My first week of real workouts postpartum was a success! I'm feeling great and the so-called muscle memory is already kicking in. After how sore I was after my fitness test the first Saturday of the 21 Day Challenge for Change, I was a little concerned that my body had forgotten what hard workouts feel like. But I've done several other challenging workouts since then and haven't been nearly as sore (read: I didn't need to take a Tylenol just to walk across the living room or grab a glass out of the kitchen cabinet).

A few firsts this week: Bodyflow and CXWORX classes, both of which I loved, especially Bodyflow (almost as much as I love PureBarre). I felt like I could twist myself into a pretzel (a very relaxed, zen-like pretzel) after Bodyflow was over. I was amazed by how much my flexibility increased as the class went on. Definitely heading back to Bodyflow again on a regular basis to keep increasing that flexibility.

CXWORX was a good class, too, but much more similar to other workouts I've done in the past. But I do think HIIT classes are essential for cross-training and strengthening to complement running, so I'll be back for those as well.

All of these classes are included in the 21 Day Challenge for Change training program (the whole program costs $40, which is a steal for everything you get). I am definitely glad I signed up for this because it's already making a difference in how I look and more importantly, how I feel.

Running went well this week - still slow, but getting faster and had two sub-10 minute miles out of the (almost) four I ran. Yep, I only ran four miles this week and I feel accomplished. Crazy. I can't wait to get that mileage back up and be running four miles several times a week!

I had planned to run three times with my last run being on Sunday, but I ended up only running twice because I was just tired and achy by Sunday, so I thought it would be best to just rest. There is just no need to push myself too hard yet. I'm still just getting back into things.

Sadly, my Friday run was cut short because it started to storm and I just didn't feel like being a human lightning rod. And there was no beach to run on since the tide was high, so I was forced to take it to the street after a few minutes of failed attempts to dodge the waves. I've run on the beach like this before hopping and jumping through wet sand and water and it's pretty fun, but I just didn't have the energy or stamina to do that yet.

So overall, the road to recovery is off to a smooth start. My main postpartum complaint is that I can feel weakness in my stomach muscles, which isn't surprising since they just spent the last nine months stretching (but fortunately didn't split as can sometimes apparently happen - yikes!). But with every workout, I'm feeling stronger and if I ever feel like something is too much, I take a break or modify it because I don't need to get injured.

I'm still trying to decide what distance I'm going all-out training for this fall, but I did sign up for a race - the James Island Connector Run 10k - in November, so I have to get it in gear. I'm still planning on running a 5k and a 5-miler in October. It just remains to be seen if my fall training cycle will culminate in that 10k or a half marathon a few weeks later.

The week in workouts:

• Monday:  Bodyflow
• Tuesday: 2 mile run, 10:13 pace
• Wednesday: Rest
• Thursday: CXWORX
• Friday: 1.75 mile run, 10:14 pace
• Saturday: HIIT
• Sunday: Rest