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Who wants to get active: Megan

62 Posts

I noticed my blog linked to the Family Page of Active's web site. So I decided to write an update.

It's been over 3 months since the Hollis Race. I'm proud to say that I still run 3-5 days/week. Last week I ran 26 miles. I'm hoping to run the Applefest Half Marathon in two weeks. I'm not very well prepared, but I might give it a go anyway.

My latest thoughts:

 

I've been thinking about all the running that parents do and the fatigue that comes with having children. This is my sweet Caroline.

 

 

Running after kids:

I once ran after my first child (a 2 year old heading for the road) with all 200+ pregnant pounds of me (belly bouncing and pelvis about to crack down the middle) jiggling the whole way. I moved only slightly faster than a tortoise. Not pretty.

 

This summer my 3yo son (3rd child) was out in the driveway with my husband. My husband took his eyes off him for a few minutes (You and I both know how fast those little kamikaze's can disappear). My 7yo (making amends for forcing her fat/pregnant mom to waddle after her as a toddler) starting screaming, "Alex is almost in the road!" I hit the door running and lept like a gazelle (not hitting a single step) from the porch to the ground. I sprinted at what might have been olympic speeds (ok, maybe not olympic...but I might have beaten the local H.S. track star at the 100m) and caught my son just before an enormous dirt truck flew past.

 

Oh yes......and we mustn't forget the playful "I'm gonna get you" (or as my son calls it, "i'm dunna dit you") running that we do when we're chasing them around in their PJs after bath time. This one is my favorite.

 

Running the kids to School, Sports, and Scouts (which really isn't running at all):

I get up every cold Saturday morning all fall to bring my 5 year old to 8am "soccer." ....which really isn't soccer all...just a preschool version of it. I then go home and run the 7 year old to 10am soccer. I do this (not because I love sucking down coffee on cold wet soccer fields at 8am) but rather (just like you) I want my kids to fall in love with being active.

 

 

Running for Me: A glorious and monumental event in the life of an exhausted parent.

My favorite time to run is at the end of the day. I stick my husband with putting the kids to bed and I head out the door just as the sun starts to turn the landscape that beautiful golden color.

 

 

Running on Empty

None of it is ever perfect. I sometimes come home from a run and find my husband has put one (or two) of the kids to bed without brushing their teeth. I've also come home from 8am soccer to find my exhausted husband still asleep and the 7yr old NOT ready for 10am soccer (that starts in 10minutes). Sometimes I eat a donut for lunch. Sometimes I'm so tired that I miss my long run on the weekends because I'd rather get a nap before my husband leaves for his next business trip. Parenting is a non-stop obstacle course. But I will never give up being active....no matter how many obstacles I have to run around.

 

 

 

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Pre-race Photo

 

This is the end of my 6 month blog.

 

My goals were:

1. Run a 5k in 25:00.

2. Loose 20 lbs.

 

I achieved:

1. I ran a 5k in 25:06......(Hollis Apple Country Fast 5k)

2. I lost 15 lbs.

 

Race Report

Yesterday was my goal race. I was very nervous and I almost missed the start due to my own poor planning. Instead of reading the race info., I assumed that packet pick up would be near the start line. It was actually at the finish line 3+ miles away. Oops! It was good thing I came early. Luckily, they delayed the start by 10 minutes, which gave me exactly enough time to pick up my race # and warm up.

 

Pre-race: The audio is really bad, but that's ok because I was mostly rambling. (I was also standing in a swarm of little flies.)

 

I shimmied into the crowd where I thought 8 minute miler's should be. I asked the folks next to me what their pace would be....8:00 they replied. As it turns out, I was way too far back, and so were the folks I asked. It took about 5 seconds to get to the start line and cross it....no big deal. But then it took even longer to weave around the folks who were running at a more leisurely pace.

 

 

I ran hard, listening carefully to my legs...which were telling me my pace was right on. At mile 1 my watch said 7:37. Woohoo, I might do it! I chased a girl who told me she'd be running 8:00s, for as long as I could keep up with her. I hit mile 2 at 14:something. Then the course had a slight incline and I slowed a bit to stay strong. I just kept thinking, "Legs only Megan! Let everything else relax. Legs only, Megan!"

 

I saw a sign that said 1/4 mile to go, and my watch said 23:00! I can do a 2:00 400! Go Megan Go! I had almost nothing left, but I managed to dodge vomit puddles (thanking God they weren't mine) and race across the finish. The clock read 25:04.

 

Some proof: In the photo the clock reads 24:53. I'm wearing the white tank top, black shorts, with sandy blonde hair pinned up.

 

I was hoping my official time would actually be under 25:00 because it took at least 4 seconds to get to the start line....for my chip to start timing me. But, unfortunately, the official sheet said my time was 25:06, which I will gladly live with. I my eyes, I did it!

 

Before and After Photos

I'm greatly indebted to the "Who wants to get active?" Program for all the support and coaching. But, the beginning....the real beginning was 3 years ago, when I was WAY overweight after having my 3rd baby. It has been a long journey with many bumps in the road. But, honestly, it is the focus on health, fitness, and energy that kept me going. Focusing on weight would have been detrimental to my progress. Losing weight happens slowly, VERY slowly. Progress MUST be measured in other ways in order to stay motivated. Here are my before and afters (cringe):

 

Before: My brother's College graduation. Three weeks after giving birth. Baby #3 is just to the left, not shown.

 

After: Yesterday, at my race.

 

A Runner for Life I plan to continue on my current course. Run 4 days/wk and do track workouts with the Gate City Striders. As I have more time, with kids in school, I will increase my miles.

 

Long Term Goals:

2008: Keep running 4days/wk and get my kids involved

2009: The summer of the 10k

2010: The summer of the Half Marathon

2011: The year of the Marathon

 

Thankyou Dave Dunham (for believing I could do it, even when I didn't believe), Dave Camire, Belle, Joe Decker, Melissa Eisler, Active Toby, The Gate City Striders, the stay-at-home moms who contacted me, and my dear husband...for all your support and inpiring lives. You've created a runner for life.

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Week 24:  Home Stretch

Posted by MegNH Jun 2, 2008

Here's Week 24: 16.5 miles

Mon: Off

Tues: 4 miles (Treadmill)

Wed: 6.5 miles (Track W/O, plus some)

Thurs: Off (this darn knee!)

Fri: Off

Sat: 5 miles

Sun: 1 mile (Strange, very strange. I got on the treadmill and couldn't make it happen...I walk/jogged 1 mile (I even tried going super slow) and then gave up and went home. I was too tired. Very strange that I couldn't push through it. This was a first.)

 

Goal for Week 25: I'm not sure. Coach, whatya think?

Mon: Off...still really tired.

Tues: ????

Wed: ????

Thurs: Race Day (It's an evening race.)

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Track Workout: Woah Nelly

Posted by MegNH May 28, 2008

As usual for Wednesday night, I went to the club track workout.  I started out slow, feeling kind of crappy.  But things picked up and I soon felt great and finished strong.  Here's the workout.....

 

I jogged a slow 1.5 miles while Nashua finished up their track meet.  Then stretched and did the following workout.

 

Three sets of:

400 (200 rest)

400 (200 rest)

400 (200 rest)

400 (400 rest)

 

My times fluctuated more than I'd have liked.  But they were consistantly between 1:52-1:56 with a couple 1:48s (one at the beginning and one toward the end).  I didn't keep track of rest times, but I did try to keep them (200s) around 1:15-1:30.  Towards the end, I was the only person doing a recovery jog.  Everyone else was cutting across the field to start the next 400.  I would have been tempted to do the same, but (I think) this is my last speed workout before my goal race.  I wanted to make sure I didn't cheat myself.

 

At home (over a bowl of strawberry shortcake) I calulated my miles for today and Whoa Nelly.  I ran about 6.5 miles tonight.  I had only planned on 4.  Yay me.

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The Garden 'For The Kids'

Yay!! The garden is finished! My husband put in the raised beds (which was the hardest part - what a great guy!). The kids and I did the planting. Now we're done and we even have some plants coming up already. But the best part is that it won't be quite so hard to squeeze runs in now that my husband can watch kids again. The reason it's shaped so funny is that I plan to turn it into a perennial flower garden when the kids outgrow it.

 

Grandma

Losing a son has been a lot for my 87 year old grandmother to cope with. She has had two heart attacks (both followed by surgery) this week. With the second heart attack we thought we were going to lose her. But she's a hearty old lady and bounced right back. (This woman had 8 kids....resulting in 40 grandkids, and over a hundred great-grandkids.....my kids are #80, #92, and #103.) She has told us all that it won't be long until she passes and we should prepare ourselves. As she put it, "Her bags are packed and she's ready to go."   I only mention this because it's just another one of those things that takes a toll on a person emotionally and physically.

 

The Job Interview

I had a job interview about two weeks ago...(High School Math Teacher). I spent a lot of time updating my porfolio and preparing for the interview. At the interview, I found out that the job doesn't include a classroom! No classroom!? (Instead, you float around the building, borrowing other teacher's rooms.) That's like asking a sailor to sail without a ship! They called me back for a second interview. I turned them down. I won't be going back to work this year.

 

Maybe I'll go back to work the year after I run my first marathon......which will probably be the fall of.... (hmmm....2008 is the summer of the 5k, 2009 will be the summer of the 10k, 2010 will be summer of the half marathon, 2011 will be summer of the marathon) ......2011. By then, all three kids will be in school full time and I will be able to devote some time to running longer distances. After that, I'll think about working again.

 

But first things first, eh?

 

Week 23: only 14 miles

Mon: rest, travel

Tues: rest

Wed: 5 miles (track) - very tired

Thurs: missed run - attended daughter's spring festival concert

Fri: rest

Sat: 5 miles (woe is me, my aching knee - iced and took ibuprofen)

Sun: 4 miles (more knee pain, more ice, more ibuprofen, ...and some weights, legs only)

 

Goal for Week 24: 20 miles

Mon: rest

Tues: 4 miles

Wed: 4 miles (track work)

Thurs: 4 miles (plus weights)

Fri: rest

Sat: 4-5 miles

Sun: 4-5 miles

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On Sunday, I ran the Tucson 5000. It was about 75 degrees at the start of the race. By the end it felt like it was in the 80s. I started slower, like Dave told me to. It was kind of fun to watch the sea of people woosh past me, and then to zig-zag through them about a half a mile later. But, unfortunately, I ran too slow. The race felt really hard and I did my absolute best, pushing all the way, but I just didn't have it in me. I finished in 28:11....the heat, the long day before, and a little dehydration took their toll on me. I was really disappointed. I should have at least run closer to 27:00. Hopefully, I'll do better in June.

 

I took Monday and Tuesday off....due to exhaustion. I hit the track tonight but only did ok. Here's our workout: (I didn't keep track of rest times because I forgot my watch.)

 

200 (200 rest) :58

400 (200 rest) 1:56

800 (400 rest) 4:06

1200 (600 rest) 6:11

200 (200 rest) :52?

400 (200 rest) 1:59

800 4:05

(jogged 2200)

 

 

I also need to set goals for this week and report on last week, so here goes:

 

Week 22: 12 miles

Mon: off

Tues: 5 miles

Wed: skipped speed work because of knee

Thurs: no run, family obligations

Fri: no run, travel

Sat: 4 miles (border patrol and drunk driver morning)

Sun: 5k race in Tucson

 

Goal for Week 23:

Mon: off, travel

Tues: off

Wed: Track (5 miles)

Thurs: 5 miles

Fri: off

Sat: 5 miles

Sun: 5 miles

 

I'm hanging in there. Hopefully things will pick up over the next two weeks.

 

 

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This weekend I flew to Arizona and buried my dad's ashes near Bisbee, AZ.  The morning of the memorial/burial, I headed out for a 4 mile run.  It was 5:30am, the sun was just coming over the mountains and it was about 65 degrees.  Beautiful!  As I started out, I noticed a policeman on the side of the road, standing over about 8 people who were sitting on the ground....Mexicans, I guess.  It was border patrol.  I picked up my pace a bit and continued my run down Naco highway toward the border of Mexico.  Soon, I heard a car coming, then another, and another.  It was truck loads of Mexicans being escorted back to Mexico.

 

 

As I continued down Naco Highway I soon came upon an abandoned car on the side of the road, just as a gentleman was pulling up to retrieve something from inside it.  I crossed the road to keep my distance and continued to run.  After the gentleman got what he needed, he pulled right up to me.  With a slur to his words, and an air about his speech that reeked of alcohol....he offered me a ride back to Bisbee.  (A military man perhaps?....he had that clean cut, big muscle look about him.)  I thanked him kindly, while keeping my distance, and ran on.  What a strange day this was turning into.

 

 

Later in the day, I buried my dad's ashes.  My dad was a practical joker.  He would have found my morning quite amusing.

 

 

 

 

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The Hard Way

Posted by MegNH May 14, 2008

This has nothing to do with running, but I think it's kinda funny.

 

 

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My goal race is the Hollis Apple Country Fast 5k.  I hope to do it in less than 25 minutes.  Although, I may have to rethink that goal.  We'll see. 

 

It's been a crazy week and I missed a run.  But I tried to keep my miles up by doing a longer run this weekend.

 

Today I ran the race course.  It is all downhill (nice!), but there was a little head wind this morning.  Running past the blossoming apple trees was wonderful (and fragrant).  Here's this week's miles....

 

Week 21: 19 miles

Mon: off

Tues: 4 miles

Wed: 4.5 miles track w.o.

Thurs: off

Fri: missed my run

Sat: 7 miles

Sun: 3.5 miles (ran the race course - knee issues today)

 

Week 22 Goal: 20 miles

Mon: off

Tues: 4 miles

Wed: track (4 miles?)

Thurs: 4 miles

Fri: Travel

Sat: 4 miles in the desert  (Dad's Memorial)

Sun: 5k Race in Tucson (80 degree temps at 7am.  That should be interesting.)

 

Tentative Plan for week 23:

Mon: 4 miles (A.M.) and Travel (P.M.)

Tues: Set goals for the rest of the week.

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The Fast Track

Posted by MegNH May 7, 2008

 

Tonight we had our track workout. I run with group 5. Yup, that's right. There are four groups faster than us....and there are only 5 groups total. he-he But, today I ran faster. In fact, today I led my group. I even ran faster than the little old lady. (I hope she doesn't read this blog.) 

 

 

The woman who ran in my usual position (behind the first runner, which happend to be me this time) said my pace looked so effortless....that she looked to see if i was even sweating.  What a nice thing to say.  She made my day.  It's so nice to get a little boost like this occasionally.

 

Here's how I did:

400 1:52 (rest 400 2:45) (The rest was supposed to be 200, but Skip made an executive decision that it would be too confusing for us beginners to do half laps. he-he)

400 1:52 (rest 400 2:50)

800 3:48 (rest 400 2:58)

400 1:48 (rest 400)

400 1:53 (rest 400)

800 4:02 (rest 400)

400 1:55? (rest 400)

400 2:00 (rest 400)

 

I didn't commit all the rest times to memory. But, I did pay attention...and tried to keep them around 2:45.

 

 

 

 

 

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California Oranges:

This week my Uncle Jerry (my dad's brother, whom I've never met) sent us oranges, from the tree in his back yard. What a treat! They were so delicious words could not describe it.

 

The Gardening Project:

The garden is half-way finished. We've got three more beds to put in and about half the planting left. My dear sweet husband worked on it in the rain this week. We won't be quite so pinched for time once the garden is done. (I plan to make the kids do the weeding. Aren't I a loving mother? he-he)

 

 

 

 

 

My Dad's Memorial:

I wouldn't bring this one up (because death is such an awkward subject for so many people), but it has to do with running. So, if you're squeamish about death/dying skip ahead. My dad's memorial will be held in southern Arizona in mid May. So I did a little 'net search on my 'puter. And, lucky me, there's a 5k road race in Tucson (close by) the day after my dad's memorial. It starts at 7am and evidently it's a good PR course. Woo-hoo! I'll be showered and back with the grieving relatives by 9am.

 

Week 20: 21+ miles

Mon: 4+ miles (treadmill)

Tues: off

Wed: 4 miles (track w.o.)

Thurs: 4+ miles (treadmill)

Fri: off

Sat: 4+ miles (treadmill) and weights

Sun: 5 miles (It stopped raining and I ran on the road! Yippy!)

 

Week 21 Goal: 20+ miles

Mon: 4 miles (weights?)

Tues: off

Wed: 4 miles Track WO

Thurs: 4 miles (weights?)

Fri: off

Sat: 4-5 miles

Sun 4-5 miles

 

 

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Keeping Track

Posted by MegNH May 1, 2008

I felt better during this week's workout. I didn't really run any faster. But at least I didn't feel like I was running under water, like last week.

 

The best part about group track workouts is hanging with all the other slow runners. It seems we all dream of running as fast as those that whiz past us. We watched (with admiration) as one of the fast groups came in from their 1600 (I think). The times being called 5:28, 5:31, etc. A gentleman in our group said longingly, "Oh, but to do it in 5:28." We all chuckled.

 

I did a better job keeping track of my times this week. Here they are:

 

400 (2:00)

Rest 400 (2:14)

800 (4:07)

Rest 400 (2:28)

1200 (6:14)

Rest 800 (5:30?) I can't remember the exact times for the next three; but these are close estimates.

800 (4:20?)

Rest 400 (2:40?)

400 (1:48) I got tired of the little old lady beating me. So I ran this one a lot faster. She still beat me.

1200 slow jog

 

On a parenting note: I had to hire a babysitter. My husband had to go back to work for a second-shift employee meeting. It was his (and his bosses) job to explain to them why their raises wouldn't match the rising cost of fuel and groceries. Fun, eh? Anyway, instead of wasting an opportunity to be alone, we met up after our respective obligations and had a lovely dinner. I had fillet mignon and two glasses of wine. A rare and priceless evening in the world of parenting.

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In the last 4-5 months of running, I've learned three important things:

1. Slowing down is not slacking.

2. It is ok if not every run is perfect, so that makes it ok to improvise.

3. Most important: Wearing dirty/smelly running clothes doesn't make you a slob. It makes you dedicated.

 

Today's Run: (I improvised)

I headed out on a trail run, but ended up back at the beginning in 28 minutes. I really wanted a 40+ minute run, so I headed down the road afterward for a another 1.5ish miles.

 

Video of the trail:

 

Week 19: 20+ miles (woo-hoo!)

Mon: 4 miles

Tues: off

Wed: track (workout + some extra = 4 miles, I think)

Thurs: 4+ miles and weights (legs only)

Fri: off

Sat: 4+ miles

Sun: 28 min. trail run, immediately followed by 1.5 miles on the road. (felt great!...and fast!)

 

Week 20 Goal: 20 miles

Mon: 4 miles

Tues: off

Wed: Track (4 miles?)

Thurs: 4 miles

Fri: off

Sat: 4 miles (plan to check out the race course in Hollis today)

Sun: 4 miles

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Coach Dunham:

Posted by MegNH Apr 27, 2008

Here's Coach Dave Dunham:

 

 

Hmmm....I think I can do that.  I guess I better get myself signed up too, eh?

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Back on Track.....literally

Posted by MegNH Apr 25, 2008

Track workouts started back up this week. It was nice to do them in the sunshine.  It was great to be outside with other runners.....all jiggling around the track together.

 

The workout:

1000 (600 rest) - 5:06

1000 (600 rest) - 5:12

1000 - 5:28

jogged to reach a total of 4 miles

 

(One woman who looked twice my age ran faster than me. I tried not to think about it. )

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MegNH

MegNH

 Member since: Dec 7, 2007

In addition to motherhood and a busy life, I will become a runner. I will juggle family obligations while training and work hard to reach weight loss goals. Feel free to follow me on my journey.

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