Run! Ballantyne 5k recap

Finally! I've been waiting for my official chip time to write this post.

This past Saturday I ran with Mason and Ryan in the Run! Ballantyne 5k. I pushed Mason in the jogging stroller for our second race of the season together.

The race start should've been at 7:30 ... but at 7:33 I was receiving texts from Ryan about how late the race was.  Oh and he was texting me because we were so freaking far apart ... jogging strollers were put in the BACK of the pack which meant we had to wait forever to finally cross the starting line.  

Once we started running I spent the full 3.1 miles dodging people left and right.  The majority of the people in the back were very slow runners.  Most walked or stopped after a few minutes of running.  It's frustrating that I was penalized for running with Mason by starting at the very back.

Regardless Mason and I kicked butt.  He wasn't a happy camper and cried the majority of our run, which made me try to run faster just so that I could finish and pawn him off on Ryan (who finished before us).  

My gun time was 28:04 minutes but my Garmin showed a time of 25:13.  I am annoyed that it took almost 4 days to get my final race time but I'm super proud to announce that I finished in 24:49 minutes, 1:50 minutes faster than the last race Mason and I ran together. I was also in 4th place in my age group which is funny since the top 3 girls weren't running with a jogging stroller!

The next race that Mason and I will probably run together isn't until August so we have plenty of time to work on our time.  I would love a sub 24 minute 5k with the jogging stroller but that seems a little far fetched.

Oh and we'll never run this race again ... it was way too full of "new" runners who just got in my way.  Even though Ryan got to start closer to the front of the pack he still complained that he spent most of the race dodging people.  Yeah I agree those last 2 sentences really make me sound like a running snob.  Oh well!  

Random Tuesday Thoughts

today was day 9 of working out.  I took another one of those cardio strength interval classes at the YMCA and then ran a little over 2 miles on the treadmill.  

I'm pretty sure my legs will say "please no running" tomorrow since we did squats once again during the 45 minute class.  I really think (hope) that taking a couple of classes a week will ultimately help my running, whether its Flywheel, Flybarre, yoga, or these interval classes at the YMCA.  and legs, you guys better get with the program, we're running tomorrow.

in other news Mason was really upset that Honey was sitting in his chair.  he got all huffy and tried to get her off the chair.

he finally just sat himself down in the chair, basically on top of her, and she bolted.  

and finally ... my latest injury.  a couple of weeks ago I went to the doctor to get a few things checked out, one being my aching RIGHT wrist.  let's not get this wrist injury confused with my broken LEFT wrist from 9 months ago.  no no this was a new pain that I was convinced was from Mason throwing a toy truck at it a couple of months ago.  

the doctor made me move my thumb a few different ways and diagnosed me with de Quervain's stenosing tenosynovitis.  yeah I can't pronounce it either.  he gave me a prescription for a splint and that was it.

well I never got the split and shockingly my wrist still hurts. a lot.  so Mason and I headed to the medical supply store, which by the way is just full of old people, to pick up my overpriced brace.   

isn't she a beaut?  yeah yeah I know, it looks dumb.  but the doctor said to wear it for 3 months and hopefully my wrist will be better.  right.  here goes nothing.
oh and I decided to GOOGLE my ailment and found out that this is also called "mommy thumb."

from parent.com:
De Quervain's is a condition in which the tendons from the thumb to the
wrist become inflamed and rub against the "tunnel" that encloses them,
causing sensations from mild discomfort to severe pain on the thumb side
of the wrist.

Though anyone can develop de Quervain's, it's most common in new mothers
and usually stems from stress on the wrist resulting from lifting a
baby frequently.

Prevention is difficult because, of course, mothers need to lift their children -- sometimes 25 to 30 times per day.

Cool.  I have something cleverly called "mommy thumb" because I am a new mom and carry Mason all the time.  sigh.  here's to rocking an ugly oversized blue splint for the next 3 months.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Will walk for cold brew

Mason and I just got back from an hour long walk. We dropped off a package at the post office, picked up a prescription from CVS, and stopped by Central Coffee for a bottle of their "cold brew."




I'm really excited to try this tomorrow morning instead of my usual hot cup of coffee.

Fingers crossed its a hit!




He was a trooper the entire hour!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A day of firsts

Yesterday was an exciting day for Mason. He went to his first swimming lesson at the YMCA and had his first kids meal from Kickstand.



Our little fish loved the water. He splashed around and chased after some ducks.



After swim class we picked up some lunch and headed home for a nap.

Later in the afternoon we took a family jog (2.18 miles in 19:30 minutes) and worked up quite the appetite.


Mason had most of his sliders and shared mom's sweet potato tots instead of the broccoli. He wasn't a fan of the green tree like vegetable, but definitely liked ordering his own meal. We love going to Kickstand since its the first restaurant in Charlotte that makes us feel like we're regulars. The servers love Mason which makes our experiences there even better!

Such a fun day for our little fish.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

5 days of almost consistency

high five to Mason and I for going to the YMCA 5 days in a row!  5 days of anything in a row with a toddler screams for acknowledgement of a job well done.  I ran 4 out of the 5 days, took 2 classes, and plan on (hopefully) running tomorrow and doing a FlyBarre class on Sunday.  That would round off the week with 7 full days of exercise.  

I love that Mason and I have settled into this schedule of going to the gym every morning around 9am.  it really helps to get my work out done early in the day.  plus Mason seems to be enjoying his time at daycare with the other kids so that makes me happy too.  

I'm hoping to eliminate some of the treadmill running and stick to classes at the YMCA.  I really liked the yoga class I took this morning ... it was slow and relaxed and was more of a 45 minute long stretch session.  The teacher was pretty yappy and started class almost 10 minutes late, but other than that I liked her laid back approach.  

by taking classes, such as yoga, in the morning, my afternoons could be used for stroller running with Mason.  we'll see how that goes starting on Monday.

 

the class that kicked my butt

lately Mason and I have been getting to the YMCA around 9:15-9:30am.  Most mornings I walk by the list of group exercises to see if there are any classes that interest me.  This morning I saw a "cardio strength interval" class from 9:30-10:15 and decided to give it a try.  After dropping Mason off in daycare I ran a quick mile on the treadmill and then headed upstairs to class.

All I knew about the class was the blurb that I read on the schedule:
Class Description
Tone up in a combination class that makes for the ultimate total body workout.

Once in the studio I grabbed a step with 2 risers per side, a mat, and a pair of weights.  The instructor quickly explained the class ... 3 exercises are done in a row for 30 seconds each, with 10 seconds rest time in between.  each exercise is done 3 times before a new set of 3 exercises is introduced.

since it was a total body work out we worked out shoulders, triceps, biceps, back, abs, and legs all in a quick rotation, while mixing in some cardio moves.  I really struggled with the squats which surprised me and did well with all of the arm exercises (I'll probably increase to 8 pound weights instead of the 5 I used).

It was a great work out in a fast paced environment, which made the time go by quickly.  I'm glad I found a class that works in our schedule that is challenging and demanding.  Hopefully I'll be there next Tuesday. 

not really my pace and 3 times in a row

let's talk about the three times in a row before we get to talking about a Pilates class I took yesterday.

I've listened to Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" song 3 times in a row.  so far.  and might listen to it 17 more times in a row because IT'S THAT GOOD.  my friend Alex and I dig music and will send texts back and forth when we find something we like.  this morning I sent him a text about this song and actually got a phone call (we don't ever do that) saying he heard the same song an hour before and knew I would love it.  that's friendship right there.

ok so the video is pretty wacky.  I just watched it.  I'll stick to just playing the song over and over again sans video.  love me some Pharrell!

yesterday I decided to try a class at the YMCA instead of just running on the treadmill.  Mason and I have been getting to the gym around 9:30 which worked out perfectly with a Pilates class.  I dropped him off at daycare and headed up to the studio.  

I didn't want to judge the class based on appearances but the teacher was in her 40's and the other 3 women in the class were all 40 or older.  COOL!  I decided to stick with it since I had ran the previous 2 days and wanted a break from running.  

I was right ... the class (although not specified as an old lady special) was very very slow paced and definitely low low low impact.  Um ... last time I checked I go to the gym to sweat not to hang out and talk about horseback riding and whatever other nonsense they were talking about.  Sigh.  At least I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried something new but will be very weary before attending other fitness classes at the gym. 

On the brightside Mason was a champ and totally didn't mind being in daycare for an hour.