Mission: Undo What the Baby Did: Update 7

For the week of September 29, I got in 3 hours of exercise.  An hour short of my goal but my week was a little screwy.  We were supposed to head to Pittsburgh mid-week for Megatron's abdominal closure surgery but the surgery ended up getting rescheduled.  It threw me for a loop so I tried to cram in some exercise in the last half of the week.

By far the best workout was on Saturday.  I RAN 8 miles.  Not a run/walk but a RUN.  We stopped for a minute or two for water half way and walked through another water break closer to the end.  I was with my L2R gang and they really pulled me along.  They pulled me along so well that my pace ended up being at half marathon PR pace for me!  It was one last hurrah before we did head to Pittsburgh for Megatron's surgery.  It felt so good to hang out with friends for a good, challenging workout before heading into the stress of another hospital stay. What didn't feel good?  Sitting in a car the day after that 8 miler for 4+ hours as we headed for Pittsburgh.  Ouch.

And the week of October 6?  Nada. Unless you count standing next to a hospital crib or walking between the hospital and Ronald McDonald House.  Megatron had his abdominal muscles sewn back together on October 7.  The surgery went great but recovery was rough.  It was painful for him and very difficult for my husband and I to watch.  For about 3-4 days, it was hard.  Really hard.  As in, worse than the transplant hard.  But, each day got a little better and now we are back home to recover in the comfort of our own home instead of the hospital and then Ronald McDonald House.  And now that we are home, I can get back on the workout wagon!

Mission: Undo What the Baby Did: Update 6

Trying to make up for last week's discouragement, I woke up on Monday morning determined to turn it around.  As soon as I knew Megatron's afternoon nap was eminent, I strapped him into the run stroller and got to work.  The weather was perfect.  A couple miles in, something startled Megatron and woke him up but since he was being still, I figured he was still resting so I just kept going.  And going.  I stuck close to home since he was awake and I wasn't sure how long I had until his patience was out but he just hung out.  I kept pushing.  And I finally hit 6 miles!  That is the furthest I've gone pushing the stroller.  I also realized that it only took me 2 minutes longer to run 6 miles than it did the last time I hit a stroller run distance PR (5 miles).  I went an entire mile further in only 2 minutes longer!  While I may be discouraged by my lack of weight loss, seeing such a huge pace improvement was the confidence boost I needed!

 
Now that I have a sidekick with me, sometimes you just gotta stop mid run to check out the construction equipment.   The city is dredging our neighborhood pond, which happens to be a major rain water runoff pond for the city.  Downside to it is there is a ton of equipment rolling around on my path that I take for all of my stroller runs.  So far I've always been able to pass but they are making a mess of the asphalt.  Fingers cross they fix it!

After the 6 miles on Monday, a Jillian Michaels workout on Tuesday and two restless nights, I was dragging.  I still made myself go out the door though on Wednesday morning.  Megatron fell asleep quickly and I realized that I need to pay attention and recline his seat when he falls asleep so he doesn't slump over so badly...

It felt like I was running through molasses.  My pace was significantly slower than it was on Monday.  But I trudged through 4.5 miles before he woke up and I was ready to call it a day.

Thursday brought another Jillian Michaels workout but I cut it short after 45 minutes so I could pack a suitcase...

Because on Friday morning I was leaving on a jet plane!  After calling Southwest Airlines in January and crying while I canceled my flight to Orlando for the half marathon, I had unused funds available towards another ticket.  So I booked a flight to Denver to see my BFF who was going to meet me in Orlando.  We didn't get to do the half together but she was up for anything while I was in town.  In addition to just thoroughly enjoying her and her husband's company, we went for a run.  I was kind of wanting to get in 8 miles but due to heat and the altitude kicking my butt, we did just under 4 miles.  Hahaha.  Oh well.  I had a blast.  She brought her dogs so they were kind to me and we took breaks while they did their business and then took a few swims in the river we were running next to.  While hot, it was a beautiful day.  It was also a great way to see downtown Golden, CO.  I've been to the Denver area several times now and love it!  Everyone is active and outdoorsy, plus the communities support the active lifestyles with lots of multiuse trails, bike lanes and water bowls all over the place for the four legged companions. :) It was also the perfect way to catch up with my bestie.  And reenact a photo we took about 15 years ago.  This time instead of wearing matching sweatshirts in he the Smoky Mountains, we wore matching technical shirts in the foothills of the Rockies.  We don't have matching perms or glasses anymore but that's probably for the best.

Early 90s awesome!

Still crazy....it's like time never passes.