Body After Baby // Week 6

You guys! I am on the highest of highs right now. I just finished my first fast workout in what seems like forever. I had given up on hard running when I was experiencing recurrent pregnancy loss. So, I'd say that was a year and a half ago? I thought somehow running with much effort had something to do with all that. I mean, I was always looking for something to blame (and my doctor assures me the running had nothing to do with it).

EXERCISE

Fast forward to now -- 6 weeks postpartum -- and I woke up feeling great. But I didn't feel like doing my usual 3-mile slog through the neighborhood. It's hot, sunny, and I'm kind of bored with it and need to get back to my old routes. Today's solution: You might remember that we bought a treadmill this year. I looked up some interval workouts and found this one on PopSugar.

I feel like it's the perfect mix of gentle and challenging to get back into the swing of things. (Somehow I didn't follow it exactly and did a lot more of the 7-8 MPH -- oops!)

FOOD

Going dairy free has had an interesting side effect. I'm only a couple days in, but the food choices I've been making overall have been much healthier. I've been consuming a lot more protein and less carbs. I've been choosing more fruits and veggies and shunning more desserts.

I will probably break from the dairy free just briefly this weekend when we visit my parents in Wellsboro. It's my birthday, and I would like to indulge in some cake and home treats I only get on occasion. (There this food truck that has THE BEST grilled cheese!)


I do wonder, though, for those of you nursing mamas who went without dairy: Did you notice a change in your supply? I feel like I've had slightly less milk the last few days. But I realize it might also have to do with reaching 6 weeks, which is when things regulate a bit, right? I'm trying to add more fats to my diet regardless. An avocado a day . . . :)

CONFIDENCE

My body hasn't changed much in the last several weeks, but I don't really mind it much. It took a long time to get pregnant, a long time to cook baby, and it'll take a long time to reach "normal" again. And I know from having Ada that "normal" will be different anyway. I actually felt like I got fitter in some ways after I had her despite not having my body look like it did when I was younger.


Exercising and eating well is making me feel so great. We've been sleeping better, too. Eloise had been doing some 5-6 hour sleeping stretches while on vacation. Since we've returned it's been more like 4 -- but it's all good.

So, that's week 6 in my postpartum fitness and body journey. I'll be back tomorrow with reflections from vacation (as well as some essentials for taking a newborn to the beach).

Happy Wednesday!

Read more...

Hit the Hills // A Workout

Thanks for all your congrats on my race win! Since my kitchen is mostly packed up and I've been eating off paper plates, there's not much in the food department to talk about now. Only 5 more days, though! Anyway, several of you have asked about my training, so I thought that'd be a fun topic for today.

// THE CLIMB

Over the past year, I've made some solid gains in my race paces at all distances. I haven't done much (if any, really) speedwork, though. So, I wanted to share my "secret weapon" workout with you guys today because it's one that truly works. It will make those typical "hilly courses" we all complain about feel like a cake-walk, too!

But first: On every training run, I try to do at least one climb. If it's not a long hill, I try to find a steep one and go as fast as I can. If it's a long hill, I try to just power up at whatever pace can carry me there. But I do this every single run at least once during the run. If you live in a flat area, try running up man-made inclines (like bridges) or visiting the treadmill more often.

Then once a week I try to do hill repeats.

This workout, which I did as part of my half marathon training, has the potential to be as long as 10 miles. I know. That sounds a bit nuts. I usually just do 10 repeats for a total of 7 miles. However, when I was starting out, I'd do 6-8 repeats and even shorten the warmup to just a half mile warmup/cooldown. You can also choose a shorter hill. Anything over .10 of a mile is better than nothing!

Basically, you can get the idea to modify according to your race distance. And you can even choose to simply follow the general idea of incorporating regular HILL REPEATS into your training. Stephen also favored hills versus speed for his training this year and is seeing similar gains in his race times. Something must be working!

Otherwise, I don't do "workouts" necessarily. I run the rest of my mileage at an easy pace. If on a short run I feel particularly strong, I'll choose to go faster that day. And I always try to get a long run of 8-10 miles in on the weekend despite where I am in a training cycle.

How do you work to get faster? Do you like doing repeats at the track or preferring heading for the hills? Or are you a beast at both!

For more running tips, be sure to check out our RUNNING PAGE full of information about workouts, races, nutrition, gear, and much more. We haven't written much in recent years -- but I'm hoping to add to this area on the site as time goes on.

Like what you just read? Browse more of our posts + recipes on Pinterest. You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...