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.

I'm in!

Much to my shock, awe, excitement, fear, and disbelief, I got into the 2011 New York City Marathon! 

I intially applied thinking I would never get in, but rather that I would start plowing away at my 3 strikes before I got an automatic entry.  Imagine my disbelief when I saw the above on my computer screen.  I literally had to search my name three times over just to make sure it was true.  I even then went and dug up my entry number in my inbox to make sure there wasn't another person with my name for whom I could have been mistaken.  Nope, it truly was me!

Of course, after the initial shock wore off (umm, actually it still hasn't), reality started to sink in and all I could think was "Umm, can I really run a MARATHON six months after having a baby?! Am I INSANE?!"

The answer to that would be no, and yes.

Yikes.

But I am committed.  I've dreamt of this race since childhood, and I am setting NO goal time for myself.  Just run the thing, enjoy every.single.second of it, and plant some huge kisses on the faces of my baby and husband waiting at the finish line. 

Oh yeah, and also meet up with Christy (finally!) while I'm at it!

For those of you with an awesome memory, Christy also applied, but sadly did not get in.  It would've been so amazing to run together, but she is pure awesome and is so excited for me and we're definitely planning on meeting up sometime that weekend as those are her current stomping grounds!  Can't wait!

That, and she'll be running the one and only Marine Corps Marathon just a few weeks earlier (she was LITERALLY one of the last 5 or so people to register before it closed) so we'll be training for two AMAZING races at the same! ...though her training schedule will undoubtedly be WAY more hardcore than mine.  But I'm okay with that! :)

So while we've both 1) been crazy busy and 2) neglected this poor sorry blog immensely, we've both got some exciting things lined up in our running lives!  Now Christy just needs to finish this semester and my baby's got to come already {t-minus 5 days till my due date and counting} so we can get serious about this stuff!

Anyone else running NYC or MCM??