The weather is finally just beginning to warm up ever so slightly this week, showing the first signs that spring is on the way...wahoo!!! We can't wait for spring & summer to get here!
So yesterday I decided to be incredibly ambitious and take my workout OUTSIDE for the very FIRST time!
I planned:
1. Tennis shoes...check.
2. Workout clothes...check.
3. Ipod...check.
4. Bike trailer to tow 2 kids inside...check.
5. Water bottles...check.
6. Keys (to get back in the house)...check.
7. Phone (in case SD, IK, or EJ calls while we're out)...check.
8. A blanket to wrap around LA and KW inside the trailer...check.
9. Toys and a couple of books to entertain them...check.
10. Scarlet on a leash eager to be outside...check.
After gathering everything together and finally loading up the kids and dog we were ready to go.
Problem #1: No sooner had I believed we were all set when I realized (now with all the weight of the kids & stuff inside) that the bike trailer had not one, but TWO flat tires! Great! How did I not notice that sooner?
Okay, so plan B...check the garage for alternatives. Let's see...LA's bike? Nope, it too has a flat tire. Is she big enough to ride EJ's bike instead? Possibly...but yep, another flat tire. There's a child seat mounted on the back of my bike, but obviously I can't fit both kids inside. Hmmm.
Determined to exercise outside, I went with a last resort and repacked the kids inside the big stroller complete with canopy and blanket tucked all around them. They were sqwooshed in tight, but it would do. We nixed all the toys and books and decided to leave Scarlet at home in her crate (she really wasn't happy about that!) but I needed one less stress mess if this was going to work.
Off we set again, attempt #2.
Problem #2: We walk about 5 or 6 houses away from home and what's that sound I hear coming up fast behind me? Very heavy breathing which I recognize instantly...it was Shadow, our other dog, who has somehow managed to break out of the backyard! Fantastic!
He wasn't wearing a leash & I didn't have one with me. My first thought was, "well, he'll just have to come along with us, because I'm NOT turning back around again." I continued walking on until we reached the end of the street for our subdivision and faced a new street with tons of traffic, and for some reason the cars seemed to be flying by incredibly fast! While I knew he would stay relatively near us and would come to me when I call him, LA began to worry that Shadow might get hit by a car, and that's when I knew I had to turn back and put him back in the yard.
So back to the house we went, where I secured Shadow not only inside the back yard, but also locked inside the dog run too. As I walked back to the front yard I could hear Scarlet barking from inside the house at the top of her lungs.
Now, VERY determined not to have my desire to workout ruined by my circumstances, I pushed the kids packed in the stroller to the beginning of the really nice & flat bike trail that runs between our subdivision and the sub nextdoor. I figured no traffic flying by would be a really good idea.
So off to the bike trail we went and I thought everything was fine.
Problem #3: So KW at 3 years old weighs 35 lbs. and LA at 7 years old weighs about 45 lbs. Coupled with the weight of the heavy duty stroller, blanket wrapped around them, water bottles, etc. placed in the cargo basket beneath them...I figured I was pushing approx. an extra 100 lbs. on the trail.
After working up a good walking pace I attempted to run while pushing them and instantly knew it would be impossible for me to run while pushing so much weight in front of me. So after all that time, planning, and determination to get outside all I could do is keep walking.
Problem #4: Then, what is that? Rain? RAIN?!!! Seriously, I swear Murphy was getting a big laugh out of me that day while following us around with a tiny little rain cloud.
Fortunately the rain spared me and only managed to be a very light, on and off sprinkle. The kids were totally covered by the stroller canopy and blanket and the rain was light enough that I could simply deal with it.
45 min. later we managed to complete our 3 mile walk and arrive home about 5 min. after IK and EJ had arrived home from school...at which point they tell me that when they got off the bus, Shadow was out running around the neighborhood near their bus stop. Fantasic!
Despite all that trouble, I was still bound and determined to run outside for the very first time. So I brought everyone inside and got them all settled. It's so nice to have a 13 year old and almost 12 year old who are capable of watching younger children. I almost never leave my kids alone, and when I do it's typically for a very brief time period, but now that they're getting older it's also nice to have the option for just a little bit of freedom every once in a while!
I had warmed up enough on my walk to take off my jacket and armed with my ipod I headed back out for the bike trail...then about 4 houses down the street I really wished I had my jacket because it was cold! Of course I knew that once I started running I would warm up.
Our bike trail is...awesome! It's mainly flat with just a few slight curves and extremely mild hills, making it perfect and ideal for running. It's secluded, quiet, private, there's tons of horses along the way, and these incredibly wonderful mile markers painted directly on the path at every tenth of a mile.
Okay, so plan B...check the garage for alternatives. Let's see...LA's bike? Nope, it too has a flat tire. Is she big enough to ride EJ's bike instead? Possibly...but yep, another flat tire. There's a child seat mounted on the back of my bike, but obviously I can't fit both kids inside. Hmmm.Determined to exercise outside, I went with a last resort and repacked the kids inside the big stroller complete with canopy and blanket tucked all around them. They were sqwooshed in tight, but it would do. We nixed all the toys and books and decided to leave Scarlet at home in her crate (she really wasn't happy about that!) but I needed one less stress mess if this was going to work.
Off we set again, attempt #2.
Problem #2: We walk about 5 or 6 houses away from home and what's that sound I hear coming up fast behind me? Very heavy breathing which I recognize instantly...it was Shadow, our other dog, who has somehow managed to break out of the backyard! Fantastic!
He wasn't wearing a leash & I didn't have one with me. My first thought was, "well, he'll just have to come along with us, because I'm NOT turning back around again." I continued walking on until we reached the end of the street for our subdivision and faced a new street with tons of traffic, and for some reason the cars seemed to be flying by incredibly fast! While I knew he would stay relatively near us and would come to me when I call him, LA began to worry that Shadow might get hit by a car, and that's when I knew I had to turn back and put him back in the yard.
So back to the house we went, where I secured Shadow not only inside the back yard, but also locked inside the dog run too. As I walked back to the front yard I could hear Scarlet barking from inside the house at the top of her lungs.
Now, VERY determined not to have my desire to workout ruined by my circumstances, I pushed the kids packed in the stroller to the beginning of the really nice & flat bike trail that runs between our subdivision and the sub nextdoor. I figured no traffic flying by would be a really good idea.
So off to the bike trail we went and I thought everything was fine.
Problem #3: So KW at 3 years old weighs 35 lbs. and LA at 7 years old weighs about 45 lbs. Coupled with the weight of the heavy duty stroller, blanket wrapped around them, water bottles, etc. placed in the cargo basket beneath them...I figured I was pushing approx. an extra 100 lbs. on the trail.
After working up a good walking pace I attempted to run while pushing them and instantly knew it would be impossible for me to run while pushing so much weight in front of me. So after all that time, planning, and determination to get outside all I could do is keep walking.
Problem #4: Then, what is that? Rain? RAIN?!!! Seriously, I swear Murphy was getting a big laugh out of me that day while following us around with a tiny little rain cloud.
Fortunately the rain spared me and only managed to be a very light, on and off sprinkle. The kids were totally covered by the stroller canopy and blanket and the rain was light enough that I could simply deal with it.
45 min. later we managed to complete our 3 mile walk and arrive home about 5 min. after IK and EJ had arrived home from school...at which point they tell me that when they got off the bus, Shadow was out running around the neighborhood near their bus stop. Fantasic!
Despite all that trouble, I was still bound and determined to run outside for the very first time. So I brought everyone inside and got them all settled. It's so nice to have a 13 year old and almost 12 year old who are capable of watching younger children. I almost never leave my kids alone, and when I do it's typically for a very brief time period, but now that they're getting older it's also nice to have the option for just a little bit of freedom every once in a while!
I had warmed up enough on my walk to take off my jacket and armed with my ipod I headed back out for the bike trail...then about 4 houses down the street I really wished I had my jacket because it was cold! Of course I knew that once I started running I would warm up.
Our bike trail is...awesome! It's mainly flat with just a few slight curves and extremely mild hills, making it perfect and ideal for running. It's secluded, quiet, private, there's tons of horses along the way, and these incredibly wonderful mile markers painted directly on the path at every tenth of a mile.
The entire bike path stretches a little more than 3 miles, which is perfect for me as I train to run my first 5k in June. I walked until I reached a good starting point marker and then I set off running!
Can I just say that running INSIDE on my treadmill...in the very comfortable, climate controlled living room, with a water bottle and towel readily accessible, and handle bars to hold onto and cheat when I feel it necessary...is COMPLETELY different from running OUTSIDE!
Running OUTSIDE means there's no water bottle, no towel, no handle bars, no climate control...and man did it make a HUGE difference!!!
I've been running inside on my treadmill and averaging 1.5 miles in about 16:00min. But going outside it was cold, windy, sprinkling rain, and harder on my knees. I found myself surprised at how out of breath and tired I was so much faster than what I was used to running inside.
I was really surprised at how much walking I had to do. If I'm being brutally honest I alternated between running (okay, jogging) every 0.2 mile and walking 0.1 miles. My total time at 1.5 miles was 18:10...so considerably higher than my indoor average of 16min., but running outside and running inside are two VERY different things!
I kept going and my time at 2.0 miles = 24:25min. and at 2.5 miles = 30:52min. which means my average pace was a little more than 12 min./mile.
I stopped there because of the 45 minute walk I had already taken with LA and KW just prior to this run, and pushing almost 100 lbs. (both of them in the stroller with all the gear) for 3 miles was enough for today.
Overall I felt really good about my first outdoor experience. But at the same time I have a LONG way to go to meet my goals. And surprisingly, after all that trouble to get outside, there's nothing like the sense of accomplishment I had when I finished my run and I can't wait to get out there again!!!
Something else that really helped and was a lot of fun to use was this:
Can I just say that running INSIDE on my treadmill...in the very comfortable, climate controlled living room, with a water bottle and towel readily accessible, and handle bars to hold onto and cheat when I feel it necessary...is COMPLETELY different from running OUTSIDE!
Running OUTSIDE means there's no water bottle, no towel, no handle bars, no climate control...and man did it make a HUGE difference!!!
I've been running inside on my treadmill and averaging 1.5 miles in about 16:00min. But going outside it was cold, windy, sprinkling rain, and harder on my knees. I found myself surprised at how out of breath and tired I was so much faster than what I was used to running inside.
I was really surprised at how much walking I had to do. If I'm being brutally honest I alternated between running (okay, jogging) every 0.2 mile and walking 0.1 miles. My total time at 1.5 miles was 18:10...so considerably higher than my indoor average of 16min., but running outside and running inside are two VERY different things!
I kept going and my time at 2.0 miles = 24:25min. and at 2.5 miles = 30:52min. which means my average pace was a little more than 12 min./mile.
I stopped there because of the 45 minute walk I had already taken with LA and KW just prior to this run, and pushing almost 100 lbs. (both of them in the stroller with all the gear) for 3 miles was enough for today.
Overall I felt really good about my first outdoor experience. But at the same time I have a LONG way to go to meet my goals. And surprisingly, after all that trouble to get outside, there's nothing like the sense of accomplishment I had when I finished my run and I can't wait to get out there again!!!
Something else that really helped and was a lot of fun to use was this:
I've wanted to buy this fitness watch for some time, but waited until it went on sale for $25, and after my first time using it I'm very happy I bought it! This watch has sooo many functions! It tells the time, day of the week, month and date, checks my heart rate, has a step counter, stopwatch, times how long I've been running or walking, tracks how many calories I've burned, tells me the distance I've gone, and the pace/mph I kept.
Above you can see the screen that shows the time and right below it the display for how many calories I've burned. The watch automatically adjusts when I switch from running to walking, back and forth. I gauged this on both my walk with the kids and on my run and it was incredibly accurate with the painted mile markers on the trail. A very useful tool!Well, that's it for now. Another busy day ahead and tons of homework due today. I'll leave you with my favorite picture from yesterday...there's nothing like wrestling with daddy!
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