A Case of the Runs

After finishing a program that got me to work out 13 and then 17 days in a row, my motivation muscle got a little more toned, so I didn't work out for three days and come Monday... ... I ran, everyday, for a week. Technically, I ran five days in a row, but at least that's every"week"day.  I skipped Saturday and gave up Sunday after less than half a mile because it was already mid-day, and I haven't re-mastered the mid-day thing yet.  Still, considering I barely ran at all after September when I got burned out, I feel pretty good about my week of running, though my legs were admittedly not the happiest. I ran about 18 miles in total over those five days (18.5 if you count the weekend), which is not much, but it's a post-partum mileage peak.  Of course, most of those miles were run in the cold of the morning, which is kind of cheating to me, since that's a heck of a lot easier than logging on the treadmill, which is my only viable option on some days....

Back in June, I did a 30 -Day Squat Challenge that was, frankly, quite empowering.  It was the first fitness-related thing I've been able to commit to since -- probably even before I had or carried a baby.  I had not been able to commit to training schedule.  But why? I'm going to guess here: along with life changes -- longer commute, changing work hours, availability of gyms, moving, etc., I think I just could not stay motivated.  I've completed many marathon training cycles, the Insanity (60 days!) program twice, some other stuff like the 100 Push-Ups Program ... and I think I just got burnt out.  Since I bought it, I tried to complete Shaun T's other fitness program, Focus T-25 , on two separate occasions, never making it past the first two weeks.  One of these attempts was pre-baby.  This gives me a pang of shame, because the workouts are only 25-minutes long.  I mean... really?!  But then I factor in getting dressed, getting clea...

A couple of months ago, I wrote a post about Baby Tuesday's first birthday .  Along with that milestone, I suddenly found myself seeing him as a toddler and not a baby any longer.  I'm not sure when this shift happened.  (He is not walking yet, so it wasn't that.) I used to think that I'd be "in the clear once" he turned one -- no more pumping (YAAASSS), better sleep (not particularly), laid-back and varied feeding (in much higher volume and forget about trying to eat in front of him what you won't share), more self-reliance and -entertainment (can anyone say 20-lb+ koala who requires a book be re-read 10+ times???).  I'm learning that there continue to be challenges that gave me as much insecurity, worry, and frustration as the baby days.  Sometimes I miss being able to have him just lay there for a diaper change rather than fight, or being able to strap him in a bouncy chair to turn around to grab a pot for a second and not find him staring a...