Another month!

Here is a good way to keep up your running if you are 25 weeks pregnant:

Have your Dr appt rescheduled twice due to your Dr being overwhelmed with extra on call shifts.

Get a work in slot on an already full day.

Make sure the day you come in your Dr has been on call all night, and just came from an emergency surgery. You will have a very long wait this way, but be thankful you have an iphone to help pass the time.

After waiting almost 2 hours, and watching the office fill with about 6 other appts, watch your Dr. come in completely frazzled.

Sit back for your appt, while she only has time to do routine things. The fact that you have been a difficult patient, begging to keep running will likely be forgotten as your poor Dr tells you she hasn’t seen her kids in several days.

Whew, dodged another bullet. Looks like I get at least one more month before another medical running restriction may happen.

Seriously, if running was making me feel bad, I wouldn’t joke around like this, but when the temps have been consistently nice, and it is actually easier now, than it was a month or 2 ago, it is hard to think about cutting back. But, like I said, I picked the right day to come in when we were supposed to discuss another potential mileage decrease. Didn’t happen, so the Turkey Trot can remain on my radar.

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Spec’s first greenbelt trip…

Today was also Spec’s first greenbelt trip. I had Mike take some pictures, because I suppose I should have some documentation that I have not made Spec up…haha!!…now do you believe me? Yes, it is quite scary he has 3 months or so to grow…he looks PLENTY big to me.

I don’t think I’ll be running with Spec out there anytime soon, but we will hike. I am getting a carrier for him, and we’ll spend some time out on the greenbelt with Pancake too. Maternity leave may be the best thing that ever happened to Pancake.

The perfect weather has really got me thinking about my running comeback. I am forming all kinds of comeback plans depending on when and how Spec’s delivery goes. It is hard not to think about marathons, when there are so many people training and we have hit perfect long run weather. Can’t complain about my current status though…I did a 9 min/ mile pace Danish run this am, lugging that giant gut in the photo around, so not too bad. I am planning on switching to long runs on Fridays when I go back to work. Ideally, I will get up early and get my run in, and maybe go to work a little later. Then Saturday I can do a 6-7 mile run and with Spec in his stroller or maybe with friends and then do breakfast with Spec and Mike or something. Spending time with him will be a priority, and I hope I can pull off Friday long runs to free up the weekend a little. We shall see, I know a baby is not predictable, so I may not always get things to work the way I want….but yes, my obsessive/ compulsive mind is already planning how I’ll start training again…AND, do lots of fun stuff with Spec…which I am so excited about.

Welcome back!

We went to the greenbelt today for the first time since about May. No running, but lots of hiking and swimming for Pancake. There was water!!!! Is this the same dust bowl we ran in all spring? Pancake literally just sat in the water she was so happy to see it….well, she also attacked and ate sticks.

Another milestone…

More Spec clothes…aren’t they cute?!?

This week marks 24 weeks, or if I want it to seem like more time, 6 months. For some reason mentally months seems like more than weeks to me. Even though pregnancy is really 10 months, not 9! Anyhow, like most events with a big lead up, I go between wanting the big day to be here, and telling myself to slow down and enjoy the journey. In my mind 6 months seems like a milestone. Far enough in to finally call it a good ways in…

Running still continues. If you were to ask me about it at 5am, I would tell you running feels great. The summer heat is officially over, and even though I may be a little sleepy, I can still keep pace. Now, ask me about running at 5pm, and it’s a different story. I ran a couple miles last night after work, and it was soooo hard. Leg cramps, no energy, the works. Anytime I have a bad run I wonder, “Is this it, am I looking at quitting?” Luckily this morning was a major rebound. I have accepted that Spec’s massive growth just wipes me out by the evening. I am lucky to make it to yoga or my Pancake walks…I really want to take a nap. So I admit it…Spec makes me tired…..and huge. I cannot believe how much he grows in just a week. And, yes massive Spec growth translates into massive growth for me.

Spec is also a night owl. I am not. I am a morning person. I feel him stir a little in the morning, but running seems to lull him to sleep. Around dinner time though, he’s wild, keeps it up after I get into bed..it doesn’t bother me and I am able to fall asleep, but I hope he decides to switch to mornings by the time he is born!

Spec’s 2nd Race…

Prerace photos…hint, I am the one who looks pregnant…Steph is the one I shot a little blurry and you could never tell she is pregnant!

What a packed, but fun weekend. This weekend was the IBM 10K. Not known to be a very scenic course, but it fit the bill being 10K in distance, and no trails. Stephanie said she was in, so we registered. I spent all day Saturday running errands, and not making it to Melissa’s birthday/ OU game party. I find that folks are usually pretty forgiving about my need to book at least one nap a weekend now. But I did get most of what I needed to done, because I knew today would be full as well. One huge factor in making the weekend and run great, was perfect running weather. Mid 50s in the am, warming to high 70s. This kind of weather is just about unheard of in Austin.

Picked up Steph at 645 and we headed up to the Domain shopping center. Parked no problem, and started the near mile or so trek to the race start. A highlight of the race was that Michael and Michelle were meeting us with baby Leah after for breakfast, so we were both psyched to put in a good run and earn our omelet afterwards. By the time we made it to the start and hit a bathroom, we were off. It was a nice to change to do a race where all I worried about was getting there on time. No packing drop bags or snacks, a headlamp, or a blister kit. Just show up and run. We started pretty far back, and boosted our egos a bit by being able to pass folks from where we started. We ran along, and Spec behaved and only caused me moderate bladder trauma. One stop got me through the race (he has caused as many as 3 stops in 6 miles). We saw Michael, Michelle and Leah towards the end, and pushed on, ready for breakfast. 57:40 was our time, I forgot my chip as usual, so I am not in the results, but it does translate to an 8:52 mile average. Not bad for a fat girl, and it included the bathroom stop.

We did breakfast at the Steeping Room. It was super good. I justified a spinach omelet with goat cheese, as needed protein for Spec, and the Chocolate Chipotle Chai Latte was just a treat. I think I have a new favorite breakfast spot. Leah was the best baby ever….but I suspect she eventually woke up today and demanded a feeding, since we didn’t hear a peep from her.

Since the weather so good, I took Pancake to Mueller to run around. Then I had to rush off to an eye dr appt. Gymboree was right next door, and having a 60% off sale. I notice two truisms about baby clothes: 1. There is a lot less stuff for boys. About 3/4ths of the store was girl stuff, and 2. It is really hard to find girl stuff that isn’t pink. Spec and I wanted to get a little present for Amelia Rose (aka Little Stevie 1), but rumor is she doesn’t want a lot of pink. Everything seemed to be pink. So, I gave up….I know some other places to look, but Gymboree did seem pretty cute…

I am looking forward to putting these sweaters on Spec we he goes in his running stroller this winter!

That stung a little…

This picture was emailed to me in Feb. by my great pacing partner, Korrie. She and I had the honor of pacing those with a 5 hour marathon goal at the Austin marathon. We had a blast, and I used it to cap off my goal race, Rocky Raccoon 50 mile. Wow, what a difference a year makes…right now I am challenged by 6-7 miles, when a year ago, I was starting to hit 25 miles runs, followed by another 10 or so the next day. I was pretty determined to get in good shape to undertake RR 50 and then the marathon pacing.

I got an email yesterday with the details of this year’s marathon pacing. It hurt to know that I won’t be there. Spec is due the same weekend as the marathon, so there is no way I could do it. I know Spec is way better than pacing another marathon, but a little part of me still wonders how much of my “old life” I’ll regain when all is said and done. Will 2011 be a combo Spec birthday pre-marathon pasta dinner for me? I hope so. I know ultras might be a challenge time wise after Spec is born, but I hope marathons and 50Ks remain part of my life. It doesn’t seem like too unreasonable of a goal, but I find everyday is another step into the unknown.

Sometimes lately I look around my home, and see all the reminders of how much I’ve been able to do up to now. Many nights I go to sleep in a Boston marathon t-shirt, I bring my lunch to work in a bag from the amazing MiWok 100K run, there is a cool piece of bottle cap art in my kitchen from the Rogue trail series, a little bronze horse anchors my bookcase from the my fave trail race, Sunmart, I have photos on the walls of my friends and I at races conquering our fears, and I can no longer fit into the belt that is adorned by my hard earned Bandera 100K buckle. It’s all just trinkets, but I like having all to conjure up the memories of all the good times I’ve had, and I am thankful for every mile and every minute.

An annoying little part of pregnancy is the insomnia. When it strikes regularly in the middle of the night, I try and think of pleasant things and not let my mind drift into list making, and what I need to get done. I imagine myself running along a trail, coming into an aid station, and Mike is there holding Spec, cheering me on. We all have big smiles on our faces….I continue on and eventually I finish the race and we all go celebrate together as a family. So yes, maybe this mental picture can become real in Feb 2011, as I finish the Austin marathon, and then we all go out together to celebrate the run, and Spec’s first birthday.

Spec room…

It was a busy day, but most of Spec’s room is done. The crib has some repair work to do, as it is 10 years old, and currently is a minor death trap. Despite how it looks, that mattress hangs by a thread, but Mike assures me it is fixable. Also, try and ignore the fact I look like one of the whales on the quilt. There is also a dresser yet to arrive, but the hard part is done (cleaning and painting). The pictures are all originals ordered from Etsy, which is the coolest place to get just about anything. There is a lot of really great baby stuff, or gifts

for anyone for that matter. I really

wanted original stuff in the room, and not something prepackaged from the hideous Babies R Us (a true nightmare shopping experience if ever there was one).

In other news, the day we’ve been waiting for since about April has arrived. The first signs of fall. On Thursday I ran at 445 am in 80 degrees and 85% humidity. Saturday am was 55 degrees and very little humidity. It was MUCH easier to run. I have only experienced pregnant runs in pretty hot and humid conditions, so this was very welcome. I also realized the weather was a big factor in how hard I felt like I was working. Now, several of you will probably laugh at this pace, but Joe, Wesley and I did a 6.4 mile loop in 59 minutes, including 1 bathroom stop. For all my extra weight, that is a much better pace than I have had. It seemed like we were just flying to me. I had a slightly restless night last night with some asthma and reflux so I knew this am would be a little challenging, but the much cooler weather made it very doable. Just last weekend the littlest discomfort combined with the high temps and humidity really made me have to work for my runs. I hope it is like this next weekend for Spec’s second race, the IBM 10K.

Now it seems no matter how hard I try not to gain massive amounts of weight it just doesn’t happen. I run about 40 miles a week, take yoga a couple times a week, walk in the evenings, cut down my food, but upped my nutrition, and I still just pile on the weight. I know the gain is inevitable, but I had no idea it would be this much and seemingly this out of my hands. I guess there is some genetic predisposition as to how large a baby wants to be, and try and I might I cannot make Spec a 6 pound baby. He seems on a path to be bigger as anything I eat adds to to his size. I would also think everyone knows no woman wants to hear “Oh, you’re getting big”, but somehow everyone keeps telling me. I went about 18 weeks without looking pregnant at all, and then suddenly I get comments like “Well, you are so short, of course you are going to look big.”. Nice….at least my running clothes seem to stretch and I can still use them. Our Saturday route has also been renamed “The Old Guy and the Fat Girl loop” I usually run it with at least one buddy, none of whom are really old guys, it’s just when we get passed left and right by marathon training groups, we kinda have to laugh at ourselves. We pass a Starbucks, and yesterday considered going in and getting giant chocolate chip frappachinos and hanging up up running shoes. Who are we kidding, sipping whip cream-laced drinks was probably more our pace, but we persevered and for at least another weekend, can call ourselves runners.

Let’s hope Mike still likes to spend time in this rocker at 3am when Spec refuses to sleep……

Mike just got back from a business trip this week to Cork, Ireland and took this picture of Blarney Castle. I thought it turned out great! Well, I rebounded and had a fantastic danish run yesterday. The danish run is the upper limits of doctor recommendation, so of course I try and do as much as I can 🙂 I felt great, and felt quick, even though I am sure my friends thought it was fairly pedestrian. So, I assumed my previous doubts about my running were premature. WRONG! Today, was a whole different story.

I did some major house cleaning and organizing in preparation for Spec all day yesterday. As I could have predicted, the dust form this combined with muggy, moldy, rain weather induced an asthma attack. No big deal, I can handle it. But, what happened later that night was a surprise and mystery and gross! Apparently I’d been eating all day (and possibly the day before) and the food was just piling up, not even remotely being digested. At one point, it decided to leave me. This was the first of it I noticed. I did feel very full all day, but I thought it was Spec. Wrong….just massive amounts of food that all came up last night, as a complete surprise. I am amazed my stomach stored that much and didn’t even attempt to digest it at all. I know very gross. I have no idea why this would happen, and I had a very exotic meal in Austin’s Chinatown Center, that I don’t want to repeat any time soon. After this happened, I think I weighed a couple pounds less, I could breathe (I think all the food was taking up so much space it was hard to breathe), and I could feel Spec moving again. I guess I am just getting ready for Halloween with an exorcist moment or something.

Anyhow, it meant today’s 99% humidity run was done with not having absorbed a single thing yesterday, so it was a full blown slogging around with leg cramps and belly cramps. Things seem to be better now, but I realize there will be good days and bad days on my runs, possibly from here on out. It was a rough one to say the least. I am hoping the week is better!