This is why I do it

This morning- getting the kids out of the door- Sesame Street has a song on about exercising. Nolan says "Hey Mommy. Everyone is exercising like you!!"

I either run after they go to bed, or do exercise videos before they wake up- but my 4 year old knows that mommy exercises. It may be the 30 minutes of wrestling I had the energy to do with the kids while my husband cooked tonight, or it may be the hulking piece of exercise equipment we absolutely do not allow the kids to touch (even when it is folded up),, but whatever it is, my child knows that this adult spends their free time being active. That feels amazing.

Heat Wave

We experienced a bit of a heat wave today-- it got up to 32! I'm visiting my parents with the kids this weekend while the husband has a weekend to himself, so I was able to bundle up, pllug in the Ipod, head out and run around their small one-horse town. I've been running on the treadmill so much, since 0 degrees and below leave something to be desired, that I have no idea how to pace myself. I rocked out to the first song, and just took off. It felt SO amazing to be breathing clean, cold air. To feel my body going somewhere as I ran. To feel my muscles contract and propel me along- it was the first time I can think of that I enjoyed myself running.

I blew out the first mile, though, and by the time I got to the other side of town (seriously, the town is one mile across) I had to stop running so I wouldn't puke. I changed the Ipod to a slower song and concentrated on swallowing the saliva flooding my mouth. I was that close to losing my Grape-nuts!!

I walked for the song, and once the waves of nausea passed, finished my run. It included a run around the high school, flashing back to the hours and hours, and miles and miles we ran on that dirt track- remembering the time in my life where my main concerns were my clothes, boys, and where I was going to go to college. I changed the song, ran up the hill to my babies, and burst in the door 3.5 miles later smiling. This life is so much better than I thought it would be 11 years ago.

Going nowhere fast

I bought a treadmill in December. Took my hard earned 3rd quarter bonus and marched home with a shiny new piece of workout machinery. Then I promptly entered a half-marathon in May because- hey, 13.1 miles is nothing, right? I've got 5 whole months to prepare!!

Until I got on the treadmill in *cough* mid-January. And couldn't run 2 miles without stopping. Then I got in my car and actually drove 13.1 miles. And it's a freaking long way. It's a freaking long way in my car-- I may die when I actually run it.

However, right now there are new episodes of True Blood on HBO On Demand (and looking at Sookie Stackhouse- she's got the body I'd aspire to) so I've got a lot of 1-hour segments of running on that Christmas present!