Okay, Okay, I've let this blog go for too long without updating. I haven't been too good with my New Year's resolution either, but that is still fixable. So after about a month here is a post that I hope will get me posting more often.
I'm coming up on 6 weeks postpartum. I can say that I feel great. I've been running for almost 3 weeks and I feel much better than I did when I started running after having Travis. As they say, it is important to remember that every person and pregnancy is different. I think the difference is that although I stopped running at 35 weeks with Eileen, I made an effort to keep walking every day right up to the day I went into labor. With Travis it was the dead of winter and I was unmotivated to move after a while.
I've worked my way up to about 4 miles a day and 5 on my long run day last Sunday. I hope to run 7 this Sunday. This is not without it's issues of course, nothing ever is. Just before I wanted to start running I discovered what is called a bladder prolapse. This is one of those things they don't tell us women when we are so anxious to get pregnant. I kind of knew what was going on, so of course I googled the heck out of it and read all these horror stories about doctors telling women they could never run again because of this and other prolapse (there's Uterine and Rectal too, joy!).
Afraid that my bladder was going to fall out, I went to the doctor at 3 weeks postpartum and he told me everything would be fine and I could keep running. This apparently was caused by two large babies, and can only really be fixed by surgery, which they will only do if you are done having babies. We'll decide that in a year, because if you asked me right now, I'd be done having babies! ;)
So that day after I got over my depression I started running. Some days are good, some days are uncomfortable, but that's how running is regardless of a prolapse. I've also started back on the weights (mostly exercise videos because that's just easier) and although it is tough, it feels great after wards and I'm well aware of all the muscle tone that is lost during pregnancy, even if you still workout. Those abs aren't going to go back by themselves! It takes a lot of work and patience.
I had myself talked into "racing" a 5k this weekend, but it turns out I have to work anyway. In reality it is probably too soon and I may come away from it very disappointed. But I have realized through two pregnancies that after about 25 years of running, it's fun to have a reason to be sub-par. When I stepped out for my first run, even though it was only a mile and a half, I was so excited! Then last week when I ran 4 miles at 8:40 pace, again I was excited. Then when you start going to races and you run a time that you ran in high school, people think you are super woman. You're able to enjoy the process and the small accomplishments again, instead of chasing a PR that you set 5 years ago. you may never see that PR again, but now you have postpartum PR's. It's a new lease on your running career. In a way I guess it makes racing and running fun again. It also gives me a chance to be out in the quiet of our woods and fields with out hearing a 3 year old that won't stop talking and a 5 week old who won't stop screaming. My kids are great kids, but sometimes I need a time out!!
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