Sunday, November 11, 2007

Six Week Smiles

Monday I got a smile.

A real smile.

Not an "I just pooped" smile.

And it was amazing. And I just knew it would be a good day.

I went to the Doctor's for my six week checkup. Got all checked out, and passed with flying colors. I bombarded her with questions, just so I wouldn't get "yelled" at for doing anything wrong, like I did after 4 weeks.

"Can I run?"

Yes.

"Can I swim?"

Yes.

"Can I lift weights?"

Yes.

"Can I do core work?"

YES ALREADY.

"Can I leap tall buildings in a single bound?"

Okay, maybe I didn't go THAT far.

So of course, you know what I did that night. I hit my treadmill.

I was pretty nervous. I mean, I've heard all kinds of horror stories about the first run. How bad it's going to suck. That you will piss all over yourself. I laced up my shoes which hadn't been laced for this purpose for a looooooooong time. I stood on it for an extra minute or two, and was a little afraid to push the button.

My intentions were to walk four minutes and run two at a slow pace. For 30 minutes. If I could.

Deep breath.

Beep.

I started...and then it was four minutes in. And time to run again.

So I did.

And it. was. awesome.

There was no pee. There was no suckage. It was slow, of course, but it felt so good. I felt like I was seeing an old friend again. I made it the 30 minutes with my plan, feeling GREAT.

See? I knew it would be a good day.

Lots of stretching later, I took a shower and gave the little guy a bath. A different post-workout routine, but one I'll be getting used to as my roles are shifting.

The next day, I decided to try a swim. Again, a little nervous. I hadn't been in the pool since September, and at that point, I was in a whale-like state. Would I be able to get through the workout I wanted to?

Warmup: 200 swim, 100 kick, 200 pull

4X50s with :25 rest (drill/swim)

100 kick

4X100 with :25 rest

300 CD

1500 yards

A short workout, but one with some purpose to it. What would my 100s look like? I had no idea and feared the worst.

You know what? They weren't too bad. They were, without too much effort, about 10-15 seconds off where they are when I'm in peak shape. That's a lot in swimming time, I know...but 10 seconds was less than I thought it would be. So I've got that going for me.

Which is nice.

Today, another run. I started off with 3 minutes of walking, then 3 of running. Then two of walking, and four of running.

So far, so good.

Two more of walking, and five of running.

Still good.

Two more of walking, and six of running.

Three walking to cool down.

I've never had so much fun running so slow and taking walk breaks. JayZ slept in his bouncy seat the whole time. I think he knew how much it would mean to me to get this little run in.

As I was running, I was listening to the new Foo Fighters...highly recommended, by the way. The first track particularly struck a chord.

What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays

You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?

It's amazing how much I got done this morning. I fed, I burped, I changed, I pumped, I ate, I drank, I changed, I ran, I stretched, I showered, I cleaned, I fed, I snuggled.

All before 11am.

It's possible, I think, to pull this off somehow. I'm learning as I go, and I'm sure it's not going to be easy.

But that smile. You don't even understand...I can't even begin to explain...that smile, that smile that will make me do anything to protect him. That's what it's all about now.

The rest is just icing on the cake.

So, I'm back. But I'm definitely not the same...not just physically, either, but that's painfully obvious. I've been permanently changed and am changing more every day.

But I can still run.

And I can still swim.

And now I can do those things and get a smile.

26 comments:

Brent Buckner said...

So nice to read that. Congratulations all 'round.

greyhound said...

awwwww. I'm all verklempt.

Now you know a bit of what all the parents were telling you that you did not want to believe. "Your life will never be the same."

Different. Better. Wonderful in fact.

Sarah said...

Awesome. Running slow ain't the end of the world when you've got so many good things in your life. :)

Jessica said...

life just doesn't get much better than that :)

walchka said...

Congrats on your first workouts since the arrival of tri-baby Jackson.

I haven't really tempted such activities since IMWI. Maybe I should get on that. ;)

Michele said...

Oh, the first real smile. Melts your heart.

Congrats on the runs and swim. You will have your old speed back in no time.

Laurie said...

Yay! I am smiling too :)

xt4 said...

That. Was awesome.

I am proud of you. I'm always proud of you.

Jodi said...

Great post, Sara! Can't wait to see you cruising around the neighborhood with the little guy smiling away in your jogging stroller and you with a huge grin on your face!

:-)

jodi

jbmmommy said...

Those smiles are awesome. Nice job on the running, glad you're feeling well.

Holly Jane said...

Awesome blog! I'm impressed, ironMOM! Congrats on the new baby! Thanks for stopping by on my new blog!

Jennifer P said...

Oh, I DO understand! Welcome back!

Unknown said...

What a triumphant return to training! Here's to increasing the running, the smiles and the time in the pool.

tryathlete said...

I hope you have more of those "smiley" days!

E-Speed said...

Yay! For smiles and for pee free running :)

So happy for you!

Unknown said...

Congratulations! It's fantastic that you're getting back to training.

Fe-lady said...

Very nice...and just in time for the holidays! (It's gonna be the best Christmas for you guys!)
Yeah-those "non-gassey" smiles are great!

Wes said...

Yay! You made me smile. No, you are not the same... You are something greater now, and that is a good thing :-)

Kurt said...

Your on your way back to being super TriSaraTops again. Oh wait you always have been and will be!

You should go to Twin City Marathon next October. Shannon is going to pace me for a new PR!

Mnowac said...

What a great entry! Good for you.

Julia said...

Great!

Do you watch the NYCM this year? Did you see what Paula Radcliffe pulled off only eight months after giving birth to her daughter? You'll be back in shape in no time!

Bolder said...

hi t-tops, congrats on your bundle of joy! sorry i haven't been by lately, but thanks for your support.

following up with you and everyone on your offer for help!

the blog is up here:

http://bloggersagainstcancer.blogspot.com/

we are working through the name, and a graphic design... have a look!

Papa Louie said...

Keep smiling.

Sara, my correct web site is: http://tripapalouie.blogspot.com/
sorry for any confusion.
Thanks, Lou

Brooke said...

Congrats to you. You are a super mom already.

Cara said...

Hooray for real smiles! Isn't that the sweetest sight in the whole entire world?? :)
It's my turn to be jealous of you for how much you get to work out. I don't have a treadmill, so I can only go running when Chris is home to watch the baby. I can't wait to use the jogging stroller! Happy Thanksgiving,and happy running (and swimming and...dare I say biking??) to you!

ShesAlwaysWrite said...

So. Stinkin. Jealous.

Of the running. And the swimming.
But especially of the smiles. Which are still eagerly anticipated over here in the Siren household.

(yeah, I know this post is a month old. I'm a wee bit behind. The only reason I'm reading blogs for the first time in 5 weeks is that I was ready to go to my 10:45 dr. appointment when I rechecked the card and realized it's for 11:45...)