Running Postpartum: How to get back without hurting yourself

Every time I have a baby I feel like I start back at level 0 with running and exercise. Let me start by saying that I may not be the model of the typical "I just had a baby and can't lose the baby weight". For the most part my body bounces back pretty quickly with all 3 kids so far. So this is NOT about weight loss, this is more about getting my stride back and getting my routine back and regaining my running muscles back and restrengthening my core.

Lets be real here for a moment, women's bodies are amazing, they take 10 months (40 weeks) to grow and support another human life, your organs shift and take new places, your rib cage expands, your core muscles separate and you then give birth to this new life. So if you don't feel like you can go running 5 days postpartum, THAT IS OK!

Then once we have had the baby we are healing a wound inside us the size of a dinner plate. Yes I see you measuring that with your hands right now. Oh and we are then feeding this new little life with the milk we are producing. So our bodies are doing a lot!! Here are my tips on running postpartum.

Be easy on yourself!

Don't feel like you HAVE to get back to running, go back when you know you are ready. If you want to wait till your 6 week visit with your midwife or doctor to make sure you don't have diastasis recti, that might be wise. Any damage you do is harder to repair as opposed to just waiting for your body to recover. 

Enjoy the 'baby moon'

Your little squishy baby is only a newborn for a few weeks, you can't get that time back. The pavement will always be there, your running shoes aren't going to wither away. But your newborn baby will be little and need you for such a short time, enjoy it!! Cuddle, nurse, sleep and be a mom. Running can wait. 

Find your core...its in there somewhere

Strengthen your core muscles before you lace up your shoes. Your pelvic floor and core muscles have been through  A LOT! They need some help going back into place, some good tips on that can be found here. 

Do a plank everyday for just 1 minute a day to help regain your core. There are a TON of other exercises to do, but start out small. If the baby is napping you can plank for a minute, then do whatever you wanted to do. Sleep, eat, take a shower... ahh the simple things in life...

You know.. squat!
For those pelvic floor muscles, I love the quote from Ina May Gaskin “Squat 300 times a day, you’re going to give birth quickly.” 
So true!!! Granted you already gave birth by this point, what she is saying it build up those pelvic muscles and they will do their job. Post birth we can't see them like we can our flabby stomach or stretch marks on our thighs. But the are so very important!! You don't want to worry about running and realizing you can't control your bladder, or worse.

A great article I found on squats and how to do them propperly is here

Stop Doing Kegels: Real Pelvic Floor Advice For Women (and Men)

So, don't be intimidated by those moms who go running at 5 days postpartum, they are not you! You only have this baby once enjoy it. When you do go back to running take the baby in the stroller or leave them with dad, up to you! Just make sure your core and pelvic floor are tightened then hit that pavement with the confidence that you just gave birth to a baby so you can do anything!!!

19 Weeks Run/walk

This baby has been different so far, they say the third one is a 'wild card' I never believed it... till now! Why is the 3rd one like that??

My energy levels are not as good and every day I feel different. One day I want to go for a run! do gardening! mow the lawn! Then the next day I can't imagine leaving the house... ugh! Maybe its because I have 2 other little boys who take my energy? Or I am older? Not sure... jury is still out on that one.

So on a good day just recently I felt like going for a run! Lets do this! Getting the kids ready is a chore in it self... that was another blog post.... so an hour after my bright idea we headed out. Me with the youngest in our Phil and Ted's stroller, the oldest on his bike and my hubby with the oldest making sure he doesn't wipe out.

It was a beautiful central Florida afternoon, light breeze, sunny sky about 80 degrees. Perfect day for the run and trip to the park. We headed out, the park is only 0.7miles from our house, it was going to be great! After a nice brisk walk with intermittent runs I felt great! This was what I was missing, a little bit of change and exercise. We got to the park and in classic florida fashion... it started raining, no pouring!!

There was no where to hide but the bathrooms, while we ducked for cover I pulled up my radar and there was a storm coming! Big one! With the ever familiar 'thunder storm warning' even. Guess that means we need to go home.... good thing the hubby came with and has a fantastic min/mile time. With his long legs and 7min per mile pace he ran home with the keys, grabbed the car and rescued us.

Lesson learned... check the radar before you go, no matter how good you feel.

Pregnant Vegan Runner Mommy

Yep add that to the title now too. We are happily expecting baby #3, at the end of August. Adding to our little 'Farm' of sorts was in the plans but had to wait until I was done with my half marathon. So here we are!

Will I keep running while pregnant?
I'd like to try, but I believe in listening to my body and going with that. If I can I will, if I can't oh well!
But I was able to run a recent all women 5k in Winter Park, FL The Lady Track Shack 5k. It was packed! over 3,000 entries and they had to close it off at that!

We did it last year too but with a bigger group of girls. This year we got awesome race 'swag', pink tutus, awesome medals and just a fun race!

So back to running while pregnant... being the person I am means I research A LOT! So I did just that, researched running while pregnant, and talked to my midwife. The conclusion I came to was that since I was running before, my body will be used to it, so it's not like I am trying out a new exercise routine while my body is growing a new person. But everything in moderation, I am not trying to aim for new PR or take on a half marathon right now. But I will keep my muscles going and hey its a nice stress burner too!

The first trimester was no fun, I didn't feel like moving, let alone running. So for sure I didn't do much then. The 2nd trimester is just now starting and I have my energy back and can't wait to hit the ground running again. Updates to come...

Eating Vegan While Pregnant

Nothing will change here, I am still sticking to my normal diet. Increasing my calorie intake as needed and drinking plenty of water, but that is nothing new, and I have been taking a DHA supplement made from Flax so that covers the DHA part... I love my prenatal multi-vitamin I have been taking too!
All the great stuff in it a vegan mom to be could need.

Is it safe to be a vegan and grow a human at the same time? YES! Do the research on it and you will find it that just like any way of eating we need to be sure to get in the the right amount of proteins, carbs, B12 etc... and there is no reason to doubt your plant based diet, if you are smart about it. As always though I trust my instincts and cravings to tell me if I am lacking in something and will take the needed steps to take care of that.

Half Marathon Training 10 Weeks to go

This is my first half marathon, so there have been a range of emotions leading up to it including:

• "Wow this is going to be awesome!" - Excitement
  
  
• "All this training is going to make me look fabulous in time for our cruise" - Pride
• "What was I thinking!?! There is no way I can do this!" - Crash and burn
• "I can do this, I can do this" - Talking to ones self while running  (aka looking crazy)
  
• "Can I get a refund for the entry fee?" - Denial
• "Lets do this!!" - Energetic (Current state of mind) 

 The weeks are slipping away and my panic is growing. "Will I be ready in time? Can I do this? Will I survive?"
When we are out driving to the grocery store I find myself checking how many miles that was, then comparing it to how long it would take me to run that. My brain has been switched to 'running' mode! When I see the signs for 'Next Town 13 miles' I automatically think "That is a half marathon length! Its yet its so far in the car! It's even farther on foot!! AHHHH!"

I find myself sacrificing my long runs on the weekends to much, those things are HARD to get in! My midweek runs no problem, the off days of cross training, got it! But those horrid long runs keep escaping me! What to do?

When all else fails I Google it. Should be a shirt.. I think it is already. Anyways, my problem for not getting my long runs in is not just me. It was nice to find other moms in the same boat. That is when I came across a wonderful website Another Mother Runner.
It was a wealth of information and that pat on the back I needed to tell me "You are not alone". I even bought the 2nd book they have published "Train Like A Mother" 
As I read it I was laughing thinking they must live with me and see what I have to deal with all to get a run in!  It is full of pep talk and yet empathy of what being a running mom is all about. If you need some encouragement to get out there and run, get this book! I highly recommend it. (they didn't even pay me to say that :)

How I managed to get a free Phil and Ted's stroller

Free!? you ask? not entirely but pretty close to it! How?? I'm not sure if you are familiar with the stroller brand Phil and Ted's but they are the top when it comes to jogging/everyday strollers. I've been in search of the Phil and Ted's Explorer since I first laid eyes on it.... so beautiful, so sturdy and the kicker.... it is a tandem jogging stroller!! There is NO other stroller on the market like it! Why would I want to push around the huge monstrosity that I see at Disney or the malls where mom's can hardly fit through the doors? So wide it looks like it can mow a field in 20min. No, not for me thanks!

Then comes the downside, they aren't cheap. The one I wanted sells for $600 new on Amazon. Right...I said $600... I coughed up a hairball when I saw the price too. No way in my right mind would I buy something that expensive for my kids to ride in!! There had to be a better way.... Craigslist, Ebay, etc... I was a searching fiend for a deal on this stroller! But my heart was set on not spending over $300 for one... I figured 1/2 price was better than full price.

I love how a newborn can fit nicely and get shade all at the same time

So with that price firmly in mind I set out on my quest. Only to come to the horrible conclusion everyone else was willing to pay more! Woe is me!! So here I sat with no hope at, all when suddenly!! I got a reply to my Craigslist wanted add! (I posted an add on my local Craig's list that I wanted a Phil and Ted's stroller) No it wasn't the Explorer model I wanted, but the Sport instead (an older version of the Explorer, no longer made). Now you are probably thinking "Don't get so picky! Beggars can't be choosers". But if I'm paying that much I want the one I WANT! (enough of the rant...). This lady was willing to sell hers to me for $150, cheap!!! I bought it, brought it home, cleaned it and tada! an easy profit! So I put it on Ebay with the staring price of $150, I figured I can at least break even. I then hunted for the real one I wanted....

Miracles happen when people poorly list the new in the box Phil and Ted's Explorer as "Phil & Ted Ex200". I watched and watched as the days went by. Suddenly the heart pounding moment came when the auction was to be up. I had my hidden bid ready to be placed and right before it ended BAM! I WON!! Spending less than the $300 I wanted to spend (with shipping $270)! Brand new in the box baby! Dance party! Now to wait its beautiful arrival... In the meantime I posted my old stroller (just a normal 3 wheel stroller from Babies R Us) from our first child on Craig's List and the Phil and Ted's Sport on Ebay. In 2 days the old stroller sold for the amount I was asking ($80). Then it got better when the Phil and Ted's Sport price started at $150 and went up, UP! UP! Sold to the highest bidder for $377! Talk about making your money back! And they picked it up too so no shipping hassle for me :) In doing all the math I figured with what I made in buying and reselling strollers, plus buying the brand new one I made about $40 profit. So there you are... the story of my FREE Phil and Ted's Stroller.

Running Along

(image borrowed from http://www.wellwornsoles.com/2013/10/half-marathon-update.html)

So, since my blog is called Vegan Runner Mommy I decided to start adding in some more about well....running! I am far from the professional runner with all the sponsorship and metals. But for me running is my stress reliever, the me time and the quiet I need to refocus on life and sort things out. So I don't want you thinking that I know all the answers to your running issues or questions but more just like a companion to feel your pain and a fellow mom who knows how hard it is to run with children and be a vegan on top of it all :)

I started running seriously right before we got pregnant with our second child. Really I was running here and there when I was a teenager and on into adulthood but never was very good at it or had the stick-to-it attitude I needed for it.
But when there was a group of friends doing a 5k in our local area it sounded like like a lot of fun! So me and another friend started training for it. After that I was hooked! My first 5k I felt the endorphins kick in and the excitement of waiting in that crowd of people near the starting line was like a roller coaster to me!

After that I kept running but found out we were expecting our second child so didn't train as hard, still we ran a second 5k 3 months later. I kept my running up until about halfway through the pregnancy and then just stuck to walking. After he was born I couldn't wait to get back on to my schedule! Once I got the all clear I started back up again. 

No one told me that trying to fit in runs with 2 kids was hard! Where are you?? Why didn't someone warn me!?

I got the trusty double running stroller (another post on that to come), so it wasn't that. I had the desire to run, so it wasn't that. Getting 2 small children aged 2yrs and a newborn out the door took twice as long. Here is a summary of what would happen:

8am - Breakfast is done I'm ready to get dressed to go. Dressed, check! #1 (oldest child) needs to get dressed but first there was the struggle to get clothes on him, it was like trying to convince a cat to swim in the pool, not happening! 

8:20am - Ok threw the cat in now, uh I mean got #1 dressed... now the baby (#2) he wants to nurse, ok fine. Good thing I invested in that nursing sports bra! Sit, nurse. Check!

8:40am - Baby is done. Now dress him. Check! Oh wait #1 is now half dressed in the bathroom with the mess on the floor that can only be cleaned up by a sanitation crew with gas masks. Clean up said mess, change his clothes, try not to get the mess on me. And the baby is now crying in the other room. Hurry!!! Go, go, go!!

9am - nurse baby again, and #2 also needs a new diaper. Ok.... change #2's diaper. Another crisis is averted!! What were we doing? oh yeah going for a run... #1 wants a snack... bring in with us in the stroller. Check!

9:15am - Finally out the door and ready to go! Oh great its raining......

So there you go.... the day in the life of a mom who just wants to run.