Faith Laces

June 17 - June 23, 2013 3 Weeks Postpartum Photo Credit - Faith Laces This week all my runs were in the early morning partly because of the heat, but mostly because I was helping with my church's Vacation Bible School in the evenings. I'm glad that Nathan cooperated with me because after VBS I was way too tired to go for a run. I love helping with VBS. I enjoy watching my daughter grow in her faith. I also find that VBS is a week-long boot-camp to strengthen my own faith. Sometimes simple reminders go a long way. Monday - 4 miles God's love helps us to stand strong. Tuesday - 4 miles Family and Friends help us to stand strong. Thursday - 4 miles Prayer helps us to stand strong. Friday - Yoga The Bible helps us to stand strong. Saturday - 8 miles Sunday - 4.5 miles

June 10 - 16, 2013 2 Weeks Postpartum Since Nathan is getting into a more regular eating schedule, this week I was able to increase the amount of time running and started tracking my mileage again. My plan is to gradually increase my mileage as I (hopefully get faster). On Monday I ran 4 miles in the evening. On my way home, it started raining, like heavy, buckets of rain pouring from the sky. I was soaked in seconds. At one point, a neighbor driving by in his car stopped and asked if I wanted a ride, but I was already wet so there was no point. I appreciated the offer. Getting rained on in the summer isn't that bad. The worst part was my cell phone getting wet - two weeks later it died. On Tuesday I ran 4 miles in the evening and again it rained, but this time it was light and refreshing. Thursday I again ran 4 miles in the evening. On Friday I did Jilian Michael's Yoga video which was a great workout. I was surprised to find that I was able to do the workout ...

June 3- 9, 2013 1 Week Postpartum   Since I'm trying to take it easy, I haven't really been tracking my mileage. My goal right now is to fit running into Nathan's nursing schedule. Monday I ran for 38 minutes early in the morning. Tuesday I waited until 7pm to run for 56 minutes. Thursday I was finally able to run for a full hour from 8pm to 9pm. Saturday I ran for an hour and a half. Sunday I ran for an hour. I'm definitely not back to my pre-pregnancy pace, but I'm faster than I was just two weeks ago. I miss running with my little guy. I think he misses running with me too. The only reason I'm not able to run in the early morning like I used to is because Nathan won't go back to sleep after he nurses. It's like he knows it's running time and he's ready to go! It's hard not to track my mileage and pace, but I don't want to push myself too hard too soon and end up getting injured. Nathaniel Lee 1 week old

May 27- June 2, 2013 39 Weeks Pregnant Monday I ran close to 6 miles. The holiday allowed me to run in the morning, but gave me a bit of extra sleeping in time since hubby was off work. Tuesday I ran 4.5 miles in the afternoon. Wednesday morning around 4am my water broke. At 5am my contractions started, and 2 hours, 44 minutes and no drugs later, my son was born. Nathaniel Lee 8lbs 2.6 oz May 29, 2013 Photo Credit - Faith Laces I'm happy to say that labor went according to my plan. Although I did say quite a few times that I couldn't do it, I managed to breathe through the pain of the contractions thanks to an awesome nurse. I do believe that running gave me the strength and endurance I needed; however, there was no way I could conjure up the relaxation I practiced in yoga. I took Thursday and Friday off from running. Saturday I ran for a half hour and Sunday I ran for an hour. I know, that sounds crazy, but my doctor said it was okay as long as I didn't...

May 20 - 26, 2013 38 Weeks Pregnant Since I'm writing this post so late, I think it's fair to offer a bit of a spoiler - this is my last full week of running before the baby arrived! Monday I ran around 3 miles early in the morning. Tuesday I ran between 3.5 and 4 miles early in the morning. Wednesday was the highlight of the week. I dusted off the jogging stroller and Makayla hopped in for a ride to the park. Once we got there, Makayla played for a bit on the jungle gym but then she was ready to run. Why was she suddenly so excited to run? We bought her a new running skirt. Nothing like a new outfit to inspire a girl! I'd say we ran about a mile. Sadly, Makayla was much faster than me! Makayla stretching before our run. Thursday was my long run, around 7 miles. Saturday I ran around 6 miles. Sunday I ran around 3 miles. My little 'Monkey' on the monkey bars. Such a big girl!