Flying Feather 4 Miler 2012

Ah yes.  The annual Thanksgiving race.  I was looking back through my Running Resume and it looks like I have participated in a Thanksgiving race every year since 2004, and the only reason I missed that one was because I had a broken tibia.  This is also the 5th time I have done the Flying Feather race.  We like this race because of it's swag - nice long sleeved tech shirt, gloves, hat, and a bottle of wine at the finish.  This year three generations participated: Mom, Dad, Dave, me, and baby.

This would be the longest run I've done since finding out I was pregnant.  I planned on just taking it easy, walk when needed, and collect mine wine and save it until after the baby is born.  :)  I lined up around the 11:00 pace and slowly walked to the start minutes after the starting gun went off.  I fell into an easy pace quickly and stayed comfortable.  This race runs on the road, around a roundabout, and then into a park where you wind up on the running/bike trail.  Usually, because I'm running balls to the wall, I find the crowds of people will clear out by the time you get to the park.  But now that I'm a little pokier, it never clears out.  For the entire four miles I was elbow to elbow with people.  Not that it was an issue because I certainly wasn't racing, but just a totally different experience.  I kept things consistent from beginning to end and ran/jogged the entire four miles.  It's nice to know that even 21 weeks into this pregnancy that I may be slower but at least I'm not losing fitness.  Goal #1!!!

My overall time was 41:47 for a 10:27 pace.  Not bad.  Not bad at all.  Next year, we'll be pushing a stroller...

Thursday Thoughts - Thanksgiving Style

I think it's quite obvious what I (we) am (are) thankful for this year.  So instead of asking you what you are thankful for, I'm going to ask you about your Thanksgiving meal.

What time do you eat your meal?
We always eat around 5:00.  My uncle is diabetic and must eat at that time.  (I don't know anything about diabetes, but that kinda sounds crazy to me.)

What did you eat for Thanksgiving?  What's your favorite Thanksgiving food?
Turkey, obviously!  My favorite Thanksgiving food is deviled eggs, and I make the best.

What did you personally make towards the Thanksgiving meal?
Dave and I made the deviled eggs (duh), pumpkin pie with bourbon maple whipped cream, and asparagus.

For the Love of Running 2

I hired a coach in 2008 with one specific goal in mind - break 3:30 hours in the marathon.  That fall I went 3:30 and change in the Columbus Marathon, and then finally busted through the 3:30 barrier at Boston 2009.  I had accomplished my goal.  But, I kept working with a coach and decided to give triathlon yet another try.  In the process, I also got sponsored and everything went from fun to serious.  I felt like expectations were high and it was easier to just not race or drop out of races than to not have to hit any goals.  I usually don't like "the easy way out" but it's all I could do.  Finally with my second failed ironman, I knew it was time for a break.

In 2012, I just wanted to run - no more sponsors, no more team, no more coach, no heart rate monitor, and in a lot of cases, no more watch.  It just became about me and the road.  For the first part of the year, the simplicity of running helped get my head screwed back on straight.  Once I got my shit together, I was able to tackle some goals, successfully I might add.  Then I found out I was pregnant and everything changed yet again.

I have run 5 or more races since finding out I was pregnant.  Instead of lining up in the front, sizing up my competition, I line up with those wearing tutus, matching outfits, crazy hats, and non-running shoes.  It's a whole different world back there.  One I had kinda forgotten about.  I don't get to run for competition right now, but instead because it's so great to still be out there doing it and staying healthy.  For the first time in a long run, it's nice to look around to where I am and where I've been and just smile.  Running has become almost refreshing.  At 21 weeks pregnant it's a victory just to get out there and still be able to lace up my sneakers and even attempt to run.  I am seriously loving running right now - maybe more than I have in years.

Of course, I can't help but think about next year.  What will happen after baby comes?  How soon will I get to really race again?  How quickly will my body bounce back?  Do I want to race short or long?  Right now, I know that still being able to run and keep in shape will pay dividends after the baby comes (and hopefully for labor too).  And right now, I just want to keep smiling and running at my snail's pace.  I'm still having fun.

12 for 2012 - Run 12 Races

I set several goals for myself this year, including one to run 12 races.  Basically, the goal was one race per month.  I hit this goal this past weekend.  Let's review:

January
I started the year off right by racing on the very first day with the Columbus River Run (1).  The race featured the Columbus Marathon race director who started at the back of the field and raced.  Anyone he did not pass received a free entry into the marathon.  I thought I had a shot.  I didn't take into account, however, that (a) I was really out of 5K shape and (b) Darris, the race director, is crazy fast and passed pretty much the whole field except three people.

I raced again in January at the Houston Half Marathon (2).  Our "group" had decided to go to Houston to watch one of our own in the marathon Olympic trials and we would run the half or full marathon too.  This weekend was an absolute mess for me.  I was at my lowest point for my depression/anxiety/nervous breakdown.  I couldn't leave the hotel room for anything.  I was able to get out to watch the marathon trials and ran in the half marathon.  Thank goodness, the year could only go up from here.

February
Now that I was on the upswing of my total mental mess, it was time to race again.  I did my favorite winter race, Last Chance for Boston (3), the half marathon, and did WAY better than I thought I was going to do.  Maybe this year wouldn't suck after all.

March
I didn't race in March, but did tackle another one of my "12 for 2012" goals of running every day for a month.  I did most of these runs without a watch and without any idea how far or fast I was going.  I had no idea what a HUGE difference this running would make for me.

April
A former athlete of mine decided in June to meet up and do a half marathon.  I really wanted to train and race well for it, so in April I started following the "Run Less, Run Faster" training plan for this half marathon.  The plan was intense and had a lot of speed work, so I decided to do one of the speed work sessions as a 5K, the Bunny Hop 5K (4).  I was like a total amateur at this race, forgetting my watch.  Turned out to be a good thing as I raced myself to a new PR.

May
To test where my fitness was for my June half marathon, I decided to do the Cap City Half Marathon (5).  I didn't expect much but sure had a great performance, with one of my fastest half marathons ever.  Excitement on a stick!!

June
The big half marathon, Deckers Creek Trail Half Marathon (6), for which I had been training so hard!!!  And it paid off with yet another new PR this year.

July 
This was the month of races.  I started out with the Westerville Rotary 5K (7), which was kind of a disaster after having no power for most of the week and then my parents' house not having power.  Very little sleep and it was hotter than balls outside.  Whatever!  You can't PR every race.

Then the very next weekend I decided to do the Columbus Running Company's 1 Mile Run (8).  With all the speed workouts I had been doing I thought I would smash my PR.  Instead I got my pride smashed by husband who destroyed me in this race.  Little did I know there was something else that affected this race.

The last race of the month was the Giant Eagle Multisport Festival 10K (9), which I did great in with a new PR and 3rd place overall female.  Funny enough, I found out the next day I was pregnant.

August and September
With the new revelation that I was pregnant and feeling like crap during my first trimester, I didn't race. Heck, I didn't run much at all, but I was doing enough to keep off the extra pounds and just stay in shape.  I, obviously, missed my marathon I was training for which I was training so hard.  There will always be other marathons.

October
Now into my second trimester, I found running to be mostly enjoyable again, albeit slow.  Dave and I found a race last minute to do, the Celebrity Ghosts 5K (10), and although I was crazy slow, I really had fun.

Just a few days later I did another 5K, originally a 2 mile walk that my mom was supposed to do.  The Step Up for Stefanie 5K (11) netted me a new 5K PR - pregnancy record.

November
Now, I'm not one for gimmicky races, but the family wanted to do the Hot Chocolate 5K (12), so I signed up too.  I had fun and the loot was great.

In two days, on Thanksgiving, I will be doing the Flying Feather 4 Miler.  This will be the longest run I've done since I found out I was pregnant.  Race report coming on Friday.

December
Races get harder to come by around here when the weather gets colder.  I might have one more race up my sleeve if the price is right.

There you have it - 12+ races for this year.  Not bad considering I've been pregnant for half of this year.  I'm hoping to repeat this feat again in 2013, which will be even harder.  Who doesn't like a challenge, though?

Hot Chocolate 5K 2012

So, usually, I don't do gimmicky races.  However, (a) my dad wanted to do this, (b) the swag was good, and (c) I LOVE CHOCOLATE!!!

Pre-race swag.  All participants got a branded wind jacket.  

This race started early - 7:30am.  That's pretty early and cold for a November race.  However, the whole family had gone to bed early; earlier enough that my mom joined us as paparazzi.  (This was the first time using the iPhone camera.  Not quite in focus, but close enough.)  I'm now into my 20th week of pregnancy so the goal for today was to have fun.  Hence, the sock monkey hat.  Dave and Dad got to line up in the front in A corral.  I was in D corral, several minutes and several thousand people back. I was in the land of tutus, funny hats (myself included), and lots of little kids.  After a corral started, the next corral was held for two minutes and then started.  I was 6 minutes back of Dave and Dad plus whatever pace they were running before I even got to start.  I was seeded way too far back.  I fought to get around people the whole race.  But, I had a great race.  I ran every step including the uphills that I took super easy.  I waved; I smiled.  In the end I was just one second of my PR (pregnancy record) with a 32:35 (10:30 pace), which placed me 173 out of 580 in my age group.  Dave finished, I think, 9th in his age group and my dad won his age group.

Post race swag

All finishers got a giant mug that had chocolate fondue, a marshmallow, a couple of pretzels, mini chocolate candy bar, a rice crispy treat, banana, and a hot chocolate.  The hot chocolate, funny enough, was disgusting.  I took two sips and threw it away.  The rice crispy treat was absolutely divine dipped in the chocolate.  I had mine and Dad's.  They enjoyed the banana dunked in the chocolate.  Fun?  Yes.  Gimmicky?  Yes.  Do it again?  Probably.

Week in Review

Monday - 3 mile walk, treadmill.

Tuesday - 1200 yard swim - 4 X 300s.
Nothing ever changes when it comes to etiquette at the pool.  AKA, no one has any.  I got dressed, went out to the pool deck, and all the lanes were full.  So I waited.  As soon as the first person jumped out, I started to edge my way to that lane.  Just then an older woman came out of the locker room and walked straight to that lane without even taking a second glance.  I was totally ditched!  Being nice and not saying anything, I waited for another lane.  There was another older woman in a lane who was just kicking on the edge of the pool while talking to a friend.  I was pissed she was taking up a whole lane without even swimming.  I think she sensed my frustration and got out to go to the leisure side of the pool.  I started to edge my way to the lane, and then her friend to whom she was talking jumped in the lane.  WTF?  Does no one see me standing here?  Finally, a lane opened up (after waiting 15 minutes) and I got to get my swim done.

Wednesday - 3 miles, elliptical.
Dave and I went to the gym together tonight.  He ran on the treadmill.  I hit the elliptical.

Thursday - Off
This is the day that I was full of rage.  I just wanted to lay around, drink Kool Aid, and eat chocolate.

Friday - 3 mile run, outside.
How often do you get 50 degree days in November in Ohio?  I ran in shorts, a long-sleeved shirt, and gloves and had a great run.  It's so nice to still be able to do this.

Saturday - Off
I had intended to go to the Y for a swim, but open swim was only open 7:00-9:00 in the morning and Dave didn't get up until 9:00.  It's okay to have a rest day.

Sunday - Hot Chocolate 5K - 32:35.  Race report coming tomorrow!!

Totals:
Run/Walk - 12.1 miles
Swim - 1200 yards

What's in a name?

Now that we're on the downside of the pregnancy mountain, we're starting to get the question we've been dreading....have we picked out a name?  This is something Dave and I talk about almost daily.  And, we're really getting nowhere with it.

A couple of years ago I had picked out some names and I had come up with one I really liked.  I assumed that Dave liked it too and so recently I've begun to call the baby by it's name.  Then one day Dave said he wasn't so sure about it.  I was devastated.  I really had my heart set on this name.  To be fair, he felt like he wasn't part of the decision process and I totally get that.  Yet, he has come up with ZERO suggestions and has said, he doesn't like any names.  Awesome.

There's so much pressure riding on this name.  I think names can create the type of person that you'll become.  It's important to pick the name that's right for the child that will someday be an adult.  Personally, I have narrowed the names down to two and they couldn't be more different.

One is 100% Greek, which is hilarious because neither of us is Greek and if you've seen pictures of us or know us personally, you would know that Dave and I are mostly likely producing a blonde-haired, blue-eyed baby.  A Greek name might seem a little weird.  This name, I think, is free spirited.  I can see the kiddo liking art and music, be a wild child in sports, but maybe not care so much about the future and the important things.  The name might create a fiery personality, which would almost guarantee the child to be a lot like me.  This could be bad to have another one of me in the household.

The other name, my first love for names, is the complete opposite of the other.  It's a very formal name, where I could see the child being a bookworm, loving school, and eventually becoming a CEO.  I absolutely love this name for it's formality.  There's the rub, though.  I have a very formal name and have always gone by my formal name.  Because I grew up with this formal name, I have formed my own opinion that children who are given formal names should be called by their formal names.  If you want a child to go by Billy, name the child Billy!  Dave, of course, thinks I'm being silly because, well, his name is actually David and he goes by Dave.  His parents are the ONLY people who still call him David.  To me, Dave is the grown up version of David.  And he CHOSE to go by Dave when he was in high school.  So if I named my child a formal name, I would want that child to go by a formal name until he/she can decide for him/herself if he/she wants to go by another name.  Where am I going with this?  The formal name I really like can easily be turned into an informal name.  This is where, I believe, Dave is stuck and is dragging his feet.

I personally want to pick a name quickly so we can begin calling the baby by its name and get not only the baby but our dog adapted to hearing it.  Dave, on the other hand, wants to wait until he sees the baby.  I guess I get that, but I don't want to be those people who wait until a whole week to name the baby and for a week just call it baby.  What's that about?  We still have five months to go.  And I'm sure, hundreds more names to talk about.

20 Weeks - Half way there!!!

I might have borrowed these from Danielle.  :)

How far along? 20 weeks 

Total weight gain: I haven't had a doctor's appointment in two weeks so I don't know exactly, but the scale at the YMCA has me up 11 pounds since I found out I was pregnant.  For this far along in the pregnancy, I'll take it.

Maternity clothes? I own two pairs of jeans, two leggings, two shirts, and a winter coat.  I hate the jeans, but it's my only option for work.  I can still wear most of my tops from before I was pregnant.

Stretch marks? No, and I'm hoping to avoid them.  I'm using some cocoa butter on the areas I know could be stretching and keeping those areas well moist.  Ha!

Sleep: I'm sleeping about as normal as before I got pregnant.  I still get  up 2-3 times a night to go to the bathroom but that's about what it was before I got pregnant.  I don't remember the last time I slept all the way through a night.  I am going to bed earlier than I was before I got pregnant, but it's also helping Dave get more work done if I go to bed before him.

Best moment this week: Finding out that another close friend is pregnant!!!

Miss Anything? Alcohol.  What I wouldn't do for a margarita!  Also, I can't wait to run fast again.

Movement: All the time.  It's not painful as the baby is positioned all below my belly button.  Right now it's super cute.

Food cravings: Kool aid and chocolate, but that's pretty much all I ate before I was pregnant too.  :)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Gender: People sure don't like that we know and are not telling.  We love their theories on what the gender might be.  We've only heard one good theory and we were able to debunk that.

Labor Signs: Nope.  Let's keep it that way for at least another 19 weeks.

Symptoms: I don't know what this question means.  I have a big gut and I can feel the baby move.  What more symptoms do you need.

Belly Button in or out? Way far in.  I'm actually looking forward to it popping out so my stomach will stop looking like a butt.

Wedding rings on or off? I only recently started wearing a wedding band and it's very much on.  I'm only gaining weight in my belly and boobs, nowhere else.

Mood: I knew someone who was a complete bitch during her pregnancy so I'm trying to make a conscious effort to be in a good mood about the pregnancy.  One day this week, though, I had so much rage in my head that I worried what I might have said all day.  My job gets a lot more stressful through the holidays (I work in retail) so I'm trying to just stay relaxed.

Looking forward to: We're painting the baby's room this weekend and I'm looking forward to starting to get it set up.

Thursday Thoughts

I sit with someone at work who hasn't mastered the art of tact.  She says some things to me that just make me open my eyes and say what?  As my pregnancy has gone along she has mentioned how 'fat' I am getting.  While I know she is probably joking, that's just not something that you say to a pregnant person.  And this week during our quarterly meeting this week where they hand out promotions (most promotions at our company are done as surprises and then awarded in front of the entire company) she said that she would be angry if I got a promotion and she didn't because she had been there longer than me.  While neither of us got a promotion, and I wasn't expecting one, it took me aback that she would think promotions should be given by longevity at a company and not based on performance.

Anyway, what have you heard lately from others in a public setting directed at you that made you question what the heck they were talking about?  Have you ever said anything that was completely over the line that you wish you could take back?

Organismic Spreadsheets

I mentioned on Monday how much I love spreadsheets.  I FLOVE SPREADSHEETS!  I get a kick out of formulas and number manipulation.  Call me weird, but to an engineer it's totally organismic!

Earlier this year I created a whole spreadsheet workbook with links and whatnot that became my training log.  It's nothing special but allows me to track my swim/bike/run/other distances and hours.  Recently, I built an even more powerful tool into it that just makes me giddy with excitement.

I mentioned that Dave and I joined the YMCA.  When we were members of Lifetime Fitness we were naive and didn't really know how much we were spending on our membership nor did we realize how much money we were wasting when we didn't go to the gym.  The fee blindly came out of our credit card every month and since we never checked, we didn't realize that we were spending a lot of money! While the Y is cheaper, it's still not all that inexpensive, so I wanted to make sure we were (a) using it and (b) getting the most out of our money.  So I added some rows and some formulas to my spreadsheet and now I'm calculating monthly costs per trip to the YMCA.  Oh, it is so exciting.  :)

The 'Y' stands for YMCA. I put a 1 in when either Dave or I goes to the gym. A 2 means we both went that day.

Oh that was so good. I might need a cigarette now.

Something's in the water

Dude, everyone I know is knocked up!

Truth be told, I'm a little selfish.  Alright, I'm a lot selfish.  And when I first got pregnant I was excited that I was the only one.  (Actually, that's not true.  A good friend of mine is a few weeks ahead of me but I don't see her very often and we don't run in the same circles so I still kinda felt like I was the only one.)  But then other people I knew either through real life and/or blogging started announcing their pregnancies and I have to admit, I was kinda excited.  It was fun to have people going through the same thing as me that I could talk to.  And it was especially awesome because many of them are fellow runners/athletes so I can talk to them about my running and whatnot during my pregnancy.

Congratulations to all my friends who announced their pregnancies in the last few weeks (or will be coming up soon).  I'm so excited we're doing this together!

For the Love of Running

I am going to let you all in on your new secret to running success.  Gather 'round.

For the love of running, PUT YOUR GARMIN AWAY!!!!

Believe me, I'm a numbers person.  I love statistics.  I love charts and graphs.  And I might get a little orgasmic creating new spreadsheets (more on this later this week).  But for the love of running, put your Garmin away.  Garmins and GPS sports watches are killing your potential as a runner.

Yes, I have a Garmin.  In fact, this household has two Garmins - a 310 XT and a 405.  And they have been used extensively.  I use one mainly in workouts that require a certain pace to be matched.  I do not use mine for track workouts, easy runs, and definitely never in a races.

So why are you losing potential as a runner by using a Garmin?

First, it's just technology and technology fails.  If you're running in a big race, in a big city, in the woods, etc. your Garmin is not going to be accurate.  Period.  Satellites do not hover over your head like Ziggy's cloud.  There will be times when your watch cannot pick up the satellite and your Garmin is going to compensate by guessing and smoothing the data.  Your watch will read erratically and you won't know what the hell to do.  Speed up?  Slow down?  Recalibrate the damn thing?  

Secondly, you're not learning how to pace.  You are letting a watch dictate your pace.  You need to teach your body to feel pace.  I can tick off miles and miles of pace within seconds of each other without a Garmin because I know exactly what a 9:00 pace, 8:00 pace, 7:30 pace feel like.  To run a successful race you must learn to trust your body and pace evenly if not negatively.  To practice this, put on your Garmin and throw a sticker over it.  Turn off any beeping mechanism on it.  Now go out for a run and try to maintain the same pace from start to finish.  When you're done, check those mile splits.  Learn to run evenly.  Learn to feel.

Lastly, your not going easy or your not racing to your maximum potential.  When you have an easy run on the schedule does that mean you have a certain pace to hit?  For me, that answer is no.  An easy run may be a 9:00 pace or it may mean an 11:00 pace.  I have to listen to my body on those days.  And those easy run days I don't wear any watch.  Nothing.  Completely naked running.  When racing you should be RACING!  If you're wearing a Garmin while racing, well, you're not racing.  You're pacing. You're looking at your watch and it's telling you a number that your head feels is too fast.  You slow down.  The Garmin tells you you're going at a pace that is slower than you wanted to go, you speed up and out of your comfortability.  Then you hit the wall and die at the end.  Learn to feel a race.  For marathoners, like myself, you work your ass off for months for one race and you taper so you are ready for race day.  You want to run an overall pace of X:XX but you're in such good shape and so ready for the race that you may be running faster than what you expected.  Guess what?  That's okay.  That might be the pace you are supposed to be running.  Go with it.  Don't let a piece of technology dictate who you're actually feeling.  Also, I do not believe that all races require numbers.  Sometimes it's about place.  If I enter a small race, I may have a goal to place in my age group or overall.  I'm going to find ways to work my way through a field and not worry about pace.  My goal?  Podium, not a necessarily a new PR.

Winter, the off season for most, is the time to practice, practice, practice.  You're building your base and creating new habits for next summer's racing season.  Now's the time to put away your technology and feel.  Just run, damn it!  It's not rocket science.

Week in Review

It was a good solid week.   I felt good.  I had good workouts.  I'm so happy that I'm still able to do this 19 weeks into this pregnancy.

Monday - 2.5 miles treadmill - 2 mile jog/0.5 mile walk.  It was a beautiful day outside and I really should have run outside, but I just wanted to watch Ellen and run on the treadmill.  I tried the pregnancy support belt today and what a difference it made.

Tuesday - Gosh, nothing!!!  I am so lazy.  I just wanted to lay around in sweats all afternoon and that's what I did.

Wednesday - 1000 yard swim.  Back in the pool.

Thursday - 3 mile run/walk.  Sigh.  Running is getting so difficult.  It's so frustrating!!

Friday - 4 miles, elliptical.  I had wanted to swim today, but I was feeling really run down with a touch of a sore throat all during work, so I came home and took a nap.    When I woke up, I was feeling much better.  One of the local high school swim teams takes over the pool at 3:00 so I would not have another chance to swim.  Instead I headed to the Y and got in a good, solid four miles on the elliptical machine.

Saturday - 3 miles.  You can read about this run here.

Sunday - Nothing.  I just wanted to take a day off, enjoy Dave being home, and eat big meals.

Totals:
Swimming - 1000 yards
Run/Walk - 12.5 miles

A Good Run

Finally, a good run. 

I was worried that the two 5Ks I ran two weeks ago might be the last of my running days until after the baby is born.  Every time I tried to run I would get winded, my legs felt horrible, and it was just awful.  It was easier for me to just walk and that's what I did. 

This morning Dave and I met with the group at the trail to do our weekly run.  I can't keep up with anyone anymore, obviously, so I usually just do a few miles while the rest of the group does a longer run.  I have been heading north on the path, mostly because there is a port-a-john about 3/4 of a mile up the path, but there's a little roll to this part of the path because it goes up and over the freeway.  This little bit of undulation causes me to have to walk.  Today I decided to go south on the path.  It's flat as a pancake, but has no port-a-johns.  The weather was perfect this morning - mid-40s and sunny.  I was wearing capris, a long sleeved shirt, a t-shirt, and light gloves, knowing that I was probably going to be doing more walking than running.  I started off jogging with zero expectations.  And things were great.  I hit the half mile mark and still felt like running.  I hit the one mile mark and debated turning back in case I was going to need to use the bathroom.  What's one more half mile, though?  So I kept going.  Finally, I was a mile and a half out so I turned around and kept running.  Then I chicked three women!  Yes, I actually passed people!  I finished the three miles with ZERO walking.  I could have gone more, but I didn't feel like I needed more. 

I'm really happy to still be running.  It may not be fast; it may not be pretty, but it's so refreshing.  I hope I can keep running for many more weeks.

This Sh!t's Getting Real

There is now baby furniture in our house.

Actually, this cradle is significant.  My dad built this for me when I was not yet born.  I have slept in it.  My sister has slept in it.  My sister's kids have slept in it.  And now our little munchkin will be sleeping in it.  I love it.

Thursday Thoughts

There's been a lot of talk going around my triathlete and running friends who are using their off season right now to try new things.  Things that scare them.  Things they've never tried.  In your off season, what's one thing you'd like to do that has nothing to do with swim, bike, run?

Fish Out of Water / Human in the Pool

We joined the Y.  Yesterday I got back in the pool for the first time in over a year.  This is what I might have looked like in my swim suit (being that I'm about 19 weeks prego and still sporting last year's swimsuit).

Wow!  I'm a bit rusty.  I thought I would easily be able to bang out 1000 yards, but after a mere 8 laps my arms were on fire!  I had to stop after 10 laps and stretch and rest.  Then I did another 10 laps.  And another and another.  I finally stopped at 1000 yards.  I had hoped to do it continuously, but it's been a long time.

A friend of mine from high school said swimming would feel like heaven for this pregnant body.  I thought I would love it because I don't have any nausea and I love not having to have my clothes squeeze the living daylights out of me.  Now, I didn't hate it, but parts of it were weird.  For example, everything stretches weird when I put my hands above my head.  I feel like I am going to bust out a stretch mark right then and there.  I am trying my hardest not to get any stretch marks!  But I did enjoy that there was no pressure on my belly and my bladder.  It was great to do a workout and not have to take four million bathroom breaks.  Hopefully swimming will get better and easier and feel a little more natural the more I do it.

Maternity Clothes

Oy!

I have, luckily, been able to get by with very little maternity clothes to this point.  I had purchased two shirts, two pair of leggings, and a coat from Old Navy; two pairs of maternity jeans from Macy's; and everything else I've been wearing has been my previous clothes, stretched to the limit.  In the last two weeks, I've have started to grow.  Things that did fit me are barely covering me now.  It's sad to put on a t-shirt and not have it cover your entire belly.

Saturday I went to Destination Maternity to purchase the support belt.  I had barely walked in and I was greeted with an overly-excited sales woman.  Know if you know me, I avoid sales people like the plague.  I have been known to shop with an iPod on so I don't have to talk to anyone.  But I indulged her and let her give her spiel.  Destination Maternity was a combination of several different maternity stores, big sales right now, free water and juice, a lounge area for the men and kiddos, etc.  I really was only there to purchase the support belt, but I looked around at a few of the clothes.

Here's a little background.  I work in the home office of a very large retail corporation.  My employer has very strict requirements regarding what we're allowed to wear a work.  Sure we're casual, but you can get fired (on the spot) for wearing certain things - NEVER wear black and DO NOT wear competitors clothing.  You're just asking to lose you're job if you're doing that.  But, we do get a big fat discount and who else gets to wear shorts and flip flops to their jobs?  We do not, however, have a maternity line and our clothes aren't exactly made for the larger body.  So far, I've been able to incorporate a few maternity pieces with our own clothes and get away with it.

That time is coming to an end, though.  So, I looked around at Destination Maternity for comparable clothes.  Basically there were none.  And they were not available in an extra small.  And they were expensive.  The cheapest thing I saw there was a long sleeve tee for $35.  THIRTY FIVE DOLLARS?!  FOR A LONG SLEEVE BASIC SHIRT?!  YOU'RE OUT OF YOUR MIND!!

So, I'm still left with less than 10 pieces of maternity clothing and a very quickly growing body.  I hate the idea of spending a lot of money on clothes I'm not likely to wear again, but I don't know what my options are.  I'm hoping to get some Old Navy gift cards for Christmas, if I can make it that long.  Otherwise, I'm going to have to start wearing Dave's clothing that I've bought from our retail stores.  :)

Needing a Little Support

Running/walking has not been all that kind on this pregnant body.  Because I've had to slow down, gained weight, doing a lot more walking, etc., my gait has been changed and therefore I'm battling some aches and niggles.  I have developed plantar fasciatis in my left foot (typical), re-aggravated my injury from falling down the stairs, and my back has begun to ache a lot.

Saturday I bought what is called "The Ultimate Pregnancy Support Belt".  It supports under the belly and the upper and lower back.  Check me out!

If my belly button gets any deeper, my belly is gonna look like my butt.

I tested my new apparatus on the treadmill.  And it was great!  It held everything in place.  Running felt easier.  My back felt a little better (although sore afterwards).  My favorite part, I was able to run 2 miles without having to go to the bathroom.

Of course, afterwards I kept worrying that I had the belt too tight and that I was smooshing the baby.  For the rest of the evening I kept hoping to feel the baby move.  Then I turned my concern to Facebook, you know, the source of all information.  :)  My parent friends assured me that the baby was okay and that I would love the belt while working out.  They were right, and I have felt the baby move since then.

Money well spent.  More on that tomorrow.

Week in Review

It was a rough week.  Not only was I emotionally drained after my grandma's passing, I just didn't have much energy to do a whole lot of working out.

Monday - Nothing.  This is the day that grandma died and I spent the evening with family.

Tuesday - 2 mile walk.

Wednesday - 2 mile run/walk.

Thursday - 3 mile run/walk.

Friday - Nothing.  The funeral was today.  Plus we had errands to run, Dave had to vote, and we had to work a photo booth event.

Saturday - 3.1 mile run/walk with friends.  Well, I was by myself, but I met my friends at the park and saw them before and after the run.  I thought I was going to have a great run this day because the weather was cool and I was well rested, but it turned out to be crap.  I was walking within a quarter mile.  I just didn't have it today.  Regardless, I got some good walking in.

Sunday - Nothing.  Dave returned to California today and I was just bummed.  I'm so tired of his work/travel schedule.  He might have signed up for this, but I didn't.

Weekly Total - 10.1 miles

Dreaming

You dream a lot when you're pregnant.  Most of my dreams have been pretty forgettable, although funny and unique.  I've had one nightmare.  I created one ice breaker game in my dreams.  I have not had any dreams about the baby.

Mostly though, I've been dreaming with my eyes open.  With this forced hiatus from running, all I can think about is the races I want to do and the goals I have yet to achieve. 

• I want to and believe I can run a 5K under 21:00.  Heck, I think I should be able to do it sub-20:00.
• I think I can run a half marathon close to a 1:30.
• I know I can beat my dad's PR in the marathon: 3:21:21.
• I've really been thinking of tackling a 50K.
• I'd like to do more trail racing (something that's hard to find around here).
• Someday, I'd like to finish the damn Ironman.

I want to believe that my running career will not be over when the baby comes.  I have a lot of good role models to prove that running and big goals will still be able to be achieved.  I can't wait to run fast again...

A (somewhat) Political Post

Every time I formulate a blog post in my head, I worry about what others will say when I actually post it.  This is one of those posts.

Dave is continuing to travel to California for work.  November is looking ugly.  He is gone 2-1/2 weeks this month.  We discovered last week when we were thinking about his next trip that he was going to be gone on election day.

Yes, we live in Ohio, a battleground state.  There is not a single commercial on right now that is not political in some way.  Dave and I enjoy politics.  We talk about it a lot, but only between the two of us.  We know that not everyone agrees with us, which is totally okay.  We listen to what others say, however, we prefer to do our own research and vote for the candidates and issues that we think are best and not necessarily align with a certain political party.

Anyway, when we discovered that Dave was going to be gone on election day we decided it was important for him to vote early (which is something we can do here in Ohio) since we actually live in a state where your vote matters.  Today we went to the one and only early poling place in Columbus.  There was a line outside that went was probably 30-40 people deep.  What we couldn't see inside the building is that the line wound around and around like a ride at Disney World.  Rumor had it, the weight was around an hour to vote.  (Dave made it in and out in 45 minutes.)  Outside, what a freakin' madhouse.  All the crazies were out.  There were representatives for every candidate under the sun, along with decorated trucks.  There were freaks dressed as Abe Lincoln handing out sample ballots.  There were people being reprimanded for wearing candidate paraphernalia (there was a presidential candidate rally in town earlier).  And there were lots and lots of police making sure that order was being followed.

I did not go into the building with Dave.  I was not voting (I'll vote on election day), so I did not want to go in.  Afterwards he told me about his experience.  You had to fill out a paper with your address, last four digits of social security, and maybe some other information.  One inside they verified nothing.  Dave had out his driver's license and they said, no they didn't need it.  (Hello, what?  Voter fraud?!)  Although they gave him a ballot (I believe it was electronic), voting early was basically doing an absentee/provisional ballot in person.

Here's where I'm going to get nasty comments.

I don't know what happens in other states, only what happens in Ohio.  We recently had a court case trying to overturn early voting in Ohio.  The judge basically laughed at this and threw it out.  Early voting would continue.  I, personally, do not like early voting.  I do not like absentee ballots  (I should say,  I think there's a certain person who should be using this, but there are LOTS of people using absentee ballots who don't need to be).  I think if you are able bodied and registered to vote (and everyone should register to vote), then you get yourself to your polling place on election day and do your civic duty.  Otherwise, you have no voice to complain.  (Side note, this is my opinion and only mine.  I know not everyone agrees and that is fine.  We are allowed to disagree.  I'm not looking for you to change my mind.)  Back to this whole early voting and absentee ballot thing.  In Ohio, the way we understand it, you can vote absentee or provisional, but your vote is only counted if the election is so close in the state that they need to count those ballots (the stuff I read online says they are counted on election night, although tens of thousands are often thrown out because of errors.).  So, there's been a lot made about early voting in Ohio, but in the end your vote probably means nothing.  Let's be real; the election is not going to be that close here.  Why not go to the polls on election day and actually cast your vote?

Please don't leave me nasty comments.  This is my blog and if I want to voice my opinion, I have every right to.  I also have every right not to publish your comment.  :)  Take your frustration out on Tuesday.  Go vote.

18 Weeks

I posted this photo on Facebook this week.  After I made a remark about how I was looking more fat than pregnant, I got a comment saying something to the effect of...'You're growing a baby.  You only have a few months of this joyous time.  Enjoy it.'  Yada yada yada, blah blah blah.  Obviously, this is an acquaintance of mine and not a real friend and does not know me at all.  I would never say such B.S.  

Progression of my growing bump over the last six weeks.

I went to the doctor today and weighed in 10 pounds heavier than when I started all this.  Really, this should be no big deal, but it freaks me out knowing I've got 22 weeks to go.  I have been self conscious about my size, not necessarily my weight, for as long as I can remember.   I'm only 5'1" so every pound counts and shows.  I should be happy that I'm not bigger than I am at this point in my pregnancy, but I also don't think I'm looking very "pregnancy cute."  Unlike others I know, I'm not growing from my ribs.  Instead I'm growing from my pooch, something I'm super-self conscious of anyway.  I suppose I'm not growing from my ribs because I've actually got core muscles and they're still holding everything in.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  :)  But because it's just my pooch area, I thinking I'm just looking fat.  I've not had anyone I don't know ask me when my due date is.  I guess that's being polite, but it's certainly not making me feel any better about my size.

Gosh, I'm going to sound so insensitive here....to me, this pregnancy is a necessary evil to having a baby.  I've always thought I would want a baby; I just didn't want to be pregnant.  I'm missing my former life....clothes that fit, running, having energy, etc.  I shouldn't complain.  I'm having the easiest pregnancy.  But I don't know what happens when all of this is over, body wise.  I know I should be easily able to lose the weight.  Or at least that's what people tell me.  That's not as obvious to me.  I like junk food.  I live on junk food.  I'm a lazy b!  I'm not looking forward to counting calories again.  I don't particularly like core work or lifting weights.  I just want a magic ball to look into the future and see what's going to happen next summer.

I'm having a rough body image week.  I know I may be just talking crazy, but I'm allowed to feel this way.  I'm sure next week may be a different story.

October Totals

The weather got cooler in October.  My second trimester started in October.  And running was back in business.  Although my running is only a shell of what it once was, I have enjoyed keeping in motion with running and walking and the occasional elliptical workout.  I ran two races in October which were slow but fun.  I'm looking forward to keeping up with the workouts as long as I can and adding in some swimming too.  I see you, November!

Total - 45.7 miles

Grandma's Girl

Yesterday I lost my grandma.

My mom called me around 4:00pm and let me know she had passed.  I live right across the street from the nursing home where Grandma was, so I went over and said goodbye to her before the funeral home  people came.  For the hour I was there I cried and cried.  Finally it was time to go and as I was walking out I ran into the social worker from the hospice facility that was taking care of Grandma.  She looked at me and said, you were "Grandma's Girl weren't you?  We knew about you."

I have always had a close relationship with my grandparents, which has grown with my grandma since my grandpa died seven years ago.  I was the one who lived closest, so I would help out when she needed it.  I spent a whole month with her a few years ago helping with grocery shopping and hair appointments.  I learned how to work her oxygen tank and help her in and out of cars.  But mostly I visited and enjoyed my time listening to her stories.  My grandma was the best listener, only offering advice when it was needed and always telling the truth.  She was on my side in my darkest hours and she cared deeply for my emotional wounds.  She loved with her whole heart.  I loved her with all of mine in return.

I am one of nine grandchildren, third youngest, and the only one to not (yet) have a child of my own.  A few weeks ago I had dinner with my grandma and had the joy of telling her Dave and I were pregnant.  She was so excited.  She told everyone we ran into that day.  I guess she continued to tell people too because everyone congratulated my mom when she would go to the care center.  Last Monday, Dave and I visited Grandma for the last time.  We had been warned that she probably wouldn't know we were there or that she wouldn't know who we were, but that was not our experience.  She was happy to see us.  She not only knew who we were, she knew we were having a baby and that we had decided not to move to California.  She touched my belly and I showed her the most recent ultrasound pictures.  Then we got the joy of telling her the gender of the baby; the only other person we have told.  She promised she would not tell and she didn't.  She teased my mom that she knew but kept her promise.  Our child will be her 18th great-grandchild (she also has 16 great-great-grandchildren).  I am so sad that he/she will never get to meet her, but I am so blessed that she got to know about the pregnancy before she passed.

I am so grateful to have had the best grandparents in the world.

Goodbye Grandma.  I love you.

Step Up for Stefanie 5K 2012

I mentioned yesterday that my grandma has not been well, which has meant, pretty much, round the clock attention from my mom and my aunt.  My mom and dad had signed up to do a fun run/walk on Sunday called the Step Up for Stefanie, which was a 5K run or 2 mile walk to benefit the Stefanie Spielman Fund for breast cancer research.  My dad texted me on Saturday night asking if I wanted to take my mom's place because she couldn't make it.  She was signed up for the 2 mile walk and because it was not a "race", she never got a number.  Hmmm....I didn't want to do the walk, but did want to do the 5K.  So I told my dad I was in but that I would bandit the 5K.  (Although, technically, the price of the 5K and 2 mile walk were the same and my mom paid for her entry so I really wasn't a bandit.  I just wouldn't have an official time because I had no bib/chip.)

From 80 degrees on Thursday to 40s and COLD on Sunday, I bundled up for the race.  Dad picked us up at 9:00 (Dave would spectate and freeze his tail off) and we headed down to campus.  The race was LARGE with lots of pink.  We miraculously found a parking spot and a bathroom and waited for the start.  This race must have been bigger than anticipated because the start left a lot to be desired.  Dave told me after the race that the last of the people to cross the start line barely got out of there in enough time for the finishers to come through the chute (same area).  The start was on a tiny two lane road right behind the stadium, then a right hand turn and straight up a bridge.  Of course.  We weren't even a half mile in and I already had to walk.  But then things flattened out and I was jogging pretty steadily.  I hit the first mile in 10:30ish.  Nice.  The next mile had another incline over another bridge, which slowed me to a walk, but then it was all jogging from there.  I hit the second mile also around 10:30ish and the third mile around 10:00.  Wow!  I was doing pretty well.  It's so much easier for me to run in the cooler weather in this pregnancy.  My time via my watch was 32:34.  Another PR (pregnancy record).  Dave, dad, and I all found each other and headed out to the field at Ohio Stadium for a picture op.

I am signed up for one more 5K this year and probably will do a 4 miler at Thanksgiving, which will put me at 20 and 21 weeks pregnant and will top my "12 for 2012 Challenge" of 12 races in 2012.

Week in Review

Once again, I did not go 7 for 7 this week, but 5 out of 7 ain't that bad.

Monday - Nothing.  My grandma is not doing well and it was more important for me to go and see her instead of run.  Family comes first.

Tuesday - 2 miles treadmill - 1 mile jog, 1 mile run.  I had planned on doing four miles, with 1 mile jog, 1 mile walk, repeat, but a bathroom break in the middle revealed I was leaking a little bit of fluids and being this is my first pregnancy and I have no idea what the hell is going on, I decided it was best to just walk it out and abandon the plan.

Wednesday - 2 miles treadmill.  I felt uber-lazy today.  I didn't want to do anything.  It was beautiful outside so Dave and I walked to pick up our dinner, which was probably just shy of 1-1/2 miles round trip.  I was going to count this as my workout, but really, it wasn't that vigorous.  Dave had work to do that evening, so at 8:30, I hopped on the treadmill and pounded out 2 miles of walking in 28 minutes.

Thursday - 3 miles with Dave.  This was the last good weather day of the year and we wanted to take advantage of it.  We made it down to the park, turned around, stopped for a bathroom break, and then walked the rest of the way home.  Again, I was leaking a little.  Crap!  I don't know if that's normal or not so I decided it was best to talk to the doctor before running again (yeah, that didn't happen).  I'm afraid my running days may be numbered.

Friday - Celebrity Ghosts 5K.  And no leaking!!!

Saturday - The weather was crappy when I woke up and then we had the world's busiest day: checking out the YMCA, registering for our baby gifts, watching Ironman and the Buckeyes, and a big fat nap.  No time for working out.

Sunday - Step up for Stefanie 5K.  An unexpected and unplanned race.  More to come on that tomorrow.

Totals - 13.2 miles

Celebrity Ghosts 5K 2012

I love Facebook.  Maybe a little too much.  I am probably look at Facebook, maybe, 25 times a day.  Every once in a while, it is a good source of information too.  Like Friday, when I saw that the Columbus Running Company was putting on a 5K that evening in Westerville for an acceptable price, and well, I had nothing else going on.  I sent a text to Dave asking if he wanted to run it and he said yes but didn't know if he would make it home on time to do it (it was a 7:00pm race).  At 6:00 he texts me and said he was just now leaving work.  We would never make it; I was disappointed.  Nevertheless, I got into my running clothes and set his out; printed out two entry forms and filled them out; and got my checkbook ready to go.  He pulled in the driveway at 6:25 (traffic must have been great) and rushed in and got on his clothes.  All systems were a-go!

We got into Westerville in great time, but it was their community Halloween festival and traffic got worse as we got further into uptown.  Finally I just hopped out of the car and ran up to the running store to get us registered while Dave was finding a parking spot.  At 6:55, we were both registered, finding a bathroom, and heading to the start line.

This was a small race (less than 100 participants) and most people either looked like runners or looked like runners wearing Halloween costumes.  I was a little worried that there would be no walkers and I would be DFL.  The horn sounded and we headed off into the dark.  Dave ran his own race and well, I jogged my way along the course.  The course started through Otterbein's campus, past a graveyard, and then finally onto a very dark trail only marked by glow sticks.  I found it to be absolutely fun!  And surprisingly, I wasn't sucking.  I jogged most of the way, except for three inclines in which I needed to walk to keep my heart rate down.  Around the two mile mark, my bladder and the baby sitting on it decided I needed a bathroom break.  Unfortunately, there were no port-a-johns and I wasn't going to just go in the woods.  Finally we entered a park that had a bathroom, however, it was way off course and I was doing well and didn't want to stop and let those I had already passed go pass me.  Yes, I had passed people.  Chicked by a pregnant woman!!!  With a half mile left, Dave came back for me and "ran" with me until the finish.

I set a new PR (pregnancy record), 35:11.  And shockingly, I finished 6th in my age group out of 12.  The winning female time was 23:XX, which I totally would have crushed and won the race.  Next year, Gadget. Next year!

The Lord of the Ring

Dave and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary last month.

When we got engaged, Dave bought me a beautiful diamond engagement ring and then a matching wedding band, which also had diamonds in it.  Several years after we got married I took the rings to get clean and inspected and was informed that I had three diamonds loose on the rings.  They told me not to wear them to bed, to bathe, to sleep, to workout, etc.  So, I started wearing my rings only to work.  Fast forward to 2009 and the terrible running accident I had where I destroyed my ring finger. While I wasn't wearing my rings when I fell, thank goodness, my finger was so swollen for a year that I couldn't wear my rings for a very, very long time.  After that, though, I was working from home and stopped wearing my wedding rings all together.

For a while now, what seems like years, I have been asking for a plain, no frills wedding band that I could wear all the time and not worry that it was going to get damaged or have the diamonds ripped out of it.  Every holiday, birthday, special event I would ask for one, and each time I wouldn't get it.  (Although, I should mention that Dave is an amazing gift giver and always got me something awesome.)  For our tenth anniversary I thought for sure I was finally getting this ring.  I began opening my gift - some candy, a $25 iTunes card, and an aluminum covered candy ring.  You have got to be shitting me.  This is it?!  I got you tickets to the OSU football game!  But it was all a surprise; he the aluminum covered candy ring was a hint to let me know you had picked out a ring at the jewelry store and wanted me to come get sized for it.

The day of our anniversary I was still pretty early in my pregnancy and not feeling so hot.  We went out to dinner, which was just about all the energy I could muster, and then walked over to the Diamond Cellar.  Usually I don't mention names of stores, etc. in my blog posts, but I'm totally going to call them out on the service (or lack thereof) later in this blog.  We found the ring he had wanted; a cobalt plain wedding band.  Why cobalt?  Well it doesn't scratch, which is great for my active lifestyle (although, if it is dropped, it can shatter - tensile strength = bad).  Now, I am a tiny girl and my wedding ring size - a 4-1/2.  We ordered the ring, at a great price, and went on our way.

The next week was when I began all my blood testing for Baby Gordon.  The day I got my tests back with the mixed results, I cried a lot.  I mean, big crocodile tears, a lot.  And then Dave came home and crushed my spirits even more.  Turns out, the Diamond Cellar had called Dave and let him know that the ring we had ordered only came in sizes 6-13.  We took a trip down to the store where they tried to talk us into a gold wedding band that was nearly $400 more expensive than what we had bought.  I basically told the gentleman to go eff himself, that I could get a tattoo there for $50.  Dave said he would find me something cheaper online, but I didn't care.  My hopes were crushed and I had more expensive things to worry about, like my new high risk pregnancy.

Several weeks passed and I'm not going to lie, I was disappointed that Dave had only bought me a $25 iTunes card for our 10th anniversary.  I let him know it too.  I didn't really care what he bought me, but I really wanted something before Christmas.  Earlier this week he came home and told me to close my eyes and hold out my hands.  He laid a big, lightweight package in my hands.  I opened my eyes and it was a model rocket?  WTF?!  Dave and I are both engineers by trade and enjoy crap like this, but this was my anniversary present?  Yeah, thanks.  And then he pulled a small package from his back pocket and it was a beautiful, white gold wedding band.  I put it on then and haven't taken it off.  It's perfect.  He's perfect.

Thursday Thoughts - Halloween Edition

I have a confession.  I don't like Halloween.  AT. ALL.  Not one bit. 

I don't like that we teach our children to beg.  I don't like that we have children dress up and be something they're not (especially princesses-don't get me started).  I don't like that older "kids" participate and dress up inappropriately.  (I'm talking to you, Kim Kardashian!)  I don't like that kids gets pounds and pounds of candy that not only rots their teeth but contributes to the growing problem of childhood obesity.  And I really can't stand when a kid over the age of 10 dares to come to my door asking for candy.  

Dave thinks I'm crazy, but he's also talked about not wanting to teach future child about Santa Claus. 

What's your thoughts about Halloween?  At what age did you stop trick-or-treating?  At what age will you make your child stop?  Do you still dress up as an adult? 

16/17-ish Weeks

Tomorrow, Thursday, I will hit 17 weeks into this pregnancy.  Sure I know I still have a long way to go, but my goodness the time is flying!  I'm starting to feel like there's tons of stuff to do and not enough time to do it, especially with Dave traveling for his job and my usual slothness.

This is a picture of "the belly" from last week.  No hiding anymore, but at least the continual workouts and the tight abs are holding a lot of it still in.  I could look A LOT bigger than I am.

Baby Update

Now that we've made it through all our appointments this month, it's time for a baby update.  When we last left off, I had gone through a gazillion blood tests to determine (a) I had some low protein levels and (b) I had a gene defect.

We started off this month with an ultrasound and a test for Down Syndrome, Trisomy 18, and Trisomy 13.   The ultrasound was cool, as always.  We got to hear the heart beat for the first time, along with new measurements.  The things that had made us nervous came out positively (like the child missing part of it's skull/brain) and everything seemed to look great.  Plus, the kiddo definitely is my kid.  Look at those runner's legs!!

There was more blood drawn for this test, which a week later came back with good results. The likelihood of Down Syndrome, Trisomy 18, and Trisomy 13 came back with the lowest percentage possible that the test could prove.

Just two days later, however, my regular OB called.  She had consulted with the high risk doctor and they had decided to put me on blood thinners - one 81 mg aspirin daily.  Two steps forward; one step back.

One day later, I had my regular monthly exam with my regular OB.  Things were looking good (minus the scolding I got for not peeing in the cup when I got up in the morning.  Seriously, what is the first pee of the day when you get up 5 times each night to pee?)  I got to hear the heartbeat again.  I was measuring well and had only gained three pounds.  The doctor said I was doing a good job with exercise and diet and gaining weight appropriately.  Music to my ears.  I had yet another blood test for my protein levels again.  I now had bruises in both arms from having my blood drawn twice in one week.  Have you lost count yet with how much blood they've taken?

Lastly this month we had our appointment with the high risk OB.  Honestly, I wasn't too nervous as I just had a feeling everything was fine, but tentatively we were both holding our breath.  The appointment started off with the longest ultrasound.  The technician measured EVERYTHING!!!  The diameter of the head, the circumference of the torso, the length of bones, the size of the eye sockets, and we even saw blood flow for both the heart and the umbilical cord.  It was complete!  And in the very end, we found out the gender of the baby.  However, you all are going to have to wait on that one as Dave and I have decided we want to keep that just between the two of us until the baby is born.  No one knows except us; not even our parents.  We went so far as to cut out the ultrasound picture labeled with the gender and the picture with the heart rate and put those in our locked firebox to keep the secret.

Look at baby sucking its thumb!

Finally, we met with the specialist and his fellow.  Both were super cool and educated us on my gene defect.  Turns out it doesn't mean jack crap, which is exactly what we had researched.  I guess 40% of caucasians have this defect and it really doesn't mean anything for pregnancy.  I guess there was a paper written in 1999 that scared the medical community about this defect, but, as they quoted, "millions of papers" have been written since that dispute this.  The doctor asked me a few more questions about bruising and the flow of my period (sorry), and decided to do a few more tests.  Yes, I had six more vials of blood taken at the very end of this appointment.  If you're keeping count, that's 32 vials of blood in four doctor's appointments.  And the doctor took me back off the blood thinners, saying I didn't need them.  Finally, we set an appointment to return to the high risk OB in December to have a growth analysis done just to make sure everything's okay.

Giving Back

Since my race schedule will stay empty for the next several months, I decided to give back to the community that's given so much.  I was lucky.  When I first started running I was part of a very small group that not only taught me everything I know about running marathons, but have become amazing ambassadors of the sport in Columbus and around the US. And now they're in charge of the Columbus Marathon.  This year the marathon partnered with the Nationwide Children's Hospital (we are so blessed to have one of the best children's hospitals in the country!) and have done amazing things with this partnership.  There were 26 children champions chosen; children who's lives have been impacted by the hospital.  These children each were designated a mile on the course where a station was set up with the children and some had their mile decorated.  Although I didn't go down to watch the marathon, I know mile 18 had thousands of origami butterflies strung throughout the mile.  How cool is that?  In addition, there were other champions who races thousands and thousands of dollars for research at the hospital.

Anyway, because I couldn't run the race and knew I probably wouldn't get my buns out of bed Sunday morning to watch the race (I had to work a wedding Saturday night), I decided to volunteer for the race.  I signed up to work a double shift at packet pick-up at the expo on Friday, meaning I was there from 11:00am until 7:00pm.  My job was pretty simple, ask those picking up their own packets for ID and verify that all the information matched inside the packet.  If the person was picking up for another person there had to be a confirmation email, an ID, and then the person had to fill out a little form saying they were picking up the packet for the other person.  All very simple.  Except, there weren't enough volunteers so at some points, I kid you not, I was covering about 8 tables all by myself.  A day of standing, running back and forth, and basically being "on" the entire time....I was wiped out.

Would I do it again?  Um, I don't know.  I certainly wouldn't sign up for a double shift.  I certainly wouldn't do it again while I was pregnant as there was not enough opportunity to eat, drink, or go to the bathroom.  And next year, I'd prefer to be running the race.

Week In Review

Well, it is only week one and I already missed two days of my Pregnancy Workout Challenge.  Who cares!  Five out of seven days ain't so bad.

Monday - 3 mile run walk on the treadmill.  There's not much difference between my "run" pace and my walking pace on the treadmill.  I do over 12 min/miles while running and just under 15 min/miles for my walking.  I think it took me 41 minutes to do this workout.  My stars!  That's a long time for three miles.

Tuesday - 2 mile walk with Dave outside.

Wednesday - Yeah, I have no excuse for not working out today.  I sat around and watched hours and hours of TV today.

Thursday - 2.5 miles treadmill.  1 mile run, 1 mile walk, 0.5 mile run.

Friday - 2 mile POWER walk on treadmill.  I finished this walk under 30 minutes.  I was moving.

Saturday - Nothing again today.  When I woke up it was pouring outside and because Dave was sleeping I couldn't get my stuff without waking him to get downstairs to the treadmill.  By the time the weather cleared, I had things to do.  We had errands to run, football to watch (duh!), naps to take, and then photo boothing.  Plus, I had volunteered at the marathon expo on Friday (more on that tomorrow-ish) and I was wiped out!

Sunday - Dave and I headed out together for a run today, although I let him do his own workout so he felt like he was actually working out.  He did 4.25 miles and I did 3.  I was pretty overdressed and had to slow down and keep taking walk breaks to keep myself from getting too hot.  Even with a bathroom break and some walking, I still finished before Dave.  Not bad.  Not bad at all.

Overall - 12.5 miles.

This is the most amount of miles I've done in several weeks.  I'm hoping to stay between 10-15 miles and not going higher than 20.  I'm still hoping to get over to the Y sometime and get myself a membership so I can do some other workouts like elliptical and swimming to mix it up.  I'm feeling great and am mostly enjoying the running/walking.

Pregnancy Workout Challenge

This week marks my 16th week of pregnancy.  I am feeling great, gaining very little weight, and only showing a little.  With that, I've still been able to exercise pretty well.  I remarked to Dave this week that I think I could realistically make it to my 20th week still exercising and that I hope to ultimately make it to 30 or beyond.  With four weeks to go until the halfway mark, I am giving myself a little challenge.  I would like to work out every day, in some capacity, until I hit the 20 week mark, starting yesterday.  Now, these workouts aren't exactly the same as when I challenged myself to run every day for a month.  These workouts will take the shape of jogging or walking or spinning or elliptical or swimming.  I just want to keep moving.  I know that continuing with working out will, potentially, make labor easier, is healthy for the baby, and will keep any extra weight that is not associated with baby off.  If need be, however, there will be exceptions.  If the doctor says no more working out, then obviously the challenge is over.  If I'm sick or something seems to be going wrong, then I'll stop.  And although I will try to push past the tiredness, if it's just too much to overcome, then screw it, I'm going to take a nap instead.

I hope to post weekly updates of the workouts done.  Challenge accepted!!!

10 Running Tidbits

This blog has been very quiet and very baby, and frankly, that's kinda is boring.  So, I decided to "borrow" this from Kyria over at Travel Spot to spark something new on this blog and get back to talking about running.  Don't worry, I've got a lot of thoughts in my head regarding running/triathlon/blogging/baby and should have some good posts coming up soon.

1. FUEL: Shot Bloks, GU, Energy Chews, Candy or Other?

I almost exclusively use strawberry banana PowerGel.  That's my favorite and I don't really like anything else.  I take A LOT of them during a run/race, like every four miles.  Last year when I was struggling with triathlon, Rachelle gave me a recipe for a homemade energy drink that has TONS of calories.  If I go back to triathlon, I'm going to try to use that on the bike.

2. Race Length: 5k, 10k, 1/2 Marathon, Marathon, Ultra or Other?

Oy!  The longer the better for me.  My favorite distance is probably the half marathon.  It's long enough to have to pace, but short enough that you can really race.  I would say I'm probably pretty good at the marathon, too, although it's been a solid three years since I've done one and not sure when there will be another one on the schedule.  I haven't done an ultra and really don't want to.  That's a whole different ball game and I think 26 miles is long enough.

3. Workout Bottoms: Skirts, Running Shorts, Capris, Pants or Other?

I am an old-school runner and run in running shorts.  My favorites are a pair from Saucony that are light as air.  In the winter I prefer to wear tights.  You won't catch me dead in a running skirt.

4. Sports Drink: Gatorade, Powerade, Cytomax, you stick to water when you run or Other?

I will only drink water while running.  I take water at every single water stop no matter what the distance - 5K or marathon.  In triathlon I've experimented with Gatorade, whatever the stuff is Ironman uses, First Endurance, and homemade stuff.  If water had calories, I would use it.  :)

5. Running Temperatures: HEAT or COLD?

My favorite temperature to run is between 40-50 degrees.  I guess that's cold for most people.  Winter, and specifically snow, is definitely my favorite time to run outside - quiet and peaceful and totally badass.

6. Running Shoe Brands: Saucony, Mizuno, Nike, Brookes, Asics or Other?

Saucony.  Only Saucony.  I have run in the Omni as my training shoe for YEARS!!!  I use the Kinvara as my racing shoe.

7. Pre-race meal: Oatmeal, Bagel, Banana, Eggs, Cereal or Other?

If I'm at home and doing a race nearby, I will eat a piece of toast or two with butter and honey.  If I have traveled to a race, I will usually eat a cinnamon raisin bagel with nothing on it.

8. Rest Days: 1x per week, 2x per week, never ever ever or Other?

Right now, there's a whole lot of rest days.  :)  When I'm training, I usually don't run over 5 days a week.  I cannot do high mileage, and I cannot run many days in a row.  Frankly, I don't think it's needed.  I've done just fine with low mileage, very specific workouts.

9. Music: Have to have it or go without it?

I used to be a purist and not run with music and used to get a little angry at those who did.  However, when I started working with a coach and began doing all my workouts alone, I switched to using music.  Now I rarely do a workout without an iPod.  I think the iPod Shuffle is the best invention ever.  More to come on that later this week.

10. #1 reason for running: stress-relief, endorphins, you love to race, so you can eat all the cupcakes you want, weight-loss, love running for social reasons or Other?

Excellent question!  I think I started running out of boredom.  When I graduated college and didn't have anything to study anymore and lots of time on my hands.  So I signed up for a marathon.  Yes, I went big right from the start.  And then I was addicted.  It helped clear my head; it kept me fit and skinny; and I loved beating people (I'm not going to lie).  I love that I've been doing this for 11-1/2 years and are still setting new PRs.  I hope there are still several more years of that to come.  I love the people I've met and the friends I've made through running.  My whole world revolves around running.  I wouldn't want it any other way.