Oops.

Friday I walked 2.8 miles. I didn't run.

Saturday morning we woke up at 5:30am and went to the Daytona International Speedway where I ran a 5k. I clocked in at 24:15 which put me in the third place for my age category. I think that's probably my best time for a 5k. Fitting that I got my best time on the race track. Henry ran his first organized race on Saturday as well. It was ridiculously cute to watch all the little kids stretch all together and then run then 100 or so yards to the finish line.

Sunday is my dedicated day off from running.

I didn't walk this morning. Amelia is getting a bit sick and I wanted to let her nap in her bed. I always feel like sleep is the magic cure to overcoming minor illnesses. I think I have convinced Henry to ride his Jeep while I jog this afternoon. It's a beautiful day, it's probably 75 outside right now. It would be absolutely ridiculous for me to skip running today.

Does Walking Count?

This morning I walked my normal 2.8 miles. I didn't run this afternoon because we decided to trek to Disney World for some fun in the sun. I thought it would be interesting to track our movement at Disney World and in the three hours we were there we walked almost exactly 2 miles. I was expecting that number to be significantly higher. I do have to say that this was not a normal Disney trip - we walked in went straight to the kiddie rids: we rode Dumbo, Snow White, It's a Small World then Winnie the Pooh and the race cars then Buzz Light Year and then we left. Those rides are all in the same general area. Next time we do Disney World for a whole day or even more than a couple miles I am going to track our walking again. My guess is that a normal day easily nets between 5-7 miles walking - especially those days when I'm running back and forth to the baby care center to feed and change Amelia in between rides.

Last night I ran sprints. I think I mentioned it was hard, but it is worth mentioning again, sprints are hard. I need to do that more often.

I am not Invincible

I am not invincible: a hard lesson to learn. I live with Type I, insulin dependent, diabetes a disease that requires me to administer insulin via injection based on how much fat and carbohydrate I intake and how much energy I expend daily. Through diet, exercise and medication I attempt to maintain a blood sugar level that is comparable to a person without diabetes, my desired level is 85-110mg/dL. Any time I eat food I inject insulin into my thigh, arm or stomach. Every night I administer another shot of insulin. The night time insulin remains in my body for approximately 24 hours - it works like a constant drip always maintaining my blood sugar at the desired level. Without this medicine my blood sugar would rise throughout the day leaving me thirsty, nauseous and in a position to have long term complications from my diabetes. However, it is because of this medicine that my new running regimen has become difficult.

Exercise decreases my body's need for insulin. My decreased need for insulin is normal and I should have anticipated it. I should have started taking less night time insulin when I decided to start running more. The problem is that I didn't anticipate my change in insulin requirements. I didn't really even think about it until today when it occurred to me why my blood sugar has been so low lately. *brilliant*

I feel extremely tired when my blood sugar is low. To fix the problem, I just need to eat enough food to compensate for my low blood sugar. Unfortunately, when my blood sugar is low my brain does not function at full capacity. And though I know that I feel this way because of my low blood sugar and I know how to fix my blood sugar my brain works on slow mode so I cannot convince myself to fix the problem.

I can spend hours in a daze. I develop an outrageous headache and a very short temper, but mostly I just want to lay down and take a nap, never mind my children.

Today my blood sugar dropped to 27. This is scary low. It felt awful. When I understood my problem appropriately, I compensated by eating a quesadilla and gobs of cookie dough.

It scares me to think of the day when I am unable to process my need for more food in time to fix my low blood sugar before I pass out - with two small children who are mostly incapable of assessing the problem and fixing it for me.

Earlier today I ate a cookie to increase my blood sugar and tonight a drank a sugar drink.

If I was exercising to lose weight diabetes would have certainly foiled that plan!

I have been waking up in the middle of the night as well, requiring food to maintain a normal blood sugar level. It's awful to wake up at 3am and realize you have to sit down for a meal in order to fall back to sleep without slipping into a coma.

I guess tonight I will begin to adjust my night time insulin hoping that I will find the right amount so that I will feel fabulous all day long while still enjoying running.

Today I walked 2.8 miles over the bridge and back and I ran sprints for 3.5 miles. It was really hard. I can't want to see if my decreased insulin fixes my blood sugar woes.

Impetus

Because I am a stay at home mom I am entirely free to sculpt my day into whatever I choose. Some days I fail. Yesterday, was turning out to be one of those days. I was cooped up inside surfing the web while Amelia napped and Henry played games on my iPhone. Though I don't believe that a little down time is a bad thing every once in a while, it was a BEAUTIFUL DAY OUTSIDE and my kids and I were inside looking at computer screens. So, as soon as Amelia woke up, I packed her in the jogging stroller and Henry jumped in his Jeep Power Wheels and we went out for a little run. Henry protested. He wanted to stay inside. I coaxed him by offering to look for alligators at the pond. There is one pond about 3/4 of a mile from our house where we always see 7' alligators when the sun is still up.

On our run yesterday afternoon.

We travelled 3.27 miles; Henry in the power wheel, Amelia in the stroller and I in my old running sneakers. When we got home we played t-ball in the backyard. Henry won, he always wins.

It's amazing how a little run can change the pace of the whole day. We were bored, we were ignoring each other, we were inside on a beautiful day. Today running was the impetus for an awful afternoon changed to a fun, active, outdoor afternoon that I enjoyed with my kids. (Amelia was in the exersaucer on the back patio having a fabulous time playing with her toys and watching mom and Henry chase each other around the bases.)

Next time I'm having a bad day I need to remind myself that the impetus for a better day is a little run.

Today I ran approximately 4 miles, along the beach, over the bridge and back.

Dolphins on the Bridge

Today I walked 2.8 miles. I might run later.

I walk daily with my friend Susie. I strap Amelia into my purple jogging stroller that my old neighbor gave to me and she straps her son Elliott into a stroller and we walk. Our route is the same every day; we start walking at her house, walk up the Granada street bridge, over the Halifax river, around the parks and back to her house. 

Today while we were on top of the bridge we saw dolphins in the river! The Halifax river is brackish water so salt water creatures play there as well as fresh water creatures. My best guess is that some of the dolphins were babies, they were so small.

I'm motivated to do something more for myself than just take care of kids. I love my children and I love that I get to care for them and nourish them, but I also yearn for something more than children's activities and cleaning. Since I'm so into running lately, I've been thinking maybe I should organize a local race.

In Utah, where I used to live, there are races all the time. For the past four or maybe five years on Thanksgiving day I have run the Turkey Trot 6k in City Creek Canyon, in Salt Lake City. This year, Joe and I couldn't find a race, so we ran our own 6k. We plotted a trail on GoogleMaps and ran it with our kids in a stroller. It would be cool if I could replace that independent run with a race that I plan and execute... a big one that is timed. That would be awesome. When I was in college I planned way bigger events with ease, perhaps my motivation to run regularly will also motivate me to do something else for myself.

A much needed break.

Today I ran seven miles. It was mostly uneventful.

While I was running I was thinking about this blog. I decided last night that I needed to make myself accountable to something in order to motivate me on lazy days. Hence, the blog. Now I must record something about my run and so I must, in fact, run. *shock*

Isn't it amazing that I could run on January 22 in shorts and a t-shirt. I should have been thinking that.

On the street where I ran today.

I switched back to my old running shoes today. The shoes I wore while training to run my first 1/2 marathon. I love those shoes. The shoes I have been wearing weren't supportive enough. Fabulous old shoes are far better than sub-par new shoes. Actually, it's funny that today was the day that I switched. While I was running an overweight old man with a beard was out walking his dog when he saw me running past. He stopped me to ask what brand of running shoes I was wearing. I told him that I love my shoes.

I ran past a dead opossum. Today I saw my first live opossum at the Blue Springs Manatee Festival and my first dead opossum, on the side of the road by my house. Fortunately I saw it. Otherwise it may have been the first opossum that I ran through. *gross*

Joe watched the kids while I ran. Actually, he ignored Henry while I ran, hoping Henry would fall asleep. Amelia likely entertained herself. Joe did taxes. *boo*

It's such a treat to go running all by myself. I need to remember to take advantage of this opportunity whenever it presents itself.

Today I Will Run.

I love to run. Exactly 6 days each week I will run. Some days this might be hard.

I have kids. Two. Between them they give me 1,000,000 reasons not to run.

I'll run anyway.

It'll be fun.