(c)OUCH! to 5k update

I feel like a total failure. I just finished week 3 of my couch to 5K program and my muscles aren't sore at all, but oh my aching ankles, knees and hips! I've definitely got some sort of injury going on here, although I have no idea what it is. Dr. Google tells me it might be tendonitis (achilles? posterior tibial?) or iliotibial band syndrome, or...?

Ice packs everywhere. Poor me.

Whatever it is, I hope it's just an unfortunate coincidence that this all happens right after I get brand spankin' new running shoes. I was so excited to go to a running store and get fitted for shoes to replace my seven-year-old beaters (which I'm pretty sure weren't even actual running shoes anyway). That was kind of awkward, by the way, because the dude watched me run. I kept thinking I should have worn a sports bra and was hoping I didn't run like Phoebe. Apparently I don't pronate, so he put me in a neutral shoe (a Saucony) that feels like I'm running on clouds. Ok, felt. That first run with the new shoes was great. Since then? Not so much. {Sad face}

I know I tweaked my ankle after my first run with the new shoes and I think maybe the next time I ran, I ran differently because of it, which then caused my other ankle and my knees to hurt (that happened to me before in high school and caused achilles tendonitis). Either that, or the new shoes totally screwed up the way I run and caused my injuries. {Mad face}

Anyway, I've decided that the pain has sidelined me for a little while until I stop walking around like a geriatric patient. I would hate to make anything worse to the point that I can't run anymore. So I'll be in the pool this week, which is perfectly convenient since the boys are getting swim lesson from my Aunt this week.

And I'll keep icing my ankles and knees and poppin' the ibuprofen until I'm as good as new!

my new bff

So has anyone else had pain after getting new shoes? Did it go away quickly? Any advice? Should I just give up and accept my place on the couch?

Picture purgatory

I've probably got about 100 pictures in picture purgatory—just trapped on my camera, ready to be edited and uploaded. But apparently I'm too lazy to be bothered with actually doing anything with them.

I think if I had better photography skills and had better shots straight out of the camera, it might not be such a daunting task to edit and upload them. Or maybe it would, because I'd still want to mess around with them and try out all these super cool photoshop tricks on them that I keep seeing on all the many photography blogs I read. At any rate, I just haven't been motivated to get off the couch and sit at the desk (on our annoyingly slow desktop that Adam's usually using) for hours to get it done.

I just need a better process and some dedication to get it done. In the meantime, I'll leave you with some iphone pics. {Sigh} If only getting pictures off my dslr were as easy as the touch of a button to apply a filter in instagram and upload them to flickr, where I can easily grab the code and insert it into the blog, all without leaving the comfort of my couch (laptop and phone cuddled up with me). 

Lorelai's first time in a bounce house @ a birthday party a few weeks ago. 

OMG that belly. I'm gonna eat her up!

blog, you lose

I had the best of intentions to start blogging regularly again, I swear! But I just haven't been able to set aside the time. I used to be able to blog when I got home from work while Aidan was doing his homework and also later while Lorelai nursed. But now that Aidan is out of school, I've been staying at work longer (I'm SO much more busy these days!) and Lorelai is too easily distracted these days for me to do anything else.

By the time I get her in bed, go out for a run or walk, shower then have some down time to relax, all I want to do is just sit in front of the TV and veg out.

Or play Words with Friends. Adam got me addicted.



So basically, given the choice between blogging or playing Words With Friends, my poor blog gets neglected. Yep, I suck at blogging. But at least I'm winning my game (this time...so far...uh, I might suck at scrabble almost as much as I suck at blogging).

On that note, I'll get back to it. If you wanna play me and contribute to me neglecting my blog, I'm alazycrazylife. Word.

I hate running.

I really do. I've always hated it, ever since high school field hockey and those tortuous runs we had to do during practice. I'm not good at it. I'm super slow and my endurance always just sucked.

So I did what any sane person who hates running does--I decided to run a 10k. Makes total sense, right?!

See, at work we're participating in a health challenge. Individuals earn points for completing weekly exercise/food/health-related challenges that contribute to your team's points. At the end of 12 weeks, the top team earns $500 per member, and teams 2-5 get $100 per member.

My team is currently in 2nd place. If not for the points and the potential to win some money, I would almost definitely be sitting on my butt on the couch instead out out exercising. Yeah, sure, the real prize is a healthier lifestyle, blah blah blah. But I want to win some money, darn it! This challenge has really lit a fire under my butt to get me working out again. And that 10k was worth the max 60 points, so that's why I chose it (the 5k was 'only' worth 55 points...I went all out for those extra 5 points).

Last week I started the couch to 5k program and I as much as I hate running, I really am excited to get back in shape and maybe get back some of the muscle tone I lost along with the baby weight after I had Lorelai.



I got into pretty good shape the summer before I got pregnant with Lorelai with the anticipation of wanting to be really healthy and in shape for pregnancy, and I walked, swam, did Zumba and lots of yoga while I was pregnant with her. Unfortunately, I haven't done much exercising aside from Zumba since I had her. I thought I had lost all of the endurance I had built up since I haven't run in a couple of years (I'm not really counting the week I went out running with Lorelai in the jogging stroller when she was a month old), but maybe not!

I think starting off slowly and easing into it is a really good way to go. It seems crazy that I'll go from running 60 seconds at a time to running a 5k without stopping in just a couple of months. The 10k is in October, so I'm thinking if I can run a 5k in 2 months, I will hopefully be able to run a 10k in 4 months. Even if I can't run the whole way, my only real goal is to finish and not come in last place (and maybe not hate running so much by then).

Wish me luck!

The Ice Cream Man

On our walk home from the pool this evening, we were so excited to hear the sound of the ice cream truck! Adam didn't have his wallet, but he flagged him down and got the truck follow us to our house.



Logan quickly picked the Spongebob ice cream bar ("because I got the Spiderman one last time").



Aidan was so serious about making his choice (there were so many yummy options!) but finally decided on the Nestle crunch bar.




They scarfed those bad boys down so fast I barely had time to take a picture!

Adam and I both got chocolate chip ice cream bars, which I can't wait to eat once I'm done feeding Lorelai and put her to bed. OMG my mouth is watering just thinking about it! I have such a big sweet tooth.

It was an awesome surprise treat to end this HOT 99-degree day.
 
(Speaking of 99-degree days, I beg mother nature, can we PLEASE not have any more? Pretty pretty please? I'm going to place my order for 80 degrees with a slight breeze. Spring, I miss you already since you were only here for like a week!)

Farewell to soccer...for now.

Spring soccer has (finally!) come to an end (um, a few weeks ago—my laziness got in the way of me posting about it sooner). It was great for the boys, but it was really hectic for us, so I'm glad to have our weeknights and weekends back. (To do what, though? You would think that more free time would lend itself to more frequent blogging...but you'd be wrong. Sorry for being MIA!)

Aidan's team had a rough couple of games at first, but they picked up steam towards the end of the season and won some really tough games. Aidan showed lots of progress and developed some skills as a defender.




Poor Aidan was heartbroken that he didn't get a trophy at the end of the season. All he got was a snack and a great big hug and high five from Mommy and Daddy, but that's apparently not as good as a trophy. Obvs. (Apparently none of the parents or coaches realized that if you wanted trophies for your players, you had to actually order them yourself. Lesson learned...)

Coach Adam helped lead the Maroon Dragons to victory.

As for Logan, we thought he peaked after his first game because he had a bit of a lull in enthusiasm for games during the next few weeks, but fortunately he came around and really got into it, and continued to ROCK on his team. Offense, defense, runner extraordinaire, he was all over that field. In his last three games, he was literally the only one on his team who touched the ball at all. He scored and blocked more goals than I can count, and single-handedly led his team to landslide wins.



Practice is a different story though. Logan loved the games, but loathed practice. He hated practice so much that he's refusing to play soccer next season. We'll see. It'll break Adam's heart if Logan gives up on it, when he's clearly so naturally talented at it.

Lorelai was the cutest little cheerleader on the sidelines. I told Logan she'll be sad if he doesn't play soccer anymore. And how could you disappoint this face?!





So farewell to soccer for now, and maybe (hopefully!) we'll be back on those fields in the fall.

And maybe (hopefully!) I'll be back to more regular blogging now.