Running Postpartum Round 2

After Phinn was born, it was pretty easy to fall back into running. I tried starting back around six weeks postpartum. Although I was mentally ready to run again, my body just wasn't. I tried again a few weeks later and my body was ready to go.

Once my body was on board, I was able to make time to hit the gym in the early morning or evenings, and Hubs would give Phinn a bottle. I could also do a long run on Saturdays. As Phinn got older and the weather warmer, I would strap him into the BOB, and off we would go together. I was a happy runner and a happy mama.

After Hudson was born, I started to ease back into running around seven or eight weeks postpartum, and everything was going beautifully. I still had pretty good endurance. My speed was picking up. Hudson was taking a bottle, and I was sneaking in early morning runs. I also had been hitting the treadmill during nap times.

But then, running started to become really uncomfortable about a month after resuming. Not to go into too much detail, but after running, I would have debilitating discomfort. It was as if I had a bladder infection, but I knew that was not the case. I saw my OB/GYN and she confirmed that it was not an infection and couldn't pinpoint any source for my problem, but I was still in pain after running.

Luckily, my mom is a nurse and she spoke to a urologist friend to see if he had any recommendations for me. He advised cutting out alcohol, caffeine, and spicy food, making sure I eat a clean diet, and remembering to do kegels to strengthen muscles that had been weakened by in utero baby punches and kicks.

Cutting out the spicy food I could handle. It was summer though, and who doesn't love to eat Mexican food, but I felt like I could forgo it. Giving up my coffee and wine was much more difficult, but at least it was only temporary. Once I gave my body some more time to heal, I would be able to resume enjoying my vices.

A few weeks into my new regimen, I was able to increase my distance without discomfort. I successfully trained for the Charlottesville Women's 4 Miler (a great race to run if you're local or semi-local) in August. I was able to set a new PR of 32:22. Not too shabby for someone who had a baby four months prior and had a few training set backs!

Next up was the Richmond Half Marathon in November. I had my training plan, and was ready to go. The first few weeks went well - I was meeting my mileage and still feeling strong.

As the weeks went by, and my runs were increasing in distance, I was finding it more difficult to make them happen. Hudson had started refusing bottles, so early morning runs were out. The boys were only content in the double BOB for about 3-4 miles (okay, Phinn's complaining usually started around 2 miles in, but I was usually able to distract / bribe him with animal crackers in order to make it to 4!). The only run I could reliably count on was my long Saturday run. Thank you Hubs for helping me make that happen!

Two days before the Richmond Half, I woke up with another bout of the "toddler virus" that cycles through the house every few months. My head was stuffy, my body ached, and my ears felt like they were going to explode from all the pressure. I made the call the morning of the race not to run. I was disappointed, but I knew running this race would set back my recovery from toddleritis, and I couldn't do it. Being sick as a mom makes your job exponentially more difficult.

As I reflected on my training experience, I decided to take a break from long races. It is just not feasible for me to train properly at this point in my life. It causes me to feel unnecessary stress, and it was really robbing my favorite hobby of a lot of its joy.

So, what am I up to these days?

I try to enjoy 2-3 runs during the week. They're short 2-3 mile runs, and I can easily squeeze them in during nap time or while the boys play.

On the weekends, I am still getting in my long runs - they just aren't as long as before - usually about 5-7 miles. I find these are necessary, though. It gives me an hour or so of freedom to stretch my legs and mind. It gives me an hour of silence where I can think about nothing (or everything). Even though the last few weekends have been pretty darn cold, I find myself bundling up and looking forward to feeling the cold air on my face and the invigoration I feel when I am finished.

As for my race schedule, I currently only have two races on it. The first is the Four Courts Four Miler, which is a bit of a family tradition and the second is the Monument Ave 10K.  I have been thinking of doing other races, but I'm going to take it as it comes and just enjoy my hobby and the invaluable mental and physical benefits it provides me.

Be Safe My Runner Friends

I read a heart breaking story today. A wife, a mother of three young children, a runner who is no longer here. She was struck by a car on her morning run this past Sunday. The driver was drunk.

According to the news reports I have read, she was running at 8:15 AM, so there was ample daylight. She was running facing traffic, which is proper road safety. I do not know if she was alone. I do not know if she was wearing headphones.

As a mother and a runner, this hits me right in my heart. It makes me sick to my stomach. It scares me.

How many times have I run with my headphones in and had the volume up loud enough to be startled by a car. How many times have I run routes that incorporate turns with poor visibility for runners and drivers. How many times have I thought, Surely that car sees me. They will slow down. They will cross over to the other lane. How many times have I put trust in the hands of those driving around me while I run.

Too many times.

I am generally a very safe and cautious runner. I run facing traffic. I stick to the side of the road. I dress to be visible. I run during daylight hours. I try to keep my music to a level where I can still hear what is going on around me.

But like so many accidents, it's a lot of little things that may seem harmless in and of themselves, but together, they can add up to tragedy. 

My pragmatic side tells me that freak, tragic accidents like this one happen sometimes. However, I also feel like this is a wake up call for myself and other runners to buckle down on runner safety. Take those headphones out of our ears. Educate ourselves on how to enjoy our hobby safely. Plan routes that give us visibility.

This is also a wake up call to drivers. Runners and others on and near the road are trusting you to be a safe driver.

I don't think I need to lecture on the importance of not driving under the influence.

But I think we all need to take a minute to think about how safely we are driving. Are we texting while driving? Are we trying to find the right Spotify playlist? Are we updating facebook? Checking our email? Are we eating and drinking? Are we trying to reach a toy in the back seat to appease a whining child? Are we too tired? Are our minds elsewhere?

I know there are times where I am guilty of these things. And I think about where we feel the safest to do these things -- neighborhoods.

Driving in a neighborhood does not demand any less attention than driving on the road. It only takes a second for a child, a runner, a biker, a pet, etc. to come out of nowhere. Traveling at a slower speed, does not justify paying less attention to the road and its surroundings.

On Saturday, people across the nation will be running for Meg. The young woman, wife, mother, runner who was killed.

I plan to pound the pavement and think of her, her husband, her children, and her friends and family left behind. I will run and pray for good to come of this tragedy, to remind myself not to be afraid but to be safe, and to think about how I will teach my children to be safe runners and safe drivers.

And my headphones will be tucked inside my desk drawer, where they belong.

Please fellow runners, take a minute and read over these General Running Safety Tips from Road Runners Club of America and think about how you can make your own runs safer.

Sweating Along To...

Sometimes the thing that can motivate me the most when I'm running, especially when I'm on a long run, is the tunes that are blaring through my earbuds. I'm always looking for new songs to run to. They can be old or new, but they just have to have the right groove. I look for songs that will get me over the hump and keep me motivated, songs that will keep me moving along at my current pace, and songs that will push me to squeeze out every last drop of energy.

Here are some of my favorites that I'm currently breaking a sweat to:

Motivation:
"Fix You" by Coldplay
"I Run For Life" by Melissa Etheridge
"The Resolution" by Jack's Mannequin
"Till I Collapse" by Eminem
"Fighter" by Christina Aguilera

Pace/Tempo:
"Big Machine" by Goo Goo Dolls
"Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z
"Futures" by Jimmy Eat World
"Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry
"Crawl" by Kings of Leon
"Paper Planes" by M.I.A.
"Simple Life" by No Doubt
"Power" by Kanye West
"Gives You Hell" by All American Rejects
"The Distance" by Cake
"You're So Vain" by Carly Simon

Push:
"Dog Days are Over" by Florence and the Machine
"Pardon Me" by Incubus"
"4 Minutes" by Madonna
"Sandman" by Metallica
"Uprising" by Muse
"Just a Girl" by No Doubt
"Misery Business" by Paramore
"Galvanize" by Chemical Brothers
"Rapid Hope Loss" by Dashboard Confessional

What are some songs that get you through your workouts?

Also while I was running yesterday, I invented a button for ipods that you could push and it would play that one song that will keep you going when all you want to do is give up. My husband said this was already invented (Why are my million dollar ideas always already taken?!) and its part of the Nike+. Anyone know anything about that? Anyone use Nike+? If so, do you like it?

Anyway, try out some of these songs because there is nothing more exciting than to head to the gym with an updated ipod filled with new songs that you are pumped up to sweat to!

Prepping for Postpartum Running

So I am getting very anxious to start running after Baby Smith arrives. I have high hopes for what I am going to accomplish. I have been planning to start marathon training after he arrives as soon as my midwife gives me the green light. I even used one of my race shoes as my focal object during our childbirth class. The instructor did have to ask why I brought a shoe to focus on, and it made me excited just to talk about running out loud!

However, after talking to my cousin (a seasoned marathoner and mother) and doing a little research, I have learned that running is not going to be quite the carefree activity it used to be. Instead it is going to be a whole new experience! One of the major changes being a shift in my outlook on running from "I want to run" to "I need to run." Every new mom's (according to what I have read) experience is going to be different, and it even differs from baby to baby, but there are certain aspects of being a new mom that every runner has to work around.

In trying to conduct some online research about postpartum running, I have found that there is very little out there. I do commend all the mommy bloggers out there who write about their experience getting back in the running game after giving birth. There are actually two women professional runners- Paula Radcliffe and Kara Goucher- who were both pregnant this year and wrote about their experiences (Shout out to my cousin Laura for sending me these articles!!). Hopefully they will continue to discuss their experience and tell me how they are getting back in the game. If it weren't for this small group of blogging mommy runners, there would be hardly anything out there for me.

Here are some of the challenges that new moms returning to running will most likely encounter:

Challenge #1: Sleep (or should I say lack there of!)

Sleep deprivation- I cannot fully comprehend it now, although I think have been given a small dose of what it will be like since I have been struggling with sleep for months and seem to have developed new sleeping patterns. However, it probably won't hold a candle to sleeping with a new baby. A lot of the running moms out there that I have read about site lack of sleep as one of the big challenges to getting back into the running game. It is hard to find the motivation to go run ten miles when you have had three hours of sleep.

Challenge #2: Nursing

This seems to be the BIGGEST challenge. If you are a breastfeeding momma, which I plan to be, there are a lot of other things you need to work around. First, I'm going to have to figure out when to feed the little guy. Everything I've read says to feed the baby as close to your run as possible that way he is happy and you can at least begin your run on empty. If the baby is not hungry, then pump. But as moms out there know and I will learn, babies don't always work on your schedule so this is where flexibility comes in. I am going to have to be okay with readjusting my schedule from time to time. Some of the blogs I have read say that it seems like the best time to get runs in is either EARLY in the morning (5 AM) or LATE at night (10 PM). Side Note: If I had a larger house, I would invest in a treadmill. I think it would be worth its weight in gold!

Another challenge with breast feeding that some running moms have encountered is having their milk dry up. It seems like if you are running too much (or maybe it is pushing your body too much), your body does not have the extra materials necessary to produce milk. Also some times the lactic acid that your body produces while running can cause your milk to taste funny and the baby may turn his nose up at it.

The other challenge that I read about that relates to breastfeeding and running is that you must find a SUPER-HUMAN, BULLETPROOF sports bra. As someone who was never really well endowed (just average), this will be something new to me. I have had some recommendations for Title Nice Sports Bras, so I'll have to give those a try.

Challenge #3: Bladder

I have not had too much experience with this while being pregnant probably because my workouts have been 45 minutes or less and I have been doing lower impact exercise (walking and the elliptical). A lot of moms have cited that your bladder, similar to the rest of your body does not magically go back to normal after the baby is born (Shocker, I know!), so plan to have your runs interrupted by bathroom breaks.

I am sure that there are more challenges out there but these seem to be the most common.

I will admit that reading about these things and others' experiences does have me a little discouraged. I don't want these challenges to stop me from trying to get back in the running game or even offer me an easy excuse when things get rough (because unless I just get plain lucky, running is definitely going to be hard work!). I just hope learning about them before Baby Smith is born will help me prepare to better face them and have back-up plans for when something isn't working.

I know not many of my readers are mommy runners, but maybe this entry will come up on some pregnant or new mom's Google search and will help them as other articles and blogs have helped me prepare for postpartum running. It seems the big key to being successful as a new mom getting back into the running game or any other type of physical activity is listening to your body.