Running Again
I was about 5 months pregnant when we rang in the new year. That was also about the time I stopped running. I wanted to be like Paula Radcliffe and continue running, but pregnancy tends to slow you down. Since I wasn't a fast runner to begin with, I was progressively slowing to a walk. In the last four months of my pregnancy I was keeping fit on the elliptical trainer (with some weight training), in the pool, and in yoga class, so you can imagine how eager I was to get back into my running shoes.
I started walking a couple of weeks after Zoe was born. I started off slow and kept my distances short since I was still in recovery, but I know walk a couple of miles and a fairly brisk pace (but I still wouldn't make the speed-walking Olympic team). Sometimes I push the munchkin in her stroller and sometimes I wear her in the Beco carrier, which adds about 10 pounds. My 6-week postpartum checkup was all good, so I decided to try running again. Today was the day.
Mike took the afternoon off from work, so I headed to the gym (it is much too hot out right now to be running, especially after a 7-month hiatus). I didn't have high expectations - I just wanted to at least run a few steps. I started with a 5-minute walk warmup, proceeded with 20 minutes of combined running/walking, and finished with a 5-minute cool-down. I'd be lying if I said everything went smoothly. I ran SLOW, and I walked more than I had hoped. But I ran more than I had expected. I felt great! The run/walk approach seems to be working for me, so I think I'll continue doing so on my slow, but steady, climb to my former running level. We'll see what tomorrow brings! Hopefully, not just a bunch of sore muscles...
Extended Maternity Leave
I told this story to quite a few people already, but I thought I'd make it "official." I had planned to take the week before my due date off from work; it would be my first week of maternity leave. On my first day of leave, I received a call from the COO. I didn't answer immediately. He had been our acting manager until we found a replacement, so I didn't think much of the call initially. But then he called me on our home phone with a rather urgent sounding message, so I figured something was up. It turned out that the CEO had decided to shut down the company, with everyone's last day being that Friday.
Someone had volunteered to pack up my desk and bring my things to my house, but I was feeling pretty good physically and I had an OB appointment the next day. I figured I'd just swing by work afterwards, pick up my stuff, and turn in my work laptop. I did exactly that, and then I went into labor that night.
So, in a nutshell, I don't really have a job to go back to. On top of the severance pay, the company has been generous to keep me on as an employee until the end of my would-be maternity leave so that I can still receive benefits. I haven't decided what I will do in the fall. Originally I thought I would work part-time, but I have time to decide what I want to do. I'll figure it out.
Where have I been?
I realize it's been about 5 months since my last post. I'm not a frequent blogger (if you can call me that) to begin with, but I'd have to say 5 months is being absent. My most recent excuse would be that I had a baby, and with a newborn, it seems I barely have a chance to read email, let alone write an actual post. Then again, I don't have much to talk about since my day consists of feedings and diaper changes. My main companion for the day can't even hold up her end of a conversation (though I do lover her "talkative" moments). And before the baby, I was pregnant, which meant I was either working or vegging on the couch. I didn't have much energy to do much else, and what energy I did have, I moved my pregnant body to the gym or to yoga class.
Don't get me wrong. I loved being pregnant (much to my surprise) and I love watching Zoe grow and develop, but sharing those experiences on a regular basis would have been a bit like a broken record. Fortunately, Zoe is falling into a bit more of a routine, which allows me to follow the news a bit and catch up on my rather-large stack of books I had been meaning to attack. So maybe I'll find something (new) to talk about...