Running in the Rockies

Okay, this may be premature, but I need some accountability to keep me motivated. I just had a baby in April and haven't been able to exercise in months, so I'm starting very slow. Well, I say that, but I actually walked 1 1/2 hours last Friday and was sore for 3 days. So, I'm trying again. This morning, I only went 2 miles (instead of 4) and stopped to talk to a friend who was driving home from her workout at a gym.

I've never been a runner. I have 4 (of 6) siblings who have raced compeetitively either in High School or as an adult, but I have never followed their lead until now. My sister, Lybi, is already on this blog (Confessions of a Piano Teacher) and I love reading her funny commentaries. I'm not nearly as funny or as competitive as Lybi, but I do want to get out there and start running.

I didn't get out yesterday because my husband went cycling instead. But I was tired ALL day long yesterday. So this morning, even though I went to bed at midnight and was awake a few times with babies, I knew I had to get out. Beautiful morning! It rained last night, so it was humid and quite cool at 6:15 (55 degrees - and it's still August!). I ran a little on the downhills just to keep my heart rate up. My neighborhood is very hilly, so it makes for an interesting walk/run. I try to stretch after my run instead of before (which I have always done before) from reading the advice of others on this website. I didn't think I'd be able to run without stretching first, but starting slow and then stretching afterwards feels good. I'm feeling great now, but I'm gonna need a NAP today!

Still walking, but feeling good and trying to keep up my pace even on our awesome hill.  Gotta go - babies are crying

Beautiful morning. I went walking on a different route and tried to run as much as possible (which is not much since I'm still just starting). Last Saturday, I was looking at the races in this area and I've chosen my first race: there's a 5K in 4 weeks that I would like to compete in and use that time as a benchmark. It's so interesting to have a goal! Instead of just running for an ambiguous "be healthy" goal; knowing that I need to be able to run a 5k in a few weeks makes me MUCH more motivated to get out the door and really train. I'm excited! This will be my first time to compete - EVER (in a sport - I've done musical competitions before).

My hip has been really hurting after my last run. It's actually been hurting since I first starting exercising 2 weeks ago, but it got much worse when I started running more. I called my brother-in-law, James, and he recommended to take it easy, get good shoes, and go to the chiropractor. So, I went on the elliptical this morning for half an hour (thus, I estimated about a mile's worth of running). My hip is feeling better today. I have an appt on Friday for a chiropractic adjustment; it actually makes sense that my hip is out of alignment. All during my last trimester, I had to go to the chiropractor all the time because my tailbone and low back were causing me major problems. I don't want to chicken out on my 5K race, but I also don't want to get an injury that will make it impossible to run at all. Ugh.

The elliptical again - half an hour with varying levels of resistance. This is helping with my hip, but I wish I could get outside and run instead. The week is almost over and I had hoped to be able to run half a mile without walking by the end of my first week of training. Ugh. The best laid plans. . .