Back from a Break

I put off posting for a bit. Mostly because life got slightly insane and then husband and I went out of town for a wedding.


Baby bean completed his first race with me on October 8th. He did a great job, like he usually does when we run. There was no stroller division, but if there was, we would have won. This year was only the second running of the Fallen Soldier 5K which benefit the families of two soldiers from my husband's field artillery regiment who were killed in Iraq in 2009. One of the soldiers was my husband's rank and my sister's age (he would be 23). I knew who his wife was among the spectators before the major introduced her at the awards ceremony. A tragic loss stays on your face and in your composure for a long time. The major presented her with a folded flag that had flown in her husband's honor over the Pentagon. I could only imagine the memories of the last time she was presented with a folded flag.


The next day I had a great 7 mile run, but there was a segment on CBS News Sunday Morning about how the remains of soldiers are transported home. It followed a National Guardsman's wife from Oklahoma who's husband was killed in Afghanistan. She's now a single mom of a young son. It was a bit much for me. Watch the video here.

On a happier note, last weekend I got to spend a few days on a Gulf Coast for my friend's wedding. It was a such a fun time. We spent a day on New Orleans before going to Mobile. Overall we drank way too much and had too much fried food, but it was great. Running wasn't really a priority, but the Marriott in Mobile had one of the best fitness centers I've ever seen so I did work out a little bit. Not much. 


I spoke too soon last time about my back. Throughout our trip last week my SI joint was incredibly painful, especially while on the plane and walking around. Oddly though it didn't hurt while running. I think all of the cramped sitting on the plane was the problem.


Now it's back to reality. School is crazy and husband is about to leave for a 1 month training at Ft. Sill Oklahoma so I'll be a 1-parent show. Hopefully I'll get 2 decent runs in this weekend because it probably won't be a priority for at least a month.

Running for Two

Anytime the phrase "for two" gets thrown around someone assumes you're pregnant, so let me be the first to clarify that is NOT the case. Today I took my nearly 5 month old son E on his first run. We went about 3.5 miles around the neighborhood and he either slept or chewed on this mesh thing that holds and ice cube. Before anyone calls child protective services on me for having a baby out in this heat let me add that the sun was not up and there was a breeze. I did receive several disparaging looks from other runners, walkers, and drivers.

My mom bought me the Cadillac of jogging strollers: a BOB. The thing is amazing. It seems like a huge heavy thing, but its very lightweight and smooth. Mine looks like this, except it's tan and not purple:

I wore my Brooks shoes today because I've noticed a little metatarsal pain and I don't want to push it with the Pace Glove shoes. I was worried the stroller would undo everything I've been working on with my form, but it didn't really at all. In fact, I think the stroller made me keep good posture because if you're not conscious of it then there's a tendency to lean forward. One thing I noticed was it was more comfortable to push it by resting my hands on the side of the handle rather than grasping it. I do the same thing on my road bike to prevent my hand from going numb. Interestingly, the stroller didn't seem to slow me down. I did walk up one of the steeper hills, but only because I felt myself leaning into the stroller. Otherwise we just cruised! Going downhill had me nervous because I've been working on picking up my cadence and letting gravity pull me downhill, but obviously that is ill-advised with a baby in a stroller. I was able to not try and slow myself by heel-striking and just go a little faster. Word of caution: ALWAYS USE THE SAFETY STRAP! Just in case you should lose control of the stroller, the strap will prevent it from getting away from you.

E will be accompanying me on my runs for the next three weeks because my husband is in the buggy, marshy, scratchy backwoods of Virginia blowing things up with the National Guard. 

On another note, I'm debating signing up for a running clinic to work on my form. It's difficult to apply what I read or am told about natural running without getting feedback. All of the clinics cost money so I'll need to decide if it's worth it.