The Happy Mama Project

"The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That’s real glory. That’s the essence of it." -Vince Lombardi

It's been a minute.

I'm here. Not all here, but here. The last 2 weeks have been…messy. Life stuff, some good, some not. It's been chaotic, anxiety ridden, happy, sad, emotional, busy & bananas. There's never NOT chaos, but it's been trying, at best.

I didn't run for 2 weeks. I did nothing. No yoga, strength, cycling, stretching. NOTHING. It was all I could do to get through a day. If I could, I wasn't in the right headspace.

From someone who runs to relieve anxiety, believe it or not, sometimes I'm just too anxious to run. It's not a good feeling.

I'm not trying to be vague, but details are unimportant. Sunday I felt well enough to run, an easy shuffle. Felt decent, not back to baseline, but grateful to get out of the house & move.

At the end, my HR was out of HAND. It should've been 130s, not 180s. Not even the ballpark of normal. I know I'm deconditioned, but not that much. I recovered fast, RHR in high 40s, much closer to normal.

Monday, I slowed down, easy run, same HR.

Today, I set my watch on HR. Started out even slower, low 170s after 5 minutes. Mad.

Sure, it's hot & humid. I ran earlier to enjoy cooler temps (82F), but 75 dew point is miserable. I'm doing all the things you're supposed to do in the heat, but my HR is just bad.

Part of it is dehydration. I've lost 7 lbs in the last couple weeks, I'm not optimally hydrated. I'm watching my electrolyte intake today & hoping that turns it around.

This year has been a doozy. I'm just falling back into steady training & got tossed sideways. My goals for 2022 have changed. I'm NOT an elite athlete, I'm a recreational runner, who runs for those who can't. I just need to show up. If some days, showing up means having coffee, then so be it. Because other days, showing up will be crushing a Michigan workout.

Until then, I'll show up in whatever way matters that day.

And that's ok.

Eyes up 🖤