Back at it

Cadel just turned 10 weeks old this past weekend, oh how time flies!  It's funny how I thought I was going to be back at training (cardio and weight lifting) a couple of weeks after giving birth...what was I thinking?  I am now getting back into it, though it's a bit more difficult than I anticipated.  It's incredibly tough for me to even jog for a mile without a walk break, but I know that it will get better with time.  I didn't realize just how much my pelvic bones had shifted, and how off-set they still seem to be, but running certainly does remind me of that fact.

The San Francisco marathon is just 88 days away, just a little over 12 weeks, and I've managed to get two 6.5 mile walk/jogs in, and will build off that.  This won't be a PR...no way...but it will allow me to get back into the swing of things and have some sense of "normalcy" and no doubt a sense of achievement.

It's all a balance. Due to breastfeeding, I'm up against the following:

1. Hormones are playing a part in my joint and ligaments and I have to be cautious to avoid injury  
2. I also need to be aware that too much exercise will effect my milk production
3. Too little exercise will make for a miserable marathon experience
4. Wearing double sports bras to properly "manage the girls"
5. Nurse/pump immediately before going out on a long run

I read an article in Runners World magazine this month about moms and running.  There was one mother (a serious competitor in her age group) who runs ultra distance marathons and manages to pump at aid stations and sometimes even nurses her baby right there next to the gatorade!  Yes, you read that right...are you freaking kidding me?  The thought did occur to me though that if the San Fran marathon takes me much longer than 4.5 hours, I'm going to be in a world of hurt, if you catch my drift.  By no means am I suggesting that I'll have my Medela pump on the ready at mile 20, but I'm sure I'll be feeling it by then.  Yikes!

Yesterday I started doing the math in my head..with only 12 weeks to train for this puppy, that means I need to bump my long run mileage up by about 1-2 miles every week.  In the past, that wasn't a problem, infact that was a common way for me to train during my last 5-10 marathons.  

I am also contending with an extra 10 pounds on my body in comparison to last year's Seattle marathon (when I was 5 weeks pregnant) so I'm hoping that the final 10 pounds will come off with this training (in addition to breastfeeding).  I'd also like to start back to some resistance training, and work on my abdominal muscles again.  One step at a time, I know...

With four more weeks of maternity leave, I feel the pressure to get a couple two-a-days in each week, to make use of this time "off" and kickstart my training.  Again, I know I can do it, it's just finding the balance and not overdoing it.  So, here goes.  Tick tock!