Stillness and Waiting

When you are writing a blog about running, there isn't much to say when you aren't running very often. I've thought several times about doing some kind of update, but the words just don't sort themselves out when I sit down to write. There is something about being out for a run that helps me organize my thoughts and hear more clearly what God is speaking into my life. Lately, he has been directing my mind to the concept of stillness and waiting. For the past couple of years, Luke and I have lived out some of the most joyful moments, filled with laughter and love, but like many others, the year 2020 ushered in anxiety, depression, questioning, loss of community, and it has been difficult to pull ourselves out of that space. 

Lately, as God shows me the importance of stillness and waiting, I'm trying to become less impatient in getting my life to be or look a certain way. I'm also trying to prioritize what is important to me and get rid of the things that aren't. 

One of those priorities is moving my body- by running, bike riding, yoga, Pilates. I decided to make a schedule so I would be more likely to stick to (and remember) what I want to be doing. If you're reading this and want to start running or need a workout guide to follow, this would be a great one. I've made things pretty easy for myself! 

1- RUN 3 days a week. I've chosen Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday but I will move a day up or down if I need to. My starting point is 2 miles. I try to do that distance each time, but I did not start running that entire distance right away and how my body feels during each run determines how much running vs walking I will do that day. I'm a firm believer in the run/walk. It's just easier and there isn't any benefit to non-stop running. For me, I always feel like the first mile is really hard and then once I walk a little and start running again, it isn't too bad. 

2- I'm doing workout videos at home. And by workout videos I mean 10-20 minute (tops) yoga or easy core and stretching videos in the morning or evenings. This is low intensity, easy, fun, and quick! The key is that they are short which means I will actually fit them in and get it done. I'd like to do this every day but I'm trying to do one most days. (Dr. Bri's Vibrant Pelvic Health and Yoga with Adriene are my go-to videos on youtube)

3- I'm trying to walk about 20 minutes every day. This is also a "most" days happening and I was doing much better when the weather was nicer, but I'm still determined to do this as much as possible. 

4- I'm going to start swimming! I signed up for a sprint triathlon in May and swimming is definitely the event I'm most concerned about. We are planning to go swimming at the YMCA on Sunday afternoons so the boys can get some swim time and Luke and I can take turns swimming some laps. 

5- We typically ride our bikes as a family pretty often when the weather is nice. I'll take a break over the winter, but will hopefully get back to it in the spring. I even have a brand new Trek mountain bike to make this even more fun! 

My goal with running is to get the 2 miles down to a point where I don't feel like I'm going to die, and then start running just a little faster. When I started back running, it was at a 12 minute pace and I'm slowly getting a bit faster, but I'd like to get to a 10 minute pace and then hopefully an 8-9 minute pace. Once I get to a 10 minute pace, I would like to start adding a mile to my Saturday runs. 

I hesitate to say this out loud...but I'm looking at my marathon in Fall 2024. I've learned my lesson in making plans though, so I will wait and see what happens. Stillness and Waiting, but in that waiting there is preparing.  

Testing 1, 2, 3

I've heard people say to give yourself at least 9 months to get "back to normal" after having a baby. I understand where this is coming from because so many of us are anxious to get back into those pre-pregnancy jeans and pre-pregnancy workouts, but for many of us, 9 months is still way too quick. Luca is a little over a year old and I'm just starting to feel ready to run again. I've been doing exercises my physical therapist recommended to strengthen my pelvic floor and core. They are both so weak and I have diastasis recti (my abdominal muscles haven't joined back together). I thought I would jump back into doing videos at home. After I had Gideon, I would do a quick workout video while dinner was cooking or with him crawling all over me. My gal at FemFusion fitness (who is also a pelvic health physical therapist) has an incredible selection of workout videos that are all safe for pelvic floor prolapse and diastasis recti. Two kids is such a game changer. I haven't had time to do many videos and I found myself skipping exercises that were down on the floor. I made a list of exercises I could do all standing up. For whatever reason, that made it so much easier to fit them in during the day. I also wrote the list on a marker board on our wall so that it was staring at me all day.

In addition to daily walks, here is my list: 

1. W stretch: The Most Famous Physical Therapists on the Internet demonstrate this stretch in the video below. If you haven't watched them, they are pretty funny and have great stretches and exercise videos on youtube.

2. Hip Circles: I've talked about this one before from FemFusion fitness:

3. Calf Raises: The goal is not to hold on to something for balance but when I first started doing these I definitely held on! 10 on each side. 

 4. Squats with Luca and Gideon: They love this! 30 squats holding Luca or Gideon. Keep your knees behind your toes. 

 5. 5 deep breaths: Maybe not an "exercise" but just as important! Take time each day for belly breaths-at least 5! A deep belly breath can completely change how I feel at any given moment. 

6. Deep squat: This is sitting in a deep "baby" squat with your feet flat on the floor. I try to sit this way when I'm getting down on the floor with the boys. I've worked really hard to be able to sit like this. When I first started, I couldn't get my feet flat on the floor and I couldn't hold the position for very long. Yoga with Adrienne demonstrates the deep squat in this "yummy" video.

7. Side leg lifts: This is standing and lifting your leg straight out to the side. Works the hip muscles. 10 each side. 

8. Knee raises: This is just lifting your knee straight up to your chest. 10 on each side. 

9. Knee to elbow: This one is lifting your knee up to the side and touching your elbow. 10 on each side. 

10. Kegels: Not too few, not too much. I don't know why these are so hard to do. Half the battle is just learning where these muscles are located and how to activate them. The other big deal is learning how to fully release and relax them. Does anyone else hate doing these? I really don't do them often...which is why my pelvic floor is so weak! I'm much more likely to do them when following a video or guided routine. I've posted it before, but FemFusion has "Kegel Camp" and it explains how to do these correctly and then guides you through a series of videos.

That's it! I've been doing these every day or every other day along with one more exercise that is on the floor called "prance". It's laying on your back with your knees bent and lifting and lowering one leg at a time. The key is to brace your core and not let your belly pooch out. This is the best exercise for diastasis recti and there are different levels as you grow stronger with it. These exercises are where I started to get ready to get back into running. I finally went on my first run on Memorial Day! A one mile "test" to see how everything felt.

It felt great! I felt a little weak around my middle (core) so I know I still have a lot of work to do. I took it really easy and ran half a mile, walked, and then ran another half a mile. It helped that the weather was surprisingly cool and I was in Dasher where everything is flat. The success of the test mile got me excited to attempt a 5K today. Probably a bit ambitious, but it was the Parkrun 5K in Oak Grove. They do a timed 5K every Saturday and this was the first Saturday back after COVID. It was great to get out and run with RWB and other runner friends. Luca came with me and enjoyed his ride in the stroller. I ended up just doing 2 miles. I ran most of one mile and walked most of the second. It was HOT, but I was happy to be out running again! Hopefully this means more blog posts are in the near future as well.

The Story of Baby Luca

I would describe Luca's arrival into the world as both agonizingly slow and suddenly very fast. About a week before his due date I started having prodromal labor. Every night I would wake up in the middle of the night with contractions that would become pretty regular but never were very intense. Sometimes I could fall back to sleep, but usually, either because of discomfort or anticipation, I would get up and move around thinking, "this might be it!" Several times I went for a walk outside around 3 am, and every time the contractions would die down and I would go about my day still pregnant.    

The day before my due date I started having contractions that evening and they lasted ALL NIGHT. Still not very intense but I started getting excited that this was different and maybe Luca was ready to make his arrival! We called the midwife and she told us to head down to the birth center. We took our time gathering our things, making arrangements for Gideon, and driving down to Nashville. This leisurely drive was completely different from Gideon's labor day...

Gideon was born a little over a week before his due date. I wasn't expecting him that early so when my water broke that morning I was actually unsure of what was happening. I wasn't having contractions so I took a shower and went for a walk around the neighborhood. That's when the contractions started and I knew this was it! They were manageable and coming regularly so we called the midwife and let her know. She gave us a plan to come down when they were happening more regularly for about an hour. We thought we had lots of time to get everything together and wrap up last minute things. The contractions started to get more intense and then...I threw up. I looked at Luke and told him, "I can't do this." We thought we were still early on in labor, but I actually was going through transition and getting ready to push. I told Luke we needed to go to the hospital, NOW.

We drove the hour to Nashville and because they were doing construction at Vanderbilt we had to park what felt like miles away, but probably wasn't as far as it felt at the time. We walked from the parking garage to labor and delivery and I stopped every so often to lean against the wall and get through a contraction. We arrived at the Labor and Delivery front desk and the nurse called the midwife. She said, "Your patient is here, and she looks very uncomfortable." The midwife asked if I was ready to push...I was trying not to push in the car, so yes, I was ready!

The support I received from Luke, the midwife, the nurse...they were all fantastic. Gideon came into the world quietly, which apparently is not a great thing. They placed him on my belly and I remember just soaking in his sweet little body while they vigorously rubbed him with a blanket trying to get him to cry. He was breathing, but they wanted him to yell and get those lungs open. The beauty of being at Vanderbilt was how quickly the NICU team was able to arrive and take care of him. I don't know if someone pinched him or what, but eventually he was hollering and they left the room. Gideon has been a happy kid, even from birth.

Luca, however, tested my patience in drawing out labor night after night, so when the midwife suggested they break my water, I was more than ready. I was progressing but my contractions just kept starting and stopping. It was maddening. I was so ready for him to arrive and so ready to not be pregnant any more!! Luke and I had spent the day walking West End in Nashville, getting food from a local coffee shop, taking a nap back at the birth center, doing the "Miles Circuit" to try to speed labor along. All of this during the COVID pandemic. It was actually quite a pleasant day spending time together just the two of us, but that afternoon I was ready for things to move along. They broke my water at 6:00pm and Luca was in my arms at 8:50pm.

Our Baby + Co Suite

Taking a nap before Luca arrives

Baby+Co has beautiful birth suites with queen size beds, large showers, and birthing tubs. I did not want to have a water birth but was able to labor in the tub which made a huge difference when the contractions got more intense. When I told the midwife I was about to throw up, she said I better go ahead and get out of the tub unless I changed my mind about having a water birth. I think I pushed for about 20 minutes and right when I thought I was almost done, I heard the midwife make a call and she was talking to 911. She was coaching me though pushing, my nurse was encouraging me, and Luke was right there holding my hand and cheering me on, but something in the room changed and the calm encouragement took on an urgency to push the baby out right now! 

Luca had shoulder dystocia and he was stuck behind my pubic bone. His head was out which was why I felt the finish line was so close, but he wasn't coming the rest of the way. It all happened very quickly and hearing the midwife talk to the 911 operator was terrifying. Later, Luke and I said we both thought we lost Luca. The midwife and nurse took action and had me get onto my hands and knees and then flip back over. This is called the Gaskin maneuver, named for Ina May Gaskin, an amazing midwife who lives/works right here in Middle Tennessee. The nurse pushed on my belly while I pushed as hard as I possibly could and I'm pretty sure the midwife reached in and pulled him out! He was screaming his head off. No worries about his lungs! We are so very thankful that everything turned out fine. Luca was a bit bruised but otherwise he was perfect. We were able to send the paramedics packing-we didn't need them at all.

Our midwife knew exactly what to do and I am very thankful she was there to take care of us. We brought Luca home the next morning. Gideon was absolutely thrilled and it was very sweet to watch them meet one another. 

 
I am so happy to be done being pregnant. Not just because I have my sweet baby. I'm happy to be able to walk and not waddle, to sleep in any position I want, to pick up Gideon and hold him on my lap. 

I gained A LOT of weight with Luca, but I'm very slowly getting back into shape by walking a ton, doing simple and safe exercises, and eating good food! I'm also trying to get as much sleep as possible, but discussions about sleep are fighting words in our house right now. We are obsessed with sleep. It is one of the most important things for our health and brain function, yet so hard to get enough when you have a newborn and toddler in the house. It's just mean to talk to a new mom about sleep, yet people always want to ask how your baby is sleeping. Just stop asking this, ok? Put it on the list along with asking people when/if they'll have another baby. Just shush people. 

I definitely feel like I'm starting over again with marathon training. I saw a physical therapist for a few sessions and have some great exercises to work on getting my body ready to run. This website has a great article and checklist to determine if you are ready to run postpartum: Ready to Run?  

I also have to share a couple of resources from my fave, FemFusion Fitness:

Here is a great podcast for new moms about prolapse.

And this is Kegel Camp! A YouTube series to learn to gradually strengthen your pelvic floor.

I remember with Gideon I felt this same contradiction of feeling like my body was fat, sore, tired, weak...but at the same time feeling like I was super mom-I pushed giant babies out of me-I can do anything! It’s going to be baby steps, but I’ll get back to running eventually. Right now I’m building a strong foundation and I’m trying not to give myself a timeline but just keep one foot in front of the other and when given the opportunity, take a nap!

Pennyrile State Forest

A couple weekends ago, Luke and I went to one of our favorite places for a few days of rest, relaxation, and lots of hiking. Pennyrile State Forest is about an hour away from our house, just north of Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

Our cabin for the weekend

There is a lodge where you can spend the night, or you can rent a cabin nestled in the woods along the lake. There are plenty of hiking trails right outside the door. There are also mountain bike trails, a swimming pool, beach area at the lake, tennis and basketball courts, a golf course...lots of things to do! 

 

 View of the lake from our cabin

I'll let these pics speak for themselves. Here are some of the hiking trails:

 

Pausing for a rest on Fisherman's Rock

It was a little wet and muddy on the trail

Taking our hike to the golf course when the weather was rainy

Met a friend and saw lots of wildlife, especially on the golf course!

Cody had a blast swimming in the lake

Beautiful Views

It was a fantastic weekend, even with a bit of rain. Not a whole lot of running, but lots of walking and hiking! Luke took his bike out on the road as well. I have been doing a lot more walking than running lately, but we did enjoy the Girls on the Run 5K last Saturday. This was the most encouraging 5K I have participated in, but if you are looking to hit a PR or be really serious, this isn't the 5K for you. We were surrounded by little girls and their running buddies who were attempting to convince them to run instead of walk. Girls would stop to tie their shoe right in front of you, no moving to the side of the road. There were girls sprinting, walking, crying, laughing, but overall just having a great time!

Here are some photo highlights:

Posing in front of the Titans stadium, it was cold!

 

 

 

Start line: lots of pink!

Girls and Running Buddies

Cheering at the finish line

This 5K convinced me that I want to find a local GOTR group and volunteer. It will motivate me to keep running as well. I'm moving pretty slowly these days, but I figure even if I'm walking, at least I'm moving!! I've also been doing lots of yoga and will leave you with a great, short video by FemFusion Fitness. This video would be great to do after a run or just after a stressful day. Enjoy!

Keep that Youthful Spirit

I was listening to a song by Band of Horses in my car this week and when it was over I had a moment of sadness (that the song was over), then I hesitated for a moment before I pushed the back button and started the song over again. It's one of my favorite songs, I was alone in the car, so why not play it over again? and again, and again?

Here is the song for you to enjoy as many times as you would like:

When I was younger I used to play a song over and over again until I had it memorized. My poor parents! This week had me thinking that there are several things I used to do that made me happy that I don't really do anymore. Maybe it is because I am older and wiser. For instance, I used to be fearless. I didn't worry about what I ate or drank (more chocolate cake and cherry coke please!), I listened to whatever I wanted, watched scary movies, and walked around cities like Atlanta or New York by myself without a care in the world.

Top of the hill

It's hard to tell from the picture but this was one of the hills at my elementary school that we would ride our bikes down, trying to avoid the trees to get to the big field at the bottom. I landed in the bushes a few times. The telephone pole helps show the steepness. 

When I was 10 or 11 I would regularly put my bike at the top of the tallest, steepest hill I could find in our neighborhood and then sail down it as fast as I could. Sometimes I would crash and sometimes I wouldn't. I went home with bumps and bruises and perhaps a little more caution? Today, I will squeak the breaks all the way down a hill. I don't want to go too fast! Some of that caution I've learned is a good thing, but I think there are several things I need to revive from my childhood to make my life a little more fun, silly, and fulfilling.

 Here are some of the things I thought of:

• Writing down my hopes and dreams on a regular basis. I kept a journal from the age of 8 through college but stopped writing after I got married. 
• Singing and Dancing. All the time, every chance I could get. 

Doing the locomotion at one of our "dessert theater" productions for the neighbors

• Spending hours upon hours with my friends. It helped that we were in school all day together, but then we wanted to spend as much time together as possible after school. I remember walking my friend Ruth home and then she would walk me halfway back to my house. 
• Praying uninhibited. This is one where I think I've matured in my prayer life in a lot of ways because I'm more intentional, I don't just ask for what I want all the time, and I've grown to have a closer relationship with God. However, when I was younger I would just pray about whatever, whenever, and I never worried what I said or how I said it. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.
• Getting bored. Ok, I don't think I've ever been bored in my life, but when I was younger I had time on my hands to just sit and contemplate the meaning of life, or the color of my walls, or the color of my crush's eyes. ;)
• Laughing as much as possible. My friends and I were always laughing and being silly. We would quote something funny and laugh hysterically. My friend Sarah was the best at this. She had a quote for every situation. Actually, I don't think it mattered if it fit the situation, we would still laugh. Here is my favorite Sarah quote that I still use today: Sarah was at a restaurant (Shoney's maybe?) and was coming out of the bathroom as a woman was entering and ran into her. The woman said, "Uh oh, Cooz me baby!" It's really better when it's said with some attitude. It'll make me laugh even though I wasn't even there when it happened! That also just shows that Sarah is a good story teller. 

The girls I went to Elementary School with

I'm sure the girls I went to school with will be very happy to see the pictures I've chosen to share of them! ;) It just portrays the silliness and fun we had together.

The girls I went to High School with

So, in the effort to share more fun and silliness here are two videos that will bring out your youthful spirit. The first one is from FemFusion Fitness and is about 8 minutes long. It is a great stretch to make you feel good and put a smile on your face.

 The next one combines my love of yoga and Harry Potter. This is a great one to get kids interested in yoga, but also is just a fun way to bring some magic into your day! She has several videos with other themes (Star Wars, Frozen, etc.)

Finally, Meet Meddy Teddy! With the intention to teach kids about yoga and mindfulness, this adorable bear will bend and stretch into every yoga pose imaginable. You know you want one!

From MeddyTeddy.com

Exercise should be fun. It shouldn't be boring, stressful, or something you have to drag yourself out of bed to do. It should push you and challenge you, but it should also motivate you, relieve stress, and have you feeling renewed and refreshed! I'm going to refuse to let exercise be a chore, but allow myself to enjoy it, have fun, and let go of my inhibitions.

Can we do that in life as well? Let go of anything that is holding you back and make time for what really matters! What's on your list of things that will help you revive that youthful spirit?

Wake up and get moving!

I've been told numerous times, by very wise and knowledgeable people, that there are two things I should do first thing in the morning, before anything else: Bible study and Exercise. 
(my dad would probably add "brush your teeth", but I think that's a given)  

I argued against this logic for years because I am not a morning person. I value my sleep and try to get as much of it as possible. It is not just that sleep is good for you (research shows benefits for your brain, your heart, and even your waistline, see this article from the NIH), but I ENJOY sleeping. I really love it. Sleep is not a waste of time or something to feel guilty about. 

However, the wise people in my life were right, if I don't prioritize certain activites, the day will get away from me and I won't find time for them. It is all too easy to downgrade important things like sleep, exercise, and time with God into luxuries instead of priorities. I don't think it has to be that way. For me, it just means I have to get to bed at a decent hour to get all of the glorious sleep I need!  

I would like to share my morning routine with you, but before I do I think it's important to stop here and watch a funny animal video. Watching cute and funny animals should always be a priority and this one will help get you in the Christmas spirit, so enjoy!
 
 

 

Don't you feel better? Now, here is my morning routine:
I wake up and read whatever Bible passage I'm currently reading and then have time in prayer. For a long time, I actually wrote down a prayer and read it every morning because I had trouble knowing what to say and was getting distracted. Every now and then I'll still go back to that written prayer, but I've found the more I pray, the easier it gets. Just like getting to know a friend better and better, the conversation gets easier. 

Next, I get out of bed and do hip circles, squats, and a plank. Sometimes the hip circles happen while I'm brushing my teeth. What are hip circles? Click here. If I'm going to get in a run or walk for the day it has to happen NOW, in the morning. Ideally, I would walk everyday for 30 minutes, but reality is that I'm more likely to do it every other day. This is a great time to pray as well and perhaps just listen to what God has to say. I do my best listening when I'm outside. Somewhere like this:  
 

Family Life Center Hiking Trails

If I have more time in the morning I will do a workout video from youtube, but usually this doesn't happen until I get home from work in the evening. These videos can be as short as 4-6 minutes if I'm really crunched for time, but usually are around 10-15 minutes. 

All of the above links go to FemFusion Fitness videos. Dr. Brianne Grogan is a physical therapist whose motto is, "Eat Clean, Move Everyday." She has fantastic workout videos for all levels, plus advice on clean eating and other topics related to women's health. She has videos I've been able to do even when I feel pretty bad and I still feel like I'm getting a good workout. She is a huge proponent of integrating movement into your day with things like taking the stairs, parking further away, and adding exercise into something you already do, such as her bathroom fitness routine.  For a good place to start, check out her cardio-abs for beginners video:
 

 
That's my routine. Make it a priority and it will happen! How do you fit exercise into your day?