We Bought a Zoo {membership}!!!

A few weeks ago Dave had the day off and we, as a family, went to the zoo for the first time.  We are so lucky to live so close to the best zoo and took advantage of it this year by buying a zoo membership.  I hope to take Anderson several times this summer to see the entire zoo.  It's too much for a 1 year old to do the whole thing at once, but we did hit up a few awesome attractions.

First we checked out the newest exhibit, the Heart of Africa.  This was so cool.  It's this huge open space filled with lions and zebras and giraffes and ostriches and whatnot.  I loved seeing the giraffes.  I think Anderson liked it too.

 

We also went to the petting zoo where Anderson got up close and personal with some goats.

My favorite part of the trip was the aquarium.  Anderson loved being eye-level with the fish.  And yes, I might have cried a little seeing him so happy.

Finally we finished out the trip seeing the monkeys and gorillas.  There were two baby monkeys that were only a month old and a new baby gorilla that was about 4 months old.

We were only there a few hours and maybe saw half of the zoo.  We will have to go back another time and try to find the creepy crawlies like the snakes and spiders.  I would also love to see the elephants.  I can't wait to take Anderson back!

Spectate: Columbus Open Water Swims

Dave has a unique swim stroke, which is great when spectating in open water.  Dave did a "1 mile" open water swim race a few weeks ago; Anderson and I spectated.

 

The race wasn't so big and within maybe a quarter mile into the race I was able to easily pick out Dave.  I counted from the front...10, 11, 12.  Wow!  He was doing really well!

I was able to follow him up the course and back down again while strolling with Anderson on the beach.

When he got close to the finish, Anderson and I went down to the beach and got the camera ready to snap, snap, snap Dave's exit and finish.  And just as I start snapping pictures I realize....

That's not Dave!

I had spent the whole race spectating and cheering on a dude that was not Dave.  This gentleman had exactly the same unique swim stroke as Dave!  We backed away from the beach and tried to find Dave in the water, this time to no avail.  Finally, he exited in around 45 minutes.

45 minutes for a one mile swim??  That's, um, not that great for Dave.  Sure he hasn't swam a whole lot (or nearly at all) this year, but that's really slow.  I reminded him that the company that puts on these races is notorious for poorly measured/marked courses.  Dave started talking to some other people who had swam the race with GPSs and many of them had the course at 1.4 miles.  One point freakin' four miles!  That's WAY off!

In the end, Dave got in a good swim; I need to work on my spectating skills; and I took some beautiful pictures of some dude who was not Dave.

Stay at Home Goals

It's official.  I am now a full-time stay at home mom.  While, obviously, my attention is on the baby and making sure he is turning into a great little kiddo, I have some goals for myself (besides running) in my new role at home.

Goal #1: Improve Wardrobe / Personal Style
For the last three years I have been working for a major retailer (it rhymes with Babercrombie & Bitch) and we were not required to wear the clothing.  Needless to say, my closet is full of jeans, sweatshirts, t-shirts, and flip flops - not exactly a 30-something, mommy wardrobe.  For years, okay, my entire adult life, I have wanted to look sophisticated, put together, stylish, but when it came down to it I usually reverted back to a t-shirt and jeans or a sweater and jeans.  Through the power of Pinterest, I started putting together a "Style" board.  Here's a few examples of how I would love to dress:

 

Of course, I haven't the foggiest how to put together an outfit like that.  So I jumped on the bandwagon and signed up for Stitch Fix.  My first "fix" is scheduled for mid-June.  Now, I can't afford to keep all the clothes I get every month, but hopefully I will find one or two pieces that work out.  I'm also hoping to maybe add one or two more reasonably priced items from the mall every month to grow my wardrobe.

Goal #2: Learn a New Hobby / Skill

You know, I have so much extra time to learn something new.  :)  But since I do have four hours of the day I am now not working I suppose I can try to learn something new.  It is no secret that I don't have good kitchen skills.  Yes, Dave does most of the cooking.  Over the last year, though, I have done some more cooking, learning new recipes, and trying new foods.  Now, I am ready to move onto baking.  I would love to learn how to decorate cakes and cupcakes.  Of course, this could be dangerous for me as I would probably eat all my creations and be as big as a house!

To go along with wanting to improve my personal style, I'd like to improve my sewing skills.  Yes, I can sew, but mostly I quilt.  I'd like to learn more, though, so maybe I can start making some of my own clothes.

Several several years ago for Christmas, Dave got me a guitar.  I have always wanted to learn to play guitar.  For while I practiced, and then I put it under the bed and haven't pulled it out in years.  It would be fun to learn a few kid songs on it and sing along with Anderson.  He would love it.  He would also love to play it (the kiddo plays the piano every day).

Finally, I would like to learn a foreign language.  Sure it's a little late in life to get fluent, but it's a perfect time to help develop multiple language skills in the baby.  The truth is, if he doesn't learn Spanish he's limiting himself with future employment opportunities.  When we went to Italy, Dave learned Italian with Rosetta Stone and had great results.  At the time it was free through the library.  Unfortunately, it no longer is.  So, I'm going to save my money and hopefully buy the Spanish version in a few months.

As if life isn't busy enough, I'm wanting to tackle more.  Who wants to sit around and watch TV all day long?

Week in Review

Monday - Scheduled rest day

Tuesday - Scheduled: Short easy run, strength training
                 Actual: 5.5 miles with the stroller and then strength training. Also, 1000 yard swim at the pool before the baby's swimming lessons.

Wednesday - Scheduled: Treadmill run with increased turnover intervals
                     Actual: 6.54 miles on the treadmill with intervals.  Plus, 7 x 3 jerks with 45 pounds.  Boy my arms were sore the next day.

Thursday - Scheduled: 30 minute spin, 30 minute strength training
                  Actual: Sat on my buns, ate a lot.  :)

Friday  - Scheduled: 45 minute tempo run
             Actual: 5.46 miles with 30 minutes at a 7:59 pace

Saturday - Scheduled: 15 minute run, 15 minute strength training
                 Actual: Attended Dave's open water swim race

Sunday - Scheduled: 1 hour 10 minute long run with short bursts
               Actual: The in-laws were in town (built in babysitter!!!) so Dave and I got to run this together.  Short intervals were around 6:30 pace and overall run was 8 miles at an 8:47 pace.

Totals: 
Swim - 1000 yards
Run - 25.5 miles
Strength - 0.25 hours-ish

May Totals

It's been a long time since I've written a monthly total post.  I haven't exactly had months to be proud of this year.  I've had a hard time doing the work, but May was a pretty good month and although I still have a long way to go to have an awesome month, I'm happy with the results.

Swim - 2500 Yards
Why yes, I did swim this month - two whole times!  There might be a small triathlon later this summer so I suppose I need to get into the pool and do some work.

Bike - 0 Miles
Um, er, sure there is a bike on each week of workouts.  Obviously, I didn't do any of them.  I did ride my regular bike a few times pulling the baby trailer.  That counts for something, right?

Run - 72.77 Miles
I'm not exactly breaking records here and I didn't even have a week over 25 miles, but this is the biggest mileage month I've had all year.  I ran two races this month, a half marathon and a 5K, and both of them were pretty quick.  I'm starting to get back to form!

Strength - 0.5 Hours
There's more than a half hour of strength in every week's schedule.  Unfortunately, that's usually the first thing to go.  No more!  Watch out June!

Trips to the YMCA - 15
Cost Per Visit - $5.69

May was a turning point for me and I took advantage of my Y membership.  I like to run in the morning and the only way I could do that was after work, taking the baby with me to the gym.  He would go and play in the child care room (I hope to write a whole post about that sometime) and I would hit the treadmill.  It wasn't ideal, but it got the job done.

Summer is here, I am no longer employed, and I have big plans on the horizon.  Come on summer!  Let's do this!

Field of Heroes 5K 2014

5Ks are like childbirth.  It hurts like hell during the experience but just a little while later you forget all about it and are ready to do it all over again.  In the middle of every 5K I think, "this sucks!  Why do I keep signing up for these?"  And yet, I do keep signing up.  Why?  I don't know.  It'll make me faster.  It's only a few minutes of suffering.  You don't really have to train for them.  They're fun?

Yesterday I did yet another 5K.  Memorial Day is always a celebration of my running.  One of my first races was on Memorial Day in 2001.  Last year this 5K was in the first race I did after I had the baby.  This year I continued the traditional Memorial Day celebration by doing the Field of Heroes 5K again.

After a short warm up, I lined up near the start and took off like a bat out of hell.  To make sure I was actually racing, I put a sticker over my watch so I could not see the pace.  Regardless, I knew I was running fast, faster than I was probably capable of holding for a full three miles.  Frankly, it doesn't matter.  The 5K is hard to negative split.  I'd rather go out hard and see how long I can hold on. 

Turns out, it wasn't that long.  Not soon after the one mile mark I was hurting.  And I should have been.  My watch clocked me at a 6:52 first mile.  The second mile had many twists and turns in it and I used it as the opportunity to slow down a bit.  I caught a girl in the second mile to get into 5th place female, but I was also passed at the same time by another chick, so I stayed in 6th.  One of the turns was 180 degrees down a bridge ramp.  Looking back I saw that I was not catchable by another woman so I slowed down some more.

Mile 2 - 7:17

Finally the last mile and I was hating this race big time.  I kept thinking, 'I'll take a half marathon any day.  This sucks!'  Around another curve I looked back to see a girl in a pink shirt gaining on me.  Shoot!  Get moving Meredith!  At this point I knew where I was as I had warmed up on this part of the course.  I dug down deep, as deep as I could without yacking (coach would have been so proud). 

Mile 3 - 7:19

The last 0.1 of the race I was screaming hard to the finish line.  I saw the clock just click over 22:00 as I crossed the timing mat.  Wow!  I didn't expect that.  My PR is in the mid-21:00s so I did alright.

Total 22:02
6th place female

Just a few hours later I was already thinking about my next one, which is probably in a few weeks.  I have many on the schedule this year.  I am so stupid.  :)

#tbt

Chicago Marathon 2006. My dad and I ran the first 14 miles together until we lost each other through a water stop.  I set a 4 minute PR at this race, while my dad suffered a HUGE blister that hindered him from a good time.

It's On Like Donkey Kong

What is it with dudes and their inability to have a girl run faster than them?

I was at the gym today doing my run on the treadmill.  Now that the half marathon is over and my slothness (sure it's a word) from my "recovery" week is over, it's time to get back to work.  Being that I still have a little bit of time before I am done working, I have committed myself to doing whatever it takes to get my workouts in, even if that means doing them on the treadmill at the Y so I can put Anderson in child care for a little bit of time. 

Anyway, I had an interval-type run and it was being done on the treadmill.  I had a man on both the left and right of me during this workout.  I started out with a long warm up and then I had some intervals at a comfortable pace.  For me, this was around an 8:00 mile.  I noticed as soon as I bumped up the speed, the dude on the right of me put his speed up to the same pace.  Okay, cool.  My next set of intervals, which were longer intervals, were at a 10K pace.  I set the pace at a 7:30.  Again, the gentleman to my right set his treadmill to the same pace.  I was pretty comfortable with this pace, but it was apparent that he was suffering.  He kept making groaning noises, and huffing and puffing, and putting his hands on the rails.  Plus he kept looking at me and looking at my pace, like, "you're crazy!"  I think I broke him with these intervals because he soon stopped, walked, and got off the 'mill.  My last set of intervals were shorter intervals at a fast pace.  I had the pace up to a 6:40 for these.  The gentleman to my left looked in better shape than the one on my right, but he was clearly a meathead and not a runner.  I started my interval and he actually turned his treadmill up even to a faster pace than mine!  I was only on each interval for a minute, but he only had his for 30 seconds or less.  I don't know if it was part of his workout, but I found it quite suspicious that his intervals started at the same time as mine and were every bit as fast as mine.

Have you experienced dudes who do not want to be chicked, even on the treadmill?
Do you say anything?
Do you ever race others at the gym or out in the wild?

Taking Giant Leaps

Last Monday I put on my big girl panties and did something I was dreading.  I resigned from my job.

I have a great job.  It's all busy-work, which I love.  I can set my own hours.  I'm only part time.  My boss allows me to work from home.  It worked out that Dave and I could both work at the same company and not put the baby in child care.  So, why did I quit?

For us, it was the right decision. Working from home has become very difficult.  When Anderson was a baby I was able to put him in the swing or in the high chair and he would be content while I work.  Now he runs (crawls) around as fast as lightning getting into this and that.  And worse, he will often stand at my legs while I work and cry.  I just cannot do it anymore.  I waited a LONG time for a baby and he deserves my full attention.  My time at home is for Anderson.  When Dave comes home from work, it's family time.  The weekend's are family time.  And any time I may have for myself I want to spend for myself, not working.

So, I have two more weeks of work and then I'm official a stay at home mom.  I am both excited and terrified.  Financially I think we'll be okay.  The thing that frightens me most is the possibility that I could totally become a recluse and never leave the house.  Honestly, I am a terrible friend.  I don't feel comfortable calling people and setting up play dates or asking them to come over.  I'm way too shy for that crap.  :)  And I haven't quite figured out how to keep Anderson and I both entertained this summer.

Are you a stay at home mom or dad?
What are some activities that you and your kids enjoy doing?
How do I get my child out and about and keep him from becoming a recluse too?

I think it will be okay.  I believe we've made the right decision for our family.  It felt like a no-win situation.  I love my job, it affords me great flexibility, but I don't make enough money to put the baby in day care (nor do I want to) and I cannot continue working from home.  My job now is Mom.

Official Pictures from the Half Marathon

I borrowed a few official pictures from this weekend's Capital City Half Marathon.  Although I'm not exactly happy with what my body still looks like post-baby, I'm excited that my running pictures look at least half way decent.

 

Capital City Half Marathon 2014

I spent all of last week on vacation in Florida.  The weather was crazy hot and humid.  Our flight home was delayed by four hours.  Not exactly ideal conditions for preparing for my "A" half marathon just hours after returning home.  But such has been the case this entire training cycle.

Like the Columbus Marathon in the fall, the traffic and parking were atrocious for this race.  Luckily, we know downtown pretty well, took some off streets, and found some parking.  We had to walk a little bit to the start; I just called that a warm-up.

I lined up pretty close to the front which seems stupid for a race of 16,000+ but the 1:45 pacer was way up there and that's about the time that I wanted to run.  The gun sounded and we were off.  The pace group quickly got ahead of me, which I found odd because I was averaging under an 8:00.  For the next couple of miles they stayed ahead of me, until I caught them around mile 4 and got ahead of them.

(Paces are based on my GPS which was a little faster and longer than the course.)

Mile 1 - 7:47
Mile 2 - 7:54
Mile 3 - 7:47
Mile 4 - 7:50

By mile 5 I was feeling good and running hip to hip with my friend Mary.  I used her and my mantra as my inspiration for staying consistent and chasing the race.  I didn't know if I could actually hold the pace but I was willing to try and go for it.  After mile 5 there is a long downhill for miles, although it was into the wind.  I was able to pick up the pace a little.

Mile 5 - 7:47
Mile 6 - 7:41
Mile 7 - 7:38
Mile 8 - 7:38

We were now back downtown and the course was crowded.  This race has a "quarter marathon" which starts with the half marathoners, breaks off, and then comes back on course.  The problem is, because the half marathoners run further, when the quarter marathoners join back up, it is not the same pace.  I was strolling sub-8:00s and the quarter marathoners were strolling and walking and taking up lots of space.  I really wish the race directors would do something about this.  It was like playing Frogger with other runners.

Anyway, around mile 9 I was starting to feel tired.  My training really only went to about 11-1/2 miles at a much slower pace and I was starting to feel like maybe 9 miles was my limit.  I thought a lot during this time about "Being Willing", about my friend Jeff who recently passed away, and about my son.  Mostly I said, "do this for you."

Mile 9 - 7:37
Mile 10 - 7:39

Around mile 11 I caught a second wind and was ready to roll.  Unfortunately, the course got complicated around this point.  We were on High Street heading uphill towards the center of the city and the finish line, but for some reason the course took several turns, went across a bridge, back around the Scioto Mile (which would have been nice except it was so close to the finish line that no one was spectating there), up a hill, and finally another turn to the finish which was on High Street.  Can't the course go one more mile in any direction to keep from having to run this maze at the finish?

Mile 11 - 7:41
Mile 12 - 7:40
Mile 13 - 7:49
Last 0.28 (0.1) - 7:25 pace

Overall: 1:42:37

I am so excited for the results.  Honestly, I didn't think I had a 1:42 in me.  I'm out of shape, overweight, and unmotivated.  But having done it, I feel like I could give more.  I know I can go after my 1:36 PR now.  And I'm excited to tackle the challenges of the rest of the year.

My cousins ran their first half marathon.  I think they're hooked.  Suckers!

Be Willing

I, like every other runner in the free world, was glued to my computer yesterday watching the Boston Marathon.  I screamed at the screen trying to encourage the race.  I cried when Meb won.  (I totally ignored the baby as he wanted attention.  #motheroftheyear)

And of course, I was totally inspired.  I love Boston.  It is, by far, my favorite marathon.  It suits me.  I calls me.  It loves me.  After I set my PR there way back in 2009 I knew it was time to hang up the marathon flats.  I have only done two marathons in the five years since then.  I moved on.  I tried triathlon.  I've rocked the shorter distances.  I have embraced the half marathon as "my distance."

Truth is, though, I love the marathon.  It's a great race for me as it takes me a long time to warm up to my race pace, I can zone out like nobody's business, I like the long training, I like the accomplishment of the marathon.

Last night I started the discussion with coach about trying the marathon again.  *sigh*  Do I really want to run another one?  Can I be the runner I once was?  Do I even have a shot at qualifying for Boston again?  I told her we'd sleep on it and revisit it once the glow of Boston has dissipated.

Except, I didn't sleep.  I just kept thinking of wanting to run another marathon.  I just kept coming back to two words: Be Willing. 

Be willing to literally run the extra mile.
Be willing to eat better.
Be willing to count calories and lose those extra baby weight pounds.
Be willing to go to bed earlier.
Be willing to get up and do the work while everyone else is asleep.
Be willing to take ice baths.
Be willing to use the foam roller.
Be willing to drink more water.
Be willing to do the extras like weigh lifting, riding my bike, and stretching.
Be willing to commit to the process.

I haven't really opened myself up to the training, to the process.  I've just gone through the motions knowing that yes I can run any race and I'm okay with being mediocre.  Shoot, I had a baby.  I can use that excuse forever.  But that's not what I want.  Why would I be paying money to a coach to just be mediocre?  I want to be that badass marathoner again.  I want it.  I am willing to Be Willing.

Attack of the Angry Geese

I got up early Sunday to get in my long run before church.  But, I slept in a little longer than the alarm went off, so I allowed myself only enough time to run without stopping and taking a 5 minute shower before heading off to church. The run started well, uphill into the wind, but I warmed up well in the first 30 minutes.  Then I had a series of 8 minute stretches at race pace.  The first one cruised my at a sub-8:00.  I had just finished a small section out of the industrial part of town and was now on the bike path nearly a quarter mile from my house as the crow flies, or in this case, the geese fly.  There was a dead goose on the trail that I ran around and then I noticed two geese out in the field who were looking none too happy with me.  They started squawking very loudly at me, took flight, and came right at me with their mouths open, their feet fully engaged, and their wings flapping. 

 Let me back up.  I hate birds.  Always have.  When I was a kid, a very small kid mind you, I was chased by a very large pelican.  Then when I was in the Young Scientist program at the local science center (yes I've always been a nerd) I had an owl hound me during a session.  And finally in high school I had a very large owl come to my window every night and wrap it's talons around the screen.  FREAK! ME! OUT!

So when these geese came out me I totally flipped out.  I was screaming NONONONONONO!!!  I ran as fast as I could out into the street (thank God for no cars on a Sunday morning) and got to the median where they left me alone.  If I had been wearing a heart rate monitor all kinds of bells and whistles and alarms would have been going off.  Out loud I actually said, "Fine.  You win.  Run is over."  And I headed home. 

I didn't finish the run Sunday and I have yet to set off in the direction of those geese again.  The dead one is still there and every time I drive past it I look for the angry geese out in the field. 

Have you ever been attacked by birds or other animals on your runs?

Foto Friday

I finally found an official race photo from last weekend's half marathon.  Surprisingly, I didn't look completely like death, even if I did feel like it.  There was also a video of the finish where again, I didn't look like death.  Guess the sunglasses hide everything.

Meredith Kessler and I are practically best friends!!

I grew up in "small town America."  My town had one stop light, one restaurant, one gas station.  The entire high school had 200 students and everyone knew everyone.  My town was just like my favorite quote from the movie "Doc Hollywood" - You can't poop in this town without everyone knowing what color it is.

In small town American you get to participate.  In high school I was involved in everything - tennis, basketball, weight lifting, track, student council, band, choir, drama, etc.  In small town America high school sports you compete against other equally small and usually awful (as we were too) schools.  We traveled to exotic places like Baltimore, Amanda, and Heath, Ohio to compete against the same teams over and over again.  One school we competed against frequently was a super-close, private school: The Columbus Academy.  They were equally as small but usually competitive and because they were a 15 minute bus ride from our school, our track team probably competed against them 3-5 times per season.

My best event in track was the 400.  Yep, I was one of those crazies who ran and liked the 400.  Let me mention, I am 5'1".  Most people who run the 400 are much taller.  They are usually good at it and don't have to take as many steps.  Generally, I could hold my own against these giants.  But there was one athlete at Academy that would beat me solidly every time.

Let's fast forward several years. 

I am a fan of triathlon.  I may not enjoy doing it, but I like to read about it, follow it on twitter, watch it when it's on TV, go to races, etc.  I like a few pros, namely, Mirinda Carfrae, Linsey Corbin, and Meredith Kessler. Now, I knew Meredith Kessler was from Columbus, Ohio but it wasn't until I saw a tweet from her last spring that I started putting two and two together.  Her tweet said something to the affect of looking forward to being the commencement speaker at her alma mater Columbus Academy.

*record scratch*

I started Googling.  What was her maiden name?  What year did she graduate?  Did she play sports?  And all of a sudden it made sense.  She used to totally kick my ass at track meets!  Meredith Kessler, the super star professional triathlete, is a local girl I ran against in high school!  How cool is that?!

We're practically best friends.

Union Hospital Run for Home Half Marathon

Oh Mother Nature.  You're such a bitch!

In all honesty, I've had a rough couple of months of training. I go to work before people should be at work all so my husband can go in at a normal time - we work at the same company and have found a way to make it work so we do not have to put the baby in child care.  I spend the rest of my day at home with the boy.  By the time Dave gets home I'm just exhausted and have little energy or patience to start a workout.  There have been weeks where I have good intentions and before I know it, it is the weekend and I haven't done a single workout.  Consistency has not been my friend.  I've missed two important long runs and really felt like I needed to do one before my "A" race in May.  (Let's be real.  I will not be going for a new PR but this "A" race is the one I've been training for.)  A week ago we were in Kansas and I looked all over for a half marathon to incorporate as my long run.  I couldn't find one.  So Coach let me run one this past weekend.  I had initially planned on running the Athens Half Marathon but all the hotels were booked.  Dave found a different one, in New Philadelphia.  The race started at 1:00pm so I wouldn't have to find a hotel room.

One o'clock should be a great start time for a race in April as the weather can be a little cool in the morning.  But wouldn't you know it was hotter than BALLS! on Sunday?  The low was about 70 degrees and the high was going to make it into the 80s.  I've spent all winter in the freezing cold or on the treadmill.  I was not prepared for 80 degrees.  Nevertheless, I pre-hydrated, pre-salted (yes it's a word), and was ready to go.

The plan was to treat this as a training run - couple miles of warmup, couple miles of building, most miles at race pace, and one mile all out.  I started close to the 1:50 pace group to keep myself accountable to slowly building into the pace. 

Those first couple of miles, though, were a little faster than I had planned.  I was settling into a comfortable barely sub-8:00 pace.  By mile 3 I was super hot and already feeling dehydrated, I knew this race was not going to go as well as I had hoped.  I walked my first water stop between miles 3 and 4.  I was still running in the low 8:00s and doing alright but miserably hot.  I walked up a small hill at mile 5ish.  We went passed a timing mat at mile 6 and according to the tracking I was still averaging 8:18s.  By this point I was toast and really, really, really wanted to drop out.  In my head I said, "nope.  Do this for Anderson.  Run for the medal.  Small steps.  You're fine."  I kept putting one foot in front of the other.  I drank at every aid station, I poured water over my head, I used the kids' sponges they had, I let people with water gun squirt me.  Around mile 8 there was a relay exchange near the stadium.  I *thought* this was the stadium we finished at.  I was mad that Dave was not there, but it was probably a good thing because I definitely would have dropped out then.  (I found out after the race that it was not the stadium we finished at and it's a good thing I didn't drop out because I would have not known where I was.)

I struggled those last couple of miles.  I walked and jogged.  I was heartbroken when the 1:50 and 1:55 pace leaders passed me.  Note, there was nobody with either of those pace leaders.  I kept chugging along though and soon enough I was finished.

I was hot and yucky and sat down on the pavement to get my hot calf sleeves off.  Dave found me and told me he thought I was the 10th female finisher.  What??? No way.  I ran a 1:55.  He told me the first woman finished in 1:30 and the next didn't finish until 1:40.  This was a big race, y'all!  We went to the pavilion to look up the results.  Would you believe it?  I finished 2nd in my age group and 9th female overall.  I got the coolest trophy too.

This was a great race.  It was super organized, the price was decent, there were tons of volunteers, the awards were amazing, and the park that the race started and finished in was super cool.  I would definitely do it again, but next time I hope the weather is at least 20 degrees cooler.

Things I Love...Amy!!!

I'm starting a new segment on the blog called "Things I Love".  I have done some product reviews in the past, but I wanted to expand upon that and just tell you about all the things I love.  It could be running related, it could be baby related, it could be whatever.

Today I am going to talk about my favorite blogger, Amy.

I used to read a lot of blogs.  I had the time.  I had the patience.  I don't have time or patience anymore.    Also, I get really tired of the "super-popular" blog that is philosophical, supposedly a resource of all things running/triathlon, and gets free stuff all the time to review or giveaway.  I like to read about real runners, with real jobs and real lives.

I have been reading Amy's blog, 26point2ers, since it was Amy and April.   I loved reading about their race adventures from 5Ks to ultras.  Soon the blog became just Amy's and the snark was awesome.  What I love about Amy is that she isn't afraid to hide behind her blog.  She says what's on her mind and it usually involves a four letter word and an amazing animated gif.  Amy's also real with her running.  She has gone from being a participant to being a runner to be reckoned with.  Amy has tried and tried and tried to qualify for Boston and has come so close.  I root for her from afar and my heart breaks for her when she falls short.  I tell her all the time, she's gonna get it.  And she will and I'll be cheering loudly.

Amy and I got to meet a few years ago when we both did the Bourbon Chase.  After 24 hours of running and a little bit of awe on both sides of the meeting we had a short awkward chat.  I'm convinced, though, if we ever lived remotely close to each other we'd be total BFFs.  :)

I nominated Amy for Salty Running's Greatest Women's Running Blog.  She's up against a heavy hitter, one of those blogs.  Please go out and support Amy.  Read her blog, cheer her on, and vote vote vote!

Love you Amy!!!

Motherhood is Hard

This weeks marks a year since we welcomed our little boy into our lives.  It has been a great year and I love love love the little boy Anderson has become.  But I'm not going to lie, motherhood is hard.

This has been the longest winter of my life, which I'm sure most of you can attest to.  It has been cold and snowy since November and even today we got another dusting of snow.  Good grief.  My days consistent of going to work until 8:30am and then spending the rest of the day stuck inside.  While it is warm inside, I am tearing my hair out with boredom.  What do you do with a baby while stuck inside all day??  I can only watch so many episodes of Sesame Street, Daniel Tiger, and Bubble Guppies.  We have played with every toy he owns and we do it every day.  And there is lots of snuggling.  While we have fun, I'm tired of the monotony.  I want to play outside.  I want to take Anderson to the park.  I want to take family walks.  And I want to take Anderson out in the bike trailer and running in the BOB.

Let's talk about running and motherhood.  It's difficult.  I start work at 6:00am, which means I do not have the luxury of running in the morning while everyone is still asleep.  If I want to run by myself I have to wait until after the husband gets home from work at 6:00pm.  By that point in the day I am exhausted.  I have gotten up early, I have worked, and I have endured the very physical job of motherhood.  Which leaves me the only option of the treadmill.  I love the treadmill, but you can only take so much.  Sometimes I wish I could quit my job and be a stay at home....

...And on the subject of working, ugh!  I work part-time: 2-1/2 hours in the office and an hour and a half at home.  I actually really like going into the office and having some adult interaction, but as I said earlier, I start at 6:00am.  That's just WAY earlier.  No matter what time I go to bed, 5:00am is just painful.  I cannot get used to it and I don't like it.  Working from home is so crazy hard too.  It wasn't so bad when Anderson was a BABY and could sit in the swing and be content.  Now he's mobile and needs entertained.  I usually have to work in little segments while Anderson watches Bubble Guppies or runs around in his walker or hangs out in his bouncy seat.  Almost every week I have to work on the weekend to make up time and frankly, I don't remember the last time I actually got in all my hours.  I am an hourly worker; no work, no pay.  The husband works full time for the same company as me (hence why I work early early hours - so we don't have to put the baby in daycare) and also consults for another company a few hours a week.  He makes good money.  Why do I have to work?  Sometimes I find myself mad or jealous of Dave because he gets to go to work all day.  Does this make me a bad mom?

Don't get me wrong, I love my little bug and I love being a mom.  I waited a LONG time to have a baby and knew what I was getting myself into.  Some days are bad and rough, but most days are absolutely awesome.

Mothers out there, how do you manage motherhood? 
Do you work outside the home? 
Does it get easier as the child gets older? (hahahahaha!)
Whatever possessed you to have more than one child?  (hahahahaha!)

#tbt

Exactly one year ago I was 37 weeks pregnant and big as a COW!!!!  I was uncomfortable and OVER being pregnant.  Now, I only have two weeks until my baby turns one.  I've actually struggled quite a bit knowing he's turning one.  I've shed quite a few tears.  I cannot believe how quickly this year has gone.  It's been a great year, though.  It's been fun to see this little baby, who was like a little alien, develop a personality, learn to play, "talk" a lot, and just all around become a cool little dude.  Being that big cow above was sure worth it.

Beautiful Sunset Run

Some people like to run at sunrise; I like to sleep in.  :)

After grumbling and stomping my feet all day yesterday about not wanting to do my run, I finally got my buns out the door around 5:45pm...for an hour and 40 minute run.  Even with the time change, I was probably going to run out of daylight.

Dave and Anderson joined me for the first 4.3 miles of the run.  We've experienced a heat wave around here, mid-40s wooo hooo!!!, so Dave put together the bike trailer.  We bundled up Anderson really good and they came along for moral support.  Unfortunately, it was too cold for Dave (Anderson was just fine) so that's why they didn't join me for the whole run.

 

 

I started out the run pretty conservatively, 9:45s.  My only instructions for the day were to run easy so that's what I intended to do.  But with each mile I kept picking up the pace.  And I felt terrific!!!  Mile 9 was an 8:05; mile 10 - 8:03.  I ended the run with 11 miles in 1:34:04 before I ran out of daylight.  But not before I got to see this: