Remind me again why I thought running was going to be such a stellar idea?
oh yeah. Fitness. Weight loss. General health. Not have cottage cheese skin on the fronts of my thighs.
I guess those are all good motivators. Which is why my iPod is currently charging, the C25K app is downloaded, & I am chugging water in preparation for my walk/run.
I’m a little nervous about it – I can’t lie. But I also promise that tonight after Harrison goes to bed, I will lace up my running shoes, hook Tuck on a leash, & take off. & then I’ll probably come back & bellyache about it on Twitter. But I’ll also be secretly proud of myself & soaking in the rush of endorphins.
I need those endorphins today, y’all.
I think the stress of the party has caught up to me. The pressure of a crazy-busy workweek last week. & a baby toddler that screamed all afternoon yesterday because we’re trying to transition from bottles to sippy cups. Good Lord, how that child screamed. Until I was literally shaking with flashbacks & wishing I could crawl into a hole. I could feel the unease spreading through me, up from my belly into my throat. I could feel the weight of motherhood start bearing down on my shoulders again. Doubts of everything I did wrong this weekend, flooding in.
You are unwanted, I try to scream back at them. Get the hell out.
I’m fighting back with everything I have right now. I’m looking forward to seeing my doctor on Thursday afternoon. & tonight, I am going to pound the pavement & let each hit of my foot on the pavement symbolize me squashing those unwanted thoughts.
& next week? I’ll bitch about how I hate sweating.
So, fellow Couch to 5Kers. How are you feeling today? Getting psyched?? Do you have your playlist set up?
McFatties, how did this week go?? I’m proud to say that while I have not stepped on a scale in over a week, my pants are more loose & my appetite has REALLY decreased since coming off the Risperdol (which was expected).
couch to 5K program
photo credit
I started the C25K program about 2 months ago and I’m still hanging out on Week 4. I always found the first day of each new week to be super grueling, but then by the third time I did it I was miraculously ready for more.
I hiked 6 miles this weekend and LOVED it. My booty was sore, but I feel like I’ve been gaining weight lately. I haven’t run in the past 2 weeks because I broke my pinkie toe and it hurt and I felt whiny because it was my birthday… but I am so doing it tonight. I’m going to enter for my first 5K on Nov. 27th and I’m going to kick it’s booty.
p.s. I love the podcasts from runningintoshape.com. I will not dissapoint Carli and even though I curse the poor lady I love having her voice to guide me.
Fellow c25ker here. I just ran a 5k yesterday even though I’m about to start week 5. I ran the whole thing without stopping!
This isn’t to brag, but it truly showed me that it was all mental. I had always heard people say that and was like, “yeah whatever. mental” but it really was. I paced myself off another couple and just kept chugging along.
You can do it Blair. If I can do it, you can do it!!
I’m not a fellow c25ker, but maybe I should be. I have a irrational fear of running. I’ve never admitted that, but it is true. What is so scary about running? I choose the elliptical machine over the treadmill 100% of the time. I can’t even put my finger on the reason behind this. Thoughts?
As far as weight loss, I’ve lost 2lbs this week! So excited!
I’m going to start day one week one today. Really. I keep telling myself I will. But I’m getting over a cold and I’m working a crazy day today but then again I just ate cheddar and apple soup. More cheddar than apple of course.
Blair – you’re totally motivating me. After I get my 3 kids to bed tonight I’ll also be lacing my running shoes.
Really truly I will.
Check in with me tomorrow okay?
Ok lady. I don’t normally participate in this McFatty business but I am ON BOARD with C25K. Normally in the morning Justin and I get up at 6:30, shower, and rush around to get ourselves and Jaden out the door by 7:15. This morning? Justin got up at 6 and got things going while I was outside RUNNING? This is a big fat deal to me, literally, because my weight starts with a 2 and the middle number is at least a 5. You can imagine the pace I was going. Ha! But I downloaded the C25K app last night and it was glorious to listen to David Crowder Band while that sweet female voice said, “walk.” It was really cool (and a little scary) to be outside running by myself in the dark but so inspiring to watch the sun get lighter. It is a wonderful part of the day to have quiet time which I seem to NEVER have anymore. The Nashville Zoo is having a 5k in January and I hope to be raring to go then. Oh, and it definitely wouldn’t hurt to drop a few (dozen) pounds. Good luck!
maybe today isn’t the right day to start, Blair. Maybe give yourself some time to decompress first? Your body seems very sensitive to stress and I think this might send you in the wrong direction right now.
Also, fuck the stupid sippy cup hype. Just give him a bottle and brush his teeth when you’re done at night.
I am doing it! I am training for a 1/2 marathon in the spring. So I started doing the couch to 5 k first! GAH! I am the worst runner but I am doing it. I have to, it really does help with stress! I mean when I don’t curse myself after my first block about how much I hate running and that someday it won’t hurt, but hurt is good…blah blah blah! Yes I also tell myelf repeatedly “Run Kate RUN! You can do it!” (in Jenny’s southern accent like when she tells Forrest Gump “run forrest run”)EVERY SINGLE TIME I RUN and then crack up at myself as I run to forget about the pain. I can only wonder what the people in the town I live in think as this crazy chick is running cracking herself up.
Good luck! I reinstated my gym schedule a couple weeks ago and it helps a lot. I am really looking forward to the cellulite melting off my EFFING ANKLES.
Seriously.
Good for you! And after all that stress build-up, hopefully your body (and nerves) will appreciate the exercise! Now with all of the planning behind you, hopefully you can appreciate a litte more time and a little less stress
I definitely need it to release some stress, my anxiety attacks are creeping up on me again!
I’m still hoping to start tomorrow… unless this cold/fluish thing that I’m feeling coming on kicks my ass. I also have a goal now, which I didn’t before. I’d like to be 7 lbs lighter by Thanksgiving… I would feel AWESOME. Totally doable if I just get my a$$ in gear!
This week I learned a big lesson about how I feel when I eat well vs eating horribly! Hopefully I’ll remember my lesson next time I’m tempted!
http://outofrealworld.wordpress.com/2010/10/18/your-body-knows/
Why in the world are you trying to make that baby use a sippy cup? (said in love) Just because he turned one doesn’t mean you have to immediately make that switch. Make things easy on him (AND you!) and take your time with it. Keep giving him bottles, but offer him a cup once a day. OR give him half a bottle, then pour the other half into a sippy and offer it immediately (when he’s in “sucking” mode). Trust me, mama, babies don’t have to do things on a schedule. He’ll get there – and you’ll save yourself a lot of heartache.
No need to rush on that transition from bottles to sippies! Esp if it is causing screaming (him) and flashbacks (you). I doubt his kindergarten teacher will someday remark that she wishes he had only fully transitioned from bottles to sippies before he turned one because it is SO clear he didn’t. My pedi totally put the guilt trip on about the bottle to sippy thing, but dude(tte), it’s SO not a big deal. Don’t push it if neither of you are ready. <3
So not a runner! I dance and coach color guard (for marching band) so i get all the execercise i need. Good luck though! I wanted to weigh in on the sippy cups. We made the swtich using the Nuby 3 step cups. They come with 3 lids, bottle, sippy cup style, and sipper straw. Made our transition very smoothly! Good luck!
W1D1 will be a breeze. I promise. And when you’re done you’ll think “what the heck was the big deal?”
When we transitioned to sippy cups we started with the soft tip ones. My little guy refused the hard tip cups at first, but the soft ones made the transition very smooth.
Good luck!
p.s. After running a 5k on September 26th, I haven’t run since. This is a good reminder that I need to get back out there.
I’m on week 5 and it was the first time it got BAD. Running for 5 minutes straight was rough, but I had a cold and I was on my period.
So was it really bad? Probably not.
I’ve been running with a group of friends around the mall parking lot–and I want to do it on my own now. See, a couple skinny girls will go up front and set a faster pace–and then the rest of us are sucking wind trying to keep up.
Last night I ran by myself around my hilly neighborhood–and felt amazing when I got back home and screamed “I RAN FOR 15 MINUTES STRAIGHT!” Going my own pace…and not keeping up with someone else…and not feeling self-conscious about my huffing…made all the difference!
My 5K is November 6th. I’m scurd.
mcfatty lady here… unfortunately won’t be doing the c25k with you (because i can’t run due to a bone condition).
but i wanted to say that i’m so proud of you for starting this! and wanted to wish you so much luck!!!!
i’m holding steady with mcfatty these days… but we’re doing pretty awesome fitting much healthier meals into our regular routine (which has led to some unexpected, but welcomed weightloss by the hubs!)… so things are good…
good luck, thanks for being inspirational.
I just had to ditto previous posters regarding the bottle/sippy transition. I felt panicked when we got close to 12 months and she was still having about 4-5 bottles/day!! I decided to take the transition very slowly, and it took us till 13ish months before she dropped them completely. Our pedi recommends being bottle-free by 15 months, so no sweat!
Good luck! AND, Happy Birthday Harrison!
Why are you dropping the sippy cup? Our doctor told us to start around 15 months, and be completely done by 18. I’m not concerned about it. He won’t be going off to college with one
(Maybe another type of bottle, but his mother doesn’t want to know that!) We do sippy cups for water/juice and then milk at lunch, and offer milk at breakfast and dinner but he still takes two bottles a day right now. And he also just turned one.
Good luck with running. I have my first half marathon in a few weeks and I was where you are at now back in January. It’s fun and it’s great. My big, big hint: Sign up for a race. Have a deadline. Or else, it’s easy to stop.
May I suggest shuttle changes for both you and Harrison.
Maybe cut out the bottle durning the day and go with the bottle at night and ease into it.
That said, maybe you should just spend a week walking with Tuck and jogging as you feel like it and starting C25K next week?
Too much change at once would make me BSC. Give yourself permission to be gentle with yourself on this one.
You are going to do great! C25k is an AWESOME program – you can totally do it!
Can’t wait to hear all about it! :]
You will do great. I started C25K back in January and I’m still running 3 days a week. I do it for stress relief and for the mind over matter boost I get every single time I run. It was the very first thing I did for myself in my PPD recovery and I am so glad I did it. The first time I ran for 20 minutes straight I was so proud of myself and I think it was the first time I told myself “I can do this”, meaning way more than just being able to run 20 minutes. It’s been a lifesaver. I may not have lost a lot of weight or inches and I definitely don’t look like a runner, even after 9 months of this. But knowing that I get up in the morning and can actually run 3+ miles without dying is an amazing feeling. Anyway, it’s a great program. Don’t rush it and you’ll do great!
Hey Blair: something that came up in my cognitive behavioral therapy that really worked for me:** accept** those unwanted thoughts. Really, the harder you try and push them out, the stronger they become.
If you find yourself thinking, “I’m a horrible mother and I can’t stand this and oh my God what am I going to do?!” Just say, “Okay, maybe I’m a terrible mother and person. Oh look. There’s some laundry I need to do.”
And I hope Harry chills on the screaming for you.
Good work on the C25k! I need to start back up.
I completely agree with pp’s – don’t stress about the bottle/sippy transition. I did too big time around 12 m, he just LOVED his bottle. Despite outside pressures we really tried to take a gradual, baby-led approach. And now, finally, at 16 m he just gets it. Babies start to get more and more dependent between 12-18m but it’s so different for each kid. Mine is a little slower in that process it seems, so we try to take things at this pace. We kept his morning and night bottles through most of the transition, but just made sure to offer the sippy first during the day. Also for us the key was to experiment with different kinds of cups. My son was super picky and really didn’t understand the tip up kind, so we used the straw kind for three months. Now he gets the tip up, but that’s just in the past two weeks and as of this weekend we are 100% bottle free. You’ll get there, don’t stress!! Enjoy these last few drops of baby-hood as much as you are able.
Also best of luck with the C25k, I did it a few weeks back and loved it!
Another little note: go back and read your post about your downward spiral. See how much (going back to work, dieting, etc.) you were taking on? Please make sure you’re working at that balance. If this isn’t the time to take on more exercise or changing Harry’s routine, no biggy. Your well being is more
important.
Hummm, how am I doing you ask? Well aside from eating delish birthday cake this weekend and having ice-cream for lunch, I’m not doing too shabby. Only up about 8 lbs at 16 weeks! I blame the baby. Apparently it likes ice-cream. A lot.
oh shite.
I forgot I have to run today. Blegh. Guess I’ll lace up my shoes after work and hit the pavement, too. I may need twitter moral support…
My scale didn’t move, but I ran a half-marathon this weekend (9 months and 11 days after my c-section, not that I counted or anything) so go me!!
And you will love C25K. I did that years ago when I started running, and I got hooked on my now #1 stress reliever (it used to be ice cream. or beer.)
Mommy is joining you for C25K! She’s hoping it will spark some sort of weight loss/dieting motivation…
I started my week 1, day 1 on Saturday and {hopefully} will complete day 2 after work tonight. The first day was good. It felt good to move. And even nicer to be able to walk and catch my breath. I didn’t end the workout feeling like a failure. So a big thumbs up from me so far.
Yesterday, I was really sore. But the good sore, that says, HI, we are your muscles and we’re glad to be working again!
Oh and my faves on my playlist so far: Beat It – Fall Out Boy & Just the Way You Are – Bruno Mars. What will you be running to??
Day one week two is ten times easier than day one week one. The hardest part is gettin started.
Good for you Blair – it’s a great way to get rid of stress and just spend some “you” time. I hope to pick up running after this baby arrives for many of the same reasons you stated.
If it’s causing a problem don’t force to switch to a sippy cup. My peditrician sends home a handout about every age and in the one for 15-18 months it says not to worry about ditching the bottle because “very few kindergarteners and even fewer adults are still carrying around a bottle.” That’s not to say that you shouldn’t keep offering the sippy but if he doesn’t want it give him the bottle.
Fwiw my son never really took to a regular sippy so we just let it be and moved on to straws. It took about 3 months of trying but he finally figured it out (at about 15 months) and now he loves his straw cups. He still likes his bottle before naps/bedtime though and that’s fine with me.
Way to go, Blair! I would love to get back into running, but with the hubs working in the evenings, and lacking a running stroller, I have to settle with meeting with Jillian every other night after the kiddo is in bed. And she kicks my butt. Jillian that is, not Ansley.
You can do it! It’s a perfect way to destress.
King of Leon “Only By the Night” was my go-to playlist for my C25K runs.
(and don’t worry too much about the sippy, which is really not altogether so much better than a bottle. He’ll get there!)
Just thought I’d let you know that my baby is 19 months old and still takes a bottle twice a day. She refuses milk from anything else. I don’t see a problem with letting your little guy hang on to the bottle a little while longer. Don’t let it stress you out. You are doing great!
Good Luck with the C25K! : )
OHH! so excited for your new running adventure! running, i can honestly say, changed my life. love.
good luck & let us know how it goes (of course you will!
I need to get my cottage cheese thighs out there and go for runs as well. Look’s like you are doing great. I’m sure everyone has given you a bunch of fracken advice on sippy cups. But, if you go to tiltycups.com or amazon and search: tilty cups. My daughter had an easier time with them.
Well, I don’t know if this is bad news or good news. I guess you could categorize it as both since I hate running. But I can’t start the program today. The pneumonia just kicked me in the ass and I’m still pretty weak.
Good luck to you though. I think you will get out a lot of that nervous energy.
I’ve struggled with negative self talk my entire life. Old habits die hard, girl.
Why does he have to be off the bottle right this second?? He JUST turned 1! Good gracious, there is no need to rush through his babyhood. Save yourself a lot of frustration and start slowly. Or just wait. My son did not come completely off bottles until he was 15 months. He is 2 1/2 now and just fine. There is no need to add another stressor on top of an already full plate.
Relax.
I was feeling the same way last month after my daughter’s first birthday party….kind of just overwhelmed and exhausted and transitioning to toddlerhood. Take next weekend to relax and have a little time for yourself.
Do yourself a favor and stop stressing over the sippy. I thought that AS SOON as my daughter turned one we had to immediately start the transition and it was HELL. Start slow and don’t stress. After I stopped trying to cram 80 million different types of sippys in her face to see which one she liked better, she eventually weaned herself off the bottle and at almost 14 months she doesn’t get a bottle anymore. Don’t stress!!!
I started c25K last night and while I wanted to quit (blaming it was getting late and E had to get a bath still), I kept going. And I felt pretty good. Good luck tonight with the start.
As for the bottle/sippy transition. E still gets a bottle at night before bed. We transitioned by putting water in it and when she was comfortable, her milk. It’s overrated in my opinion because we try to rush our kids with these “milestones” when really we should be listening and doing these transitions when they are ready. But that is my two cents and I wish you luck. It will happen when it’s ready!
You can TOTALLY do this! Here’s a tip that helped me when I started running and helps me now almost 8 years later. Find your “comfortable” running pace where you feel like everything is smooth… then back off of that pace until you feel like you’re going reeeeaaaalllllyyy slow. there’ll be plenty of time to pick up the pace after you get your body used to running. For now? SLOW. so slow you kind of feel idiotic. Trust me, anyone judging you isn’t a runner.
BUT YOU ARE.
Best of luck!
You CAN do it. Make yourself.
Just pretend the rest of us are chanting behind you…lol.
There are 44 comments before me and I am not going to read them all so maybe this has been covered… Sorry if it has. Why are you trying to take bottles away from your little man? I know what the literature says. I read all the books with my first one. I also learned not to make myself crazy. The bottle is not hurting him, it won’t hurt him. Introduce the sippy cup for sure. But please don’t force a baby (yes to me a 12 month old is still a baby) to use one when his heart just wants a bottle… You won’t spoil him and he will give it up. Sorry I am rarely preachy… but you don’t need to listen to him scream. I am an adoptive mother and a birth mother and in the adoption community it is common practice to regress your children for bonding purposes. One of the big techniques is bottle feeding.
Oh the best advice I’ve ever received about listening to screaming kids is “Imagine the screams as visible soundwaves and allow them to pass through you. Don’t absorb them, let them pass through you.” It took me a while to get the hang of this but I’m soon to be the mother of 3 (with the oldest being 3.5 years) it’s something I use often.
As for the C25K, did it and LOVED it. I’m super jealous that you are doing now and can’t wait until 6 weeks post partum so I can start again…
It’s not preachy!
I should have been more clear. We’re not trying to take away ALL bottles cold turkey. At all. I would never do that to him & I am clinging to the bedtime bottle for bonding reasons like you said.
But we would like to drop the morning bottle & replace it with a sippy since he is 12 months old & he’s only taking 2 oz at that feeding. So this way, we can do the first bottle, wait awhile while he still does his other 3 bottles, & then slowly wean him towards no bottles.
Obviously, I should have been more specific.
& thanks for the tip on the screaming! I’ll try to remember that line next time.
I started the program last week and should be on week 2 now, getting close to day 3. BUT, I did it one day and haven’t returned to the treadmill since. I’m going to try again tonight, I really want to be a runner, but I think I’m lacking motivation.
I am cheering for your the whole way, BA!
I remember how nervous I was back in April when I took to the trails for my first run in three years. I couldn’t believe how nervous I was!
Looking back, that first run was AMAZING. There was absolutely no pressure to perform, all I had to do was get out there & give it my best. I remember how proud of myself I was & how all that nervousness was for not.
I CANNOT wait for your update. How ever you do, you’ll have done very well.
I’m still on week 4. I had planned on doing it tonight but it took me too long in the grocery store and to fix dinner tonight. I’m down 12 lbs though in 5 weeks! Woohoo!
Have you tried the straw sippy cups? My daughter refused every sippy cup I tried until I tried the straw ones. She absolutely loves to suck out of those straws. Now she gets excited every time she gets her sippy cup.
BTW The playtex ones are great. They don’t leak like others do.
I did week 3 day 1 yesterday, first time running in a couple months but sporadically working out since. I’m way sore today so today is an off day.
I LOVE the C25K program though, I was totally not a runner before and now I love it
I didn’t have a great McFatty week, but I did face reality and stepped on the scale this morning. I take that as a step in the right direction. I’m starting C25K today and I’m psyched, but I’m also dreading it. I’m hoping it’s going to be one of those things that I’ll feel better once its done. And speaking of which, I have to go do it… Until next week http://auntp.blogspot.com/2010/10/c25k-or-bust.html
P.S. Oh and the sippy cup introduction hasn’t been going well for us. The doctor wants him completely off the bottle by 15 months (!) but Callum has no interest in them. I have a feeling the doctor won’t be pleased with me at the next visit…
Way to go, you! I bet you feel so good after that run. I love running for how kind it is to my shape, and how good it makes me feel – but hate EVERYTHING else about it!
Looking forward to hearing how it goes!
My little one is just about 3 months old, and getting back into running after giving birth has been crazy hard! Sucks when I’m trying to get back in shape.
So how was it mama?
I’ve been a long time reader but don’t get the time to click through (I usually read via google reader app on my phone) to comment.
Coincidentally, I started C25K today too!
It was crazy hard, especially at about minute 17 but I am proud of myself for sticking with it & only walking for about 15 seconds when I should’ve been running.
I have my 5K date set & I have made myself a deal…if, after training for 8 weeks & running a 5K, I hate running still then I can quit. But I must get through to the 5K!
Good luck!
I will promise to click through & comment on all your C25K posts!
We can motivate each other!
I found the middle of the day bottles were the easiest to cut. We switched to a sippy cup during the day at 12 months at school. (I found he did better with a sippy cup with others than with me (i.e. at daycare so it may help if you have your sister do the switch during the day) The morning bottle and dinner bottle we switched around 14 months. Before that time he was not ready to part with the bottle. Even when we did make the switch it still took a couple of days for him to drink the same amount of milk. He now loves his sippy cup so much that in the mornings he walks to the fridge and tries to open it so he can get it.
I need to start C25K again. I tried in the spring and hurt my knee. I really want to try to complete a half marathon this spring (even if I have to half walk and half run it) so I probably should get started. I think you are giving me motivation to start back up next week!
I started the couch to 5K last week and I look forward to it every night. I found me a used jogging stroller so I strap Wyatt in and we take off every night. He loves being outside.
I also drink a health/weight loss shake every day and it has really helped my energy level and weight loss.
I have tried couch to 5K several times but I am going to win this time and complete the whole training.
I am cheering you on Blair!
Thanks for the response. My current youngest (soon to be middle child) is 12 months old. She drinks water out of a sippy cup all day and I just introduced homo milk and she usually gets that in a sippy cup too. Formula still comes in a bottle. I think when I phase out formula I will phase out the bottles with it. I have no expectation of when I will stop with formula, right now we have a good balance of milk & formula through out the day. She little (under 50th percentile) and so I like the extra punch of nutrition the formula gives her.
My oldest, I took her off formula at 13 months and off of bottles (in totality) at 15 months. She transitioned with no complaints but I felt wrong afterwards.
Blair. I’m not doing C25K, but I’ve just started running too, because in a moment of insanity I signed up for my work’s Hood to Coast team (you can visit hoodtocoast.com for more information). I actually blame you. When I read that you were thinking about doing C25K, it inspired me to sign up for the HTC team when the email came around last week. So…you should know that this is all your fault.
HTC isn’t until August 2011, but I’ve got to start running now because it is going to take a very long time to get into essentially marathon shape. Basically I’ll have to run 30K over 3 legs in about 30 hours. Yikes.
I’m not a natural runner (3.5 miles is my record), but I do try to do cardio classes at the gym 3x a week, so I at least have an OK start. I’ll enjoy seeing your progress and hopefully it’ll keep me motivated! I’ll also post here each week and let you know how things are going for me…
I’ve been horribly slack on my McFatty updates, but I’m super proud to report that I’m thisclose to hitting 130 (my next “mini-goal”)
When I had a yard sale a few weeks ago, I actually got to pull a few things out of my “skinny clothes” box to keep, because they effing fit! Word up.
And on the stress and anxiety…I hate that you’re having a hard time right now, but I know you’ll get through it! You’ve got all of the tools, a great support system, and the ability to stay aware of yourself enough to know when you need to step back. You can totally get through it! And I’m sure the running is going to be a great release for you. Good luck, and huge hugs your way!
Wow, what a great ambition! I have the hardest time getting to the gym. After sitting all day at a computer, I hate driving to the gym and working out for an hour, even though I need it! Pretty soon all these diet cokes and red vines are going to catch up with me