Now if only the darn stoller would recoil....

So now that we've been blessed with gorg weather, I am of course getting completely motivated to get outside and exercise! Yesterday, I picked up Henry from his escuela (school) and we quickly rushed home to grab the bob stroller, my running gear, water and sports drink, snacks for Henry and our sun glasses. We headed over to an area that is west of the Boulder Reservoir. I can never remember the trail name and I know I've talked about it before on my blog.... Thing is, I never really ventured out to run off-road with the bob and a 30 pound toddler (usually it is paved or the hubby is pushing the bob). WHOA. It wasn't until I took the bob out of the car and onto the trail with Henry in it that I realized we were low on air...the tires that is. "Hmmm," I thought to myself, this is going to be interesting. You're hear now, so get it together and just run the damn thing." I managed the 3 mile loop ok, but heck, those hills were rough. As a friend described, it is like trying to push a shopping cart through the snow. You try to push that thing away from you so that it could coast a bit, but its a no go. It literally comes to a stand still if you aren't consistently pushing it. Needless to say, I managed to burn off the chocolate I had eaten earlier so despite the angst, there were some pluses. Henry had a blast observing and checking the scene out. He loved seeing the horsies, cows, ducks, birds and the many doggies that jog the trail.
Having embarked on this trail run with the bob stroller and the 30 pound toddler in tow, got me thinking about the running workshops I used to teach, "Learning to Recoil." These classes encompassed posture, body awareness, core strengthening & stretching exercises, and stride/gate assessments. We taught efficient running posture so that one can move quicker more effectively with less energy. My friend and colleague Ralph Havens PT of Mission Hills Physical Therapy in San Diego and I put these together. They were so fun! So while in the midst of pushing the shopping cart through the snow, I thought about my posture, my stride, the angle at which my elbows bent (yes this matters) as well as where my hips where in relation to my knees and ankles. Of course I was v connected to my core too (with all that Pilates in my body). It helped as believe it or not, I am not sore today! Now if only that darn stroller would recoil.....
If interested, let me know if you'd like me to post a video cast of some running tips. Could be fun.

Henry in the bob


Huh?


Gorgeous Foothills (look how GREEN it is-even though the snow slosh we had 2 days prior really gave me a heartache)


short break to catch my breath and take in the views! Look at my cute baba!

Well enough to run

What a challenging week. I am happy that tomorrow is Friday and that we will all be well for the weekend (YAY)! The hell of not only being sick, but then having to be a mom to a sick child is a challenging task. Feeling icky on top of having a clingy child who wants nothing but mommy and his 'nay nay' (pacifier that we were all doing so well weening ourselves from and now have back tracked a bit) is starting to weigh on me. BUT we all made it out alive. Fortunately Dean has yet to be sick and we are all holding thumbs that he maintains the hardcore immune system that he has. We all felt well enough that this evening when Dean daddy came home from work we managed to take Henry in the jogger and go for a beautiful trail run. We saw ducks, horses and cows which made it all the more interesting for little hen!

Open Space

We've moved back to Boulder and settling in our new home! Two weeks have passes and boxes abound, but nearly all unpacked. We've got the artwork to hang, office to set up as well as our guest room. Yikes! Moving with a toddler is quite the challenge...not only are you having to cope with their adjustments to a new place/home, but it takes nearly twice the amount of time to unpack a box and put things away. Not happening as orderly and quickly as I'd like (gonna just have to let that one go)!
On another note...I can breath! Ah, am loving the fresh mountain air. The open space. Yesterday, the honey, hen and I went on one of my favorite trail runs. We loaded the bob stroller in the car and drove all of 5 minutes to a loop near the Boulder Reservoir (can't remember the name). We took a nice leisure run around the loop. Hen loved observing all the scenery and the animals...."birds!" Besides seeing birds, we also ran by a horse, some geese, a few dogs and some mountain bikers. What delight! I am ecstatic that Hen hen will be growing up with these scenes, this environment and this space. What a wonderful place for little ones.

As for my first run back in hight altitude, the first 15 min., I must admit, I had a slight cramp in my upper ribs, but once I warmed up I managed to keep a good speed (well I didn't have to pull off the trail to stop and rest). With a slight burn in the lungs, I managed to make it up the one gradual hill (and slightly surprised too)! Not sure I will be quite as optimistic after my first run/walk of Sanitas Trail, but will be sure to update you all on that one when the time comes!
More on our Boulder life, coming soon...... :)