Okay Jeff Galloway, you win

Quick update on week one of post-baby marathon training:

I started using the run-walk method, and Jeff is right...continuous walking breaks make it easier to go longer. I may be sold for life.

I'm running 3 miles about 13 minutes slower than I used to...but with each run, I get a little faster. :)

I am out of shape.

For the first time in my life, I actually need a sports bra. Oh nursing...(tmi?)

I don't know when I'll be able to really jump into a training plan, but for now I really need to take it slow and run no more than every other day.

4 months, 1 week and 1 day until the NYC Marathon.

Here it goes!

(any running moms have any advice?)

According to Runner's World, I'm Toast

If you Google "marathon training",

one of the top results will be Runner's World.

Which has a little link below said result that you can click on that says 

"Are You Ready?"

...

Do yourself a favor.

If you just had a baby in May, haven't run since February, and got into the New York City Marathon when you weren't supposed to... 

do not click on this link.

...

In said article, they ask five questions to determine if you're ready to train for a marathon.

Have you been running for a year?

Do you have enough time to devote to training?

Are there other stresses in your life?

Do you think you can do it?

Why do you want to run a marathon?

My answers to those would be 

no. 

(unless you aren't just counting this past year)

no.

yes, according to you. 

(they specifically list a new baby as a stress, true story, though I like to think of him more as a new blessing that just happens to take a lot of time. smile.)

maybe.

because i got into the New York City Marathon, that's why.

...

I know it's absolutely insane, but tomorrow, six weeks after giving birth to my first child, I start training for a marathon, which is a mere

19

weeks

away.

Sure, enough time to train for the average person. 

But for someone who would feel sore after walking down the street and back only 4 weeks ago, the marathon might as well be tomorrow.

But you know what,

despite what Runner's World and anyone who has even the slightest bit running wisdom has to say about it,

I really am excited.

Not just for the marathon I've dreamt about since childhood,

but to just get out and

run again.

(Even if it is a little different with jogging stroller in tow)

...

What are you all training for this summer?

Anyone else running NYC?

...

On a side note,

Christy and I finally met this past Monday!

(stole this picture from my other blog)

read about our meet up here. 

and go here to send good wishes to Christy, who starts her crazy tour of the world tomorrow!

happy wednesday! thanks for still following this poor blog. but now that I'm (almost) running again, I have no excuse not to update. Except, you know, having a newborn.

Travel Tips for Runners

 *Edit: I scheduled this post before I left and it never posted so I'm posting it from The Netherlands! Enjoy!

It's been 2 months since either Chloe or I have posted on our poor, neglected running blog here and we both feel immensely guilty. However, finishing up my 1st year of grad school wasn't the easiest thing but was nothing compared to Chloe's birth story. But after finally meeting for the first time and seeing Chloe's beautiful baby boy, I can tell you, her reasons for neglecting this blog are much better than mine!

So what's going on in Christy's running world? Well, not a whole lot to be honest and I've got the extra 5 pounds on me to prove it! Sure, I've been running but since the NYC Half-Marathon in March, I've been running pretty minimally and run a few smaller distance NYRR races but have really just been taking it easy.

Until now, that is. I'm currently base training for the Marine Corps Marathon which I'll officially start training for on July 11 and will run on October 30. I'm super excited about running Marine Corps but really nervous about my training.


I have big goals for the Marine Corps Marathon. Not only do I want to PR my current marathon time of 4:08 but I'm aiming to chop off a whopping 18 minutes of that and being nervous about my training isn't the best way to go into training. But the reason I'm nervous about my training is because it's going to be so far out of my comfort zone, I'm not sure I can handle it.

See, I'm leaving tomorrow and won't be back for 2 months. Tomorrow night, I'm getting on a flight to Amsterdam (with a nice little lay over in Dublin...plenty of time to stop off for a Guinness and a Jameson!). I'll be in Amsterdam until Wednesday when I head to Sarajevo, Bosnia where I'll be until Sunday when I head to Belgrade Serbia. From Serbia, I'm heading to Rome for one night before boarding a 16 hour flight to Colombo, Sri Lanka where I'll be for a month.

As if that wasn't enough traveling, after my month in Sri Lanka, I'm going on a 2 week, 5 city tour of India by myself before finally coming home. And aside from the 10 days I'll spend in Europe, I'm doing it all by myself.

I'm writing this post while my clothes are all drying from the pesticide spray I used on them (to protect me from malaria, dengue, Japanese encephalitis and all of the other wonderful diseases I'll be prone to contracting) and my belongings are all sitting nicely waiting to be packed away. Runners' World sent an email out this week called "Travel Tips for Runners." I got so excited to read it and after finishing the article, I realized that it taught me nothing. I've been scouring the internet for tips and tricks for running safely in high heat and humidity in a 3rd world country that is recovering from a 26-year civil war.

Nothing. Ex-pats don't run? Diplomats don't run? What is this? Friends, I'm exploring uncharted territory here.

My longest run in Sri Lanka will be 12 miles. In India, 13. I'll be gone for the first 6 weeks of my training meaning all of my hill work and early longs runs will be in South Asia. To train for it, I've been running here in New York at the hottest time of the day. Smart? I have absolutely no idea but I'm hoping it works for me.

July 11 people. That's when it all begins. I'll be logging my training on here (I promise!) and please, if you have any tips for marathon training in such conditions, please let me know!

What are you training for this summer and what obstacles will you face?