easing back into the saddle

Yesterday I went to the gym.

Like I said previously, I worked a little with a personal trainer and now feel better equipped to go into the weight room and not get freaked out. Now I know that it doesn't matter what you do or how long you do it, just as long as you GET IN THERE AND DO IT. (That was motivation for myself.)

I have a "training plan" tucked away in the drawer at the gym, but yesterday I didn't bother with it. I knew I just needed to get in there and do something. Since I did something to my back a few days ago, still not sure what, and it was feeling better I didn't want to injure it so I stayed away from back and arms and concentrated on legs and cardio.

I spent 20 minutes on the elliptical and then did the machine that works the outside and inside of your thighs. After that I ran around the indoor track 5 times. The goal here was to run without stopping and see how my knee did. It seemed to do pretty good but wasn't feeling quite right near the end. I walked a lap after that to cool down. I'm sure that 5 laps is not even a quarter of a mile but the point was that I did it. I got in there and felt accomplished when I left.

Next week I'm going to go at least twice and maybe do the same thing. Maybe I'll run 6 laps ;-)

OBX Family Vacay

For the first time in nine years of teaching and seventeen years of being a student, I did not start the school year this fall! Some people might feel odd not going back to work with everyone else-not me. It felt great to stay home and not rush back and away from my baby. I have two more weeks of maternity leave and then it's time to find a new routine for the family which involves me getting up way earlier than I am used to. The only time I've ever gotten up that early is when I needed to catch a flight and that involved taking a nap on a plane, not working with children all day and then coming home to a baby. I'll let you know how that goes...

In the mean time we decided to take advantage of the off season rates and go to the Outer Banks for a week. I loved it. It wasn't crowded at all and the weather was beautiful. It could have been a tad bit warmer for my taste, but the fall feeling in the air was refreshing and relaxing.

C would get up early in the mornings and go fishing on the pier that was next to our cottage. I stayed with B and watched the Today show and hung out in my pj's.

Jeanette's Pier

A few mornings we did go over to the pier to say hi to C. The little guy never lasted long in the Ergo though. One morning I let him fuss and went for a walk on the beach anyways with him strapped in and he ended up falling asleep in it.

After a storm came through on Monday it was too windy to sit on the beach so we over to Manteo and visited the aquarium. That was fun. B slept through the first part and then woke up half way through. It was fun seeing him watch the fish swimming around.

 

He seemed to like it :-)

 

We had a few good beach days, although my idea of what going to the beach means is going to be very different now. I am quite happy to set a chair down in the sand, read a book, work on my tan and take a dip in the water. This doesn't exactly happen with a baby. You have to keep them out of the sun but you can't put lotion on them. When he wants to be held you have to hide under the shade with him where it is cold. It was a fair amount of work. One day he crashed hard and took a nap in his little tent. I actually got to read an entire Runner's World magazine without interruption! It was amazing!

 

I'm cool and chilling on the beach!

 

One windy afternoon, the boys took a nap, so I snuck out and practiced my photography skills. I think I've come a long way from where I was. I love knowing how to use my camera properly.

 

The trip was a lot of fun though and a relaxing time. I wish I could always go in early September, but sadly it isn't so. Being a teacher you are locked in to taking vacation when school is out, rates are high, and places are crowded, but that's alright because I will get a large amount of time every year to spend with my son that I wouldn't get if I had a 9 to 5 desk job. It all evens out in the end.

 

On the beach with Mom and Dad!

 

How can you not want to squeeze that cuteness??

On another note, although I did not run at the beach like I had planned (I made sure to take my shoes but they never got used) I did get to the gym three times this week and went for a run today! This week was cycling and body pump and today I ran one mile in 10:50! It didn't even feel like a lot of effort either! The Wicked 10K is only a few short weeks away so I really need to get the training back in gear.

I have some other things I have gotten into lately, but more on them later!