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Monday, March 09, 2009

Back from Break

After 10 days off for spring break, I am now back to work. Blah. But, my break was truly relaxing and enjoyable, and since I didn't have much computer access during break, I'll fill you in on my ever-exciting activities:
  • I ran consistently. I am now really relying on my 3 milers as the backbone of my running schedule. They're long enough that I feel like I get a good workout, but short enough that I don't feel overly-exhausted by them. Plus, they leave me enough time for the bathroom before and after. (A pregnant woman is never far from a bathroom, I've learned that!)
  • I have been leaving the Garmin at home while I run lately. I know I'm getting slower and it was frustrating me to watch the digits decline, and because I want to just focus on getting the runs done and feeling good while doing them, I decided that the best idea was to leave the gadget at home. It has been weird to run without it, but I think I have to put my ego in the backseat for this running-while-pregnant business, and to do so, I have to let go of focusing on how slow I'm currently running.
  • I also did a couple of sessions of my new prenatal yoga video. I like it, even though some of it strikes me a comically corny. I think it's good to incorporate some flexibility and breathing exercises into my routine.
  • I got to sleep. A LOT! I slept in everyday, and I took naps almost daily. All the extra rest was glorious, and I felt so good! In general, I'm feeling pretty good these days. I've only thrown up once in the past two weeks, and that may be attributed to the fact that I consumed expired milk with my cereal that day. Oopsie.
  • I also got to take long walks with Scooter and play with him more. I love my little Copper Top dog.
  • I also got to do a lot of reading! One of my favorite pleasures in the whole world. I read "Still Alice" by Lisa Genova, and I thought it was excellent. It's a novel about a Harvard professor who's diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. I thought it depicted Alzheimer's from the patient's point of view with sincerity and insight, and the story itself was incredibly moving. I also read most of Curtis Sittenfeld's "American Wife" ( I still have about 80 pages of this one to finish), and even though I'm not finished, I think this is truly a masterpiece. I'd originally read reviews of this when it was published about a year ago, but I never picked it up while it was in hard copy. For those not familiar with it, it's a fictional account of Laura Bush's life, and it's incredibly engrossing. Sittenfeld manages to create characters that, even though they are based on real life people, are uniquely their own, and while the events too are shaped around real life, again, Sittenfeld, re-imagines them with depth and poignancy. (Listen to me, do you think I wish I were a book critic for the Times? Because, um, yeah, I wish I were.) Seriously, go read this one. It's brilliant.
  • I also diligently read some student papers and got some chores done around the house, but all in all, it was a great break for spending some "Jess-time."

But, today it is back to the grind, which is okay, because I take comfort in certain routines and I like returning to my classes. Plus, we only have 8 weeks of the semester left. Then, I'm just teaching one summer class, so my summer should be pretty relaxed as we prepare for the baby.

I'm still working to catch up with everyone's blogs, so I hope to read what everyone else has been up to as of late!

29 comments:

Wes said...

first!

Wes said...

You can always take pace off of all your windows! I did that when training by time and heart rate. I am amazed that pregnant chicks even run at all. Amazing, but really, not surprising given how tough y'all are!!

X-Country2 said...

Sounds like a wonderful break. I quit wearing my heart monitor after my marathon since I was getting a little too invested in the numbers. It's been really good for me, I think. Gets me back to enjoying running more.

Marcy said...

Sounds like you had a nice break. Nothing wrong with leaving Garmin at home. It's nice to have time away from it :-)

Teacher Pursuits said...

Welcome back... you made good use of your time. Resting, reading, running. Sounds like a perfect break. I have been doing a lot of resting and reading as of late myself and I am sort of sad to give up that life as I head back to work next week. But, it definitely makes the breaks more meaningful!

Shannon said...

I like what you said about the "Garmin," it's nice to run just for the pure enjoyment of running and not for digits, returns, or percentages.

Unknown said...

I think you are doing great with your running, and I wouldn't worry about time at all. Yay on the decreased puking! Still Alice is high on my to-read list (it's a long list), I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it.

Marlene said...

Sounds like a wonderful break.

Thanks for he book recommendations!

B. Kramer said...

Yes, ditch the Garmin! I hear they cause earwigs anyway.

Sorry your break had to end.

Run Mommy said...

Love the books reviews too..gives me great advice!

Jess said...

I went running with out my watch this weekend. It was great to not be looking at my wrist every two seconds and judging my progress on my time! Glad to hear you enjoyed your break!

kristen said...

Thanks for the book review. I'll read American Wife over the summer.

Hope you had a great first day back to school.

runner26 said...

a most excellent break! Glad you got to do all the things you like. Hope it's not to hard to go back to work.

Unknown said...

i'm glad you're running sans garmin for now. just run for the enjoyment and to stay fit. nothing else matters at the moment. :-)

Aron said...

sounds like an awesome break :)

teacherwoman said...

Sounds like a great spring break. I am going to have to look into that first book you mentioned. It sounds very interesting!

Laurel said...

Sounds like a great break! Glad you got some rest and relaxation (and Scooty-Scoot time).

I think leaving the Garmin at home is wise and probably extremely freeing.

MN Mom said...

Sounds like you had a much needed rest! Good for you.

Anonymous said...

sounds like a wonderful break! Good idea leaving garmin behind. Your body is in a different kind of "training" right now and speedy running is not important at this point.

lifestudent said...

Yoga is huge during pregnancy and aids in delivery and post-natal recovery. Its a great thing to add into your routine :)
There is a girl in my current post-natal recovery class who ran 35 miles per week THROUGOUT HER WHOLE PREGNANCY. Crazy. It can be done, but this woman is amazing ;)

AddictedToEndorphins said...

You're amazing! Glad you had a nice break and got lots of rest!
Great job still running

MNFirefly said...

Nice break!

Aka Alice said...

I'm soooooo ready for spring break right now...I've still got weeks to go before I get there. You made it sound sooooo relaxing (sleep? naps? reading? running? I dream of such things).

Welcome back!

Marci said...

i think garmin free runs are liberating! good job with your 3 milers!

chia said...

What a fantastic break chica!

P.O.M. said...

That sounds like a great break! I've been on a reading kick - mostly because of the airport/airline travel though.

Christine said...

Sounds like a nice little spring break! Mine is in a few weeks and I can't wait for some R&R

sRod said...

You don't want to be on staff at the Times--you'd be out of a job realy soon.

Agate Lake Girl said...

I'll have to recommend American Wife to my book club. Thanks!