Running Confessions & Suggestions

I have a confession to make...

I've totally slacked on my running this summer. 

FL summers are too hot, and since I'm a teacher, I'm totally out of routine.  I'm staying up too late so I don't want to run in the morning when it's cooler and by the end of the day, I'm too exhausted and hate running at night.

A lot of excuses, I know.

So that's it.  I know it's a slump & pre-school week starts up in exactly 1 week.  I'll get back into the swing of things this next week for sure.

How do you handle your slumps?

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In other news, I've had several friends ask how to get started.

First thought that comes to mind, "YAY!! You will love it and do so great!"

Second thought, "INTERVALS!"

After coming back to running after a many year hiatus & two pregnancies, my standby routine is to do intervals of walking and running.  I bought the book Complete Book of Women's Running and used their starter plan either verbatim or my own slightly modified version each time.

The intervals look like this, (taken from Running 101 on Runner's World's Website):

"If you're starting from a low fitness level, we recommend you begin with several weeks of walking for 20 to 30 minutes at a time before attempting Week 1. Also, if you have not exercised for a long time, are overweight, or have existing or family health problems, see your physician before you begin this program.

Week	Run	Walk	Repeat	Total Time
1	1 min	2 min	7x	21 min
2	1 min	1 min	10x	20 min
3	2 min	1 min	7x	21 min
4	3 min	1 min	5x	20 min
5	4 min	1 min	4x	20 min
6	6 min	1 min	3x	21 min
7	9 min	1 min	2x	20 min
8	12 min	1 min	Then run 7 min	20 min
9	15 min	1 min	Then run 4 min	20 min
10	20 min	Leap for joy		20 min

Note: Always warm up for your workout with a couple minutes of walking and/or slow jogging, and cool down afterward with the same. If you cannot reach 20 minutes of continuous running, try to run 8 or 9 minutes, walk 1 or 2 minutes, and repeat. When you succeed at reaching the 20-minute goal-and you will-gradually increase your distance to whatever level you choose."

And that's it! 

It produces great results.  I loved it because I didn't feel like a failure when walking because I was SUPPOSED to walk.

As a former runner coming back to the sport, that was a big deal. I had this idea in my head of how I used to run and of my old fitness ability, so when I would go out and run and have to walk because I was dying, I felt defeated and wouldn't run again for months.

The interval training changed that! I'm going on 4 years of consistent running now (albeit with a couple of slumps, mostly due to post-half marathon blues ~ stopping because pregnancy doesn't count in my opinion) and it's because I've been able to give myself a little grace.

What did you do when you started running or came back to running?

On being a runner and breastfeeding mom...

A couple weeks back I wrote a post dedicated to the breakup with my breast pump.  It was partially tongue-in-cheek, but it has really been liberating to not be tied to the pump Every.Waking.Moment of my life.  However, to be very clear, I do not regret a single second I spent or a single ounce of milk that I got.  The whole year was time (& breast milk) well spent. I would do it all over again in a second. But, if you read that post, you know this.

That is not what I want to address today.

What I want to address I so, so, SO often hear:

You can't exercise and breastfeed.
You can't run and breastfeed.
Running/exercise with cause your supply to dry up.
Running/exercise will put lactic acid in your milk and the baby won't take it/it will turn sour.

Can I just say,
MYTH
LIE
MYTH
LIE

I'm not a lactation consultant.

Buuuuut I've been through this breastfeeding rodeo twice now.
Each time I ran. 
Each time I ran long distances.
Each time I had MORE than enough of a supply, never had the milk be "sour", or have the baby refuse.


I want to give a few of my stand-by tips that got me through 18 combined months of exclusively pumping and 2 months of breastfeeding while running.

Tips for Running and Breastfeeding or Pumping

1. HYDRATE.  Yes, this does mean drinking plenty of fluids like water, but it also means electrolyte replacement.  Too much water can actually decrease supply, so the recommendation is to drink to thirst. I added in NUUN electrolyte replacement tablets into my water.  Gatorade & Powerade work too, but they have some nasty ingredients like flame retardant.  Coconut water is another good option, but I just couldn't get over the taste.

2. Pump or nurse immediately before you run.  I used to run at 4 am. That means I would get up for a 3.30 AM date with my Medela PISA.  Most pumping sessions should be between 15-25 minutes long, but because I had a TON of milk, it would take 30 minutes, with massage, to get all of the milk out.  If I didn't, I was in for some serious clogged ducts.  I don't have time during the day to deal with clogged ducts since I'm a teacher, so that could be a problem if I didn't pay attention first thing in the morning.

3. Schedule your run when built-in babysitting is available. I ran at 4 am because that's when hubby was at home, albeit asleep. It was the only time I could get a run in during the fall/winter because of his coaching schedule. Does 4 am stink?  ABSOLUTELY.  3:30 stinks even more. But it was either run then or not run at all. It all depends on your schedule. This probably also means being ready for a run at any moment.

4. A good supportive bra.  The typical compression style bras don't work so well when you are sporting porn star sized boobs. Not only don't they support you very well, but they can also lead to clogged ducts.  I really like Under Armor's sports bras, but I have heard good things about Title IX. Word of warning: Only wear your sports bra for as long as you need it. Tight compression for too long does contribute to a decreased supply.

5. I never had a problem with leakage, but honestly, I was so sweaty most of the time after a run that if I did leak it wasn't noticed. If I did, I might have done what this blogger suggests, but probably wouldn't have been overly concerned.

6. Don't be afraid to nurse or pump ANYWHERE. You want to have a little milk as possible in your breasts before you run because otherwise things will only continue to get more uncomfortable. This might mean pumping in the car on your way to a race. With other people in the car.  This might mean pumping in the parking lot as other other runners are milling around. (And if you do pump, don't forget to bring storage bottles and a lunchbox/cooler with some ice packs so you can keep the milk.) If I nursed, I'd definitely do what this momma did.

7. Eat.  Yes, we've all heard that breastfeeding helps you lose weight and that you burn an extra 500 calories, but I'm convinced that because my metabolism was already high since I'm a fit person, I burned more than that.  I was RAVENOUS. I lost a TON of weight & ended up having to incorporate a ton of good fats in my diet like avocados, coconut oil, Orgain nutritional shakes, eggs, and peanut butter. Losing too much weight can absolutely have an effect on your supply.

When I first started running while pumping, there wasn't much information out there. Now, there is a lot more. I referred to these sources:

The Runner's Trials   (This post is also by her on Walk, Jog, Run)
Kellymom (With LOTS of scientific studies linked under the article for more professional reading.  It's pretty informative and will squash anyone who says it's not possible.)
La Leche League


 I hope these tips encourage and help any to-be or current mama who is both nursing/pumping and running.

You totally got this girl.

I know there are other nursing runners out there!  What other tips do you mamas have?

Planning Ahead: Looking at the School Year

So, if you haven't noticed, my life is busy. 

What mother's life isn't? What full time working mom's life isn't? 

Last year, in order to be able to run consistently, I had a crazy schedule I had to adhere to. 

Obviously, there was very little room for error in that schedule. If I hit snooze, I wouldn't make it to my run. Sometimes I had to cut my pump session short to make it out the door which would result in clogged ducts later that day. 

I'm also not a good "at the end of the day runner". After school nights are a rush to get dinner on the table and oftentimes I'm a "single mom" since HS basketball season makes me a widow. Hungry littles don't make good running partners and, quite frankly, I'm beat after a full day of teaching firsties. All that means I probably won't get out the door at night. I know myself too well. 

This year will only be slightly different as I won't have to pump before my run. I'll still have to get up crazy early to get in 4-5 miles before coming home to start our crazy morning routine. 

Last year I tried to not do anything in the morning I didn't have to. Lunch was either purchased at school or made the night before. Bottles and the girls' school bag was packed the night before. I can't do clothes because #1 is so particular. I'll do the same this year to make life that much easier. 

Although I'm not a morning person, my early schedule was the only way to make it work without hiring a sitter 3 nights a week. 

Full-time working mamas, what do you do to alleviate the morning stress? 

How do you fit in your run during the day?

Breaking up is {not that} hard to do...

I'm dedicating this post to an intimate relationship that I developed over the last year of my life that is now ending.  I've had a relationship similar to it in the past, but this time it was much closer and much more important to my running. If I hadn't relied on it, I never would have made my 4:30 am training runs. I never would have been able to run 2 half marathons and 3 10ks this year.  I never would have been able to do speed work. The 20-30 minute "conversations" we had were lessons in patience and solitude at times.  They also were often celebratory moments of amazement.  For the most part, this relationship was a good one.  But, like some relationships, it was starting to wear on me.  It was becoming toxic.  I was resenting the time spent with it and not with my family or in bed sleeping. The moments of amazement were there, but not nearly amazing as it once was as it was now routine. The patience lessons were taxing and I was tired of being by myself when I could be with others.


So I'm ending the relationship. It's bittersweet in a way because this relationship sustained my ability to run over the last year and my youngest daughter's life, and yet, it's so liberating to not be tied down to needing it.

Medela Pump Instyle Advanced Breast Pump, it's been a good run, but I'm breaking up with you, and it never felt so good.

I was an EP (exclusively pumping) mama for the last 10.5 months. I lived, ate, and breathed pumped milk (figuratively). I'm a huge advocate for breast milk.  It is absolutely the best choice, hands down, for babes.  I EP'd for my first for 9 months and had to give up due to PPD. She went on formula for about month after my stash ran out. This time around, due to running 40-80 miles a month, I was able to keep my PPD at bay to some degree and stayed pumping until #2 reached a year.  We still have a huge stash as my supply was killer. I was able to not only typically keep 30 oz fresh in the fridge, but also add to my freezer stash anywhere from 10-20 oz daily. This gave me the ability to donate over 5000 oz to a local mama in direct milk sharing. I donated to 3 other mamas on a smaller scale as well. I never had less than 10 oz per session and I've been known to pump 24 oz in my first morning session.

All of this is amazing, but it was taxing.  I could NOT run without pumping which meant I was up at 3:30 am for a 4:20 am morning run before school. I had to pack my race bag AND my pump bag, cooler, and parts when getting ready for races. I pumped in the car on the way to races to be sure that I was "empty" (never really empty thanks to the amazing way the mammary glands work!) enough for the start time. I'm sure people in the next car over thought I looked strange all bundled up in my nursing cover.  Little did they know that I was making copious amounts of milk under there. I know that it was slightly awkward for anyone I carpooled with.


It takes a lot of work to be a distance runner - a lot of dedication, time, sweat, smart eating, hydrating.  And it takes a lot of work to be a nursing mama - whether you EP, EBF, or do a combo of both for all the same reasons.  Doing them together is a lesson in patience and a huge balancing act.  Gotta run before the school day starts, gotta pump for 30 minutes before that (Normally I'd pump for a 20-25 minute session, but the first session of the day always yielded A LOT of milk, so I had to build in time for that.). Oh the baby woke up at 3 am? No run for the day at the last minute. Spur of the moment runs DO NOT happen. No one wants to run with size DD boobs that feel like boulders on their chest. (And do not get me wrong big chested women.  Big boobs that are not full of milk are ENTIRELY DIFFERENT than big boobs that are filled with milk.)

And the only thing on my mind when I was not running or pumping or changing diapers or feeding children?

"I AM SO HUNGRY!"

Running burns calories.  Nursing burns calories.  Put the two together and you burn mega calories.  I was ravenous.  I was easily eating a 2400 calorie diet with 5-6 meals a day and still lost weight. At my lowest, I was 20 lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight.  Don't hate me. It wasn't fun being that ravenous. And, as I struggle with disordered eating, seeing that weight fall off was a huge trigger. It was a constantly battle with being thrilled and being concerned.  I know I talked about it ad nauseum, but it was consuming to me. I couldn't let it overcome my sense of peace I had reached in myself regarding my weight. I ended up having to incorporate a ton of good fats in my diet like avocados, coconut oil, Orgain nutritional shakes, eggs, and peanut butter.

But I made it. 1 month of EBF, 1 month of half/half, and 10.5 months of EPing. The deep freeze we bought especially to store the frozen breastmilk is still half full. I calculated that I produced just under 17,000 oz of milk. Around 130 gallons. My days of being a cow are over. I'm so glad I can just roll out of bed in the morning and go run.  All I have to do is tie my laces instead of plug in my pump tubes. Don't get me wrong. I consider my ability to make so much milk a blessing and a humbling experience, but it was becoming a chore by the end.

Clearly distance running and nursing go hand in hand (and don't have to compete). I was set up to be successful at pumping, because even though it is a labor of love, so is distance running. After all, it's about the {half} marathon and not the sprint.