A Case of the Runs

Today, I went on a run. I think I last attempted to do this in July, and before that, in April. But I have not run consistently since March. In other words, it has been a while! With the cooler weather, I was starting to miss running badly! Logistically, I had to plan way more ahead than I'm used to, as I had intended to do this a day earlier, but I was exhausted and the baby's schedule was rough. All the stars aligned today, so after a somewhat decent night, morning feeding, and emptying out, I quickly went out for what I promised would be 20 minutes. I did a small loop around my house, twice. I've mentioned this before, bug my area is a little hilly, so I always struggle. Today, it was more like a shuffle than a run. About a quarter mile in, breathing was tough. My poor out-of-shape lungs and upper ab area! Toward the second half, I felt my lower ab/incision area to be quite weak. I guess running really does engage the whole core. I really struggled, but I was det

My baby boy is a month old (give or take)!  While that might not sound like much, it's a major milestone for us. Chinese traditions dictate that the end of the first month ends an initial isolation period for mother and baby while they recover and get stronger, respectively.  While a bit antiquated-sounding, I think it is warranted in a cold (for So Cal) and germ-y world, regardless of how much cabin fever I've had. While he needs shots and such before we can paint the town, things will slowly make their way toward normal after this point, just in time for the year-end holidays.  Thanksgiving had been super low-key, and although I liked not having to commute everywhere that day, it was a bit too quiet. I'm missing out on holiday luncheons in exchange for not having enough time or hands to eat, but no matter how tough it is, it is worth it. I admit that due to how he was delivered, I'm sometimes not really sure whether the doctors just handed us some random bab

Here's the home stretch (emphasis on stretch!)! When I first got these discs, I figured it would be a long, long while until I broke into these last few ones, but as with many things with this pregnancy, that moment came more quickly than I had anticipated. Months 1-3 Months 4-6 Month 7 - I admit that I didn't really do the second trimester discs as often as I would have expected, even though I worked out 5-6 days a week.  I mentioned having some mechanical issues , which made all the kneeling work especially painful for me to keep doing.  Luckily, this disc was pretty light on those sections!  More is done standing up "to increase circulation," and the length (about 38 minutes after the chatter) worked out perfectly.  A chair is used for the majority of the workout. Month 8 - This one was less heavy on the hands and knees stuff, though it's still there!  Most of this 40-minute workout requires a chair, which I am not keen on because mine are heavy an