Run

At my six week appointment after the girls were born, I had what I thought was a simple question for my doctor. When will I not look pregnant? You see, at that point, I looked about 40 weeks pregnant with a singleton and the only reason why no one had dared asked me, "When's the baby due?" was the fact that I always had at least one infant with me when I left the house.

Well, without surgery you may always look pregnant.

I'm sorry. What was that?

And so the verdict was in.

(I should note that I did appreciate my doctor for always telling me the truth. I don't like fluff.)

Months passed and my mid-section slowly decreased.

8 months pregnant with a singleton.

7 months pregnant with a singleton.

6 months pregnant with a singleton.

I had gained approximately 55 pounds while pregnant with the girls. Their combined weight was 3 ounces shy of 15 pounds and I was told that their placenta was quite large. Taking all that into account including amniotic fluid and other stuff, I left the hospital about 35 pounds lighter.

Now my problem, if you can call it a problem, is that I don't diet. Ever. I like my ice cream and pizza from the North End and potatoes whether they be baked, mashed, roasted or french fried. I do believe in portion control though. And running.

5 months pregnant with a singleton.

Near the end of my pregnancy with the girls, Rich and I were having a conversation with my nurse about running. Her son was an athlete and she knew that Rich and I were runners. During that discussion she said, "Well maybe in the fall, you'll get out there for that first run." Um....that's six months from now!

Carrying triplets to 35 weeks and 6 days is physically exhausting and demanding. My abdominal muscles, which had separated during my pregnancy with Abbey, were severely stretched and pulled apart. My rib cage was pushed out. The muscles in my legs were not active for months and months. My knees strained to support an abnormal amount of weight.

I attempted to make a come back with respect to running at the beginning of 2009. I finished a 5K in 32:30 that May and then twisted my ankle. I struggled with that for weeks along with the normal sleep issues of my children. And then I pulled a muscle in back. I gave up after that and didn't lace up my shoes again until February 2010.

Most of the extra baby weight went away on its own but it wasn't until I started running again this year did I drop the last 5 pounds to end up at what I would consider my pre-baby weight. Or close enough.

Shortly after the girls were born, I packed up all my clothes that no longer fit, which was most of what I owned. (We are talking about clothes I hadn't worn since 2005.) When we moved, those storage containers were shoved into a corner in the basement. I periodically go shopping there. There are some items, such as my size 00 Abercrombie jeans, that I gave up on fairly early and other items, such as that little black dress, that I'm afraid to try on again. Last month, I pulled a few sweaters out and found that they fit.

And then I came across a pair of smart black pants from Banana Republic in size 0P. (I just read Confessions of a Shopaholic which should explain my use of the word "smart.") Would they fit? I anxiously pulled them on and was delighted beyond words to find that they were a perfect fit. Along with a pair of wool pants in size 1A from the Gap.

I am not writing this post to be obnoxious or say, "Look at me. I'm so thin." No, I write this because I wish I could have read something like this three years ago. After the girls were born, family and friends told me that I should give myself a year. And then after a year, they said, "Well, maybe you should give yourself two years. You DID have triplets, you know?" Yes, I know.

I am also writing this for all of you who are new to running. Don't be afraid to just get out there and do it. I told Rich that with every run, I say to myself, "It will be easier the next time around."

I have a little bit about the training I did for the last 5K I ran that I haven't posted yet so I'll throw it in here. I do believe that my "training" in July and August helped me improve my time. (And I was happy with my time. Just not happy that I wanted to puke at the end.) Now, I'm admitting that I made up my own training program. From the beginning of July until we went away on vacation mid August, I ran three times a week.

At least every other week, I ran my long run of 4.5 miles at a 10 minute mile pace (at least - sometimes a little faster.) My other runs were 3.1 miles or the same distance as a 5K. Once a week, I ran an easy run (about 10 minute miles) and a speed run. For the speed run, I would start off running as fast as I could for one mile and then I would finish the remainder of the run trying to stay under 10 minute miles. I would usually be able to do that first mile in about 8:30. I didn't sprint because I wanted to be able to complete my run without stopping.

I know that this technically isn't a way to train to increase speed but for me, right now, I know that once I have a set pace going, it is hard for me to speed up.

Not only did I improve my time but with each run, it did get easier. Rich and I ran 4.5 miles today and it was a lot easier than it was two months ago. Get out there and do it! If I can spend half of my night sleeping in a toddler bed and still run, you have no excuse.

(I want to end this by acknowledging all those women out there who delivered their babies early. I know that they would give up their flat tummies in a heartbeat if it meant that their babies would have been born later. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't change anything.)