Mid-year check in

[thom]

shauni27 -- Seasons are so real. I know all the encouragement and good intentions in the world would not have gotten me into a solid running schedule during Speedy's first year. And every kid and mom are DIFFERENT. So it might be far more or less depending on so many things. The road to hell is paved with comparisons to others, and I'm serious.

I know you are mourning the loss of your own goals and good intentions right now, and that's ok. I do believe we've got to make the changes we want within ourselves, but that's often a slow process. And you can't do everything. I'm glad you've found at least some time for working out, and I hope you can keep claiming some victories as you try to get the balance you want. I have a few friends who've shared some very real photos of their family & kid mess, chaos, life lately and it helped me realize it's true that we all have our very real struggles. We need you here on H&F; KOKO!

[laurack]

shauni27 you are being way too hard on yourself!

I barely worked out at all for a year after each baby and even year two wasn’t much to write home about either

Now they are 6 and 4 and I feel like I am working out consistently again (but still not the 6x a week I’d work out pre kids, if I workout 3-4x that’s great)

I also haven’t met any of my goals for this year but meh, I always have lofty goals and have to realize that I’m not going to reach them all (or maybe any lol)

It’s fine to grieve what you’ve lost in terms of fitness and fitness identity but these are special times for other reasons (baby, bonding, enjoying, healing your body, finding out who the new you is now, etc)

Having a baby changes you forever and it’s best to not focus on what you lost (easier said than done of course). Try to enjoy this time where you aren’t able to eat all the healthiest foods and you can’t workout a ton- these are valuable things to a body as well and to your mind ! Being “on” is hard and you have the best excuse in the world to just chill and be “lazy” yada yada I know it’s easy for me to say and I get it, I know how hard it is to accept this new normal even for a while but I just hope you can find a way to feel more comfortable and “forgive yourself” for this over which you truly don’t have control.

Be kind to yourself ❤️

[oswin]

shauni27, huge hugs! You're not a fraud, you're just having a tough year. Kids are tough, and you can't even compare yourself to others because all kids are different. I tend to find that I feel better when I eat healthier - except that when I don't get enough sleep I eat total crap because I don't have the time/energy to do anything but eat cereal, etc. For me, everything hinges on getting enough sleep. If I don't sleep enough (you know, getting woken up by a baby a few times - or staying up late so I can actually spend time with my husband), I don't feel like working out or eating healthy. If I do sleep enough, it takes a few days of good sleep to really feel better.

I didn't set any official goals this year, since it was all about having my baby. Well, my baby was born exactly on his due date, and I accomplished what I consider to be an incredible athletic feat - I birthed him without an epidural. Ow.

The rest of the year is just about trying to get back to where I was a year ago, and maybe throw some extra running into the mix. So far it's going pretty well, we've done some lifting benchmarks and I'm lifting 80-85% of what I was a year ago, so that's pretty darn good I think. Running is going less well, it's crazy hot here and I'd need to run early in the morning, but that doesn't work so well when DS2 wakes at 7:15, because before then my boobs are super full and after that by the time the kids are at daycare it's really hot. I'm still hoping to sign up for maybe a 5k and later a 10k this fall/winter, but we'll see how it goes. It mostly hinges on if DS2 continues his trend of sleeping well.

[shauni27]

thanks, guys. I am not looking for head pats or anything; it's just wwhat @thom said--I am comparing myself to other moms and they all seem to have lost the weight, ran the races, etc. What is wrong with me that I can't? blah.

[mysticmuffin]

thom Congratulations!
@vtcupcake ((hugs)) You continue to inspire me with your spirit to keep plugging along through the shitstorms that are out of your control. There is still so much yes on your list.
Pulls up seat next to shauni27 with a hug and a giant glass of wine.

[shauni27]

mysticmuffin, the wine is part of the issue too, lolol.

[SallyJ]

Every time we do these, I'm like, oh I made goals?


2018 Goals:

1. Perform en pointe
- Just started back en pointe this week! I will likely get to perform something for Nutcracker in December. I have a lot of work to do though.
2. Go on bike rides with the fam
- We went on one bike ride, and one kid stopped suddenly and flipped over his bike. Sooo...we haven't done it again because I think the kids would do better on bikes that fit them and have better controls for brakes/gears.
3. Complete NROL Supercharged
- I've completed Basic Training and started Strength/Power. 
4. Complete at least one cut cycle, maybe two, and maybe a mass cycle with RP
- I am on second cut cycle this year, for my third overall. It's going well and I'm leaning out really well. This is the first diet plan I've found to be easy, not annoying, and successful for my goals.

[SallyJ]

Jul 19, 2018 10:08:10 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

thanks, guys. I am not looking for head pats or anything; it's just wwhat @thom said--I am comparing myself to other moms and they all seem to have lost the weight, ran the races, etc. What is wrong with me that I can't? blah.

Nothing is wrong with you. It took me 4 years to make working out a habit again. One day is better than none. 30 minutes is better than 0 minutes. Recovering from pregnancy and childbirth is no fucking joke. For me it was far more difficult to recover mentally/emotionally than it was physically. Be kind to yourself. Be patient and do what you can, when you can. And be proud of that.

[jane6672]

I didn't really think about 2018 goals at the start of the year, but:

– Completed my fist half marathon
– Working on my 9+1 entry to the 2019 NY Marathon
– Working on weightlifting with a trainer

I'm happy.

[ktzmoh]

Jul 19, 2018 10:08:10 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

thanks, guys. I am not looking for head pats or anything; it's just wwhat @thom said--I am comparing myself to other moms and they all seem to have lost the weight, ran the races, etc. What is wrong with me that I can't? blah.

Hang in there lady. There are seasons in our lives and everyone has different situations. I had a real hard time with prioritizing physical health after my youngest was born. I didn’t run a single mile for more than 3 years after she was born, and my diet was complete shit. I just didn’t have the energy or the emotional bandwidth to get my shit together for a few years.

[ktzmoh]

******************************
My goals were:
I look forward to ... doing lots of strength building, many intervals, and building my wattage cottage.

Specific goals in chronological order:
1) Run a strong 3:50 at Napa
2) I'm finally going to get my sub 6 hour 70.3 - it would only be a 65 second PR, but those 65 seconds have been taunting me for over a year.
3) Conditional on staying healthy and strong- and if things go well this year, I'd like to go for sub 3:45 at Kiawah.



******************************

So I have not done a great job at strength training. I did really well doing strength workouts written into my Napa training, but have fallen off the wagon. Fail on that yet again. I have done many intervals, and my wattage cottage (my bootay) has definitely expanded this year, but unclear if the padding I’ve added is really going to contribute to any wattage LMAO

Specific goals:
1) 3:50 at Napa- I missed this by 22 seconds. But I’m not bummed about it.

2) sub 6 hr 70.3, I haven’t done this yet, my A race isn’t until Sept.

3) run 3:45 at Kiawah. Fingers crossed!!

[hurricanedrunk]

2018 -
1) 2018 miles between running, biking and swimming- On track to complete this - I have 1221 miles completed out of 2018 which leaves 797 for the last 5 months.
2) Fall Marathon - sub 4:00 Will attempt on 11/3
3) Sub 1:50 half Yes! I did 1:49:XX on 5/19
4) Improve swimming/ take a class Yes! I took a class at the beginning of the year but I havn't swam since my my Tri in early June.
5) Oly or sprint tri or both - Done - sprint tri on 6/3
6) PR 10k or 5k distance - Nope - will attempt during my marathon training cycle.
7) Race in a new state - Scheduled for 11/3 Indiana
8) Keep up with strength training Meh - been slacking on this.

[clseale]

shauni27, I had to cut myself some HUGE slack around 6 mo when I gave myself permission to not run Chicago. I became SO much happier when I gave myself some grace. I basically took her entire first year off. I could count on two hands the number of runs I did. I slowly dipped my toes back in around the year mark, but only now at 16 mo am I running somewhat consistent (and that’s only because I refuse to bail on another marathon. LOL ) It was tough because everyone EXPECTED to me to want to dive back into it (& there were many women in my running club who were pregnant at the same time whi DID dive back into it), but that’s not what I wanted to do. And once I was honest with myself about that, it all became much easier.

[wawa]

1. Run a half. finish happy.
  - Yup!  Done!

2. "Run" a marathon. Finish happy.
- Done!  Glad I put run in quotes here. 

3.  PR Oly at Rock Hall.
- just missed this.  had a fun race though.

4. Beat MH at all Tri's. (his goal for the year is to be faster than me at all three legs, rather than just hoping his lead off the bike is long enough)
  - LOLS.  He just keeps getting faster on the bike, and he can beat me on the swim now too.  I still run faster than he does.  We'll see how the next one goes.  

5.  Keep up once a week strength/weights.
  - *cough*  no.  Need to get back to this.  Mid-year re-set I guess.  


It's good to have the reminder that I did new things in the first half of this year, since tri training just hasn't been where I wanted it to be.  

[gt7301b]

Jul 19, 2018 10:08:10 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

thanks, guys. I am not looking for head pats or anything; it's just wwhat @thom said--I am comparing myself to other moms and they all seem to have lost the weight, ran the races, etc. What is wrong with me that I can't? blah.

Hugs shauni27! There are ebbs and flows with life and running and this may be one of those times where you just take it easy. And getting in a few 30 minute runs a week is not even slacking. I don't think the expectations set by the moms on this board are normal expectations for a new mom

I know for me summers are my peak training cause Mr. GT is off and I can be more flexible with my training, but I also know once school starts I don't have the same flexibility. I'm cramming all the training in now while I have the time

[bostonmichelle]

2018 Goals
1. 5k/10k PR - Nope and I doubt it since this isn't my focus at the moment
2. Sub 1:55 at Tobacco Road Half Marathon in March 2018 - Yes!
3. If not pregnant, PR at Kiawah Island Half Marathon in December 2018 - TBD
4. Do more triathlons, I'd like to PR some courses - Well I'm doing a half ironman so not repeating any races
5. Get into a better swimming and biking habit - Yes. Joining Masters swim has helped with the swimming habit

Hugs to everyone who needs them! You are all still doing something which is better than nothing!

[katyintx]

Ooh I was scared to look back on this but I see I was smart enough to set low expectations for myself!


2018 GOALS:
- run either a 5k or 10k each month (this is a different goal in disguise - to get my speed back)
Well that’s a no. I made it to May and then either a) couldn’t fit it in, or b) couldn’t find one offered in the summer in TX for weekends that I could make it. But I am still running shorter distances, and I think me going to Orange Theory is helping my speed a little. 
- keep lifting
Yay, I’m still doing well on that!  I’m not lifting super heavy anymore but I am still pushing to get stronger and push myself. 
- that's basically it. I realized last week that I was really "over" distance running at the moment so we'll just see how 2018 shakes out. I don't want to set any endurance goals quite yet.
*while I’m still “over” distance running I am having fun running again and may be ready to dip my toes back into at least participating on this board! 

[mrsukyankee]

Jul 23, 2018 7:54:46 GMT -5 gt7301b said:

Jul 19, 2018 10:08:10 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

thanks, guys. I am not looking for head pats or anything; it's just wwhat @thom said--I am comparing myself to other moms and they all seem to have lost the weight, ran the races, etc. What is wrong with me that I can't? blah.

Hugs shauni27 ! There are ebbs and flows with life and running and this may be one of those times where you just take it easy. And getting in a few 30 minute runs a week is not even slacking. I don't think the expectations set by the moms on this board are normal expectations for a new mom

I know for me summers are my peak training cause Mr. GT is off and I can be more flexible with my training, but I also know once school starts I don't have the same flexibility. I'm cramming all the training in now while I have the time

Hell, I'm not a mom nor will ever be one and I'm happy to get in a few 30 minute runs. Bodies change as do life expectations - we all need to be kinder to ourselves.

[breezy8407]

Congrats thom!

Unless I missed it, I didn't post in the goal thread.

I haven't been setting tangible goals the past couple years. I've seen improvement in my running pace thanks mostly in part to cycle classes. I'm at a size/look I am mostly happy with, so I am going to keep up the routine for now.

[brooke77]

2018 Goals:
1. Workout 3 times a week, while balancing work and family time - I’m doing better with this one. I was averaging once or twice a week for the better part of the year. Now that my DS is sleeping better, I have been finding more time to workout. I’ve been pretty consistently running 4 times a week for the last couple months.
2. Learn to cook new healthy meals - Big fail. I’ll work on it.
3. Run a fall marathon - hopefully NYC - YES! I got into NYC and am training. Barring injury, I’ll meet this goal!

[Susie]

My goals for 2018 were soft, hard to measure ones:

1.  Regain overall fitness.  

2. Figure out where working out consistently fits the best in my life now that I have a LO, and make it a permanent priority to balance.  

But I think I flopped on both.  My overall fitness has not improved since last year, and I have not done a good job of prioritizing my workouts.  I have figured out that morning before work is the only time that will reliably work for me as a mom, I've just never (ever) been great at AMs.  I really LIKE working out in the evening.  But, I like reading bedtime stories to my kid too, so.

I've done some other cool H (if not F) things though, so I present my revised 2018 list:

1.  Blood donation milestone:  complete my goal of donating back the same number of pints of blood that my mom received during cancer treatment.  Pint #28 DONE on 7/6/18.

2.  Maintain healthy blood glucose levels after gestational diabetes with Hobbes.  DONE, A1C of 5.4 this month, improved from 5.5 this time last year.

3.  Have BRCA testing done.  This was scary, because both sides of my family are buried in cases of ovarian, breast, and prostate cancers starting in their 50s (including both of my parents at 52/53).  But:  DONE, and I was shocked to find out yesterday that I don't have any BRCA mutations (or mutations in any of 27 other genes tested).  

4.  Get pregnant with #2.  Currently on cycle 4, wish us luck.

5.  Run one race or do one organized ride.  This is more measurable than my previous goals, and I'm hoping to do it in the fall.  Distance to be decided based on success with #4.

[nachos]

2018 goals:

- lose 25lbs. More would be cool, but I'll aim for that.
-strength train 3x a week
-take a yoga PL through work so that I can offer yoga classes at my school
-do the half in October again, and take 10 min off my walk time (more if I can run)

Update:

I’m still lurking around, but have had an injury and illness plagued first half of the year...

- big ole nope to the weight loss... but I’ve managed to kick my decades long soda addiction in the last month, so I feel like I’m on to something here!


- see injury and illness. I spent three solid months this winter being so sick that I carried barf bags on my commute (not pregnant, just viral infection that had to run its course), followed by a neck injury and most recently, a back one. Am aching to get into strength training again, and seeing it as necessary to injury prevention.

- did the yoga training, and had zero interest at school. I offered snow-ga (outdoor yoga in the snow), yoga tag for primary, and an intro class for middle school and up - I got one participant. But I’m trained, and will try to use it at my new school this coming year.

- doing some walking, and am still considering the half in October. I like having a goal, but I know I’ll be the only walker again. If I do it, I’d like to take ten off my time - sounds like a lot, but I think it’s doable!