I don’t feel very strong when I swim these days. I rarely get to the pool and when I do I’m usually in a hurry. This week I’m taking advantage of being near a warm ocean and enjoying swims at Ala Moana Beach Park.
Today, while Baby A & Grandpa splashed near the beach and snacked on sand, I swam slowly to the first buoy then flipped onto my back and stretched. It seemed too short to call a workout but I wasn’t motivated to reach the next buoy so I tried a little water running. Pumping my arms while moving my legs to simulate running while remaining vertical was difficult without a water belt and my heart rate shot up immediately. I kept it up for five minutes then flipped onto my back again. As I prepared to swim back to shore I noticed something bobbing a few feet from me. The head of a sea turtle! She disappeared as soon as I saw her then came up for one last glance before sinking back into the water.
I eventually arrived back at the beach and found my baby sitting in the sand, intently watching the big kids play nearby, stubbornly refusing to wear his hat. Grandpa stood over him, acting as shade.
Month: July 2013
running wherever we go
Yesterday’s sixteen hour travel day took us from one fabulous vacation spot to another. Beside the travel taking twice as long as it should have between Wyoming and Hawaii and Baby A’s readiness to wake up at 4:20 this morning, I can’t complain.
What did I do pre-dawn with an energetic baby? The same thing I always do when my husband isn't around to take morning duty: I went running. We didn't even have a running stroller but the lightweight pop-up my mom keeps at her house worked in a pinch.
At 5am, the air was already heavy and warm, and Ala Moana park was full of hardcore locals and sleepy tourists. Three miles felt fairly easy after training at 6,000 feet the past two weeks and I had the energy for a short swim later in the morning.
Our week of pure vacation has just begun but even though I was working in the Tetons for two weeks before this, I found plenty of time for running and hiking. I even did a tandem paraglide Saturday morning! We ran off the side of the mountain and flew down to where my husband and Baby A were eagerly waiting my arrival, snapping pictures and munching on grass. What fun!
August 4th marks the official start to my half marathon training. In the mean time, I'm keeping my weekly mileage up and taking my physical therapy seriously to prevent imbalances which could lead to injury!
the workouts: 3-5 mile runs, totaling 15+ miles/ week
15 mile week
Fifteen miles of running doesn’t sound like much when spread over the course of a week but surprisingly enough, even with my frequent runs, I only hit my mark once last month. June was supposed to be the month that I ran consistent 15 mile weeks in preparation for half-marathon training but life got in the way.
I’ll get my excuses out of the way: pink eye (me), waking up & screaming 2-4 am on a regular basis (Baby A), exhaustion (me), 104 degree fever (Baby A), molars surfacing & ear infection (Baby A), plantar fasciitis (me)
The other big news is that Baby A decided he was finished nursing. One morning he bit me, rolled over and slid off the bed. Done. We had a good run of it, he hasn’t once asked for it since and I have my body back!
Back to those excuses: I find that my best chance at renewal and healing always presents itself if I listen to what my body says. In June this meant plenty of naps while Baby A napped, spin bike workouts with Baby A in gym childcare, long walks to get us both out 
in the fresh air and runs to energize and sweat out toxins. I also saw a couple doctors, a physical therapist, had a short session with an Alexander Technique practitioner and started working with a manual therapist. After only one week of a single exercise given to me by the manual therapist, my foot stopped hurting. I’m also enjoying the brain gym aspects of our sessions. So many appointments seemed like overkill but I wanted to get rid of the pink eye as quickly as possible and I’m constantly working on strengthening my physical body to permanently eliminate imbalances which lead to injury.
Often my recent runs revolve around playground visits or appointments. Last Friday we saw the pediatrician then stopped at the playground on our way to baby yoga. We picked wild blackberries to break up the climb home. We gained 1,500 feet climbing and covered almost 6 miles. By the time we arrived home I was exhausted and Baby A fast asleep. Ahh… to be pushed in a stroller while you sleep. Those were the days- and I don’t even remember them!
Our newest adventure is biking together! I am the proud owner of a new bright red Public bike, with completely upright positioning so I can easily balance Baby A in a rear bike seat. 
Monday, our our way home from the beach, Baby A discovered that he could reach my shorts and spent the entire ride back up the park sticking his hands in my pants, pulling them down and shrieking with delight. I couldn’t contain my laughter either so he thinks this is his new best game. Ugh.
The two of us begin our summer travels in a couple of days. Finding babysitters in new places has been remarkably un-stressful, compared to how it was when he was an infant, and I’m quite looking forward to hiking in the Tetons together!
the workouts: spin at the gym, running with Baby A, biking to the beach
Laura's Training On the GO 