liar, liar, pants on fire

That would be me. Sorry dear Internets, but I have deceived you. It's true, I was having some foot issues just prior to the Ten Miler, but nothing awful enough to keep me from running it. The truth is I am expecting!

I know some of will now consider my lack of running, and ask if Mama has lost her gumption. We all hear stories about women who run right up until delivery. Isn't Mama one of those strong, powerful, fit women? Yes, but my main early pregnancy symptoms are shortness of breath (seriously, it's ridiculous, I get winded while *reading* for Pete's sake), fatigue, and nausea that does not respond well to jostling. I take those signs as my body's way of telling me to slow down. So I listen.

I'm still keeping fit, you can count on that. I'm hitting the gym regularly for weights and cardio, walking a few times per week, and though I'm too big for my Speedo and too small for my maternity suit, I do plan on adding swimming back into the mix soon. I was in incredible shape when Max was born, and I hope to be in just as good physical condition for this little one's arrival. Speaking of which, we expect him or her on Thanksgiving Day (and you can just swallow that Butterball joke right now, it is NOT funny).

So far, everything looks great, and as with my pregnancy with Max, we will have top-notch care and monitoring to put my mind at ease until this baby arrives safely. Please keep me in your thoughts as I progress through what is definitely my very last pregnancy (hooray!). Now that I'm able to spill the beans, I'll be posting more regularly about the challenges and triumphs of staying fit while being not only a mother, but also a mother to be.

Happy Mothers' Day!!

I hope all you mothers had a wonderful day. Motherhood can really be the most lonely job in the whole world, and while it's just one silly, invented holiday, it is nice to have a day that should be all about Mom.

The Supportive Husband was kind enough to let me sleep in a little, and I'm finally feeling like I've kicked the nasty cold I've had the past week. My ears were popping like crazy today. After a family breakfast at home (which I made, but I actually like making breakfast and too rarely get to do it, so it really was a treat), I got to go to the gym, where I tried out my wheezy, congested lungs on the bike while reading a book. It was one of my laziest workouts ever, but felt great. I did redeem myself by doing some serious stretching and lifting weights.

The Supportive Husband fed Max lunch and put him down for a nap just before I arrived home, so even though he (the husband, not Max) had to go to work, I had a few luxurious hours to myself. Which I spent doing housework. But I must say that for the first time in months, ALL THE LAUNDRY IS FOLDED AND PUT AWAY. It's a Mothers' Day Miracle!! Which will last approximately 7.3 seconds.

A friend came by to drop off some things she'd borrowed for her baby, which he's since outgrown. He was adorable, but when we tried to go out for pizza, the wee fellow barfed all over his poor mom. Happy Mothers' Day, indeed. I think he's got a lot of making up to do. And he's only 1! Max and I got take out, and had pizza together at home. Then we went for a long buggy ride since the sun had finally come out after a day of rain.

Even though he'd taken a long nap, the buggy ride must have worn him out, because by 7pm, he was heading up the stairs and crawling into bed of his own volition. I insisted on a quick bath, since he was covered in pizza and wet mulch, and it was lights out by 7:45. I plan to spend the rest of my day ironing (which I actually like, but never have time for) and watching the finale of Survivor. Hoooooo yeah, I'm a wild one.

Pinking out

I headed over to the track the other night for Pink Lady training led by the awesome Francesca. The highlight was all of us taking off our shoes and running barefoot across the uber-groomed lacrosse practice field. Oh, heaven! Must make mental note to run barefoot on super high quality grass more often.

Meanwhile, I've been doing my best to keep up at the gym, sticking mostly to the bike and pool and weights. And I spend plenty of time running after Max. He rides his Razor Scuttle bug all over the neighborhood now, and gets so fast on the downhills that I have to jog to keep up.

As for my Pink Lady duties, I am a proud member of Team Miscellaneous! We will be decorating the track for the first day of training on June 14 at 7:45am (hint, hint). I will be pacing/coaching/assisting the beginners (that could be YOU!) and walkers. I can't wait!

Go Iron Mo!

Tomorrow is Patriot's Day, and the running of the Boston Marathon!! My dear friend, IronMo, qualified yet again!! and will be taking the long bus ride to Hopkinton in the morning. It remains to be seen if she'll actually finish due to injuries, but I am sending many positive thoughts her way! Go Mo!

And since I don't have much else to report, I thought it was time for another "search string" post. The following are some of the most interesting search strings that led users to my blog. My comments are in parentheses:

-many variations of "running a marathon while breastfeeding" (which makes me laugh a little, thinking about actually nursing while running - I could never even master nursing while walking with the baby in a sling. I know that's not what they meant, but still, I can't shake the visual.)

-charlottesville 19 miler (must be a secret race I've never heard of)

-mama marathon (natch)

-older and fitter (yes I am!)

-breastfeeding friendly charlottesville (I guess it is, but I don't run with the lactivist crowd, so I'm not attuned to any injustices that may have been perpetrated recently)

-what to wear in 45 degree for a marathon (layers!)

-run like you stole something shirt (MUST HAVE THIS. Does it exist? I also want one of those "This IS my race pace" shirts that I keep seeing everywhere.)

-"running skirt" pee or peeing or urination or urinating (I wonder if this was a practical query or a pervy one)

Thanks, visitors! However you arrived, I'm happy to have an audience.

Think Pink!

I am taking this summer off from marathon/half marathon training, and instead will be spending my Saturday mornings being a Pink Lady!! Yes, the very training program that horrified me so much it drove me to marathoning has sucked me in. I am terrifically excited about being a volunteer and mentor for the Women's Four Miler training program. Training starts on June 14, but preparations are already underway and I've already been to two Pink Lady meetings.

If you need more info, just leave me a comment and I'll get back to you ASAP.

Ladies, I hope to see you all June 14 at the track!!

10 Miler Race Report

It was a cold but lovely morning for the race. I parked at U-Hall, and ran into a few friends waiting inside before the start. I watched the start, then hoofed to over to my volunteer post, just in front of the Rotunda. I spent the next two hours trying to recreate a one-woman scream tunnel. My voice is shot! I saw a ton of people I knew, and it was so much fun to cheer everyone on at a very difficult spot in the race. I was losing my voice and freezing cold by the time I left, but so happy that I had participated. Way to go runners!!!

See you at the race

I got my volunteer assignment today - I'll be at the corner of University Ave and Madison Lane. Across from the Rotunda, just past the Starbucks and the church, and after that wicked hill going up the Corner. Awesome!! My official assignment is to guard the intersection and not let cars through, but I think I'm mostly going to be spectating. As my faithful readers know, I am a proud alumna of the Scream Tunnel, so I am ready for this gig. I'll be resting my pipes tomorrow and Friday so I can go all out on Saturday.

My 10 Miler PR stands

I will not be setting a new PR at the 10 miler this year, because I will be on the sidelines as a volunteer, rather than running. A weekend in Vegas in cute but non-supportive shoes left my feet a blistered wreck. Add to that missing my last long run, and I realized that at best, running on Saturday would be painful and embarrassing. I'm pretty bummed - this is the first big event I've ever missed.

Good luck to all the runners! And remember my favorite race day motto:
Run like you stole something!

I'm groovy, baby!

What type of Mother Hen Are You?
by Montessorimom.com: Educational Resource

MJH 8K Race Report

It wasn't nearly as rainy as I thought it would be, though it drizzle steadily the whole time. I ran with Louise, and since we were talking the whole time, I can't say as I really raced it. Even so, I came within about 30 sec of my time last year (which was in perfect conditions), so I'm pretty happy with it. And for what it's worth, somehow I ended up ahead of Louise in the chute, so I got to make jokes about how I beat her.

I felt pretty good the entire time, except for that wicked Belmont Hill. I took the opportunity to walk for about 100 yards, and felt great for the last mile. Had I not been running with someone, I probably could have pushed a lot harder and beat my PR for the course. I guess that's the bummer of not being a new runner any more - I've already raced the distance, so I'm not guaranteed a PR any more.

It was a good run, but it felt like more of a training run than a race, especially since the rain kept the spectators away. But I'd gladly take a great training run like this over a bad race any day.

8k tomorrow

I did not have my pre-race nightmare last night, which freaks me out more than the forecast. For those of you not here in town, it's going to be rainy and 45 degrees. Which makes it so hard to decide what to wear. Tights, for sure. And I think I'm going to wear my shell, but not sure if I'll pair it with a short-sleeved shirt or long-sleeved shirt. And I'm not sure if I'll wear my baseball hat or fleece toque. I'm leaning towards the baseball hat, since I'm worried about being too warm with the shell on. One thing's for sure, I will not be sporting the extremely green and humongous race shirt. Luckily, I know people, and have a covered parking spot just a block from the start, so I can bring a ton of stuff in the car, and change my mind at the last minute if I need to.

I'm actually more worried about being overdressed than about being cold and wet. Cold and wet is a given; I can't control it. In fact, it's kind of liberating. All bets are off when the weather's like this. Being cold and wet gives you something to think about other than setting a PR, or how much your feet hurt. For me anyway, in these conditions, my usual inner monologue gets switched off, and I find it easier to just be in the moment, and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Keep an eye out for me - I'll be the one running about a 10:50ish (if I'm lucky) pace wearing a fluorescent yellow and grey shell who answers to "Max's Mom."

A few miles

I'm off work on Mondays, but inevitably the day gets filled up with other obligations. I unexpectedly had a few hours to myself this afternoon, and rather than hurry home and take care of the tidal wave of laundry that threatens to break down the laundry room door, I took advantage of the balmy weather to go for a run. I ran about 3.5 miles, I think. I ran part of the Ten Miler course, including that bit that I always lop off that goes down Lexington. Since I never run it, I made a couple of wrong turns, and did more than the 3 I was planning. It was warm, but very windy, and I'd forgotten to bring a hat, so I ended up with my Katie Holmes meets Dorothy Hamill 'do flopping in my eyes as it worked its way out of the clip I'd put it in.

I headed back to the gym, and did weights, stretching, and abs. I picked up Max from school, and we took a swing by the store to pick up raisins. We made it home just in time to meet Louise for a good long walk with Max in the buggy, eating his precious raisins. Then a mad scramble to make dinner from scratch and here it is 7pm and I'm still in my gym clothes!

Working mom workout

The plan:

Monday was a holiday, but I work Tues - Fri, so somewhere during the week, I get to use my 6 hrs of holiday time. So I planned to work a half day today, leave at lunch, go straight to the gym, go for a long swim, dry off, get on the bike for 20-30 min, then lift weights, etc. And still have time to shower, run an errand or two, and pick Max up from day care right after his nap, and possibly go for a walk with him in the stroller. This is pretty much my ideal day. I've been daydreaming about it since last week.

The reality:

Awaken in the wee hours of the morning to the sound of Max coughing up a hairball. Realize that the little cold and cough he'd been nursing since the weekend had turned into a bad cold and cough. Realize that I can't send him to school in good conscience. Formulate plan to drive to work super-early, grab laptop, and come home before the Supportive Husband has to leave to start his workday. He's self-employed and works out of the house, but today was a rare day where he had to be on-site at 9am.

Spend the morning alternately trying to work, answer IMs and e-mails, and cater to the whims of a sick and cranky two year old. Receive Toddler Wrath when I dare to queue up Signing Time on the DVR instead of WonderPets. Finally get him to eat his chewable Motrin three hours after I gave it to him. Rejoice when he goes down early for a nap. Rejoice when the Supportive Husband comes home for lunch.

Try to finish a few work tasks. Change into running clothes and head out into the cold and damp for a quick 2 miles around the 'hood. Get snowed on.

Blog furiously, and hope that I've got enough time to shower before the cranky toddler wakes up.

Net result:
No swim. No weights. Very little stretching. No podcasts while on the exercise bike. No errands. At least I got out in the fresh air, and got to watch the snow work its way over the mountains. Now I just have to cross my fingers that I don't come down with Max's cold.

3.4 miles

I ran a little segment of the ten miler, and when I mapped it out on mapmyrun.com, it was 3.4 miles. I was unbelievably slow - 11:20 min/mi, but I didn't care. My feet didn't hurt for once (yesssss!!!), and I felt ridiculously cute in my new running skirt. Much of the course was over uneven sidewalks, so I stepped cautiously. But the balmy weather made me giddy to be outside - it was 65 degrees!! I headed to the gym after, and spent 30 minutes lifting and stretching. Overall, it was quite a change from yesterday when I struggled through 4 miles in the cold.

I'm definitely not in 10 Miler shape, but I'm not out of the ballpark. I've got over a month, and know that I'll be ready.

Spring Fever

It's been unseasonably warm lately, and I think I've come down with a serious case of spring fever. How else can you explain that I went to the shop to buy a pair of black shorts and walked out with a lime green running skirt?

Four miles

The forecast was for warmer weather, so I dropped Max off at daycare and headed to the Monticello Trail for two up and two down. Only on the way there it started raining. I came very close to bagging it, and heading to the gym instead, but decided I needed to suck it up and start bringing my A-game and actually TRAIN for the ten-miler.

It had stopped raining by the time I got to the parking lot, and I was delighted. And then about 100 yards from the car the skies opened up. Going uphill was a lot of work. More than it should have been. I kept bargaining with myself, okay, if I don't stop to walk, I can turn around at 1.5 miles. If I can run 5 min for this half mile, I'll turn around at the bridge. My nose was running, and I kept having to spit. I really needed to pee. I could not get a rhythm; everything just felt off. My monkey mind was scurrying about.

But somewhere around mile 1.5, everything just settled down. My stride and breathing were steady, and I wasn't anywhere near ready to stop. I went all the way to the parking lot at the top, and slapped the signpost at the 2 mile mark with both hands, and turned around.

I didn't worry about speed, or try to fly down the mountain like I usually do. In fact, I didn't even look at my watch once until I was at the bottom. My time wasn't spectacular, but for as slow as I'm sure I was on the way up, it was much faster than I would have expected without pushing it on the way down.

I stretched out using the low stone wall at the parking area for support. As I was stretching my quads, I could hear a group of three older men talking as they came off the trail. One said to the other "Can you get your foot up to your fanny like she can?"

I was giggling, and stopped to chat with them for a moment. They were out fitness walking, and are planning on doing the MJH 4K walk next month - good for them! We had a lovely chat, they asked me about my time on the course today, and they told me how exercise keeps you young. Good advice.

Counting down

Eight weeks from tomorrow is the 10 miler, and I'm nowhere near ready. I've gone for a few 4 mile runs on the weekends, and done the occasional 1-2 on the treadmill, but really haven't been training. I have been making it to yoga once per week, which eats up one possible workout. The weekends have been increasingly busy, and I barely have time for a decent workout on Sundays. But the latest development is that my foot problems, which had given me no trouble at all over the past month, have returned with a vengeance. And it's my own fault.

My new running shoes have been doing wonderfully. But silly me wanted to wear cute shoes to work yesterday instead of clogs. So I did. And got so many compliments!! And now I have terrible sharp pain in the balls of both my feet. As soon as my feet started hurting, I put on my Birks, and I'm planning on wearing my running shoes while out and about tomorrow. I had been hemming and hawing about buying a second pair of running shoes, but I think I'm going to bite the bullet and do it - I really need a pair for out and about, and a pair for actually running. Man, getting old is expensive!

But the good news is that I'm still pretty fit, and still working out 3-4 times per week or more. I'm much more nervous about the ten miler this year than I was last year. I was all high off the marathon last year, and this year all I've got under my belt is the half.

Pot pourri

If my holiday tri challenge taught me anything, it's that making time for exercise is not as tough as I thought. It's easy to have a million and one excuses. Nobody would fault me for not exercising 4 to 5 times per week - I have a toddler, a full time job, new seasons of American Idol and Project Runway, and a million other commitments and projects pulling me in every direction. But I make time because I'm an athlete. It's part of who I am, and I need exercise just as I need to eat, breathe, and sleep.

Truth be told, I'm a slower runner than I'd like to be, weigh about 5 pounds more than my ideal, wish I could up the resistance another 3 notches on the bike, and am still desperately trying to reclaim my freestyle body roll that I lost after two pregnancies in a row. I think a lot of people, myself included, let their unreached goals and embarrassments keep them from pursuing many things. If I can't be the best, I just won't try. It's taken many years to find satisfaction in not winning.* At some point, it's better to be in the race and losing than to not be in the race and be at home on your duff.

So more days than not, I get off my duff and get moving. These days, between my shoulder problem (I may be the only person in history to have permanent shoulder damage from kayaking in a 3-ft. deep warm water pool), my foot issues, the weather, and day care colds, I have to employ a lot more ingenuity to maintain and increase my fitness level. Where I used to just swim, or just run, or just do the bike, I now find myself more and more warming up for 30 minutes on the bike, running a mile or two, and then hitting the weights. Or swimming at lunch, and going for a long walk after work, and then stretching in bed.

And so maybe I'm not faster or thinner or much stronger, but I'm a hell of a lot faster, thinner, and stronger than I'd be doing nothing. I've accomplished a lot of things over the past two years I never thought possible, and that is very satisfying.


*Satisfaction in not winning does not apply to Scrabble or Boggle.

hibernation

I've gone to the gym a bit, I ran 4 miles on Monday when the weather was balmy, but other than that, I've been hibernating. There was Max's birthday party to throw, getting back to work, not to mention the cold I've had all week. Oh, and my shoes never did come in at the shop, despite my calling twice and being told it would be just a few more days. I feel like a traitor, but I finally ordered a pair online, and they arrived Friday.

I took them to the track today to see how they'd do. So far so good, but it's tough to tell after just a couple miles on the track. They're definitely different - I can actually feel the ground a little bit, which I think is good. Super-stable shoes are so stiff (hah, say that ten times fast) that as the Supportive Husband put it, if my shoes got any more supportive, I'd be running in clogs. In comparison, these feel like ballet slippers. So far nothing hurts - I've got my tricked-out inserts in them, and since I'm back in Asics, I've got them lock-laced to prevent my heel from slipping. Hopefully I'll be over my cold soon, and back into the swing of things.

Hey, wait a sec!

I finally took a moment to plug the numbers into my spreadsheet, and realized that I actually ran at 10:15 pace overall, and was just 11 seconds shy of a PR!!! Damn, I should have kicked harder into the finish. There's always next year!! :)