this in colder weather. It was a good walk, and not too challenging, but nice that it was more of an effort than usual.

Then I wandered around inside my house searching for something productive to do. I settled on assembling the pressure washer I recently purchased. I followed the instructions and a bit later I had a pressure washer ready to pressure wash. I turned it on and nothing, no motor kicked on. I "troubleshot" the issue by turning it off and on and unplugging it and replugging it. A minute later it worked. It isn't as powerful as I anticipated, so I am not sure if it is a defective washer or not. I was a tad bit disappointed since I envisioned really cleaning off our porch and deck with it. But it will at least get dirt off our house and do an okay just with cleaning the rest. So that was something productive I did with my night, which is better than just being a lump in my house... which I moved on to do for much of the rest of the night. 

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1494.75
Miles Remaining: 5.25
Weight: 136.0

Color Me Rad 5K

This past Thursday I picked up our packets for the Color Me Rad 5K. Me, Bridgette, and 4 friends were to do it - and this year we had high hopes we'd actually get to participate rather than just driving forever and being turned back at the starting line.

The night before my one, very pregnant friend said she was not going to be able to do it. And morning of our other friend was also unable. But the rest of us went on. And even managed to get my brother Devin to say he'd go. So after eating some pancakes and fruit for breakfast we headed off in my garbage-bag covered car, picked up Devin, and drove a good ways to get to the event. But this year we didn't sit in traffic until right near the parking lot. After we parked and were getting readied our brother Rory came over - as he and his friends had parked just several cars away.

Around 1pm we went into the corral and stood near the front. After several announcements that the start was just "moments away" they had us jump up and down and did a 10 second count down and then we were off and followed a pace car. Not sure why the car was needed, other than to make sure no one exceeded 8mph - which is what the announcer said the car would be driving at.

The course was at a large concert venue, and thus we were only "running a small portion of 2 miles" on the jaggedy-rocked surface. 2 miles of 3.1 miles is actually pretty substantial. The ground was precarious and required watching each and every step, lest you wanted to roll an ankle -- which our one friend did. And we proceeded on without her though she kept going despite the injury. After a purple color station I was still pretty white as no one had directly pelted me with the colored corn starch. At the green station it was liquid dye and I was shot up pretty good on my right side. A short bit later I stopped into a port-a-john for a pee break -- one advantage in being in a concert venue parking lot.

I carried a water bottle with me and made sure to drink it often as the sun was beaming and it was 80+ degrees. Bridgette told me I looked a little flush and I made sure to kept hydrating. At the water station I took a mini water and refilled my bottle. After the orange station, where again no one thru anything directly on me, Bridgette walked with me as I needed a break. Devin and our friend Cara went on together, running like champions. We reached the edge of the parking lot and got to get off the lava rocks and actually run inside the concert venue. We traversed asphalt paths up a hillside, crested the hill, then back down and around and back up again. On all uphills we walked and I hydrated. It was pretty toasty feeling in the sun.

In the final stretch we popped back out into the parking lot area, but on the other side of the venue. Fortunately we remained on pavement. We ran thru a liquid yellow color station, and since we had separated from the large pack, were quite open to being readily sprayed by all people, especially an over-eager 7-ish year old who got me pretty good at waist height. (Which was better than how Cara said she fared as he had sprayed her straight in the face.) My left side was well covered with yellow. We went thru an area that had a few spectators and that made me think of a joke: When potatoes watch a concert what are they called? Spectators! (Spec-taters). Right after that we were handed a color bomb packet and made our way up the final stretch into the finish line area that was just a large cloud of purple. I held my shirt over my face and ran thru, luckily not directly pelted there either.

We grabbed some water, a Clif bar, and found Cara and Devin then waited for Tiffany. She finished a short time later - happy to have completed her first 5K ever. We stood for about 10 minutes then headed back to our car. We got our "after pic" to compliment our "before pic" then headed home, happy to have participated and gotten colored rad.

Total Workout: 5K! 3.1 miles, plus the walk to the start and back which was 0.4 miles total.

This was baby girl's first completed race, and I think she liked running for the most part. After relaxed later in the afternoon I developed a bit of a headache though; the kind I get from sunshine and exercise. So I worried I had pushed myself too hard. But I made up for it the rest of the day by just drinking H2O and reading David Sedaris outside on my back porch.

Accentuating the baby bump, as per Bridgette's preference 

New Miles: 5K (3.1) + 0.4 = 3.5
Total Miles: 1493.75
Miles Remaining: 6.25
Weight: 135.6

Walking my way to the Final 10

In the morning I was supposed to volunteer at a friend's golf outing fundraiser, but I because too lazy and not in the mood to wake up at 5:30am and so I didn't go. It felt sad since the thought of helping out made me feel good, but staying home and doing whatever I wanted felt better. I feel like a bad person for being selfish. But in the afternoon I slightly made up for it by walking with Ryan to the local park to check out the memorial fundraiser basketball tournament. We saw some friends we knew and participated in the raffles. The walk was just over half a mile there then back. Total Workout: 1.25

Early evening walk around the neighborhood for 1.0 miles.

Later in the evening Ryan and I went to the Arts Festival to see Ralph Stanley. We ate a funnel cake and drank Lemonade. Ryan's dad came by on his bike and hung out with us for a bit. We stayed for part of the show and walked back to our car. Total Workout: 1.25+

New Miles: 1.25 + 1.0 + 1.25 = 3.5
Total Miles: 1490.25
Miles Remaining: 9.75
Weight: 137.4 (Guess that's what pigging out out a high school graduation party will get you!)

Art Walk

The Arts Festival started today and halfway through lunch I remembered so I went out and I wandered around it, passing a large number of food stands, a slightly less number of art stands, and hearing the musical act. It was chilly, so I wore my jacket, but it was nice to be out and wandering around.

New Miles: 0.75
Total Miles: 1486.75
Remaining Miles: 14.25
Weight: 135.2

Back on Track

Life has been busy and I haven't gotten a chance to walk or run. And the one opportunity I had on Saturday I didn't realize it was my last chance to work out for a while until all my free time had passed. I wrapped up the weekend late Sunday, too late to walk or run. But it made me all the more committed to running on Monday.

Realizing that soccer is now over means Monday evenings are now free - this realization put me more at ease.

A nice evening with temps in the 70s. I drove to the track. I walked a lap to warm up then I jog/ran a lap. I stretched and grabbed water. I ran 1.0 solid in 9:50 - which did feel decently challenging and it made me feel better that it was a decent pace. I grabbed water. I then did 1.0 miles walking 100m then running 100m alternating - and I did that in 12:00. I followed it up by doing a lap solid running and one final cool down one by running half and walking the final 200m. Total Workout: 3.25 in 37:55.

I wore my belly band for the run as I finally have a little baby bump to support. I clipped the Sansa clip on it and listened to the news. After a bit over 2.5 miles my left lower back started hurting, but I decided that was going to stop me. Perhaps it should of, but I often like ignoring the signs  my body gives me to stop something especially if I am so close to completing it. And thus I kept running. With the final 2 laps I did my belly started hurting a little, but not much. That one I paid better attention to, but I didn't stop since I was wrapping up my workout. I did 3.25 because I wanted to get my total mileage back to a nice round number.

I ran at the track for the main reason that the last time I went running it made me have to pee. The track is a good running haven as they have port-a-johns there. The nice thing about tonight's run was that, other than those few aches and pains issues, I was perfectly fine running that whole time.

New Miles: 3.25
Total Miles: 1486.0
Miles Remaining: 14.0
Weight: 135.0

Lunch Walk

Walked to the Farmer's Market and bought 10 pierogies. Walked to the ATM. Walked back to my desk. Total Workout: 0.75 miles in humid 80+ degrees.

New Miles: 0.75
Total Miles: 1482.25
Miles Remaining: 17.75
Weight: 133.0

Lunch Walk

Went out into the 80 degree day and walked 1.0 miles. At night coached

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1481.5
Miles Remaining: 18.5
Weight: 132.2

Lakecation Walks

Thursday, May 23 - Before leaving for vacation I measured out the walk to the local ice cream store, and it was a perfect 1.0 miles away. A great motivator for a walk was to the ice cream store for a vanilla malt milkshake. During the return walk back the motivator were the oncoming rain clouds. Toward the end it started drizzling but I beat the downpour back. Total Workout: 2.0 miles.

Friday, May 24 - In the afternoon Ryan said he wanted to walk with me. When we set out about 4 minutes later he was sluggish and said he was done after I said we'd walk half a mile and back. We turned around early but fortunately there was a house for sale past where we were staying so we walked the other direction for a little to check it out, and then back. That helped round out the mile. Total Workout: 1.0 miles.

Saturday, May 25 - Two of my friends and I headed out to the gift shop, which was a bit past the ice cream shop. It was a very brisk pace so a really hard workout. On the way back I had to pee and luckily there was a port-a-john at the ice cream store and we took a pit stop. Total Workout: 2.5 miles.

On Monday I had a debilitating migraine that left me sleeping and laying around all day trying to re-coup, but it continued on Tuesday. I made it thru work and then napped until Bridgette came over and we talked for a few hours.

New Miles: 2.0 + 1.0 + 2.5 = 5.5
Total Miles: 1480.5
Miles Remaining: 19.5
Weight: 135.4 on 5/27. ...But then because I was so migrainey and couldn't eat all day as well as my body just bouncing back from overeating for 5 days I weighed 133.4 on 5/28.

Bump in the Middle

After just a few hours on my feet my dogs were barking (or as I also say, my puppies were yapping) and I sat down for a number of minutes to relax. I knew I wanted to walk 1.5 miles though so I didn't let my tiredness deter me and I got onto the treadmill. I walked at 4.0 for most of my walk but then bumped it up to 4.1mph.

I listened to The Moth and played Solitaire and got pretty sick of Solitaire but really enjoyed The Moth stories.  Total Workout: 1.5 in 22:19 246cals 1%.

Also, as of last Wednesday I have formed a baby bump. The baby decided "Bam! Look at me!" and it popped itself out in my middle. So now I am into the new phase where I am starting to look pregnant. Well, more so just looking a bit awkwardly fat more so than pregnant. But I know it's a cute baby bump and that's really all that matters. Plus, if people think it's fat they won't touch me and I'm quite alright with not being touched by people.

New Miles: 1.5
Total Miles: 1475.0
Miles Remaining: 25.0
Weight: 133.2

Tired & Hungry

With temps in the upper 80s none of the kids wanted to run during soccer. Asking then telling then  getting them to do something was like pulling teeth, and unsuccessfully at that. The fastest they ran was for a water break. I survived 1.5 hours of that and then went home and walked. I was pretty tired from all the standing and pretty hungry from all the non-eating, but I went out on a walk anyways. I chugged along and did it in 15:57. Then I happily sat grabbed some food and sat on the ottoman. Then I pried myself up and did the dishes (fun!) before returning to the couch to catch up on my PBS shows.


New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1473.5
Miles Remaining: 26.5
Weight: 132.4

Track Walk

Ryan went out to play music and I went to the track. I walked 3.0 miles in 56:01. Half way thru I took a water break, then after the next lap I took another one. Then I finished up my walk. I decided to try my foot at running a little, since I haven't tried that in a while - I did the 100m straight away down - took a wee break. Went back and rested 20 seconds. I did them in 26-28 seconds. Then after 2 more I was feeling good and figured why not make it so I ran half a mile. And so I did 4 more - seeing how running with some speed felt. And it felt almost completely fine - except for actually feeling my stomach area while running. I did the 3rd one in 25 seconds. For the final one I tried to go faster and I did that one in 22 seconds. I then thought about taking a bit of a cool down walk but felt like I was done, so I got some water and stretched out a few minutes and happily went home.

New Miles: 3.5
Total Miles: 1472.5
Miles Remaining: 27.5
Weight: 133.4

Slow Walking

During the hockey intermission Ryan and I went on a 1.0 mile walk. Ryan was very sluggish so the walk was a bit slow. And towards the end of the first half I just finished it up without him, turned around and walked back to him, then we walked home together.

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1469.0
Miles Remaining: 31.0
Weight: 132.4

Do By Doing

The "insight" of the day was that I can only "Do By Doing", that is, I can only accomplish my goal if I take action towards meeting my goal. Finishing up this journey by the end of next week is pretty much impossible at this point. But it would definitely be impossible if I don't get myself to cover some miles.

So after coaching soccer practice with temps in the mid-80s, and after taking out the recyling, I laid half on the ottoman and half on the couch for 20 minutes looking at Facebook. During that time I thought, "I should have been walking this whole time while I did this." And then I didn't move. I cued up my Coursera course, to stimulate my brain and offset the damage 20 minutes of Facebook did, and I watched a lecture. I started it and then said "Get up!" and I stood and walked to the treadmill and then started walking. I found a way to make myself do by doing. Total Workout: 1.0 miles 14:40 164cals 1%


I stopped and sat down again. When I got up to shower I realized my back was a bit sore, likely from all that standing, awkward laying, and walking. After my shower it felt so great to just sit on the couch and watch TV with Ryan, especially since I could rest easy knowing that I did something I needed to do.

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1468.0
Miles Remaining: 32.0
Weight: 131.8

Gallon Mile-in'

The evening sky was overcast and looked like it would rain any minute, but I checked the weather and it wasn't to rain til later. Ryan went running. I went walking - and I walked to the store, bought a gallon of milk, and walked home. So it was also a bit of weight training as I carried the milk half a mile, alternating hands every so often as my hands got cold.

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1467.0
Miles Remaining: 33.0
Weight: 130.2

Just a little bit

After soccer and eating some cereal, I got onto the treadmill and walked and listened to The Moth radio hour. After just under 1.25 miles I decided to jog, aka my new "running" speed, and I did that for just over half a mile. I jogged at 5.0 for a little them 5.5. Then I went back to my 4.1 mph walk. Total Workout: 2.0 in 26:55 324 cals 1%

New Miles: 2.0
Total Miles: 1466.0
Miles Remaining: 34.0
Weight: 129.8

Warm-up Walk

It was in the mid-50s and Ryan went on  3.0 mile run. My body didn't feel like running so I didn't even try. But once Ryan got home I did walk to go on a walk and he joined me -- mine was a warm-up walk and his was a cool-down walk.

We just walked the neighborhood and it was nice to walk and talk.

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1464.0
Miles Remaining: 36.0
Weight: 130.8

Log Jammed

1.0 and supposedly 69 degrees but really hot in the sun. Didn't wear a hat so it was super bright, my eyes were squinty, and it made my eyes tired. walked to try to work out some kinks in my neck/shoulder, but it didn't appear to help.

In the evening I planned on running, and to warm up and wait for Ryan I went out and started cutting the grass. There were dandelions everywhere and I got caught up in wanting to annihilate them so I went over the ones in the garden bed. And soon I heard a clunk and the lawn mower stopped working. Turns out I went over a 4 inch wide log and it was half-split between the blades. At this point Ryan was home so he helped with a mallet and a hatchet to dislodge it; and it half-worked. Then our smart neighbor Dave said we should just remove the bolts that held the blade on. Ryan said, "Well Dave, that would require using your brain." Turns out just removing the blade worked much better than trying to mallet and hatchet the wood. It was a good day for brains over brawn. After that Ryan finished cutting the grass, and by then both of us lost the steam on running. Plus my tummy was hurting and I just envisioned the baby just telling me it didn't want to run today.

And so eventually we went out on a 1.0 mile walk in 17:52 around the neighborhood. It felt good to do something, and my tummy cooperated. So I take that as feedback that the baby likes walking much more than running.

New Miles: 1.0 + 1.0 = 2.0
Total Miles: 1463.0
Miles Remaining: 37.0
Weight: 129.6

It All Works Out

After coaching soccer and definitely getting some sort of workout between laying out the cones then half-collecting them and kicking the ball and running for one drill I got home and drank some water and talked with Ryan. I was about to head upstairs and change when I remembered I should (and needed to) walk. So I put on my good running shoes and I grabbed the Kindle and cued up Pandora and I walked. I sang country songs while walking and it was actually taxing. I tool a quick pause at 1.25 for a few gulps of water and then walked again. Total Workout: 2.25 miles in 32:58 369cals 1%

New Miles: 2.25
Total Miles: 1461.0
Miles Remaining: 39.00
Weight: 129.6 (when I woke up) / 131.4 (evening post-dinner)

Making the Mow-st of It

Ryan left me dark and early for the Half Marathon (which he ended up running in a personal best 1:42:27!) and then came back for a few minutes before heading out to a co-ed flag football game. Given my free morning I ended up decided on mowing the grass with the new lawn mower. The mower is self-propelled which means it is so easy to cut the grass now as all I have to do is keep up with it rather than forcing it up hills. It took only 40 minutes to cut the front and back yards.

I wished I had had a step counter as I know the steps would have added up to perhaps 1.0 miles. But alas since I couldn't readily measure the distance I walked I can't count it. After that I went to my soccer game where we won but I got a tad sunburned, so I kind of lost. I wore my Gabriella maternity belt for back support which I think helped during the 2 hours of standing.

In the evening I had felt like I had worked out a lot during the day, and was sad I couldn't track anything about it. So I decided to walk to the store - where I coincidentally bought some candy - and then walked home. Total Workout: 1.0 in the delightful and warm evening.


New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1458.75
Miles Remaining: 41.25
Weight: 129.6

Inconvenient Convention Center

After a day of running around errand-wise Ryan and I wrapped up our final errand in downtown Pittsburgh at the Convention Center getting Ryan registered for the Half Marathon. It tool a while to drive around the convention center and park, with the 1,000s of other participants all ambling for their packets as well. Once we parked we had to walk .25 miles from our car to the registration station. We had been standing in line for about 15 minutes when Ryan checked for his wallet. He didn't have it. Fortunately I was with him so I could easily walk back to the car and grab it (since we knew for sure it was there as I made him make sure he had his ID before we left home). This meant he didn't have to get out of line which was fortunate since the line was rather long and slow.

After grabbing his wallet I brought it back to him then walked around the Expo half-heartedly looking at the gear. The one thing of interest was that they finally took my suggestion and made Half Marathon gear. I complained the last few times that they only had Marathon gear and so I was pleasantly surprised to see some Half gear. The downside was I wasn't participating so buying 2013 Half gear would be silly. The other downside was that they had cool black-and-gold shirts, but in the women's gear they made it black-and-pink. I hate that they pinkify everything when they make it for women! I spent most of my life despising pink, and now I don't mind it and even like it. But for Pittsburgh-themed gear it is unacceptable to change it to black-and-pink. Or you can but also give me the option of black-and-gold.

After that mini-feud, which I did share with Ryan, and about 30 more minutes of waiting to complete the process we left - thus walking back to the car and giving me a 1.0 mile workout. The upside of all the walking was I got a measurable walk in and didn't waste a day not working out. I got home and used USATF to map my walk and confirmed I did at least 1.0 miles.

Total Workout: 1.0

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1457.75
Miles Remaining: 42.25
Weight: 129.6

Pregnant with No Energy

On Tuesday night Ryan told me that if I planned to run on Thursday he would run with me. I told him I did plan on running. On Wednesday afternoon he emailed me "RUN!" asking if I still planned on running. I said that I had been working on psyching myself up for it. Because my body feels so exhausted like I've been running and working out extensively, but all I've really done is sit still for long periods of time.

11:00 first mile, 1 min walk; just over 2.0 walked a minute up hill - saw a local cop who is our friend's dad. felt very drained. actually looked pregnant between my pregnantness and the horizontal tight striped shirt i was wearing.


Total Workout: 3.0 in 30:11

New Miles: 3.0
Total Miles: 1456.75
Miles Remaining: 43.25
Weight: 129.2

Like Water I'm Drained

I spent a number of minutes trying to convince Ryan to come running with me. I told him the baby wanted him to join us. Still he said no as he had run during lunch. I told him most of my motivation comes from him saying he'll run with me. He said he noticed my lack of motivation, and that is particularly bad right now. I told him I wasn't sure why -- I know I want to be healthy in general but especially now -- but I can't seem to get myself to do what I know I should do and what I want to do (at least on an intellectual level if not a physical one).

I eventually plodded my way up the hill and moved my body into a run. I 100 yards later I said "Hi!" to a neighbor who has been working on his driveway and mailbox. Then we chatted for 1 minute. Then I kept going on my run and half way down the hill another neighbor was out and I said "Hi!" to him too. He said "Hi!". I also said "Hi puppies!" to two dogs that were barking at me even though I run by them all the time.

I didn't even make it half a mile before I realized I really had to pee. The good thing is the track is close so I swung by there for a pit stop. I contemplated just running at the track or just heading home. And I told myself "No. You have to do this 3 mile loop." And so I said "Ugh." to myself and my decision and moved along. It took me over 1 minute to cross the main road, and I was happy for the break. It really refreshed my already tired legs. I moved along and felt so tired and slow but kept running.

I got to say "Hi!" to a handful of walkers and yardworkers - for a total of 6 - and they all said "Hi!" back. Then a couple in their mid-30s were walking and I took a stab at saying "Hi!" to them even though I knew the odds were low I'd get a return greeting. They pretended I didn't exist even though we were only 20 feet from each other.

I then finished mile 2 and walked for 1 minute. Then drew a deep breath and got back up to speed. During my run my main thoughts were: "I've underestimated how much running while pregnant is going to make me feel like peeing." and "My recent goal of staying fit enough to do 3.0 miles during pregnancy is not going so well.".

For the final hill it usually takes 2 minutes to get from the bottom to my driveway so I told myself I needed to go that pace and push this out. I got to my driveway 1:59 later and felt like I had accomplished something. Then I left my driveway and walked around for 4-5 few minutes, tacking on an extra .25 miles for good measure. Total Workout: 3.0 miles in 30:30 + .25 cool down = 3.25 total.

I also decided today that I would like to finish up my Journey of 1500 miles during my Memorial Day weekend vacation to the lake. It would be a nice place to accomplish my final milestone - it is beautiful, a place full of amazing memories, and most of my friends will be there and maybe could even join me for my last mile. I have my work cut out for me to keep plugging away at these final miles in time to make my goal come true, but it is definitely feasible provided I find some motivation and stop feeling so phyically exhausted by the littlest of things.

New Miles: 3.25
Total Miles: 1453.75
Miles Remaining: 46.25
Weight: 129.0

The Final Fifty

Instead of just saying "I should walk." I actually got up, put on my tennis shoes, and went walking. I didn't change into workout clothes as I knew I just wouldn't. The most important step was to put on my walking shoes and just do it. What excited me was the fact that by doing a mile I would be into my final 50 miles of this journey. I need to finish this strong and do what I need to do. I won't stop when I reach 1500.0 miles but I want to get to that milestone ASAP. Total Workout: 1.0 miles in 14:20.

It is also very important for me to keep active since I can't stop myself from eating candy and cookies. (Oops! Guess the baby loves sugar!)

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1450.5
Miles Remaining: 49.5
Weight: 130.6

Signals Uncrossed

A nice long day of shop vacuuming my car, cleaning up, supervising Ryan cutting down tree branches, holding the rope as he killed a few tiny trees, two naps, and 2 hours of making chocolate chip cookies and Russian tea cakes. I finally got a healthy dose of energy while singing and making cookies, so come the Saturday night radio program of hits from the 1920s -40s I went out on a run. I made it two minutes before I finally listened to all signals from my body stopped running, turned around and walked home. I went and told Ryan I was walking instead and then I went out on a half hour walk. I walked around the neighborhood, entertained by the radio and enjoying the 70 degree evening. Total Workout: 2.0 miles in 34:45.


New Miles: 2.0
Total Miles: 1449.5
Miles Remaining: 50.5
Weight: 129.0

A little lazy fair

I feel like I have been lazy recently as my mileage in this home stretch is painfully slow goings. But I can take solace in that on Mondays and Wednesdays I run around for 1.5 hours coaching soccer. On Tuesdays I could do something, but usually those days I am tired and happy to sit and relax. Which leaves me with Thursdays as the day to take action and run.

Thursday was sunny and warm-ish, though a few extra degrees of warmth would have been nice. I went on a 3.0 mile run in the 56 degree evening and felt chilly at the beginning, but as I went along I happily warmed up enough. My mind floated to many things, here and there, its usually ramble of randomness - which I find relaxing. I often think to think of important things but don't. But it is still a refreshing time to myself. Total Workout: 3.0 miles in 28:48.

New Miles: 3.0
Total Miles: 1447.5
Miles Remaining: 52.5
Weight: 129.0

A Run with a View

Today was race day for Ryan - a 25K that he's trained for for so long. I walked with him to the start, back to the car so I could get up to the top of the mountain and get pics of him, and then drove on to other locales. Eventually I went back to the starting area, parked, and walked to the finish line area. Between the walking and long periods standing with my snack filled back pack I felt like I had gotten a ridiculous workout too. Standing in the freezing cold and snowflakes shivering a bit probably also had something to do with it. When I added it all up I had walked (or jogged (due to me trying to "run" up a hill to the finish)) 2.25 miles.

New Miles: 2.25
Total Miles: 1444.5
Miles Remaining: 55.5
Weight: 129.2

Forgetting How to Run

The weather was a fantastic 86 degrees in the evening and so I went out on an nice and easy run, and it was a bit challenging. After 11 minutes I walked for a minute, after 21 minutes I walked for a minute, and the rest I "ran" at a 10:00+ pace.

I feel like my body has already forgotten how to run. I felt awkward. I felt like I had to tell my body how to move rather than it instinctively knowing what to do. I have been running and walking forever and today I felt like an uncoordinated kid who was told to "run" but not told what running is. I did not like this feeling one bit! I need to get my body back to feeling like it knows how to run.

Total Workout: 3.0 miles in 31:25 plus a 4 minute cool down walk

New Miles: 3.0
Total Miles: 1442.25
Miles Remaining: 57.75
Weight: 128.8

Lunch Walk

Walked .25 miles to lunch, sat and enjoyed a lunch time performance by a college marching band that was putting on a free performance, and then walked back to work. Total Walkout: 0.5 miles

New Miles: 0.5
Total Miles: 1439.25
Miles Remaining: 60.75
Weight: 129.0

Lunch Walk

Went out to lunch with Matt, walking across town and back for a nice walk of 0.75 miles.

New Miles: 0.75
Total Miles: 1438.75
Miles Remaining: 61.25
Weight: 129.2

New Lunch Time Walk

A ridiculous 77 degrees! Rain-cloudy and a touch of sun momentarily with some nice wind I went out and walked around the area just outside my downtown office building. I walked through the local park, joining the masses of active lunchers. Numerous runners, bikers, walkers were bustling around.

It made me envious of those runners and it put in my head that some day I will do that. It is doable seeing that I discovered my office has a shower in the bathroom. So now I just have to plan and be brave enough to do it.  Breathing in the fresh air and feeling the warmth made me so happy and so it is definitely doable to get out and run during a lunch some nice day. I kind of wish that day was today. But it also made me feel sad that I have to work indoors on days like today - I love being outside on a nice day!

I walked for about 20 minutes and did 1.0 miles, finishing up by walking up the 3 long floors of stairs back to my desk and around the long layout.

I was also proud of myself for not being hit by cars - which is a general fear of mine - worsened by being downtown with loads of drivers (one of which happily sped through a clear red light). This will be good practice for me facing my silly fear since in order to walk I need to cross a number of roads.  

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1438.0
Miles Remaining: 62.0
Weight: 128.6

The couple that runs together has fun together

Sunny and 73 degrees - an amazing day! Early on in the day I put "Run! :)" on my To Do list. When I got home I changed and got ready to go. Ryan came home and I asked him if he wanted to run with me. He said no, as it was his day off. But then I sat around for 10 minutes and he eventually said he'd run with me. I'm glad I hung around to let him mull it over.

I filled up my 23oz Nathan water bottle and we headed out. As we walked down our drieway I told him, "You know what they say... The couple that runs together has fun together!" (And by what "they say" I meant it was something that I had just made up.) I walked up the hill, stretched a little, then we ran. We ran at a nice "slow" pace but it felt challenging - I was winded and it felt like I was exerting a lot of effort. After just over a mile in we took a 2 minute walking break. Then we ran again and went just about a mile and then took a 2 minute walking break. Then we ran and at the end I felt very tired and like I was running out of steam. To get myself thru the final part I told myself and Ryan that I was running to the hill and then walking the hill. As we got to the hill I told Ryan I was running it since I haven't been running much and so need to finish it out. I wanted to also say "And I am using the term "running" loosely - in this sense it just means "not walking"." But I was too winded and needing all my available air for the running.

I got to the top of the hill and lightly jogged around recovering as I waited for Ryan who was walking up the hill backwards. I did this for just under 1 minute and then I asked him if he was going to run again. He said no, so I turned and ran home to get a final run time. I got there in 31:31. Then I turned again and ran back up the hill and at the top I walked to Ryan, grabbed the water from him (since I decided he could hold it after mile 1 :) ) and walked a few steps past him, turned and walked with him. We walked up our driveway then down and back, cooling down for roughly 4 minutes.

Mostly running 3.0 miles was difficult. But I was proud of myself for doing it. In an ideal pregnancy I would like to maintain an ability to do 3.0 miles. I'd prefer to not have to struggle through all 3 of them. But if I could manage to continue doing 3 miles that means I can do 5Ks and I would like to have that be my base level of fitness. We'll see how it all goes - I'm sure later in pregnancy I'll realize the body does and doesn't do whatever it wants and that is more powerful than brain power. But I am hoping I can keep doing 3.0 miles - walking and/or running for as long as possible.

Total Workout: 3.25 miles in 31:31+.

New Miles: 3.25
Total Miles: 1437.0
Miles Remaining: 63.0
Weight: 128.8

Walking Buddy

After I got home from coaching soccer (which was nice to get a win in the first game of the season!) I asked Ryan if he wanted to go on a walk with me. I mostly expected him to say know so I didn't really pay attention to his answer. 10 minutes later he said "Is it nice enough for shorts and a t-shirt?" and I said "Yes" excited that this meant he was going to walk with me!

We changed into some walking clothes and went out into the sunshiney and windy 70 degree afternoon. We went towards the school and walked 2 laps at the track then turned around and walked home. Total Workout: 1.75 miles in 39:00.


New Miles: 1.75
Total Miles: 1433.75
Miles Remaining: 67.25
Weight: 128.6

Trail & Error

Ryan went on a 14 mile woods trail run in the sunny mid-40 degree day. I went to the track and walked 1.0 miles in 18:23 then I ran 1.0 miles in 10:47 then I walked again but ran 1.5 laps in the final mile - doing those 2 miles in 25:13. I wore my tropical twists and they felt nice on my feet. I was wearing a vest and carrying my phone since Ryan was giving me updates every so often on his course. And I was also wearing my glasses since I didn't think to change into my contacts - which was a bit of a mistake when your body jostles with running. But at least at a slow run it wasn't impossible to have them stay on my face.

The run felt good to be moving but otherwise awkward. And it was slow and easy so that accounts for part of it. But my legs and lungs were like "What is this?" as I think they have forgotten how to handle jog-running. My head and neck felt tight so that was uncomfortable but I think running loosened them up a bit.

It was nice to get outside and moving.

Total Workout: 3.0 miles in 43:26

New Miles: 3.0
Total Miles: 1432.0
Miles Remaining: 68.0
Weight: 128.4

Evening Walk

A nice easy 1 mile walk like usual. Total Workout: 1.0 miles 14:40 164cals 1%

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1429.0
Miles Remaining: 71.0
Weight: 127.6

Ultra Sound

I walked 1.0 miles in 14:43 4.1mph 1%. The Kindle's battery was dead and so was the iPod's and so I  just sang and walked. I also had a bit of a migraine so I focused on keeping my head positioned upwards. I even walked with my eyes closed for awhile while holding on to the railings or handrail. I was a bit nauseous but not too horrible.

Yesterday I had a doctor's appointment with Ryan and got an ultrasound. We finally got to see our little baby and it was incredible! And yes I have neglected to mention that I am pregnant. But now that we have started to tell people, that is, people beyond our family, I can finally explain why I haven't really been running in the last weeks. I am at Week 12 and have been trying to take it easy by just walking and lightly running so that the little baby has a healthy, safe start. I hope to get running again in a little bit -- perhaps once my constant nausea settles down. It was such a relief to get a good update from the doctor. Now we are working on telling our friends our awesome news!


New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1428.0
Miles Remaining: 72.0
Weight: 127.2 (You may have noticed I keep losing weight... this is all due to nausea and lack of appetite. I have been trying to get all the nutrients I need but it's been a bit difficult. I imagine someday soon I'll be gaining weight like crazy.)

Evening Walk

I got onto the treadmill and walked 1.0 miles in 14:40 164cals 1% 4.1mph. I did the daily readings even though Lent is over and then I played one game of Solitaire.

New Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 1427.0
Miles Remaining: 73.0
Weight: 127.4

April Fool's Challenge

Today was the day of the Just A Short Run and so I woke up at 6am and drove to North Park. I parked, shuttled over to the packet pickup. Picked up my packet and Ryan's and then walked back to my car - covering just over .5 miles. For the past few days I had felt rather bad with a migraine, and that was my sign to definitely not even do the 5K. So it was an accomplishment to (A) wake up and (B) walk tin the very cold back to my car.

Later in the morning I felt much better and joined Ryan, Bridgette, Conor, Rory, and Devin for an April Fool's Challenge - 4 mile run and obstacle course. I designated myself the photographer and followed them through some of the course. I ran back and forth across a soccer field, to another soccer field, then after Ryan, Conor, and Devin passed I tracked back back so I could get pics of Bridgette and Rory, and then I followed them around the course. After I got home I mapped out all the criss-crossing I did and I had run 1.5 miles myself! I also got a tinge of sunburn on my face -- it was a nice sunny day in the low 40s.

Before (Ryan, Conor, Bridgette, Rory, Devin)

After

During

New Miles: .5 + 1.5 = 2.0
Total Miles: 1426.0
Miles Remaining: 74.0
Weight: 127.6