Another Post on Running - With Lists

This past weekend, I finished up Week 5 of my training schedule.  I'm working on a 15 week schedule for running another half marathon in July.  It will be my fourth "official" half marathon. 

Whenever The Little One sees my Nike running shirts, she touches the Swoosh and says "Airplane!"  Not sure why she thinks it's an airplane, but it's cute.

With each training run, I keep asking myself why I signed up for this. I can't wait for the training to become less of a chore.  And I wonder if it will ever move into the "enjoyable" category this time around. 

I've realized that over the years with running and not running and running again and not running again, I truly do have a love/hate relationship with it.  Add two kids, an extra thirty pounds, being several years older, and a major life event to the mix, and I'm a sketchy runner at best.

A little history for my own records.

1. January 2006 - PF Chang's Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon, Phoenix, AZ (Chip Time 2:06:17, Bib 45542)
2. April 2006 - Rock 'n Roll Marathon, Nashville, TN (Chip Time 4:54:41, Bib 5278)
3. April 2009 - Big D Half Marathon, Dallas, TX (Chip Time 1:55:25, Bib 3313)
4. October 2011 - Free Press Half Marathon, Detroit, MI (Chip Time 3:03:57, Bib 11079 - Silly me did NO training)
5. July 2012 - Half Marathon, Chicago, IL (Time TBD)
6. October 2012 - Free Press Half Marathon, Detroit, MI (Time TBD)

Some of my "dislike" things this time around with running....

1. I am thirty pounds heaver than I was during any of my other training stints.
2. My hip has been hurting me with each run (see #1 above).
3. My pace sucks (see #1 above)*. 
4. Running with two kids in a double jogger (a little over 80lbs to push)**. 

Some of the "love" things about running.....

1. My pace may be off and I may weigh quite a bit more, but I'm getting out and exercising.
2. I'm taking much needed "me" time.
3. I'm hopefully setting a good example for my girls that taking care of yourself and exercising are important.  The Older One always asks me at the end of a run "Are you happy yet?" because I told her that running makes me happy and I need it :)

Sweaty after an 8 mile early morning run.

Now, I need some good running play list suggestions!  I had play lists that helped me through my runs in the past. This time around I've been too lazy to create new ones.  I've simply been listening to my S!rius radio through my phone, but I'm super bored with it.  I'm open for song/play list suggestions!



* In the past, I had a decent pace going for me, but I never really monitored my pace and just noted it after a run was complete. When I've trained in the past, it was me, a heart rate monitor, and an iPod. Now that I have a plethora of running apps available to me on my phone, there are a million and one things that are tracked with each run. I had to shut off the coaching that tells me my pace every half mile. My pace has always been all over the place, and continues to be random. But listening to some lady tell me my pace is awful really plays mind games with me.

** In the past, I could run whenever I needed to, knowing there was a significant other there to watch the kid. This time around, I either have to push kids in or inconvenience my sisters or the neighbor to watch them. I had hoped it might be some extra "bonding" time between the kids and I, but they whine most the time or pick on one another and I end up putting my headphones in my ears so as not to listen to them say "Mama, she's touching me" or ask "Are we almost home yet?" over and over again.