Merry Christmas to Me!

My treadmill arrived last week!  It is not new; the wood-paneling, carpeted belt, and strange holes where the now missing weights used to go give it away.  It is, however, new to me, and I love it!  I went to Play it Again Sports and found a model with at least 2.0 Continuous Horse Power (CHP for short), good incline possibilities, and a max speed of 12 MPH.  12?  I think that I have never run faster than 6-minute pace ever, and I do not see that changing until next fall at the earliest, but I like having my options open.

So the delivery guys carted off our elliptical and put my new treadmill in the garage, near our little television.  I ran 2.5 miles the day it arrived while the bambino was napping, and I can tell already that this treadmill is going to be fine.  It speeds up quickly and doesn't make any weird noises, and those are really my only criteria.  I can't tell if it's loud or if any treadmill in a garage would be loud, but that's not an issue.

Last post, I said that I wanted to practice yoga 4-5 times per week and run or walk 3-4 times per week.  I've been doing very well on both fronts.  I do yoga nearly every day, usually in the evenings.  I'll start prenatal yoga classes in January, and I don't want to look like I don't know what I'm doing!  Seriously, the yoga has really helped me these last few weeks; my back doesn't hurt, I sleep better (which is impressive), and I have more energy.  And fewer headaches.    I've been running at least three times per week as well.  Last week, I ran in my neighborhood as well as on trails nearby.  For one of the runs, I took one of my dogs on a 2.5-mile trail run. The poor thing was out of shape, apparently; he used to run far ahead of non-pregnant, 9-minute mile me, but this time he stayed just behind me as we jogged leisurely 11-minute miles.

This past week, we've been visiting my parents for Christmas.  It was a lot of fun, with a lot of very good food and several games of Mexican Train and Dominoes.  The bambino was, of course, spoiled rotten by his grandparents, great-grandmother, and uncle.  He loved every minute of it, too!  Between all of the eating and playing, my dad and I went on two runs around the neighborhood.  The second run was on Christmas day, so he got to try out his new Garmin 110.  It found the satellites quite a bit faster than mine, and it seems really easy to use.  I think this will help him run outside a bit easier; it's nice to know where you've been and how fast you're going.

With less than a week left in 2011, I can truly say that this has been an amazing year.  I have...

• set a PR in both the 5k and marathon, two big goals for me.
• won a race!  I was first female overall in the Resolution Run January 1.  I can assure you that this will NOT happen this year, although I will run it.
• started to grow the family.  Baby girl (named Alfie by my son, after his favorite Thomas character) will arrive on or around May 1.  This is the most important and exciting event of the year!
• moved into town.  This is such a big change, and we're still adjusting, but it's been a gift to have time, neighbors, extra money from not commuting so far, and a place to run.

Next year will be a bit different for me, goal-wise.  I'll think about that this week and let you know what I've decided!

Running in my Neighborhood

Thursday afternoon, I did something completely new, something I have never done before: I put on my running clothes, opened the door of my house, stepped outside, and ran.

I only ran 1 mile, but it was a happy, fast-ish mile during which I smiled the entire time.  After moving last week, getting sick, and not running or doing any type of cardio for more than a week, one mile was the perfect amount.  I came home 10 minutes (and change) later, happy and calm.  In my short run, I saw neighbors, counted outdoor cats, and scoped out where to get into one of two parks that back up to our new digs.

What got me back on the bandwagon?

• Being settled into our new house, even halfway.  Sure, there are still boxes.  Yes, there's a lot left to do and there are no paintings on the walls.  But we're here.  The closings are done, the bills paid, and we get to live here for the rest of our lives.  Seriously.  I'm not doing this again.
• Eating a lot.  This goes with being settled, but I think the stress of impending moving/closing/etc. really curbed my appetite, and for a pregnant lady, that can really zap energy.  I felt like poo last week and didn't' fully recover until the last few days.  Recovering meant a better appetite, so I've been filling up on clementines, pickles, ginger dressing, spinach, and mint-chocolate chip ice cream,  I love being pregnant!
• Yoga.  Starting Sunday, I began doing 20 minutes of yoga pretty much every day, with or without Little Man helping me out.  I immediately began sleeping better, and my back isn't as sore.  I do what I remember being legal from prenatal yoga last time around.  I'll start going to prenatal yoga classes again in January.  I can't wait!
• Convenience.  It takes me three minutes to drive to and from work.  I get home when the sun is still up, even in December.  And I live on a quiet street that happens to have a perfect one-mile loop.  Really, how can I not run?  Tomorrow I will notice when it's light enough to run in the morning and see if I have enough time before school to get in a quick workout.  I do not have a fancy headlamp for running in the dark, and I am also paranoid, so I have to have daylight.

For the rest of December, I have a few goals:

1. Practice yoga 4-5 times per week.  Whenever I'm diligent in my practice, I feel better.  It's a no-brainer.
2. Run or walk 3-4 times per week.  The dogs will get to join me on this, at least some of the time.

If I can do these two things for the rest of 2011, I feel that I will have started some really good habits in my new home.  2012 is going to be an incredible and busy year, so I need to be physically and mentally prepared to face it. 

Settled In

We survived the move!  We moved in Wednesday, closing on two houses (selling and buying) while navigating movers and a U-Haul, with the help of amazing friends who will be paid in Mexican food and margaritas.

At 18 weeks, I can't really help as much as I would have liked.  I thought I kept it really light, but Thursday I was sick as a dog: leave work sick.  I never do that.  I was a vomitous, tired mess.  Friday was a little better, and yesterday I felt human.  I have learned my lesson.  I have to take it easy.

Speaking of 18 weeks, we found out Monday (busy week, right?) that we're having a girl!  I am excited to start decorating, and our families like the idea of shopping and hand-making for a girl.

The bad news about overdoing it on Wednesday is that I still haven't been for a walk in my neighborhood, let alone a run.  There is an easy 1-mile loop for walking, there are trails less than .25 miles away, and today I found a playground exactly 1 mile away.  I've put countless loops on gmap-pedometer.com that range from three to ten miles, but I haven't done any of them and I don't even feel guilty.  I think I'll go for a walk with the dogs tomorrow if I'm still feeling good, and maybe I'll run Tuesday if I feel up to it.