more than halfway

I'm more than halfway done with this pregnancy, and the W4MTP is more than halfway done as well!

W4MTP update:
As much as I am trying to just go with the zaniness and rah-rah of being a Pink Lady, I still haaaaaaaate hearing the loud music blasting when I step out of my car. Part of what I love about running is getting up early and being surrounded by quiet. No traffic, no people noise, just the birds and the trees, and the sound of feet.

Luckily, Saturday was the first day for the walkers and novices to get off the track and head out onto the road. A call for Pink Ladies to volunteer to stay behind at the track was put out, and I flagrantly shirked answering it. No WAY was I going to spend one more day getting my eardrums blasted while walking in circles. Not that it was so quiet out on the road - it was already 8:15am, plus there are how many hundred women doing this program, but at least the noise was a little more ambient and a little less amplified.

I ended up having the best walk, with a great new buddy. She's a former marathoner/triathlete who is in need of a knee replacement, and had second thoughts about whether or not to even come on Saturday since it meant walking. We had the best conversations, and the 2.5 miles flew by.

And if that weren't enough, who should stop by on her way back to Durham but, (drumroll please) IRONMO!!! Woot! We had a great time catching up, and Max showed off all his trucks.

Preggo update:
I ran as a young crazy person, but didn't really get bitten by it until I started marathon training. I always joked that I never liked it, I was just addicted. But the funny thing is that now that I've stopped running (I am losing sight of my feet, my joints are all loosey goosey, I'm klutzier than usual, and hauling around 10 extra pounds), I really miss it! I have dreams at night about running, and for just a moment when I wake up I'm calm and happy, and then I remember that my last run was over a week ago, and I was heavy, slow, and winded the whole time. For my lunchtime workout today, I elected to go swimming.

What I did on my summer vacation...

That mythical second trimester burst of energy has kicked into high gear. I never really had it with my other two pregnancies, so it's been quite a pleasant surprise. And good timing, too!

So many delicious local fruits are in full season, that it has seemed a shame to waste a Saturday morning by going to sweat it out at the track. So instead, I've been hitting the City Market and my neighbors, Chiles Peach Orchard, for the best of what the season has to offer. Today I pitted a quart of the season's last (and sweetest!) cherries, and combined them with peaches to make a cobbler. I bought a whole peck of peaches and made not only the cobbler, but also a boatload of freezer preserves. About 40 oz. each of peach/blueberry (looks so gross, tastes so good), peach/strawberry, and just plain peach. Add that to my dwindling stash of strawberry freezer jam, and we might actually make it through fall without having to resort to the brownish slop that is store-bought jam.

Oh, and staying fit? Well, I've taken the past two Saturdays off from being a Pink Lady (last Saturday was actually cancelled due to thunderstorms). But I haven't been just sitting around eating jam. There's been lots of swimming, fishing, zoo-going, and parade-watching. Not to mention our usual walks around the neighborhood. Oh, and several hours on my feet this afternoon making jam, cobbler, and meatloaf.

Getting up early on a Saturday and going to the track may be good for the body, but making comfort food is good for the soul.