Happy Almost Thanksgiving!!!

So, tonight we leave to make the 817-mile-drive to Idaho Falls, ID.  We'll be celebrating Turkey Day with my in-laws and we're all anxious to get there and start partying!  

I may be blogging later on this week (I'll be doing a rather unconventional Turkey Trot), but if I don't check in with you all before then, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  

My First Olympian Catcalls

I continuously ran farther this morning than I have in, well, years.  8.3 miles!  The last time I came even close was April 2013 when I ran 8 miles in 8 degree weather (oh, Alaska...).  A couple of weeks later I found out that I was pregnant with Miss Tess and quickly became waaaayyy to sick to walk, let alone run.

This run was tough in spots...miles 3 and 4 took forever.  Otherwise, though, I felt pretty good.  I am now considering myself "baptized" into running in the Pacific Northwest.  It poured rain during the entirety of my run and I came back soaked.  Also, I received my first two catcalls as an Olympian. Truly, a landmark day.  :)  The first one was some guy yelling something I couldn't at all understand as he drove past.  I'm going to assume he said, "Wow!  You're amazing!  Keep it up, you hot thing, you!"  The second was some enthusiastic honking and waving from two car-bound dudes speeding past.  I didn't recognize them, so I'm going to assume that they were also overcome with amazement at my beauty and tough-ness.  Perhaps I should do a post on humility.  Or positive affirmations?  Ha.

This was also the first time I ate anything during a long run.  I need to figure out what works for my body before I attempt my first half-marathon in January (more on that later).  I plan on trying some Gu and similar "foods", but today I ate a pack of fruit snacks.  I started eating them after running for about 50 minutes.  I think they helped me feel less tired during my run.  Also, when I do long runs, I almost always end up with a headache later in the day, no matter how much I hydrate.  Today, though, my head feels great and I wonder if it's because I took in some food during my run so that my body wasn't quite so depleted by my efforts.  By the way, Mott's fruit snacks are delicious.  I may now be stealing them regularly from my children's school-lunch stash...

 My Maia loves me...she was still willing to pose for a pic with me, even though I was very wet and most likely stinky.  She has said, though, that I need to talk about her a lot more in my blog posts.  :)  

My previously-mentioned favorite capris.  

A friend asked me what other workout DVDs I recommend.  So, I'll show you my vast collection (alongside my favorite Thanksgiving decoration, Tom): 

The Denise Austin one is wonderful!  It consists of a 30-minute cardio yoga segment, a 15-minute strength segment, and a 15-minute abdominal work section.  For a few years now, I've just done the 30-minute segment and called it good, because it actually is a great workout!  Now that I'm really wanting to get stronger, though, I've started adding the 15-minute strength segment.  I think it is a fairly easy workout to follow.  Denise's instructions are clear and I like how positive she is.  

The Jillian Michaels DVD is awesome!  I've only done Level 1 but it completely kicks my bum.  But in a good way, if that makes any sense.  It's a kettle bell workout, but she shows you how to do the moves with a hand weight, if that's all you have.  I just this week was able to do the jumping squats while holding my kettle bell.  Before, I had to put it on the floor and the move still made my legs scream.  It's so satisfying seeing tangible progress (I started doing this workout once a week about three months ago)!  Slowly, but surely, I am getting stronger.  Yippee!  

I hope you are all having a fantastic Saturday!  Tonight is date night "in" with my man: Papa Murphy's pizza and a movie.  Ahhhh, yeah.  

My current schedule

Right now, this is what my exercise schedule looks like:

Monday: strength training DVD, followed by 15 to 20 minutes on my stationary bicycle.

Tuesday: running outside, usually around 3 miles.

Wednesday: 45 minutes to an hour on my stationary bicycle.

Thursday: running outside, usually 3 to 4 miles.

Friday: strength training DVD, followed by 15 to 20 minutes on my stationary bicycle.

Saturday: long run outside.

Sunday: REST...ahhhhhh.  :)

On the days that I run, I follow that with planks and push-ups.  I usually do push-ups after riding my stationary bike, too, on the days that I don't do a strength training DVD.  Currently, I'm up to two 75-sec. planks, one of which I do with toe taps (simply picking up one foot about a foot off the ground and then switching feet - if that's confusing, let me know and I'll explain it better).  Planks are amazing!  I loathe, hate and despise crunches, so when I realized that planks work all of my abdominal muscles in one move, I was thrilled!  Adding planks to my routine has made a big difference in how I feel during and after my runs.  It is easier to maintain good running form when I'm tired at the end of my long runs.  I've also noticed that my hip and lower back almost never bother me since I began doing planks regularly.  And, thrill of thrills, the other day I put my hands on my waist and realized that I could feel MUSCLES under my chubbies!  I was so thrilled!  And I owe it all to planks.  :)

I also have always hated push-ups, but I believe they're a great way to gain strength that translates to faster and more efficient running.  Plus, they help make your arms look damn good.  :)  I decided that I would begin by doing ONE push-up after each of my runs.  Pitiful, I know.  But these would be "dude push-ups", as Tyler calls them, up on my toes, and one of those sounded totally manageable.  Each week, I added one push-up to how many I would do.  I'm now up to 12 push-ups.  After I do 12, I go halfway down and hold that position for a slow count of 10.  That kills me!  But, I'm thrilled that I'm definitely stronger than I was.

***I should take a moment to make it clear that I am not a personal trainer.  I have no certifications or qualifications in that area of expertise (although, I think I may pursue that someday when Miss Tess is bigger...we'll see).  I am only sharing what works for me and in no way think that what I do to work out is what everyone should do.  I read Women's Running and Runners' World and have spent many hours researching all these topics, but that certainly doesn't make me an expert and I want to make sure I'm not misleading anybody.  So, take any and all "advice" I may dish out with a grain of salt, eh?

Today's workout was 30 minutes of strength training, courtesy of the lovely trainers at The Biggest Loser:

I've only used this DVD eight or nine times, but I like it.  So far, I've only done the Level 1 workout, so as I get stronger, I'll let you know what I think of Levels 2 and 3.  My one complaint is that Jillian goes through some of the exercises too fast.  I use another of her DVDs regularly, Shred-It With Weights, and I love the speed of that one.  It's a kettle bell workout and it kicks my bum EVERY time I do it!  It's slowly getting easier, though, so I think I may ramp it up to Level 2 in the next week or two.  

Normally, like I mentioned above, I hop on my stationary bicycle for fifteen or twenty minutes after I do a strength training DVD.  But after a rough night with Tess, I slept in as late as I could without having to skip my workout completely.  

I would like to run more than 3 days a week, but for right now, I think this is the optimal set-up to help prevent injuries.  I have a tendency to give in to my pride and run harder than I should (hence, my past injuries), so sticking to a routine with this much cross-training is currently working well for me.  

And now I'm going to go and make this for dinner: 

http://www.therunnersplate.com/2010/07/26/salmon-chowder/

It is SO delicious!  Also, the blog it is found on (www.therunnersplate.com) is a wonderful running blog.  I've met the author, Michelle, once and she's lovely.  I highly recommend reading it!  She recently had her first baby and he's completely darling.  

Later, all!

Pleased to Meet You!

Last night I sat at my kitchen table, my laptop open in front of me, and wrestled with one of my many demanding demons: my tendency to over-think EVERYTHING.  I had finally decided that I would give birth to a running-ish blog and I figured I needed an introductory post.  You know, something that tells the world who I am and why I began this blog.  But it had to be perfect (enter another one of my dominant demons) and witty and brilliant and hilarious and blah, blah, blah.  So silly.  I decided to instead just start writing and my rather stream-of-consciousness first post emerged.  However, I still think introductions and an explanation are in order:

My name is Jessica Anne Nelsen, but I prefer to be called Jess.  My maiden name is Nelson.  I married a Tyler and my brother is Taylor.  Yes, I occasionally mix up their names.  I'm sure they love that.  :)  I am 35 years old and will have been married to my man for fifteen years on December 22, 2014.  We are the proud parents of three darling daughters, Maia (11), Madison (8) and Tess (she will be one on December 20, 2014).  We moved from Anchorage, AK to Olympia, WA in June of this year in order for me to escape the Alaskan winters.  I was beyond tired of seven to eight months of winter and the isolation that Alaska imposes.  Perhaps I will blog about that another time.  I don't feel like I can sum up my feelings about Alaska and this move in a few mere sentences.  I will say, though, that I miss my friends and family in Anchorage to the point of pain.  Moving away from the only place that has ever felt like home sucks, even when it's a move you're mostly excited about.  But I digress...

I have been running since the 7th grade.  I began running during the 20-minute run/walk every Friday in P.E. in order to impress a boy that I had a crush on, Joel Brandt.  :)  Up until that time, I was a shy, chubby kid that excelled in school but had had no previous athletic success.  After a little while, I realized that I wasn't too bad at this running thing.  And I liked it.  So, I joined the track team and I haven't stopped running since.  Running gave me a new-found confidence, burned off the last of my "baby fat" and was the reason I met some of the best friends I've ever had.  The highlight of my running "career" was my Freshman year of high school.  I made the Varsity XC team and felt pretty darn cool.  Unfortunately, I never made Varsity again, but I was always a solid runner that finished close to my Varsity-worthy teammates.  I ran four years of XC and track (the 800, 1600 and 3200 meter events).  Since high school, I have continued to run for fun and in order to lose or maintain my weight.  My three pregnancies and a couple of random injuries (plantar fasciitis and a hip issue) are the only times that I had to give up running for extended periods of time.  I hate not being able to run.  It makes me inordinately grumpy.  My favorite type of running is trail running.  Specifically, I love running up mountains.  Olympia has failed me in that regard, but having to only wear two layers on top this morning for a mid-November run felt pretty damn amazing, so I'll forgive my new home.  

As for why I decided to write this blog...well, I have been feeling for a long time now that the blog-world needs more "average" voices.  Most of us will never be even remotely like Kara Goucher or Shalane Flanagan.  We will never have corporate sponsors or win trophies or set age-group records.  And while I love following the careers of these and other elite runners and wish them only the best, it's easy to feel I'm not worth much as an athlete when I don't look or run like those speedy women.  Other running blogs that I've read, and mostly love (especially HungryRunnerGirl.com.  Janae is awesome!), are great sources of inspiration and information but are still about very speedy, very thin runners.  And while I truly believe that "comparison is the thief of joy", I still wished I could hear more about the average runners like me.  Moms like me that struggle to find a balance between fitness and the needs of my family.  And I hate that I find myself saying things like, "I'm a runner, but I'm super slow!" as if I have to qualify it.  As if it's arrogant of me to say only that I'm a runner.  I hate that I feel embarrassed about telling people my run times unless I follow it up by making sure they know I know that it's NOT impressive.  So, I'm going to put it all out there, warts and all.  I'll tell you how fast I run, how much I weigh, my dress size, etc.  Not because I think anyone is dying to know these things, but because it shouldn't be something any woman (or man!) is ashamed of sharing.  And I especially want to be a cheerleader for all women.  And all women runners.  I like hearing the stories of how other people set and achieve their goals, despite their struggles.  They always inspire me.  So, as self-centered as this might sound, I hope to inspire others, too.  I'm sure that the shape of this blog will change a lot over time (my thoughts are all over the place right now), but for now I want it to be at least a tiny bit entertaining and a little bit motivating: "Well, if SHE can do it..."  So, set goals and go after what you love.  And celebrate every step in the right direction, no matter how small.

Pre-Dawn Running

I wake up every weekday morning at 5:30 a.m.  I then energetically reset my alarm for 5:45 a.m. while muttering mainly unintelligible words.  Usually, "hell" and "damn" make an appearance, as they are staples of my pre-dawn vocabulary.  What feels like two seconds later, 5:45 a.m. arrives and I shuffle from my bed to the bathroom to begin my transformation from disheveled, sleepy mama to disheveled bad-ass runner.  Two necessary components: my favorite capris, and two sports bras (my post-nursing "girls" are about as sexy as it gets; think empty oven mitts).  I strap on my trusty Garmin Forerunner 305 (think 90's-era cell phone), my Brooks trail running kicks and head out the door.  

Now comes my least favorite part of my workout: a five-minute warm-up walk through what I affectionately call the Avenue of Rape/Murder.  Since we live in Thurston County, but not in any of the cities within Thurston County, street lights are few and far between.  I spend this walk in the DARK looking much like Bambi's mother when she first gets to the meadow.  I try to appear both alert and intimidating so that any enterprising perverts won't view me as a worthy target.  Invariably, I have the same discussion with myself:

Me: Would any would-be rapists/murderers really bother hanging out in the usually wet bushes and trees lining this stretch of road at 6 a.m.?  

Still Me: Probably not...but what if they've noticed the regularity of my runs and have decided that I am an easy target?  

More Me: You're being over-dramatic.  Again.  But perhaps you should take advantage of this time to try and make yourself right with God.  

So far, I have survived every walk.  It probably helps my body warm up faster, anyway, since my heart rate is certainly elevated.

Sidenote: Tyler wishes I would run with protection, like mace, or preferably, a gun.  Maybe he's right.  But I hate the idea of holding/wearing anything more.  And honestly, I'm convinced that I'd probably just accidentally mace or shoot myself.  Let's hope these are not famous last-ish words.  I do wear a bright light that attaches to the back of my shoe, however, and a Saucony jacket that has light-up strips on the back and front, as well as reflective stripes.  I figure I'm more likely to be hit by a car than attacked by an early-rising pervert.

Pre-run this morning (I'm not sure what I'm doing with my right hand).  I really do love this Saucony jacket.  It is water repellent (essential for running in the Pacific NW) and blocks the wind wonderfully.  It's a bit pricey, but well worth it, I think!  

Then my run begins!  This morning, I ran 4 miles at an average pace of 10:05/mile.  And I had to really push myself to achieve those splits.  See?  I am a tortoise.  

Almost all of my runs take me over a narrow bridge that has no shoulder or sidewalk (if I run in the other direction, there are even fewer street lights).  I have to run where the cars drive for about 50 yards.  Once I make it past the Bridge of Probable Death, though, I cross into Tumwater (about a mile from my house) and there are street lights and a sidewalk!  [Sigh of relief]

At this point, you may be wondering what the hell is wrong with me that I choose to do this at least two mornings a week (the other days I cross-train at home and my Saturday run usually starts at a less-dangerous hour).  I don't know that I have an especially eloquent answer.  All I know for sure is that I NEED to run.  I like nourishing this part of who I am.  I like who I am when I run regularly.  So does my family, I'm pretty sure.  Speaking of them, I have to brag about how supportive my husband is of my running addiction.  I run in the mornings because I have an 11-month-old baby girl (besides my 11-year-old and 8-year-old daughters) and my runs only get to happen when Tyler is home.  This means that while I am trying to survive my runs, he is cleaning a little bum and filling a little belly.  I generally get back after he has showered and I shower while he makes breakfast for our big girls and makes their sandwiches for their lunches.  I am a lucky woman.  I'm convinced that he is motivated at least in part by self-preservation, however.  He knows that I am much nicer to live with when I regularly run.

Besides the danger, real and imagined, of my pre-dawn runs, they are also beautiful.  I regularly run under a sky filled with stars.  By the end of my runs, the sky is lightening and turning the whole world a smoky gray with silver and gold streaks.  And by the time I return to the Avenue of Rape/Murder, it has transformed into the much more welcoming Avenue of Minor Assault/Maiming.  I get to return to my cozy home having already accomplished something significant.  For a few miles, I was only Jess.  I wasn't Mama or someone that anyone needed but myself.  And that's worth more than the sleep I miss.