Psycho Killer~Qu'est-ce que c'est?

And as this classic 80s hit goes, fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa better / run run run run run run run away / *lots of "ohs" and "ays".  Tell me your not a Talking Heads fan.  Well, this charming little ditty got stuck in my head as I sat down to tell you about jogging.  I have been a fairly consistent jogger for some years now; I first hit the pavement on a regular basis back in the summer of 2005.  My big sister was getting married in August, so in May I decided I wanted to rock my bridesmaid dress with a slimmer figure.  My routine back in those days was running 3 miles 3 days a week.  Here's how that turned out...

I can't believe I'm sharing this~bleh!  This was a meatier me in December of 2004 trying on the bridesmaid dress style KHud chose.

August 2005 I was sporting a leaner look with what appears to be a suntan that can only be a precursor to melanoma.  My sisters are pretty!

Since those days, I have depended on my physical fitness routine to help me with stress management and chronic back pain from a number of car accidents (3) and one Harold accident (the Buck Buck story~ I've never shared that one on the blog...).  Kyle and I employed this running method to get fit for our wedding back in 2009, and we completed the ING half-marathon together that March.  In France it served me in my desire to explore.  I would spend hours cruising the trails in the more rural areas around Metz.  My jogs took me through mirabelle orchards, a Nazi internment camp, quaint neighborhoods, vast farmland, and shady wooded areas.  Jogging became my occupation in the month of August; I ran a total of 51.24 miles just for fun.

The long & short of Buck Buck~This is my friend Harold.  He fell on me, and it hurt.

I think my smile is so squinty because Kyle's hair turned neon orange on completing the half-marathon.

In memory of speaking French daily~ Je vais faire un jogging!  Pretty place to run, n'est-ce pas?

I really wanted to do another half-marathon and had already mentally planned on one once Kyle and I returned to the U.S.  For us, it gives us tons of quality time to talk on runs while we are training, and we ultimately accomplish something really cool together.  Have I mentioned that Kyle bakes bread every weekend trying to perfect his French baguette method?  That's another reason why this running business needed to be a priority.  I got serious about running in November once we were settled in Norcross reaching a new personal record of 55.8 miles in one month!  My hopes of maintaining this kind of routine were dashed for a bit in December.  I was fearful my plans weren't conducive for pregnancy.  I tried to take it easy and only ran around 16 miles in those 4 weeks. 

My how the turn tables.... or so says Michael Scott (The Office).  Kyle and I went for our first pre-natal visit in December and learned a thing or two.  Thanks to my awesome (facetious) blood clotting disorder, it turns out delivering the little Ham baby will have to be au naturel.  Yikes!  I did not see that one coming.  The epidural is a bit to risky for my kind~cue the tiny violins.  Right when I was down in the dumps, our midwife presented the silver lining.  Thank the Lord in heaven~they allowed me and even encouraged me to be in tip top shape.  I got the green light for the Publix half-marathon in March.  Since we are still in the early stages of the pregnancy and baby is the size of a thumb, it's not too difficult for me to keep up the same amount of running I like to do.  After we weathered some funky snow storms turning Georgia into an arctic tundra for days, I started my training.

I don't follow a regular plan for training.  I like to go out 3 or 4 days a week.  Two to three of those runs are anywhere between 3.5 to 4.5 miles.  On the weekend, I take my husband out and we do the long distance runs.  Last weekend we ran 8, and Sunday we'll run 9.  It's really fun.  I am so incredibly grateful (and have mentioned it to God a time or two) that I didn't have to give up running for the early part of the pregnancy.  After losing coffee, I don't think I could have bore the loss...

I read one fitness friend's blog, and she always ends her entries with a question.  I like it a lot (even though I've never responded to her questions~ that's right, I'm a lurking blog stalker).  Anyhow, I was curious.  Do you have a fitness routine?  If so, what do you do and why do you like it?

I've just spilled the beans about my schedule, and got a bit verbose about how it all began.  Look forward to hearing what you do!