Extra training

I have been working on my strength training like I said I would, and already the SI joint seems to be better. Could the difference be that I have also stopped going to the chiropractor? Hmmm.

Strength training does not take long for me, unless it is a combined strength/gossip session, which can be super time consuming. So really, that may count as social time that happens to involve a little exercise. Anyway, I get downstairs, get my TRXing, medicine balling, and jumping done fast. 

I also get some extra credit training in most days. While Mommy and Me yoga sounds appealing, to the Mommy, at least, I know it wouldn't go over so well with the Toddler. Our training together includes much less structured moves. Hunter, the toddler coach, loves to have me retrieve "more animals" for him when he realizes some of the gang are missing. So he waits patiently and tells me to run! to go get it. He moves his arms for emphasis. 

I don't always get instructed to run! alone. Holding the entirety of the 30+ pound little one -- "carry Hunter, run!"-- and running through the house, usually to collapse on the bed, is one of the main forms of speedwork I do. He's a good coach, always having me drink from one of the dozen bike bottles filled with water at all times, scattered throughout the house. (It's funny, he drank literally one time out of a baby bottle but is all about the fuel belt mini bottles.)

 

The bottle is always on hand.

 

Drink up, Mom.

 

Nap time and bedtime are two other workout times for me. The quickest way to get the toddler to sleep is carrying him in the Ergo and vacuuming. He even requests it. While the vacuuming can be difficult on some rugs, working my shoulders thoroughly, the real work is done in the bouncing quarter squats I must do a thousand times some nights. And not just any old quarter squats, I have added weight, and I do them one leg at a time. 

While the possibly misnamed Ergo is one of the most comfortable carriers I've used, I can't help but wonder if the pressure it puts on my lower back is partially to blame for my SI issues. At least my legs are getting stronger one nap time at a time.  

Today the health buzz was about a new study that links time spent sitting to heart disease.  Is this really a surprise to anyone? As opposed to most of my previous jobs, being Hunter's mom is the least sedentary.  I cannot think of a time I sit for more than a couple minutes at a time. He's not a child who likes to play by himself; no, he gets any audience quickly involved. And I'm so glad he does!

I'm sure my little coach will have me doing more calisthenics and intervals any time now. Lucky for me, I've only heard him count to six (update: ten) so far.

My electronic coach

Wednesday of this week was track day, and by "track" I mean "church parking lot." Lucky for me, it's a huge church parking lot, about 1.3 miles from my house if I go the long way. On the schedule was 16x400s at 10k pace with a 200m jog between. Jeremy set up the Garmin with the workout for me so I wouldn't so much as push a button during the whole thing. Who knew it could be so simple? I might've been thinking out loud when I mumbled in front of my husband something about 10k pace being 6:30 per mile, and without asking any more questions, that's what he told the Garmin I wanted to do for my 400s.

My planned route was to take the outside parking lot line over and over, since it is almost exactly a mile with only a tiny bit of doubling back. What I hadn't planned on, despite Jenny's warning of the windiness of the day, was that the biggest uphill of the loop was also straight into the wind. And that's where I started my first 400. I appreciated the countdown distance to go and the 5 beeps it gave me before another interval was to begin or end. I appreciated not having to count .25mi, then .12mi for recovery and all the mathematics it would involve for an oxygen deprived brain. But I didn't know it would be so vocal about my slowness. Obviously, on my first 400, just being my first, plus going uphill, plus going into the wind, I wasn't hitting my goal pace. And Garmin beeped at me to let me know that. Every 10 seconds. OK, Coach Shankman Garmin, I get that I'm slow (flashbacks to college). I learned a few more intervals into it that it also beeps when you're finally on pace. I think I heard that congratulatory beep 3 times during the workout. It was a tough one for me, even though I quickly learned to avoid the windiest, hilliest side of that parking lot, and instead did multiple small, flat loops before I headed to a downhill for my hard intervals. I know, I'm only cheating myself. :) It is a good thing Garmin doesn't beep more when you go super slow, since my last interval I did already headed home on a gravelly road by the field, uphill of course, and I think it was 8 minute pace.

Doesn't this route look enticing?

Training in the new year

I'm about to have a birthday in a few weeks, and nothing makes you feel old like that combined with an achy back. I've realized that my strength training has really taken a back seat to toddler chasing these days. A certain toddler cannot stand it when I do things like TRX in front of him. I think he wants to be sure he can out-wrestle me ASAP. I had realized I was lacking strength well before my great aunt, who is 56 years older than I am, out-armwrestled me over Christmas. She has, of course, been doing a lot of strength training herself, and is definitely not one you'd call wimpy. I didn't take it too hard, since she's always been really tough. But on the way home from our holidays we took a break from our drive at a park to get some energy out, and I only eeked out 2 sets of 4 pullups on the playground. That's pretty pitiful, even for me, who does not train those muscles with any regularly. My poor arms are lucky to get in once a week swims. A couple of yoga classes left me shaky and sore in the upper body recently, and I realized it is time to start back. For real this time. No more T-Rex arms ("my little arms!"), which they have been compared to more than once. But it's not just about the arms this time. It's my stupid back! The sacro-wedgy doesn't seem to be helping. Swimming seems to be hurting; it may just be the flipturns, but just 3000yds takes SOOOO long without them. A few months ago I rather suddenly was able to crank out a 10 watt higher average for an hour long bike ride, and I feel it in my back every time. I don't think it's just position, because when I take it easy, the back is fine. It is fine when I'm running, but afterward I can feel it.

So maybe I'll just cut out some of the riding and swimming, keep running, and add olympic lifting. I may have signed up for another half marathon, since there's one in my town in a few months. That means I don't have to spend the night in any hotel or get up before 5, and, unlike in Alamogordo, there will be more than 8 people running it. My PR was on this course 6 years ago, and I'm hoping the hills haven't grown in that time. But it's one run at a time, seeing what this old body can take. Is 37 still considered "mid-30s"?

No resolutions here

New Year's resolutions just don't work for me. I know myself well enough to know that just changing the calender is not motivation enough to do anything significant. Instead I try to work on little things I know I can change when I realize that I need to work on them. Nutrition is a big one for this time of year for many people, and I do have some thoughts on that (what athlete doesn't?).

I seem to be more and more interested in my family's nutrition, with a big reason being the fact that now I am responsible for my toddler's health. Actually I have been shunning many things since long before his time; I will not touch diet soft drinks or artificial sweeteners. I distinctly remember the last time I had a huge diet something drink from Sonic. It was about 5 or 6 years ago, and I had a raging headache afterward. It could definitely have been psychosomatic, but I'll be going with the full sugar, hopefully cane sugar and not HFCS, if I have my way, from now on.  No chemical, synthetic sweeteners. At my old job in Memphis, the cooking in the nutrition kitchen was geared toward people with obesity and diabetes, and everything was low sugar or low fat. But not just because they were made with less sugar and less fat, but because they used artificial sweeteners and low-fat-foods-that-are-naturally-high-fat-foods, like cheese and butter. Understandably, diabetics need to avoid sugar and simple carbohydrates, as obese people need to watch calories, but I'm really not sure that substituting sucralose or aspartame for a natural sugar is doing those diseased bodies any good. Really, does it do any bodies good? I think more research will start concluding that no, it only hurts. Besides, the taste is significantly subpar. I'd personally rather not eat "just ok" food that has little nutritional value. 

I probably do indulge in real sugar too much, and that is one of those things I need to be working on. It is a tough one for a sweets lover like me. I swore I wouldn't even have desserts in the house, much less let my baby eat them, before he was born. Now he knows where the chocolate is stored and regularly asks for it. At least it's mostly natural (and not even Nestlé brands). Most of the processed foods he eats are organic, and I am working on our dairy being all organic. It's hard to give up my Fage yogurt and Cracker Barrel cheddar though! Butter and milk are no problem. Recently I realized that our favorite butter/canola oil spread was no longer acceptable. I want to avoid genetically modified foods as much as possible, and canola oil is almost always a GMO. My big bottle of canola oil in the pantry is now reserved for playdough. I use a lot of olive oil, and my favorite oil is coconut. The best coffee I have ever made, which I have at least once daily now, is with a scoop of coconut oil, a little butter, honey, and a dash of milk, all blended up and frothy. I really want to go further with the coconut oil and do some oil pulling, but I just don't have 20 minutes in the morning when my mouth has to be occupied with it. 

Our produce leaves a little to be desired in the organic vs conventional choice, but here and there we go organic, and for things that Hunter will consume in large quantities that is on the dirty dozen list (frozen raspberries on his oatmeal), I go out of he way to buy. Literally, because Whole Foods is not the closest grocery store. 

While I want to know what is in my food, I am too aware of what is in my meat, or rather, what my meat is made of. This is one reason I choose to eat mostly a vegetarian diet. I don't really like meat, and I especially don't like cooking it. We have it occasionally, and I eat it when at a restaurant sometimes. For this reason I do need to be more conscious of my protein and iron intake. That can go on my to-do list.  

In our food and also items around the house, like various household cleaners, shampoos and lotions, while I try to avoid harsh chemicals, toxic cleaners, and parabens, etc., I have to remember that toxicity is all about dose. So limiting what I can is helping limit exposure. And hopefully my body and my husband's and child(ren)'s bodies will thank me for it some day. 

Goodbye to 2013

It's December 31st already again, and what a year it has been! We celebrated the holidays in Little Rock, Memphis, and Kentucky, with some exhausting driving/toddler entertaining mixed in.  We really enjoyed the families.

Mom and Dad's cabin at dusk. The horses were fed well with carrots again (speaking of, Hunter does the sign for carrots also for parrots and ferrets).

As materialistic as I try to not be, we appreciate so much the gifts that we and Hunter received this year. He is interested in everything, with Mickey and Minnie topping his list that also includes books, art, and animals.

Check out these ornaments, Mickey!

 And you too, sheep.

 

We have added Minnie to our plush collection. She wasn't put down for HOURS

 

My husband knows exactly what I want -- to reuse old things to decorate and furnish. He built me a mirror frame, planter box, and bench for the mudroom out of old 2x4s from our Alamogordo porch, and he also built an outdoor porch couch out of pallets from my brother-in-law's company. What a resourceful, creative, perfect present. And all I got him was a pair of Nike pants (well not really, but not nearly as good as his presents to me).

We sure love that Dad

Can't you just see that perfect jump shot form?

All the excitement of the week left us a little exhausted, but we still had introductions between the goat and donkey of the new nativity to do.

 

The adults may get some enjoyment out of this one too.

We are back home now for New Year's Eve, with exciting things coming in the new year, including 2 year molars which should make their appearance any day now (come on, damn teeth, that's enough). One of us (me) may have a few new pounds gained after all the desserts and this jar of cookie butter from Trader Joe's that I'm currently spooning out. But the days are getting longer and my daffodil shoots are telling me spring is coming soon! 

A little sun, a little warmth, a bit of training

I think this is why people live in the southeast: you get a few days of snow and ice, then a few days of sun and 65 degrees. In December. It is the shortest day of the year, which is exciting since days get longer from here. I may not be getting any tan lines this weekend like I did in Alamogordo on the shortest day, since it is pouring rain, but I can wear shorts running in it! (I swam, in the indoor pool, instead today.) And then we are returning to winter in a few days, but it's Christmas, so expected.

These short days are making it hard to fit in outdoor running. Jeremy goes in the mornings and I usually run on weekends and Wednesdays, with last week's runs totally 17 miles.  I went twice. I need either more lighted streets or fewer cars around or both to make my evening runs more frequent. I have been religiously hitting the trainer though. Every other day of the week I have tried to get on as soon as Hunter goes to sleep for his nap, and have successfully gotten in about 45 minutes each time. Except the other day, when just before I finished up a hard 10 minute interval, he woke up. He is sleeping in the usual spot, our bed on the floor. He can get in and out easily, and I keep the stairs baby gate locked, but only a few times has he woken up and just walked out of the room. Usually he calls for me. I have never let him cry, so as soon as I heard him I sprinted up the stairs. Of course at this point I was a sweaty mess, and he turned up his nose at me, like I smelled or something.

It might possibly be the extra hours on the trainer, but my SI joint is not getting better. I skipped the chiropractor again this week, since I really can't justify $40 for 10 minutes of stim and ART. The Sacro-Wedgy effectiveness is still up in the air. It is not comfortable to lie on, but I have been doing it every night. Swimming is rough on it, as is sitting on the floor with Hunter, which is where I spend a very large proportion of my waking hours. I have no solution to my pain so far, and I don't want to sound like a senior citizen the rest of my life complaining about my back.

It's hard to believe Christmas is almost here! We celebrated Ethan's 4th birthday this week at Jump Zone, which is SOOOO fun for a toddler, and a Mexican feast. I am trying to keep myself from eating my weight in Moose Munch (at least it is hard to do, since light fluffy popcorn is at its core) and the pies that I will make this week. The last minute shopping seems to be complete with today's trip to Target. And side note: is it just me, or is it hard to resist things with JOY written on them this time of year? There are canisters, shirts, towels, place mats, glasses, plates, candles, ornaments, everything! I want them all. Do people with other names have this problem? The Hopes know what I'm saying.

 Uh oh, there's a bulb out! We checked every light, didn't we Dad? You taught me everything I know about exterior illumination.

Winter is here

Nothing says winter like a few beautiful 75 degree days. Knowing Wednesday was the last one like that for a while, I put my running shorts on and did a little 8 miler with some tempo miles thrown in to try to beat the husband's pace for the day. However the sickness that I'd had starting a few days before kept me from the victory this time. I got my first winter cold before the winter cold weather even got here. It's turned out to be the worst cough I've had since Hunter was born. I notice this fact because not only is it frustrating to wake yourself up coughing repeatedly each night, but having to stuff a pillow into your mouth to avoid waking the baby is the icing on the cake. Or maybe the icing is when you have him almost asleep and that horrible jarring cough comes out of nowhere and startles him. Being sick is fun enough before kids. It is so much more so while trying to take care of a toddler. Luckily his nursing provides him lots of good antibodies and he has only gotten a runny nose, so at least I'm not trying to entertain a very sick toddler.

After running Wednesday I didn't stick to my word and rescheduled my chiropractor appointment so that I could go to the massage therapist. She was good, and said I have "a lot going on in there" when she worked on my hips. I decided that while it costs more than my $40 copay at the chiropractor, it lasts so much longer and feels so much better. I might become a (more) regular. She recommended an apparatus called the sacro-wedgie for helping my deep hip muscles relax, so I put it right on my Christmas list.

We knew the cold would be coming along Thursday and the temperature steadily dropped all day. Friday the ice came, which brought Jeremy slowly home from work very early. Unfortunately Hunter and I just watched as Dad and the cousins sledded down our street. He's not much for being cold, and jackets, mittens, and hats aren't his thing. It's like he's not even listening when I explain the theory behind "winter clothing." Toddlers.

I'm fine right here, thank you 

See? I'm so much happier shirtless.

Indoor activities are going to have to be stepped up for a while during this long cold that is forecasted. We have already made a dent in the 400 page Mickey coloring book. I can see a difference in his coloring skills already. I'm totally impressed at his ability to stay inside the lines already. I'm hoping he doesn't get his Daddy's inability to color things the proper color though. Yellow jaundiced eyes on a duck? Come on people. Apparently I've always been the coloring Nazi, according to my poor little sister, who I stood over while she used my set of 64 crayolas (with the built-in sharpener-- that, honestly, who would ever want to use?). She told me this memory and i actually felt sorry for my young self. I'm sure I was made to share my precious pack of crayons with her, and was trying not to get mad when she put the oranges back in the wrong order. And obviously, there is a correct order. It's called the rainbow.

  ...my blue suede shoes

 "Doof" looking sharp with his pants matching his shoes

I did happen to color the red pants, but his black shoe and green glove and face are looking just as good.

And speaking of Mickey, he's one busy guy at our house, with all the excavation by truck...

...and by bucket. Mickey signs to us a lot now, and lends a helping hand even more.

 I'm about to start him working as my sous chef since his play dough cutting skills are rivaling my onion dicing skills. I'm not sure the plastic knife will work as well on an onion as it does on the raspberry scented homemade red dough, however. And he may be too young for the Henckels. 

We have worked on decorating for Christmas, and Hunter has sorted and boxed and dumped and bounced all the plastic ornaments we could find-- over and over. He has helped make some new ornaments as well, including his handprinted one complimenting last year's, and a few clear glass ones with Christmas confetti and shredded tissue paper inside.

 Such a fascinating tradition we have here of hanging strange objects on a tree inside

So inside snuggling our precious ones we will stay for the next week until the weather warms up, getting our exercise (well some of us) on the trainer, doing laps running around the house, racing at the starting sound of "GOGOGO!" and practicing our somersaults and pikes on the bed. Stay warm, friends!