Running with Two: Back in Training

July 31st marked the first day of my training for the Hershey Half Marathon on Sunday, October 16th. July 31st was a Monday jam packed with a full workout of ‘rest’. Day one of training and I already felt like a slacker. I decided to mentally prepare for the weeks ahead by thinking about my nutrition. After all, I needed to shed the rest of my pregnancy weight to get my body back into shape. Well, a shape that could comfortably fit back into my running clothes.

As the mother of a three year old and a two month old I needed to focus on foods that would keep me nourished and energized. Cutting out carbohydrates for the ‘quick loss’ would leave me feeling sluggish, so I opted for a reduction in meat without sacrificing a reduction in protein. I scoured my recipe books, on-line archives and even reached out to Running Scene readers for ideas. Fortunately, I am swimming with fresh ideas for meals, sides and snacks that are great for me and my family.

Of course, the first few weeks of training does not lend itself to long runs. I’ll embark on that journey, unfortunately, once I head back to my full time job in two and a half weeks. I can worry about that later. In the meantime, it’s all about good runs and good food.

Happy running and healthy eating!

---

Christina “Muffin” Roberts, wife and mother, ran through her second pregnancy. Disappointed with the lack of information on pregnancy and running available today, she wanted to write about her experiences in hopes of sharing what she’s learned and to encourage fellow pregnant runners to keep on running. She continues to write post-baby about the challenges of balancing running with motherhood. Christina blogs at http://muffinmadness35.blogspot.com/.